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This course explores the origins and consequences of social inequality, probably the single most important aspect of any society in terms of the shaping of life chances and experience. The course focuses primarily on inequalities rooted in the economic order--those associated with social class--but it addresses as well the interrelations between class and other forms of inequality, notably race and gender. The course is divided into a series of modules. Each course module will not only have a unique substantive focus, but a skill-building one as well. The course is designed to provide training and experience in a range of methods and skills, as well as mastery of a central content area in sociology. Particular emphasis will be placed on good writing and clear thinking--probably the two most important skills you can carry forth from Rutgers. Prerequisites: 920.207 and 920.301 (highly recommended).

This course is being offered at an extraordinary time: On the one hand, the combination of the foreclosure crisis, the broader financial crisis, and the real possibility of a worldwide depressiion is both calling into question a great deal of conventional wisdom about inequality and at the same time posing a very uncertain and worrisome future. On the other hand, a new presidential administration may offer for the first time in a generation the possibility of a new approach to inequality and to the kinds of policies that have fueled the increasing inequality of the past 25 years. It is only natural that we will want to monitor these events as the course proceeds, examining their implications for the central issues in this course.

Four paperback books have been ordered at the Campus Bookstore and will be read in this course:

Chuck Collins and Felice Yeskel, Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality and Insecurity (New Press, Revised Edition, 2005). This book documents the growing inequality in the U.S. and explores the reasons for it. Illustrated with excellent graphics and polemical in style, it should be read, like all books, with a critical eye.

Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America (Henry Holt, 2001). A sociologically-informed journalistic account of the life of the working poor.

Elijah Anderson, Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City (W.W. Norton,1999). This acclaimed ethnographic study of street life in Philadelphia explores how the new poverty has produced violence which often overwhelms public spaces in poor areas.

G. William Domhoff, Who Rules America? Power and Politics (Mayfield, 5th ed., 2006). This text provides a richly-textured analysis of the interrelations of economic and political stratification in the U.S.

There will be various online readings as well. All students should register (for free) at the New York Times website if they have not already done so, since registration is necessary to access some of the readings. All students are encouraged to read relevant material in the Times on a regular basis.

This course will make occasional use of the course management system, Sakai, for selected online tasks, including access to copyrighted materials, grade posting, and occasional discussion on the bulletin boards.

MicroCase CP, the statistical and dataset software package used across the sociology and criminal justice curriculum, will be used in this course. It is expected that students will be familiar with the student version of the program used in the introductory and methods courses. Any students taking this course without having taken 920:301 are expected to take the responsibility to familiarize themselves with the program and with the basic methods of quantitatve data analysis. Special tutorial assistance will be available for those who need it. MicroCase CP is available in all the campus labs in the Statistics folder. The MicroCase software program and the relevant data files will be available for downloading in Sakai as well.

You may expect from me: careful preparation for each class; availability and readiness to assist students to do well in the course; timely and fair grading of assignments and exams; and respectful treatment of students. In turn I expect from you: 1) regular attendance and participation in class; 2) completion of the reading for the class for which it is assigned and readiness to discuss it; 3) respect for the opinions of other students; 4) on-time completion of work--with notice in advance if you are unable for legitimate reasons to meet an assigned deadline or take a scheduled test. Please remember that the Rutgers-Camden catalog states that for every hour of class time, students are expected to put in two hours of work outside of class. I expect this.

Office Hours and Tutorial Assistance

Office: Room 211, 405-7 Cooper Street (enter from campus side via white porch).
Because of my tight teaching schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I ask students who wish to see me to schedule an appointment by emailing me or by talking to me before or after class (I am available to meet on other days, but these will vary). I encourage questions and other communications by email; my email address is wood@camden.rutgers.edu. However, please do not email me questions whose answers are easily available at the course website. My homepage is at http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/~wood/