Beau Weston
Centre College
Spring 2014
Social Structure
(SOC 120)
Crounse 330 (x8789)
MWF 10:30 – 12:00 (Hub)
T 9:00 – 11:00 (office)
The stratified layers of power form the backbone of society. Race, gender, and, especially, class, shape the lives of individuals, families, communities, whole nations, and the world. The course studies how these social forces structure society and how leadership groups direct society as a whole through the social structure. While the social structure affects the micro, or face-to-face, level of society, this course will focus on macro, or society-wide, structures.
TEXTS
Books – in the bookstore; one copy on reserve in the library:
Dennis Gilbert, The American Class Structure in an Age of Growing Inequality 8 th ed.
Michael Schwalbe, Rigging the Game: How Inequality is Reproduced in Everyday Life
Susan Pinker, The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women, and the Real Gender Gap
Michael Barone, The New Americans: How the Melting Pot Can Work Again
Bill Bishop, The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us
Apart
Charles Kenny, Getting Better: Why Global Development is Succeeding – and How We
Can Improve the World Even More
Articles and chapters – available through Moodle (marked [M] in the syllabus):
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, “The Communist Manifesto”
Max Weber, “Class, Status, Party”
Neil G. Bennett, David E. Bloom, & Patricia H. Craig, “The Divergence of Black and
White Marriage Patterns.” American Journal of Sociology , 1989
Deborah Roempke Graefe and Daniel T. Lichter, “Marriage among Unwed Mothers:
Whites, Blacks and Hispanics Compared.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive
Health , 2002
Sarah R. Crissey, “Race/Ethnic Differences in the Marital Expectations of Adolescents:
The Role of Romantic Relationships.” Journal of Marriage and Family , 2005
Andrew Cherlin, “A Review: The Strange Career of the "Harvard-Yale Study." The
Public Opinion Quarterly , 1990.
Peggy McIntosh: “White Privilege and Male Privilege”
Austin Cline, “Christian Privileges in American Society”
Earlham College, “Daily Effects of Straight Privilege”
Allan Johnson: “Privilege, Power, Difference, and Us”
Annette Lareau, "Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childrearing in Black Families and White Families" 2002
Randall Collins, The Credential Society chapters – NOTE: not Moodle; multiple reserve copies. You will need to read a copy in the library, make a photocopy, or get a copy of the book some other way.

NOTE: Email will be the main way I will communicate with you outside of class, so please check it daily . All the documents that we give each other should be sent through
Moodle unless otherwise noted.
WORK
Participation [10% of final grade]
Final Examination [20%]
A comprehensive take-home essay of at least 2500 words, due at the scheduled time.
Class Structure Test [10%] An in-class test on class structure, based on Gilbert.
Main Point Presentation [5%]
One student per day will have five minutes to present the main point of that day’s reading, the author’s main supporting evidence, and one important comment of your own.
I will make a schedule of when you are to present, with upper-class students going first.
You may swap your place with someone else, but you are responsible for getting the main point presented well on your scheduled day. Before your presentation you should consult with me both about the presentation and about a group activity appropriate to learning that text. You should submit a document of at least 600 words by 10 p.m. the night before class with all of this written out. Do not read this document to the class, though, but present it, and prepare to take questions. Include a clear, one-sentence statement of the main point, which I will project to the class when you speak.
“How I Got My Job” paper [5%] Interview some employed adult, either one of your parents or someone their age, about how, exactly, they ended up in the job they have.
You will probably be describing a chain of jobs from first to now. We are interested in both formal training and job applications, on the one hand, and informal network connections, on the other. Be sure to ask, too, how much the quality of their work (as opposed to their connections) helped. Attend to the role of whatever privileges or disprivileges they have. Also, how did family factors affect the way they approached work, such as the class attitudes of the family they grew up in, or the needs and support of the family they made. In writing the paper, first, make a chronology. Then, relate the chronology to important family events. Married people tend to make career decisions together, and often a change is spurred by new family responsibilities, and/or made possible by other family members picking up the slack. At least 1500 words (probably more).
“Reading Research” paper [5%] A brief paper of at least 1500 words synthesizing the
“Harvard-Yale Study” and several related research articles. Append the three 'Five Basic
Questions' forms you generated.

Literature Review [15%] Read ten connected research articles on an aspect of social structure. Summarize their main points. Make an argument from the discourse among them. The idea is that if you were going to do a research project on this topic yourself, this exercise will help you master the relevant scholarly literature on the subject, and demonstrate that mastery. At least 2500 words. Plan to meet with me in groups of three or four before Spring Break to discuss your topic and ten articles.
Journal [30%] Write an entry after each class of 300 – 600 words, reflecting on what you are learning about social structure, how you see your place in that structure at the micro level, and how you think the social structure could be better shaped at the macro level.
Submit three entries together through Moodle every Monday night by 10 p.m. I will comment on each entry.
If you actually write each journal entry on the day of each class, your lives will be easier and the quality of your work will be better. You may skip five entries (one-day entries, not three-day journals). Note these skips in your journals, so we both know the omission is intentional.
Grading scheme:
60: Class notes only, or lame and sketchy reflections.
70: Reflections on class.
80: Reflections on the readings and class (include an important quote from the reading).
90: Reflections on the readings and class, plus some original connection.
SCHEDULE
2/5 Stratification: the Backbone of Society
2/7 Marx and Engels, “The Communist Manifesto.” Available through Moodle [M]
Weber, “Class, Status, Party” [http://www.unz.org/Pub/Politics-1944oct-00271]
2/10 Neil G. Bennett, David E. Bloom, & Patricia H. Craig, “The Divergence of Black and White Marriage Patterns.” American Journal of Sociology , 1989 (30) [M]
In class: we will work together on the Five Questions form
NOTE: bring a copy of the article with you.
Journal due 10pm (three entries: Wednesday, Friday, Monday)
2/12 Deborah Roempke Graefe and Daniel T. Lichter, “Marriage among Unwed
Mothers: Whites, Blacks and Hispanics Compared.” Perspectives on Sexual and
Reproductive Health , 2002 (10) [M]
Sarah R. Crissey, “Race/Ethnic Differences in the Marital Expectations of
Adolescents: The Role of Romantic Relationships.” Journal of Marriage and
Family , 2005 (10) [M]
Homework : Read these articles, then fill out a Five Questions form for each one.
Bring the forms to class.
2/14 Andrew Cherlin, “A Review: The Strange Career of the "Harvard-Yale Study."
The Public Opinion Quarterly , 1990. (10) [M]
Senior majors will lead small groups in discussing this essay and its relation to the

other three studies. [Weston out of town]
2/17 Gilbert, American Class Structure , chs. 1 & 2 (40pp)
Student-led Main Point presentations begin this day.
Journal due 10pm
2/19 Gilbert, American Class , 3 – 4 (65)
2/20 “Reading Research” paper due Thursday by 10pm. I urge you to meet with me in small groups to be sure you know how to write this synthesis paper.
2/21 Gilbert, American Class , 5 (30)
2/24 Gilbert, American Class , 6 - 9 (75)
Journal due 10pm
2/26 Gilbert, American Class , 10 & 11 (40)
2/28 Test
3/3 Peggy McIntosh: “White Privilege and Male Privilege” (15) [M]
Allan Johnson: “Privilege, Power, Difference, and Us” (10) [M]
In class we will also examine:
Austin Cline, “Christian Privileges in American Society” [M]
Earlham College, “Daily Effects of Straight Privilege” [M]
[ Privilege Exercise = Monday night at 9 ] Classes were cancelled due to ice!
SPECIAL: Journal due Tuesday 10pm
3/5 Annette Lareau, "Invisible Inequality” (20) [M]
3/7 Randall Collins, The Credential Society , chs. 3 & 5 (60) NOTE: Not on Moodle, but multiple copies on reserve. You may photocopy from the reserve books, or read them in the library (or get your own, of course).
3/10 Michael Schwalbe, Rigging The Game , chs. 1 & 2 (55)
Journal due 10pm. Privilege Semi-Exercise rescheduled, but voluntary.
3/12 Schwalbe, ch. 4 (40)
3/14 Schwalbe, ch. 6 (40)
3/16 “Got My Job” paper due Sunday by 5pm
3/17 Paul Fussell, Class , chs. 1 & 2 (50)
Journal due 10pm
3/19 Fussell, ch. 3 -5 (75)
3/21 Fussell, chs. 6 - 9 (75)
Before Break, schedule a meeting with me, in groups of three or four, to discuss potential articles for your Literature Review.
SPRING BREAK
3/31 “People Like Us” [Film, in class]
Journal due 10pm
4/2 Pinker, Sexual Paradox , Introduction, chs. 1 & 2 (60)
4/4 Pinker, chs. 3 & 4 (65)

4/7 Pinker, chs. 5 & 6 (60)
Journal due 10pm
4/9 Pinker, chs. 7 & 8 (50)
4/11 Susan Weston, guest speaker [Beau Weston to Viterbo University]
4/14 Pinker, chs. 9 & 10 (35)
Journal due 10pm
4/16 Derek Thompson, “The Biggest Myth About the Gender Wage Gap” (5) http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/05/the-biggest-myth-about-thegender-wage-gap/276367/
Sheryl Sandberg, “Why We Have So Few Women Leaders” TED Talk (20 min.) http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_lead ers.html
(watch as homework)
4/18 Barone, New Americans , Introduction (15)
4/21 Barone, New Americans , Part 1 (100)
Journal due 10pm
4/23 Barone, New Americans , Part 2 (80)
4/25 Barone, New Americans , Part 3 and Conclusion (90)
4/28 Bishop, Big Sort, Introduction and chs. 1 & 2 (60)
Journal due 10pm
4/30 Bishop, Big Sort, chs. 5 & 6 (55)
5/2 Bishop, Big Sort, chs. 7 & 9 (45)
5/4 Literature Review due Sunday by 5 p.m.
5/5 Kenny, Getting Better, Prologue, and chs. 1, 2, 4, 5 (60)
Journal due 10pm
5/7 Kenny, Getting Better, ch. 7 (35)
5/9 Kenny, Getting Better, chs. 9, 10 (30)
5/12 Class discussion: Where do I fit in the social structure, and what am I going to do with it?
Journal due 10pm
5/15 FINAL EXAM Take-home exam due 10:00 a.m. Starting at 10 I will show interesting videos, and we will eat Burke’s donuts.