Throughout previous centuries, many politicians and philosophers have heralded the end of hereditary inequality and predicted the emergence of a world in which achievement and effort rather than ethnicity, race, gender and social origins would determine social status. But, at the dawn of the twenty first century, it is clear that "ascriptive" characteristics continue to have profound implications for a person's life chances and career opportunities. Why? What are the mechanisms through which social structure tends to be reproduced? To answer these and related questions, this course introduces you to sociological theories of stratification, by investigating a variety of studies that use empirical methods to investigate the relationship between class and two types of persistent inequality in modern society: gender and race.

Course prerequisite: Sociology 211, Introduction to Sociology, is required for this course. In particular, this course assumes that you already have a background in classical sociological theory and its modern applications; that you have been introduced to basic theories of social stratification, political sociology and cultural production; and that you possess a familiarity with some elementary analytical concepts and statistical techniques, including correlational analysis, p-values, and the logic of hypothesis testing. More broadly, the course will assume familiarity with the core concepts of Marxian and Weberian classical "class-based" analysis (e.g., commodities, alienated labor, class, status, and party) and Goffman's symbolic interactionist studies of micro-interaction-based status orders (e.g. the "social construction of the self").

Requirements: The primary goal of this class will be to further refine your grasp of sociological concepts examined in Sociology 211: Introductory Sociology. We will do this by exploring applications of Marx, Weber, Goffman and other theorists you were introduced to in Introductory Sociology, and by examining how their approaches to social stratification have been confirmed and/or challenged by later studies. Class format will vary between student-directed discussions of the readings, debates of contemporary affairs in light of readings, as well as more formal discussions. Depending on class dynamics and interests, it may include informal group-based reports. Active class participation will be expected and appreciated. There will be three short written assignments. Each short assignment will be announced one week in advance. A fourth research paper ten to twelve pages in length will be due Friday, May 3.

Course objectives: One major goal of this course is to master basic empirical studies regarding the extent of major class-based forms of stratification, and explore how patterns of stratification change over time. The course should equip your with an understanding of where to look for basic reliable information and empirical data on various relevant forms of stratification (e.g. trends in poverty). Toward this end, the course will assume that you have good access to Kerbo's review of major topics and studies in Social stratification and inequality. You will need to consult this source in the process of evaluating assigned readings as well as in planning and carrying out written work, particularly your final paper.

Another major goal is to master variations of 3 basic theoretical explanations regarding class-based forms of stratification that you became familiar with in SOC 211 Introductory sociology:

• Studies that follow the Marxian paradigm, stress conflict over basic economic resources, and view ideas, taste and ideology as simple reflections of economic interest
• Studies that follow the Weberian paradigm and take into consideration the independent effect of "status" and "party," in other words, examine how cultural and political resources are mobilized by powerful elites who influence state policies
• Studies that draw on insights from Erving Goffman's work and more broadly, symbolic interactionism

You will become familiar by the end of the semester with how social scientists theorize the effects of macroeconomic changes (such as the rise of manufacturing or the subsequent shift to a service based economy) as opposed to non-economic factors, such as culture (e.g. "taste" and different kinds of preferences) on patterns of inequality and their development over over time. Drawing on these 3 major theoretical paradigms as organizing principles, you will learn to think through the effect differential access to economic resources, political power, and notions of status and respect exert an influence over populations and how members of populations differentiate themselves into groups and then institutionalize those differences into forms of stratification.

The syllabus is divided into two parts. In Part I, we will examine some classical theories of stratification that seek to extend Marx, Weber and Goffman to help us to understand how distinct biological characteristics have come to be associated with differences in personal qualities and work roles, and how such judgements map onto judgements of what kind of people are interpreted as "good" or "bad" neighbors, friends, or family members.

In Part II, we will move on to consider contemporary sociological research on the intersection of class, gender and ethnicity. The manner in which we will approach this topic in class will be through discussion of theoretical approaches and empirical studies that examine how socially constructed social roles either facilitate or impede transitions from poverty, movement up career ladders, or socioeconomic mobility for women and minorities. Because the class will develop particular interests, we will gradually develop a list of special topics to which we will devote the remainder of the semester after the Spring Break.

Week 1

Tuesday, January 22 Introduction

Thursday, January 24

Kingsley Davis & Wilbert Moore, "Some Principles of

Stratification" (JSTOR)

Melvin Tumin, "Some Principles of Stratification" (JSTOR).

I. The social construction of the family and gender roles

Week 2

 

The social construction of the family I:

A modification of Marx's approach to gender roles

Beauvoir, The second sex. New York, Vintage Books.

Tuesday, January 29

Beauvoir, The second sex (2 copies on reserve), pp. 1-68,

* Highly recommended: Engels, Friedrich. "The Origin of the Family,

Private Property, and the State." Excerpted in The Marx-Engels Reader,

pp. 734-759.

Thursday, January 31

Beauvoir, The second sex, pp. 755-814.

Week 3

The social construction of the underclass family II:

Family life in the absence of labor markets (Marxian extension)

Tuesday, February 5

* Wilson, When work disappears (4 copies on reserve), Introduction, Chapters 1-2

* Examine relationship between race and poverty, according to U.S Census

Bureau poverty statistics: http://www.census.gov

Thursday, February 7

* Wilson, When work disappears, Chapters 3-4, 6

Week 4

The social construction of the underclass family III: Housing policy (Weberian extension)

Tuesday, February 12

Massey, American apartheid (4 copies on reserve), chapters 1-4

Thursday, February 14

Massey, American apartheid, chapters 5-8

The construction of symbolic repertoires among "rich" versus "poor" kids (Symbolic interactionism)

Week 5

Tuesday, February 19

Upper middle class kids and the culture of bohemianism

Kerbo, ch. 6

Brooks, Bobos in Paradise: The new upper class and how they got there (2 copies on reserve), chaps. 1-2

Thursday, February 21

Brooks, Bobos in Paradise, chaps. 3,4, 7

Week 6

Lower class kids and the culture of violence

Tuesday, February 26

Kerbo, ch. 12 (especially read discussion of the relative influence of the media versus educational institutions)

Anderson, Code of the street (1 copy on reserve) chaps. 1-3

Thursday, February 28

Finish reading Anderson

Week 7

Theorizing what's inside the black box: The state, the corporation and the power elite

Domhoff, Who Rules?

Tuesday, March 5

Begin reading Domhoff

Thursday, March 7

Finish reading Domhoff

Week 8

Spring break

No class meetings