1. SOC 5203 - Social Stratification
Fall, 2016
Wednesday 4:00-6:45
MS 2.03.18
Instructor: Michael Miller Office Address: MS 4.01.26
Email: michael.miller@utsa.edu Office Hours: Wed 1:30-4:00
Required Readings and Multimedia:
All relevant materials for the course will be available online.
Course Description / Objectives:
SOC 5203 is a graduate seminar, centering on the nature, causes, and consequences of inequality and
social stratification. Particular attention will be devoted to understanding current inequalities in the U.S.
within the contexts of globalization and economic reorganization. Various theoretical/conceptual
frameworks for explaining unequal individual and collective outcomes will be examined and evaluated in
terms of their power to account for empirical evidence.
The primary course objective is to provide a prime opportunity to derive depth understanding of
inequality and stratification, and their impact on human well-being. This will be sought through reading
and media assignments, class presentations, discussions, and papers.
A secondary objective is to enhance student critical evaluation and communication skills. As a seminar,
students should be prepared for every class to lead discussion on readings and media assignments. Two
discussion leaders will be randomly selected at the beginning of each class, and all students are expected
to respond critically to assignments and discussion leaders’ interpretations.
An additional objective is to develop facility at working within the online environment. Such learning is
not only essential for the course, but will also have relevance for graduate training and professional work.
Evaluation Sources:
Exams. Two exams, a mid-term and a final, will be given over the semester. Each exam will consist of
five to seven essay questions, and will be administered on a take-home basis. While you may employ
books, articles, videos, etc. in addressing exam questions, I ask you to provide references to such sources
at the end of each question. You will have a week to complete the exam. We will then meet as a class on
the exam due date, and review and discuss question responses. The mid-term exam is due on October 19,
and will account for 20 percent of your final grade. The final exam is due on December 7, and will
account for 25 percent of your final grade.
Research Paper Assignments. You are to submit two research papers for the course. All students must
address Topic 1. For the second paper, you may select either 2a or 2b.
2. Papers must be typed, double-spaced, and employ standard fonts and font sizes (11 or 12). Limit grammatical errors
and misspellings through careful editing before submission. (Third-party editorial assistance is permitted.) Do not
use a binder of any sort (staple in upper left corner).
Topic 1. You and Your Family: Stratification and Mobility over Historical Time.
The focus of this brief assignment (4-6 pages) is an intergenerational description of your family's position in
stratification hierarchies. Specifically, identify your position in the hierarchy, and that of your parent(s). Then move
back in historical time to your grandparents on both mother's and father's sides, and successively to earlier
generations, if possible. In developing your narrative, identify and discuss relatives' positions in terms of relevant
indicators of stratification. Likewise, pay particular attention to addressing issues of social mobility within historical
contexts. Be sure to consider the ideas that have been outlined in class relative to social mobility. The paper is due in
class on September 28 and will account for 10 percent of your final grade. Also during the September 28 class, you
are to provide an oral overview to the class summarizing your most compelling findings.
Visit these sites for resources and tips about conducting family research:
https://www.usa.gov/genealogy
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/lifestyle/family-history/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10289710/How-to-write-a-family-history.html
Topic 2a. Theory and Research on Determinants of Income Inequality. You are to develop a report (12-15 pages)
on one determinant of income inequality. Select a given determinant, and then locate and describe a particular theory
or theories that have employed this determinant to explain inequality. Next, identify and examine at least two
articles (recently published in mainstream journals) based on empirical research that have addressed this theory or
theories. Each article should be described in terms of purpose and nature of problem, sample, methods of data
collection and analysis, major findings, and major conclusions. These article components should in turn be critically
evaluated in terms of relevance and adequacy. Finally, you should generate conclusions about the present power of
this theory or particular theories, based on your evaluation of the two articles. A brief statement on what you intend
to research should be submitted to me by September 21. The paper is due in class on November 30 and will
account for 20 percent of your final grade (late submissions will be discounted 10 points each day late). Also during
the November 30 class, you are to provide an oral overview to the class about your research problem and your most
significant findings.
Topic 2b. Community Stratification Research Report. You are to develop a report (12-15 pages) on some aspect of
inequality/stratification within the context of San Antonio (or your community of residence if other than San
Antonio). Your report must be based on primary research (i.e., collecting your own data through direct observation,
in-depth interviews with key informants, content analysis, etc.) about the topic. A brief statement on what you intend
to research should be submitted to me by September 21. The final report (specifying the nature of your problem,
how you collected data, a description and analysis of findings, and what you can conclude from your evidence
relevant to your problem) is due on November 30 (late submissions will be discounted 10 points each day late), and
will account for 20 percent of your final grade. Also during the November 30 class, you are to provide an oral
overview to the class about your research problem and your most significant findings.
Involvement in the Google+ Community. SOC5203/Fall2016 is the out-of-class center for sharing media
content relevant to our class that has recently appeared on the Internet. As a Google+ Community, our site
is a private destination available only to those enrolled in our class. You are required to participate in this
Community by contributing at least 1 post and 3 comments to other students’ posts every week. This
component will constitute 15 percent of your final grade.
To participate in this community, you will need to do the following:
1. Generate a Gmail account (to create account, go to https://accounts.google.com/SignUp). If you already
have a Google email account, please create another for class purposes. The address for your account should
be lastname.firstname5203@gmail.com.
(Example: my Gmail address is miller.michael5203@gmail.com.)
2. To request an invitation to join our Google+ Community, SOC5203/Fall2016, please email your request
from your new Gmail account to me at miller.michael5203@gmail.com under the following subject
title: SOC 5203 - REQUEST TO JOIN
3. 3. I will then reply to your email by sending you an invitation to join.
4. Respond to my email by joining.
Once registered, you will then have the opportunity to participate in our Community by virtue of following this
process:
1. On a weekly basis (from Thursday 12:00 AM to the following Wednesday 9:00 AM), post at least 1
entry about a class-relevant piece of Internet media content (news story, documentary film, video clip,
image, slideshow, information graphic, interactive, etc.) relevant to course topics to our Google+
Community. All posts should include (a) the URL for the media, (b) a brief summary (3-4 sentences)
describing the media content, (c) an explanation of how it is relevant to a particular course concept, and (d)
a hashtag appropriate to subject classification.
a. If you are interested in revising for extra-credit, then contact me via Gmail about your
post, and ask me to provide relevant feedback about it to you.
b. Revise the write-up by taking my comments and suggestions into consideration.
c. Submit your revised post to me via Gmail for re-posting as an "Extra-Credit Awardee"
in our Google+ Community.
d. Assuming that you have met my recommendations re revision, I will then re-post your
piece as an "Extra-Credit Awardee" in our Google+ Community. Each post that is
accepted for re-posting as an awardee will add 1 point to your final average score for the
course (you may receive up to 10 extra-credit points over the semester).
2. Also on a weekly basis (from Thursday 9:00 AM to Wednesday 2:00 PM), you are required to write 3
comments to other students’ posts made that week. Comments should be of a substantive nature in reaction
to original posts.
Awardee posts will appear in my personal social stratification blog SoUnequal, and students who submit awardee
posts will also be encouraged to submit their work to a website with significant public visibility, The Sociological
Cinema (TSC). The following are a few extra-credit awardee posts from recent undergraduate classes published in
TSC:
http://www.thesociologicalcinema.com/videos/the-race-and-class-politics-of-gentrification
http://www.thesociologicalcinema.com/videos/news-censorship-and-the-koch-brothers
http://www.thesociologicalcinema.com/videos/prestige-in-pink
http://www.thesociologicalcinema.com/videos/critiques-of-labels
Class Participation. The quality and quantity of your involvement in the seminar over the semester will
constitute 10 percent of your final grade. In this regard, evaluation will particularly center on the quality
of your participation as a discussion leader, and the quality and frequency of your contributions to class
discussion. Absences certainly will count against your participation grade.
Evaluation Bases %
Mid-Term Exam 20
Final Exam 25
Research Paper – 1 10
Research Paper – 2 20
Google+ Community 15
Class Participation 10
Total 100
Grading Scale:
All work and final grade should be interpreted on the following basis:
A = > 89 B = 80 – 89 C = 70 – 79 D = 60 – 69 F = < 60
4. Student Contributions:
The course requires your active involvement. At the minimum, you are expected to cover assignments
prior to class, attend all classes, participate actively in class, and submit papers and exams on time. To
facilitate your success, consider the following suggestions:
1. Do not be a “spectator.” Your success in the class will be proportional to your classroom
engagement. This is your class—actively participate. Ask questions, share experiences, offer
opinions... Get to know other students (exchange phone numbers, email addresses, etc.).
2. Read/watch/listen to assigned materials before each topic is addressed. It should be helpful to
take notes as you address Internet readings and watch and/or listen to video/audio programs.
3. Should you have any concern or problem that is affecting, or may affect, your learning experience
or academic status, please feel free to communicate with me about it. If my office hours are
inconvenient, you may arrange a conference at an alternative time. Note: all email
communication should be directed to michael.miller@utsa.edu
Additional Course Considerations:
1. Student Conduct: It is in your interest to become familiar with all rules concerning student
conduct, including those relevant to scholastic dishonesty (see section 203 of the The Student
Code of Conduct).
2. Use of Technology in Class: Avoid cell-phone embarrassment: turn-off or put on vibration
before class starts. The use of laptops and tablets is permitted only for course-related purposes.
3. Grade Reporting: All evaluated work (except the final exam) will be returned to you in class (no
one else may pick these up for you) or by Blackboard. Due to privacy law, grades cannot be
reported to you or anyone else by telephone, fax, or email. Grades will be made available to you
on your Blackboard account, and may be discussed with me during office hours or by
appointment.
4. Support Services: Support services, including registration assistance and equipment, are
available to those with documented disabilities through the Office of Disability Services.
5. Drop Procedure: Should you decide to withdraw from the class, be sure to follow appropriate
administrative procedure. The deadline to drop an individual course is October 25.
Copyright and Fair Use. Copying, displaying, and distributing copyrighted works may infringe the
owner's copyright. The University of Texas System's policy statement on Fair Use of Copyrighted
Materials can help you determine whether your use of a copyrighted work may be an infringement
(http://copyright.lib.utexas.edu/copypol2.html). Any use of computer or duplication facilities by students,
faculty, or staff for infringing use of copyrighted works is subject to appropriate disciplinary action as
well as those civil remedies and criminal penalties provided by federal law. Copyright law applies to the
Internet, which contains a mixture of copyrighted and non-copyrighted materials. An item does not have
to display a statement of copyright to be copyrighted. It is assumed that an item is copyrighted until
otherwise determined. For more information, see the University of Texas System Office of General
Counsel web site (http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/). A printed copy is also available at
the Reference, Circulation and Multimedia Center service desks in the Library. For local guidance, please
contact the UTSA Library at 210.458.7506 and check information provided at
http://libguides.utsa.edu/copyright.
Syllabus and Course Changes. I reserve the right to revise the syllabus over the semester as deemed
necessary. It is your responsibility to check Blackboard for updates or corrections. Any
5. changes/corrections relevant to course materials, exam or assignment dates, or other updates will be
posted in the "announcements" section in Blackboard.
