Final Paper:

• Pick an exciting topic that interests you!  Make it relevant to your life.
• Make sure to link 2 things together (like class and race); don’t just pick one category
• Feel free to include your opinions (but be careful; talk to me about that)

Weber Theory on Class – Lecture

• Max Weber is a theorist (like Karl Marx)
• Issues where they disagree:
• Marx: Class is distinguished by property ownership (between the business owner and the worker)
• Weber defines class by the marketplace (market situation – between the manager and the worker; both are workers at different levels of class)
• Classification based on class or status?
• Weber: Class struggle gets more intense over time and eventually there will be a revolt! (struggle gets worse)
• Marx: class struggle is more intense in the early stages and eventually gets less (struggle gets less)
• W.G. Runciman – still alive – a scholar who interpreted Weber
• STATUS/PRESTIGE
• CLASS/INCOME/WEALTH
• POWER
• People can be privileged in any (or all) these dimensions of social inequality
• Status inconsistency… Can you have very high prestige but very low wealth?  (think: Mother Theresa)
• Survey says: Supreme Court Justice very high in prestige and power; but only make as much $ as a professor!
• The Mafia Godfather: prestige low or high?  income?  power?  power where? in New Jersey only or nationally?
• Does high prestige also mean high power?  High income? (example: Mother Theresa)
• Does low prestige also mean low power?  Low income? (example: Janitor)
• “Schtangdt” means status or “estate” in English (however you spell it in German) [estate: think "property ownership"]
• This is different than class [class: think "lower class citizen"]
• Class… status…  if those are defined, how does power come into play?  [types of power: physical, political, police, military, etc.]
• PRIVILEGES: based on class, status, and power
• Where does power come from?  Tradition or legal authority?  Or, does power come from status or class?
• STRATIFICATION: this means difference (or “distinguishing”) between levels [think: upper and lower class are "stratified"]
• Authority… is authority the same as power?
• EXAMPLE: Slaves… are they a class or a status group?  Lecturer says slaves are a status group.  [is this based on power?  lack of power?  so, status is based on power?  or is it because slaves have no property?  if status=property, then both]
• Slavery, isn’t that a political act?  So, we’re talking political power.  But, wasn’t there some physical power of imprisonment?  So, political + physical power resulted in the consequence of slavery.
• Great point: Is a lower class, for example, created by a group that all have common life chance?  [remember our discussion on Detroit high school students chances of going to Harvard]
• Is a class defined as a group that all have the same set of life chances?  such as chances to have money, meet important people, go to a good high school
• Is “being African American” [or being any race] a “life chance” that results in some consequence?
• The difference between owner, landlord, and tenants is a “class relationship”
• What power does landlord have?  Rent ($) and fixing stuff (physical)
• What power does SVSU have over you?  Tuition ($), where your dorm or classroom is (physical)…
• “Classes are not communities“
• Status groups… defined by status privileges
• Status groups… a group with special social esteem, honor, and solidarity
  
• Status honor… is shown by a specific lifestyle
• Do class groups [think: lower class] have a certain lifestyle?  Not really…
• The lower class status group has the lifestyle  (they could be one in the same group, just different terms: status and class)
• Remember, status is related to property ownership.  Class is more of a social stratification.
• So, what is a property class?  Haha that’s a combination of our terms… then the discussion gets rather abstract and vague…