SO478
Social Scientific Analysis of Inequalities
This information is for the 2022/23 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Michael Savage STC S210 and Prof Sam Friedman STC S102
Availability
This course is compulsory on the MSc in Inequalities and Social Science. This course is not available as an outside option.
Course content
The course will consider interdisciplinary approaches to inequality, focusing on (a) how inequality can be conceptualised and explained, (b) how it can be measured and (c) ethical and political issues. Topics to be covered include patterns and trends in economic inequalities; gender, ethnicity, class and age; cultural aspects of inequality; social and intergenerational mobility; global and comparative perspectives; media representation of inequalities; ethical and philosophical approaches; the impact of government, law and social policy.
Teaching
This course is delivered through a combination of lectures, online materials and seminars totalling a minimum of 40 hours across MT and LT, with a class in ST.
It is divided into blocks of related lectures and linked seminars. The ST class is a revision class.
Reading Weeks: Students on this course will have a reading week in MT Week 6 and LT Week 6, in line with departmental policy.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the MT and 1 presentation in the LT.
Indicative reading
Branko Milanovic, Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization (Harvard University Press, 2016)
Piketty, T. A Short History of Equality (Harvard University Press, 2022)
Hartley Dean and Lucinda Platt, Social Advantage and Disadvantage (Oxford, 2016)
O'Neil, C. 2016 Weapons of Math Destruction. London: Allen Lane
Hickel, J. (2017) The Divide: A Brief Guild to Global Inequality and its Solutions. William Heinemann. London.
Federici, S. (2004) Caliban and the Witch: Women: The Body and Primitive Accumulation. New York. Autonomedia.
Savage, M., (2021) The Return of Inequality: Social Change and the Weight of the Past (Harvard UP).
Assessment
Essay (50%, 3000 words) in the LT.
Policy brief (50%) in the ST.
An electronic copy of the assessed essay, to be uploaded to Moodle, no later than 4.00pm on the submission day. The essay is due by the first day of LT.
An electronic copy of the assessed policy brief, to be uploaded to Moodle, no later than 4.00pm on the first Wednesday of Summer Term.
Attendance at all classes and submission of all set coursework is required.
Student performance results
(2018/19 - 2020/21 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| Distinction | 32 |
| Merit | 67 |
| Pass | 1 |
| Fail | 0 |
Key facts
Department: Sociology
Total students 2021/22: 36
Average class size 2021/22: 18
Controlled access 2021/22: Yes
Lecture capture used 2021/22: Yes (MT & LT)
Value: One Unit
Course selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Leadership
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Application of numeracy skills
- Commercial awareness
- Specialist skills
