For chapter 7, consider why the subjects lost their jobs--it wasn't the lack of degree. Consider also what kind of annual income they were making, before they "dropped out" of the middle class. For your resource folder see if you can find examples, whether photographs, documents, or URLS, which illustrate the predicament these people found themselves in.
For chapter 8. Consider the difference in life experience between the two immigrants who comprise the subjects of the chapter. Did the time when they immigrated make any difference. For your resource folder find something about the situation of immigrants entering the United States today. Compare this with the time of the book. You might also think a bit about immigrants of your own ethnicity or family. When did your ancestors come here, if in fact it was an older generation. Can you find something about their life experience for your resource folder?
For Thursday, March 2, Read, In Class Matters,
9. When the Jones wear Jeans 134 - 145
10. The Five-Bedroom, Six-Figure Rootless Life 146 - 165
11. Old Nantucket Warily Meets the New
On the Class Matters Website, the consider the additional information for each chapter. Chapter 9 looking at how class definitions, especially upper class definitions have changed across time, presents an interactive timeline at the top. Click on it to open it. Chapter 10 is here and Chapter 11 is here.
When you consider chapter 9, consider what the marks of social status are today, compared with those of the past, including those on the timeline listed above. Is it easy to judge a person's social class by just looking at them as they cross campus? Why or why not? For your resource folder see if you can find images of social status, perhaps even social status today. Think of such things as stores which people might associate with lower middle class or lower class status, for example.
When you consider Chapter 10, I'd like to have you consider the effects, both good and bad, of being a "relo" This is pretty much a contemporary practice, as companies now may have branches in many towns or states, and promotions may cause relocations. Would you consider yourself a "relo"? How many houses, towns, and states have you lived in? How far apart are the two furthest? If you can find one of your favorite house on Google Street View, put a link to it in your resource folder. We'll get volunteers to show us around. As I often do, I've hidden something behind the picture to the right. You can do some prowling around Alpharetta. Would you like to live there? Why or why not?
When you consider chapter 11, again, you'll be considering the difference between "old money" and "new money". The author of this chapter wishes the difference between the "rich" and the "hyper rich" to be examined. Here again, the author uses a "back and forth method of examining his topic. You'll read more about the "hyper rich" first, and only later about the "rich" Which kind of person, assuming that the descriptions are true, would you feel more comfortable. Do you have a theory about why the "newly rich" build houses and wear clothes like they do? What do you think. See if you can find something relating to these ideas and put in in your resource folder. If you've Visited Nantucket, you might want to add a URL of a place which you like there.
