SOCI-333 Social Stratification McGill University, Fall Term 2014
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 14:35 to 15:25 Room: SABD 2/36
Instructors:
Thomas Soehl: [email protected].
Office Hours: Wednesdays 10:00 to 12:00 or by appointment.
Lyota Bonyeme: [email protected]
Office Hours: TBA
OVERVIEW:
The study of social stratification is concerned with the unequal distribution of resources
and how they are allocated to individuals or groups of individuals. Social stratification is
one of the core concerns of sociology but it is far from being a solely academic matter.
Understanding social stratification is essential to being an informed citizen. Furthermore
a sociological perspective on inequality will be directly relevant in many professions such
as teaching, social work, public administration, health-care, marketing and many others.
In this course we will explore key theoretical debates of the field and the empirical
data and case studies on which these debates hinge. Some key questions in the study of
stratification, a subset of which we will consider in this course, are: How much inequality
is there and how has it changed over time? How are different kinds of inequality (health,
income, education etc.) related to each other, and how are different dimensions of
inequality related to identity categories such as gender, ethnicity, race, or citizenship?
What are the processes that generate inequality and how is it reproduced over time and
generations?
READINGS & BOOKS:
Many of the readings for this class will be available online. Articles that are available
through McGill’s Library databases are marked with the ending “LIB” in the syllabus.
You will use McGill library resources to access these. For some pieces I provided links in
the syllabus. Readings marked with “CP” are in a course pack that is available for
purchase at the McGill bookstore and also on reserve in the library. Readings marked
“TBD” will be distributed during the course.
There is one book required for purchase in this class:
Annette Lareau. 2011. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. University of
California Press. Both the first and second editions of this book are acceptable for
the course. This book is available at the McGill University Bookstore. A copy will
also be placed on reserve at the library.
In addition there are two entirely optional textbooks that you may want to consider.
David Grusky and Szonja Szélenyi. The Inequality Reader Westview Press.
This book has a collection of classic writings on social inequality. Some of these we will
read in class but there is much more in there that we won’t be able to cover. It is a bit US
centric but it does provide a good collection of tightly edited readings.
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Edward Grabb and Neil Guppy. Social Inequality in Canada: Patters, Problems & Policies. This
is a standard textbook that provides a good overview over some of the topics we cover in
class with a special focus on Canada. The latest edition is quite expensive but you should
be able to find earlier editions for a reasonable price online.
EVALUTATION:
Your grade in this class will be based on the following components:
o Quizzes (20%): We will have some (probably 2) short quizzes during the
semester. I will announce those quizzes in the class preceding the quiz.
o Midterm Exam (30%): The midterm is tentatively scheduled for October
17.
o Final Exam (45%): The final exam will be cumulative, though I will put
emphasis on the second half of the semester.
o Participation (5%): You are expected to participate in conference
discussion sessions.
CONFERENCES:
There are 6 conferences scheduled throughout the semester. We will announce the details
about organization and content of these sessions in the first weeks of the semester. The
conferences are scheduled in two slots one during normal lecture time (14:35 to 15:25)
and in our normal classroom (SABD 2/36). The other will be from 15:35 to 16:25, in the
following rooms:
Sept 26th (Friday) – EDUC 627
Oct 15th (Wednesday) – EDUC 624
Oct 31st (Friday) – EDUC 627
Nov 7th (Friday) – EDUC 627
Nov 21st (Friday) – EDUC 627
Dec 3rd (Wednesday) – EDUC 624
Please note the different rooms for Oct. 15 and Dec. 3. We will arrange the signing up for
conferences in the first weeks of the semester.
SOME WORDS OF ADVICE
This class has a moderate reading load. On average you will have to read about 50 to 70
pages per week. Some weeks will have a higher page count, but that reading will be
significantly “lighter.” However, some of the reading are difficult, and will require you to
read slowly, take careful notes, and read the text more than once. It is crucial to keep up
with the readings and complete them before class; if you do not, you will not get as much
out of lectures and won’t be prepared for exams and quizzes. For most weeks I will post
reading questions to guide you in your reading a week in advance.
I strongly recommend printing out all readings so you can take notes and closely
engage them. If you do not have your own printer you can use McGill uPrint services.
Lectures and readings are complementary. You have to make sure you keep up
with both. While I will sometimes talk about the readings in lecture, I will (with few
exceptions) not go into any detail. Instead I will give you background information on the
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readings and present additional material that is not in the readings. Exams and quizzes
may cover material from readings as well as from lectures and conferences.
NOTES/POLICIES
Tentative nature of the syllabus: This syllabus is my best guess at how the semester will unfold.
We may move faster or slower than I anticipated, or I may update some of the readings
with newer/better material. Thus I reserve the possibility to amend the syllabus at any
point during the semester. Any changes to readings will be announced at least one class in
advance and posted on the course website. You are responsible for keeping up with any
changes.
Language: In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this
course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be
graded.
Academic Integrity and Misconduct: McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore,
all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and
other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures
(see www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more information).
Respect and use of electronic devices: Laptops and tablet devices are allowed only for notetaking in class. In consideration for other students, as well as for the instructor, please make
sure you that you arrive on time, and do not leave class early. Cell phones should be turned
off.
No Extra Credit: No extra credit assignments will be available in this class.
Contact: We will be using the course website tools. You are responsible for checking the
website for announcements, and make sure you check the e-mail account that is
associated with the course website. The best way to reach us is via e-mail. If you write
make sure you put SOCI-333 in the subject line. If you do not, your e-mail may get
buried and I may not respond. I will do my best to get back to you within 48h, but it may
take me longer over the weekend or when I’m out of town.
PLANNED SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS AND READINGS (Subject to change)
1. Introduction: (Sept. 3 and 5)
• Syllabus
• John Rawls. 1972. A Theory of Justice. Harvard University Press. [pp. 1-17] – CP –
I may post a few additional pages on the Course Website.
2. Is inequality inevitable? (Sept. 8, 10 &12)
• Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore. 1945. “Some Principles of Stratification.”
American Sociological Review 10(2):242-49. - LIB
• Claude Fischer et al. 1996. Inequality by Design. Princeton Univ. Press [Chapter 6] –
CP
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•
Christopher Jencks. 2002. “Does Inequality Matter?” Daedalus 131(1) - LIB
3. Labor and Capital (Sept. 15, 17 &19)
• Marx, Karl. Communist Manifesto [Part I and II] Available online at:
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Manifesto.pdf
• Eric Olin Wright: Class Counts [Chapter 1] - CP
• Thomas Piketty, Capital in the 21st Century [Excerpts] - TBD
4. Labor Market Competition & Wage Inequality (Sept. 22, 24)
• Emmanuel Saez. 2005. “The Evolution of High Incomes in Northern America:
Lessons from Canadian Evidence.” The American Economic Review 95(3). - LIB
• Robert Frank and Philip Cook. 1995. The Winner Take All Society. Free Press.
[Chapters 1 & 2] - CP
• David Card and Richard Freeman. 1993. Small differences that matter: labor markets
and income maintenance in Canada and the United States. University of Chicago Press.
[Introduction] - CP
++Conferences September 26++
5. Status, Taste and Education (Sept. 29, Oct. 1 & 3)
• Max Weber. “Class, Status, Party” in Economy and Society - CP
• Pierre Bourdieu. 1984. Distinction: A social critique of the Judgement of Taste. Harvard
University Press. [Excerpts] - CP
• David Brooks. Bobos in Paradise – CP
6. Race and Ethnicity (Oct. 6, 8 & 10)
• Max Weber. “Chapter V: Ethnic Groups” in Economy and Society. - CP
• Cornell and Hartmann, Ethnicity and Race [Excerpts] – TBD
• Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan. 2003. “Are Emily and Greg more
employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market
discrimination” NBER. http://www.nber.org/papers/w9873
If you are interested in Canadian examples of this type of research read (optional):
Philip Oreopoulos. Why do skilled immigrants struggle in the labor market?’
NBER working paper. http://www.nber.org/papers/w15036.pdf
7. No Lectures (Conferences and Midterm)
++ Conferences October 15++
++Midterm October 17++
8. Social Reproduction of Inequality (Oct 20, 22 & 24)
• Unequal Childhoods
9. Social Reproduction of Inequality (Oct 27, 29)
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•
Unequal Childhoods
++ Conferences October 31 ++
10. Gender (Nov. 3 & 5)
• Judith Lorber. 1994. Paradoxes of Gender [Excerpt: “Night to His Day: The Social
Construction of Gender] - CP
•
•
•
Michelle Goldberg. What is a woman? New Yorker. August 04 2014 - TBD
Maria Charles and David Grusky. 2004. Occupational Ghettos: The Worldwide
Segregation of Women and Men. Stanford University Press. [Excerpt] – CP
Christine Williams. 2004. “Inequality in the Toy Store” Qualitative Sociology, 27(4)
LIB
++ Conferences November 7 ++
11. Genes & Inequality (Nov. 10, 12 &14)
• Dalton Conley. The Pecking Order [Chapter 1] – CP
• Thomas Bouchard et al. 1990. “Sources of Human Psychological Differences:
The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart,” Science 250:223-228. – LIB
12. Bodies and Health (Nov. 17 & 19)
• Dalton Conley and Neil Bennett. 2000. “Is biology destiny? Birth weight and life
chances” American Sociological Review 65(3) – LIB
• John Mullahy et al. Health, Income and Inequality. – CP
++ Conferences November 21 ++
13. Citizenship and Migration (Nov. 24, 26)
• Ayelet Shachar. 2009. The Birthright Lottery. Citizenship and Global Inequality. Harvard
University Press. [pp. 1 - 27] - CP
• Lant Pritchett. 2006. Let their people come: breaking the gridlock on international labor
mobility [Excerpt] Available online at Center for Global Development.
14. Immigration and Integration (Nov. 28 & Dec. 1)
• Alejandro Portes and Ruben Rumbaut. 2001. Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant
Second Generation. [Chapter 3: Not Everyone is Chosen] - CP
• Renee Reichl Luthra and Roger Waldinger. 2013. “Intergenerational Mobility
among Immigrants and their Descendents” in David Card and Stephen Raphael
Immigration, Poverty, and Socioeconomic Inequality. Russell Sage Foundation - CP
++ Conferences / Review Sessions December 3 ++
++ Final Exam During Exam Period ++
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