A wide variety of definitions of the working class are in use across disciplines and even within ... more A wide variety of definitions of the working class are in use across disciplines and even within working-class studies (Cohen 2001; Zweig 2001; Metzgar 2003; Wilson 2016; Wilson and Roscigno 2018). Responding to Zweig’s (2016) call to maintain continuity in thinking about the working class in working-class studies by recognizing that ‘the working class continues to exist in capitalist societies, within capitalist class dynamics, in which the organization of production underlies material, cultural, and political experience’ (14), I delineate several definitions of the working class and take a close look at three operationalizations of the working class by occupational aggregations, one each suggested by Metzgar (2003) and Cohen (2001) and one I define, inspired by Florida (2002). Using 2017 American Community Survey data, I compare the demographics and geography of the working class through each of these definitions. I illustrate that by many definitions, the working class is a broad and diverse group of workers who live and work in rural, urban, and suburban places, while inequalities both within the working class and between it and other social classes remain pressing issues for investigation. This paper provides a guide for understanding definitions of the working class that will be useful for working-class studies scholars from all disciplines, regardless of methodologies.
This paper reports the development and implementation of a board game and active-learning module ... more This paper reports the development and implementation of a board game and active-learning module that allows participants to compete with one another in strategic planning and coalition formation called “AudaCity.” This paper provides an overview of the game’s mechanics and places the game within the larger context of games-based learning and serious games. Utilizing a games-based learning design, the game puts players in the roles of adversarial property developers, political actors, and zoning committees all seeking to build and raise rent from developments within a spatially constrained urban grid. The paper draws on evidence from several undergraduate courses in which AudaCity was used to demonstrate that after playing AudaCity students were able to apply urban studies concepts and theories to their games and generalize to relevant situations in real-world cities. The authors also suggest ways in which the AudaCity module could facilitate learning in educational environments beyond the urban studies classroom.
This paper describes a story-sharing program, called Our Stories, in which faculty and staff at a... more This paper describes a story-sharing program, called Our Stories, in which faculty and staff at a regional comprehensive university share their personal experiences about attending college as first-generation, working class, or financially insecure (FGWCFI) students with an audience of undergraduate students of various backgrounds. Using preliminary qualitative and quantitative data, we find evidence that these programs validate the experience of these student attendees and build their social, cultural, and psychological capital. This paper reviews literature on outreach to first-generation students, provides an overview of the story-sharing program, discusses how these events support student success, and suggests that such outreach efforts may replicate well at other state comprehensive universities.
The debate about the confederate flag on the grounds of the South Carolina State House reminds us... more The debate about the confederate flag on the grounds of the South Carolina State House reminds us of the power of the symbols we put in our places, and the way we talk about those symbols and those places.
I am working to show that a kid from a working-class family can be a competent and capable academ... more I am working to show that a kid from a working-class family can be a competent and capable academic, and that academic lessons have practical value for everyone.
In order to improve undergraduate students’ mastery of urban theory, we developed an active-learn... more In order to improve undergraduate students’ mastery of urban theory, we developed an active-learning module that allows participants to compete with one another in a board game of strategic planning and coalition formation called “AudaCity.” Utilizing a games-based learning design, the game places players in the roles of adversarial property developers, political actors, and zoning committees all seeking to build and raise rent from developments within a spatially-constrained urban grid. Game mechanics such as proximity bonuses and limitations to available space compel players to simultaneously compete against and collaborate with their peers to advance their development agenda while thwarting rival projects in the hopes of generating more wealth than their competitors. Unlike a prescribed simulation, the final outcome of the game is an urban environment organically generated from the accumulation of the players' individual decisions. In this paper, we provide an overview of the game’s mechanics and place the game within the larger context of game-based learning and serious games. Importantly, we note that urban studies classrooms were at one time an early adopter of the games-based learning design, but the inclusion of simulation in teaching urban studies has waned since the 1970’s. We hope that this active-learning module can demonstrate the effectiveness of allowing undergraduate students to master urban theory through the negotiated construction of their own urban space and inspire future instructors to return games-based learning to urban studies. We draw on qualitative data from several courses in which AudaCity was implemented to demonstrate its effectiveness in facilitating student learning. With data from several instances in which AudaCity was used in undergraduate courses and writing assignments completed by students after playing the game, we find that playing AudaCity helps students be able to discuss urban studies models and theories clearly and connect these models and theories to both their game experiences and relevant situations in real-world cities.
Narrative about my experiences working as a Census Enumerator in the summer of 2010, with some re... more Narrative about my experiences working as a Census Enumerator in the summer of 2010, with some reflections on social science data gathering.
A wide variety of definitions of the working class are in use across disciplines and even within ... more A wide variety of definitions of the working class are in use across disciplines and even within working-class studies (Cohen 2001; Zweig 2001; Metzgar 2003; Wilson 2016; Wilson and Roscigno 2018). Responding to Zweig’s (2016) call to maintain continuity in thinking about the working class in working-class studies by recognizing that ‘the working class continues to exist in capitalist societies, within capitalist class dynamics, in which the organization of production underlies material, cultural, and political experience’ (14), I delineate several definitions of the working class and take a close look at three operationalizations of the working class by occupational aggregations, one each suggested by Metzgar (2003) and Cohen (2001) and one I define, inspired by Florida (2002). Using 2017 American Community Survey data, I compare the demographics and geography of the working class through each of these definitions. I illustrate that by many definitions, the working class is a broad and diverse group of workers who live and work in rural, urban, and suburban places, while inequalities both within the working class and between it and other social classes remain pressing issues for investigation. This paper provides a guide for understanding definitions of the working class that will be useful for working-class studies scholars from all disciplines, regardless of methodologies.
This paper reports the development and implementation of a board game and active-learning module ... more This paper reports the development and implementation of a board game and active-learning module that allows participants to compete with one another in strategic planning and coalition formation called “AudaCity.” This paper provides an overview of the game’s mechanics and places the game within the larger context of games-based learning and serious games. Utilizing a games-based learning design, the game puts players in the roles of adversarial property developers, political actors, and zoning committees all seeking to build and raise rent from developments within a spatially constrained urban grid. The paper draws on evidence from several undergraduate courses in which AudaCity was used to demonstrate that after playing AudaCity students were able to apply urban studies concepts and theories to their games and generalize to relevant situations in real-world cities. The authors also suggest ways in which the AudaCity module could facilitate learning in educational environments beyond the urban studies classroom.
This paper describes a story-sharing program, called Our Stories, in which faculty and staff at a... more This paper describes a story-sharing program, called Our Stories, in which faculty and staff at a regional comprehensive university share their personal experiences about attending college as first-generation, working class, or financially insecure (FGWCFI) students with an audience of undergraduate students of various backgrounds. Using preliminary qualitative and quantitative data, we find evidence that these programs validate the experience of these student attendees and build their social, cultural, and psychological capital. This paper reviews literature on outreach to first-generation students, provides an overview of the story-sharing program, discusses how these events support student success, and suggests that such outreach efforts may replicate well at other state comprehensive universities.
The debate about the confederate flag on the grounds of the South Carolina State House reminds us... more The debate about the confederate flag on the grounds of the South Carolina State House reminds us of the power of the symbols we put in our places, and the way we talk about those symbols and those places.
I am working to show that a kid from a working-class family can be a competent and capable academ... more I am working to show that a kid from a working-class family can be a competent and capable academic, and that academic lessons have practical value for everyone.
In order to improve undergraduate students’ mastery of urban theory, we developed an active-learn... more In order to improve undergraduate students’ mastery of urban theory, we developed an active-learning module that allows participants to compete with one another in a board game of strategic planning and coalition formation called “AudaCity.” Utilizing a games-based learning design, the game places players in the roles of adversarial property developers, political actors, and zoning committees all seeking to build and raise rent from developments within a spatially-constrained urban grid. Game mechanics such as proximity bonuses and limitations to available space compel players to simultaneously compete against and collaborate with their peers to advance their development agenda while thwarting rival projects in the hopes of generating more wealth than their competitors. Unlike a prescribed simulation, the final outcome of the game is an urban environment organically generated from the accumulation of the players' individual decisions. In this paper, we provide an overview of the game’s mechanics and place the game within the larger context of game-based learning and serious games. Importantly, we note that urban studies classrooms were at one time an early adopter of the games-based learning design, but the inclusion of simulation in teaching urban studies has waned since the 1970’s. We hope that this active-learning module can demonstrate the effectiveness of allowing undergraduate students to master urban theory through the negotiated construction of their own urban space and inspire future instructors to return games-based learning to urban studies. We draw on qualitative data from several courses in which AudaCity was implemented to demonstrate its effectiveness in facilitating student learning. With data from several instances in which AudaCity was used in undergraduate courses and writing assignments completed by students after playing the game, we find that playing AudaCity helps students be able to discuss urban studies models and theories clearly and connect these models and theories to both their game experiences and relevant situations in real-world cities.
Narrative about my experiences working as a Census Enumerator in the summer of 2010, with some re... more Narrative about my experiences working as a Census Enumerator in the summer of 2010, with some reflections on social science data gathering.
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define, inspired by Florida (2002). Using 2017 American Community Survey data, I compare the demographics and geography of the working class through each of these definitions. I illustrate that by many definitions, the working class is a broad and diverse group of workers who live and work in rural, urban, and suburban places, while inequalities both within the working class and between it and other social classes remain pressing issues for investigation. This paper provides a guide for understanding definitions of the working class that will be useful for working-class studies scholars from all disciplines, regardless of methodologies.
allows participants to compete with one another in
strategic planning and coalition formation called “AudaCity.” This paper provides an overview of the game’s
mechanics and places the game within the larger context of games-based learning and serious games. Utilizing a games-based learning design, the game puts
players in the roles of adversarial property developers,
political actors, and zoning committees all seeking to
build and raise rent from developments within a spatially constrained urban grid. The paper draws on evidence
from several undergraduate courses in which AudaCity
was used to demonstrate that after playing AudaCity
students were able to apply urban studies concepts
and theories to their games and generalize to relevant
situations in real-world cities. The authors also suggest
ways in which the AudaCity module could facilitate
learning in educational environments beyond the urban
studies classroom.
In this paper, we provide an overview of the game’s mechanics and place the game within the larger context of game-based learning and serious games. Importantly, we note that urban studies classrooms were at one time an early adopter of the games-based learning design, but the inclusion of simulation in teaching urban studies has waned since the 1970’s. We hope that this active-learning module can demonstrate the effectiveness of allowing undergraduate students to master urban theory through the negotiated construction of their own urban space and inspire future instructors to return games-based learning to urban studies. We draw on qualitative data from several courses in which AudaCity was implemented to demonstrate its effectiveness in facilitating student learning. With data from several instances in which AudaCity was used in undergraduate courses and writing assignments completed by students after playing the game, we find that playing AudaCity helps students be able to discuss urban studies models and theories clearly and connect these models and theories to both their game experiences and relevant situations in real-world cities.
define, inspired by Florida (2002). Using 2017 American Community Survey data, I compare the demographics and geography of the working class through each of these definitions. I illustrate that by many definitions, the working class is a broad and diverse group of workers who live and work in rural, urban, and suburban places, while inequalities both within the working class and between it and other social classes remain pressing issues for investigation. This paper provides a guide for understanding definitions of the working class that will be useful for working-class studies scholars from all disciplines, regardless of methodologies.
allows participants to compete with one another in
strategic planning and coalition formation called “AudaCity.” This paper provides an overview of the game’s
mechanics and places the game within the larger context of games-based learning and serious games. Utilizing a games-based learning design, the game puts
players in the roles of adversarial property developers,
political actors, and zoning committees all seeking to
build and raise rent from developments within a spatially constrained urban grid. The paper draws on evidence
from several undergraduate courses in which AudaCity
was used to demonstrate that after playing AudaCity
students were able to apply urban studies concepts
and theories to their games and generalize to relevant
situations in real-world cities. The authors also suggest
ways in which the AudaCity module could facilitate
learning in educational environments beyond the urban
studies classroom.
In this paper, we provide an overview of the game’s mechanics and place the game within the larger context of game-based learning and serious games. Importantly, we note that urban studies classrooms were at one time an early adopter of the games-based learning design, but the inclusion of simulation in teaching urban studies has waned since the 1970’s. We hope that this active-learning module can demonstrate the effectiveness of allowing undergraduate students to master urban theory through the negotiated construction of their own urban space and inspire future instructors to return games-based learning to urban studies. We draw on qualitative data from several courses in which AudaCity was implemented to demonstrate its effectiveness in facilitating student learning. With data from several instances in which AudaCity was used in undergraduate courses and writing assignments completed by students after playing the game, we find that playing AudaCity helps students be able to discuss urban studies models and theories clearly and connect these models and theories to both their game experiences and relevant situations in real-world cities.