CLASS, STATUS AND POWER 4302.

001
University of Texas at Dallas
(Spring, 2006)

Professor: Sheryl Skaggs, Ph.D. Lectures: W 12:00 – 2:45pm

Office: GR 2.206 Room: SOM 2.904
Phone: 972-883-4460
E-Mail: slskaggs@utdallas.edu
Office Hours: Wed. 3:00 – 3:45 PM (or by appointment)

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:

Why do some people have more than others – more power, money, opportunities, etc.? In this course we will explore the nature
and extent of inequality primarily in the U.S. While most of the material is based on contemporary society, the course will also
examine topics in a historical perspective. The course presents both sociological theories and empirical research. We will begin
the course by investigating inequality based on race, gender and class and then cover such topics as the American class system,
poverty, and social mobility. The goal of this course is to understand the causes and consequences of inequality and to assess
ways in which particular societal discrepancies can be alleviated.

REQUIRED TEXT:

Social Inequality: Patterns and Processes. (Third Edition) Martin N. Marger. McGraw-Hill 2005.

Ain’t No Makin’ It: Aspirations & Attainment in a Low-Income Neighborhood. Jay MacLeod. Westview Press 2004 (2nd edition
reissue).

Writing Literature Reviews. (Third Edition) Jose L. Galvan. Pyrczak Publishing 2006.

A Coursepack of Readings -- available through Off Campus Books (518 W. Campbell) and UTD Bookstore.
*You will be responsible for the material covered in these readings as well as from the above texts.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

• This course is, in part, structured around informed discussions of the reading materials and films. As such, attendance
is vital and will comprise 10% of your course grade.

• To “encourage” informed class discussions and to assist you in gauging your reading comprehension, 7 pop quizzes
will be given comprising 15% of your course grade (each quiz will be worth 10 points each). You will be allowed to drop
your two lowest quiz grades. Thus, no make-up quizzes will be given.

• There will also be one in-class examination* based on course readings, lectures, films and class discussions. The
exam will comprise 35% of your grade and will consist of a combination of short answer and essay questions.

• A 12-15 page (excluding a separate title page and reference page) research paper** will be required. The paper will
address an inequality topic of your choice (approved by the professor) and will require you to review the existing
literature and incorporate relevant theory that explains your specific issue. The paper will comprise 30% of the course
grade. A detailed, type-written overview of your research topic (minimum 2 pages double-spaced) along with a list of
citations will be due on March 15, 2006 (no late papers accepted). The final paper will be due in my office (hardcopy
only) no later than 12:00pm on April 24, 2006—NO EXCEPTIONS. You must also submit an electronic version of your
paper to http://turnitin.com no later than 2:00pm on April 24, 2006. The class password is: wealth.

• Lastly, each student will provide an oral in-class presentation on your research paper. The presentations will be
approximately 8-10 minutes in length and comprise 10% of your overall grade.
*Make-up exams will be permitted only under extreme documented circumstances. If a make-up exam is deemed necessary, it
will be your responsibility to contact the professor within 24 hours of the originally scheduled exam to make such arrangements.
The make-up exam will be given no later than one week following the originally scheduled exam. NO STUDENT WILL BE
ALLOWED TO MAKE-UP MORE THAN ONE EXAM.

**Papers will be evaluated for both content and style; that is, they should present relevant information in a literate fashion. Papers
should be typed and double-spaced—using 1” top and bottom margins and 1.25” left and right. Points will be deducted for
misspellings, incorrect punctuation and grammar, poor sentence structure, incoherent paragraphs and improper reference style.
You should, therefore, proofread carefully. Use a staple to secure your paper—no binders or paper clips, please. Additional
requirements are as follows:
• A minimum of one sociological theory should be used to support your research question—see attached example.
• Only one website reference will be accepted; the remaining must be a combination of scholarly books or peer-reviewed
journal articles (must include no fewer than 5 peer-reviewed journal articles).
• Either APA or ASA style for references are to be used.

When citing references, please beware of plagiarism and incorrect format:

• You must cite the reference for any idea, quotation, or factual information you get from an article, book, or website.
• Any statements copied directly from a source must be put in quotation marks.
• If you are uncertain of the rules regarding proper citation, please ask the professor.
• To cite a source within the body of the paper, you may use either a footnote or a parenthetical reference such as (Brown
2000, p. 118) or (118: Brown 2000). You only need to use page numbers if it is a direct quote. Otherwise the author’s
name and year of publication will suffice.
• In the reference section, you should include the full citation.

If you need additional help with your writing, you should contact the writing lab in McDermott Library several weeks prior to the due
date.

COURSE EVALUATION:

Evaluation of the student will be based upon performance on examinations, class participation, attendance and a term paper. The
grade will be determined on a percentage of the total points earned. If the student earns 93% of total points or more, the grade
will be an A; 90% - 92% will be an A-; 87% - 89% = B+; 83% - 86% = B; 80% - 82 % = B-; 77% - 79% = C+; 73% - 76% = C;
70% - 72% = C-; 69% - 67% = D+, 66% - 63% = D, 62% - 60% = D-, 59% and below an F.

OTHER POLICIES:

• All students are expected to attend class on a regular basis. If for some reason you are unable to attend a class, it will
be your responsibility to obtain class notes, announcements, assignments and handouts prior to the next class session.
• Participation in class discussions is an important part of your grade but should remain relevant to the particular readings
and lecture materials.
• It is the responsibility of each student to formally drop the course if so desired. The instructor will not withdraw or drop a
student from the class for nonattendance.
• Students are expected to always be respectful of other’s opinions and beliefs in the classroom. Personal attacks and
racially/sexually harassing behaviors are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Anyone involved in such behaviors will
be asked to leave the class session.
• As a courtesy to your fellow students and professor, all cell phones should be turned off before class begins. If,
however, you are expecting an important call during class, you should place your phone on vibrate mode and find a seat
near the door for that session.

Students are expected to conform to the university policy for academic honesty. Absolutely no form of academic dishonesty
will be tolerated (i.e., cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records).

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: cheating on assignments or examinations, plagiarizing (misrepresenting
as your own work any part of work done by another), submitting the same assignment, or substantially similar assignments to
meet the requirements of more than one course without the approval of all instructors, working in conjunction with another
 student on your assignments or exams, depriving another student of necessary course materials, or interfering with another
student’s work. If in doubt about the ethics of your actions, consult the university catalog to see the stated policy. Violations
of this policy will be punished severely and according to the fullest extent of the policy.
TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Jan. 11: General Introduction

Jan. 18: Introduction to Social Inequality Marger, Chapters 1 & 2

Theories of Social Inequality

Jan. 25: Stratification Systems Marger, Chapter 7 (pp. 170-196), Chapter 3

Film: People Like Us
Galvan, Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 11 & 12)

Feb. 1: Class System continued Coursepack: Rothman

Marger, Chapter 4

Feb. 8: Poverty continued Film: To Render a Life

Middle Classes Marger, Chapter 5
Galvan, Chapters 3 and 4

Feb 15: Upper Class and Power Elite Marger, Chapter 6

Coursepack: Domhoff;
Galvan, Chapter 8 and 11

Feb 22: Inequality in Education Marger, Chapter 7 (pp. 196-201)

Coursepack: Kozol; Cookson
Film: I am a Promise

March 1: EXAM

March 8: SPRING BREAK!

March 15: Aspirations and Attainment MacLeod: Ain’t No Makin It (chapters 1, 3-7)
Paper Topic Summary Due

March 22: Aspirations and Attainment continued MacLeod: Ain’t No Makin It (chapters 9-11)

March 29: Ideology and Legitimation of Inequality Marger, Chapter 13

Coursepack: Della Fave

April 5: Policy Coursepack: Fischer, et al. Chapters 5-6

April 12: Class Presentations

April 19: Class Presentations

April 24: Research Papers Due no later than 12:00 PM in room GR 2.206