Video and Multimedia

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7.1 Describe the dimensions of social stratification in the United States.

Video Link: Social Stratification in the United States 
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.

7.2 Identify the factors involved in US economic inequality.

Video Link:  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: The Collapse 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: Face the Facts on Economic Inequality 
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.

7.3 Identify the types of social mobility in the United States.

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: Challenges to Climbing the Ladder in the United States 
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: Social Class and Mobility Interactive Graph 
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.

7.4 Discuss structural/functional, conflict/critical, and inter/actionist theories of social stratification.

Video Link: Functionalism versus Conflict Theory 
Description: The lecture differentiates between the functionalist and conflict theory’s perspectives on social stratification.

Audio Link: Working Three 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: The 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.

7.5 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: 2014 Consumer Expenditures 
Description: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics presents a Consumer Expenditures report, which explains how Americans have spent their income in 2014. This statistical report can help develop a better understanding of how stratification affects consumption as we look at the highlights of consumers’ spending patterns.

7.6 Describe the positions in global stratification.

Video Link: How and Why  Global Fast Food Workers Unite 
Description: McDonald's workers from Europe, South America, and New Zealand discuss the reasons they support the fast food industry’s “Employee Day of Action,” which asks for a better pay and benefits for workers in the United States.

Audio Link: When the World Bank Does More Harm Than Good 
Description: The goal of the World Bank is to end extreme poverty and to help for the poorest people on the planet grow income. However, an investigation has found that many times the World Bank’s development plans do not account for the needs of the impoverished people in the region and there can be dire consequences as a result.

Web Resource:  Global Stratification: Quality of Life Across the Globe 
Description: The website explains the major indicators that measure a country’s Gross National Product. A map displayed on the website represents the quality of life in each country, which is calculated by comparing the income and productivity between nations. It identifies global inequalities such as wealth, health, and employment.

7.7  Understand global economic inequalities.

Video Link: A Global View of the Digital Divide 
Description: The video demonstrates how individuals from different countries interpret the term “digital divide” and how it affects their lives.

Audio Link: U.N. Reports that  No Country Has Achieved Equality For Women 
Description: Although there has been a lot of discussion on women’s rights, little progress has been made globally on gender equality. The audio discusses a report generated by the United Nations on the state of women’s rights globally.

Web Resource: Nurse Confessions: Don’t Get Sick in July 
Description: The article discusses the health system in the United States and illustrates the health inequalities within the system.

7.8 Explain why and how positions change in global stratification

Video Link: Bill and Melinda Gates on the Top 3 Myths of Poverty 
Description: Bill and Melinda Gates discuss with Gary Rose, The Wall Street Journal Editor, the myths that surround global poverty and development.

Audio Link:  Dr. Paul Farmer Joins West Africa's Fight against Ebola 
Description: The audio discusses the plans that were set in motion to help curb the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the assistance of volunteers from developed countries in the medical field.

Web Resource: The World Bank's Broken Promise to Protect the Poor 
Description: The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has recently published a report which finds that, although the World Bank is beneficial to people in some areas, it can also cause harm to impoverished populations as it does not consider the individual needs of the populace it seeks to help.

7.9 Articulate the relationships between consumption and global stratification.

Video Link: Examining Globalization Theories 
Description: A look at the sociological theories on globalization and research perspectives on the causes and future of globalization.

Audio Link: Lifting Families out of Poverty 
Description: Dean Karlan, a research professor at Yale University, has spent 18 years trying to answer what seems like a simple question: "Does global aid work?”

Web Resource: The Historical Development of Global Stratification 
Description: The website explains the historical development of global stratification. It also identifies and explains new theories that relate to stratification and differentiates between the modernization and dependency theories.