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San Jose State University

2014

Inequality and Stratification

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Full-Text Articles in Education

Alienating Students: Marxist Theory In Action, Megan Thiele, Yung-Yi Diana Pan, Devin Molina Mar 2014

Alienating Students: Marxist Theory In Action, Megan Thiele, Yung-Yi Diana Pan, Devin Molina

Faculty Publications, Sociology

Karl Marx is one of the most significant and widely known sociologists. Although he is largely credited for his macro perspectives, he made important contributions by detailing the micro experiences of the worker in a capitalist system. This piece details a hands-on learning activity that allows students to experience both alienation and non-alienation in the classroom. By offering an experiential activity to pair with readings on the topic, students will be better able to grasp this fundamental, yet often difficult to understand, core concept of Marxist theory.


Among Friends? Classed Navigations Of An Elite Social Scene (Psa Paper), Megan Thiele Mar 2014

Among Friends? Classed Navigations Of An Elite Social Scene (Psa Paper), Megan Thiele

Faculty Publications, Sociology

Both class and racial status matter for establishing connections within a university setting and peer groups exert a heavy influence on the thoughts and actions of students (Flores-Gonzalez 2002). This research assesses socialization patterns across these demographic cleavages, in part by showing how students encounter and react to the dominant culture of exclusivity at an elite, private university. Recent quantitative research has evidenced the undergraduate experience as the “great equalizer,” by showing that the effects of class background across five measures disappear for students who attain a Bachelor’s degree (Torche 2011). However, if disadvantaged students are unable to fit in …