Transcript Office Hours - Josh Curtis

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
 Email: [email protected]
3
Contacting Me
 Office Hours: Wednesday10:00-12:00pm or by
appointment
 Office: Room 333, 725 Spadina Ave
 Email: [email protected]
 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.
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 1980.
 Gini coefficient grew from 0.37 in 1980 to 0.45 by 2009.
8
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 $1700.
10
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, 1980-2010.
13
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.). 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.
15
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
16
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/writingcentres/arts-and-science
17
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.
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:
http://joshcurtispolisoc.com
 Next week: The Welfare State: Theories and
Implications. Readings are posted on Blackboard.
20