Part 2 Key Terms
Part 3 Key Terms
Part 4 Key Terms
Part 5 Key Terms
Part 6 Key Terms
Part 7 Key Terms
Social Diversity Readings for NCCCS SOC 225
Overview
This resource was developed to use when teaching SOC 225: Social Diversity as described by the North Carolina Community College System. Specifically, this collection was curated by Porscha Orndorf for use at A-B Tech Community College, but is available to all those who want to use it.
Part 1. Worldview
We begin this course by exploring your Worldview.
There is a lot to consider about one's worldview, including just what exactly a "worldview" is. The readings in this section are designed to help you understand three different main ideas:
- Worldview
- Intersectionality
- Microaggressions
These three topics will come up throughout the course, so we begin by exploring what those mean.
Reading 1. Ken Funk
I want you to begin by reading Ken Funk's article about worldviews. You can find it at the following link: Ken Funk Explains the Worldview.
Ken Funk is a retired professor of engineering at Oregon State University. His perspective is certainly fascinating, but it also provides us with a clear idea of what a worldview is. Here are some questions to think about as you read through Funk's perspective on the worldview:
- What is your personal worldview?
- What has shaped your worldview?
- What might cause your worldview to change?
- How important is evidence and discovery to shaping your worldview?
Once you have read about worldviews, it is important to think about what might shape a person's worldview. Below are links to two articles that deal with this topic. Once you have read them, go to Moodle and take the quizzes for these reading assignments.
Reading 2:
Reading 3:
The second topic we need to explore is intersectionality. To do this, you will read an article and watch a TED Talk by the person who coined the term, Kimberle Crenshaw.
Reading 4:
Reading 5:
Two other, non-academic articles will be helpful to your understanding of intersectionality:
Reading 6:
Reading 7:
The third major concept to consider is microaggressions. Below is the link to a short article from scientific American describing the concept and how it plays out in the human social world.
Reading 8:
This article by Harrison and Tanner (2018) can also help you better understand microaggressions and the many forms they take:
Reading 9:
Part 2. Citizenship
The goal of this section of the course is to think about the following questions:
- What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States?
- What rights and responsibilities are associated with citizenship in the United States?
- Does every citizen get to exercise their citizenship rights fully in the United States?
- What would it mean if some people were barred from exercising their full citizenship rights based on their membership in a social group not of their choosing?
Reading 1:
First, read the document at this link: Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities.
The following link is also helpful: Learn About Citizenship.
If you would like an historical overview, check the following link: USHISTORY.org's guide to citizenship.
Reading 2:
Then, take the practice exam at this link: Civics Citizenship Practice Test.
- Don't study for this quiz. Just take it. Click on the blue box toward the bottom of the page that says "Start practice test."
- Once you have finished this quiz, please take a screenshot of your results and hold onto it for Worldview Response Paper #2.
- Reflect on your performance on this practice quiz [Include these in your Worldview Exploration]:
- How did you do?
- How do you feel about how you did?
- Were you born and raised in the U.S.? How does your answer to this question impact how you did on this practice test?
The first scholarly article we will read for this section is about those who live in the United States, whose ancestry may trace farther back than those who colonized the U.S., and who now live on or near reservations. Native American nations are considered sovereign nations, and thus their citizenship is up-in-the-air and tribe-specific.
Reading 3:
Read the article linked below:
Because we are considering citizenship, we must also consider immigration - how those moving into the United States become citizens. Begin by reading the two articles linked below:
Reading 4:
Reading 5:
Reading 6:
Terrorism and fear of terrorist attacks has become an important part of national conversations about immigration in the United States. Because this issue has become an important part of the national dialogue, there is one more article in this section addressing this issue. Please read the article linked below:
Reading 7:
Part 3. Race/Ethnicity
In part 3, we dig in to race and ethnicity, topics that we don't always feel comfortable talking about in our daily lives. The information you will be exposed to here is critical to understanding the world we live in. Here are the questions you should consider:
- Is race a biological fact or a cultural idea with no basis in biology?
- How does a person's race to shape how they are perceived, how they are treated, and the opportunities they can access?
- Are things that happened in the past – such as slavery and genocide in the United States – only matters of history, or do they continue to shape social life today?
Starting this section means thinking about that first question: Is race biological, or is race a social construct?
Reading 1:
To begin exploring this idea, please read the article by Vivian Chou linked here: How Science and Genetics are Reshaping the Race Debate.
Reading 2:
Then, watch this TED Talk from Rick Kittles about the biology of race and its applications in the medical field: Rick Kittles at TedxNorthwestern.
Continue by exploring the intersection of gender and race with this article:
Reading 3:
Tinkler et al. 2019. Honorary Whites? Asian American Women and the Dominance Penalty
In this article, Alba (2018) explores the idea that some time in the 2040s, the United States will become a society made up of a majority of people who are of a minority race or ethnic background. Read it here:
Reading 4:
What Majority-Minority Society?
Two of the articles we read in this section deal with how Black people discuss the feelings associated with being Black in their communities. Read the following articles:
Reading 5:
Reading 6:
The following two articles explore what residential situations in the United States look like - what patterns exist? Read these two articles:
Reading 7:
Reading 8:
Part 4. Social Class
In this section, we explore some important questions about inequality.
Questions to consider:
- To what degree are individuals responsible for the material quality of their lives?
- Do people living in poverty have only themselves to blame?
- Are the wealthy the sole cause of their abundance?
- What is capitalism? How does it contribute to or interfere with democracy?
- Is it possible for a group or individual to have too much wealth?
- What institutional mechanisms create and maintain wealth and income inequality?
Reading 1:
Reading 2:
Reading 3:
We'll start at the beginning - early in a child's life. Check out these two articles about poverty and parenting:
Reading 4:
Reading 5:
What happens in high school and college? That's where our readings take us next. Read these two articles for insight:
Reading 6:
Reading 7:
The final research article in this section explores how college impacts earnings. Check it out at this link and then take the quiz in Moodle:
Reading 8:
The final article in this section digs deeper into wealth disparities by race, including what the author calls "racial capitalism."
Reading 9:
Part 5. Gender
In part 5 of this course, we explore sex and gender.
The major questions to consider here are:
- What is sex? What is gender?
- What social and institutional mechanisms work against those who are classified as women?
- What social and institutional mechanisms work against those who are classified as transgender?
There are two videos in this section of the course, but I want you to BEGIN with some of the readings. Start with these:
Reading 1:
Reading 2:
Reading 3:
What happens when women lead? This is a question people have been asking for generations. Here are two articles that are interesting in terms of women in leadership roles:
Reading 4:
Reading 5:
The next two reading assignments ask you to think about the messaging we get from leadership about sex and gender. Check them out:
Reading 6:
Reading 7:
So far in this section, we've done a good job exploring the gender binary. But there's more to gender than that. Start with this article exploring Americans' perceptions of trans people:
Reading 8:
Now it's time for those videos I promised. These videos explore the trans experience from the perspective of trans people, unlike the article you just read. Here are the links you need:
Reading 9:
Reading 10:
Part 6. Sexuality
Questions to consider:
- To what extent are sexual orientation and gender identity matters of individual choice?
- How does sexuality matter in terms of how and who can access citizenship rights?
- How do legal rights shape public perceptions and social acceptance of sexual minorities?
Start with a video this time.
LGBTQ issues are not new, though popular discourse would have us believe that these are new issues. While LGBT folks have existed for a long time, most people mark the beginning of the modern gay rights movement at the Stonewall Riots in 1968. What happened from that point forward? Let's start with a video:
Reading 1:
You'll need to LOG IN to the Locke Library resources. You will be prompted and given instructions when you click the link.
Social Attitudes
Social attitudes toward LGBTQIA folks change as time passes. Here are some articles exploring these issues.
Reading 2:
Reading 3:
Reading 4:
Other Queer Issues
There are other issues besides how LGBTQ people are viewed by the mainstream, hetero society. Here are some articles exploring those ideas:
Reading 5:
Reading 6:
Reading 7:
What about other sexualities?
The following articles explore other aspects of sexuality. Check them out:
Reading 8:
Reading 9:
Part 7. Dis/Ability
Questions to Consider.
In this part of the course, we consider these questions:
- Should social life be organized so that people can participate regardless of whether they have a disability?
- Who should be included?
- How should inclusion be accomplished?
A bit of history...
Start this section by exploring Disability Rights at the NCLD's Disability Rights Timeline. You can find it here:
Reading 1:
Disability Rights Interactive TImeline.
Let's get serious about disability for a bit.
Here are some articles to get you started:
Reading 2:
Reading 3:
The following articles consider a part of disability that often gets overlooked: Mental Health.
Reading 4:
Reading 5:
Reading 6:
Some Intersectional considerations are also necessary. Below are some articles that explore interesting intersections of disability with other topics we have considered in this course:
Reading 7:
Reading 8:
Including everyone is part of our consideration here. Below are some videos that may help you think about what inclusion looks like: