Portfolio

Writing Portfolio Assignment: Four-Class, or Three-Class Model? Persuasive short essay.

Note: I have formatted this as a document upload to help practice with formatting, as this is a requirement of your final paper of this course. You will want to download the template I’ve provided in the module, and then you will fill it in and upload it as a turn-it-in assignment.

Prompt: After completing this week’s reading, pick one of the models discussed by Cherlin (4 social classes, or 3 status groups), and persuasively argue why this is your preferred way to understand social class and status in the US.

I say “a single position” because we do know there is value to understanding US social classes in either mechanism. This is a forced-choice assignment. You cannot say both are equally as good (or equally as terrible), or write an essay about the pros and cons of both. Important: I will not give you a worse grade for choosing one model over the other. The key is evaluating these two options and writing a persuasive response about one of them. As long as your argumentation is sound either way and you meet the requirements of this rubric, you will earn a great grade!

• In a short paragraph (250-350 words), describe/define each model succinctly and clearly, including the breakouts defined. Then, identify the advantages of your preferred model in adequately representing family inequality, and at least one disadvantage of the model you have not chosen.
• You should include in-text citations at the end of your sentences where you have cited course material – I’ve given direct examples in the template you will download and complete.
• Be sure to start your paragraph with a topic sentence that summarizes the key information, and conclude with a conclusion sentence. Feel free to adapt the examples below!

PointsTask1Generally follows directions: picks a single position (4 social classes, or 3 status groups), and persuasively argues why this is the student’s preferred way to understand social class and status in the US.

I say “a single position” because we do know there is value to understanding US social classes in either mechanism.

This is a forced-choice assignment. You cannot say both are equally as good (or equally as terrible), or write an essay about the pros and cons of both.

Important: I will not give you a worse grade for choosing one model over the other. The key is evaluating these two options and writing a persuasive response about one of them. As long as your argumentation is sound either way and you meet the requirements of this rubric, you will earn a great grade!0.5

Start with a clear topic sentence.

Put your own spin on it, but try a sentence like: “While scholars differ in approach to understanding family inequalities, I argue that social classes and status groups in the US today are best explained by ____.”

4

Clearly summarize the four-class model and the three status groups model, each in a few sentences. Cite the text and lecture materials.

In this summary, be sure to identify the different group break-outs.

3

Clearly state which model you think is best representative of social differences by class, and describe a few advantages of this model for effectively capturing how class/status in the US works. (2 pts)

Identify at least one disadvantage of the system/model you did not choose to help bolster your argument for your selection (1 pt).

0.5

Finish with a conclusion sentence. Put your own spin on it, but try a sentence like: “Overall, the ___ is best for capturing how family inequality works in the US because…”

1Formatted correctly using the template provided: no fonts changed and correct details are filled in such as title, name, and word count. Building on previous expectations, we also expect correct capitalization and punctuation throughout the response.