SOCIOLOGY 3010: SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Instructor: Dr. Karin Abel
Office: Old Main 224C
E-mail:
Office Hours:TR 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m., or
by appointment
Reading Materials: I will post all reading materials in Canvas as needed.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Broadly speaking, sociology is the systematic study of society, social institutions, and social relationships. The examination of issues pertaining to social inequality is a key component of sociological inquiry. This course offers an introduction to the patterns and processes of social inequality, with primary focus on the United States. The major forms of social inequality that are of interest are the following: class, racial/ethnic, and gender. A major goal of this course is to inform students as to the ways in which social inequality shapes virtually all facets of individual and group life. Another important goal is to give students the tools they need to understand and examine social inequality from a sociological perspective. Topics of interest in this course include but are not limited to class, race and ethnicity, gender, social mobility, and processes of legitimation.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
IDEA Objective / Course Objective / Method of Evaluation- Gaining factual knowledge
Course assignments
Quizzes
- Learning fundamental principles, generalizations, or theories
Gaining understanding about the causes and consequences of social inequality / Lectures
Course assignments
Quizzes
- Learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view
Course assignments
- Learning to apply course material (to improve thinking, problem solving, and decisions)
Course assignments
GENERAL POLICIES
Decorum and Etiquette: This course addresses many complex issues about which people have widely varying insights. As it is important to hear all sides of an issue, we should be willing to listen to what others have to say, as well as to share our own thoughts. These interactions should be thoughtful and respectful. Additionally, no cell phones, laptops, etc. should be on or in use during class time without the consent of the instructor.
Late Work and Make-ups:I will not accept late Sociology Applied and Video Assignments. Moreover, I will not allow make-up quizzes. Since I know that unexpected things can come up, I will drop your lowest quiz score. Finally, I will not allow make-ups on in-class assignments. You can receive credit for them only if you are there to participate. But, I will drop your lowest in-class assignment score.
Students with Disabilities: In accordance with the policies and procedures of the USU Disability Resource Center (DRC), I will gladly provide accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have any disability that may impact your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the DRC at 435-797-2444.
Cheating and Plagiarism: I understand that students are often under a great deal of pressure, but I will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty. If you are unsure of what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please refer to The Code of Policies and Procedures for Students at Utah State University ( If you engage in any kind of academic dishonesty, you will fail the course.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Participation: Throughout the semester, I will give several in-class assignments. The purpose of these assignments is to add to and deepen your understanding of course content. You can receive credit for these assignments only if you are in attendance on the days I give them. Each in-class assignment will be worth 5 points.
Quizzes: During the course of the semester, I will give several quizzes. These quizzes will evaluate your knowledge of the reading material. Each quiz will be worth 10 points.
Sociology Applied Assignments: You will write 2 papers (4-page, single-spaced) in which you apply sociological principles, concepts, and theories to your own experiences with social inequality. You will have to situate your own experiences in the context of sociological knowledge. To complete these papers, you will need to draw on course lectures and reading materials. Each of these papers will be worth 100 points. I will provide more details about what you need to do later in the semester.
Video Assignment: As a final project, you will have to work with some of your classmates to create a 13 to 15 minute documentary about issues pertaining to social inequality. You will have to incorporate sociological terms, ideas, theories, and other information into this assignment. You will need to identify an individual or family in a TV program and apply what you have learned throughout the course of the semester to the individual’s or family’s circumstances. You will have to situate the individual or family in the context of sociological knowledge regarding social class inequality, racial/ethnic inequality, and gender inequality. This assignment will be worth 65 points. I will provide more details about what you need to do later in the semester.
GRADING
Your grade will be based on how many points you earn relative to the total points possible. I will assign grades according to the following percent breakdown:
93-100A
90-92A-
87-89B+
83-86B
80-82B-
77-79C+
73-76C
70-72C-
67-69D+
63-66D
60-62D-
Below 60F
COURSE OUTLINE
INTRODUCTIONWeek 1
8/30 / Topic: An introduction to the course
Reading: Syllabus
9/1 / Topic: The sociological imagination
Reading: “An Introduction to the Study of Social Inequality” (Marger)
Week 2
9/6 / Topic: An introduction to social inequality
THEORIES OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY
9/8 / Topic: Conflict theories of social inequality
Reading: “Manifesto of the Communist Party” (Marx and Engels); “The Distribution of Power within the Political Community: Classes, Status Groups, Political Parties” (Weber)
Week 3
9/13 / Topic: Durkheim’s theory on the need for social inequality and the new functionalists
Reading: “Some Principles of Stratification” (Davis and Moore)
9/15 / Topic: Social citizenship and social exclusion
Reading: “Citizenship and Social Class” (Marshall)
SOCIAL CLASS INEQUALITY
Week 4
9/20 / Topic: The American class system
Reading: “Inequality in Earnings: Trends and Implications” (Morris and Western)
9/22 / Topic: The upper class and the power elite
Reading: “The Power Elite” (Mills); “Who Rules America? Power and Politics” (Domhoff)
Week 5
9/27 / Topic: The middle classes
Reading: “Excerpts from Unequal Childhoods” (Lareau)
9/29 / Topic: Poverty and the poor
Reading: “Poverty, Work, and Policy: The United States in Comparative Perspective” (Smeeding); “Poverty in the United States: An Overview” (Brown); “Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America” (Ehrenreich)
Week 6
10/4 / Topic: Stratification systems and social mobility
Reading: “Ain’t No Makin’ It: Leveled Aspirations in a Low-Income Neighborhood” (MacLeod)
10/6 / Topic: Ideology and the legitimation of social inequality
Reading: “Predicting Support for Welfare Policies: The Impact of Attributions and Beliefs about Inequality” (Bullock, Williams, and Limbert)
Week 7
10/11 / Topic: Public policy and the class system
Reading: “The Three Political Economies of the Welfare State” (Esping-Andersen), pp. 18-34
RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITY
10/13 / Topic: The social construction of race/ethnicity
Reading:“Race as Biology Is Fiction, Racism as a Social Problem Is Real: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives on the Social Construction of Race” (Smedley and Smedley)
Week 8
10/18 / Topic: The American ethnic hierarchy
Reading: “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” (McIntosh)
10/20 / Friday class schedule
Week 9
10/25 / Topic: Race/ethnicity and work
Reading:“Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination” (Bertrand and Mullainathan)
Due: Sociology Applied 1
10/27 / Topic: Race/ethnicity and the criminal justice system
Reading: “The Black Family and Mass Incarceration” (Western and Wildeman)
Week 10
11/1 / Topic: Race/ethnicity and immigration
Reading: “America’s Changing Color Lines: Immigration, Race/Ethnicity, and Multiracial Identification” (Lee and Bean)
GENDER INEQUALITY
11/3 / Topic: The social construction of gender and gender stereotypes
Reading: “Excerpts from ‘Doing Gender’” (West and Zimmerman)
Week 11
11/8 / Topic: Gender and work
Reading: “Devaluation and the Pay of Comparable Male and Female Occupations” (England); “The Gender Pay Gap: Have Women Gone as Far as They Can?” (Blau and Kahn); “Getting a Job: Is There a Motherhood Penalty?” (Correll, Benard, and Paik)
11/10 / Topic: Gender and family
Reading: “The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work” (Hochschild); “Is Anyone Doing the Housework? Trends in the Gender Division of Household Labor” (Bianchi et al.)
Week 12
11/15 / Topic: Men and boys
Reading: “Constructions of Masculinity and Their Influence on Men’s Well-Being: A Theory of Gender and Health” (Courtenay)
11/17 / Topic: Public policy and gender
Reading: “Flat Broke with Children: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform” (Hays)
INTERSECTIONS OF MAJOR FORMS OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Week 13
11/22 / Topic: Race, class, and gender intersections
Reading: “Intersectionality” (Browne and Misra); “Toward a New Vision: Race, Class, and Gender as Categories of Analysis and Connection” (Collins)
GROUP PROJECTS
11/24 / Thanksgiving holiday
Week 14
11/29 / Video groups
12/1 / Video groups
Due: Sociology Applied 2
Week 15
12/6 / Video groups
12/8 / Topic: Final thoughts
Week 16
12/13 / Due: Video Assignment
Note: Anything in the syllabus is subject to change. Attending class and regularly checking Canvas will ensure that you do not miss any important news.
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