SOC 422 - Inequality + Society
Fall 2012
Section 001: B030 JFSB on M W F from 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
Name: Ben Gibbs
Office Phone: 801-422-8284 (2-8284 on campus)
Office Location: 2032 JFSB
Email: benjamin_gibbs@byu.edu
Office Hours: M,W 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Course Information
Description
Where does inequality come from? Why are some people ahead and some people are behind? We will explore
to what extent inequalities in resources and rewards observed in society are the product of one's background,
one's opportunities, one's biological inheritance, and one's agency. To do this we will cover broader classical
and contemporary statements on inequality then, in the middle of the course, turn our attention to cognitive skill
development in early childhood.
Texts and Materials
Item
Vendor
Price (new) Price (used)
BLANK SLATE Required
by S, PINKER,
ISBN: 9780142003343
BYU Bookstore
$18.00
$13.50
BYU Bookstore
$17.95
$13.50
BYU Bookstore
$14.95
$11.25
MISMEASURE OF MAN Required
by S, GOULD,
Edition 2
ISBN: 9780393314250
WHATEVER IT TAKES Required
by P, TOUGH,
ISBN: 9780547247960
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
Midterm (30% of grade)
Due: Saturday, Oct 20 at 5:00 pm
Around 50 multiple choice and 2 essay exam questions
Final (30% of grade)
Due: Tuesday, Dec 11 at 2:30 pm
Around 50 multiple choice and 2 essay questions
Where Does Inequality Come From? (30% of grade)
Due: Wednesday, Dec 05 at 5:00 pm
The purpose of this assignment is to synthesize classical and contemporary readings on the topic of inequality.
You will be graded on your ability to develop the big picture from the readings and provide a succinct narrative
of how inequality works, weigh the available evidence, and consider moral perspectives and dilemmas
regarding what ought to be done about inequality. I look for content (25%), clarity (25%), style (25%) and
overall quality (25%). The following is a rough guideline to structure the paper. You are encouraged to
incorporate readings outside of the course material, especially readings from previous classes that give more
depth to the subject of inequality. Overall, this paper is intended to distill the content of the course, and then
extend to readings outside the course. In the page or two I encourage you to take a position on what are the
greatest inequalities sociologists need to focus on and more generally, how should we move forward in
research and in policy intervention.
Summaries (10% of grade)
Two page (single spaced) summaries of the part or parts of the course.
Part 1 and 2
Due: Monday, Sep 17 at 1:00 pm
Part 3 and 4
Due: Wednesday, Oct 17 at 1:00 pm
Part 5
Due: Wednesday, Nov 14 at 1:00 pm
Part 6
Due: Monday, Dec 03 at 1:00 pm
Point Breakdown
Assignments
Exams
Midterm
300
Final
300
Research Paper
Where Does Inequality Come From?
300
Two Page Summaries (Single Spaced)
Summary of Part 1 and 2
25
Summary of Part 3 and 4
25
Summary of Part 5
25
Summary of Part 6
25
Total
1000 points
Schedule
Date
Column Title
M - Aug 27
Welcome
W - Aug 29
PART ONE: What is social
stratification?
Labor Day Holiday
Douglas Massey "How Social Stratification Works" in
Categorically Unequal
W - Sep 05
F - Sep 07
David Grusky "The Past, Present, and Future of
Social Inequality" in the Grusky Reader Pp. 3-15
David Grusky "The Past, Present, and Future of
Social Inequality" in the Grusky Reader Pp. 15-31
F - Aug 31
M - Sep 03
Column Title
PART TWO: Classical and
Contemporary Views on Class
Marx "Classes in Capitalism and Pre-Capitalism" in
the Inequality Reader
M - Sep 10
Weber "Class, Status, Party" in the Inequality Reader
W - Sep 12
Amartya Sen "Equality of What?" in Inequality
Reexamined
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?
F - Sep 14
David Brooks "Bobos in Paradise" in the Inequality
Reader
M - Sep 17
PART THREE: Class, Race and
Gender
Summary of Part 1 and 2
W - Sep 19
John Iceland "Introduction" in Poverty in America
John Iceland "Early Views of Poverty in America" in
Poverty in America
John Iceland "Methods of Measuring Poverty" in
Poverty in America
Amartya Sen "Poor, Relatively Speaking"
Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton "American
Apartheid" in the Inequality Reader
F - Sep 21
William Julius Wilson "Jobless Poverty" in the
Inequality Reader
William Julias Wilson "The Declining Significance of
Race" in the Inequality Reader
Judith Lorber "The Social Construction of Gender" in
the Inequality Reader
M - Sep 24
W - Sep 26
Paula England "Devaluation and the Pay of
Comparable Male and Female Occupations" in the
Inequality Reader
Lisa Belkin "The Opt-Out Revolution" in the Inequality
Reader
Date
F - Sep 28
Column Title
PART FOUR: Mismeasure of Man
Column Title
Gould "Introduction to the Revised and Expanded
Edition"
M - Oct 01
Gould Chapter 1 "Introduction"
W - Oct 03
Gould Chapter 2 "American Polygeny and
Craniometry before Darwin"
F - Oct 05
Gould Chapter 3 "Measuring Heads"
M - Oct 08
Gould Chapter 4 "Measuring Bodies"
W - Oct 10
Gould Chapter 5 "The Hereditarian Theory of IQ" Pp.
176-222
F - Oct 12
Gould Chapter 5 "The Hereditarian Theory of IQ" Pp.
222-263
M - Oct 15
Gould Chapter 7 "A Positive Conclusion"
W - Oct 17
Midterm Opens
Summary of Part 3 and 4
F - Oct 19
Review
Sa - Oct 20
M - Oct 22
Gould "Critique of the Bell Curve" Pp. 367-390 in the
Revised and Expanded Edition
Midterm Closes
PART FIVE: The Blank Slate
Pinker Chapter 1 "The Official Theory"
W - Oct 24
Pinker Chapter 2 "Silly Putty"
F - Oct 26
Pinker Chapter 3 "The Last Wall to Fall"
M - Oct 29
Pinker Chapter 4 "Culture Vultures"
W - Oct 31
Pinker Chapter 5 "The Slate's Last Stand"
F - Nov 02
Pinker Chapter 6 "Political Scientists" and Chapter 7
"The Holy Trinity"
M - Nov 05
Pinker Chapter 8 "The Fear of Inequality"
W - Nov 07
Pinker Chapter 18 "Gender"
F - Nov 09
Pinker Chapter 19 "Children"
M - Nov 12
Pinker "The Voice of the Species" Pp. 421-434
W - Nov 14
F - Nov 16
PART SIX: Whatever It Takes
Tough Chapter 1 "The Lottery"
Summary of Part 5
Tough Chapter 2 "Unequal Childhoods"
Date
Column Title
Column Title
Tough Chapter 3 "Baby College"
M - Nov 19
T - Nov 20
Friday Instruction
W - Nov 21
No Classes
F - Nov 23
Thanksgiving Holiday
Tough Chapter 4 "Contamination"
M - Nov 26
Tough Chapter 5 "Battle Mode" and Chapter 6 "Bad
Apples"
W - Nov 28
Tough Chapter 7 "Last Chance" and Chapter 8 "The
Conveyor Belt"
F - Nov 30
Tough Chapter 9 "Escape Velocity" and Chapter 10
"Graduation"
M - Dec 03
Summary of Part 6
W - Dec 05
Where Does Inequality Come
From?
F - Dec 07
Exam Preparation Day
M - Dec 10
Final Exam:
B030 JFSB
T - Dec 11
2:30pm - 5:30pm
Final
W - Dec 12
F - Dec 14
Tough Chapter 11 "What Would It Take?"
Gibbs and Downey “When and Why Does the
Black/White Gap in Cognitive Skills Emerge?”
Downey and Gibbs “How Schools Really Matter” in
The Contexts Reader
University Policies
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.