 | Race and Class Matters at an Elite College Subjects: Amherst College -- Freshman -- Social conditions -- Case studies; Private universities and colleges -- Social aspects -- Massachusetts -- Amherst -- Case studies; Minority college students -- Massachusetts -- Amherst -- Social conditions -- Case studies; Amherst College psychology professor Aries breaks new ground with this study of four groups of students ("affluent whites, affluent blacks, whites with high financial needs, limited family education, or both" and similarly situated blacks) based on online questionnaires and individual interviews. Although the classroom is not absent from this study, the author's focus is on the more personal and social "day-to-day experiences" of these students, their perceptions of themselves and others through the lenses of race and class, what relationships they build and how they are informed by identity issues. Aries presents the issues students face when coping with class and race differences, and assesses the "benefits, if any... gained from racial and class diversity." The author's keen sense that these major themes are revealed in students' specific experiences enlivens and informs (for example, how a student's summer plans are affected by race and class). Fully cognizant of the atypicality of Amherst students, she recognizes that "the matters of race and class that students are dealing with on campus were not unique to this institution, [but] are issues being dealt with or avoided throughout the larger society." (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved Elizabeth Aries is Professor of Psychology at Amherst College. She is the author of Men and Women in Interaction: Reconsidering the Differences and Adolescent Behavior: Readings and Interpretations. |
