course materials

1. The reflection paper must be typed, double-spaced, using 12-point Times
New Rom
The reflection paper must be typed, double-spaced,using 12-point Times New Roman font
and with margins no greater than 1.25” on each side ofthe paper.You will turn in a 3-page
minimum (double-spaced) reflection based on how the class material relates to your
personal experiences. Specifically, you will reflect on how your race, class, gender, sexuality,
and ability has affected your life chances. You must talk about race, class, gender, sexuality,
AND ability in this paper. Saying “my [insert identity] has not affected my life” will not earn
you points. If you are having difficult figuring out how you’ve been impacted by these social
identities, I am more than happy to consult!While answering the prompt and reflecting on
your own positionality and personal experiences, your reflections should also involve
critical engagement with the readings. You should critically engage with class material for
each identity that you reflect on. This includes utilizing key terms and concepts, and citing
class resources (this can include PowerPoints). Because this is a reflection, outside readings
are not necessary. Reflections must follow the writing conventions described in the
syllabus. Please use APA in-text citations and reference list formatting.Below, I have
provided two examples of what this reflection may look like; however, please note, that this
assignment is based on your own sociological analysis of your own experiences, so your
examples may look very different.EXAMPLE ONE: Reflecting on an identity that is on the
lower end of the class stratification ladder.I grew up in a working class background. My
mom had barely finished high school, and my dad did not graduate high school until he was
in his 40’s. They both had worked all of their lives and did not focus on their own education.
They wanted something different from me, and they encouraged me to go to college, but my
experiences being working class shaped that journey. I did not have the cultural capital that
middle and upper class families had, and this posed a challenge. Cultural capital is the
“cultural skills and knowledge passed on to youth by their parents through their social and
economic position (Leon-Guerrero, 2019)”. For example, my parents did not understand
what makes a college application look appealing. They did not encourage me to get involved
in extracurricular activities, and they were not concerned with a few bad grades because
they knew I always had strong test scores. My friends whose parents went to college were
pressured to join clubs, punished for bad grades, and told to prepare for college entering
into their freshman year of high school. When they struggled, their parents could help them
with their homework or hire a tutor. This lack of cultural capital contributed to my college

2. application being less competitive, and while I was accepted into college, I was not accepted
into my top schools. In college, I also struggled more than some of my middle class
classmates. I learned the hard way what was “common sense” to others from middle class
backgrounds.EXAMPLE TWO: Thinking about an identity on the top of the race stratification
ladder.Growing up, I rarely thought about my race. I thought race only mattered when
someone experienced racism, so as a white person my race wasn’t important. The first time
I read McIntosh’s (1988) list of white privileges I was shocked at all the ways that race
impacted my life. This makes sense because McIntosh (1988) discusses how privilege is
often invisible. For example, in elementary school I was often favored by my teachers. I was
often the line leader or some other leadership role in the class, and I was recommended to
enter into the Academically Gifted (AG) program. I later entered into honors and AP classes,
and I received informal encouragement from teachers that helped inspire me to go to
college. I never thought much of this at the time because I was a smart and well-behaved
student, and this seemed like a reward for being such. Looking back, I realized that I never
had classmates of color in my AG classes or AP classes, even though I knew many Black
classmates who were smart and well-behaved students just like me. Sociologists have found
through studies that Black students are often perceived as less intelligent and as
troublemakers (Leon-Guerrero, 2019). They are punished disproportionately by teachers,
and they tend not to get the same amount of attention, praise, or guidance when they are
doing well (Leon-Guerrero, 2019). Though I did earn some of this praise and attention from
my teachers, my whiteness allowed me to keep it all for myself, rather than sharing praise
and attention with students of color. I think about how this support from my teachers
helped guide me to a college track despite the obstacles I faced as a working class student.
Without them, I may never have gone to college.Some information about myself to help
better write this paper: I am a predominately white female. I grew up in a middle class
household. My mom and dad are both the first in their families to go to college. My mom is a
nurse and my dad is a heating and air technician. I identify as a straight heterosexual female
and am married to the love of my life. Since my parents struggled paying their way through
college they pushed me hard to better myself and my family by pursuing a degree.I am a
little more conservative but this paper has to be neutral and open-minded as my teacher
and this class is centered around pro-LGBTQ and has a very democratic view on sociology
as a whole.Please message me if you have any questions or concerns.