Activity Assignment 3 (Option 2)
Soc 201A
Due date: The day of the third midterm
Considerations: You are encouraged to talk about this topic with your classmates. You can even read each other’s papers. However, simply copying and editing another person’s paper is considered plagiarism and you will, at a minimum, get a zero on this assignment. Canvas is very good at catching plagiarizers. Please do not attempt.
How to turn in: Turn in a copy to Canvas. The instructions for logging on to Canvas can be found here. YOU MUST TURN IN YOUR ASSIGNMENT THROUGH CANVAS, NOT DIRECTLY TO TURNITIN.COM. Canvas will link you to Turnitin.com.
Point value: This activity is worth 20 points.
Resubmission policy: Any paper that receives a score of 18 or less can be revised and resubmitted. However, the resubmit option can only be used once. And the maximum score possible for a paper that is resubmitted is 19. There is a section on Canvas where you can turn in a resubmission. You will have until the next exam to resubmit. No late resubmissions will be accepted.
Assignment: Read “I Spent 5 Years with Some of Trump’s Biggest Fans. Here’s What They Won’t Tell You” by Arlie Hochschild. Here is the link: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/trump-white-blue-collar-supporters
Summarize the arguments made in the essay.
Assess the claims made by Hochschild. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
Consider the following questions (you do not have to answer all of them):
What does Hochschild mean by “deep story”? How does she use this idea to understand the people she studied?
According to Hochschild, what is the deep story of the right? What had happened to make this deep story ring true?
What does Hochschild mean when she writes that the people she studied felt like strangers in their own land?
How did the people Hochschild studied feel about African Americans, immigrants, refugees, values, the elite, liberals, how they are labeled by the media, welfare, food stamps, government, and givers of public services?
Explain Hochschild’s discussion of pride, shame, and anxiety among those that she studied.
Did the people she studied feel like they were privileged because they were white? Did the men feel like they were privileged because they were men?
How does Hochschild explain the steep rise in deaths of middle-aged working-class whites?
According to Hochschild, what was the divide that Trump had opened up?
According to Hochschild, how does Trump solve a white male problem of pride: benefits?
According to Hochschild, how is the Trump movement like the anti-immigrant but pro-welfare-state right-wing populism on the rise in Europe?
Grading rubric (revised 11/02/18):
20 -- Excellent summary of the points made in the article. Excellent analysis of the points made in the article. Excellent reference to other research. Includes a works cited page of references to other research (not just links to articles). Is at least two pages double-spaced (at least 600 words, usually substantially more). Is unusually insightful.
19 -- Excellent summary of the points made in the article. Excellent analysis of the points made in the article. Excellent reference to other research. Includes a works cited page of references of other research. Includes links to articles. Is at least two pages double-spaced (at least 600 words, usually substantially more).
18 -- Very good summary of the points made in the article. Very good analysis of the points made in the article. Is at least two pages double-spaced (at least 600 words).
17 and below -- Good to inadequate summary of the points made in the article. Good to inadequate analysis of the points made in the article. Is two pages double-spaced or less.