Date of Award

Spring 2020

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Educational Studies and Sociology

First Advisor

Daniel Douglas

Abstract

College campuses have increased their cultural diversity and increased financial aid packages in efforts of becoming more inclusive of race and class. While such efforts have allowed more people of color and the low and working class to use institutions of higher education as a form of social mobility, this does not necessarily mean college environments have truly become inclusive. This study was conducted at Trinity College, an elite, predominantly white institution with the goal of answering how socioeconomic status conditions the experiences of second year students of color. This research was based on eight semi-structured, qualitative interviews with second year students of color; four students of middle/high socioeconomic backgrounds and four students of low socioeconomic backgrounds. Interviews focused on the social and academic experiences of students as well as their opinions and perceptions of Trinity as an institution. This research identified differences in the students’ articulation of class consciousness, perceptions of self, and ways of physically navigating the Trinity College campus. This research suggests that while there are increasing numbers of culturally and economically diverse students at Trinity, socioeconomic gaps have prevented students of low socioeconomic backgrounds from having the full college experience.

Comments

Senior project completed at Trinity College, Hartford, CT for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies and Sociology.

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