CLASS, STATUS AND POWER 4302.

001
The University of Texas at Dallas
(Fall, 2007)

Professor: Sheryl Skaggs, Ph.D. Lectures: T 4:00 – 6:45 PM

Office: GR 2.206 Room: SOM 2.804
Phone: 972-883-4460
E-Mail: slskaggs@utdallas.edu
Office Hours: Tues. 6:45 – 7:30 PM (or by appointment)

COURSE PREREQISITES:

SOC 1301: Introduction to Sociology OR

SOC 2319: Race, Gender and Class or SOC 3303: Social Theory

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

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.

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES:

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

1. understand the causes and consequences of social inequality through the examination of related theoretical concepts
and empirical research presented in course readings, films, and class discussions

2. assess ways in which particular social inequalities can be alleviated through policy application.

REQUIRED TEXT:

Social Inequality: Patterns and Processes. (Fourth Edition) Martin N. Marger. McGraw-Hill 2007.

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. (Readings not included in exam material
but required for Research Paper)

A Coursepack of Readings -- available through Off Campus Books (561 W. Campbell Rd., Ste. 201) 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, 6 pop quizzes
will be given comprising 10% 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.

*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.

• A 10-12 page research paper** (excluding a separate title page and reference page) will be required. The paper will
address an inequality topic of your choice (approved by the professor – see below for due date and details). You will
include the relevant literature on the topic (e.g., what research or similar research currently exists on your topic) and will
provide at least one sociological theory that helps explain why the inequality you have chosen exists. The final paper
will comprise 25% of the course grade and will be due in class (hardcopy version) on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007—NO
EXCEPTIONS. You must also submit an electronic version of your paper to http://turnitin.com no later than 10:00am
on November 21, 2007.
ƒ The class password is: power The course # is: 1943537

• A type-written one page summary (double spaced) of your basic topic will be due for approval by the professor on
Sept. 25, 2007. This will comprise 5% of your final grade.

• A detailed, type-written outline of your research paper along with a list of at least 5 citations you plan to use will be due
on October 23, 2006 (no late papers accepted). This will comprise 5% of your final grade.

• Lastly, each student will provide an oral in-class presentation on your research paper. The presentations will be
approximately 5 - 8 minutes in length and comprise 10% of your overall grade.

If you wish to use the same basic paper topic for two different courses, you will need to obtain permission from both
professors. Please be aware that it is generally not acceptable to turn in the same paper for two different courses.
 **Research papers will be evaluated for both content and style; that is, they should present relevant information in a
literate fashion. Remember, this is a formal academic paper, not a public interest article (e.g., Newsweek, Fortune,
etc.) or opinion paper. Your ideas should be primarily supported by existing academic literature (i.e., articles and 1 or 2
books) along with a few non-academic sources (no more than 2). If you choose, you may also include some reputable
statistics (e.g., government generated, research institution, etc.). Points will be deducted for misspellings, incorrect
punctuation and grammar, poor sentence structure, incoherent paragraphs and improper reference style (see below for
details). In other words, please 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 4 peer-reviewed journal articles).
o An exception to the website reference -- information obtained from a federal or state
government website will not be counted against your one website reference (e.g., the U.S.
Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, etc.).
• Papers should be typed and double-spaced—using 1” top and bottom margins and 1.25” left and
right.
• Either APA or ASA style for references are to be used. The references should be listed in a separate
section at the end of your paper. Your paper should be based on no less than 8 sources total.
o When citing references, please beware of plagiarism and incorrect format:
ƒ You must cite the reference for any idea, quotation, or factual information you get
from an article, book, or website.
ƒ Any statements copied directly from a source must be put in quotation marks (a
page number should also be included in the in-text reference that follows).
ƒ 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.
ƒ In the reference section, you should include the full citation (see attached
example).
ƒ If you are uncertain of the rules regarding proper citation, please ask the professor.

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/GRADING:

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.

COURSE-RELATED 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.
• 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.
GENERAL POLICIES

Field Trip Policies

Off-campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and University policies and
procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules and regulations may be found at
the website address http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm. Additional information is available
from the office of the school dean.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and
efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable
about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and
discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic
year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established due
process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas
System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook
of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-
6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to
obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students
are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or
whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of an academic
degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student
demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for enrollment or
the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule,
scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records.
Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is unacceptable and
will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the
resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between faculty/staff and students
through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in
an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T.
Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student
account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding
and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in
all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method
for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.
Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These dates and times are
published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to
handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the
proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class
once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the university’s
Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic
responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor,
supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual
faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that
level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the
matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the
School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the
Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The
decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all
involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the semester’s end and only
if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first
day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not
submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to those of their non-
disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday,
8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to eliminate
discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape
recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may be
substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes
enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university
may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation. Disability Services
provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and needs
accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office
hours.
Religious Holy Days
The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel to and
observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20,
Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence, preferably in
advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a
reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who
notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who
fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or
assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious holy day]
or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed
assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the
institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of
TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.
 TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Aug. 21: General Introduction

Aug. 28: Introduction to Social Inequality Marger, Chapter 1

Library Research Workshop – In Class

Sept. 4: Theories of Social Inequality Marger, Chapter 2

Stratification Systems Marger, Chapter 7 (pp. 175 – 189)

Sept. 11: Social Mobility Marger, Chapter 7 (pp. 189-202)

American Class System Marger, Chapter 3
Recommended: Galvan, Chapters 1& 2 (pp. 11-12)

Sept. 18: Film: People Like Us

Class Consciousness Coursepack: Rothman “Class Consciousness”
(exclude section on “Class Action”)

Sept. 25: Poverty Marger, Chapter 6

Film: To Render a Life Recommended: Galvan, Chapters 3 and 4
Paper Topic Summary Due

Oct. 2: Middle Classes Marger, Chapter 5 (pp. 106-top 122; bottom 133– 140)
The American Upper Class Coursepack: Domhoff “The American Upper Class”

Oct. 9: Power Elite Marger, Chapter 4 (pp. 79-100)

Recommended: Galvan, Chapter 8 and 11

Oct. 16: EXAM 1 -- You will need a Blue Book

Oct. 23: Inequality in Education Marger, Chapter 7 (pp. 202-209)

Coursepack: Kozol; Cookson
Film: I am a Promise
Paper Outline Due

Oct. 30: Aspirations and Attainment MacLeod: Ain’t No Makin It (chapters 1, 3-7)

Nov. 6: Aspirations and Attainment continued MacLeod: Ain’t No Makin It (chapters 9-11)

Nov. 13: Ideology and Legitimation of Inequality Marger, Chapter 8 (pp. 210-224)
Coursepack: Della Fave
Policy Coursepack: Fischer, et al. -- Chapter 5 (beginning w/ “Is
Inequality the Price of Growth?”); Chapter 6

Nov. 20: Class Presentations

Research Paper Due
(DO NOT FORGET TURNITIN.COM)

Nov. 27: Class Presentations

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.
 CLASS, STATUS AND POWER 4302.001
Fall, 2007

Research Paper Topic Examples:

1. Causes and consequences of low quality healthcare among the U.S. Hispanic population.
• You will need to consider how to discuss “quality” of healthcare. How does the
existing literature measure it? If there are several common ways, select the one
that you believe to be the most appropriate and explain in your paper why you
chose this particular measure.
• You may want to narrow your topic even more and select a particular group
within a population such as female Hispanics, male Hispanics, Hispanic children,
etc.

2. Do differences exist in SAT scores by social class?

• What are some of the key reasons why differences may exist?
• Are there certain areas of the SAT exam that differences are most evident?
• What are some major implications of these differences (e.g., how might this
impact access to good jobs over one’s lifetime)?

3. Do differences exist in high school drop-out rates among certain racial/ethnic groups?
• What are some reasons for these differences?
• What are key long-term consequences (e.g., unequal access to high quality jobs
which may perpetuate inequality among certain groups)?

4. Gender differences in professional occupations.

• Are some professional occupations more equal among men and women than
others? If so, which ones and why?
• What are the key reasons for potential differences?
• What is the extent of the differences?

Examples of citations (ASA style) as listed in the reference section of your paper:

Baldi, Stephen, and Debra Branch McBrier. 1997. “Do the Determinants of Promotion Differ
for Blacks and Whites?” Work and Occupations 24: 478-98.

Beiner, Theresa M. 1999. “What Will Diversity on the Bench Mean for Justice?” Michigan
Journal of Gender and Law 6:113-52.

Burstein, Paul. 1998. Discrimination, Jobs and Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Federal Judiciary Center. 2007. “The U.S. Courts of Appeals and the Federal Judiciary.”
Retrieved February 27, 2007 (http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf).

Hirschman, Charles. 1988. “Minorities in the Labor Market: Cyclical Patterns and Secular
Trends in Joblessness.” Pp. 63-85 in Divided Opportunities: Minorities, Poverty and
Social Policy, edited by G. Sandefur and M. Tienda. New York: Plenum Publishers.