Sociology 331: Social Class and Inequality

Course Dates & Location:
M & W, 2:10-3:30 p.m.
162 Heady Hall

Instructor:
Dr. G. Jones Johnson
202 East Hall, 515-294-2947, gjj@iastate.edu
Office Hours:T, W & TR 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. & by appointment

Objective of Course:
The goal is to familiarize students with the many ways that sociologists and others have put forth to account for the origins, persistence and consequences of socio-economic inequality (social class and poverty) in America.  It examines sociological theories of inequality and stratification, as well as empirical investigations of the institutions and processes by which social rewards and resources are differentially distributed.  While the main focus is the examination and analysis of patterns and trends in poverty, class, race, gender inequality  and immigration in contemporary U.S., the material includes a description of historical patterns, social change, and global economic inequality.  The policy implications of the various theoretical perspectives and empirical findings will be discussed.

Required Readings:
1.   Leonard Beeghley. 2007. The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States. 5th ed. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
2.   Barbara Ehrenreich. 2002. Nickeled & Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America.  NY: Wheeler Publisher, Inc.
3.   Edward W. Morris. 2006. An Unexpected Minority: White Kids in an Urban School. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
4.   Alexander Portes & Ruben Rumbaut. 2006 (3rd ed). Immigrant America: A Portrait. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
5.   Roberta Rehner Iversen & Annie Laurie Armstrong. 2006. Jobs Aren’t Enough: Toward a New Economic Mobility for Low-Income Families. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
6.   Michael D. Yates. 2007. More Unequal: Aspects of Class in the United States. New York: Monthly Review Press.