SOC 422 - Inequality + Society
Winter 2013
Section 001: B030 JFSB on M W F from 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
Name: Ben Gibbs
Office Location: 2032 JFSB
Office Hours: M W F 9am-11am
Email: benjamin_gibbs@byu.edu
Course Information
Description
Where does inequality come from? Why are some people ahead and some people behind? We will explore to
what extent material inequalities are the product of family background, opportunities, biology and agency. To
begin, we will cover classical and contemporary statements about class inequality then, turn our attention to the
processes (rules of allocation) that create inequality. We will cover ascriptive characteristics (class, race,
gender, place) and focus on a new field of inequality research examining cognitive skill development in early
childhood. Throughout the course, you will be working on a research paper. You will conduct your own
research to investigate student attitudes about where inequality comes. Connecting what you find to national
patterns and the course material, you will weigh in on whether there is evidence that family background and
other factors influences the explanations we develop to explain inequality. We will conclude the course talking
about the link between inequality and social distance.
Material
Item
Vendor
Price
(new)
Price
(used)
BYU
Bookstore
$17.95
$13.50
BYU
Bookstore
$14.95
$11.25
BYU
Bookstore
$18.00
$13.50
The Mismeasure of Man (Revised & Expanded) Required
by Gould, Stephen Jay
W. W. Norton & Company;Edition 2
ISBN: 9780393314250
Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change
Harlem and America Required
by Tough, Paul
Mariner Books;Edition Reprint
ISBN: 9780547247960
The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature
Required
by Pinker, Steven
Penguin Books;Edition Reprint
ISBN: 9780142003343
Grading Scale
Grade
Percent
A
93% to 100%
A-
90% to 92%
B+
87% to 89%
B
83% to 86%
B-
80% to 82%
C+
77% to 79%
C
73% to 76%
C-
70% to 72%
D+
67% to 69%
D
63% to 66%
D-
60% to 62%
E
0% to 59%
Assignment Descriptions
Reading Summaries
Due: Wednesday, Apr 24 at 11:59 pm
Before every class period, you will post a summary of each reading. You will summarize the main points, report
key findings, and provide a short (one sentence) reaction to the reading. You must include paper numbers
(p.24) to provide a reference to your main points and key findings throughout your summary.
Post your summary of the reading or readings under "Digital Dialog," and be careful here, you then click
"Individual Discussion" (NOT THE GROUP DISCUSSION). Write all your summaries first in a Word document,
and then post so that you have a backup (in case Learning Suites crashes). This will also give you a document
with all your summaries. You can use this to help write your research paper.
Here is an example of how to write your summary:
"Lorber explained how gender is very much socially constructed and therefore different from sex which is
biologically constructed (320). Instead, gender is process through which people categorize others and
organize their lives (319). Dividing people into categories is a necessary part of life so division of labor and the
allocation of resources is possible. Gender is a important part of the stratification system and creates norms
that say men are better than women (322). Gender differences have made men more valuable to
society. Lorber also explains that gender is a process that defines and creates differences between men and
women (322). What makes a person male or female? The gender norms, which have been created to
categorize people, constrict people to be masculine or feminine (320). Lastly, Lorber describes gender as a
structure (323). Gender divides the work and gives authority. Lorber explains that gender matters because it
creates inequality. Being male is better than being female even though these categories are based on social
norms and not sex. This is an interesting reading because it shows why gender norms are such a problem in
society. I do question if everything is associated with gender are just social norms. Maybe girls, naturally, like
baby dolls because they are more nurturing in nature. It's hard to make that distinction."
Midterm (Parts 1-3)
In testing center from Monday Feb 11th to the end of the day Wednesday, Feb 13 (no late fee)
This exam will cover parts 1-3. There will be approximately 75 multiple choice and 2 essay questions. A study guide
will be provided about 1 week before the exam, including 6 potential essay questions (I will randomly select 2).
Midterm (Parts 4-6)
In testing center from Thursday April 11th to the end of the day Friday April 12th (no late fee)
This exam will cover parts 4-6. There will be approximately 75 multiple choice and 2 essay questions. A study guide
will be provided about 1 week before the exam, including 6 potential essay questions (I will randomly select 2).
Final (Part 7)
In class, Wednesday, Apr 24 B030 JFSB from 7am-10am
The final is cumulative. It will only cover part 7 with knowledge of general themes of the course required. It will
consist of 2 essay questions.
Where Does Inequality Come From?
Due: Tuesday, Apr 16 at 5:00 pm (hand in to sociology department secretaries by 5pm 2008 JFSB)
Description of Assignment
Does your social background influence how you explain inequality? To answer this question, you (along with
the class) will conduct 20 interviews with students on campus. We will combine our surveys for a dataset of all
surveys collected from each class member. You will use the same survey questions already developed from a
nationwide poll and compare student answers with national averages. Next, you will run basic analysis to
answer the thesis question. Do you find patterns? If so, why? If not, what does the absence of patterns
suggest? Then, you will examine answers to 2 open ended questions and 2 original questions you’ve created
to look for additional insight. You will frame your paper to compare, contrast, and reconcile class literature with
your findings.
Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to know—in-depth—issues association with inequality and learn the
mechanics of scholarly production. You will understand the literature surrounding a thesis question, learn to
develop a strategy to understand the question, learn to apply a question to basic analyses of data, and how to
report results. Most importantly, you will develop skills in generating clear answers/conclusion to complex
questions and data. In sum, you will do sociology.
See assignment details under "Content"
Digital Dialogue
Extra credit (up to 10 points or 1% of grade). Answer discussion prompt question on-line before the start of
class in class day.
Point Breakdown
Assignments
Percent of Grade
Reading Summaries
10% (100 points)
Midterm (Parts 1-3)
25% (250 points)
Midterm (Parts 4-6)
25% (250 points)
Final (Part 7)
10% (100 points)
Where Does Inequality Come From?
30% (300 points)
Total
Extra Credit: Digital Dialogue
100% (1000 points)
1% (10 points)
Schedule
M - Jan 07
W - Jan 09
Welcome
PART ONE: What is
social stratification?
Is inequality functional?
Davis and Moore "Some Principles of Stratification"
Auyero and Swistun "Amidst Garbage and Poison: An Essay
on Polluted Peoples and Places"
F - Jan 11
David Grusky "The Past, Present, and Future of Social
Inequality" in the Grusky Reader Pp. 3-15
M - Jan 14
David Grusky "The Past, Present, and Future of Social
Inequality" in the Grusky Reader Pp. 15-31
W - Jan 16
PART TWO: Classical
and Contemporary
Views on Class
Wright "Class Counts" pp. 48-51
Weber "Class, Status, Party" in the Inequality Reader
F - Jan 18
M - Jan 21
Marx "Classes in Capitalism and Pre-Capitalism" in the
Inequality Reader
Martin Luther King Jr.
Holiday
No Class
Lareau "Introduction" (p.3-19, skip the section "The Chapter:
What Do They Show")
W - Jan 23
Does class exist?
F - Jan 25
PART THREE:
Categories of Inequality
Kingston "Framing the Issue"
Dalton Conley "Reading Class Between the Lines: A Reflection
on Why We Should Stick to Folk Concepts of Social Class" in
Social Class: How Does It Work?
Douglas Massey "How Social Stratification Works" in
Categorically Unequal
William Julius Wilson "Jobless Poverty" in the Inequality
Reader
M - Jan 28
Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton "American Apartheid" in
the Inequality Reader
W - Jan 30
William Julius Wilson "The Declining Significance of Race" in
the Inequality Reader
F - Feb 01
Sharkey "The Intergenerational Transmission of Context"
M - Feb 04
Levitt and Venkatesh "An Economic Analysis of a Drug-Selling
Gang's Finances"
Judith Lorber "The Social Construction of Gender" in
the Inequality Reader
W - Feb 06
Gerson and Jacobs "The Work-Home Crunch"
Pinker "Gender"
Edin and Reed "Why Don't They Just Get Married?"
F - Feb 08
Lisa Belkin "The Opt-Out Revolution" in the Inequality Reader
Review (Midterm in Testing Center 11th-12th)
M - Feb 11
W - Feb 13
PART FOUR: Biology
and Inequality
Gould Chapter 1 "Introduction"
Gould Chapter 2 "American Polygeny and Craniometry before
Darwin"
F - Feb 15
M - Feb 18
Presidents Day Holiday
T - Feb 19
Monday Instruction
Gould Chapter 3 "Measuring Heads"
W - Feb 20
Gould Chapter 4 "Measuring Bodies"
F - Feb 22
Gould Chapter 5 "The Hereditarian Theory of IQ" Pp. 176-222
M - Feb 25
Gould Chapter 5 "The Hereditarian Theory of IQ" Pp. 222-263
W - Feb 27
Gould Chapter 7 "A Positive Conclusion"
F - Mar 01
Pinker Chapter 1 "The Official Theory"
Pinker Chapter 2 "Silly Putty"
M - Mar 04
Pinker Chapter 3 "The Last Wall to Fall"
Pinker Chapter 6 "Political Scientists"
W - Mar 06
F - Mar 08
Individual vs. Group
Individual and Group Reading
M - Mar 11
PART FIVE: Parenting
and Inequality
Herrnstein and Murray Chapter 13
Gould "Critique of the Bell Curve" Pp. 367-378
David Brooks "Bobos in Paradise" in the Inequality Reader
W - Mar 13
Levitt and Dubner "What Makes a Perfect Parent?"
Lareau "Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childrearing in
Black Families and White Families"
F - Mar 15
Pinker "Children"
Douglas Downey and Benjamin Gibbs "How Schools Really
Matter" in the Contexts Reader
M - Mar 18
Heckman "Skill Formation and The Economics of Investing in
Disadvantaged Children"
Leger "The Moynihan Report, a Retrospective"
W - Mar 20
Benjamin Gibbs and Douglas Downey "When and Why Does
the Black/White Gap in Cognitive Skills Emerge?"
Class Projects
F - Mar 22
M - Mar 25
Literature Review DUE at start of class
PART SIX: Whatever It
Takes
Tough Chapter 1 "The Lottery"
Tough Chapter 2 "Unequal Childhoods"
Tough Chapter 3 "Baby College"
W - Mar 27
Tough Chapter 4 "Contamination"
Tough Chapter 5 "Battle Mode" and Chapter 6 "Bad Apples"
F - Mar 29
Gladwell "Marita's Bargain"
M - Apr 01
Class Projects
W - Apr 03
Tough Chapter 7 "Last Chance" and Chapter 8 "The Conveyor
Belt"
F - Apr 05
Tough Chapter 9 "Escape Velocity" and Chapter 10
"Graduation"
Tough Chapter 11 "What Would It Take?"
M - Apr 08
T - Apr 09
Tough "How To Build Character"
Review 8-9pm JFSB B030 (unless room not available)
Midterm in testing center April 11th and 12th
W - Apr 10
PART SEVEN: Inequality
and Social
Responsibility
F - Apr 12
No Class
Kenworthy "Is Equality Feasible?"
Freidman "The Social Responsibility of a Business is to
Increase Its Profits"
Bauman "The Uniqueness and Normality of the Holocaust"
(No class today but read early to incorporate into final paper)
We will cover Bauman Reading
Inequality in the Scriptures (bring verses from scriptural
sources and be ready to talk about what they mean in light of
what we have learned in the class)
M - Apr 15
Final Papers Due (in my box 2008 JFSB by 5pm, hand to
secretaries).
T - Apr 16
W - Apr 17
Th - Apr 18
Final Exam:
W - Apr 24
B030 JFSB
7:00am - 10:00am
Honor Code
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their
academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in
fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the
course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress
and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective
learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and my own expectation in class, that each
student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have
questions about those standards.
Sexual Harassment
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an
educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination
in education and pertains to admissions, academic and athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities.
Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees, other students, and visitors to
campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor or
contact one of the following: the Title IX Coordinator at 801-422-2130; the Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847;
the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895; or Ethics Point at http://www.ethicspoint.com, or 1-888-2381062 (24-hours).
Student Disability
Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably
accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to
complete this course successfully, please contact the University Accessibility Center (UAC), 2170 WSC or 4222767. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented
disabilities. The UAC can also assess students for learning, attention, and emotional concerns. Services are
coordinated with the student and instructor by the UAC. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been
unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established
grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB.