PSYC-3005-2,Racial and Ethnic Identities

week 3  application

Learning Resources

Please read and view (where applicable) the following Learning Resources before you complete this week's assignments.

Reading

• Course Text: Rosenblum, K. E., & Travis T. C. (2016). The meaning of difference: American constructions of race and ethnicity, sex and gender, social class, sexuality, and disability (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
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    • Section I, Reading 24,"From Friendly Foreigner to Enemy Race"
    • Section I, Reading 12, "What's Class Got to Do with It?"
    • Section I, Reading 13, "The Silver Spoon: Inheritance and the Staggered Start"
    • Section II, Reading 31, "Cause of Death: Inequality"
    • Section III, Reading 33 "The Myth of the “Culture of Poverty”
    • Section III, "Framework Essay"
• week 3 application

Application: Perceptions of Social Class

In Week 1, you considered the way that people perceive themselves in terms of social class. This week, you are examining how people perceive others in terms of social class. As a reminder, social class ranks people according to their importance in society. People may perceive different ranks of social class based on race, power, wealth, and other characteristics. Ranking people as low class, middle class, and high class is called stratification.

Some of the authors of the Readings in the course text suggest that the United States is developing a tri-racial stratification system which ties social class to race. According to these authors, a preliminary map of the tri-racial system identifies "whites" as high, "honorary whites" in the middle, and "collective black" as low. This stratification is based primarily on skin tone. Therefore, if you look white you will be perceived as high in the stratification. The darker your skin tone, the lower your rank in the stratification system.

In other Readings, the authors tie social class to power and wealth. People who are perceived as having a great deal of authority in their jobs are considered powerful. Powerful people hold a high rank in social class. Additionally, people who are financially well off are considered to be in a high rank because of their wealth. Perceptions of social class can be complex since they can be based on race, power, and wealth.

To prepare for this assignment:

• Review the assigned Readings in the course text. Pay particular attention to the definitions of wealth, power, and the tri-racial stratification system.
• Consider impact of the tri-racial stratification system on perceptions of race and ethnicity.
• Think about how race, power, and wealth might influence people's perception of social class and which you think might have the most influence.

The assignment (1–2 pages):

• Explain the impact of a tri-racial system on perceptions of race and ethnicity. Provide specific examples.
• Analyze the impact of race, power, and wealth on people's perceptions of social class. Provide specific examples. Then explain which you believe has the greatest influence on people's perceptions of social class and justify your response.

Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the Learning Resources for this course.