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Social Stratification

Summer 2021

Course Details

Role
Instructor of Record
Term
Summer 2021
Location
University of California, Davis
Syllabus

Description

The goal of this class is to understand how the systems and organizations through which we live are daily lives systematically provide certain groups of people with privileges, while systematically disadvantaging other groups of peoples. We will approach the study of social stratification from an intersectional lens. The class will focus on how the systems we interact with both create new inequities and reinforce/uphold existing inequities in society. While in this class we will focus on just a few of the systems that we interact with on a regular basis, the goal for the class is that you will learn the tools to examine the role each system you encounter plays in stratifying people. We will focus on how these systems create inequities that people experience simultaneously based on their positionality through class, race, gender, sexuality, and more. Throughout this process we will pay attention to the systems of power that perpetrate these inequities. This class will be focused on social stratification within the United States, but course participants will become equipped with a toolkit to understand how systems of stratification shape people’s lives and create inequities throughout the world.

This class begins with an overview of theories of stratification and intersectionality. We will then use these theories to understand systems of stratification by class, race, and gender. Finally, we will examine how stratification works within government policies and programs.

Student Feedback

"Professor Stein was very accessible outside of class and answered both related and unrelated questions I had with attention to detail. It really felt like she wanted to cater towards my individual learning experience in this class, and I truly appreciate that. She's the best teacher I've had at Davis."
Social Stratification, Summer 2021
Student
"I found the course very educational. Before taking the course I was unaware of social stratification and as a minority myself I gained a better understanding as to why certain outcomes were happening to me. It is truly an awareness that needs to happen in America for a social change."
Social Stratification, Summer 2021
Student
"Considering summer session is only six weeks, students like myself can be easily overwhelmed with the amount of material we need to study; however, the instructor did an excellent job with organizing the material and assignments for this course. Students' understanding of the material was assessed fairly on a week to week basis. I am glad that we had weekly assignments because they encouraged me to stay on top of my work, rather than procrastinate and get bogged down with insignificant details. The presentation slides were always comprehensive and engaging (she also did a wonderful job with the aesthetics of the PowerPoint presentations; the slides were always appealing to the eyes.). I must say I was incredibly impressed by her teaching ability as a PhD candidate. I wished I had the opportunity to be her student again? As a student who is often hesitant and timid to approach any instructor, she was always approachable no matter the time of day...whether during and after Zoom sessions, via email, and via office hours."
Social Stratification, Summer 2021
Student
"I wanted to share my feedback on your course. Foremost, I had a wonderful experience being your student for the summer? I cannot believe this is your first course as an instructor. Your attention to detail, content organization, and presentation were exceptional. I had previously enrolled in this course last summer with another instructor; however, due to extenuating circumstances at my workplace as a hotel receptionist and housekeeper, I was unable to complete the course. Although the subject was the same, Social Stratification, your course is incomparable to my last summer class; moreover, it is incomparable to other courses I have taken as a fifth-year undergraduate student. As a student who is not a confident public speaker, I was very appreciative that you gave students the opportunity to actively participate in this course through alternative means, such as office hours and class activity reflections. I often encounter courses in which instructors overwhelm students with studying every theorist that has existed on this earth, every element of a system, multiple irrelevant readings, etc. Unfortunately, students are unable to effectively absorb the overwhelming amount of information and to make meaningful connections between course concepts, and in some cases, to our own personal experiences. However, you gave students the opportunity to do both; that is, understanding different systems of stratification beyond our personal experiences and how these systems shape our own lives on a daily basis and how we engage with them in turn. "
Social Stratification, Summer 2021
Student
"I appreciate the feedback that is provided and that we are pushed to think critically. It isn’t the easiest class because the expectations are high but it is rewarding because it challenges students to work hard and really out in effort."