Dr Patrick McGovern STC.S214

This course is available on the BSc in Social Policy and Sociology and BSc in Sociology. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

No specific pre-requisites, but this course is only open to 2nd and 3rd year students in Sociology and other programmes. It is not available as a 1st year option.

Sociological perspectives on cross-national differences in employment and social inequality.

Theoretical perspectives on inequality;  gender in the labour market; occupational segregation;  the ‘glass ceiling’; immigrant employment; race, ethnicity and discrimination; social class at work; class reproduction in elite firms; the rise of wage inequality; and income inequality in the mass media.

10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the MT.

Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy.

1,500 word essay due in Week 8 of MT.

Tilly, C. & C. Tilly (1998) Work Under Capitalism;   

Grint, K. (2005) The Sociology of Work (3rd ed.);

D. Grusky, (2014) (4th ed) Social Stratification;

Hakim, C. (2004) Key Issues in Women’s Work (2nd ed.);

McGovern, P. et al. (2007) Market, Class, and Employment;

Padavic, I. & Reskin, B. (2002) Women and Men at Work;

G. Payne (ed) (2013) Social Divisions, 

L. Platt  (2011) Understanding Inequalities

Further reading will be detailed in the course syllabus.

Essay (75%, 3000 words) in the LT.
Presentation (10%) and blog post (15%) in the MT.

Assessed essay due Wednesday of Week 1 in LT. Two hard copies of the assessed essay, with submission sheets attached to each, to be handed in to the Administration Office, S116, no later than 16:30 on the day of submission. An additional copy to be uploaded to Moodle no later than 18:00 on the same day.