IFCO 5035 - Social Inequality Across the Life Course

Studying how social inequality develops over the life course has been a core concern in the social sciences. This course offers an introduction to the key concepts, explanations, methodological approaches, and empirical evidence related to how social inequality arises and is reinforced in different stages of peoples' lives. It also examines how these processes relate to important institutional structures (such as the education system), and how public policies may advance equality of opportunity in contemporary societies. The structure of the course follows the life course, with an emphasis on individuals' early life trajectory. The course aims to foster students' ability to think like a social scientist and to develop an understanding of how social inequality develops over the life course and is reproduced across generations. It seeks to equip students with the conceptual tools and substantive knowledge to critically engage in important debates and to address key societal challenges related to social inequality and inequality of opportunity. Social inequality constitutes a key societal challenge in the 21st century. Following a long period of declining income and wealth inequality in the middle of the 20th century, inequality has again been rising in many societies during the past four decades. At the same time, peoples' social background, gender, and ethnicity continue to strongly shape important outcomes at different life stages, including in early life. Both rising social inequality, and the persistent inequality of opportunity are at odds with egalitarian values and the ideal of social justice. In fact, the dissonance between the ideal of social justice and the reality of social inequality and inequality of opportunity is likely to contribute to the growing political discontent in contemporary societies and the large amount of public attention on the issues of social inequality and social immobility. Understanding social inequality and how it develops across peoples' lives therefore forms an important part of being an informed citizen.

Bastian BETTHAEUSER,Florian ANDERSEN

Cours magistral seul

English

This is an in-depth course. Students should be comfortable reading and engaging with social science research containing quantitative and qualitative evidence and analyses.

Spring 2024-2025

The final grade will consist of the following main elements: a midterm exam (25%), a final exam (25%), and a policy brief (50%).