Sociology 221: Inequality: Class, Race, and Gender

1. Compare and contrast economic and political explanations of the rise.in US income inequality in the 1980s and 1990s.
2. Compare and contrast structural and discrimination theories of racial inequality in the United States.
3. Compare and contrast economic and sociological explanations of gender inequality.
4. Compare and contrast arguments for and against the American system of social welfare.
5. For students engaged in weekly voluntary service work through the Fall semester, describe patterns of inequality observed at your research site and analyze these patterns using theories of inequality discussed in the course.

Due Date

• The paper is due on November 26, at Wednesday's lecture.

• The paper should be 12 to 15 double-spaced typewritten pages. Include a cover page that provides your name, your preceptor and precept time, and the question you answered. Also provide a bibliography that lists the references used in the paper.

• A strong paper will be short, but highly polished. Ideally the papers should begin with brief summaries of the theories being reviewed. This should be followed by the "ompare and contrast." This task involves identifying points of similarity and difference for the theories you review. A good conclusion should try and provide an assessment of the two theories of inequality. Your discussion should stick close to the assigned or other relevant readings.