Social stratification and social class: Finding and knowing your place
SOCI2002
CPD-LG.08
10:30 - 12:20
Wednesday
2nd semester
Lecture venue
Lecture time
Offer semester
Social stratification refers to the systematic ranking of people in a society based on a combination of group characteristics, with most obvious examples being class, gender, and race. Such a hierarchical ranking reflects unequal access to opportunities, resources, and rewards which are relatively scarce but widely desired in the society, including but not limited to education, income, property, prestige, power, status, and health.
This course will draw on different sociological theories and a variety of empirical studies to provide insight into the system of social stratification and the (re)production of inequalities in the contemporary world.
Although there is no prerequisite for this course, students who have taken introductory Sociology courses will feel more comfortable when dealing with the readings and lecture materials.
understand what stratification is, why it matters, and how it works;
explain and critique basic concepts and theories of class and inequality;
describe and discuss different forms of social inequality in both the local and global contexts, such as social class, gender, race/ethnicity/immigrant status, etc.;
apply the sociological tools covered to make sense of personal life chances and social mobility patterns in Hong Kong.
Tasks
Weighting
Attendance and participation
20%
Two short essays
20%
In-class presentation
20%
Examination
40%
Kerbo, H. R. (2012) Social stratification and inequality: class conflict in historical, comparative, and global perspective. 8th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Grusky, D. B. & Weisshaar, K. R. (2014) Social stratification: class, race, and gender in sociological perspective. 4th ed. New York, NY: Routledge.
