Race Post

For this post, please post about race.  You may wish to talk about the social construction of race (Here is a great recap that articulates the myth of race as genetics and why it is a social construction http://www.vox.com/2015/1/13/7536655/race-myth-debunked ),
ingroups/outgroups and stereotypes and prejudices especially explicit and implicit racism as well as white privilege.  Check out Macklemore's Song  White Privilege   

   He has also made the song White Privilege II which seems to be about the struggle of identity as a white person supporting Black Lives Matters and why he needs to support BLM.

As you apply it to your own experiences, you might want to think about: assumptions you have had about race (esp. biological), experiences you have had with other races and/or racism, and how privilege affects you. 

Sources you must use:
White Like Me video; Racial Formations Article (Omi and Winant); Macklemore Lyrics, READ SOME OF THESE ARTICLES and all the links/ideas on my blog.

Racial Formations

We will be beginning our unit on race this week and into next week.  Please do the following reading during class and be prepared for discussion tomorrow.

Here is the article you need to read.  You can find it HERE and click on Racial Formations

Read the questions to ponder section at the beginning, then answer the following:

1.     How could race be a social construct? Can you think of proof?

Read the first page (9, on the handout).  Then discuss question 3 and 4 and write your answers below. 

2.  What does it mean to be “one-thirty second black”? 

3.  Do you think one-thirty second black should mean someone is considered black?  If so, why?  If not, why not, and what should be the demarcation for being considered black?

Read page 10.  Then answer as a group:

4.  What does polygenesis mean?  What are the ways Europeans would treat people differently based on idea of polygenesis – list at least 3.

5.  How do biologists and anthropologists feel about the idea of race?

Read page 11.

6.  What does the author mean by “race is indeed a pre-eminently socio-historical concept”?

7.  What does “hypo-descent” mean?

Read page 12.

8.  How does classification of race differ in Brazil?

9.   What does “passing” mean?

10. How do people use race in everyday life?

Read page 13.  Then discuss as a group.

11.  What are at least three non-biological assumptions that race provides about an individual in the U.S.?

Read 14 and 15.  Then discuss these as a group:

12.  What role has race played in economics?

13.  What is the author’s thesis? Explain it.

Social Class and Deviance Blog 8 Due Dec. 9

For this post, you are required to apply both Deviance and Social Class.

For this post, explain the concept of deviance and how it is relative.  Discuss the unjust problems that relativity in deviances causes.  You may also explain how deviance labels people and creates a stigma as well as how it is connected to social class. How is deviance positive and negative.  Can you relate to being positively deviant?  Examples? Reflections on the action?  Some sources we looked at that must be included are Saints and Roughnecks.

 You must reflect on the movies The Line and People Like Us.  Please explain the dynamics of social class in the United States.  Explain how The Line and People Like Us contribute to our understanding of Social Class.  You should also discuss The Coin Flipping game and how it represents America.  Also watch and reflect on the TED TALK at the end of the monopoly post. For the sociological content, some of the concepts that were a part of this unit are:  income, wealth, prestige, power, social mobility, poverty and life chances. 

Explain how social class and socio-economic status affects this community.Do you see how social class is played out at SHS? Where do you see class conflicts in the community? How do you see social class playing a role in your own life? How has your family's mobility been? Are you growing up in the same social class as your parents? 

DUE FRIDAY Dec 9

The Line-Poverty in America

Chapter 1: The New Poverty, Dupage County, IL
Suburban poverty is growing faster than urban or rural poverty and is at a higher rate than urban poverty.
Often, these people will go unnoticed.  For example, there are at least 2% of SHS that qualifies for federal financial aid.  That's about 80 students, but often they go unnoticed.  Sometimes this anonymity is purposeful - there is a stigma that comes with poverty and so some impoverished people feel inferior.
The man in the video experienced downward structural mobility.
Divorce played a role. 

What surprised you about his story of poverty?
What did you learn?
What could he of done differently?

Chapter 2: The Violence of Poverty, Chicago, IL
Inner city poverty often accompanies violence.
Those in poverty are often living one trauma away from homelessness.
J Kwest
The threat of violence and trauma leave many urban poor not thinking about the future because they do not plan to live long enough to worry about their future.
One medical disaster can result in a downward spiral for the poor.  Divorce exacerbated her situation.  Sheila moves in with her mom and siblings to create a "community home".  Her children feel stigmatized at her school.

What surprised you about her story of poverty?
What did you learn?
What could she of done differently?

Chapter 3: The Nature of Poverty

What surprised you about his story of poverty?
What did you learn?
What could he of done differently?


Chapter 4: The Labor of Poverty, Charlotte, North Carolina
Left by his father, he had no money and his mother relied on welfare.  He had to pass up college and find a job instead.   Worked as a horse walker for 20 years, but then moved to North Carolina.  He worked hard, never used drugs, but refused to sleep in the street.  Having no skills, he had trouble finding a job.  He had to move into a homeless shelter.  He found work because a minister runs a nonprofit restaurant called the King's Kitchen.

What surprised you about his story of poverty?
What did you learn?
What could he of done differently?