1. Home
  2. SOCI
  3. SOCI 381: The Rich and the Rest: The Sociology of Wealth, Power, and Inequality (Rev. C2)

SOCI 381: The Rich and the Rest: The Sociology of Wealth, Power, and Inequality (Rev. C2) Report a Broken Link

Sociology 381 is designed to introduce students to one of the most important—and burning—issues of our time: the study of the causes, the conditions, and the consequences of inequality in human societies. It explores inequality through a number of different dimensions—most notably in the forms of economic, social, and political inequality.

Unit 1: Studying Social Inequality

Little,William. n. d. “Chapter 9: Social Stratification in Canada.” Introduction to Sociology. 1st Canadian ed. BC Open Textbooks.

Note: Only Chapter 9 is assigned. Please note, too, that you can download the book in a variety of formats.
Shapiro, Ian. 2002. “Why the Poor Don’t Soak the Rich.” Daedalus 131(1): 118–128.

Unit 2: Social Inequality in Feudal Europe

Hilton, Rodney. 2003. “Chapter 1: The Nature of Medieval Peasant Economy.” Bond Men Made Free: Medieval Peasant Movements and the English Rising of 1381 (pp. 25–62). London: Routledge.

Note: Only Chapter 1 is assigned.
Carnine, Douglas. 2006. “Chapter 9: Feudal Europe.” World History: Medieval and Early Modern Times (pp. 286–311). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
The Structure of Feudal Society (illustration)

Unit 3: Explaining Social Inequality: Classical and Contemporary Theories

Lipset, Seymour Martin. 1985. “Social Stratification and Social-Class Analysis.” Consensus and Conflict: Essays in Political Sociology (pp. 45–79). Transaction Books.
Harris, Scott R. (2003). “Critiquing and Expanding the Sociology of Inequality: Comparing Functionalist, Conflict, and Interactionist Perspectives.” Quarterly Journal of Ideology 25: 1–21.

Unit 4: The Social Costs of Social Inequality

There are no online readings for this unit—just a textbook and a video.

Unit 5: The Rich and the Rest: The Canadian Case

Francis, Diane. 1987. “The Dynasties: The Irvings, The Reichmanns, The Thomsons, The Ghermezians." Controlling Interest: Who Owns Canada? (pp. 17–30, 150–161, 167–173, 204–210). Toronto: McClelland-Bantam.

This reading consists of a series of excerpts from the book Controlling Interest: Who Owns Canada.
Mcdonald, David. 2014. Outrageous Fortune: Documenting Canada’s Wealth Gap. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
CBC News. 2011. “The Rise of the Occupy Movement.” CBC News in Review (December): 6–15.

News in Review pages 6 - 15.
Lowe, Graham S. 1983. “Jobs and the Labour Market.” Introduction to Sociology: An Alternate Approach (pp. 109–125). Edited by J. P. Grayson. Toronto: Gage Publishing.

Unit 6: Intimate Ties: The Political Power of Economic Wealth

Sabet, Navid. 2014. “Political Sources of Income Inequality in Canada: The Role of Organised Interests.” The Public Sphere 2014. Crossroads.
Clement, Wallace. 1977. “The Corporate Elite, the Capitalist Class, and the Canadian State.” The Canadian State: Political Economy and Political Power (pp. 225–248). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Breau, Sébastien. 2014. “The Occupy Movement and the Top 1% in Canada.” Antipode 46(1): 13–33.

Unit 7: Canada’s Poor: The Faces of Poverty

Dennis, Raphael. 2007. “Chapter 1: Poverty and the Modern Welfare State.” Poverty and Policy in Canada: Implications for Health and Quality of Life (pp. 5–26). Toronto: Canadian Scholar’s Press.
Citizens for Public Justice. n. d. “Poverty Trends Scorecard: Canada 2012.” Citizens for Public Justice.

Unit 8: Gender Inequality: Institutional and Intimate

Jaggar, Alison M., and Paula S. Rothenberg. 1984. “Theories of Women’s Oppression.” Feminist Frameworks: Alternative Theoretical Accounts of the Relations Between Women and Men. 2d ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill.
Vincent, Carole. 2013. “Why Do Women Earn Less than Men? A Synthesis of Findings from Canadian Microdata.” CRDCN Synthesis Series. Canadian Research Data Centre Network.
Martin, Patricia Yancey. 2003. “‘Said and Done’ versus ‘Saying and Doing’: Gendering Practices, Practicing Gender at Work.” Gender & Society 17(3): 342–366.

Unit 9: The Long Legacy of Race and Ethnic Inequality in Canada

Access Alliance. 2011. “Labour Market Challenges and Discrimination Faced by Racialized Groups in the Black Creek Area.” Research Bulletin, No. 1. Toronto: Access Alliance.
Javorčíková, Jana. 2005. “‘Smiling Discrimination’ in Canadian Society.” The Central European Journal of Canadian Studies 5: 123–131.
Loppie, Samantha, Charlotte Reading, and Sarah de Leeuw. 2014. Aboriginal Experiences with Racism. Prince George, BC: National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health.

Unit 10: The Perfect Crime: How the Rich Rob the Rest of their Income and Wealth

Galbraith, James K. 2002. “A Perfect Crime: Inequality in the Age of Globalization.” Daedalus 131(1): 11–25.