Published on 8 Sep 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Soc 160
• Land of Opportunity
o The possibility of achieving the “American Dream”
▪ Higher standards of living that the previous generation
• Possibility of social mobility
o Upward and downward movement in a class system
o Most of us don’t want to get rid of the upper 1% because we strive to get there
one day
• Possibility of American Dream and Social Mobility
o Is the process of mobility important?
▪ To the individual-yes but it is debatable to the society
• Social Problem
o Class inequality
▪ U.S. has a significant social satisfaction
• People are happy with where they are and where they are going
• Measuring Social Class
o Karl Marx (1818-1883)
▪ Relationship to means of production in capitalist society
• Bourgeoisie- own means of production
• Proletariat- work for those who own means of production
o Max Weber (1864-1920)
▪ The interplay between these factors determine one’s position (Bourgeoisie
or Proletariat