Overview
The Sociology Reference Guide series is designed to provide a solid foundation for the research of various sociologicaltopics. This volume offers an introduction to contemporary class issues in the United States, with an overviewof economic issues and challenges specific to populations across a range of class levels. In the opening essay, GeraldineWagner provides an introductory review of class stratification, a recurring topic that is addressed in some formthroughout the volume. Wagner's essay is followed by two essays that discuss the relationship between income andeducation, which further defines how class advancement is achieved. The remainder of the essays follows three generalcategories in class stratification. The first group assesses the formation and indicators that define the upper-class,while the second and third sections present a wide body of work on the two major groups that often define class inAmerica: the middle and working classes.
