Sociology of Work
Exam #1
Readings covered:
 Sociology of Work text chapters 1-5
 Original essays by Marx, Weber and Braverman (distributed in class)
 Radicals of the Worst Sort chapters 3 and 4
Thinking sociologically
 The role of structure, culture and agency
The Sociology of Work (Chapter 1)
 Primacy of production thesis
 Impact of work on individual
o Master status
o Social networks
o Health
o Perceptions and cultural norms
 Impact of work on society (collective impact)
o Structures and norms
 Assumptions of sociologists of work – give examples of studies that exemplify
o Individuals embedded in societies and organizations
o Technology and markets shaped by social forces
o Informal relations can be at odds with formal expectations
o There exists within the structure of work a “hierarchy of credibility”
Theoretical Traditions in the Sociology of Work (Chapter 2 plus original essays)
 Classical Theorists
o Marx – alienation, species-being
o Weber – characteristics of ideal type of bureaucracy, advantages and
disadvantages of bureaucratic organization, traditional vs. charismatic vs.
bureaucratic authority
o Durkheim – mechanical vs. organic solidarity, anomie, functionalism
 Contemporary Theorists
o Industrial theorists – logic of industrialism, evolutionary theory (Kerr, Blauner)
o Braverman – deskilling, three aspects of deskilling
o Will NOT cover Postindustrial theory
Studying Workers and Work: Research Methods (Chapter 3)
 Methods for studying work from a sociological perspective – description and examples of
each method and advantages and disadvantages of each
o Official statistics
o Surveys
o Ethnographies
o Experiments
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Definitions and measurement of labor force, occupation, industry, unemployment
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau
Probability vs. non-probability sampling
Individual level vs. establishment level surveys
Occupational classifications
Tables of projections of occupational growth
Survey design and measurement
Standard Occupational Classification system
The Industrial Revolution and Beyond (Chapter 4)
 Timing of Industrial Revolution
 Material and cultural changes of Industrial Revolution
 Will NOT cover Luddism
 Impact of Industrial Revolution on family and gender roles
o Patriarchy
o Household unit of production
o Separation of work and home
o Separate spheres
o Male breadwinner norm/family wage idea
The Second Industrial Revolution: Mass Production (Chapter 5)
 Timing of mass production in United States
 Contrast between mass production and craft labor
 Taylorism and Scientific Management
 Ford and the assembly line
 Workers’ responses (connected to our discussion of Bread and Roses strike)
 Will NOT cover Personnel Management and Work Group (will cover later)
Work in Lowell and Lawrence at the turn of the century – and the Bread and Roses strike
 Characteristics of work and life in Lawrence
 Women’s roles in Lawrence before the strike
 Events of the strike itself
 Women’s role in the strike
 Role of IWW leaders in the strike
Short essay questions (two will be assigned):
1) Apply the theoretical perspective of [Marx, Weber, Durkheim or Braverman – my choice] to
the work of mill workers in Lawrence around 1900.
2) Identify and explain three material and three cultural changes that occurred during the
Industrial Revolution that made it “revolutionary.”
3) Explain how the Industrial Revolution affected family structures and gender roles.