Examining the effects of social stratification:
Case study of a Lake Norman community (Davidson)
Download an Overview Here
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to examine the concept of social stratification and how it applies to various communities, particularly those who have been marginalized. Students will be able to utilize the lesson as a case study in exploring and identifying the key factors that have contributed to the rise in the socio-economic status of the residents within several of the Lake Norman communities, specifically, the town of Davidson. Students will examine the changes and continuities over time of the area as well as comparing and contrasting the geography of the region as it relates to population changes. A few of the concepts that will be examined include: attitudes, discrimination, income, oppression, privilege, and community resources.
Background Information / Introduction: The Lake Norman community has morphed and evolved over the past 50 plus years in many ways. The geographic, cultural, and economic landscapes of the surrounding communities from 1959 to present-day are a direct result of the ever-growing popularity and desire of people to reside within a “lake” community. Lake communities such as, Davidson, have seen increases in population as well as real estate prices due to changes in the towns demographics over a 50 year span.
The History of Lake Norman…Here
Objective: Students will be able to explain how social stratification matters when communities change over time.
Essential Questions: What is social stratification? How does social stratification affect the lives of various people? How do geopolitics affect communities?
Lesson “Take Aways”:
- Students will understand that race, class, and gender often shape where people live in a community.
- Students will be able to define social stratification.
- Students will be able to describe the area during the early years of Lake Norman.
- Students will be able to describe the area of Lake Norman today.
- Students will understand the impact of geopolitics within a community.
Standards: 12.C.4 Analyze human relationships in terms of inequality and stratification. Concept(s): Inequality, social stratification, social class, discrimination; 12.C.4.3 Analyze how social inequalities and stratifications are perpetuated by social institutions; 12.C.4.4 Analyze how socioeconomic class, race, ethnicity, gender and social standing impact relationships.
Vocabulary Terms and Definitions:
Social Stratification – refers to a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy according to their status, power, and wealth.
Geopolitics – politics as influenced by geographical factors.
Gentrification – within urban planning, urban neighborhoods experience increased property values and the displacing of lower-income families and small businesses.
Agrarian – (or agricultural society) is any society whose economy is based on producing and maintaining crops and farmland.
Urbanization – the increasing number of people that live in urban areas resulting in the physical growth of urban areas.
Ethnicity – belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.
Race – the qualities or characteristics associated with belonging to a racial division or group.
Socio-economic – relating to or concerned with the interaction of social and economic factors.
Demographics – statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.
Community – a place where people live, work, or have fun together
Neighborhood – an area in a community where people live near one another
Rural – a community with open land, few buildings and businesses, and few people
Urban – a city community with a lot of tall buildings, a community in which people live that is larger or more crowded than a town
Suburban – a community outside of the city where people live in neighborhoods with individual houses or small apartment houses
Subject / Grade Level: Sociology / 11th – 12th grade
Suggested Time: 90 minutes (most activities)
Resources/Materials/Links:
- Oral histories: Oral histories provide the students with the opportunity to hear first-hand experiences from residents of Davidson’s black community who have been eye-witnesses to the socio-economic effects that have occurred over time as a result of the creation of various Lake Norman communities.
Annie Mildred Lowery…Read
Theodore Roosevelt Wilson…Read
Evelyn Carr…Read
Erving McClain…Read
James Howard…Read
Suzie Lowrey…Read
Davidson City Population Statistics…Here
- Maps…Here
- Griffith Street…Here
- Social Divisions in Town…Here
- Affordable Housing Memo…Here
- Timeline…Here
- Davidson City Population Statistics…Here
Assignments / Guides:
Lesson 1 Title: Rural, Urban, and Suburban Communities…Here
Triple T Worksheet…Here
Personal Connections Worksheet…Here
Lesson 2 Title: Baby Egg…Here
Lesson 3 Title: Making Connections…Here