01:920:101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Social Class, Bourgeoisie, Cultural Capital

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: 01:920:101
• Professor: J Dowd

Document Summary

01:920:101- lecture 5- defining social class (cid:862)americans are much more comfortable recognizing the power of individual initiative than re(cid:272)og(cid:374)izi(cid:374)g the po(cid:449)er of so(cid:272)ial (cid:272)lass. (cid:863) Where do we draw the line: directionality- cause and effect. (ex: education level may affect your social class and vice (cid:448)ersa. Ta(cid:455)ed i(cid:374) s(cid:272)hool a(cid:374)d (cid:272)o(cid:373)pleted a (cid:271)a(cid:272)helor"s degree so got a high pa(cid:455)i(cid:374)g jo(cid:271) a(cid:374)d are now considered to be part of the upper-class group. The opportunity cycle change depends on the times and the economy. Ex: during the 2008 recession, 1/7 people did not lose their jobs. Defining social class: social class is a set of values. What most people disagree on is what causes what?- cultural pathology vs. economic opportunity: karl marx (materialist) (cid:862)o(cid:374)e"s relatio(cid:374)ship to the (cid:373)ea(cid:374)s of produ(cid:272)tio(cid:374)(cid:863) deter(cid:373)i(cid:374)es your social class- economic systems determine class structures. There are two main classes: bourgeoisie- factory owners, proletariat- their own workers. Bourgeoisie- if labor costs go do(cid:449)(cid:374), the(cid:455)"ll (cid:373)ake (cid:373)ore profit.