Exploring Capitalization and Social Mobility: A virtual field trip using google earth

TWO PART ASSIGNMENT. CONTACT ME FOR SECOND PART.

Instructions

In the module three blog you will examine class and social stratification in families. To do this you will listen to an episode from Malcolm Gladwell‘s podcast Revisionist History. In the episode “Carlos Doesn’t Remember,” Gladwell revisits the ideas of talent and social mobility — that is the movement of people from one social class to another. The United States is a meritocracy and the American Dream says that those with talent and determination can succeed in climbing the stratification ladder (see Wynn 2018). But Gladwell argues that the reality is much more complicated. Gladwell asserts that while there are certainly talented impoverished youth throughout the United States, our society is not successful in “capitalizing” on that talent through available opportunities for upward social mobility, especially for the poor.  

Poverty and its causes are complex. However, with sociological (including demographic)research, we can see how some groups of people fare worse than others with regard to social mobility and/or capitalization” (Chetty 2020). We can see how a person’s social environment can promote or inhibit their social mobility and associated outcomes (e.g., nutrition, happiness, stress, etc.).

While listening to the podcast episode “Carlos Doesn’t Remember” you will take a virtual field trip through some of the places along Carlos’ journey. You will take one or two screen shots of the school and neighborhood. You may need to occasionally pause the podcast to travel from location to location being discussed using the Google Earth App. 

Key Concepts to use in blog include capitalization, social mobility, opportunity structure, meritocracy, social stratification, social inequality, and poverty. 

Your blog should be 500 words (approximately 2 pages double-spaced) and contain the images from your field trip (you will develop your blog into an essay to complete the module three assignment). The primary goal of the blog is to discuss the findings from your virtual field trip by analyzing your images. Compare and contrast the schools and their surrounding neighborhoods. Begin to use course readings and media to help support your analysis of the images and Carlos’ story. Use the key concepts above and what you learned from the module readings to discuss social inequality in educational opportunities. You are expected to include ideas and concepts from each author we read in module three and material from the films and podcast as relevant. Additional research is recommended to analyze the social stratification adequately. Suggested resources are provided below. Use in-text parenthetical citations w/page numbers to show where your ideas come from and provide a reference section at the end of the essay with all your sources of information listed in MLA or APA style. 

Follow these steps to complete the assignment: 

Step One: You will need access to Google Earth  

Along with the podcast, this assignment will ask you to use Google Earth. Google Earth is a geo browser that allows you to virtually travel around the world. Google Earth is available to download for desktop use or use a browser-based version Google Earth for Web without downloading or use the Google Earth app on mobile, all are free of charge. Google earth can be used for directions as well as just virtually exploring other places all around the world. Specifically, you will use Google earth to fly over the schools that are discussed in Carlos Doesn’t Remember and take a picture. You will then change to “Street View” to navigate some of Carlos’ journey. I will also ask that you “screen grab” or “snip” a street view image from your exploration. If you are more comfortable using Google Maps, you may use this for the assignment if include a street view and a satellite view of the school location. 

 Step Two: Tune into the Podcast

You can listen to the podcast via

1) streaming from Gladwell’s Revisionist History website,

2) download from Gladwell’s Revisionist History website,

3) Available on YouTube.  

Step Three: Virtual Field Trip of Carlos’ Journey 

Virtual Field Trip Itinerary 

As you listen to Carlos’ story, we learn he had an opportunity to attend Brentwood School in LA.

1. 5:00 Minute Mark in Podcast –Brentwood School (Los Angeles, CA – there is an East and West campus)

Click below and take a virtual fly over and then walk around Brentwood School.

Look at the school using the satellite view and “walk” around the neighborhood with a street view to get a feel for the environment. Grab and save a satellite image and a street view that characterizes the environment of/around Brentwood School East Campus. There is also a West Campus for younger children. As the story continues, we learn that Carlos’ home school is Lennox Middle School in LA.

2. 12:00 Minute Mark in Podcast -Lennox Middle School (Lennox, CA)
Click here to take a virtual fly over and then walk around Brentwood School. Look at the school using the satellite view and “walk” around the neighborhood with a street view to get a feel for the environment. Grab and save a satellite image and a street view that characterizes the environment of/around Lennox Middle School. The other stop mentioned in Carlos’ Journey is choate Boarding School in Connecticut. 

3. 23:00 Minute Mark in Podcast –Choate Rosemary Hall Boarding School (Wallingford, CT) 
Click here to take a virtual fly over and then walk around Brentwood School. Look at the school using the satellite view and “walk” around the neighborhood with a street view to get a feel for the environment. Grab and save a satellite image and a street view that characterizes the environment of/around Brentwood School. 

Step Four: Answer the Following Questions 

 Question One:  

1. Compare and contrast the images you saved from your walk around Lennox Middle School with the images saved from Brentwood School and Choate Boarding School. Specifically, what indications of class or economic differences do you notice between these neighborhoods? Remember to include your images in your paper as you discuss each school. What key words come to mind? 

 Question Two:  

1. Gladwell discusses the concept of capitalization. What is capitalization?  Define capitalization and compare capitalization in schools like Lennox Middle School with Brentwood and Choate schools. How are these schools different? Reading descriptions from each schools’ Websites might be helpful as one step in your description and analysis. Remember to use your key terms. 

Question Three:  

1. According to Gladwell, how does Carlos’ story illustrate why we (the United States) are not so great at capitalization?  Do you agree with Gladwell’s assessment?  If yes, what should we do about our poor capitalization rate?  If not, why not? (Explain what Gladwell is missing.) Remember to use your key terms. 

Question Four: 

1. Did the Google Maps virtual field trip of the school neighborhoods mentioned in this podcast help you to better understand class differences than if you were to just listen to the podcast without the virtual tour?  In other words, did you find the addition of the virtual field trip to be helpful for your learning about class stratification and opportunity structures? Why or why not?