Social Class and Health

In class, please read the following New York Times article:You Can Blame Student Debt for America’s Inequality and Shrinking Middle Class

Create a post-outline for the article!


Three different takes on unions today

From Salon: The “middle class” myth: Here’s why wages are really so low today

From The Economist: Fast-food condemnation: Trade unions grill the nation’s burger joints

From The Daily Signal: Unions Need to be Reinvented


About the article:

Who is the author of this article? When/where was it published?

What kinds of support does the author use?  What kinds of rhetorical techniques?

About the issue:

According to the article, what kind of workers are in unions? What kind of people should be in unions, and why? What should unions do for those workers?

How have things changed for the middle class and the working class over the last few decades?


Student Suggestion: “It Matters If You’re Black Or White”

Here’s a fascinating article by a YA librarian about the way protagonists who are people of color are depicted on the covers of young adult books — they are often “whitewashed,” shown in profile, or their race is hidden:


Why does the publishing industry do this?

Shoot me an email if you find a race or class-related link or video you’d like to share with the class!

Student suggestion: “Bitch Bad”

I asked you to send my way any articles or videos you come across that have to do with our class theme.  Here’s something submitted by a classmate, the music video for Lupe Fiasco’s “Bitch Bad.”

This song has a lot to say about gender and sexuality, but there’s some interesting racial imagery too.  What do you think Fiasco means by including it?  What does it have to do with his message?

Keep sending them in!