Demography is destiny? The conundrum faced by Community College students

• In Event: 3423 - Teaching and Learning Symposium Roundtable
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 2: Teaching About and Within Inequality

Abstract

The term “demography is destiny” was (allegedly) coined by French Founding Father Sociologist, Auguste Comte. At its essence, the term refers to the way in which an individual’s demographics influence, impact, and limit our life chances, choices, and opportunities.

Moreover, within the field of Sociology, there is debate over the extent to which Structure versus Agency takes primacy in shaping human behavior. Is our behavior constrained by larger social forces or are we free agents with the ability to act independently and buck statistical trends? This is the dichotomy with which my community college students grapple.

The demographic profile of Bay Area community colleges is diverse. For instance, at Chabot College in Hayward, California, 39% of the student body is Latino, 16% Asian American, 16% White, 10% African American, 8% Filipino, and 11% Other (Institutional Research, Spring 2018).

When faced with an array of Sociological material (be it DuBois's concept of "double consciousness”, the late Devah Pager’s research on discrimination in low-wage labor markets, or the film “Latinos Beyond Reel” examining Latino representation in the media industry), it often strikes a chord with students in which their own experiences align with the findings giving weight to the notion that “demography is destiny”.

This brief lightning round will highlight students’ thoughts and reactions to Sociological material and how best to teach Sociology to a diverse group of students who oftentimes find the academic material insightful and validating yet uncomfortable, disturbing, and frustrating.

Author

• Sarah Earl-Novell, Chabot College