9/25/24, 4-5:30pm PDT on Zoom, register on Eventbrite! This is the first in a series of “Talking Class” webinars.

How can a working-class background make you more successful as a professional? Paul Dean has answers, but we want to hear yours too.

Join Betsy Leondar-Wright and Jack Metzgar from the Working-Class Studies Association as they facilitate a discussion with sociologist Paul Dean, who makes a bold claim that growing up working-class actually gives professional employees an edge.

Why does Paul say that “working-class cultural capital” is a real thing? We’ll hear his ideas, and invite you to share your own experiences and thoughts about the impact of a working-class background on professional life.

Paul Dean is a sociology professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, and a proud “straddler” (professional with working-class roots) who thinks his background strengthens his work with first-gen and low-income students. His forthcoming book, titled Class Cultures and Social Mobility: The Hidden Strengths of Upwardly Mobile First-Gen Graduates, is based on several years of research into working-class-background professionals.