Final Project Prompt:
This class has focused on the different economic opportunities and social policies that have either supported family stability or presented serious challenges to family survival. We have paid special attention to how gender, class, and race/ethnicity affect opportunities for family stability and thus affect the resources that influence individual life chances.
This essay assignment asks you to discuss how your family’s access to resources and opportunities and, consequently, your own life chances, have been affected by your family’s position within your home country’s social hierarchies. In order to break down this sociologically complex material, we will ask you to address three aspects that have shaped the context of your family history. Specifically:
1) How has your family been affected by the broader socio-economic conditions of your society? Did your (grand) parents come to age in an era of expanding or contracting economic opportunities? How were their educational and occupational histories influenced by larger social forces?
(International Students: If you grew up outside the United States, investigate the kinds of social policies that have affected social mobility and education within your country of origin. See the notes for international students at the end of the prompt. If you can find statistical data about your country (Wikipedia, government websites, United Nations, OECD data), use this information to think about how your country differs from (or might be similar to) the US. Use the questions in Part A to help you write your description of your hometown. For international students, class (not race) may play the larger role in the resources available to you and your family.)
I was born in U.S but grew up in China. China has experienced significant economic changes over the past few decades, with rapid industrialization and urbanization transforming the country’s economy and society. However, in the 1980s the country’s economic has undergone a massive transformation. This growth impact many Chinese people, including my family to substantial improvements in living standards.
In 1960s, my parents grew up in a difficult life, and most of the families has four or more siblings, they didn’t have great education and need to go out to work in their young ages.
In their generation, they’re hardworking, kind and willing to dedicate themselves to their children.
They grew up doing all kinds of farm work and taking care of their little siblings, and when they grew up, most of the women got married and stay at home to raised their children,
This generation worked in time for industrial restructuring, and most of them experienced the pain of being laid off.
2) Consider the local resources available in the community where you (primarily) grew up. How has the class and racial/ethnic character of your community affected the kinds of resources available to you as you were growing up?
For as long as I can remember, I was moving from place to place; I transferred countless times throughout elementary and middle school. The most significant challenge I faced is that I have had to assimilate into a different culture in a short period of time. I was raised and cultured in China. However, I moved to America at age of 12 to seek for the best educational opportunities. I faced various aspects of issues in the beginning, and my parents are not highly educated. I have to be independent to solve questions on my own. In the beginning, I was scared to talk with people in English because I thought that it would be embarrassing to pronounce certain words incorrectly. However, I have the chance to go to church every week. I was encouraged to talk and practice English with various people. Eventually, I have made more friends in school and became more confident when speaking with people.
3) What did your family or you have to do to get access to the resources that got you into UC Berkeley?
One common resource that can be important is money. I paid for test preparation courses, application fees, and other expenses associated with applying to college. My parents also hire a private college counselor to help guide me through the application process. I also spend many time to devote to studying and extracurricular activities.
4) Finally, using your family history/personal story as a case study, what sociological insights can you use to better understand your personal experiences?
After my family finally settled down in our own apartment, my prior experiences inspired me to apply my robust social skills to help those who have difficulties adjusting to their surroundings. However, when I recognize a need, I can’t help but to do something about it. In my math classes, many students struggled to catch up on lectures because the content was too challenging. Seeing the anguish of many of my friends, I decided to help them. I planned on just helping a few by explaining my notes and discussing the lectures and material. During the tutor time, I also found out the questions that I don’t know well about. One of my friends also helped me out of giving me advices on my English essays. The help between us had a bigger impact on them than I’d imagined. The relief on their faces was obvious, as though a weight was lifted from their shoulders. While before, they felt helpless, now they had a new confidence from this small act of kindness.
China’s economic growth over the past few decades has had a significant impact on the living standards of the population. The rapid industrialization and urbanization of the country’s economy have contributed to substantial improvements in living standards for many Chinese families and individuals. My parents, who grew up in the 1960s, experienced a difficult life with limited access to education and job opportunities. However, with the economic growth, they were able to provide better opportunities and resources for their children, including access to education and other essential services.
As a result of this economic growth, many families have been able to move from poverty to the middle class, and some even to the upper class. However, this economic growth has also led to increasing income inequality, as some individuals and families have benefited more than others. This inequality has been particularly pronounced in rural areas, where access to resources and opportunities has not improved as much as in urban areas.
Overall, China’s economic growth has had a profound impact on the lives of many Chinese families and individuals, including my own. While there have been significant improvements in living standards, there are still challenges and inequalities that need to be addressed.
Goals of the Essay Assignment (most of your grade will be based on items 3, 4 and 5)
1) Become more familiar with Census Bureau websites to gather statistical data on a given problem;
2) Be able to interpret data about income/wealth, education, occupation to generally place a community within a larger class structure (poor/working class/middle class/upper middle-class/wealthy) and racial hierarchy;
3) Be able to explain how external social factors have shaped your own life chances;
4) Be able to show knowledge of assigned readings as a context for the interpretation of your data;
5) Be able to present a sociologically grounded argument to justify your conclusions about the relationship between community stability and family stability;
6) Be able to express your ideas clearly with some evidence of original thought;
7) Be able to appropriately cite scholarly ideas and use scholarly quotes.
Note: The readers and I are not grading your family history—we are grading your sociological analysis of your family history. Essays submitted with only a life story—without a central argument, without references to class materials—will be given a C or less.