Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

8.1 Describe the dimensions of social stratification in the United States: social class, status, and power.

Video Link: An Introduction to Social Stratification

Description: The video explains social stratification in the United States from a sociological perspective as it applies to social class, status, and power.

Audio Link: How Should We Distribute Our Wealth?

Description: Nick Hanauer, who funded more than 30 companies across a range of industries, explains that social inequality is not only damaging to individuals, but also to society as a whole.

Web Resource: Are You Important?

Description: Matthew O. Jackson from Stanford University discusses the effect social networks have on work, play and family and the way they influence the stratification of a person or group.

 

8.2 Identify the factors involved in US economic inequality, including income, wealth, and poverty.

Video Link: PBS Study - Land of the Free, Home of the Poor

Description: The video focuses on inequality in the United States and the ongoing debate on budget cuts and revenue. Public Broadcast Services interviews Warren Buffet, a philanthropist and a billionaire, on his thoughts on inequality.

Audio Link: Ore Price Collapse Hits Minnesota's 'Iron Range'

Description: The audio discusses how changes in income can affect one’s economic position in the stratification system and affect social standing.

Web Resource: 5 facts about economic inequality PEW Research Center

Description: The website explains some basic facts about how inequality is measured, how the gap between the wealthy and the poor has changed over time, and how inequality in the U.S. compares to other countries.

 

8.3 Identify the types of social mobility in the United States and the forces that help and hinder them.

Video Link: Obama on social mobility in America

Description: President Obama discusses America's place in the world with regards to income inequality and social mobility.

Audio Link: Study: Upward Mobility No Tougher In U.S. Than Two Decades Ago

Description: A study published in 2014, led by Raj Chetty of Harvard University, finds that it is not harder to climb the economic ladder in the United States today than it was 20 years ago. However, it is still significantly more challenging when compared to other developed countries.

Web Resource: Interactive Graphic “How Class Works” (on economic mobility)

Description: The website shows an interactive graph of a national poll, which illustrates the components of social class and how class breaks down based on occupation, education, and income. The graph gives the user the option to select each of these components by social class to learn about their mobility.

 

8.4 Discuss structural/functional, conflict/critical, and interactionist theories of social stratification.

Video Link: Functionalism vs Conflict Theory: Stratification

Description: The lecture differentiates between the functionalist and conflict theory’s perspectives on social stratification.

Audio Link: Working 3 Jobs In A Time Of Recovery

Description: Ed Neufeldt was introduced in 2009 by President Obama in a Town Hall meeting and has become the face of the unemployed worker. In this podcast, he talks about being today’s face of recovery.

Web Resource: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Description: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accumulates data regarding discrimination on recognized (or partially ascribed) characteristics like race, age, and gender. The information on their website includes graphs and charts that highlight the frequency of discrimination in the workplace.

 

8.5 Explain the relationship between consumption and social stratification in the United States.

Video Link: Bill Gates: Don't tax my income, tax my consumption

Description: Microsoft and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation founder Bill Gates has stated that if society expects him to feel guilty about his wealth, then his guilt won’t be directed at his income, but rather, his consumption. He believes this distinction is where the greatest inequality lies between the wealthy and the rest of the population.

Audio Link: How The Luxury Fashion Industry Became All Business

Description: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spent $200 billion on clothing and related goods and services in 2013.

Web Resource: Consumer Expenditures in 2013

Description: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics presents a Consumer Expenditures report, which explains how Americans have spent their income in 2013. This statistical report can help develop a better understanding of how stratification affects consumption as we look at the highlights of consumers’ spending patterns.