In this book Jo Littler argues that meritocracy is the key cultural means of legitimation for contemporary neoliberal culture – and that whilst it promises opportunity, it in fact creates new forms of social division. Against Meritocracy is split into two parts. Part I explores the genealogies of meritocracy within social theory, political discourse and working cultures. It traces the dramatic U-turn in meritocracy’s meaning, from socialist slur to a contemporary ideal of how a society should be organised. Part II uses a series of case studies to analyse the cultural pull of popular ‘parables of progress’, from reality TV to the super-rich and celebrity CEOs, from social media controversies to the rise of the ‘mumpreneur’. Paying special attention to the role of gender, ‘race’ and class, this book provides new conceptualisations of the meaning of meritocracy in contemporary culture and society.

Students who migrated to the USA from Mexico or any other country when they were kids are the learner audience. However, this lesson series can be adapted for other types of learners. Each lesson will take up to 30 minutes. The topic of lesson #1 is social stratification and the American dream. The students will learn about these two concepts. The goals of lesson #2 are to learn how to create charts and graphs in a PowerPoint after collecting data through interviews and compare/ contrast results with National Survey 2005 NY Times. Lesson #3’s topic is about race as ascribed characteristics and its influence on social mobility. Students will integrate and evaluate information they collected and present their own ideas in discussions. Lesson #4’s topic is how gender can affect people’s ability to climb the economic ladder. During lesson #5 students will present their findings in class and reflect on their experience learning about the topic of the American dream and whether it is achievable or not.

Introduction to Sociology 2e adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical, one-semester introductory sociology course. It offers comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories, which are supported by a wealth of engaging learning materials. The textbook presents detailed section reviews with rich questions, discussions that help students apply their knowledge, and features that draw learners into the discipline in meaningful ways. The second edition retains the book’s conceptual organization, aligning to most courses, and has been significantly updated to reflect the latest research and provide examples most relevant to today’s students. In order to help instructors transition to the revised version, the 2e changes are described within the preface.

Understand the different types of formal organizationsRecognize the characteristics of bureaucraciesIdentify the concepts of the McJob and the McDonaldization of society

Differentiate between open and closed stratification systemsDistinguish between caste and class systemsUnderstand meritocracy as an ideal system of stratification

This is a list of essential questions about economics to use in your social studies or history class. These questions can be the basis of a particular lesson (i.e. a group discussion, a brief writing assignment) or they can be incorporated into the design of your curriculum (i.e. a basis for selecting topics and a form of summative assessment). There are also links to a powerpoint presentation and to additional readings on the topic.

Differentiate between open and closed stratification systemsDistinguish between caste and class systemsUnderstand meritocracy as an ideal system of stratification