Instruction:
Chapter 9 describes how sociologists (among others) divide U.S. society into social classes as well as analyze social stratification. It’s simple to conclude that it’s not solely our individual effort that dictates social class, but also structural obstacles such as high cost of living and stagnated salaries that make upward mobility difficult. It is often said that our social class determines our life chances and opportunities. Social class often makes an impact on health and education and many other aspects of our lives (see slide 23 in the PPT notes for more details).
The purpose of this discussion is to examine social stratification on national and global scales and consider the effects of income inequality on a macro scale.
Be sure to review the course materials for Chapter 9 before attempting this assignment.
Step 1: Watch this short Ted Talk that incorporates global as well as national (U.S.) data on the effect of income inequality on a host of variables. Take notes.
Here’s the link to the video: https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson
Step 2: Write the essay
While incorporating our course concepts (see note* below for more details), write a essay that addresses the following objectives:
According to Richard Wilkinson and his fellow researchers, which countries have the most income inequality and which countries have the least income inequality (or more equality)?
What are some of the effects of income inequality? Choose a variable that were studied and explain its relationships to inequality.
What does the data say about health specifically? How does inequality in society affect health? Given what you read in the PPT notes and the chapter, how is this explained?
Please choose one town in New York State that is meaningful to you and write the name of this town at the bottom of your essay.
Sources: Textbook (Ch 9) and Ted Talk (link)
*Important Note About Incorporating Course Concepts: Because I use these assignments to evaluate your learning of our course materials, it is imperative that you include at least 5 terms or concepts from the chapters associated with this assignment. You can incorporate them anywhere within the paper. Define, explain, apply these terms in a way that demonstrates your understanding of the chapter material. Be sure to include in-text citations each time that you refer to the textbo
