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Social Class on Campus: Theories and Manifestations, by Will Barratt, Sterling, VA: Stylus, 2011, 238 Pages
A complex topic in higher education, social class is a gestalt concept, a gestalt concept referring to wealth, status, occupation, educa- tional attainment, prestige, and culture, with none of those individual factors completely capturing the essence of social class on its own. In Social Class on Campus: Theories and Man- ifestations, Will Barratt begins with several premises-sticky ideas-that frame our under- standing of the role of social class on campus. The text is colored by vignettes of five fictional students, mnemonics for social classes based upon real people known by the author. It is fur- ther infused with scholarly references, prompts that engage readers in examining their own per- spectives and biases related to social class, and thoughtful discussion questions to encourage reflection. All of these elements cause Social Class on Campus to be a useful text for a variety of audiences, including undergraduate stu- dents, faculty, and student affairs practitioners.
Chapter 1, "A Starting Point," outlines var- ious factors associated with social class. Per- haps a bit disjointed in its execution-there are over 20 subsections of social class models within 10 pages, with some sections receiving...