Module 2 Topic C:
Social Class, Habitus, and Physical Culture
1. LECTURE
For six slides per page format (for printing) click: HERE
For one slide per page format (for viewing on computer) click: HERE
2. VIDEO CLIPS
These video clips, unless otherwise advised, will be shown during lecture. They are made available here for revision purposes.
Video Clip 1: Wealth Inequality in America.
Video Clip 2: NBC New on Upward Mobility in America.
Video Clip 3: Trailer for “People Like Us: Social Class in America” (PBS, 2001) documentary.
Video Clip 4: ABC News segment on the “Fattest Town in America”.
Video Clip 5: Dr. Ben Carson and the role of personal responsibility of health.
Video Clip 6: Health Inequalities: The social determinants of health.
Video Clip 8: An excerpt from Super Size Me (2004), outlining the negative aspects of what Bourdieu described as the “taste of necessity”.
Video Clip 9: CNN clip focused on the competitive parenting syndrome.
Video Clip 10: New York Times video focused on the rugby team at Hyde Leadership Public Charter School in Washington, DC.
3. REQUIRED READINGS
It is expected that you will complete these readings prior to the discussion sections, and that–where appropriate–your engage them within your classroom discussion.
Reading III: Granderson, LZ. (2012, June 8). Poor and Fat: The Real Class War. CNN.com .
4. THEMATIC REVIEW QUESTIONS
Given the volume of information provided in the classroom, you are strongly advised not to engage the material solely during lectures.
Rather, you are strongly encouraged to review each theme carefully on your own, following which you should test your knowledge and understanding by answering the Thematic Review Questions which can be accessed HERE.
5. KEY CONCEPTS
The following key concepts represent the core knowledge related to this topic, and you should ensure that you develop a thorough knowledge and understanding of them before moving on to the next topic:
The Body and Class Performance
The Social Stratification of American Society
Group Similarities Constituting Social Class Groupings
Social Classes and Lifestyle Assemblages
The Social Gradient and Differential Life Chances and Experiences
Classed Lifestyle Cultures
Social Class/Lifestyle/Health Differences Between Burlington, VT and Huntington, WV
The Egalitarian, Meritocratic, and Classless Nature of Sport and Society
Social Class and Sport Ownership, Control, and Access
Differential Access to Elite Sport Spectacles
Social Class and Sporting/Physical Activity Participation
The Class Distribution of Sport/Class Hierarchy of Sport
Same Sport, Differing Motivation Based on Social Grouping
Class Cultures and Capital
Economic Capital and Necessity
Sport, Physical Activity, and Economic Capital
Social Capital and Sporting Involvement
Cultural Capital and Sport/Physical Activity Norms and Values
Physical Capital and Social and Moral Worth
Healthism and Individual Explanations
Social Determinism and Structural Explanations
Habitus as Learned Classed Tastes and Preferences
Hexis as Classed Lifestyle Embodiments
Lower Class Habitus: Embodied Cultures of Poverty
Subsistence and Physical Existence
The Pursuit and Expression of Toughness
Instant Embodied Gratification and Bodies for Profit
The Lower Class Taste of Necessity
Middle Class Habitus: Embodied Cultures of Promotion
Embodied Self-Presentation and Conspicuous Consumption
Middle Class Hexis, Social Value, and Moral Virtue
Investing in Future Bodies and the Health Industrial Complex
Competitive Lifestyling and Parenting
Converting Physical Capital
The Cycle of Classed Lifestyle Reproduction
6. DISCUSSION QUESTION/TASK #7
This question/task will be discussed in discussion sections on:
Monday, November 3
Wednesday, November 5
Last week, comedian/actor Russell Brand went on BBC television and (in)famously shared his views on the widening wealth inequality, economic disparities, and the capacity for the current political system to truly address the problems. Your task is to watch a clip of the interview and choose the degree to which you agree or disagree to Brand’s central argument. Why or why not?
7. ESSAY QUESTION #7 (this is an option for the Module 2 essay)
Since generally speaking the lower classes are less active and therefore less healthy than the middle classes, they have only themselves to blame for this fact. Do you agree with this statement? In other words, do you believe it is their own lack of personal responsibility (thus subscribing to the notion of healthism), or, is their own health the result of societal contributors largely out of the control of the individual (what we might call the social determinants of health)?
This assignment should be a minimum of 1,500 words (6 double-spaced pages) to answer it comprehensively.
You may find the following academic sources useful in completing this assignment. You do not have to use these sources, they are simply provided for you as an introduction to the literature, and you should use them where appropriate and/or relevant. Also, be warned, these readings do not count towards the THREE additional academic sources you are expected to use within your essays (however, they may direct you toward additional academic sources you could use).
Warde, A. (2006). Cultural capital and the place of sport. Cultural Trends, 15(2), 107-122.
If you choose to complete this essay, and in addition to the sources provided on this page, you need to identify and use (either through paraphrasing or direct quotation) interpretations, insights, or information from a MINIMUM OF THREE appropriate academic sources (in addition to those provided for you on this website).
The deadline for submitting your Module II Essay is before class on Sunday November 23. In order to receive feedback from your TA, you can submit a draft version of your essay up to and including Sunday November 16.
Important: The ELMS/Canvas website will not accept essays after the due time and date.
Be sure to review the details on the module essay page. On that page you will find the EVALUATION CRITERIA for module essays (which you are strongly encouraged to read), you will also find links to the appropriate academic sources you should use when researching and writing your module essays, and the style and format guidelines you need to follow when completing module essays. All this information needs to be read, understood, and closely followed for you to succeed in this course.
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