Questions and Answers
What is the Age of Growing Inequality?
What period does the Age of Shared Prosperity cover?
What term did Marx use to refer to the class that owns the means of production?
Bourgeoisie
Capital encompasses three forms: economic capital, cultural capital, and ______.
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Capitalism is based on public ownership of businesses.
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What does class consciousness refer to?
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A ______ consists of families, individuals residing alone, or unrelated persons residing together.
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What defines life chances according to Max Weber?
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Match the following terms with their definitions:
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The Gilbert-Kahl model divides the American class system into three classes.
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What characterizes the working poor?
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What does the term 'mode of production' refer to?
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Study Notes
Age of Inequality
- Age of Growing Inequality: Initiated in the mid-1970s, marked by rising inequality in wages, income, and wealth, contrasting the earlier egalitarian trends.
- Age of Shared Prosperity: Period from post-World War II to the early 1970s, characterized by simultaneous income growth across all social levels, deliberately contrasted with the Age of Growing Inequality.
Economic Concepts
- Bourgeoisie: Class owning the means of production and controlling societal structures within capitalism.
- Capital: Assets invested in enterprises, divided into economic (monetary), cultural (knowledge/credentials), and social (networks/relationships) capital.
- Capitalism: An economic system promoting private business ownership, with market-controlled transactions for capital and labor.
- Capitalist Class: A very small elite, earning primarily from returns on assets, synonymous with Marx's bourgeoisie.
Class Dynamics
- Class Consciousness: Awareness among class members of shared identity and interests, a precursor to class conflict, influencing politics and labor movements.
- Gilbert-Kahl Model: Analyzes the American class structure through income source and occupational distinctions, categorizing six classes from capitalist to underclass.
Household Definitions
- Family: Group of related individuals living together, commonly studied as households in economic contexts.
- Household: A domestic unit including families, individuals living alone, or unrelated persons residing together.
Ideological Framework
- Ideology: Dominant societal ideas justifying the status quo, influenced by the ruling class through institutions like education and media.
- Life Chances: Opportunities shaped by class membership, impacting essential life aspects, introduced by Max Weber.
Lifestyle and Production
- Lifestyle: Patterns of interaction, consumption, and social behavior linked to a social group, particularly prestige classes.
- Means of Production: Key physical assets for production; considered by Marx to define class position (bourgeoisie vs. proletariat).
- Mode of Production: Society's fundamental economic system, including both technological and organizational elements.
Class Structure
- Proletariat: Working class, defined by the necessity to sell labor for survival in a capitalist context.
- Social Class: Large family groups ranked by occupation, prestige, or wealth; an organized form of social stratification.
- Social Status: Concept of social prestige; denotes a group's common social honor as per Weber's definition.
Social Stratification
- Social Stratification: System of ranking individuals or families based on occupation, income, wealth, and prestige, creating distinct classes.
- Socialization: Learning process for community participation that reinforces class-specific attitudes, leading individuals to often retain their parents' class position.
Class Designations
- Underclass: Lowest tier in the Gilbert-Kahl model, often reliant on government aid with weak job market connections.
- Upper-Middle Class: Positioned below the capitalist class, consisting of well-compensated managers and professionals with higher education.
- Middle Class: Occupies a central position in the Gilbert-Kahl model, includes lower management, semiprofessionals, and skilled workers.
- Working Class: Situated below the middle class, composed mainly of low-skill manual and clerical workers.
- Working Poor: Group under the working class, filled with low-wage earners in insecure jobs.
- Working Rich: Upper tier of the upper-middle class comprising high-income professionals, distinguished from the capitalist class by their income sources.
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Description
Explore the key concepts from Chapter 1 of SOCI 3354, focusing on social class in America. Learn about the Age of Growing Inequality and the Age of Shared Prosperity, two crucial periods that shaped economic disparities. This quiz will help reinforce your understanding of these important sociological trends.
