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 2

Contacting your TA  Office Hours: Friday 11:15-12:15pm  Office: Room 333, 725 Spadina Ave  3

Contacting Me  Office Hours: Wednesday10:00-12:00pm or by appointment  Office: Room 333, 725 Spadina Ave   Homepage:  I will only address questions on the material face-to-face during office hours or by appointment (I will not do it over ). is the best way to arrange appointments, however. 4

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. 5

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 6

Three important themes:  How has income inequality has changed in Canada?  Who has been most affected?  Why has income inequality changed so dramatically? 7

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  Gini coefficient grew from 0.37 in 1980 to 0.45 by

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. 9

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 $

Top one percent of earners’ share of total income 11

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. 12

Inequality in Canada,

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. 14

Required Texts Grabb, Edward and Neil Guppy (eds.) 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. 15

Course Requirements (1)  You will be evaluated on three requirements: 1.First in-class test (October 25 th ) –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 Second in-class test (November 29 th ) –Worth 30% of your final grade –110 minutes to complete it –Mostly (if not all) multiple choice questions –Covers material from Nov. 1-Nov

Course Requirements (2) 3.Short Essay (Due November 22 th 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. ― centres/arts-and-science 17

Course Requirements (3) Opportunity for bonus marks: Up to a 3% increase on your essay grade. By November 1 st, present a well thought through paper outline to your T.A. (during office hours). Specific requirements T.B.A. 18

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. 19

Course Schedule  Be sure to consult the course schedule for weekly readings  If you lose your syllabus, another one can be obtained at:  Next week: The Welfare State: Theories and Implications. Readings are posted on Blackboard. 20