SOC 311 – Sociology of Work                                              Cliff Donn
Fall 2011                                                                              Office R-416 Ext. 4484
web.lemoyne.edu/~donn/class/soc311/soc311.htm                E-mail donn@lemoyne.edu

TOPICS: This course will deal with issues related to work, the workplace and work life.  The material presented presumes you have had some social science coursework, either SOC 101 or another course (approved by the instructor) that provides a background in the methodology of social science.

SOURCES: Most of the required reading material in this course will come from Amy S. Wharton, Working in America : Continuity, Conflict and Change, 3rd edition.  Occasional other readings will be on reserve at the library.

REQUIREMENTS: All students will take a comprehensive final examination during the exam week.  It is scheduled for Wednesday, December 14, at noon.  There will also be approximatley 13 quizzes on the reading material.  Each student will also write two “critiques” of “optional readings” on the reading list.  This assignment is explained fully in a separate handout and in the critique rubric on the course home page.  Finally, each student will maintain a journal to record news stories and features in the media about work and work life.  The journals will be collected four times during the semester.  The classes in which they are collected will be devoted to each student presenting a journal entry in class and explaining how it relates to the concepts studied in the course.

You must complete all assigned work in order to receive a passing grade in the course. Regular class attendance and participation in class discussion are expected. Students who attend class and are prepared for discussion on a daily basis can expect these facts to be reflected in their grades. The inverse is also true.  You should only take this class if you expect to be able to attend all of the class sessions.  You should expect that missing more than one session will have a negative impact on your grade.

Cell phones (and other electronic devices) must be turned off during class (not set to vibrate). Students are not allowed to leave class to receive or make phone calls, nor are they permitted to text or surf the web during class. If you anticipate an emergency telephone call on some particular day that necessitates your leaving your phone on, tell the instructor before class begins.

If you have a documented disability and wish to seek accommodation, please contact the instructor about that matter during the first two weeks of the semester.

CLASS SCHEDULE: Please use this schedule to plan your reading which should be done before the relevant class.

Course Topics

Dates

   

1. Introduction

Aug 30, Sep 1,6,8

2. Historical Background

Sep 13,15

3. Conceptual Background

Sep 22

4. The New Workplace

Sep 27,29

5. Technology on the Job

Oct 6

6. Workers, Wages and Inequality

Oct 13

7. Race and Gender at Work

Oct 18,20

8. Immigration and Globalization

Oct 27, Nov 1

9. Industrial Work

Nov 3

10. Service Work

Nov 8,10

11. Professional and Managerial Work

Nov 15,17

12. Care Work

Nov 29

13. Contingent Work

Dec 1

14. Balancing Work and Family

Dec 6

15. Summary and Conclusions

Dec 8


CLASS ACTIVITIES

Activities

Dates

   

Journals

Sep 20, Oct 4, Oct 25, Nov 22

Quizzes

Sep 13,22,27, Oct 6,13,18,27, Nov 3,8,15,29, Dec 1,6

Critiques

Sep 22,29, Oct 6,13,20,27, Nov 8,10,17,22, Dec 6

Final Exam

Wednesday, December 14, 2011, noon-2:30



EXPECTATIONS:

WHAT I EXPECT FROM YOU
I expect that you will come to class each evening on time, having done the reading assignment and prepared to participate by asking and answering questions and by expressing your opinions. I expect that you will ask questions about anything you don't understand. I expect that assignments will be done and turned in on time and that they will reflect the best work you can do. I expect that you will contact me if you are having any problems in the course or if you are having personal problems which may affect your performance in the course. Overall, I expect you to work hard at getting the most out of this course that you possibly can. In accordance with the policies of the New York State Department of Education which accredits Le Moyne College, you can expect to be assigned two to three hours of outside work for each hour of class time in the course.

Regular attendance and class discussion are an integral part of this course. If you unavoidably have to miss a class you should make sure that you get the class material from your classmates.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME
You can expect that I shall come to class on time each day having thought about and prepared the material. You can expect that I shall answer your questions to the best of my ability and that your opinions will be heard with respect. You can expect that your assignments and exams will be graded carefully and returned in a timely manner and that you will be given an explanation of why you receive the grades you receive. You can expect that I shall make time to see you if you need to see me and that I shall keep regular office hours.

WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT FROM EACH OTHER
A serious commitment to learning and a serious effort toward that end.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES
The successful student will understand and be able to articulate issues related to the role of work in society and the importance of work to individual and social identity.  The student will have an understanding of concepts related to work, will be familiar with debates and controversies related to work and will be able to articulate and explain the different sides of those debates and controversies.

READING LIST

1. Introduction

·         Terkel, Working, Roberto Acuna-farm worker, Frances Swenson-hotel switchboard operator, Eddie Jaffe-press agent, Lincoln James-factory mechanic, Maggie Holmes-domestic, Eric Hoellen-janitor, Tom Brand-plant manager, Grace Clements-felter luggage factory, Dolores Dante-waitress, Rose Hoffman-public school teacher        

 2. Historical Background

·         Jacoby, “The Way It Was: Factory Labor Before 1915,” in Wharton

Optional:

·         Crittenden, “How Mothers’ Work ‘Disappeared’: The Invention of the Unproductive Housewife,” in Wharton

3. Conceptual Background

·         Weber, “Bureaucracy,” in Wharton

·         Taylor, “Fundamentals of Scientific Management,” in Wharton

Optional:

·         Marx, “Alienated Labor,” in Wharton

·         Braverman, “The Division of Labor,” in Wharton

·         Marx and Engels, "Lost Charm in Work," Kerr and Staudohar, Industrial Relations in a New Age, 16-17

·         Blauner, "Social Alienation," Kerr and Staudohar, Industrial Relations in a New Age, 19-20

4. The New Workplace

·         Powell, “The Capitalist Firm in the Twenty-First Century,” in Wharton

·         Conlin, “Smashing the Clock,” in Business Week, December 11, 2006

Optional:

·         Smith, “Structural Unemployment and the Reconstruction of the Self in a Turbulent Economy,” in Wharton

·         Lane, The Naked Employee, Chapter 1, “It’s My Property and I’ll Spy if I Want To”

5. Technology on the Job

·         Head, “On the Digital Assembly Line,” in Wharton

·        Zuboff, “In the Age of the Smart Machine,” in Wharton 

Optional:       

·         Vallas and Beck, “The Transformation of Work Revisited: The Limits of Flexibility in American Manufacturing,” in Wharton        

6. Workers, Wages and Inequality

·         Firebaugh, “The New Geography of Global Income Inequality,” in Wharton

·         Cotter, et al., “Gender Inequality at Work,” in Wharton

Optional:

·         Wilson, “Jobless Poverty: A New Form of Social Dislocation in the Inner-City Ghetto,” in Wharton

·         Owen, "The Pay Problem: What's To Be Done About C.E.O. Pay?" The New Yorker, October 12, 2009     

7. Race, Age and Gender at Work        

·         Dellinger and Williams, “The Locker Room and the Dorm Room: Workplace Norms and the Boundaries of Sexual Harassment in Magazine Editing,” in Wharton

Optional:

·         Henson and Rogers, “’Why Marcia You’ve Changed!’ Male Clerical Temporary Workers Doing Masculinity in a Feminized Occupation,” in Wharton

·         Moss and Tilly, “Stories Employers Tell: Employer Perceptions of Race and Skill,” in Wharton       

·         Carpenter, "The Effects of Employment Protection for Obese People," Industrial Relations, July 2006

·         Radford, "The Affirmative Action Debate," Bruce E Kaufman, ed., Government Regulation of the Employment Relationship

8. Immigration and Globalization        

·         Bonacich and Appelbaum, “Behind the Label: The Return of the Sweatshop,” in Wharton

·         Donn, "Sailing Beyond the Reach of Workplace Regulations: Worker Exploitation by MNCs on the High Seas," in William N. Cooke, ed., Multinational Corporations and Global Human Resource Strategies, 2003

Optional:

·         Hondagneu-Sotelo, “Maid in L.A.,” in Wharton

·         Wells, “Unionization and Immigrant Incorporation in San Francisco Hotels,” in Wharton        

9. Industrial Work

·         Burawoy, “Thirty Years of Making Out,” in Wharton

·         Schlosser, “Fast Food Nation: The Most Dangerous Job,” in Wharton

Optional:

·         Juravich, “Women on the Line,” in Wharton

10. Service Work        

·         Leidner, “Over the Counter: McDonald’s,” in Wharton

·         Buchanan, “Lives on the Line: Low-Wage Work in the Teleservice Industry,” in Wharton

Optional:

·         Sallaz, “The House Rules: Autonomy and Interests Among Service Workers in the Contemporary Casino Industry,” in Wharton

·         Poster, "Who's on the Line? Indian Call Center Agents Pose as Americans for U.S.-Outsourced Firms," Industrial Relations, April 2007    

11. Professional and Managerial Work

·         Pierce, “Rambo Litigators: Emotional Labor in a Male-Dominated Job,” in Wharton

·         Jackall, “The Social Structure of Managerial Work,” in Wharton

Optional:

·         Collins, “Blacks on the Bubble: The Vulnerability of Black Executives in White Corporations,” in Wharton

·         Hackman, "What is Happening to Professional Work," Perspectives on Work, V.2, n.1, 4-6

12. Care Work

·         Ehrenreich, “Maid to Order: The Politics of Other Women’s Work,” in Wharton

·         England and Folbre, “Capitalism and the Erosion of Care,” in Wharton

Optional:

·         Hochschild, “Love and Gold,” in Wharton

13. Contingent Work

·         Rogers, “Are We Not Temps?” in Wharton

·         Hays, “Flat Broke with Children: Enforcing the Work Ethic,” in Wharton

Optional:         

·         Polivka, "A Profile of Contingent Workers" Monthly Labor Review , October 1996

14. Balancing Work and Family

·         Hochschild, “The Time Bind: Men,” in Wharton        

·         Garey, “Motherhood on the Night Shift,” in Wharton

·         Presser, “Toward a 24 Hour Economy: The U.S. Experience and Implications for the Family,” in Wharton        

Optional:        

·         Evans, et al., “Beach Time, Bridge Time and Billable Hours: The Temporal Structure of Technical Contracting,” in Wharton        

·         Tichenor, Earning More and Getting Less: Why Successful Wives Can't Buy Equality, Chapter 1, “Higher Earning Wives, Swimming Against the Tide”

15. Summary and Conclusions        

·         Milkman, "Beyond the Factory?  Workers in the 'Post-Industrial' Age," Perspectives on Work, V.1,n.1, 14-17