Customer Reviews

Social Stratification in the United States: The American Profile Poster Revised and Expanded

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This poster graphically represents the distribution of income in the U.S. by occupational category, race/ethnicity, and (gendered) household structure. The general shape of the income distribution and the location of the color-coded symbols across this distribution give readers a visual, intuitive understanding of the extent of income inequality in the U.S. A brief yet informative booklet accompanies the poster, with 23 pages of understandable text and additional charts and tables that highlight some of the more detailed complexities of income and wealth inequality.

This poster/booklet set is helpful for orienting students in general to reading and interpreting graphs, tables, and simple descriptive statistics applied to a specific topic. It is especially ideal for use as the center of small-group activities and group learning exercises to engage students in the area of social inequality, whether in an Intro Sociology or Social Stratification class.

In terms of weaknesses/shortcomings, the poster and its symbols seem confusing and sometimes overwhelming to students at first; however, with 15-minutes of explanation and orientation, they quickly become interested in the depth of information embedded within the poster. I would have appreciated more specific, concrete suggestions for group activities and application in the classroom. Also, the poster/booklet are based on 1990 data that need to be updated soon, although the general shape of the distribution should not have changed much.