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SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
Sociology 430
Fall 2008

Assignments | E-mail Dr. Ames | Grading Rubric

Different kinds of people get different kinds of things in this world. Who gets what? Why? How great is the level of inequality? Are the rich getting richer? Can we change that? Should we care? This course will examine those questions by analyzing the systems of inequality in the United States and in the world.

We will examine in detail the main axes of inequality—class, race, and gender—as they affect stratification of individuals and of nations. At the end of the semester, each of us will come to some conclusions—not necessarily the same ones—about the questions asked above.

Textbooks

Scott Sernau. 2006. Worlds Apart: Social Inequalities in a Global Economy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. [Worlds Apart]

James Lardner & David A. Smith (eds.). 2005. Inequality Matters: The Growing Economic Divide in America and Its Poisonous Consequences. New York: The New Press. [Inequality Matters]

Ronaldo Munck. Globalization and Social Exclusion: A Transformative Perspective. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press. [Social Exclusion]

Course expectations

Readings, class discussions, and lectures are all important in understanding the material. Lectures will cover material NOT covered in the books. Faithful class attendance is required, as is careful and prompt reading as assigned.

There will be three in-class exams. You may use your notes, including notes on the books (but not the actual books), for the exams. Each exam will be worth a different percentage, but will total 75% of the course grade. Dates for the exams and the weight of each are on the reading list.

There will be three reaction papers assigned. Dates for the assignments and due dates are on the reading list. Together, these essays will be worth 20% of your grade. (More detailed instructions will follow on the dates indicated.)

Finally, there will be frequent, in-class, structured discussions, together, worth 5% of your course grade.

Reading Schedule: Keep up! The readings are very uneven. Plan ahead. (Come to class even if there is no new reading assignment.)


Date
Topic
Read!		 Writing
Due
8-26 Stratification in America

In Inequality Matters
Bill Moyers, "The Fight of Our Lives"
James Lardner, "What’s the Problem?"

 		 
9-2

 

 

9-4

 Contours of
Inequality

 

Capitalism,
History, and Inequality

In Inequality Matters
H. Boushey & C. Weller, "What the Numbers Tell Us"
Barbara Ehrenreich, "Earth to Wal-Mars"

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 3: The Gordian Knot of Race, Class, and Gender"

 		 
9-9

 

 

 

 

 

9-11

 Class and Gender and Race

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 4: Class Privilege

In Inequality Matters?"
R. Frank, "How the Middle Class is Injured by Gains at
the Top"

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 5: Race and Class
Ch. 6: Gender and Class

In Inequality Matters
Meizhu Lui, "The Snowball and the Treadmill"
D. Williams & J. Lardner, "Cold Truths about Class,
Race, and Health"

 		 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st Reaction Paper Assigned 9-11
9-16

 

9-18

 Theories of Inequality

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 1: The Great Debate

 		 

 

 

1st Paper Due
9-18
9-23

 

 

 

 

 

9-25

 Inequality in the World

 

 

 

 

EXAM #1 25%

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 2: The Global Divide: Inequality Across Societies

In Inequality Matters
Eric Wanner, "A Self-Perpetuating Trend?"

In Social Exclusion
Ch. 1: Globalization—Threat or Opportunity?

 

 

 

 		 

Date
Topic
Read!		 Writing
Due
9-30 Social Exclusion

In Social Exclusion
Ch. 2: Social Exclusion—The New Poverty?
Ch 3: Global Integration / Social Disintegration

 
10-7 Global Gender, Race, Class

In Social Exclusion
Ch. 5: Gender and Global Inequality
Ch. 6: Race, Migration, and Citizenship
Ch. 7: Class, Inequality, and Exclusion

 		 
10-14

10-16

 BREAK

 

Structuring Inequality: Ideology

  

 

In Inequality Matters
R. Kuttner, "Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid"
R. Franklin, "The Legitimization of Inequality"

 		 

 

 

2nd Reaction Paper Assigned
10-16
10-21

 

 

10-23

 Structuring Inequality: Education

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 9: Moving Up: Education and Mobility

In Inequality Matters
R. Kahlenberg, "The Return of ‘Separate But Equal’"
T. Draut, "The Growing College Gap"

 		 

 

 

 

 

2nd Paper Due 10-23
10-28 Structuring Inequality: Working, Occupations, & Corporations

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 7: Status Prestige

In Inequality Matters
D. Smith & H. McGhee, "Shredding the Retirement
Contract"
Theda Skocpol, "America Disconnected"
Joel Bakan, "Corporations Unbound"
William Greider, "Building a Moral Economy"

 		 
11-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11-6

 Structuring Inequality: The State, Polity

[Election Day:

VOTE!]

 

 

EXAM #2 30%

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 8: Power and Politics

In Inequality Matters
C. Lewis, "Of the Few, By the Few, For the Few"
C. Jencks, "Why Do So Many Jobs Pay So Badly?"
J. Rowe, "The Vanishing Commons"
D. Johnston, "The Great Tax Shift"
M. Rapoport & D. Smith, "Democracy First"

 		 

Date
Topic
Read!		 Writing
Due
11-11 Consequences of Inequality /

Life Chances

(Review previous readings)

 		 
11-18

 

 

 

11-20

 Place

 

 

 

 

Changing Inequality:
Theory
Reform
Revolution

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 10: Abandoned Spaces, Forgotten Places:
Poverty and Place

In Social Exclusion
Ch. 4: Global Places / Spaces of Exclusion

In Worlds Apart:
Ch. 11: Reversing the Race to the Bottom:
Poverty and Policy
Ch. 12: Challenging the System: Social Movements

In Social Exclusion
Ch. 8: Beyond Social Exclusion

 		 
11-25

11-27

 Changing Inequality

BREAK

   3rd Reaction Paper Assigned
11-25
12-2

12-4

 Changing Inequality   3rd Reaction Paper Due
12-4
TBA EXAM #3 20%    

 

Exam Recap: Reaction         Papers Recap:
1st: 25% 9-25                     1st:  Assigned 9-11; Due 9-18

2nd: 30% 11-6                     2nd: Assigned 10-16; Due 10-23

3rd: 20% Finals Week           3rd: Assigned 11-25; Due 12-4

Last Modified 09/12/2008
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