Week 2 – Discussion 

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

The Impact of the   Racial Wealth Gap and Employment Inequalities on Families [WLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4,   5] [CLOs: 1, 3, 5]

Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapters 3 and 4 of the course text and review the following resources:

Based on the report Systematic Inequality: How America’s Structural Racism Helped Create the Black-White Wealth Gap,

• Define systematic inequality      (also called “systemic,” “structural,” or “institutionalized” inequality)      and give an example as it relates to the racial wealth gap.
• Describe, based on this report,      and the textbook readings, at least two historical economic forces that      have influenced family structures. Particularly, why have some American      families been less able to accumulate wealth? What impact does this have      on inequalities across families?

From the Harvard Business School’s report Minorities Who ‘Whiten’ Job Resumes Get More Interviews,

• Explain, in one to two      sentences, the study’ findings.
• Explain how the discriminatory      practices discussed in this article exemplify systematic racism.

Based on the video The Racial Wealth Gap in America and the charts from Nine Charts About Wealth Inequality in America,

• Explain the patterns of income,      home ownership, and retirement savings among different racial groups. How      do they impact the intergenerational well-being of families of color?
• Choose one of the above      patterns and explain how it exemplifies systemic wealth inequalities      across racial groups.

Chapter 3 introduces several sociological theories that seek to explain inequalities among families. Which theory most closely matches your own viewpoint and why?

Your initial post should be at least 800 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material and/or other scholarly resources and properly cite any references.

Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7. In your replies, be sure to note any interesting aspects of their response, such as the power of systematic/structural inequality, the racial wealth gap, and/or how race influences job prospects. Your responses should be at least 200 words in length.