Readings on Class and Labor

Adam Davidson, “Making It in America”

Reading Questions:

1. Davidson examines different roles in a manufacturing company based in the US. From his investigation, what did you learn about the employee positions in manufacturing, how manufacturing has changed in the past 30 years, and how it might change further?
2. In Davidson’s essay, he discusses economic models and how growth should benefit workers as well as owners. Why does this model fail in modern America? What affect will this have on workers in the future? Explain.

Writing Questions:

1. Write a Summary and Response Essay in which you discuss the current paradigm of manufacturing in the US. What surprised you from Davidson’s essay? What concerns did this essay raise, or which concerns did it alleviate? What does this forecast for the future of workers? Be sure to summarize Davidson’s essay as a basis for your response.
2. Write an Analysis Essay in which you address low-skilled workers’ wages in the US. How low are these wages? Is this a living wage? What advantages do people need in order to become highly skilled workers? Is it possible to rise higher than a skilled worker in US manufacturing? What other industries in the US pay a living wage? What might this say about the future economy of the US? Explain. Be sure to use Davidson’s ideas to analyze specific examples in your essay.

Thomas L. Friedman, “The New Untouchables”

Reading Questions:

1. What does Friedman mean when he says “the world is flat,” and how is this related to the improvements made in information technology over the past several decades? How is this related to the concepts of globalization and outsourcing?
2. Why don’t you want to be mediocre worker in a “flat” world; and, why should you want to be an untouchable, according to Friedman? Additionally, what kinds of workers are likely to remain untouchable in the global economy?
3. What are the pro and cons of the “world is flat” metaphor? What idea is Friedman trying to convey in the minds of his readers with this image? Can you think of another metaphor that could offer a better explanation this concept?

Writing Questions:

1. To stay globally competitive, people in the digital age need to stay current with technological trends and other IT advancements; however, there is an emerging skills gap between what people know and what they will need to know to be successful in this flat world. Compose a Summary and Response Essay in which you summarize Friedman’s claim, main ideas, and most important examples on this issue. Then, respond to what he says about staying competitive in a global market. For instance, you might know someone who is older and struggles with technology – like remote controls, cell phones, or software. How might other factors besides age–such as race, education, or socioeconomic status–influence a person’s relationship with, and willingness to use, technology? How might these gaps be narrowed in the future so people are more willing to learn, engage with, and use technology to be more competitive in the workplace?
2. Compose an Analysis Essay that uses Friedman’s ideas to examine your own work history and the future career field you intend to join. After defining and explaining the differences is between “fungible” and “non-fungible” work according to Friedman, use this distinction as a lens to analyze your past and intended work. What observations and correlations can you make about different types of jobs and their needed skills? Are your old skills transferable to other areas, or have they become fungible and outdated?

Deanna Jacobsen Koepke, “Race, Class, Poverty, and Capitalism”

Reading Questions:

1. Koepke explores how poverty is perpetuated. What are some of her points regarding social status and the difficulties of moving up an economic class? What are some ways we pass down social norms? How can we be more aware of unconscious bias in relating to people in other classes?
2. Koepke discusses how in discussions of social class, “’race’ is used interchangeably with class” (198). Is this a fair assumption? How does race intersect with class? Does this explain why there is a lack of social assistance for people in cycles of poverty? What else is important in regards to having a society that is more equitable?

Writing Questions:

1. Write an Analysis Essay in which you explore the intersections of race and class that Koepke discusses. What’s important about social and economic classes in the US? What can be done to remedy this situation? What role does the meritocracy play in social classes? Be sure to use Koepke’s ideas to analyze specific examples in your essay.
2. Write a Synthesis Essay in which you use Koepke’s essay in conversation with Thomas Friedman’s (“The New Untouchables”). In what ways are class and capital malleable? Is it possible to be upwardly mobile in US society? Is the middle class disappearing? Discuss, and use both Koepke and Friedman in your synthesis.

Fareed Zakaria, “The Rise of the Rest”

Reading Questions:

1. List several of the group of biggest, tallest, greatest, etc. as described by Zakaria. How many of these things are or were in the United States?  What does Zakaria suggest is his reason for giving this list?  Are these statistics part of a larger global trend?
2. Decades of American dominance on the global stage have effectively created a single superpower world, with the U.S. on top. List the other five dimensions that the author lays out as moving away from American dominance and how this significance impacts the U.S.’s role moving forward.
3. Large US-based multinational corporations know that their growth now relies on penetrating foreign markets more than on dominating the US market. Explain why.
4. Zakaria speculates that future historians might note that “the US succeeded in globalizing the world, but forgot to globalize itself.” Do you think this will be a fair statement?

Writing Questions:

1. Compose a Summary and Response Essay in which you summarize Zakaria’s article, including his claim, main ideas, and most important examples. Then respond to Zakaria’s idea that in a globalized world, almost all problems spill over borders. Does that mean that almost all such problems can be thought of as global issues? Why or why not? Are there any recent world events or issues that you can point to that demonstrate this phenomenon? Where did these issues originate, and how far-reaching are they?
2. One of the central challenges of the rise of the rest is to stop the forces of global growth from turning into the forces of global disorder and disintegration. In the section titled “The Rise of Nationalism,” what does Zakaria mean when he says that nationalism has always perplexed Americans? Compose an Analysis Essay that uses Zakaria’s ideas as a lens to analyze the recent trend of nationalism both in the U.S. and abroad as it relates to political discourse and national policy. How do patriotism and nationalism differ from each other, and why is this distinction important?
3. Compose a Synthesis Essay where you place Thomas Friedman’s concerns with the rise of technology and globalization in “The Untouchables” with Fareed Zakaria’s post-American worldview in the “Rise of the Rest.” This “rise” in both instances means that Americans and American businesses are dealing with competition that’s more capable, connected, and innovative than ever before. For your synthesis essay you will write an original essay about the relationships between these two texts, and their related themes and subject matter. Your essay should discuss and highlight for your reader how and where these authors’ ideas about technology, globalization, and politics overlap, interact, and diverge. How are the texts, themes, and concepts presented in these sources similar? How are they different? Can you identify the relationships amongst the different sources and explain their significance to your reader? How has the structure of the global economy changed since the publication of these texts?