Soc 220H1: Social Stratification

Josh Curtis

Department of Sociology

University of Toronto

Fall 2013

Goals of Today’s Class

1. Introduce the course Introduce your T.A., myself, and give contact information What is this course about? State of Inequality in Canada today

2. Important material from the course syllabus Required readings Requirements and expectations

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Contacting your TA

Office Hours: Friday 11:15-12:15pm

Office: Room 333, 725 Spadina Ave

Email: mitchell.mcivor@mail.utoronto.ca

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Contacting Me

Office Hours: Wednesday10:00-12:00pm or by appointment

Office: Room 333, 725 Spadina Ave

Email: josh.curtis@mail.utoronto.ca

Homepage: http://joshcurtispolisoc.com

I will only address questions on the material face-to-face during office hours or by appointment (I will not do it over email). Email is the best way to arrange appointments, however.

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Course Objectives (1)

Concerned with how both achieved and ascribed characteristics are related to social class and related economic outcomes

Primarily about the causes and consequences of social and economic inequality

How it has changed, who it has affected, and how governments and public opinion have responded and influenced it.

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Course Objectives (2)

We will be concerned mostly with large scale societal patterns rather than the inequality within small groups

Some material is general to modern democracies, but the course will concentrate largely on Canadian society

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Three important themes:

How has income inequality has changed in Canada?

Who has been most affected?

Why has income inequality changed so dramatically?

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Question for Class Discussion (1)

Has income inequality improved in Canada?

How does Canada compare to other modern economies?

Compared to similar countries, the level of income inequality in Canada has become relatively high since 1980.

Gini coefficient grew from 0.37 in 1980 to 0.45 by 2009.

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Question for Class Discussion (2)

Who has been affected by rising inequality?

The largest gains in incomes occurred at the very top of the income distribution.

The top 20 percent: Their share of total income increased from 40.4 percent to 46.3 percent during this 30-year period.

Overall, those in the middle of the income distribution were relatively unaffected.

There were greater consequences for the poor, however.

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Income Gains by Social Class

Class Differences:

The top 20 percent increase in their average income by $49,400 between 1980 and 2009 (from $128,500 to $177,900).

The bottom 80 percent saw an average increase of only $5,450.

The bottom 20 percent gained only $1700.

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Top one percent of earners’ share of total income

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Question for Class Discussion (3)

Why has income inequality grown?

1) Overall market inequality has risen.-globalization and the loss of high paying manufacturing jobs.

2) Top earners have experienced substantial gains.- Top 1% doubled their share of the market.

3) Changes in family structure.-the ‘traditional’ family has changed. The rise of dual income families.

4) Household debt has increased significantly.-From 86 to 149 % percent of household after tax income

5) Social policies have not keep up with market inequality.

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Inequality in Canada, 1980-2010.

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To summarize:

Inequality has risen dramatically since the 1980s.

The rich are getting richer.

It is largely affecting the lower classes, but there are also implications for the middle, too.

Government taxes have failed to keep pace with the rise in market earnings inequality.

Government initiatives have not matched public demand.

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Required Texts

Grabb, Edward and Neil Guppy (eds.). 2009. Social Inequality in Canada: Patterns, Problems, and Policies, 5th Edition. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall.

SOC220H1 Coursepack. Posted On-line

Text is available in the University of Toronto Bookstore

The syllabus outlines the required readings for each week. I recommend that you do them before attending class.

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Course Requirements (1)

You will be evaluated on three requirements:

1. First in-class test (October 25th)

– Worth 40% of your final grade

– 110 minutes to complete it

– Mostly (if not all) multiple choice questions but perhaps some short answer

– Covers material from Sept. 13-Oct. 18.

2. Second in-class test (November 29th)

– Worth 30% of your final grade

– 110 minutes to complete it

– Mostly (if not all) multiple choice questions

– Covers material from Nov. 1-Nov. 22

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Course Requirements (2)3. Short Essay (Due November 22th IN-CLASS)

― Worth 30% of your final grade― Must be on one of the weekly topics for the course

(see syllabus)― Must cite at least 15 academic sources― 6-8 pages (no less than 6; no more than 8) in length― Hard copies only—I will not even open an electronic

file― Some advice: start early, ask for advice during

office hours, have a clear research goal (support arguments with evidence), make sure the paper is clear and straight to the point.

― http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/writing-centres/arts-and-science

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Course Requirements (3)

Opportunity for bonus marks:

Up to a 3% increase on your essay grade.

By November 1st, present a well thought through paper outline to your T.A. (during office hours).

Specific requirements T.B.A.

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Guest Lectures

Every other week I will try to organize a guest lecture.

Goal: (1) Give you a sense of how sociologists study inequality; and (2a) help with you paper ideas; (2b) Show you how to approach a lit review/research project.

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Course Schedule

Be sure to consult the course schedule for weekly readings

If you lose your syllabus, another one can be obtained at:

http://joshcurtispolisoc.com

Next week: The Welfare State: Theories and Implications. Readings are posted on Blackboard.

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