Sociology & You

Chapter 8: Social Stratification

Web Activity Lesson Plans

"Social Class and Television"

Introduction
In this chapter, students learned about social class and stratification and the influence of these factors on the lives of people in our society. As students will see in this activity, social stratification is not a new phenomenon. In the following activity students will learn about the representation of social classes on television and in the court room. They will read an article that discusses the ways in which working and middle classes are represented and how their audiences react to the portrayals.

Lesson Description
Students will visit Web sites that discuss the portrayal of social classes on television. They will learn how different classes are represented and the roles that each group plays. Students will recreate a current television show in order to more fairly portray working-class characters.

Instructional Objectives

1. Students will be able to compare how different social classes are portrayed on television.
2. Students will learn to recognize the stereotypes of working-class television characters.