Sociology 313: Sociology of Work

THE SYLLABUS

Required Books:

	Juliet Schor, The Overworked American (New York: Basic Books, 1991).
	Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2001).
	Kevin Danaher, (ed.), Corporations Are Gonna Get Your Mama (Monroe, ME.: Common Courage Press, 1996).

We will also use the website extensively for this class. It will have course information and materials not otherwise available.

The Syllabus

Weekend 1: Work and Life
Assign: Blackboard: "A Historical and Philosophical Analysis of Work and Leisure," Internet: "Genesis,"Aristotle, Marx; handout: Barrett, "The Concept of Leisure: Idea and Ideal"

Paper #1: Work and Leisure

Weekend 2: Work and Capitalism
Assign: Website: "Changes in the Nature of US Capitalism: Some Consequences on Work and Workers," "A Conceptual Overview of the History of Capitalism," Schor, Overworked American (all).

Weekend 3: Continuation: Conflicting Theories of Capitalism
Assign: "Three Theories of Capitalism," "Principles of Modern Economics: A Sketch," "Marx's Capital: The Bare Bones.""Marx's Critique of Capitalism."

Weekend 4: Jobs, Wages and Governments
What matters in determining jobs and who gets to do what? What explains wage-rates and what are the many ways that Government affects outcomes?
Assign: Granoveter and Tilly (handout), "Labor Markets: Jobs and Wages," "Jobs, Wages and Governments," Various tables from Bureau of Labor and US Census: Labor force, employment/unemployed, working poor, occupations and income differences by ethnicity, gender, etc.

Paper #2 : Some options, structure and suggestions will be provided. See assignments.

Weekend 5: Continuation
Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed (all).
Optional: Website: "Entering the Labor Market: Consequences of Differing Conditions," "Work and Life," Jencks on immigration.

Weekend 6: Work and Globalization
March 22, 23: Corporations Gonna Get Your Mama (all). "Effecting Change in a Democracy."

Final Paper: Topics to be determined.

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