Amplified Advantage: Going to a “Good” College in an Era of Inequality(Social Class in Education)

Amplified Advantage investigates the value and impact of today’s small liberal arts colleges through an extended examination of a recent cohort of students attending them. It demonstrates how these colleges sometimes succeed and sometimes fail in equalizing the experience of all their students. But there is more to the book than that. Although primarily an account of life and learning at small liberal arts colleges in the US today, scholars will find much of theoretical interest underlying the account. The context of the small liberal arts college is used to unpack how class works. Unlike many other books written about class in college, Amplified Advantage is not exclusively focused on how some students fare less well than their peers, but rather how all students’ strategies are affected by their past experiences and classed expectations, particularly in the context of growing inequality. Amplified Advantage draws on Bourdieu’s theory of class, particularly his concepts of capitals operating in a field, and habitus as way of understanding agent’s structured but generative choices, to demonstrate how inequalities are met, resisted, and ultimately reproduced across generations. Chapter by chapter, the book lays out the many ways that class continues to play a role in the college experience, from choosing a major, to frequency of faculty interaction, to participation in the extra-curriculum. The last chapters demonstrate the differential burden of debt on graduates and the impact of varied parental support after graduation. Amplified Advantages adds to our understanding of how class works, the impact of parents and families on social reproduction, and the ways that colleges and universities can contribute to or reduce inequalities.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Prologue Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: A Short History of Higher Education and the Small Liberal Arts College in the US Chapter Three: Orientation: Understanding Who Goes to Small Liberal Arts Colleges and Why? Chapter Four: Agency and Constraint in the College Selection Process Chapter Five: Paying for College Chapter Six: Learning the Liberal Arts: The Curriculum Chapter Seven: Living the Liberal Arts: Campus Life Chapter Eight: Outside the College Gates Chapter Nine: Graduating (in a Recession) Chapter Ten: Conclusion: Habitus, Capitals, Game Appendix: The School to Work Study Notes References Index About the Author

About the Author :
Allison L. Hurst is associate professor of sociology at Oregon State University.

Review :
Hurst (sociology, Oregon State Univ.) examines whether small liberal arts colleges (SLACs) amplify or ameliorate preexisting class disparities. To illustrate the impact class has on student outcomes and experiences, the author uses surveys, observations, and interview data collected from students at several SLACs. She employs central concepts of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on class, such as capital and habitus, to frame the results of her study. Through stories and thick description, Hurst unpacks the complexity of how social class influences students’ strategies, such as what they choose to study and what they do after graduation. This research shows that SLACs offer an invaluable education to students of all social classes, but ultimately students from economically privileged backgrounds fare better than their peers despite having similar curricular and extracurricular experiences. Although the tone and style of this book are appropriate for academics, general audiences may also find the text appealing and highly readable. . . Hurst’s well-researched book is insightful and should be read by students, faculty, and college administrators. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduates through faculty, and professionals. Over the past few decades, U.S. higher education institutions have increased the racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of their student populations. At the same time, both wealth and income inequality have increased nationally. to the point that we are about as unequal as we have been since the Great Depression. It’s in the context of this era of exceptional inequality that Allison Hurst attempts to understand how social class affects the experience and outcomes of attending a liberal arts college—the “good” college of the title. Her focus on this rather small sector of higher education is motivated by her sense that these institutions are elite and distinctive with social-justice oriented, “leveling up” missions, which lead them to aspire to having diverse student populations. Using a clear writing style and a mixed-methods approach (including her own survey), Hurst attempts to understand how social class affects both college choice and the college experience of students at small liberal arts colleges (SLACs).... Hurst’s main findings both reinforce findings from other studies and highlight some patterns that should be further explored. Hurst finds that students who enter SLACs do indeed enter a “bubble” that appears to equalize experiences for all.... Ultimately, Hurst finds that the bubble may be the same for all, but those who emerge best are those who entered best. Hurst builds on her celebrated history of explaining how class works at college. Her newest book turns our attention to liberal arts colleges – where class plays out in predictable and unpredictable ways. Amplified Advantage is essential reading for all those concerned about inequalities in higher education. Richly theorised, evocatively reflexive, and beautifully written, the book captures and sustains the reader's interest through a rich synergy of qualitative and quantitative research that weaves together the lived experiences of young people in higher education. Its powerful and provocative message that a university degree is no longer enough to redress social class inequalities is one we all need to heed.