Lecture 1.1
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS FALL 2014
SOCI 3330 SOCIAL STRATIFICATION Professor Milan Zafirovski An Introduction to the Study of Social Inequality MAIN CONCEPTS
1. Main questions in social stratification what is and why social inequality types of social inequality economic inequality--wealth and the rich in society political inequality--power and the powerful in society cultural inequality--prestige and status groups racial, ethnic, and gender inequality--race, ethnicity and gender in society conservation and/or change of inequality how to study social stratification societal comparisons--comparing modern societies historical perspective--traditionalism vs. modernity objective approach--facts and values freedom of inquiry, doubt and critique objectives--description, explanation, prediction sociological imagination--personal troubles vs. social issues 2. Basic stratification notions social differentiation and stratification occupational and cultural diversity unequal resource distribution workers farmers students soldiers scientists doctors/lawyers doctors/lawyers scientists soldiers students farmers workers bases and dimensions of social stratification wealth, income power, domination status, prestige types and systems of social stratification--societal hierarchies classes political parties (power groups) status groups racial-ethnic groups gender groups age groups 3. Social stratification and life chances the inequality of condition (resources) and the inequality of life chances (opportunities) basic life chances economic life chances--wealth, the standard of living political life chances--influence, power, legal justice cultural life chances--education, social respect other life chances--health, life expectancy from the inequality of condition to the inequality of life chances 4. Conservation and change in social stratification forces of conservation and stability in social stratification culture--norms, values, education political power--individual and institutional power ideology--legitimacy and coercion, socialization, individualism, meritocracy changes in social stratification individual mobility--changes in class stratification group mobility--changes in collective hierarchies and ideologies relations between social equity and freedom justice and liberty in society Lecture 1.2
The American Class System MAIN CONCEPTS AND FACTS 1. Social classes economic groups wealth/income occupation/profession education/schooling socio-economic status lifestyles wealth and life style status groups and subcultures popular notions of America’s class structure low class consciousness--class and race/ethnicity in society middle-class society--a classless society 2. Examples of social classes—elements of class structure the upper class the upper-middle class the lower-middle class the working class the working poor the underclass 3. Income and wealth distribution income and its distribution family income--proportions of families by income median income--historical movements income fifths-- income and its distribution among parts of society the top class (5 and 1 percent) share in income other income differences--race, state/county, family structure wealth and its distribution wealth and its benefits the rich and the rest the super-rich and the rest economic inequality in historical perspective the post-war period recent times 4. Economic inequality in comparative perspective economic inequality in the US and underdeveloped countries rich-poor gaps economic inequality in the US and other developed societies comparative income inequality: national Gini indexes for income low-wage workers benefits, work conditions, economic (in)security economic differences between managers and