Read: ‘Social Class: The Fiction of American Meritocracy’
After reading the article, do you agree with the statement “through hard work, everybody can succeed in American society”? If so, try to counter the arguments given in the article. If not, what do you believe is the biggest obstacle? If you believe that change is needed, give an example of a government or organizational policy that needs to be altered to help reduce classism.
Provide a quality response to Part I & II in your own words and answer all the prompts. Quality responses demonstrate your understanding of the chapter content, provide self-reflective experiences that have shaped your perspective, and include examples of how your managerial skills will be utilized from the information you have learned. Provide your response in Word/Sheets document and upload submission (500-600 words/1 page minimum/typed/1-inch margin/12-point font/double-spaced).
This assignment asks whether you agree that ‘through hard work, everybody can succeed in American society,’ in response to an article critiquing meritocracy — countering or supporting it, naming the biggest obstacle, and suggesting a policy change to reduce classism, with self-reflection and managerial application.
Key takeaways
- Take a clear position on the meritocracy claim.
- Engage the article’s arguments directly.
- If you disagree, name the biggest structural obstacle; if you agree, counter the article.
- Propose a specific policy change to reduce classism.
- Include self-reflection and managerial application (500–600 words).
Take your position
Decide whether you agree that hard work alone guarantees success. The article argues meritocracy is partly a ‘fiction’ — engage it directly. If you agree, counter its arguments with evidence; if you disagree, identify the biggest obstacle (unequal access to education, wealth/inheritance, networks, discrimination).
Engage the article’s arguments
Reference the article’s key claims about how structural advantages — not just effort — shape outcomes, and respond substantively rather than generally.
A policy change
Propose one government or organizational policy that would reduce classism — e.g., need-based education funding, living-wage policies, fairer hiring/pay transparency — and explain how it helps.
Reflection and management
Add self-reflective experience and how your managerial skills would apply this understanding (equitable hiring, development, fairness).
Format
500–600 words, in your own words, addressing all prompts, cited.
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