Tutorial: Myth of the Middle Class
Fall 2001

Aristotle, Marx and Weber all offer distinctive theories of social class. With a little imagination one can see that Ehrenreich implicitly drew from all of them. That is, whether she was conscious of it or not, these theorists directly or indirectly influenced her approach to class.

Choose one of these theorists and write a paper that compares some aspect of their theory to Ehrenreich's. To begin with, you might consider any of the following questions:

1. Is there some point on which both Ehrenreich and one of the theorists would agree?
2. Is there some point on which both Ehrenreich and one of the theorists would disagree?
3. Do they break society down into the same component classes? How do they agree or disagree on the class structure of society?
4. Do they agree or disagree on the nature or origin of class conflict?
5. Do they agree or disagree on the nature or origins of class differences?
6. Is there any important difference in the way they define any one particular class?

This paper should be two to three pages in length. It should make a point and be clear and coherent. The paper is due either September 24 or September 26 at 7 pm.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS OF PAPER ASSIGNMENTS
The introduction of your paper should include a Common Ground, Disruption, Summary of your Logic, and a Thesis. Make sure your paper provides adequate development and support for your argument -- that is, sufficient evidence to convince the reader that you are presenting a valid interpretation of the facts. The paragraph structure of the body of the paper should relate directly to the logic of the argument laid out in your introduction.

Your paper should express your own ideas. You must footnote not only paraphrases from the texts, but also ideas borrowed; not to do so is plagiarism. Please proofread your paper for style and grammar, punctuation, page numbers, etc., as well as content. Better yet, have some one else proofread it for you.

Be sure to keep a print copy for yourself to insure against the possibility of a lost paper. No extensions are given for papers except for documented health reasons (documented through a physician) or a legitimate personal reason (documented through the Office of Student Affairs).

The paper should be accompanied by a title page which should include the paper's title, your name, mailbox number, and the date. The title should reflect your overall point, be centered on the title page one third of the way down and should not be underlined or within quotation marks unless it is in fact a quote. The rest of the information on the title page should be at the lower right of the page. The paper should be typed, double-spaced, indented at the beginning of a paragraph, and with 1 inch margins on all four sides. Title pages are not numbered; the subsequent pages should be, starting with "1." If you do not know how to do this, go to helpdesk documentation. (http://www.grinnell.edu/helpdesk/doc/WordPg.pdf)

Do not use the passive voice unless you have a good reason for it. Do not use "this" as a pronoun.
If you have any questions at all about this assignment, contact me as soon as possible.

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Last Modified: 21 September 2001