Sociology 305-010
Dr. Elizabeth Higginbotham
ehiggin@udel.edu
Office Hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays
Fall, 2005
Smith Hall, Room 316
(302)-831-2681
Syllabus
Social Class Inequality
Social Stratification is a key aspect of the study of societies. This course will focus on
class inequality in the U.S., helping students gain familiarity with the history, the
language, different theoretical perspectives, and recent developments. During the class
we focus on different subgroups, particularly the working class, the poor, and the shifting
composition of elite groups. We will also explore how class inequality is linked to race,
gender, region, and others systems of inequality. Students should gain a firm
understanding of the institutions within the society that foster inequality as well as those
that support equalizing trends. Students can develop an accurate picture of the current
social class distributions in the nation, critical issues for different social class groups, and
the implication of that for social policy.
This course meets the Arts and Sciences criteria for a second writing course, therefore
students writing will be evaluating and returned. There will also be time spent in class on
writing issues.
Students’ performance will be evaluated in many ways. There are examinations and
writing assignments that will be graded and some that encourage you to reflect and write,
but these assignments are not graded. The first two writing assignments will be evaluated
and returned for you to revise them. They are due back two weeks after they are
returned, only then will they be graded. The writing suggestions should help you
improve your writing for subsequent papers, including your final paper. All assignments
are to be completed on time. The due dates are clearly marked on each assignment. If
you have trouble meeting the deadlines, please contact the instructor immediately.
Students are expected to be academically honest and abide by all the university policies
(e.g., no cheating, no plagiarism, and so forth).
Examinations: There is a mid-term examination and a final examination. Each
examination is worth 20% of the final grade.
Written Assignments: There are three writing assignments that will show your mastery
of the course material. The first assignment is worth 15% of your final grade and the
second and third are worth 20%.
Non-Graded Assignments: You will also do some writing that will be corrected, but not
graded. These assignments are reviewed, but not graded. Completing them will be 5%
of the final grade.
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Extra Credit: In addition, you can also receive extra credit for attending special events,
especially campus speakers who address issues of social class and inequality, including
stratification based on race, ethnicity, and gender. To get extra credit you have to write a
paragraph about what you learned from the event and your assessment of the
presentation. Depending upon your effort, you will get from 1 to 3 points to help your
final grade.
Attendance: You are required to attend the class. There will be many videos,
discussions, and group work that are critical to the learning. Attendance will be taken
and a poor attendance record can impact your final grade.
Reading: Students are expected to do the course readings prior to coming to class.
Think about the questions raised in the text or the syllabus and come to class ready to
discuss issues. There may be quizzes to help you keep on track with the readings
assignments.
Texts: We will primarily be readings from four books (listed below). They will also be
reserve readings.
Jacqueline Jones, A Social History of the Laboring Classes. (Blackwell Publishers, 1999).
Dierdre Royster, The Invisible Hand
Thomas Shapiro, editor. Great Divides: Readings in Social Inequality in the United
States, third edition. (Mayfield Publishing Co., 2005).
Articles:
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Schedule
August 30
Quiz, Overview of Course Objectives and Goals, Review the Syllabus,
Ground Rules and Introductions.
Sept. 1
Social Class and Inequality: Deconstructing the American Dream:
Readings: “Introduction,” by Thomas Shapiro, pp. 1-6 and “Why
Inequality,” Claude Fisher, et. al., pp. 8-14 and Bennett Harrison and
Barry Bluestone, “The Crisis of the American Dream,” pp. 182-195 in
Great Divides edited by Thomas Shapiro.
Assignment: Non-graded Assignments # 1: Letters of Introduction Due
Sept. 6 Urban Realities: Social Location and Life Options
Readings: Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton, “The Continuing Causes
of Segregation,” pp. 249-265 and Jonathan Kozol, “The Savage
Inequalities of Public Education in New York,” pp. 404-421 in Great
Divides edited by Thomas Shapiro.
Video: “Children in the City,” Part I
Sept. 8
Rethinking our National Origins: A Land of Opportunity for Whom?
Readings: Jacqueline Jones, A Social History of the Laboring Classes,
Introduction and Chapter 1-3, pp. 1-88.
Sept. 13
Northern Industrialization: Linking History and Theory
Readings: Jacqueline Jones, A Social History of the Laboring Classes,
Chapter 4, pp. 89-117 and Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, “Manifesto of
the Communist Party,” pp. 32-39 and Heidi Hartman, “Capitalism,
Patriarchy and Job Segregation by Sex,” pp. 49-53 in Great Divides ed. by
Thomas Shapiro.
Sept. 15
Racial Divisions in the Modern Economy
Readings: Jacqueline Jones, A Social History of the Laboring Classes,
Chapter 5, pp. 118-144 and W.E.B. DuBois, “The Problem of the
Twentieth Century is the Problem of the Color Line,” pp. 210-214 and
Michael Omi and Howard Winant, “Racial Formation” pp. 215-221 in
Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Sept. 20
The Beginning of the American Century
Readings: Jacqueline Jones, A Social History of the Laboring Classes,
Chapter 6, pp. 145-171 and Max Weber, “Class, Status and Power,” pp.
39-49 in Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Sept. 22
Economic Crisis and the New Deal
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Readings: Jacqueline Jones, A Social History of the Laboring Classes,
Chapter 7, pp. 172-203.
Sept. 27
The Depression Sweeps America
Video: The Great Depression, Part 2: The Road to Rock Bottom. Check
on the status of the film.
Distribute Non-graded assignment # 2
Sept. 29
Class and Power in the New World Order
Readings: Jacqueline Jones, A Social History of the Laboring Classes,
Chapter 8, pp. 204-232; C. Wright Mills, “The Structure of Power in
American Society,” pp. 142-149 and Eric Olin Wright, “A General
Framework for the Analysis of Class,” pp. 99-113 in Great Divides ed. by
Thomas Shapiro.
Non-graded assignment # 2 Due
Oct. 4
Economic Restructuring: Who Gains and Who Loses?
Readings: Douglas Massey, et. al., “New Migration, New Theories,” pp.
135-142; Frank Levy, “A Half Century of Incomes,” pp. 20-23; and
Edward Wolff, “Top Heavy,” pp. 23-29 in Great Divides ed. by Thomas
Shapiro.
Assignment # 1 Due: Inequality in Historical Perspective.
Oct. 6
Race and It’s Role in Social Inequality
Readings: Ronald Takaki, “A History of Multicultural America,” pp. 228238 and Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro, “Black Wealth/White
Wealth,” pp. 265-277 in Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Distribute Writing # 2 and Group Discussion
Oct. 11
Thinking about the Black Community: Stereotypes and Myths
Readings: Kathryn Neckerman and Joleen Kirschenman, “We’d Love to
Hire Them…” pp. 239-248 and Joe Feagin, “The Continued Significance
of Race,” pp. 278-286 in Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Review for Mid-term Examination
Oct. 13
Mid-term Examination
Oct. 18
Gender in the Modern Era
Readings: Barbara J. Risman, “Gender as Structure,” pp. 303-310 and
Michael Messer, "Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of
Masculinity,” pp. 337-347 in Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Group Discussions
Oct. 20
Poverty in the Modern Age
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Readings: John Schwarz and Thomas Volgy, “Economic self-sufficiency
in Present-Day America,” pp. 168-182; Herbert Gans, “The Uses of
Underservingness,” pp. 87-98 and Elijah Anderson, “Campaigning for
Respect,” 221-227 in Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Oct. 25
Education and Occupational Options
Readings: Diedre Royster, The Invisible Hand, Chapters
Oct. 26
Race and Networks and the persistence of Prejudice
Readings: Diedre Royster, The Invisible Hand, Chapters
Nov. 1
Social Mobility or Class Reproduction
Readings: Ralph Turner, “ Sponsored and Contest Mobility and the
School System,” pp. 73-78; Jay MacLeod, “Social Mobility and the Land
of Opportunity,” pp. 69-73; and Peter Cookson, Jr. and Caroline Persell,
“The Vital Link: Prep Schools and Higher Education” pp. 392-403 in
Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Nov. 3
Rethinking Intervention: Race or Class
Readings: Roger Waldinger, “The Ethnic Enclave Debate Revisited,” pp.
287-295 and William J. Wilson, “Racial Antagonisms and Race-Based
Social Policy,” pp. 295-300 in Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Writing Assignment # 2 Due
Nov. 8
Nov. 10
Race and Gender as Ingredients in Employment Patterns
Readings: Elizabeth Higginbotham, “Women and Work: Exploring Race,
Ethnicity and Class,” pp. 327-336 and Barbara Reskin and Irene Padavic,
“Women, Men and Work in the Twenty-First Century,” pp. 279-390 300
in Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Non-Graded Assignment # 3 Due
Nov. 15
Ideologies and the Media
Reading: Patricia Hill Collins, “Mammies, Matriarchs, and other
Controlling Images,” pp. 319-326 in 300 in Great Divides ed. by Thomas
Shapiro.
Nov. 17
Gateways to Privilege
Readings: G. William Domhoff, “The American Upper Class,” pp. 159167; Roslyn Arlin Mickelson, “Why Jane Reads and Writes of Well,” pp.
359-371; Ann Morrison, et. al. “The Ceiling and the Wall,: pp. 371-378 in
Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro and Richard Zweigenhaft and G.
William Domhoff, Diversity in the Power Elite, Introduction, pp. 1-10.
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Nov. 22
Nov. 23
Thanksgiving Holiday Break
Nov. 29
The New Elite: Accommodation or Social Change?
Readings: 1
William Bowen and Derek Bok, “The Shape of the River,” pp. 422-430 in
Great Divides ed. by Thomas Shapiro.
Dec. 1
Group Meetings to Prepare Oral Presentations on Social Class and
the Media
Dec. 7
Oral Presentations on Social Class and the Media
Writing Assignment # 3 Due
TBA
Final Examination