an
introductory paragraph in
which you state the topic and your opinion (you can also: make
reference to an unusual or shocking idea/situation;
address
the reader directly (for
ex. You may think this is an exaggeration);
ask
a rhetorical question (=question
with no answer)
start
with a quotation or thought-provoking statement)
a
main body which
consists of several paragraphs, each presenting a separate
viewpoint supported by reasons. You also include a paragraph
presenting the opposing point of view and reason why you think it
is unconvincing viewpoint;
a
conclusion
in
which you reformulate your opinion using different words. You may
also finish your essay: with
a quotation; with
a rhetorical question;
giving
the reader something to consider.
Your successful opinion essay includes:
to
my mind.. it
is my firm belief/opinion/conviction that.. in
my opinion… I
am (not) convinced that… I
(do not) agree that … It
strikes me that… My
opinion is that … I
(definitely) feel/think that… It
seems (appears) to me that… As
far as I am concerned…Useful language: Giving Your Opinion
In the article you have just read you have
got
acquainted with the middle class as a social group
possessing its own cultural, political, economical
and even psychological characteristics. Using the notes
on this page, prompts about how to write a successful
opinion essay, formal style, the text of the article itself
and different linking words we have studied in this
and in the prevoius sub-unit, write your own opinion
essay in about 350 words on one of the topics
suggested below:
In spite of the existence of different social groups
it is difficult to speak about their own cultural
identities.
Good-bye to class structure: future perspectives.
Middle class in Belarus: reality or myth?
SUB-UNIT 4.3. Presenting statistic data
You know that one of the tasks that the sociologist should perform in his/her everyday working life is expressing and interpreting facts and proportions of sociological data using adequate professional language; the first step to acquiring these skills is making generalised statements about information presented in charts, diagrams and tables.
Task 1. Look at the bar chart showing the percentage of households with certain durable goods in Great Britain. Use the following word combinations to describe the changes in consumer spending policy.
to increase slightly;
to fall sharply;
to change very little;
to rise significantly;
to doubled;
Diagram 1: Percentage of households with certain durable goods (G.B.)
Task 2. Read the summary below and correct factual mistakes:
The bar chart shows the changes in the number of durable goods bought by people in Great Britain in the period between 1969 – 1987. It can be seen from the chart that there was a minimal rise in the amount of the purchased goods. The biggest increase was in the number of cars, which more than doubled from 32% in 1969 to 67% in 1979. The number of TV-sets also rose significantly. In contrast, the percentage of central heating only increased slightly. Moreover, the number of refrigerators bought in 1979 and 1987 fell sharply.
Task 3. Which of the figures do you find surprising? How can you comment on these changes? How do they reflect the changes in the life style of the British people? Can you find explanations to these changes in some of the characteristics of the middle class in Great Britain (for example “achievement motivation”, domesticity, social comparability etc.)?
Task 4. Work in pairs: analyse the following diagram (it is often called a pie chart) about family spending in Britain. What changes took place in the average weekly expenditure (the amount of spent money)? In you opinion, how will British families spend their money in 10 years from now? Give your forecast and back it with the examples of present tendencies that will continue developing in future. For proper wording use the scheme below.
Diagram 2: Average weekly expenditure per family in G.B. (1987)
Table 1:Student*
expenditure,
1996-1997
and 2000-2001
United Kingdom
Percentages
1996-97
2000-01
Essential
expenditure
Accommodation
23
20
Food, bills, household
goods
20
18
Course expenditure
10
7
Essential travel
3
6
Children
1
0
All essential
expenditure
57
51
Other expenditure
Entertainment
26
31
Non-essential travel
4
3
Other**
12
16
All other expenditure
10.60
10.80
All
expenditure
(=100%)
5,031
5,403 *Students
under the age of 26 in higher education **Includes
non-essential consumer items and credit repayments Source: Student Income
and Expenditure Survey, Department for Education and Employment
comparing student expenditure in 1996-1997
and 2000-2001.
How is student expenditure different to
that of other young people?
How could you account for the changes
in their spending patterns over the period?
Using your active vocabulary write a
summary of the information in about 150
words. Look back at the examples of
presentation of the statistic information to
help you.
Also, think about possible reasons that
determined these changes. Do you suppose
to find similar changes in the expenditure
of Belarussian students? Make your forecast.
Task 5. Work in pairs: To practice the skills of making generalized statements about the information presented in diagrams and charts analyse the following charts showing the data on the number of British households possessing different types of durable goods (new technologies, means of transport) What changes took place in the number of households in the given period? Which of the figures do you find surprising/rather natural? How can you comment on these changes? How do they reflect the changes in the life style of the British people? Can you find sociological explanations to these changes in some of the characteristics of the middle class in Great Britain?
A:
Diagram 3: New technology: Great Britain, 2000 to 2002
Source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=994
B:
Diagram 4:Households with access to a car or van: 1972 to 2002
Source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=994
C:
Diagram 5. Percentage of households with consumer durables: Great Britain, 1972 to 2002
Source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=994
SUB-UNIT 4.4. Toffs and snobs?
warming-up:
Task 1. When you meet someone for the first time what do you usually pay special attention to? Range the following features in the order of their importance for you. Back you choice with the examples:
age;
level of income;
type of the job;
gender;
ethnicity;
his/her friends;
educational background.
Will you treat a person in a different way if you learn that he/she has a higher social status than you?
While reading the article “Toffs and snobs?” find the definitions of the following words or word combinations dealing with the topic “upper-class identity in Britain”.
1) landowners;
2) a class-ridden society;
3) “social closure”;
4) intensive kinship network;
5) socialisation into “high culture”;
6) “old-boy network”.
TOFFS AND SNOBS? By Steve Chapman
Is class dead? It might benefit some social class groups to suggest we live in a classless society, but it is also clear that some classes are just more equal than others.
Kath Woodward (2000) notes that when we meet someone for the first time we tend to ask them what they do for a living. This interaction is not just about making polite conversation. It is essentially about identity because both our sense of self and how others see us, that is, our social identity, are shaped by the judgements we make about the job we have or don't have in contrast with the jobs others have. If we perceive them to have a better job we may grow quite concerned about how they see us. For example, if we have a manual job and they have a professional job, will they treat us in a condescending manner? Should we show deference? Are we likely to establish a strong friendship or are we unlikely ever to move in the same social circles again? In other words, both our social identity (our public persona) and our self (our subjective awareness) may be strongly bound up with our employment and the income, wealth, status and lifestyle associated with it.