ELP 590SEM - Education and Social Stratification

Education (K-16+) is a major contributor to processes of social stratification, where it is well established that wide variation exists in academic achievement, course taking patterns, and academic attainment at the K-12 level for varying groups in the population. Similarly, notable variation exists in patterns of college matriculation, persistence and graduation, as well as linked graduate/ professional school experiences and later socioeconomic outcomes. ELP 590 explores the relationship between education and social stratification processes in American society. This course will review sociological theories and empirical research that have been concerned with the connections between family of origin and educational outcomes, and between educational attainments and labor market outcomes. The course will pay close attention to multiple bases of stratification in American society, such as social class, gender, and race/ethnicity. Although literature is drawn primarily from the United States, some cross-national material will be employed. The topics and issues to be explored include: theories of stratification; status attainment models and social mobility; mechanisms of stratification, specifically as linked to schools; educational expansion and persistent inequality; and institutional arrangements of education systems and social stratification. This course will provide a venue for students to think critically about the role of K-16+ institutions in explaining both educational and occupational attainment processes as well as launch their own research project on a topic of interest. The course will be valuable for those whose own work is centrally located in issues of stratification as well as those who wish to become more informed as to the ways in which educational institutions serve as ¿sorting machines¿ for the broader society.

Credits: 3