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SOCI3070 – Social Inequality

2022 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Associate Professor of Sociology and Unit Convenor
Shaun Wilson
shaun.wilson@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email for quick consultations or Zoom appointments on request
Room C344, Level 3, 25C Wally's Walk
By email appointment or Zoom
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
The organisational and institutional dynamics of modern societies are powerful generators of social inequality and yet they equally generate resources through which inequalities can be identified and challenged. This unit explores the social mechanisms that drive inequalities and surveys the impact of socio-economic inequality on a wide range of areas of social life (gender, culture, employment, and the economy). The unit considers how sociological theory can explain the emergence and persistence of social inequalities, the normative conflicts and struggles that inequalities produce, and the ways social institutions overcome, respond or merely adapt to inequality. We conclude the unit by looking at whether democratic societies can survive widening socio-economic inequalities and how we might explain the improvement in some types of inequality and discrimination and the curious persistence of others.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: demonstrate an advanced understanding of the foundations, generative mechanisms and multi-dimensional nature of social inequality
  • ULO2: demonstrate an understanding of the technical and sociological measurement of inequality
  • ULO3: demonstrate an ability to interpret debates and policy, political and social-movement responses to inequality

General Assessment Information

Late penalties 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Assignment 30% No Monday 2 May 2022 at 9pm
Weekly participation 10% No weekly
Examination 60% No Official exam period - date to be advised

Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 55 hours
Due: Monday 2 May 2022 at 9pm
Weighting: 30%

Responses to six questions about interesting readings and problems in the field of social inequality.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • demonstrate an advanced understanding of the foundations, generative mechanisms and multi-dimensional nature of social inequality
  • demonstrate an understanding of the technical and sociological measurement of inequality
  • demonstrate an ability to interpret debates and policy, political and social-movement responses to inequality

Weekly participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: weekly
Weighting: 10%

Participation in at least 8 weeks of lectures and tutorials across the Semester OR ONLINE PARTICIPATION for online students
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • demonstrate an advanced understanding of the foundations, generative mechanisms and multi-dimensional nature of social inequality
  • demonstrate an understanding of the technical and sociological measurement of inequality
  • demonstrate an ability to interpret debates and policy, political and social-movement responses to inequality

Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: Official exam period - date to be advised
Weighting: 60%

Final examination at the end of Semester
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • demonstrate an advanced understanding of the foundations, generative mechanisms and multi-dimensional nature of social inequality
  • demonstrate an understanding of the technical and sociological measurement of inequality
  • demonstrate an ability to interpret debates and policy, political and social-movement responses to inequality

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

SOCI3070 lectures go for 2 hours on Tuesday mornings from 9am to 11am. They are held in 21 Wallys Walk - 2.300 Active Learning Space but these lectures are also concurrently available online. 

There is an online tutorial for this Unit -- see https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2021/ for details of classes.

There is no tutorial in the first week of classes, so the first tutorials are down for Tuesday 1 March.

There is an I-Learn page with readings and a guide to the tutorials.

Unit Schedule

week Topic Tutorial  
1 Intro: the challenge of social inequality in the 21st century (22 Feb) No classes in week 1 - see readings for that week  
2 The economics and sociology of measuring inequality (1 Mar) Discrimination as a sociological process  
3 Better or worse? Trends in global inequality (8 Mar) Should we focus on poverty or inequality? A look at current debate  
4 Thomas Piketty on inequality: Trends and reactions (15 Mar) Does inequality promote political authoritarianism?  
5 Two concepts: exploitation and opportunity hoarding (22 Mar) How does precarious employment contribute to inequality?  
6

Status and the role of hierarchical social organisation (29 Mar)

 Restorative justice and the prison system  
7

Inequality and social justice--theory, equal opportunity & affirmative action (5 Apr)

Mid semester break follows

 How does work reinforce gender inequalities?  
8 Inequality and the labour market (26 Apr) How does social class shape life chances & Australian society?  
9 Building blocks of mobility: secure work, housing and education (3 May) Battle of the generations  
10 Inequality and the politics of identity (10 May) A look at contemporary social movements focused on inequality   
11 Inequality and backlash movements (17 May) The 'Trump electorate' in the US. Social and electoral trends in Australia (analysis of the 2022 federal election)  
12 Social futures: AI, automation and the basic income (24 May) Basic income trials around the world, the Jobs Guarantee  
13 Unit revision and extensions (31 May) Revision tutorial ahead of final exam  

 

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Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

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Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

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Changes from Previous Offering

New content on the conservative defence of social inequality and hierarchy (Scruton) and an analysis of the 2022 election results from an inequality perspective. 

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook