| CODE | SOC2006 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Social Inequality | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Sociology | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Social inequality is a universal feature of human societies. Classical sociology referred to social inequality as stratification and tended to focus on social class issues when it came to studying systems of stable inequality. The study of unequal relationships has nowadays evolved. There are different theories and concepts related to stratification. Some of these theories will be analyzed in detail. In this course students engage with different variables that lead to social inequality, such as gender, race, ethnicity, age and disability. The discussion will also account for select consequences of inequality affecting lifestyle and opportunities (on an individual level); as well as broader society (poverty, crime, social movements). Topics covered: - Introduction – the study of inequality; - Classical theories of social inequality; - Contemporary theories of social inequality; - Researching social inequality; - Gender and social inequality; - Sexual orientation, gender identity and social inequality; - Age and social inequality; - Disability and social inequality; - Race, ethnicity and social inequality; - The individual's experience of social inequality (upward and downward social mobility, lifestyle and life chances); - Society's experience of social inequality (social stratification, social movements, social problems (crime, poverty) and social well-being). Study-unit Aims: The aims of the study-unit are that students gain: - An exposure to different classical and contemporary sociological perspectives on social inequality; - An exposure to basic considerations underpinning sociological research in the field of social inequality; - An insight into how variables of structure and agency, their intersections and interplay affect social inequality. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Restate and quote select sociological theories of social inequality; - Recognize the nature and dynamics of variables of structure and agency in the context of social inequality; - List basic considerations that underpin sociological research in the field of social inequality. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically evaluate select sociological theories of social inequality; - Interpret how intersections of and the interplay between variables of structure and variables of agency intersect affect social inequality; - Implement basic considerations with respect to sociological research in the field of social inequality. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Hurst, C.E. (2016 or any edition). Social Inequality: Forms, Causes, and Consequences. Oxon: Routledge. - Briguglio, M. & Brown, M. (Eds.). (2016). Sociology of the Maltese Islands. Malta: Miller. Supplementary Readings: - Brandt, M., Deindl, C. & Hank, K. (2012). Tracing the origins of successful aging: The role of childhood conditions and social inequality in explaining later life health. In Social Science & Medicine 74(9), 1418–1425. DOI 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.01.004 - Gondermann, T. (2007). Progression and retrogression: Herbert Spencer's explanations of social inequality. In History of the human sciences 20(3), 21-40. - Hajizadeh, M., Nandi, A. & Heymann, J. (2014). Social inequality in infant mortality: What explains variation across low and middle income countries? In Social Science & Medicine 101, 36–46. DOI 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.11.019. - Lareau, A. (2015). Cultural Knowledge and Social Inequality. In American Sociological Review 80(1), 1–27. DOI 10.1177/0003122414565814. - Marger, M.N. (2013 or any edition). Social inequality: Patterns and processes. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Education.Pavalko, E.K. & Caputo, J. (2013). Social Inequality and Health Across the Life Course. In American Behavioral Scientist 57(8), 1040–1056. - Ore, T. E. (2009). The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. - Turney, K. (2014). Incarceration and social inequality. In Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 651(1), 97 -101. DOI 10.1177/0002716213501273. - Walsemann, K. O., Gee, G.C. & Ro, A. (2013). Educational Attainment in the Context of Social Inequality: New Directions for Research on Education and Health. In American Behavioral Scientist 57(8), 1082–1104. - Weaver, K.S. & Vescio, T.K. (2015). The Justification of Social Inequality in Response to Masculinity Threats. In Sex Roles 72, 521–535. DOI 10.1007/s11199-015-0484-y. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Maria M. Brown |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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