FYSM 205 - Social Class/Social Clash:The Denial and Embrace of Classism in America

Institution:

Trinity College

Subject:

Description:

The British are often linked to rigid class systems, social structures and institutions that are centuries old and meant to keep people in their places. Royalty, inherited wealth, and tradition combine to form insurmountable barriers for those who would dare seek entry into a class she or he was not born to. In America, we have long believed that we are more egalitarian, more willing to accept people from different classes as they navigate through a fluid society where hard work and intelligence are the key to social and economic success. Our literature is full of stories about the poor kid who battles his way out of the ghetto into the boxing ring or onto the basketball court, or the immigrant who works long hours at her job while going to school at night. Politicians invoke Horatio Alger stories as prototypes for real-life successes. Although there are obviously poor people and wealthy people and a range in between, some people claim that these are not true "classes." Many other people, however, argue that there are four main classes--with a number of strata within each--in America: the elite, the middle class, the working class, and the underclass, and that the class you are born into-more than sex or race-will determine how your life will play out. In this Seminar, we will look at social class from a number of perspectives including cultural, economic, and historical. Some of the questions we'll ask are: How is class constructed, and by whom Can a person move from one class to another What do race and gender have to do with class How is class depicted in "serious" and popular culture Is the class structure in America somehow different than the class structure in other countries Are we in denial about the existence of social class What is "class warfare" Readings will include works by Matthew Arnold, Meridel LeSueur Tony Cade Bombara, Tillie Olsen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Langston Hughes, among others. Robert F. Peltier is a Senior Lecturer in the Allan K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric where his interests include the intersections of fiction and non-fiction writing, especially narrative structure. Absey & Company will publish his novel, Gretta's Garden, this 1.00 units, Seminar

Credits:

1.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.Trincoll.edu

Phone Number:

(860) 297-2000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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