Spring 2002 Thomas Burger

Seminar: Social Stratification (SOC 533)

Monday, 6:00-8:30, Faner 3410


Outline

The seminar will deal with selected topics in the study of social inequality; the main focus will be on conceptual and theoretical issues concerning class formation, political domination, and the categorical inferiorization of various population groups by hegemonic strata and groups. The seminar will provide descriptive background information about economic disparities in the contemporary United States and from there move to the presentation of Marxist and non-Marxist explanations of income and wealth inequalities and their social-structural significance.

There will be a discussion of the distinction between economic, political, and other kinds of power and of the practicability of differentiating between economic and other power systems. In the final portion of the seminar issues concerning the analysis of social status will be addressed. Various theories purporting to explain what the social denigration of specific subpopulations in a society is all about will be examined and critically assessed.



Week 1, January 14 Introduction

Week 2, January 28 Income Inequalities

Week 3, February 4 Wealth Inequalities

Week 4, February 11 Poverty, Taxation

Week 5, February 18 Explanations of Economic Inequality I:

Marx

Week 6, February 25 Explanations of Economic Inequality II:

Marx

Week 7, March 4 Explanations of Economic Inequality III:

Human Capital and Segmented Labor

Market Theories

Week 8, March 18 Political Domination I: Marxist

Approaches

Week 9, March 25 Political Domination II: Weber

Week 10, April 1 Social Status Measurement

Week 11, April 8 Explanations of Occupational Prestige

Differences: Davis & Moore, Shils, Veblen

Week 12, April 15 Social Distance and Exclusiveness:

Warner

Week 13, April 22 Cultural Capital: Bourdieu

Week 14, April 29 Social Honor

Requirements

(A) Readings. All seminar participants have to read the following books:

Hurst, Charles Social Inequality.

4^th ed., Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2001

Bourdieu, Pierre Distinction.

Harvard UP

Cambridge, 1984

Stewart. Framl Honor.

University of Chicago Press

Chicago, 1994

(B) Papers. Each student has to submit two (2) research papers of scholarly quality before the end of the semester. Each paper should present and critically assess a theory or theoretical debate surrounding a particular explanation, hypothesis, issue, or problem of conceptualization. One of the papers should deal with some aspect of Marxist theory, the other with the phenomenon of social honor. In each case the specific project is to be chosen by the student but must be approved by the instructor. Length of the paper: ca. 20pp.

Office Hours:Tuesday, Thursday 9:00-11:00

Wednesday 11:00-1:00

or by appointment.