Social Strat: Past, Pres,

This is an undergraduate seminar in social inequality and mobility. Social inequality is broadly defined as the unequal distribution of scarce resources and of the processes by which these resources are allocated to individuals, groups, and populations. The study of inequality en-compasses income and wealth inequality, socioeconomic hierarchies and privileges, poverty and unemployment, social mobility over the life course and across generations, inequality in the educational system, race-ethnic and gender inequality, globalization and the future of work, beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of inequality and opportunity, neighborhood segregation, and the consequences of inequality and policy interventions. Over this semester, we will investigate such questions as: How likely are individuals to end up in the same social stratum as their par-ents? Will globalization and automation exacerbate or reduce inequality in workplace? Is there growing inequality in the U.S. and around the globe and, if so, why? In this class, we cover the concepts, theories, facts, and methods of analysis used by sociologists to understand social inequality and mobility. This course takes most of its examples from the contemporary U.S., but we will place U.S. in historical and comparative perspectives as well.