Assignment: Social Mobility

For this assignment, you will trace your own family's history of social mobility. Consider various types of social mobility, including intragenerational mobility, intergenerational mobility, and status attainment.

You should examine at least three generations of your family and think about their achievements and ascriptions and whether people climbed upward, slid downward, or remained the same. Be sure to think about race and gender and their role in mobility and social status. You should also make predictions about your own social mobility and your children's (real or imagined) future mobility.

To complete this assignment, perform the following tasks:

1. Describe your family's history of social mobility through at least three generations. Types of social mobility to discuss include intragenerational mobility, intergenerational mobility, and status attainment.

2. Explain the role of race and gender in the discussion on mobility and social status.

3. Explore and then explain why each generation achieved different levels of social mobility.

4. Predict your own social mobility and if you have children, their mobility.

5. Support your work with the text readings, lectures, and appropriate outside resources.