The Catholic University of America Department of Sociology                       

SOCIOLOGY 324-POWER, POVERTY AND JUSTICE
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN AMERICA

Spring Semester 2009, Monday-Wednesday-Friday 1:10-2:00, O'Boyle 109

Instructor: Dr. Sullins
Office: Aquinas Hall 116C	Office Hours: 12:30-1:00 MW or by appointment
Office Phone: (202) 319 - 5943	E-mail Address: Sullins@cua.edu

Course Description

This course explores the processes of social stratification and mobility in the United States society, i.e., the differential distribution of valued goods in society, and the social processes by which such inequality comes to be seen as legitimate, natural, or desirable.  The course proceeds by an examination and evaluation of the development and persistence of poverty and social inequality in the U.S.; the maintenance of the social elite; the "American Dream"; attaining educational and occupational success. Students are encouraged to develop their own conclusions regarding the major theoretical perspectives and theories in this field, both classical and contemporary, and the special contribution of Catholic social thought, through empirical inspection of the interlocking barriers to human equality of race, gender, intelligence, class and nationality. 

Required Texts

• Gilbert, Dennis. The American Class Structure (In An Age of Growing Inequality). 7^th ed. Wadsworth, 1998. Referenced in reading assignments as "Gilbert".
• Levine, Rhonda F. Social  Class and Stratification: Classic Statements and Theoretical Debates. 2nd ed. Rowman and Littlefield, 2006. Referenced in reading assignments as "Levine".

Other Required Readings

Selections from

• Morton Hunt, The Universe Within, Simon and Schuster, 1982.
• Talcott Parsons, Institutions and Social Evolution, U. of Chicago Press, 1986.
• Simmel, George, The Conflict in Modern Culture and Other Essays, Teacher's College Press, 1968.

Paper copies of all readings not in the required texts are available to borrow or for purchase at cost in the Sociology Office (Aquinas 116).  Most of them can also be downloaded from the course outline below by clicking on the name of the reading.

Course Goals

The goals of the course are to increase student understanding of the major concepts and processes relating to social stratification and mobility; with special application to economic disparity and the extremes of wealth and poverty; in conversation with proposals to ameliorate extremes or lessen disparity, and the particular teachings of Catholic social theory; and with emphasis on the particular context of the United States. These goals are pursued in service of the more general goals of a social science and liberal education at Catholic University.

Goals for Student Learning

At the end of this course, the student will be able to: 

1. describe the characteristics of the major social class, status and power divisions in American society.
2. identify the pertinent social processes and characteristics that influence class mobility and stability.
3. describe the "poor" and "rich" as social groups and the mechanisms that produce and maintain economic disparity in the U.S.
4. critically evaluate the major classic and contemporary theories explaining social stratification.
5. understand (better) her/his own class location and prospects for influencing her/his mobility.
6. articulate the unique contribution of Catholic social theory to the understanding of social stratification.
7. begin to develop, in light of the range of theories offered, her/his own ideal concept of the just or proper amount of stratification and equality in human society.

The attainment of these goals will be assessed by weekly quizzes and/or reflection papers, midcourse anonymous student feedback, term papers and presentations, and final exam essays (click to see the questions and exam expectations).

Course Requirements and Grade Percentage

• 20%        Quizzes (10 total)
• 15%         Synthesis Papers (3 total)
• 20%        Term Paper                                         
• 5%           Class Presentation                                         
• 20%        Class Attendance/Participation
• 20%        Final Exam 

Quizzes.  These will be given almost every week, on Monday.   Exceptions are noted on the syllabus.  Each quiz will cover reading, lecture and class discussion materials since the previous quiz.

Synthesis Papers.  Three papers are assigned on questions that help you to reflect, analyze and synthesize course materials.  These three papers should each be no more than 5 pages in length and demonstrate thoughtful analysis of the reading materials assigned for each question. 

Term Paper and Class Presentation:  The term paper must be a minimum of 20 pages and will be graded on the basis of research, analysis and writing quality.  In the term paper you are encouraged to develop and state your own thesis in the light of previous research.  During the latter part of the semester, each student will make a presentation and lead subsequent class discussion on the topic of her/his term paper. To see detailed expectations and criteria for evaluating presentations, click here.

Final Exam:  Will be in-class essay.  Exam questions will be selected from a larger list of possibilities which you will receive in advance of the exam date.  The final exam will solicit thoughtful integration of all the course content from beginning to end.

Reading Assignments:  Study questions are provided for each week's reading material.  On Monday each week you will hand in either the answer to these questions or an abstract of that week's material.  This is due each Monday for the upcoming week's (not previous week's) readings.

Your study question answers or abstract will be graded as check, check-plus, check-minus, or zero.  A check means acceptable work, all but a few weekly papers will receive a check; check-minus is unacceptable work, and constitutes an invitation to re-do the assignment and hand it in again until you get a check; check-plus is very outstanding or impressively good work, and is rarely given; zero means the assignment was not handed in.  Checks may not be redone for a higher score.  These will affect your total course percentage score as follows:  checks will have no effect; each check-plus will add 1%; each check-minus will subtract 1%; each zero will subtract 2%.  At the end of the semester the lowest reading assignment score will be dropped.

Exams:  The midterms and final exam will be in-class essay.  Exam questions will be selected from a larger list of possibilities which you will receive in advance of the exam date.  Midterms will focus only on those readings and topics on which you have not been previously tested.  The final exam will solicit thoughtful integration of all the course content from beginning to end.

Paper Option:  In place of either or both midterms you may choose to do a paper or project analyzing an issue or topic of your interest related to the material of the course.  The topic and media must be approved by the instructor prior to producing the paper, no less than two weeks prior to the exam.  The paper must be a minimum of 10 pages per midterm replaced and will be graded on the basis of research, analysis and writing quality.  It is due at the beginning of the exam class period.  In the paper you are encouraged to develop and state your own thesis in the light of previous research.

Roll is taken every class period, and your attendance grade is reduced proportionately for every class or class portion missed.

For more details see my general policies on grading, assignments and exams.

COURSE OUTLINE

WEEK OF                                             READINGS/ASSIGNMENTS/COMMENTS

January 12 Orienting Concepts	LK 3-26, The Sociological Eye; Gilbert 1-11
Why Inequality? - Social Theories
January 19 Class-ic Considerations	Plato, Republic (excerpt); 1/17: CUA Holiday 1/19 Quiz (normally on Monday)
January 26 Class-ic Considerations, continued	Hobbes,  Leviathan (excerpt)
February 2 Marxism vs. Functionalism	Domhoff 1-14; Levine 47-48 (Marx); 93-116 (Davis and Moore; Tumin) Stratitopia simulation instructions.
Describing Social Inequality
February 9 Social Class and Social Structure	Levine 49-62 (Weber); Gilbert 11-22 (85-114: but this will not be on the quiz) 02/9  Question 1 due.  No quiz. American Profile Poster exercise.
February 16 Social Structure, cont'd	Levine 67-92 (Warner, Meeker and Eells); Gilbert 23-84
February 23 The Power Elite	Gilbert 179-227; Domhoff 116-156
March 2	Spring Break.
March 9 The Underclass	Gilbert 148-178; JP 235-273 (Jargowsky and Bane, "Ghetto Poverty in the United States")
March 16 Class and Style	Gilbert 93-121
Why Inequality? - Who gets Ahead
March 23 Mobility, Education and Class Inheritance	03/23  Question 2 due.  No quiz.   Gilbert 122-147
March 30 Race	Levine 203-232 (W.E.B. DuBois, Cox and W.J. Wilson)
April 6 Intelligence	Bell Curve 29-61; 91-115; Bell Curve 317-368 04/10 Good Friday.  No class.

April 13 Gender	04/13  Easter Monday. No class. Levine 171-192; Farrell 3-19 (MR)
April 20 Special Topic:  Amish Society	1.  Wasao and Donnermeyer, Amish Parity, pp. 235-237 only. 2. Web to the Amish Studies Resource Site at Elizabethtown College.  Read "Frequently Asked Questions" and all the topics under "Social Organization" and "Cultural Practices". 4/23  Pennsylvania Amish Field Trip 4/24 No class.  Feast of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen.
April 27 Is Inequality Growing?	04/20 Amish topic paper due.  No quiz. Gilbert 228-240 Compendium of Catholic Social Doctrine, Excerpts on Economic Life
May 4	Term Paper Due by 5 p.m. on May 4. Final Examination as scheduled by the Registrar.

Please note the following policies and items of importance:

• It is important that assigned readings be completed before class time on Monday of the week due.  Class lectures, discussion and exercises will all assume that they have been read.  Quizzes will be given every Monday (except where indicated) to assess retention of  assigned readings and previous lecture material.   Quizzes will always and only cover all material since the previous quiz.

• Items noted as "Reserve" will be sold at cost by the Sociology Department Office, Room 116 in Aquinas Hall.  

• Occasionally the course schedule may be subject to change due to unforeseeable circumstances.  Advance notice, as much as possible, will be given of all changes both in class and on this web page.  The student is responsible to discover anything that has been both announced in class and posted to this page.
• During spare tire week I reserve the right to assign additional readings not yet noted on the syllabus.
• I have left the midterm exam study guides from a previous class up in order to give you an idea of the types of questions they contain.  Your exam questions are likely to be similar, but they will not be the same.  Updated questions for each exam will be posted at least two weeks prior to the exam.  The study guides are clearly marked as to which semester they pertain to.
• Accommodations for students with learning disabilities.  CUA policy states:  "Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss specific needs. Please contact Disability Support Services (at 202 319-5211, room 207 Pryzbyla Center ) to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. To read about the services and policies, please visit the website: http://disabilitysupport.cua.edu."
• Academic honesty: CUA policy states:  Academic honesty is expected of all CUA students. Faculty are required to initiate the imposition of sanctions when they find violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism, improper use of a student’s own work, cheating, and fabrication.  The following sanctions are presented in the University procedures related to Student Academic Dishonesty (from http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrityprocedures.cfm): “The presumed sanction for undergraduate students for academic dishonesty will be failure for the course. There may be circumstances, however, where, perhaps because of an undergraduate student’s past record, a more serious sanction, such as suspension or expulsion, would be appropriate. In the context of graduate studies, the expectations for academic honesty are greater, and therefore the presumed sanction for dishonesty is likely to be more severe, e.g., expulsion. ...In the more unusual case, mitigating circumstances may exist that would warrant a lesser sanction than the presumed sanction.”  Please review the complete texts of the University policy and procedures regarding Student Academic Dishonesty, including requirements for appeals, at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrity.cfm and http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrity.cfm. "

• The University grading system is available at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad//gradesfull.cfm#II for undergraduates and http://policies.cua.edu/academicgrad//gradesfull.cfm#iii for graduate students.   Reports of interim and final grades in courses are available on http://cardinalstation.cua.edu .

 

Resource links you may find helpful:

A course like ours with lots of videos:  http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/~wood/332/332schedule.htm

Check out EarthCovenant, devoted to soil development in the Sahel.
Check out Dr. Sullins' other course, The Human Condition.