Teaching Social Mobility Using a Virtual Field Experience that Combines a Podcast with Google Maps

Abstract

Combining a podcast episode with Google Maps, this assignment is a virtual field experience designed for learning about social mobility as it manifests in the lives of poor children in the United States. Specifically, the assignment encourages students to evaluate the meritocracy narrative of social class mobility in the U.S. First, students view a short...

Details

Subject Area(s):

Stratification/Mobility

Resource Type(s):

Assignment

Class Level(s):

Any Level

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

This assignment was developed for a synchronous in-person general education sociology course, but could be easily adapted to explore social inequality in any course level or modality (online, in-person, synchronous, asynchronous, hybrid, etc.). Since the podcast and the Google Maps virtual “walk” focus on schools, the assignment may be particularly useful...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Goal 1: Observe social inequality as it exists in the environments of economically advantaged vs. disadvantaged communities.
2. Goal 2: Compare opportunities for upward social mobility in economically advantaged vs. disadvantaged communities.
3. Goal 3: Critically evaluate meritocracy as an explanation for social mobility in the United States.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. Assessment for Goal 1: Apply “Response Assessment Criteria” to student response for discussion question one.
2. Assessment for Goal 2: Apply “Response Assessment Criteria” to student response for discussion question two.
3. Assessment for Goal 3: Apply “Response Assessment Criteria” to student response for discussion question three.