Course

Global Social Stratification and Inequality

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Sociology
Course Code
SOCI 2265
Credits
3.00
Semester Length
15 Weeks
Max Class Size
35
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Course Designation
None
Industry Designation
None
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
This course explores the causes and consequences of social stratification. It discusses the types and functions of social stratification in local and global contexts. It elucidates key historical and contemporary factors responsible for the formation and stabilization of social hierarchies. The course also introduces types and forms of opposition and resistance to local and global institutional and social policies and practices that create and expand inequalities at global, local and grassroots levels.
Course Content
  • Introduction to social stratification and inequality
  • Critical views on social stratification and inequality
  • Social stratification and inequality in local and global contexts
  • Social stratification, inequality, and poverty
  • Caste, estate, and slavery
  • Solutions to social stratification and inequality: Debates on welfare and global aid
  • Gender stratification and inequality in a global and local context
  • Stratification by race and anti-racism
  • Global governance, bilateral agencies, and global stratification
  • The World Bank, IMF, and global stratification
  • WTO and global stratification
  • BRICS and global stratification
  • Neo-liberalism, protectionism, and global stratification
  • Free trade, fair-trade and global stratification
  • Migration, migrants, and social stratification

 

 

 

Learning Activities

In this course students will engage in a variety of learning activities including attending lectures, participation in class discussions, group discussions, debates, individual and group presentations, reflections, in class reading assignments, group assignments and take-home assignments.

 

Means of Assessment

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course.  This is a graded course. 

Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.

Example evaluation scheme:

Attendance and class participation (10%)

In-class assignments (20%)

Midterm (20%)

Take-home assignment (20%)

Final exam (30%)

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Understand the causes and consequences of social stratification and inequality from a critical sociological perspective.
  • Apply sociological theories of social stratification to case studies.
  • Understand types and functions of social stratification and inequality at local and global levels.
  • Outline key concepts in the study of global and local stratification and inequality including poverty, social mobility, racism, anti-racism, antisemitism, gender, caste and slavery, capitalism, neo-liberalism, and free trade.
  • Analyse how resources such as income and wealth are distributed including causes and consequences.
  • Outline the roles that powerful states, multilateral institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and transnational institutions play in global and local stratification processes.
  • Compare forms and types of opposition and resistance to social divisions at local and global contexts.
  • Discuss a range of mechanisms and approaches utilized to reduce inequalities at local and global levels.
  • Locate, evaluate, and use relevant literature including proper citation and acknowledgement of sources.

 

 

 

Textbook Materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required readings, textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example text:

Platt, Lucinda. 2019. Understanding Inequalities: Stratification and Difference. Latest Edition. Wiley Publishing.

Grusky, David. 2019. Social Stratification: Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective. Routledge.

 

Requisites

Prerequisites

 SOCI 1125 or SOCI 1155

 

 

Corequisites

 

 

 

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer Details for SOCI 2265
Alexander College (ALEX) ALEX SOCI 2XX (3)
Camosun College (CAMO) CAMO SOC 2XX (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU SOC 301 (3)
College of New Caledonia (CNC) CNC SOC 2XX (3)
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR SOCI 2XX (3)
Columbia College (COLU) COLU SOCI 2nd (3)
Coquitlam College (COQU) COQU SOCI 2XX (3)
Emily Carr University of Art & Design (EC) EC SOCS 200 lev (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU SOCI 2XXX (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG SOCI 2222 (3)
LaSalle College Vancouver (LCV) LCV SOC 2XX (3)
Northern Lights College (NLC) NLC SOCI 2XX (3)
Okanagan College (OC) OC SOCI 3XX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU SA 2XX (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU SOCI 2XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU SOCI 2XX (3)
University Canada West (UCW) UCW SOCI 2XX (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO SOCI_O 362B (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV SOCI_V 361 (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC SOSC 2XX (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV SOC 265 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC SOCI 215 (1.5)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) VCC SOCI 2XXX (3)
Yorkville University (YVU) YVU GES 2XXX (3)

Course Offerings

Winter 2025