Class explores issues of class
James Beltran and Michael Brophy
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: News
As part of an effort to raise awareness on social class at the College, a forum entitled "Let's Talk About Class" was held by Associate Professor of Education Adam Howard's Social Class and Schooling education course to bring more exposure to how social class plays a role in the life of the College.
The main point of the discussion is that social class distinctions go much deeper than simply how much money we have. "We don't do a very good job in America of talking about social class and when we do, we tend to focus on money," Howard said. In his book Learning Privilege: Lessons of Power and Identity in Affluent Schooling, he describes three types of capital: social, cultural, and economic. It is not just how much money one have that defines class, it is the social insight and connections one has because of one's social standing.
The program began with Judy Merzbach '11 explaining posters displayed in Pulver Pavilion and the Diamond atrium. These posters presented information on social class on the Hill. "We have spent the whole semester with Adam, investigating, internalizing and familiarizing ourselves with issues of social class inequity and injustice," Merzbach said. "Tonight, our goal is to share a little bit of what we have uncovered about social class at Colby and the local community with you," she continued.
The class surveyed 150 students on the Hill, making a special effort to include an equal number of men and women. 93 percent of the people surveyed identified themselves as either middle class or upper middle class. This finding, she said, was not far from the national average: 80 percent of Americans identify themselves as middle-class.
"The majority of Colby students grew up in suburban, affluent neighborhoods, although the second most frequent answer was rural." In addition, most of the parents of the participants hold occupations that require education beyond high school. 76 percent of the participants remarked that college was an expectation. "This number is inconsistent with the national average, which is closer to 91 percent for high-income students and 35 percent for low-income students," Merzbach said.
The main point of the discussion is that social class distinctions go much deeper than simply how much money we have. "We don't do a very good job in America of talking about social class and when we do, we tend to focus on money," Howard said. In his book Learning Privilege: Lessons of Power and Identity in Affluent Schooling, he describes three types of capital: social, cultural, and economic. It is not just how much money one have that defines class, it is the social insight and connections one has because of one's social standing.
The program began with Judy Merzbach '11 explaining posters displayed in Pulver Pavilion and the Diamond atrium. These posters presented information on social class on the Hill. "We have spent the whole semester with Adam, investigating, internalizing and familiarizing ourselves with issues of social class inequity and injustice," Merzbach said. "Tonight, our goal is to share a little bit of what we have uncovered about social class at Colby and the local community with you," she continued.
The class surveyed 150 students on the Hill, making a special effort to include an equal number of men and women. 93 percent of the people surveyed identified themselves as either middle class or upper middle class. This finding, she said, was not far from the national average: 80 percent of Americans identify themselves as middle-class.
"The majority of Colby students grew up in suburban, affluent neighborhoods, although the second most frequent answer was rural." In addition, most of the parents of the participants hold occupations that require education beyond high school. 76 percent of the participants remarked that college was an expectation. "This number is inconsistent with the national average, which is closer to 91 percent for high-income students and 35 percent for low-income students," Merzbach said.
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