class and culture

HarvardUniversityExpos.20,FallSemester2019T,Th,12-1:15,Memorial303

CLASSANDCULTURE

Instructor:JamesHerronOffice:1BowStreet,Rm.214(secondfloor)

Phone:5-5785Email:[email protected]:1BowStreet

OfficeHours:Tuesdays,1:30-2:30PMandbyappt.

Coursewebsite:https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/63689

CourseOverviewItiscommonplacetonotethatintheUnitedStatesmanypeopleidentifyas“middleclass”eventhoughoursocietyismarkedbydeep,persistent,andincreasingclassinequality.Suchself-identification,however,canobscurethecomplexandoftencontradictorywaysinwhichweexperiencesocialclassinoureverydaylives.ThiscourseexplorestheculturaldimensionsofsocialclassintheU.S.fromanethnographicperspective,focusingontheeverydaylivesandculturesofordinaryAmericans.Wewillconsiderquestionssuchasthefollowing.Whatisitliketobeaworkingclasspersoninasocietyheavilyinvestedinideasofindividualadvancementandmeritocracy?Howdoprofessionals(the“upper-middle”class)definethemselvesandhowdotheyviewthoseaboveandbelowthemintheclassstructure?Whatroledoeseliteeducationplayinthecreationandreproductionofclassinequality?Howdoessocialclassshapepeople’svalues,politicalviews,andtastes?Anequallyimportantgoalofthecourseistodevelopyourabilitytowriteclear,engaging,andcoherentanalyticalessaysofthesortyouwillbeaskedtoproducefrequentlyatHarvard.Withthisinmindtheclassisstructuredtogiveyoutheopportunitytoworkinasustainedandsystematicwayonimprovingyourwriting.Duringthesemesteryouwillwritethreeessays,eachofwhichtacklesadifferentaspectsoftheexperienceofclassandisdesignedtohighlightdifferentwritingskills.Thethematicunitsandtheirassociatedwritingassignmentsaredescribedbelow.

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DescriptionofUnitsESSAYI:WORKINGCLASSLIFEUNDERNEOLIBERALISM(comparativeessay,5-6pages)InourfirstunitwewillcomparetwoimportantethnographicstudiesofworkingclassAmericans—MichèleLamont’sclassicTheDignityofWorkingMenandJenniferSilva’smorerecentComingUpShort—inordertogainsomeunderstandingofhowworkingclasspeoplehaverespondedtotherelativedeclineintheirlivingstandardsoverthepast20yearsFocalWritingSkills:Devisingquestionsandarguabletheses;usingevidence;integratingsources.ESSAYII:CLASSANDEDUCATION(analyzeorcritiqueanargument,6-7pages)InthesecondunitwewillreadselectionsfromArmstrongandHamilton’sPayingforthePartyinordertoanalyzetheroleofhighereducationinshapingtheclasstrajectoriesofstudentsfromworking-,middle-,andupper-classbackgrounds.FocalWritingSkills:Problematizingarguments;presentationofevidenceandanalysis;argumentstructure;counterargument;devisingresearchquestions.ESSAYIII:RESEARCHESSAY:ELITES(multi-sourceresearchessay,8-10pages)Forthethirdunitstudentswilldevisetheirownresearchprojectconcerningtherolesandself-conceptionsofelites.Forinspiration,we’llreadselectionsofShamusKhan’sPrivilege,whichexamineslifeataneliteNewEnglandboardingschool,andKarenHo’sLiquidated,whichanalyzestheideologiesandidentitiesofWallStreetfinanciers.FocalWritingSkills:Research;handlingofmultiplesourcesanddifferentkindsofevidence;structure.

CourseReadingsAllofthecoursereadingswillbepostedonthecoursewebsite,herehttps://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/63689/pages/readings-and-schedule-of-course-topics

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HowtheCourseWorks

Themaingoalforthecourseisforyoutoproduceanoriginal,compelling,andanalyticallysoundessayforeachofthethreeunitsofthecourse.Suchessaysarenotwrittenonthefly;theytaketime,continualre-working,andcriticalreflection.Thewritingrequirementsoutlinedbelowaredesignedtoprovideyouwiththetechniquesforconstructinggoodessays.Classtimewillbesplitbetweengrapplingwiththecoursereadingsandin-classworkdirectedatimprovingsomeaspectofyourwriting.Youshouldcometoclasswiththerelevantreadingscompletedandreadytoparticipateactivelyindiscussion.WritingandRevising•ResponsePapers:Beforeyoucomposeaninitialdraftofeachessay,you’llcompleteoneormoreresponsepapersthatfocusonparticularwritingskillsthatareimportantfortherelevantessaytype.Checktheunitassignmentpacketforspecificinstructionsandduedates,etc.•Drafts:Youwillsubmitadraftofeachofthethreeessays.Oneachdraftyou’llreceivedetailedcommentsfromtheinstructor(inwritingandinconferences).•DraftCoverLetters:Everytimeyouhandinadraft,you’llincludeacoverletterinwhichyouprovideguidancetoyourreaderabouttheaspectsoftheessayyouarestrugglingwithinadditiontowhateverothercommentsorquestionsyoumighthave.I’llgiveyoumorespecificinstructionsaboutwritingdraftcoverlettersoverthecourseofthesemester.•DraftWorkshops:Immediatelyaftereachdraftisduewe’llhaveanin-classdraftworkshopinwhichweworkthroughtwostudentpapers(chosenbytheinstructor)andofferthewritersconstructivecriticismsandsuggestionsforimprovement.IwillemailyoutheessaysIhavechosenbeforeeachworkshop.Youwillbeexpectedtoprovidewrittencomments(intheformofaletter)oneachdraftthatweworkshoptogether.I’llhandoutmoreguidelinesondraftworkshopslaterinthesemester.•Conferences:AfterI’vecarefullyreadyourdraft,we’llmeetfora15-20minuteconferenceinwhichwe’llworktogetheronstrategiesforrevisingtheessay.Youshouldalsoplanontakingnotesduringtheconference.Missedconferencesmaynotberescheduled.•EssayRevisions:Youshouldexpecttoextensivelyreviseeachofyourdraftsbeforesubmittingitforagrade.Iwillprovidewrittencommentsonessayrevisions.Essayrevisionsmustbesubmittedoveremail(notashardcopies),andIwillalsoprovidemycommentsinelectronicform.

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OtherPolicies•Grading:Iwillgradeonlytherevisions(thatis,thelastversion)ofyouressays,notthedraftsorresponsepapers(althoughImaysuggest,asanaidtointerpretingmyevaluations,whatsortofgradeadraftwouldreceiveifIweretogradeit).Coursegradeswillbedeterminedasfollows:

RevisionofEssay1 25%RevisionofEssay2 30%RevisionofEssay3 40%Participationandexercises 5%

GradingwillbecomemorestringentasthesemesterprogressessinceIexpectyoudevelopasathinkerandwriter.Pleasebeadvisedthatfinalgrades(thatis,gradesonrevisedessays)areindeedfinal.Iwillnotreadorgradeafurtherrevisionofarevision.•Attendance:ThepolicyoftheHarvardCollegeWritingProgramisasfollows:Ifyoumissmorethanoneclasswithouttheexcuseofareligiousholidayorillness,youwillreceiveaformalwarningletter,copiedtoyourFreshmanDean.Ifyouthenmissanotherclasswithoutalegitimateexcuse,youareeligibletobeofficiallyexcludedfromthecourseandfailed.Pleasenotethatabsencestoparticipateinathleticorotherextracurricularactivitiesarenotexcusable.Ifyouhavetobeabsentforareligiousholidayorotherimportantevent,pleasespeaktomebeforethedateyouwillbeaway.•Deadlines:Weareonaverytightschedule,soitisimperativethatyousubmitworkontime.Iwillonlyacceptlateworkifthestudentcontactsmetorequestanextensioninadvanceofthedeadlineandhasacompellingreason.Otherwiselateworkwillreceiveasignificantgradepenalty.•CompletionofWork:ThepolicyoftheHarvardCollegeWritingProgramisasfollows:Youmustcompleteallthreeoftherequiredcoursesessays(includingdrafts)inordertopassthecourse.Allworkmustbecompletedbytherelevantdeadlineunlessyouhavemadepriorarrangementswithmeforanextension.Ifyouthenmisstheextendeddeadline,youmaybeexcludedfromthecourse.•CollaborationAmongStudents:Thefollowingkindsofcollaborationarepermittedinthiscourse:developingorrefiningideasinconversationwithotherstudents,andthroughpeerreviewofwrittenwork(includingfeedbackfromWritingCentertutors).Ifyouwouldliketoacknowledgetheimpactsomeonehadonyouressay,itiscustomarytodothisinafootnoteatthebeginningofthepaper.AsstatedintheStudentHandbook,“Youdonotneedtoacknowledgediscussionwithothersofgeneralapproachestotheassignmentorassistancewithproofreading.”However,

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allworksubmittedforthiscoursemustbeyourown:inotherwords,writingresponsepapers,drafts,orrevisionswithotherstudentsisexpresslyforbidden•AcademicHonesty:Allworksubmittedforthiscoursemustbeyourownwork.Anyoutsidesourcesyouusemustbecitedproperly.Anystudentsubmittingplagiarizedworkiseligibletofailthecourseandwillbereferredtothecollege’sAdministrativeBoardforfurtherdisciplinaryaction,includingexpulsionfromtheuniversity.Ifyouhavequestionsaboutwhatconstitutesplagiarism,consulttherelevantsectionsofHarvardGuidetoUsingSourcesand/orspeakwiththeinstructor.

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ScheduleofTopicsandAssignments

UNITI:TheWorkingClassintheNeoliberalEraSeptember10thTopic: Courseintroduction;theconceptofclass Writingfocus:Argumentandanalyticalwriting September12thTopic: Whatissocialclass? Writingfocus:QuestionsandproblemsRead:- Wright,E.,&Rogers,J.(2011).“Class”inAmericansociety:Howitreallyworks.

NewYork:WWNorton.[web]-Fussell,P.(1983).“ATouchySubject”and“AnAnatomyoftheClasses”inClass:A

guidethroughtheAmericanstatussystem(1sted.).NewYork:SummitBooks.[web]

-Williams,J.(2017).“Whytalkaboutclass?”inWhiteworkingclass:OvercomingclasscluelessnessinAmerica.Boston,Massachusetts:HarvardBusinessReviewPress.[web]

Dueinclass:studentquestionnaire September17thTopic: Workingclassidentity Writingfocus:Claims Read:- Lamont,Michèle,&RussellSageFoundation.(2009).“TheWorldinMoralOrder”

inTheDignityofWorkingMen.HarvardUniversityPress. September19thTopic: Contemporaryworkingclassidentity Writingfocus:Evidenceandanalysis Read:-Silva,J.(2013).“ComingofAgeintheRiskSociety,”“PrisonersofthePresent,”and

“HardenedSelves”inComingupshort:Working-classadulthoodinanageofuncertainty.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.

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September24thWritingfocus:Fundamentalsofusingsources;usingtextualevidence;plagiarism Read:-ThefollowingsectionsontheHarvardUniv.GuidetoUsingSourceswebsite

(usingsources.fas.harvard.edu):-“Introduction”-“WhyUseSources?”-“IntegratingSources” September25thDueby11PM:responsepaper1 September26thWritingfocus: Introductions Read:-Sampleintroductions(tobeemailed)September29thDueby11PM:draftofpaper1 October1stWritingfocus: DraftworkshopDueinclass:2copiesofyourreaderletters

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UNIT2:ClassandHigherEducation October3rdTopic: EducationandclassreproductionWritingfocus:Readingcritically Read:-Fussell,P.(1983).“TheLifeoftheMind”inClass:AguidethroughtheAmerican

statussystem(1sted.).NewYork:SummitBooks.[web]-Armstrong,E.,&Hamilton,L.(2013).Introductionandchapters1and2inPaying

fortheparty:Howcollegemaintainsinequality.Cambridge,Massachusetts:HarvardUniversityPress.

October8thTopic: Mobility,credentials,andsocialclosureWritingfocus:Problematizing Read:-Armstrong,E.,&Hamilton,L.(2013).Chapters3and4inPayingfortheparty:

Howcollegemaintainsinequality.Cambridge,Massachusetts:HarvardUniversityPress.

October10thTopic: EducationandclasstrajectoriesWritingfocus:Summarizing Read:-Armstrong,E.,&Hamilton,L.(2013).Chapters5and6inPayingfortheparty:


October13th Dueat11PM:revisionofpaper1

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October15thTopic: EducationandsocialmobilityWritingfocus:StructureRead:-Armstrong,E.,&Hamilton,L.(2013).Chapters7and8inPayingfortheparty:


October16thDueby11PM:responsepaper2(draftintroductionandsummary) October17thWritingfocus:WorkshopdraftintroductionsandsummariesOctober22thWritingfocus:Counterargument October23rdDueby11PM:draftofpaper2due October24thWritingfocus:Locatingandevaluatingsecondarysources Read:•ThefollowingsectionsontheHarvardUniv.GuidetoUsingSourceswebsite:-“LocatingSources”-“EvaluatingSources”October29thWritingfocus:Draftworkshop

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UNIT3:EliteClassFormation October31stTopic:Elitesandinequality Writingfocus:Developingresearchquestions Read:-Khan,S.(2011).Introductionandchapter1inPrivilege:Themakingofan

adolescenteliteatSt.Paul'sSchool(Princetonstudiesinculturalsociology).Princeton,N.J.:PrincetonUniversityPress.

November5thTopic:ElitesandmeritocracyWritingfocus:DevelopingresearchquestionscontinuedRead:-Khan,S.(2011).Chapter2inPrivilege:ThemakingofanadolescenteliteatSt.

Paul'sSchool(Princetonstudiesinculturalsociology).Princeton,N.J.:PrincetonUniversityPress.

November7thTopic:ElitehabitusWritingfocus:ResearchmethodsRead:-Khan,S.(2011).Chapter3inPrivilege:ThemakingofanadolescenteliteatSt.

Paul'sSchool(Princetonstudiesinculturalsociology).Princeton,N.J.:PrincetonUniversityPress.

November10thDueby11PM:revisionofpaper2

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November12thTopic:EliterecruitmentWritingfocus:AnalyzinginterviewdataRead:-Ho,K.(2009).Chapter1inLiquidated:AnethnographyofWallStreet.Durham:

DukeUniversityPress.November14thTopic:ProfessionalsocializationonWallStreetWritingfocus:Analyzinginterviewdata Read:-Ho,K.(2009).Chapter2inLiquidated:AnethnographyofWallStreet.Durham:

DukeUniversityPress. November19thTopic:WhatbankersdoandwhyWritingfocus:Locatingandevaluatingsecondarysources Read:-Ho,K.(2009).Chapter5inLiquidated:AnethnographyofWallStreet.Durham:

DukeUniversityPress.-Ackerman,S.2017.“TheDisruptors:AnInterviewwithJ.W.Mason.Jacobin.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/10/finance-capital-shareholders-profit-market

November21stTopicTBD: Catchupday November26stWritingfocus:Researchcheck-ins Courseevaluationday–nohomework.

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December1stDueby11PM:draftofpaper3 December3rdWritingfocus:Finaldraftworkshop

class and culture

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