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• The way we measure poverty is controversial. Imagine a debate between two people who disagree about how poverty should be measured. Describe the arguments that each puts forth, in an effort to sway the view of the other.
• Imagine that you are a policy maker, whose job it is to implement a plan for eliminating absolute poverty. Describe your plan in an essay.

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• To what extent have you witnessed downward mobility in the United States? Describe in detail a specific example of someone you know who has experienced downward mobility.
• Do some research on patterns of social mobility in another country. How do these patterns compare to those in the United States? How do the factors in social mobility differ?

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• Think about the ways in which various forms of stratification in the U.S. (chiefly race, ethnicity, gender, age, and religion) may interact. Is it qualitatively different to be an African-American woman, than it is to be a white woman, for example? Is it qualitatively different to be an older Native American than it is to be a young one?
• Are there any positive social benefits of having a stratification system? A functionalist would say that there are. Put yourself in the shoes of a functionalist. How would you describe the positive benefits of stratification?

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• As you can see from Reel Society, stratification permeates our society. Each of the main characters can be viewed as being a member of one or more groups that are subordinated in U.S. society. Think about the scenes from Reel Society that you have already viewed. What are some ways that being a member of a subordinate group influences the actions and values of each Reel Society character?
• It may surprise you to learn that age groups can be part of a stratification system. Consider what you know about the perception of old age in the U.S. Is it generally positive or negative? Have you ever witnessed examples of age discrimination?