Social Stratification

Social Stratification - Syllabus

Social Stratification and Inequality - Fall 2004
University of Texas - Instructor: Dan Powers

Syllabus - SOCIAL STRATIFICATION - Rutgers University
Robert E. Wood - Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice

Social stratification lies at the core of society and of the discipline of sociology. Social inequality is a fundamental aspect of virtually all social processes, and a person's position in the stratification system is the most consistent predictor of his or her behavior, attitudes, and life chances. Social stratification links almost all aspects of society together, and therefore understanding what is happening to social stratification helps us understand a wide range of other changes in society.

This course focuses on one type of stratification in particular: social class. It does so in the belief that in American society we have become conditioned to see other forms of inequality (race, gender, age) much more readily than class stratification, even when apparent differences between racial, gender or age groups may in fact be explained by their link to social class. Social class is by no means the only determinant of social life and life chances, but it is a goal of this course to "see" class and its significance where before it may have been invisible.

Prerequisite: It is strongly recommended that students have taken, or be taking concurrently, Methods and Techniques of Social Research.

Dennis Gilbert, The American Class Structure (Wadsworth, fifth edition, 1998), an excellent text placing the study of class stratification in the context of growing inequality.

Jay MacLeod, Ain't No Makin' It: Leveled Aspirations in a Low- Income Neighborhood (Westview Press, 1995 revised edition), a rich ethnography of two groups of youth in a public housing project in a northeastern city.

In addition, there will be several articles handed out in class as well as various readings on the internet, mostly from the online journal, The American Prospect, and from InfoTrac, an online database of articles that comes with the Gilbert text.

A Socal Stratification Internet Virtual Tour, designed to acquaint you with some of the resources on the internet for researching social stratification, due by Spring Break (March 10) (20% of grade);

An Ethnographic Research Paper based on ethnographic observation as well on online census zipcode data, due Tuesday,

Active class participation can raise your grade in borderline cases. In addition, up to 5 points extra credit (added to your overall course average) may be earned by presenting your ethnographic research findings in visual form at the annual joint Sociology-Psychology Poster Session on Friday, April 28th.

Course Outline
I. Basic Concepts, Theories, and Issues in the Study of Social Stratification (Jan. 18-Feb. 1)

Personal Introductions (Jan. 20)
Dennis Gilbert, The American Class Structure, 5th ed., Chapters 1-2
Vincente Navarro, "Class and Race: Life and Death Situations," Monthly Review (September 1991).

II. Explaining Increasing Economic Inequality (Feb. 3-22)

Gilbert, The American Class Structure, 5th ed., Chapters 3-4
Isaac Shapiro and Robert Greenstein, "The Widening Income Gulf," (Center on Budget Policies and Priorities, 1999) or Summary Press Release
"The Racial Wealth Gap: Left Out of the Boom," (United for a Fair Economy, 1999)
Barry Bluestone, "The Inequality Express" (click on printable version)
Robert H. Frank, "Talent and the Winner-Take-All Society"
Robert Kuttner, "A New Political Power"
Video: Work in America: Jobs, Not What They Used To Be
Video excerpt: The Winner Take All Society (McNeil-Lehrer News)

In-Class, Open-Book Exam on Tues. Feb. 22

III. Social Class, Lifestyle and Mobility (Feb. 24-29)

David Fetterman, "Ethnography," from L. Bickman and D.J. Rog, Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods (Sage 1998).
Gilbert, The American Class Structure, 5th ed., Chapter 5-6
New York Times article: "Homeless on $50,000 a Year in Luxuriant Silicon Valley" (if you haven't before, you may need to register at this site, something well-worth doing)

IV. Computer Resources for Studying Social Stratification (March 2-9)

Social Stratification Internet Virtual Tour
MicroCase Data Analysis Exercise
due before Spring Break (March 10)

V. The Reproduction of Class: Deindustrialization, Cultural Capital and the Service Economy (March 21-April 6)

Jay MacLeod, Ain't No Makin' It: Leveled Aspirations in a Low-Income Neighborhood, entire book
D.L. Kirp, J.P. Dwyer, and L.A. Rosenthal, "Camden: A City Doomed By Design," in Our Town: Race, Housing, and the Soul of Suburbia
Readings on "Say Yes To Education" experience in Philadelphia
Films: Roger and Me and Ending Welfare As We Know It

Take-Home Essay Exam due April 6th

VI. Class Conflict and Political Power (April 11-13)

Gilbert, The American Class Structure, 5th ed., Chapters 8 (pp. 196-218) and 9

VII. Poverty, Homelessness, and Public Policy (April 13-18)

Gilbert, The American Class Structure, 5th ed., Chapter 10
Readings on homelessness
Recommended: American Prospect articles on welfare and poverty

Ethnographic Research Papers due Tuesday, April 20th

VIII. The Future of Class and Inequality (Ap2ril 5-27)

Gilbert, The American Class Structure, 5th ed., Chapter 11
Nico Stehr, "The Future of Social Inequality" Society (July-August 1999; available from IntoTrac)
Louis Uchitelle, "The Sounds of Silence," (New York Times, December 19, 1999)

Georgetown University - Department of Sociology and Anthropology
SOCI – 140-01 Social Inequality - Professor McDonald
Nature of the course:
Why do some people have more of the good things in life than others? Why are the poor poor? How did inequality in society begin? What does inequality look like in America? Are we a classless society? How do you recognize social class? How differently do people of different social classes experience and react to the world? What are your chances of moving up or down in the class order? Is there a ruling class in America? Is there a new class war underway in America? Do the Soviets have more or less inequality than we have? How does the international economic order affect inequality in the third world?

These are some of the questions we will explore in this course. We will also review the major social theories of inequality. The course combines historical, cross-cultural and contemporary American perspectives.

UCLA Sociology 157, "Social Stratification" - http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/mcfarland/soc157/

Class and Stratification, Theories of (Carl Cuneo, McMaster, Canada) - http://socserv2.mcmaster.ca/soc/courses/soc2r3/soc2r3.htm

The Dynamics of Social Stratification in Contemporary Asian Societies: A Curriculum Module. ... Stratification and Mobility: The Case of Japan." Pp. ... www.library.kcc.hawaii.edu/asdp/soc/asian/INYANG.html

Social Stratification: Syllabus. Course Objectives ... http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~lridener/DSS/socstrat.htm

SOC 329: Social Stratification and Inequality - Fall 2004
University of Texas - Instructor: Dan Powers
Course Webpage: http://www.la.utexas.edu/ course-materials/sociology/soc329/dpowers/
Course Description
This course discusses major sociological approaches to the study of social Stratification and inequality. We
begin with an examination of the concepts of social strati¯cation social inequality, with an emphasis on the
major dimensions of stratification in the U.S. We will focus on the distribution of income and wealth in the
U.S. over the last 50 years and look at recent changes in this distribution and explanations of change. Next
we will explore the major theoretical traditions that form the basis for contemporary class analysis, with an
overview of the major class divisions in the U.S. We will examine forms and processes of stratification, with
a focus on patterns of social mobility and di®erences in these processes and outcomes by race and gender.
Required Texts
Marger, Martin N. (2002) Social Stratification: Patterns and Processes (Second Edition).
Gilbert, Dennis (1998) The American Class Structure: In an Age of Growing Inequality (Fifth Edition).
Shapiro, Thomas M. (2001) Great Divides: Readings in Social Inequality in the United States (Second Edition).
Syllabus
A tentative schedule of the topics is provided below. The numbers in parentheses indicate chapters.
Corresponding page numbers are also provided.
Overview of Major Concepts
Week 1 Introduction to Social Stratification and Inequality
Reading Marger (1) Shapiro (1{2)
Pages 1{24 1{20
Weeks 2{3 Class and Status
Reading Marger (2) Gilbert (1{2, 11) Shapiro (5{6, 14)
Pages 25{34 1{44, 267{280 30{49, 99{113
Weeks 4{5 Wealth, Income, and Forms and Patterns of Inequality in Contemporary U.S.
Reading Marger (2) Gilbert (3{4) Shapiro (3{4)
Pages 34{48 45{110 20{29
Exam 1 Sept., 27
Social Classes in the U.S.
Week 6 Poverty, the Poor and Public Policy
Reading Marger (3, 7) Gilbert (10) Shapiro (22, 24)
Pages 49{80, 172{197 236{266 168{182, 195{207
Week 7 The Middle and Working Classes
Readings Marger (4) Gilbert (5, 9) Shapiro (23)
Pages 81{113 111{139, 207{235 182{195
Week 8 The Upper Classes
Readings Marger (5, 13) Gilbert (8) Shapiro (15, 19, 21)
Pages 114{141, 346{376 173{206 114{126, 142{148, 159{167
Forms and Processes of Stratification
Weeks 9{10 Social Mobility and Processes of Stratification
Readings Marger (6{7) Gilbert (6{7) Shapiro (9{11)
Pages 142{171 140{172 67{78
Week 11 Theories of Inequality
Reading Marger (8{9) Shapiro(12{13)
Pages 198{254 78{96
Exam 2 Nov., 12
Race/Ethnic and Gender Stratification
Week 12 Race
Reading Marger (10{11) Shapiro (8, 25{34)
Pages 255{313 53{66, 208{301
Week 13 Gender
Reading Marger (12) Shapiro (35{43)
Pages 314{345 302{390
Weeks 14{15 Race, Gender, and Class
Reading Shapiro (44{46)
Pages 329{430