What is class?

Key Questions:

1. What classes do we have in the US?
2. What kinds of things do we use to make distinctions between classes?
3. What is the difference between a generalization and a stereotype?

Starter 9

1. What classes do you think we have in the United States?  How many?  What % of the US population do you think is in each class?  What would you use to define each class?
2. Now, look at this class diagram.
3. After looking at the diagram, what’s one big difference you notice between your brainstorm and the data you see in front of you?  What’s one thing about this diagram that surprises you or stands out to you?

Project Overview
Give students project overview.  Read, write any questions, ask Lori.

Class Stereotypes
What’s the difference between a generalization and a stereotype? Talk in groups, then create a table on the board. 

Generalizations

1. Describe a group
2. Allows for exceptions
3. Try to be accurate
4. Constantly modified by new input
5. Formed based on data and evidence
6. Attempt to capture patterns of similarity within a group

Stereotypes​

1. Pass judgment    
2. Leave little room for exceptions
3. Try to be simple
4. Don’t usually change, even when proven wrong
5. Formed based on anecdote and experience rather than empirical evidence
6. Do not help people understand their differences

EXAMPLES:

1. Trust is important in the Latino community; your business may be more successful if you first build personal relationships.  VS  Latinos are closed to outsiders, they only do business among themselves.
2. Many people who live in poverty come from parents who are uneducated.  VS  Poor people don’t care about education.
3. Wealthy people have large social networks that help them get jobs.  VS  Wealthy people get jobs because of who they know, not what they can do.
4. Students, in pairs, come up with one example of generalizations and stereotypes and write them on the board.

Stereotypes Activity
Now that you understand the differences, we’re going to work on identifying what stereotypes we are carrying around with us about different classes--ultimately, we hope to be able to make generalizations, but we probably don’t have the data for that yet.  By examining and making visible these stereotypes, we will start to understand how we mentally define and categorize people.  Our goal in this project will be to question and complicate these initial impressions.  To make this simple, we’re going to do this on only 4 classes:  Lower Class, Working Class, Middle Class, and Upper Class.

1. Individually: Write what class you think you belong to.  Consider how you decided this (what indicators did you use...area, jobs, accent, income, dress, education, other?)
2. Tape poster down to table, divide into 4 quadrants
3. Label each quadrant:
   1. Lower Class
   2. Working Class
   3. Middle Class
   4. Upper Class
4. In groups of 5-6, on poster, we’re going to create class descriptions.  These will be a mix of stereotypes and generalizations.  For now, don’t think too hard about this! Think about:
   1. What do they wear?  What are visible external markers of class?
   2. Where do they live?
   3. What are their houses like?
   4. What are their hobbies?  What do they do for fun?
   5. How do they talk and act?
   6. What kinds of jobs do they have?
   7. What kind of education do they have?
   8. What bad or negative traits or habits do they have?
   9. What do they value?
   10. What skills do they have?
   11. Anything else?
5. Now, go through your poster and put a G next to generalizations, and an S next to stereotypes.
6. Take 5-10 minutes to walk around and look at the groups.  Take notes on…
   1. What similarities or patterns do you see?
   2. Anything that is surprising, or that stands out?
   3. Is there anything on here that makes you uncomfortable?  That seems wrong or inaccurate?
7. Compare your initial decision you made about your social class with the group definitions.
   1. Did your characteristics match what’s here?  Why/why not (fragmentation)
   2. How have you formed these impressions?  What experiences have led you to these impressions?
   3. Objective vs. subjective indicators...which are better?  How/why?
   4. Did it feel different when you were making the poster for your identified class rather than other classes?  Why?

Fussell: Notes on Class

1. Start reading this text.  
2. Will need to annotate well!
3. We will be seminaring on this text on Thursday.
4. Will have class time tomorrow to read

HOMEWORK:

1. Get little post it notes for annotating books.  DUE:  Next Monday