Watch and learn! Carefully selected videos will help bring key concepts and theories to life, preparing you for your studies and exams.

Click on the following links which will open in a new window.

1. Marriage and Class

When it comes to class, do like marry like? In other words, is it common for working class individuals to marry a spouse from the upper middle class? We can explore this informally by browsing through wedding announcements in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/fashion/weddings/. Each wedding announcement normally indicates the occupation of each newlywed, and the occupations of their parents. Browse through the wedding announcements, paying close attention to their class background and current occupations. What patterns do you see? Do you think social class played a role in how the newlyweds came to know each other or if they share similar lifestyles? Are these marriages a type of class reproduction?

2. Working Class Culture

Chapter 5 explores how lifestyles and values vary by class. Working class culture has been studied and discussed in popular media, such as John's Lennon’s famous song “Working Class Hero,” and it has received academic focus by scholars such as those in The Center for Working Class Studies. Explore the dimensions of working class culture using the links below. What working class experiences shape their values and lifestyles? Think about what television shows, movies, or art are influenced by or depict working class culture. If you are having difficulty thinking of some, do a search on the Internet for examples. How are working class values and lifestyles depicted in these media? What experiences shaped these cultural forms?

Description of Alfred Lebrano's (2003) book, Limbo: Blue-Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams

John Lennon's song, “Working Class Hero”

The Center for Working Class Studies

Melvin Kohn’s work on social class played an important role in our discussion this chapter. This link will take you to Kohn’s website at Johns Hopkins University: http://www.soc.jhu.edu/people/kohn/index.html.

If you’re interested in reading more about his more recent work on social class, scroll down the right-hand side of the window to the section titled “Publications.” Several of these are PDF versions of his recent work. If you’re interested in the ones that are not in PDF form, you can order them through Interlibrary Loan at your university or college.