University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill

SOCI850 -- SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

Professor François NIELSEN
Fall 2006

1.  Time, Place & Contacts

2.  Description & Goals

The course covers major classical and current approaches to social stratification in sociology, with some special emphasis on evolutionary approaches and issues related to the evolution of social inequality with industrial development.  The class is organized as a seminar: students are expected to do the readings assigned for each period and to participate in class discussions.  The attached reading list details the readings and the class period by which they should be read.  "See also" readings are only suggestions and are not required for this course.
The goals of this course are for class participants

3.  About the Readings

You will probably want to obtain a copy of the following reader by David Grusky ( I will discuss ways to obtain a copy in class): You may aalso want to get copies of the following: Many of the readings are found in the reader Social Stratification edited by David B. Grusky.  I refer to that book simply as GRUSKY.  Some of the other readings will be accessible under Documents in the side bar.  Some of these texts will be protected by a password that will be communicated to class participants.  You are encouraged to share books and articles.  Let me know if you have trouble obtaining any of the readings.

The field of social stratification is vast, so the works on this list represent only highlights of the important works in stratification.  The reading list for the Ph.D. field examination in Social Stratification provides a more comprehensive bibliography (see Documents in side-bar)..

4.  Requirements

The course has the following requirements (percent of course grade in parentheses).
  1. Readings & Class Participation.  You need to do the readings for the day and to think about the questions about them so you can participate in class discussion and other activities.  Questions for discussion will be posted under Class Notes in the side bar.
  2. Paper or PowerPoint Presentation. The main work in the class will consist of a paper or a PowerPoint presentation on a topic of your choosing.  You are welcome (indeed, encouraged) to choose a topic that relates to your field of study and may pave the way for a Master's thesis, or dissertation or other kind of publication.  And your paper does not have to be the final product of a research and may be tentative (i.e., it may be along the lines of a proposal).  I request a 3-pages abstract/outline by Fri 6 Oct.  The final paper or presentation is due preferably by Fri 8 Dec, but at the very latest by Fri 15 Dec.

5.  Outline & Schedule

Click on Class # to go to the detailed schedule and readings.
 
Module
Date Subject
1 Fri 25 Aug Introduction
2 Fri 1 Sep Functionalist Approaches
3 Fri 8 Sep Marxian Approaches & Neoclassical Critique
4 Fri 15 Sep Responses to Marx: Weber & Elite Theorists
5 Fri 22 Sep Evolutionary Approaches I
6 Fri 29 Sep Evolutionary Approaches II
7 Fri 6 Oct Social Mobility & Status Attainment I
8 Fri 13 Oct Social Mobility & Status Attainment II
  Fri 20 Oct
Fall Break
9 Fri 27 Oct Ascriptive Distinctions I: Sex/Gender
10 Fri 3 Nov Class Projects
11 Fri 10 Nov Ascriptive Distinctions II: Race & Ethnicity 
12 Fri 17 Nov Inequality & Development in the World System
  Fri 24 Nov
Thanksgiving Break
13 Fri 1 Dec Class Projects

Module 1 (25 Aug) -- INTRODUCTION

Module 2 (1 Sep) -- FUNCTIONALIST APPROACHES

****** See also:

Module 3 (8 Sep) -- MARXIAN APPROACH & NEOCLASSICAL CRITIQUE

****** See also:

Module 4 (15 Sep) -- RESPONSES TO MARX: WEBER AND ELITE THEORISTS

a.  Max Weber and Other Economic Approaches

b.  Elite/Ruling Class Theorists

c.  Are Social Classes Real?

****** See also:

Module 5 (22 Sep) -- EVOLUTIONARY APPROACHES I

Socio-cultural Evolution

****** See also:

Module 6 (29 Sep) -- EVOLUTIONARY APPROACHES II

Evolution of Human Nature, Reproductive Skew & Gender Inequality

****** See also:

Module 7 (6 Oct) -- SOCIAL MOBILITY AND STATUS ATTAINMENT I

The Status Attainment Model and Comparative Social Mobility Research

a.  Occupational Status

b.  Status Attainment & Mobility

c.  Extensions of the Status Attainment Models

****** See also:

Module 8 (13 Oct) -- SOCIAL MOBILITY & STATUS ATTAINMENT II

The Role of Intelligence, Personality Traits & Heredity in Social Mobility -- The Bell Curve Controversy I

a.  The Bell Curve Affair

b.  Sociological Critique of The Bell Curve

c.  Roles of Heredity & Environment

****** See also:

Module 9 (27 Oct) -- ASCRIPTIVE DISTINCTIONS I: SEX/GENDER

Women's Educational and Occupational Achievements

Several of the following readings have technical parts.  However the substantive contribution can often be gleaned without entering the technical parts.

See also ***

 

Module 10 (3 Nov) -- DISCUSSION OF STUDENT PROJECTS

Discussion of paper/presentation projects.

Module 11 (10 Nov) -- ASCRIPTIVE DISTINCTIONS II: RACE & ETHNICITY

a.  Classical Perspectives on race & Ethnicity in the US

b.  The Black-White Test Score Gap

****** See also:

The following is a recent debate about race differences:
Commentaries immediately following previous article by: Response by Rushton & Jensen: The following readings are out of place; I am just hanging them there as we are not discussing labor markets this semester.

 

Module 12 (17 Nov) -- INEQUALITY & DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD SYSTEM: The Kuznets Curve & the Great U-Turn

I.  World System & the Kuznets Curve

A. The World System Approach
B.  The Kuznets Curve - Inequality and Development

II Current & Future Inequality Trends: The Great U-Turn?

A.  Inequality Trends in the US
B.  Inequality Trends in Advanced Industrial Societies
****** See also I -- World System & the Kuznets Curve:

****** See also II -- Inequality Trends in Advanced Industrial Societies

Module 13 (1 Dec) -- STUDENT PRESENTATIONS


Last modified 13 Nov 2006