Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Assoc Prof Shaun Wilson
Contact via Email is best
Level 2, South Wing of Australian Hearing Hub Building
11.10-12pm Fridays (email appointments also fine)
Externals Convenor, Tutor
Dr Lukas Hofstaetter
Contact via email
Level 2, South Wing of the Australian Hearing Hub Building
Externals contact point
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp at 100 level or above
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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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.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Weekly participation | 15% | No | weekly |
Assignment | 30% | No | Monday 6 May at 11.55PM |
Exam | 55% | No | End of semester |
Due: weekly
Weighting: 15%
Lukas Hofstaetter will convene the Externals Group online. Weekly contributions to the Inequality Blog will be assessed according to (i) the level of evidence of reading (ii) the regularity of participation (iii) insights into the content and problems of social inequality and (iv) engagement with others.
Due: Monday 6 May at 11.55PM
Weighting: 30%
Responses to six questions about interesting readings and problems in the field of social inequality. The assignment will be 2,000 to 2,500 words in total.
The assignment questions and guidelines will be available in the latter part of March, so you will have around 5 to 6 weeks to complete it.
Due: End of semester
Weighting: 55%
Final exam of 2 hours consisting of multiple choice responses and longer answers.
Readings will be available via the SOCI399 I-Learn webpage (and shortly) a Library web-page dedicated to readings for this Unit.
WEEK | TOPIC | TUTORIAL DISCUSSION |
One (1 March) | Intro: the challenge of inequality in the era of Trump | No tutorial/seminar this week |
Two (8 March) | The economics and sociology of measuring inequality | Processes of 'active discrimination' |
Three (15 March) | Better or worse? Trends in global inequality | Does inequality actually matter? The most recent debates |
Four (22 March) | Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century: Trends and reactions | Countries with very high inequalities |
Five (29 March) | Two concepts: exploitation and opportunity hoarding | Precarious workers |
Six (5 April) | Inequality and the idea of justice | Restorative justice and prisoners |
Seven (12 April) | Equality of opportunity and debates about affirmative action | Work, the labour market and gender inequality |
Eight (3 May) | Inequality and the labour market | Class structures of Australian society |
Nine (10 May) | Building blocks of mobility: secure work, housing and education |
No tutorial/seminar this week Assignment due Monday 6 May |
Ten (17 May) | Inequality and the politics of identity | Black Lives Matter and #MeToo |
Eleven (24 May) | Inequality and the politics of retribution | One Nation and voting in Australia -- Is there a 'white backlash'? |
Twelve (31 May) | Jobless futures: AI, automation and the basic income | Basic income trials around the world |
Thirteen (7 June) | Can social democracy be renewed? | Unit review + study guide |
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