AMST 371.01 

Class and Culture

Roger Williams University

M-TH 3:30 - 4:50

GHH 208

Michael R. H. Swanson, Ph. D. 

Office GHH 215

Hours:  M: 9:30-11:00 T, Th 11:00-12:00, 2:00-3:00

Phone:  (254) 3230

E-MAIL  MSWANSON@RWU.EDU

For Monday, March 27 ,  read in Economic Apartheid in America.

For Thursday, March 30

• Chapter 2.  The Picture:  Growing Economic Insecurity and Inequality.  pp. 38 - 64
  

• Chapter 3.  The Causes of Inequality. pp  65 - 125.
  

It looks like I'm laying on the whip a bit, but I think you can handle this with little difficulty, considering the number of illustrations, charts, and graphs, which take up a bit more than 1/3 of the pages.  (This includes the sections marked off in gray, which are usually comments on illustrations and not part of the continuous narrative.)  As you read this, make sure you understand what the authors mean by "real income"

Regarding Chapter II

• The Figures are a little out of date in this book, published in 2005.  See if you can find more recent data to see what has changed, if anything.  For example, there is this concerning average pay of Chief Executive Officers vs. "ordinary employees." published in Fortune Magazine.  Have things gotten worse?  If so, how much so?  Put several examples of changing conditions, in your resource folder, indicating why they are interesting to you in comments to the URLs. 
  

• The United States Census Bureau measures things every ten years, meaning that the next census won't be until 2020.  But the Census Fact Finder can still be useful.  Here's one example.  Try to find something which related to inequality based upon race or gender.  Discrimination based on either is illegal.  Can you think of some causes which might explain "legal" differences?  Again, put these ideas in your resource folder.
  

• Make sure you understand the difference between "income" and "wealth".  Find an example either personal or from some online source, and put the example in your resource folder.
  

• Find something pertinent to one of the "subsections" of "The Inequality of Wealth.  Do a Google hunt to see what you can find.  Here's what I found.  It relates to wealth holders.
  

Regarding Chapter III

• In the section "The Power Shift" consider the power of Money in Politics.  Find something on who were the major contributors and to whom they contributed.    I'll let you find this on your own.
  

• Back when this book was revised, the term Political Action Committee had not come into use.  The common abbreviation is PAC.  PACs were active in the recent election cycle.  PACs allow individuals to keep their contributions out of  the public eye.  See what you can find out about PACs.  My link takes you to a Google Search--find something about PACs or Super PACs, add it to your resource folder.  (Don't rely on Wikipedia for information). 
  

• Think about the section on "Civic Power." which includes more than just voting.  The authors argue that "Civic Power" has declined, and that voter turnout has, as well.  You'll find a number of types of organizations mentioned in this section.  Do any of these kinds operate in your community?  Do you or anyone you know participate in any of them? To a little research on this and add the results to your folder.
  

• Considering the impact of world trade, and comments about it during this past year, do you think things are getting worse, regardless of "Making America Great Again"?  Can you find something related to this?  Notice the cartoon on p.93   Notice the tag on the collar.  Is it fair to consider only the impact of foreign trade on American class divisions?  Why or why not.  Put your opinion in your resource folder.
  

• Chapter 4.  Building a Fair Economy Movement, pp.  126 - 146
  

• Chapter 5.  Actions to Close the Economic Divide, pp.  147 - 222
  

• Conclusion  pp. 223-224
  

We'll conclude our work in Economic Apartheid in America today.  Again, I don't think this is too much for you to handle.

Regarding Chapter IV

• What I would like to have you do with this chapter is to concentrate on the Three "Phases" of Movement Building, which you will find on pages 134 - 136.  Read the rest of the chapter casually.  Bring any questions you have about the processes of building a movement with you to class.  Do note that this book does have a "reason" behind it.  It wants its readers to work to reduce the differences between the different classes in the economy.  Are you encouraged to help with this?  Why or why not?  Do you see effects of class differences on the campus?
  

Regarding Chapter V

• The focus of this chapter is on things people and organizations can do to form and strengthen organizations dedicated to ending or at least "modifying" the level of separation between the social classes in our country and around the world.  It continues a number of  ideas present in earlier chapters, reinforcing them and adding illustrations to make people more convinced to help make a difference. 
  

• Starting with page 157, you'll find a number of Action Boxes.  Each of these contains URLs for organizations dedicated to the actions proposed immediately before them.  (The Action Boxes have Gray backgrounds).  Remembering that this book is over ten years old, the question I would like to have you investigate is whether or not the organizations are still active.  Make a list of those which are and which are not, and put that list in your resource folder. You'll find them on pp. 157, 163, 166. 176-177 , 184-187, 195. 202-03. 210, and 222.  Some organizations appear in more than Action Box.
  

• Once you've followed the prompt above.  Choose one organization from each Action Box and visit the URL.  What it the principal action or problem upon which they are currently working?  How long ago was the last post?  Put this information in your resource colder.