Syllabus
Americans, it is often said, don’t think in terms of social class. Ours is supposed to be a classless society, and public discussions of class, as such, are rare except in generic terms, like the "American Dream." Class conflict is almost always portrayed as a highly undesirable situation. Our political culture encourages everyone to think of themselves as "middle class." None the less, Americans do experience social class — through family, work, leisure, and participation in, or exclusion from, public life. We are going to explore the sociological study of class stratification, in order to get some sense of the way our lives and contemporary institutions are structured by class-based inequality, including how race, ethnicity and gender intersect with economic inequality. We will look at both social theory and empirical studies of class phenomena.
Grading will consist of four parts: (a) a community profile (worth up to 20 points); (b) a term paper (worth up to 40 points); (c) online discussion forums (worth up to 20 points); and, (d) in-class group exercises (worth up to 20 points).
The community profile is an essay based on data collected from the U.S. Census and other sources for a particular neighborhood. It will include a field study of the way that social class structures life in the neighborhood, as well as a structural analysis of the class character of the community.
The term paper will combine theory and empirical research on a topic relating to class stratification. The essay must include at least three sources from our common readings and at least five additional sources, including journal articles, book chapters, and reports from government agencies. The term paper must identify a sociological question about social class stratification and then synthesize the sources in an attempt to answer that question.
The online discussion forums will require regular contributions on topics relating to the readings as well as current events. Every week, there will be one or more forum to participate in. Students earn one point for responding to questions I pose, a second point for responding to comments from another student, and a third point for making especially insightful comments.
The in-class group exercises are collaborative reflections on the material under discussion. Each is worth two points. Since these exercises are linked to in-class discussions, if you miss a meeting in which one of the assignments occurs, there is no opportunity to make up the points.
Grades will be assigned according to the following scale: 100-98 = A+, 97-93 = A, 92-90 = A-, 89-86 = B+, 85-82 = B, 81-80 = B-, 79-75 = C+, and 74-70 = C.
Our required texts include:
1) The American Class Structure in an Age of Growing Inequality, by Dennis Gilbert. Pine Forge, 2008. [ISBN 978-1-4129-5414-3]
2) Readings in Social Class Stratification, a custom reader, available in the bookstore.
Consult the Brooklyn College Bulletin and the university policy [PDF] for regulations regarding academic integrity. If you submit work for credit that is not your own, you will receive a zero on that assignment. Academic dishonesty is grounds for failure in the course. Additional penalties may result, at the discretion of the college.
