Stratification and Prejudice in Current Events

The purpose of this assignment is to explore stratification and prejudice in current events. Despite great advances towards equality between the races and genders, racial and gender discrimination, as well as class stratification remain serious social problems. To conclude this course, you will use the news media to discover current social issues with regards to race and gender.

To complete this assignment, perform the following tasks:

1. Using newspapers, news websites, or news magazines, select three current events (within the last six months) that reflect our studies on stratification. One event should represent racial issues, one gender issues, and one class issues. All three should demonstrate discrimination and/or stratification in American society.

2. Using your research, describe the current events and how they are reflective of your studies on racial, gender, and class discrimination and/or stratification.

3. Analyze the events and apply the lecture and text to the news articles. What theories of stratification apply? Are the current events representative of the historical trends of racial, gender, and class discrimination and or/stratification? What solutions, if any, should be applied to these current events?

4. In your discussion, apply your personal experiences and observations to the current events.

5. How do you feel that the media perpetuates discrimination and/or stratification based on race, gender, and class? Support your ideas with concepts from the text and/or appropriate outside resources.