HOW DO YOU KNOW ONE WHEN YOU SEE ONE

In Chapter 6, Kerbo talks about the upper class in America today. Membership in the upper class
is described as being based on a certain kind of wealth, lifestyle, and power. One recognizes its
members by the schools that they go to, the people they hang out with, the clubs that they belong
to, the boards that they sit on, and so forth (although most members of the "true" upper class are
described as being invisible to people in other classes). Domhoff argues that within the upper
class is a ruling or governing class that directs the American economy and polity, largely in its own
interest. In Chapter 7, Kerbo talks about the corporate class. The difference between the upper
class and the corporate class is that the power base of the corporate class lies in its position in
major corporations. Members of the corporate class do not own the "means of production"
(although they often have stock options), but rather control the largest and most powerful
corporations. Useem argues that within the corporate class is an even more elite group, the inner
circle or inner group of the corporate class, that functions to tie large firms together and which acts
in the interests of large corporations as a whole.

For this assignment, you are asked to examine one person’s life to decide whether he or she is a
member of the upper class, the ruling or governing class, the corporate class, or the inner circle (or
none of these). There may not be a single "correct answer?? for the person you choose. Be sure to
be clear in your discussion about how you use definitions and concepts in Chapters 6 and 7 in
making your decision about where the person you choose fits. If there seems to be more than one
answer based on your evidence, again, be sure to be as clear as possible in describing how the
evidence you gather can logically put the person in more than one class/group.

______________________________________________________________________________
Please type your assignment and number the points. The relative weighting of the different items
(out of a total of 20 points) is indicated in italics.
1. (1 Point) From the New York Times or Washington Post from December 1, 2013 to the
present, choose the obituary of one American. You may search the on-line versions
of these papers. Attach a photocopy (print version) ?C or print out and attach a
copy (on-line version) ?C of this obituary to your assignment, being sure to cite the
newspaper, date, and page. Important: You must choose a featured obituary, not
one of the small (paid) death announcements that both papers run. Please ask if
you don??t know what this means.
2. (2 Points) a) Why is this person’s death noted in one of these national papers? Why was this
person famous (or infamous)?

b) Based on the information in the obituary, which class/group would you put this
person in? Or would you say this person does not fit in any of the upper and
corporate class groups? Or would you say that there isn’t enough information to
judge?

c) Why do you say what you say under "b" above? In your answer, be sure you
refer back to the definitions and discussions of these classes/groups in Kerbo.
3. (4 points) Is this person in Who’s Who?

a) Check recent editions of Who’s Who in America and any of the more
specialized versions you would like (e.g., Who’s Who Among African Americans,
Who’s Who in American Politics). These are available at various libraries around
on campus. Using these, try to find your person in the appropriate volumes.

b) Describe the criteria for inclusion in Who’s Who in America.

c) Is your person in any of the Who??s Whos? If so, attach a photocopy of the
entry(s).

d) Based on the criteria for inclusion, why or why not would you have expected to
find her/him there?
4. (1 point) a) Has this person been in the news at any other time recently? Check this using
Lexis-Nexis Academic (available through the IU library), searching just the last 5
years as your time frame.

b) Are there articles on your person? If so, print out one that gives the most
information on this person and his/her activities (be sure that it really does talk
about your person, not just the general topic for which your person was known.).
Attach this to your assignment. If you prefer, you may also use an article that you
have found on this person another way. If you have an article from elsewhere,
then you needn’t check Lexis-Nexis unless you want to.

If you check Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe for the last five years and don’t find
an article, then just report that "I checked and my person isn’t there" (and
remember that anyone can very easily do the same check!).
5. (4 points) Is this person in the Social Register? The only copies of the Social Register that are
available in the university libraries are very old, so I have placed a copy of the
1996 Social Register on reserve in the main library (please be gentle with it!).

a) Would you have expected that your person would be listed in the Social
Register? Why or why not?

b) Is your person listed in this source? If so, attach a photocopy of the entry to
your assignment. For this entry, explain the meaning of the abbreviations of any
colleges, clubs, military service, and so on. If you your person is not listed in this
source, attach a photocopy of any entry you would like and "translate" the
abbreviations as above.

6. (8 points) In no more than two pages and using all of the evidence that you have
accumulated (including negative evidence: "the person wasn’t listed/didn’t
appear"), discuss which class/group your person fits into. Refer back to specific
pieces of data from your search of the various sources and to the key elements of
the various concepts (e.g., the list of upper class criteria on pp. 158-159, the list of
the 25 largest U.S. corporations on p. 185). Is this person’s race, ethnicity, or
gender something that affects her/his class/group placement as well? If there is
ambiguity, describe why it is hard to place this person.

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