GENERAL
| SCHOOL | School of Economics and Political Science |
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| DEPARTMENT | Sociology |
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| Level of Study | Undergraduate |
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| COURSE CODE | 431082 |
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| COURSE TITLE | Social Stratification and Inequalities (S) |
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| Independent Teaching Activities |
Weekly Teaching Hours |
CREDIT UNITS |
| Lectures - assignments |
3 |
6 |
| TOTAL |
3 |
6 |
| Course Type | General Background |
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| Prerequisite Courses | No |
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| Teaching and Examination Language | Greek |
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| THE COURSE IS OFFERED TO ERASMUS STUDENTS | No |
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| Course Webpage (URL) | |
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(2) LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:
Understand, through the study of classical and contemporary approaches, the differentiated distribution of valuable goods and social privileges. Students are encouraged to think critically and discuss the following issues:
- Forms and sources of social inequality.
- Modern class structure and class schemes.
- Social mobility and social reproduction.
- Effects and consequences of class on people's lifestyle, patterns of association, life chances, political action, and subjective identity.
- The future of social stratification.
The course will combine lectures, presentations, and discussions. We hope that upon its completion, students will be able to understand and answer questions such as:
- What is social stratification?;
- What are the criteria used to study the social stratification of a society?;
- What defines the elite and social class? What theories of elites and social class do we have? Has class disappeared?;
- How have inequality and poverty changed in the world? What are the consequences of inequality at both the social and individual levels?;
- What are the special characteristics of the social stratification of the Greek
of society?;
General Capabilities
- Cultivation of reflective thought and critical thinking,
- Search, analysis and synthesis of data and information, also using the necessary tools: bibliographic search
- Project execution: individual or teamwork
- Working in an interdisciplinary environment
- Generation of new research ideas
- Respect for diversity and multiculturalism, demonstration of social, professional, and ethical responsibility and gender sensitivity
(3) COURSE CONTENT
Every human civilization develops a system of social stratification, which is shaped by a combination of ascribed and achieved characteristics. Race, gender, and social class constitute the most prominent examples. These characteristics influence an individual's position within the stratification system, which reflects both the advantages and limitations in access to scarce and desirable resources.
A person's position in the social hierarchy affects their life chances—such as income, education, family life, and health—depending on the degree of social inequality, the concentration of privilege, and whether the system is relatively open or closed. Furthermore, systems of social stratification vary over time and across societies.
In this course, we will examine the origins, development, reproduction, and consequences of social stratification and inequality. We will draw upon sociological theories and empirical research to shed light on the current state of the social stratification system as well as recent international trends.
Weekly Schedule
- Introduction – Social Class and Stratification in Late Modernity
- Classical Approaches – Marx VS Weber
- John Goldthorpe and Weberian Approaches
- E.O. Wright and Marxist Approaches
- Distinction by Pierre Bourdieu: Cultural Approaches
Midterm exam
- Piketty: Social Inequalities in the 21st Century (Konstantinos Dimopoulos)
- Poverty and Unemployment: the ‘Lower’ Classes
- The Case of the Middle Class
- Bourgeoisie and Elite (Konstantinos Dimopoulos)
- Class and Political Behavior
- Class Stratification in Greece (Part 1)
- Class Stratification in Greece (Part II)
- Conclusions – Are there still classes?;
(4) TEACHING & LEARNING METHODS – EVALUATION
| DELIVERY METHOD | Face to face |
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| Information and Communication Technologies |
- PowerPoint presentation,
- Display of supporting audiovisual material
- Support of the learning process through the e-class electronic platform
|
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| Activity |
Semester Workload |
| Lectures |
39 |
| Work |
39 |
| Standalone Study |
69 |
| Participation in exams |
3 |
| Course Summary |
150 |
Student Evaluation
| Process Description Evaluation |
- Attendance and Participation (10%)
- Midterm Exam (20%)
- Preparation and Presentation of a Project (20%)
- Final Exam (50%)
- Includes: Comparative evaluation of theories & critical evaluation of a specific case
They are listed and available on e-class
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(5) RECOMMENDED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Suggested Bibliography
- Atkinson T. Inequality: What can be done? Athens, Patakis
- Lytras And. The Bourgeoisie and Their World, Social Polarization in the 21st Century, Athens: Papazisis
- Poulantzas, N. (1984). Classes in Contemporary Capitalism, Athens: Themelio,
- Aranitou V. (2018), The middle class in Greece during the Memorandum era. Between collapse and resilience, Athens: Themelio.
- Sakellaropoulos, S. (2014) Crisis and Social Stratification in 21st Century Greece, Athens: Topos.
