Class in America: Myths and Realities

PREPARATION: Class in America: Myths and Realities (Gregory Mantsios, p. 37)

PART 1 __________________________________________________________________________
1. Read the text carefully. Focus on important facts, dates, figures, statistics, etc.
Write these down on a separate piece of paper (you will be asked to use them
for in-class interaction and later for your practice essay).

Approximately 144,000 Americans, or 0.1 percent of the adult working population, earns
more than $1 million annually, with many of these individuals earning $10 million and some
earning other $100 million annually. It would take the average American, earning $34,000
per year, more than 65 lifetimes to earn $100 million.
Approximately one out of every five children in the United States under the age of eighteen
lives in poverty.
The income gap between rich and poor in the United States is approximately 11 to 1, one
of the highest ratios in industrialized world.
The higher the students social status, the higher the probability that he or she will get
higher grades.
All Americans do not have an equal opportunity to succeed. Inheritance laws ensure a
greater likelihood of success for the offspring of the wealthy.
Table of chances of being poor in America.

White withe Hispani Hispani Black Black

male/fem female c male/ c male/ female
ale head female female female head
head
1/10 1/4 1/4 1/2 1/4 1/2

2. Write down five new vocabulary words from the text and their definitions on the
same piece of paper.

Jeopardy
white-collar and pink-collar jobs in the service sector
household heath

PART 2 __________________________________________________________________________
1. Go to http://countrystudies.us/colombia/38.htm and read the information on this
page about Colombia. Check the information available also in the three links at the
bottom of the page (Upper Class, Middle Class, The Lower Class and the Masses).
2. Look up additional facts, dates, figures, statistics, etc. concerning class issues in
Colombia.
3. Make a chart in which you can clearly point out the similarities / differences
between Colombia and the United States.
 COLOM US
BIA
Upper class children received the best YES YES
education
Transitional state from middle to upper YES NO
Self-made men, often mestizos, who had worked YES NO
their way up the social ladder from the middle
class.
Exclusiveness and controlling change through a YES YES
system of informal decision-making groups
called roscas
Middle class is predominated by people YES NO
employed in professions, government, and
business.
Middle class development and continued YES NO
expansion.
Families activities upper clase NO, YES
ALSO
MIDDLE

PART 3 __________________________________________________________________________
1. Use the internet to find images to illustrate the points you intend to make in PART
2-2.
2. Use the images downloaded to prepare a five-slide *.ppt presentation.
3. Prepare a three minute presentation using the slideshow. This is for Friday March
3rd.