Course Schedule and Catalog

Department: Sociology

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: ADVANCED RESEARCH SEMINAR: HUMAN STATUS BEHAVIOR ***** An examination of one of the major forms of human inequality: social status hierarchies. Among the questions asked: Are all such hierarchies unjust or "bad?" What are the social functions of unequal honor, respect, prestige, and esteem? Is status inequality in a democracy different from, say, such inequality in a feudal or caste system? Are the ranking systems of other primates, e.g., chimps, analogous to human ranking systems? Does low social status cause health problems? What are the primary bases of status inequality in the U.S.? Are status hierarchies highly correlated with hierarchies of wealth and power? Is there a "class" system in the U.S. today? What would a society without inequality of basic respect look like?