Mr. Boothby Name______

Sociology

Lecture Notes CH 8 pt1 “U.S. Social Class System”

Read pages 218-224 in your textbook before you begin to answer these questions. Remember to always answer by using complete sentences. Keep this sheet in your notebook.

1. Do you like the game of Monopoly? Do you feel it relates to real life finances and classifications (If not what is different in real life)? What was Beeghley’s version of the game like? List and describe the 5 groups this version of the game has.

2. What are “social differentiation” and “social inequality”?

3. Do you think people would treat you differently if your family inherited 30 million dollars; you lived in a 3 million dollar home on the hill, drove a 50,000 car, and hung out with the Kardashinas? Brought Lady GAGA to prom as the main act! Is this morally correct? Would you yourself change (BE HONEST)?

4. Is America a “Middle Class Nation” from page 221?

5. Do you think money should determine rank, or social standing? Should a lottery winner, member of the Hilton family (like Paris), drug dealer, teacher, sports star, or normal hard working person that makes it big like Arnold Schwarzenegger be in the same class/social standing? ------EXPLAIN WHY OR WHY NOT!------

6. What were Max Weber’s (1946) views on social standing and class?

7. What is “prestige” and how would the level of prestige be different for a Musical star like “Lady Gaga” and a major cocaine dealer (both are worth multi-millions)?

8. Look at table 8.1 on page 224 “Occupational Prestige Ranking”. Do these scores surprise you? Isn’t 63 a bit high for a high school teacher? Why would a professional athlete that makes millions score lower than a high school teacher that makes only 60,000.00 a year? Does the janitor or shoeshine score surprise you? Do you respect or “feel prestige” for our janitor(s)?

9. In the hit movie “The Waterboy” (starring Adam Sandler) a common underachiever from a single parent home makes good. He goes from “loser” (no prestige) to “star” (hero). After watching a few scenes from the film, does the change in how people treat Bobby surprise you? Can you see how this story pulls on actual social truths? EXPLAIN!