CLASS STRATIFICATION IN INTRODUCTORY TEXTBOOKS - RELATIONAL OR DISTRIBUTIONAL MODELS

Most students learn how sociologists study class in introductory socio logy courses. This exposure also influences how students think about c lass stratification; thus it is important to know how Introductory tex tbooks portray this stratification. Sociologists conceptualize class i n two principal ways. Distributional approaches depict classes as aggr egates of individuals possessing some criterion (e.g., income). These conceptions label people descriptively, but cannot designate the socia l forces at work in class stratification, Relational approaches focus on relations of control and subordination which are established throug h interactions; they highlight the potential for conflict among classe s as well as the existence of a system of oppression and privilege. Bo th approaches teach students about inequality, but in very different t erms. A content analysis shows that depictions of class stratification in 15 introductory texts are overwhelmingly distributional This findi ng has implications for how instructors portray class stratification i n contemporary societies.