Syllabus
First session: introduction
Definition of social inequality,
Dimensions and types of social inequality,
Second session: Sex and Gender Inequality
Third session: Measuring Inequality
Methods and indices for measuring socio-economic inequality; Critiques and limitations of different measurement approaches
Fourth session: classical Explanations of Inequality Socio-Economic Inequality
Karl Marx: Social class, capitalism, class relationship, and inequality (conflict perspective)
Max Weber: Social status, honor (prestige), political power, and social inequality
Fifth session: classical Explanations of Inequality Socio-Economic Inequality
Émile Durkheim: Division of Labour, functionalism and social inequality
Du Bois: the colonization, exploitation, domination of peoples of color and social inequality
Sixth session: contemporary explanations of Inequality Socio-Economic Inequality
Inequality as individual differences
Labor market theories of earnings inequality
Seventh session: contemporary explanations of Inequality Socio-Economic Inequality
Categorical inequality
The Social Construction of Categories
Eighth session: How Inequalities Persist
Durable inequality through categorizing: Emulation (Tilly, 2003)
Durable inequality through adaptation
Ninth session: socio-economic inequality from a symbolic interactionist perspective
How micro-interactions reflect and create unequal power dynamics
Tenth session: The Role of Education in Inequality:
Access to education and its impact on socio-economic status
Educational policies and their influence on equality of opportunity
Relevant concepts: social comparison, relative deprivation, social justice
Eleventh session: Identity, interactions, and inequalities
Twelfth: Policy Responses to Inequality
Welfare policies and social safety nets
Progressive taxation and wealth redistribution
Annotation
In this course, students will explore the concept of social inequality, examining its various aspects and forms, as well as its impacts on individuals and societies. Additionally, we will delve into relevant theories and approaches for understanding social inequality, and discuss the role that social institutions, including policymakers, play in shaping and addressing it.