Soc 230 Sociology of Work - Marti - Spring 06

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Davidson CollegeSoc 230 Sociology of Work

Spring Semester, 2006

Course: Sociology 230 -- Sociology of WorkTime and Place: 1:-00pm - 2:15pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, Chambers 1045

Prerequisite: None.Instructor: Gerardo Marti, Ph.D.Phone Number: (562) 894-2481My Office: Papers turned in outside of class go outside my door in Preyer 107

Pre-Scheduled appointments meet in my office, Preyer 107Email: [email protected] Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays 10:00am 12:00pm and by appointment.

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the sociology of work. Covering the entire field is beyond the scopeof this course, so the course is designed to give a broad overview while also emphasizing selected topics in

greater depth. Topics will include: contemporary issues in 21stcentury work; a look at work during andafter the Industrial Revolution; major theorists contributions to the study of work; work and self in theservice industry; work and self among professionals and managers; and the modern distinction betweenwork and family. We will study these topics with material at both the macrolevel of analysis (e.g., theoccupational structure, the U.S. and global economies, changes of technology and demographics) and themicrolevel of analysis (e.g., the demands of workplaces and occupations on workers sense of self andidentity; the influence of work on families), and with both qualitativeand quantitativedata.

While work occupies a central role in our lives, its social significance extends beyond our personal identitiesand daily activities. It is closely intertwined with other social institutions, social structures, and socialprocesses, especially social inequality. Work is perhaps the most important way in which society impactsour social experiences and life chances. Throughout the course, we will challenge the taken-for-granted

notions of our society about what constitutes work, what constitutes an occupation or profession, and thevalue of the economic vs. the social as a work outcome.

Please note this course is reading, writing, and speaking intensive. Critical reading of texts, cogentwritings, articulate oral presentations, and full participation in dialogue are all mandatory. Fullattendance is not only encouraged but expected. Class assignments in the form of integrative papers willmeasure your ability to grasp and apply the sociological perspective from readings and from informationemerging from class discussions. Analytical projects provide opportunities to pursue interests in greaterdepth.

Course goals for this course include:

Apply the aims and objectives of the sociological analysis of work,

Demonstrate understanding of the historical development of modern forms of work,

Demonstrate understanding of social change stimulated by transforming work processes andglobalization,

Articulate the challenges and oppressions of humanity through the lens of class, race, andgender both nationally and internationally,

Articulate the initial theoretical considerations of prominent thinkers of sociology of work,

Pursue and personalize a greater understanding of particular occupations in-depth,

Understand and critique the current forms of work and managerial trends,


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Apply sociological perspective to the understanding of everyday work in both service andprofessional occupations,

Demonstrate understanding of dynamic relationship between work roles and organizationalcultures,

Understand and anticipate work/family tensions as well as critique alternative structures forresolving them,

Clearly discuss contemporary developments and critiques in the sociology of work,

Understand qualitative research methodology in pursuit of specific research questions, and

Develop analytical and critical thinking abilities in both written and oral forms in exploringideas, organizational structures, and current events within the alternative frameworks withinthe sociology of work.

Required Books & Readings for All Students:

Working in America: Continuity, Conflict, and Change (2nded.) edited by Amy S. Wharton. 2002.Mc-Graw Hill. Comprehensive reader with shorter articles to explore.

The New Ruthless Economy: Work & Power in the Digital Ageby Simon Head. 2005. OxfordUniversity Press. Development and core processes of the new economy.

Fast Food, Fast Talk: Service Work and the Routinization of Everyday Life by Robin Leidner. 1993.University of California Press. Looking at the routinized service industry.

Engineering Culture: Control and Commitment in a High Tech Corporationby Gideon Kunda.Temple University Press. 1993. Looking at self and culture in corporate America.

Gurus, Hired Guns, and Warm Bodies: Itinerant Experts in a Knowledge Economy by Stephen R.Barley, Gideon Kunda. Princeton University Press. 2004. Looking at growing sector ofprofessional work in the current economy.

The Time Bind: When Work becomes Home and Home becomes Workby Arlie Russell Hochschild.1997. Owl Books. Looking at todays working parents and their families.

Reserved readings available through the Davidson College library online, indicated by (R).

Books Recommended for All:

Three Billion New Capitalists: The Great Shift of Wealth and Power to the East by Cylde Prestowitz.2005. Basic Books. Global outsourcing and its impact on US and global economy.

The Chinese Century: The Rising Chinese Economy and Its Impact on the Global Economy, theBalance of Power, and Your Job by Oded Shenkar. 2004. Wharton School Publishing. Focus onchanges in China and relevance to US workers.

The Dignity of Working Men: Morality and the Boundaries of Race, Class, and ImmigrationbyMichle Lamont. 2002. Harvard University Press.

Domstica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence by PierretteHondagneu-Sotela. 2001. University of California Press.Contemporary form of immigrantlabor.

No-Collar: The Humane Workplace and Its Hidden Costs byAndrew Ross. Basic Books. 2002.Looking at vision and tensions in recent anti-corporate organizations.

On the Front Line: Organization of Work in the Information Economy (Cornell InternationalIndustrial and Labor Relations Reports, No 35.) by Marek Korczynski, Karen A. Shire, May Tam,Stephen J. Frenkel. 1999. ILR/Cornell University Press. Global study of knowledge laborers.

The Boundaryless Career: A New Employment Principle for a New Organizational Era. Michael B.Aurhur and Denise M. Rousseau (eds). 2001. Oxford. Perspectives on new worker mobility.

Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dreamby Barbara Ehrenreich. 2005.HarperCollins. White collar unemployment and job search.

Commercialization of Intimate Life: Notes from Home and Workby Arlie Russell Hochschild.University of California Press. 2003. Influential insights into work-family issues.


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Note on Participation

Attending class is an important part of your job, but it isnt the whole story. Get activelyinvolved in the learning process. Dont be a passive listener! Never underestimate the power you haveto make a positive impact on the energy and progress that we make as a class. If class is boring, lifeless,irrelevant, if the dialogue falls flat, the students are not responsive, the professor talks too much, or theback row is disrespectful, ask yourself this question: what can I do to be an instrument of energy, lifelight, creativity, encouragement, focus, and intellectual energy in this class? Then do it.

During class, you should ask at least one question and make at least one comment every time weget together. That is your charge. Ask questions. Make comments. Express your opinion. That way,our class will become an interesting and energetic conversation among interesting and energetic people.

The amount of learning you experience depends a great deal on your thoughtful questions!During group work and class discussion, your input is especially important. We will work in groups toreview concepts, share ideas, make new connections, follow-up on insights & arguments as well asencourage and support each other in learning sometimes difficult and sometimes very subtle ideas. Thisinteraction is one of the most important things we do.

Note on Due Dates

Hard copies of written assignments are due on the designated date at the beginning of class. Papers areconsidered late if turned in after the beginning of class. Late assignments will be docked a full grade foreach 24 hour period they are late beginning after the start of class. Please avoid last-minute frustrations byfinishing and printing your documents EARLY.

Analytic Pre-Discussion Papers

It is essential for you to keep up with the reading and to read actively. Active reading means taking notesas you read, making a list of questions you have as you read, and reading far enough ahead that you havea chance not only to read but to think about what you have read. I expect that you will have read eachdays readings for our class meeting unless otherwise indicated in the syllabus.

About every-other class meeting, you will prepare an analytic pre-discussion paper. These analytic pre-discussion papers are assignments that integrate the most recent weeks reading material. These pre-discussion papers consist of at least two parts: 1) Essentialize, TWO summaries of things you learnedfrom the readings, e.g., What are the essential concepts, ideas, insights and how are they connected? and2) Then Improvise,TWO questions provoked through the assignment, e.g., What are the implications I seewhich the author does not or did not bring out? You may view the assignment as writing a critical,introductory preface to each sections papers that reflects our growing understanding of knowledgefrom a sociological perspective. As such, your paper should be analytical, assume a personal point-of-view, and integrate mention of each reading in the context of that essay. These weekly pre-discussionnotes provide launch points for our class discussion. Each paper should be between 2.5 and 4 pages inlength, double spaced, have one inch margins, and typed in 12 point type. Papers are due at thebeginning of class, weekly, except for the first week of the semester, and will be the basis for in-classdiscussion. They will help you in class discussion and prepare you for writing your papers with anaccentuated critical awareness. During class discussions, you are to demonstrate a grasp of the readingmaterial assigned. Participation through questions, comments and clarifications will be especially noted.

Analytic Projects

Analytic projects are concise papers that explore different aspects of work based on your personalinterests. Each assignment allows you to explore the past, present, and future of a particular occupation.You may concentrate on one occupation for all three projects; alternately, you can choose different ones


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for each one. This is your opportunity to explore alternative vocational paths, so please take advantage ofit. All three projects are further described at the end of this syllabus.

Analytical Project 1: Changes in Occupational Demographics, 1920-2000

For this project (#1), you will collect and interpret data on changes over time in the sex and compositionof two specific occupations, as well as the broad occupational category of the two occupations. You willpresent the data in tables and compare and contrast the changes in the different occupations and theoccupational category. This will result in a 3-4 page paper. See detailed sheet at end of this syllabus.

Analytical Project 2: Professional Work -- Interview or Content Analysis

The second Analytic Project (#2) will result in a 4-5 page paper. For this project, you will conduct eitheran interview with a professional worker or a content analysis of information about professional trainingsites. Everyone will complete a common set of questions about their profession of choice to supplementtheir empirical research. Please see detailed sheet at the end of this syllabus. Possible professions toconsider include: physician, lawyer, executive, lawyer, engineer, scientist, dentist, architect, collegeprofessor (if your profession is not on the list, see me for approval).

Analytic Project 3: Occupational Analysis Research Paper

The third Analytical Project (#3) will result in a final 5-6 page paper. Choose an occupation that youwould like to know more about. You can focus on a specific job within the occupation or an occupationoverall. If you choose a specific job, be sure to consider and discuss it in relation to its broaderoccupational context. More details are given in the detailed sheet at the end of this syllabus.

For this final paper, I would suggest organizing your paper as follows:

Introduction (1 page). First state the topic of your paper and briefly situate this topic in terms ofthe topics and questions covered during this course. By the end of the second paragraph it is essentialthat you have told me what the purpose of your paper is and what your central argument / thesis is. If

you read the first two paragraphs of your paper and the goals and purpose of the paper are not veryclear, please revise. I would also suggest a map paragraph at the end of the introduction that tells mewhere we will be going in the paper. (For example, I first explain.then argue.by presenting evidenceabout three themes.)

Body (3-4 pages). In this section please present and development your argument by providingseveral distinct pieces of information / evidence in support of it.

If there is any relevant background to explain about your thesis / argument present that first.(For example, key terms may need a paragraph to articulate what you mean. Perhaps a brief paragraphor two about the history relevant to your argument would be necessary). A section providing backgroundis not essential for everyone. You need to decide whether it is necessary to help your reader(s)understand. Think of your audience as me and other people in the class.

If much of your paper is based on the analysis of primary sources (newspapers, web pages, etc.),please be sure to explain how you located them (i.e. what your method was). If you utilized any socialscientific methods, please provide a methodological description. An appendix with appropriate material(e.g., survey questionnaires, interview questions, coding schemes) may be necessary.

Then develop your argument by clearly presenting the evidence you have gathered in support ofit. For example, if you are comparing two or more arguments, this section will be organized around the


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themes around which you are doing the comparison. There are two ways to structure a compare andcontrast paper. Pick the one that works best for you.

Theme 1Argument/Theory AArgument/Theory B

Theme 2Argument/Theory AArgument/Theory B

etc.

Or

Argument/Theory ATheme 1Theme 2

Argument/Theory B

Theme 1Theme 2

etc.

This is certainly not the only way to structure your paper, and you have the opportunity to craftyour paper as you please. I encourage you to use section headings in this section and throughout thepaper if it helps you organize your thoughts and presentation.

Conclusion (1-2 pages): By this point, your argument and all of your evidence should be clearlypresented. Briefly summarize your argument here and think about what the implications of yourargument are more broadly. If your findings raise questions about other topics covered in this class,please make those connections briefly here. If you have concluded, after writing this paper, that you want

to know more about your topic, explain what the next steps might be. etc.

**After you have finished writing your paper, go back and read the introduction, the firstsentence of each of your paragraphs, and your conclusion. From this, the point of your paper should bevery clear. If parts of your argument are embedded in the middle of other paragraphs (so you dont seethem when doing this little test), restructure your paragraphs. Also make sure that you dont concludesomething that contradicts or is very different from what you say in the introduction. After finishing theirfirst draft, most people need to take the conclusion to their paper and use it to rewrite their introduction!

If you want me to help you make a more specific outline / list of questions to answer in yourpaper, please let me know. I am happy to work with you on this.

Integration Papers

Integration papers are 4 - 5 page papers that vividly convey your growing understanding ofsociological concepts/theories/perspectives/processes of work. Each of these three integration paperswill focus on a text. The three papers are:

Simon Heads The New Ruthless Economy Integration Paper, in which you write vividly, clearlyand intelligently your integration of concepts by focusing your analysis and critique on Simon Heads TheNew Ruthless Economy. This paper will draw on ideas from class discussion as well as readings from Unit1: History, Transformation, and Theory of Work.


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Robin Leidners Fast Food, Fast Nation Integration Paper, in which you write vividly, clearlyand intelligently your integration of concepts by focusing your analysis and critique on Robin LeidnersFast Food, Fast Nation. This paper will draw on ideas from class discussion, readings from Unit 2:Routinization and Service Work, and cumulative concepts/ideas up to this point.

Stephen R. Barley and Gideon Kundas Gurus, Hired Guns, and Warm Bodies Integration Paper,in which you write vividly, clearly and intelligently your integration of concepts by focusing youranalysis and critique on Barley and Kundas Gurus, Hired Guns, and Warm Bodies. This paper will draw onideas from class discussion, readings from Unit 3: Professionals and Professionalization, and cumulativeconcepts/ideas up to this point.

Remember: These papers are an opportunity to display your growing understanding of asociological perspective of work. The papers should integrate cumulative learning from this course.

A suggested structure is below just to get you started, but please note that you have freedom tostructure the essay however you wish:

FIRST PARAGRAPH identify a thesis and whether the author achieves the stated purpose of thebook; overall description and purpose of the book.

What is the book about?What arena of social life does it explain?

Does the book deliver what the title suggests it is going to deliver? Judge the book by itsintentions, not yours.Does the book do what it says it is going to do?

SECOND (AND MAYBE THIRD) PARAGRAPH summarize the major themes of the book.

What is the books argument?What are the books terms and how are they defined?Place the book in the context/texture of its field: importance, place, historical or social function.What is the academic/philosophical/theoretical lineage or school of thought (context)?

NEXT PARAGRAPH (AND MAYBE ANOTHER) connect book with other sociological

ideas/concepts/theories.

How does it add to our knowledge?Does the book extend, amend, critique, and/or affirm other ideas?Does it conflict with other ideas? Does it complement other ideas?Do concepts/ideas/theories from others amend or critique those presented in this book?

FINAL PARAGRAPH on my assessment of books relevance to me/others, my evaluation.

How does this book apply to your own life/culture/historical time period?What did you learn about your own social context that was not evident to you before?Should this book be read, and by whom? Who would benefit from reading this book?What makes this book important?

What are the implications of this book on understanding our world?

Final Review

There will be no final review. I reserve the right to schedule a final review, however, if you are not

keeping up with class readings.


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Policy on Collaboration and Plagiarism

Writing is a collaborative art, especially in this class where discussion groups are built into thecourse. Talking about your paper with a spouse, roommate, friend, family member, etc. is alsoencouraged. You are welcome to work through ideas with other students. Collaboration is good.

On the other hand, the paper you write must be entirely your own. Passing off somebody elseswork as your own (because you copied it out of a book, paraphrased it out of a book, bought a paperfrom a research paper service, downloaded it form the internet, wrote down ideas that someone else wasdictating to you, recycled an essay written by someone else, or had someone else rewrite your paper foryou) is plagiarism. It is unethical, illegal, and, in a college course, sufficient grounds for failure of thecourse. Dont do it. When in doubt, cite. If you are unsure of something, ask. Diana Hacker in AWriters Reference gives excellent advice on avoiding plagiarism, pages 82-91.

Final Grade

Your final grade for the class will be based on participation in class discussions, analytic pre-discussion papers, three analytical projects, and three integration papers. I will use the followingguidelines to grade your written assignments:

A Outstanding Work (90-100%) Goes above and beyond the requirements of the assignment, aboveand beyond merely competent work. Outstanding effort, significant achievement, and mastery of thematerial of the course are clearly evident. Exceptional critical skills, creativity or originality is alsoevident. Consistently developed sociological perspective.

B Above Average (80-89%) A B paper fulfills all aspects of the assignment and goes bit beyondminimum competence to demonstrate a thorough and above average understanding of course material.Extra effort, extra achievement or extra improvement often evident. Clearly demonstrated sociologicalperspective.

C Average (70-79%) A C paper fulfills all aspects of the assignment with obvious competenceand grace. A thorough and satisfactory understanding of basic course material and incorporation of a

sociological perspective. If you do the assignment exactly as it is assigned, you will receive an averagegrade; in other words, you will receive a grade of 75.

D Below Average (60-69%) A D paper represents marginally satisfactory understanding of basiccourse material. A D may indicate failure to follow directions, failure to implement specificrecommendations, or failure to demonstrate personal effort and improvement. Surface level grasp orapplication of a sociological perspective. Often a D is given either because some aspect of theassignments have not been fulfilled, or because a preponderance of errors (more than one or two perpage) interferes with clear communication.

F Lack of demonstration of satisfactory understanding of basic course material. Failure to grasp orapply a sociological perspective. Not Acceptable, either because the student did not complete theassignment as directed, or because the level of writing skill is below an acceptable level for college work.

**All papers and/or reviews must be completed to receive a passing grade in this class**

In addition to these five grades, a student may receive a grade of R. R stands for Redo andmeans the student has both the opportunity and the responsibility to do the assignment over. Usuallythis is given because the student has misunderstood the assignment, or because some particularlyegregious error prevents the paper form achieving its purpose, or because I believe that the student hasmade a good faith effort to excel but has run into significant difficulties with the assignments. If youreceive a grade of R, you have 48 hours to contact me for a phone or face-to-face appointment. In our


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appointment, we will discuss what went wrong with the assignment, and we will contract a way and atime to redo the assignment. If you fail to turn in a revision according to the individual contract, thestudent will receive a 0 on the assignment. My scale for final averages is as follows:

94-100 A90-93 A-88-89 B+

84-87 B80-83 B-78-79 C+

74-77 C70-73 C-68-69 D+

64-67 D60-63 D-0-59 F


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Please Note: Topics & Assignments May Shift; Changes in will be Announced

Date Topics & Exams Read, Think & Explore

(WR = Wharton Reader)

Analyze,Write &Create

January

10Introduction toCourse

Begin reading Simon Head, The Ruthless Economy: Work & Power in the Digital Age.

January

12Sociological Studyof Work: What isWork? What isOccupation?

Capturing the Soulof Modern Work

Unit 1. History, Transformation, and Theory of Work.

Expanding our notions of work; The occupational structure; broad trends that affect thestudy of work and occupations; implications of change in industry for the Americanworkforce; occupational prestige; stigma and the experience of temps; expectations ofmens work and womens work; work in the underground economy.

WR 42: Invisible Work by Arlene Kaplan Daniels

WR 35: Just a Temp by Kevin D. Henson

WR 28: (skim) Getting and Making a Tip by Greta Foff Paules

WR 20: Jobless Poverty by William Julius Wilson

Recommended:Abbott, Andrew. 1993. The Sociology of Work and Occupations.Annual Review ofSociology19: 187-209.

Pre-discussionPaper.

January

17Work Life from theIndustrialRevolutionForward

Comparing contemporary issues to descriptions of work during the Industrial Revolution.

Juliet B. Schor, 1991, Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure. Basic Books.Chapters 1 The Overworked American, 2 Time Squeeze, and 3 Life of Hard Labor.(R)

Simon Head, The Ruthless Economy: Work & Power in the Digital Age. Chapter 1.

Recommended:E.P. Thompson. 1966. Making of the English Working Class. Vintage.

Harriet H. Robinson. 1898. Loom and Spindle, or Life Among the Early Mills Girls. Reprint,Kailu, Hawaii: Press Pacifica, 1976, esp. 28, 4041, 5657.

Crawford, Margaret. 1996. Building the Workingmans Paradise. The Design of AmericanCompany Towns. Verso.

Notes for NextPre-discussionPaper.

January

19Theories of Work:Labor andAlienation

Basic theories of Marxism; alienation; division of labor.

WR 8: The Division of Labor by Harry Braverman

WR 4: Alienated Labor by Karl Marx

Simon Head, The New Ruthless Economy: Work & Power in the Digital Age, Chapter 2 & 3


January23

Theories of Work:Bureaucracy andControl

Group work on Edwards reading; connect stories of three workers presented in the articleto previous readings weve done so far; Weber and the ideal typical bureaucracy; the ironcage.

WR 9: Contested Terrain: The Transformation of the Workplace in the TwentiethCentury by Richard C. Edwards

WR 5: Bureaucracy by Max Weber

Simon Head, The New Ruthless Economy: Work & Power in the Digital Age, Chapter 4 & 5


January27

Theories of Work:ModernManagement

Taylor and the impact of scientific management, the Hawthorne Experiment; HumanRelations school of management.

WR 6: Fundamentals of Scientific Management by Frederick Winslow Taylor

WR 7: The Hawthorne Experiment: Western Electric Company by Elton Mayo

Simon Head, The New Ruthless Economy: Work & Power in the Digital Age, Chapter 6 & (skim7 & 8)


Dr. Marti, Soc 230 Sociology of Work 10


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Recommended:Braverman, Harry. Labor and Monopoly Capital, On Scientific Management pp. 85-123.

January31

ContemporaryIssues:Globalization

Manifestations of how global the global economy is; McDonalds in Beijing; issues ofvirtual workplaces and transnational workplaces; cultural adaptations; service work inother white collar settings; employee involvement programs and the self; BPOs (BusinessProcess Outsourcing) as example of processes of social change.

WR 16: Net-Working for a Living: Irish Software Developers in the Global Workplace bySean O Riain

WR 17: The Global Economy and the Privileged Class by Robert Perrucci and EarlWysong

WR 18: McDonalds in Beijing by Yunxiang Yan

Oded Shenkar, 2004, The Chinese Century: The Rising Chinese Economy and Its Impact on theGlobal Economy, the Balance of Power, & Your Job, Wharton School Publishing, Chapter 7. (R)

Simon Head, The New Ruthless Economy: Work & Power in the Digital Age, Chapter 9

Recommended:Cylde Prestowitz, 2005, Three Billion New Capitalists: The Great Shift of Wealth and Power tothe East. Basic Books.


February

2

Contemporary

Issues: New Formsof Social Control

Globalization and contemporary forms of slavery; contract slavery in newly industrialized

countries; digitally-inspired forms of power; consideration of work for near-future inadvanced and developing countries.

Kevin Bales, 2004, Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy. University ofCalifornia Press. Pp. 1-31; 121-131, 140-143. (R)

Simon Head, The New Ruthless Economy: Work & Power in the Digital Age, Chapter 10

Pre-discussion

Paper

February7

Routinization ofWork: Life in andBeyond the Factory

Unit 2. Routinization and Service Work.

Transitions in manufacturing; industrial revolution; Fordism; post-Fordism; effect oftechnological changes on worker identity; micro-macro connections., contrast routinizationwith Taylorism and bureaucracy; deviations from workplace rules; the game of makingout; characteristics and consequences of the culture of making out; culture of womenon the line; issues in structure of manufacturing jobs.

WR 25: Thirty Years of Making Out by Michael Burawoy

WR 26: Women on the Line by Tom Juravich

WR 12: (skim) In the Age of smart Machine by Shoshanna Zuboff

WR 14: The Transformation of Work Revisited: The Limits of Flexibility of AmericanManufacturing by Steven P. Vallas and John P. Beck

Begin reading Robin Leidner, Fast Food, Fast Talk.

Recommended:Milkman, Ruth. 1997. Farewell to the Factory: Autoworkers in the Late Twentieth Century.Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Marek Korczynski, Karen A. Shire, May Tam, Stephen J. Frenkel. 1999. On the Front Line:Organization of Work in the Information Economy ILR/Cornell University Press.

The NewRuthlessEconomyIntegrationPaper due.

February

9Overview ofRoutinization inthe ServiceIndustry

Micro/macro connections of routinization; challenges of routinization for workplaces andworkers; emotion work.

WR 10: The Managed Heart by Arlie Russell Hochschild

Robin Leidner chapters 1-2, Working on People and How Can Work on People byRoutinized?

Recommended:Bearman, Peter. 2005. Doormen. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Van Maanen, John. 1991. The Smile Factory: Work at Disneyland. Pp. 58-76 in ReframingOrganizational Culture, edited by Peter J. Frost, Larry F. Moore, Meryl Reis Louis, Craig C.Lundberg, and Joanne Martin. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Pre-discussion

Paper.



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February

14Comparing ServiceWork atMcDonalds &Selling Insurance

Socialization processes at McDonalds difference owners and workers. Socialization ofinsurance salespeople; mechanism to secure member commitment; identities of insurancessalespeople.

Robin Leidner chapter 3-4, Over the Counter: McDonalds and OrchestratingOptimism: Combined Insurance


Project 1 Due.

February

16

Workplace Control

of the Self andIdentity

Revisit theories of Taylor and Marc re: interests of managers/owners and workers; how

are the interests of workers, owners, and customers aligned McDonalds and CombinedInsurance?; what is the impact of routinization on workers in both settings?

Robin Leidner chapter 5, Controlling Interests

Recommended:Michle Lamont, 2002, The Dignity of Working Men: Morality and the Boundaries of Race,Class, and Immigration. Harvard University Press.

Covaleski, Mark A., Mark W. Dirsmith, James B. Heian, and Sanjay Samuel. 1998. TheCalculated and the Avowed: Techniques of Discipline and Struggles over Identity in BigSix Public Accounting Firms.Administrative Science Quarterly43(2): 293-327.

Pre-discussion

Paper.

February

21Meanings ofService Work

Identify and gender meanings at McDonalds and Combined Insurance; identity work salience of identity and identity construction; American values and routine work.

Robin Leidner chapters 6-7, Meanings of Routinized Work and Conclusion


February23

Meanings ofService Work,cont: DomesticHelp

WR 29: (skim) Maid to Order: The Politics of Other Womens Work by BarbaraEhrenreich.

Hondagneu-Sotela, Pierrette. 2001. Domstica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in theShadows of Affluence. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Pp. ix-xv, 3-22, 30-60, 63-70, 76-87, 92-95, 100-103. (R)

Recommended:Arlie Russell Hochschild and Barbara Ehrenreich (Eds), 2003, Global Woman: Nannies,

Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy. Metropolitan Books.


February

28

Semester Break. Begin reading Kunda, Engineering Culture. Class resumes March 6. None.

March

7Professionals andManagerial Work:

Overview of MajorIssues

Unit 3: Professionals and Professionalization

Recent trends in the world of professional work; professional projects; history of medicineas a professional project; managers and managerial projects

WR 19: Occupational Change: Can the Economy Still Produce Good Jobs and, If So, WhoGets Them? by Frank Levy

WR 33: (Skim) The Social Structure of Managerial Work by Robert Jackall

Gideon Kunda, Engineering Culture: Control and Commitment in a High Tech Corporation,Chapter 1.

Recommended:Leicht and Fennell, chapters 1-3, Professional and Managerial Work in the 21stc.;Conceptual Background; Managers and Managerial Work

Abbott, Andrew. 1988. The System of Professions: An Essay on the Division of Expert Labor.Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Larson, Magali. 1979. The Rise of Professionalism. University of California Press. (TheHistorical Matrix of Modern Professions, pp.2-8)

Fast Food,Fast Nation

IntegrationPaper Due.

March

9Life in theCorporation:Corporate Cultureand NormativeControl

Cultural influences on identity; identity as a dialectic; work/home boundaries

Gideon Kunda, Engineering Culture: Control and Commitment in a High Tech Corporation,Chapters 2 & 3.

(skim) Fraser, Jill. White Collar Sweat Shop: The Deterioration of Work and Its Rewards inCorporate America. Norton. 2001. Pp. 75-96. (R)

Michael B. Arthur and Denise M. Rousseau (Eds), 2001, The Boundaryless Career: A NewEmployment Principle for a New Organizational Era. Oxford. Pp. 4-6, 9-11. (R)




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March

14The ProfessionalSelf: Creating andCompartmentalizing Identity

Gideon Kunda, Engineering Culture: Control and Commitment in a High Tech Corporation,Chapters 4 & 5.

Michael B. Arthur and Denise M. Rousseau (Eds), 2001, The Boundaryless Career: A NewEmployment Principle for a New Organizational Era. Oxford. Pp. 187-198. (R)

Recommended:Robert Jackall, 1988,Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers, Oxford.

WR: 23 The Corporate Closet: The Professional Lives of Gay Men in America by JamesD. Woods with Jay H. Lucas


March

16IntroducingContract Work inthe KnowledgeEconomy

Gideon Kunda, Engineering Culture: Control and Commitment in a High Tech Corporation,Chapters 6.

Barley and Kunda, Gurus, Hired Guns, and Warm Bodies, Chapters Preface, and Chapter 1Unlikely Rebels.

Michael B. Arthur and Denise M. Rousseau (Eds), 2001, The Boundaryless Career: A NewEmployment Principle for a New Organizational Era. Oxford. Pp. 58-73, 97-114, 350-360. (R)


March

21Standard andNonstandardEmployment andNew Structures of

Professional Work

Barley and Kunda, chapters 2-4, Clients, Contractors, Agencies.

Arne L. Kalleberg; Barbara F. Reskin; Ken Hudson. Bad Jobs in America: Standard andNonstandard Employment Relations and Job Quality in the United States. AmericanSociological Review, Vol. 65, No. 2. (Apr., 2000), pp. 256-278.

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1224%28200004%2965%3A2%3C256%3ABJIASA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S

Recommended:

Leicht and Fennell, chapters 4-5, Neoentrepreneurial Workplace and TheoreticalModels of Profession Work


March

23Professional Workin ChangingContexts: Focus onthe MedicalProfession

Relations between professionals and managers; implications for physicians; physicianMBAs; conflicts; negotiations.

WR 30: Working on (and Around) the Unborn Patient: Negotiating Social Order in a FetalTreatment Unit by Monica J. Casper

Michael Ruhlman, 2003, Walk on Water: Inside an Elite Pediatric Surgical Unit, PenguinBooks, Chapters 2, 4, 6 (only 166-198). (R)

Barley and Kunda, chapters 5 and 6, The Information Game and Making the Deal.Recommended:Leicht and Fennell, chapter 6, Change the Organizational Context

Weinberg, Dana Beth. 2003. Code Green: Money-Drive Hospitals and the Dismantling ofNursing. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press.

Bosk, Charles L. 2003. To Forgive and Remember: Managing Medical Failure. 2nded. Chicago,IL: University of Chicago Press.

Barley, Stephen R. 1986. Technology as an occasion for structuring: evidence fromobservations of CT scanners and the social order of radiology departments.AdministrativeScience Quarterly31: 78-108.

DelVecchio Good, Mary-Jo. 1988.American Medicine. University of California Press.


March

28

Stratification

amongProfessionals

Discussion of hierarchies among professional workers and within professional firms.

Barley and Kunda, chapters 7-9, Contractors as Commodities, Contractors as Experts,and Navigating between Respect and Resentment.

Recommended:Leicht and Fennell, chapter 7, Interest Diversity and Demographic Diversity and chapter8, Producing Stratification

Daniel Beunza & David Stark. 2004. Tools of the Trade: The Socio-technology of Arbitragein a Wall Street Trading Room. Industrial and Corporate Change 13: 369-400.

Zaloom, Caitlin. 2003. Ambiguous Numbers: Trading Technologies and Interpretation inFinancial Markets. American Ethnologist 30 (2): 258-272.

Notes for Next


Project 2 Due.

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1224%28200004%2965%3A2%3C256%3ABJIASA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Shttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1224%28200004%2965%3A2%3C256%3ABJIASA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Shttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1224%28200004%2965%3A2%3C256%3ABJIASA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Shttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1224%28200004%2965%3A2%3C256%3ABJIASA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Shttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1224%28200004%2965%3A2%3C256%3ABJIASA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S


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Abolafia, Mitchel Y. 1996.Making Markets: Opportunism and Restraint on Wall Street.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Eccles, Robert G. and Dwight B. Crane. 1988. Doing Deals: Investment Banks at Work.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

March

30Stratificationamong

Professionals, cont

Managerial and professional projects; managers and professionals trading places;discussion of Rambo Litigators; Goffmans theory of dramaturgy

WR 31: Rambo Litigators: Emotional Labor in a Male-Dominated Job by Jennifer L.Pierce

Barley and Kunda, chapters 10-12, Temporal Capital, Building and MaintainingHuman Capital, and Building and Maintaining Social Capital.

Barley and Kunda, chapters 13, Itinerant Professionals in a Knowledge Economy.

Recommended:Leicht and Fennell, chapter 9, Conclusion

Pierce, Jennifer L. 1996. Gender Trials: Emotional Lives in a Contemporary Law Firm. Berkeleyand Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.


April

4Anti-CorporateCulture in NewMedia Companies,

Vision andTensions

Work expectations in the New Economy; shifts in gender, status, and required skillsamong new media workers; digerati and the rise of technoculture, re-engineering fads,future of the knowledge industry.

WR 15: Employee Involvement, Involved employees: Participative Work Arrangementsin a White-Collar Service Occupation by Vicki Smith

Andrew Ross. 2002. No-Collar: The Humane Workplace and Its Hidden Costs. Basic Books,Chapters 1, 2, (skim Chapter 3 & first part Chapter 4 pp 55-108), read Chapter 4 pp 109-122. (R)


April

6Anti-CorporateCulture, Vision andTensions, cont

Bobos (Bourgeois/Bohemians); growth and core values of silicon paradise, dotcomsdesigned to flip, corporate buy-outs and betrayal.

Andrew Ross. 2002. No-Collar: The Humane Workplace and Its Hidden Costs. Basic Books,Chapters 5, 6, 7 (skim Chapter 8). (R)

Notes for Pre-discussionPaper.

April

11The Job Searchamong WhiteCollar workers

White collar unemployment, resume-building as impression management, coaches, TheGap, networking, resume spamming through internet, religion and the corporation,personality tests and job fit, skills vs. passion.

Barbara Ehrenreich, 2005, Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the AmericanDream,HarperCollins, pp. 1-13, 15-27, 32-39, 41-51, 65-86, 124-136, 167-172, 173-186, 202-211, 216-221, 226-235. (R)


April

13ContemporaryIssues: Race, Class,and Gender

Issues of race, class, and gender in the workplace; theories of worker commitment andcooperation (Barnard); changing occupational demographics.

WR 24: Their Logic Against Them: Contradictions in Sex, Race, and Class in SiliconValley by Karen J. Hossfeld

WR 21: Culture, Commerce, and gender: The Feminization of Book Editing by BarbaraReskin

Recommended:Royster, Deidre A. 2003. Race and the Invisible hand: How White Networks Exclude Black MenFrom Blue-Collar Jobs. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Williams, Christine L. Inside Toyland Working, Shopping, and Social Equality. Berkeley, CA:University of California Press.

Reskin, Barbara F. and Irene Padavic. 2002. Women and Men at Work. 2nd ed. ThousandOaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Levin, Peter. 2001. Gendering the Market. Temporality, Work, and Gender on a NationalFutures Exchange. Work and Occupations 28(1): 112-130.

Skuratowicz, Eva and Larry W. Hunter, 2004. Where Do Womens Jobs Come From? JobResegregation in American Bank. Work and Occupations 31(1): 73-110.

Occupational Ghettos: The Worldwide Segregation of Women And Men (Studies in Social

Gurus, HiredGuns, andWarm BodiesIntegrationPaper due.



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Inequality)by Maria Charles, David B. Grusky. Stanford University. 2005. (Esp. Chap1,"The Four Puzzles of Sex Segregation," Chap 2, "Toward Linking Theory and Method: ANew Approach to Understanding Variability in Sex Segregation," Chap 3, "The UnderlyingStructure of Sex Segregation in Industrial Market Economies," and Chap 9, "The Past,Present, and Future of Occupational Ghettos.")

April

18

Easter Break. Begin reading Hochschilds Time Bind. Class resumes April 20. None.

April20

What is Work andWhat is Family:The History ofFamily roles andDivisions

Unit 4: Boundaires and Domains: Work and Family

Conception of housework; shift and part-time work as solutions to work/family balanceissues

WR 3: The Invention of Housework by Ruth Schwartz Cown

WR 39: Motherhood of the Night Shift by Anita Ilta Garey

WR 40: The Part-time Paradox: Time Norms, Professional Lives, Family, and Gender byCynthia Fuchs Epstein et al.

Recommended:Hareven, Tamera K. 1982. Family Time and Industrial Time: The Relationship Between theFamily and Time and Work in a New England and Industrial Community. New York:Cambridge University Press.


April

25 The Managementof Time amongWorking Families

Details of Hochschilds study (methods, sample); culture of Amerco; family friendlypolicies; what is the time bind

Hochschild, chapters 1-4, About Time


April

27Case Studies ofWork/FamilyBoundaries andBalance

Underlying assumptions about The Family; comparison of different cases; critiques ofcases and analyses; dysfunctional families and traumatic childhoods

Hochschild, chapters 5-9, From Executive Suite to Factory Floor

Recommended:Epstein, Cynthia Fuchs, Carroll Seron, Bonnie Oglensky, and Robert Saute. 1999. The Part-Time Paradox. Time Norms, Professional Life, Family, and Gender. New York, NY: Routledge.

Bailyn, Lotte. 1993. Breaking the Mold: Women, Men, and Time in the New Corporate World.New York: Free Press.

Hewlett, Sylvia Ann and Carolyn Buck Luce. Off-Ramps and On-Ramps. Keeping

Talented Women on the Road to Success. Harvard Business Review 83(3): 43-46, 48, 50-54.

Blair-Loy, Mary. 2003. Competing Devotions: Career and Family among Women Executives.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Levine, James A. and Todd L. Pittinsky. 1997. Working Fathers: New Strategies for BalancingWork and Family. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.


May

2More Case Studiesof Work/FamilyBoundaries andBalance

More case studies; compare middle class cases with working class cases

Hochschild, chapters 10-13, Executive Suite to Factory Floor continued

Hochschild, chapters 14-16, Implications and Alternatives


May

4

Reading Day. Project 3 Due.

May

5-10

Final Exam Period. None.



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Project 1

Changes in Occupational Demographics, 1920-2000

(Note: Based in part on Cynthia Andersons project description for Sociological Occupation Analysis, p. 8 of the4thedition of The Sociology of Work and Occupations Syllabi set. I would recommend putting the StatisticalAbstractsthat they need to look at on-reserve at the library.)

For this project, you will collect and interpret data on changes over time in the sex and composition oftwo specific occupations, as well as the broad occupational category of the two occupations. You willpresent the data in tables and compare and contrast the changes in the different occupations and theoccupational category.

Step 1: Choose the occupations and occupational category.

I want you to choose two occupations that are classified in the same broad category. Examples of broadcategories:

Managerial and professional specialtyTechnical, sales, and administrative supportService occupations, except private household and protectivePrecision production, craft and repair

Operators, fabricators, and laborersFarming, forestry, and fishing

For example, you might choose the category Farmers, forestry, and fishing and then within thecategory, choose the occupations farm workers and farm managers. Or you might choose thecategory Operators, fabricators, and laborers and choose the occupations printing press operatorsand welders and cutters.

You want to make sure you can collect data for your occupations from all required years (see below). Thebest way to do this is to look through the Statistical Abstractsfrom the various years you need and makesure your occupations are listed in all the books. You also want to make sure that your broad category isin each of the books, or else that you can make reasonable estimates of the category based on the data youfind.

Step 2: Define your occupations.

You will use the U.S. Census Bureau classification to define your occupations. This classification system iscalled the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). The purpose of the SOC is to classify workers intooccupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, and disseminating data. All workers areclassified into one of over 820 occupations according to their occupational definition. To facilitateclassification, occupations are combined to form 23 major and 98 minor groups of occupations requiringsimilar job duties, skills, education, or experience. For each occupation that you choose, provided theSOC classification number as well as the general description of what the occupation entails.

Step 3: Gather data on sex and race composition over time.

Using the information listed below, collect data on the sex composition of your occupations and broadcategory from 1920, 1940, 1960, 1980, and 2000. You will have three sets of data: sex composition (% male

and % female) for Occupation 1, sex composition in Occupation 2, and sex composition for BroadOccupational Category.

Using the information listed below, collect data on the racial composition of your occupations and broadcategory from 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000. you will have three sets of data: racial composition (%white and % non-white) for Occupation 1, racial composition for Occupation 2, and racial composition forBroad Occupational Category.

You will come across several issues that are common in data collection, and you will need to figure outhow to deal with them. One issue will be: can you find the Broad Occupational Category data for all


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years? If the data arent listed explicitly, can you figure them out using other data? Or will you simplyexplain that the data werent available? Another issue will be, sometimes the racial data is simplywhite/non-white and sometimes its more specific: white, black, Hispanic. Do you want to combine theblack and Hispanic data to make a general non-white category for all years, or do you want to list thedata is given? Its up to you.

Step 4: Create tables to communicate your data.

Once youre collected your data, you will need to figure out how to present them in a readable,understandable form. You can use the sample tables below as basic models. You may want to work backand forth between making the tables and writing up your analysis. For instance, you may want to makeyour table as a certain way to highlight a difference you find interesting.

Step 5: Write-up your analysis.

Write-up your analysis of your data as a comparison of Occupation 1 to Occupation 2, and eachoccupation to the Broad Occupational Category. How does each occupation and the broad categorychange over time in terms of sex and race? Is each occupation representative of the broad category, ordifferent from the broad category? Why do you think these occupations have changed (or not changed)over time? This write-up should be about 3-4 pages.

Evaluation:This project is worth 15 points. 3 of the 15 points will be based on the clarity and accuracy of your writing(grammar, spelling, etc.). I will evaluate the presentation of your data, the completeness of your data, andthe reasonableness of your analysis and ideas about why there have/have not been changes. You are notexpected to use all the course readings in your write-up, but if there are any relevant ideas or facts fromthe readings, please use them and cite them properly.

Data Sources:For the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC), use website http://stats.bls.gov/socFor the sex and race data, use the Statistical Abstracts of the United StatesSample Occupation, Classification, and Tables

Occupation: Barber/Hairdresser

Before 1960, called Barbers, beauticians, and manicurists1960 and after, two separate categories: (1) Barbers, and (2) Hairdressers and Cosmetologists

***watch out for these kinds of re-categorizations, and try to pick up occupations that are the same for allyears!

Standard Occupational Classification

39-5011 Barbers: Provide barbering services, such as cutting, trimming, shampooing, and styling hair,trimming beards, or giving shaves.

39-5012 Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists: Provide beauty services, such as shampooing,cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and massaging and treating scalp. May also apply makeup, dress wigs,perform hair removal, and provide nail and skin care services.

Percentage of Barbers by Sex, 1920-2000 (selected years)

Year Total workers Number ofmen

Percent men Number ofwomen

Percent women

1920 195275 172977 88.6 22298 11.4

1940 416031 209439 50.3 206592 49.7

1960 446839 175216 39.2 271623 60.8

1980 684000 157148 23.0 526852 77.0

2000 829000 123986 15.0 705014 85.0
http://stats.bls.gov/sochttp://stats.bls.gov/soc


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Percentage of Barbers by Race

Year Total workers Number ofwhites

Percent white Number ofnon-whites

Percent non-white

1920 195275 395522 88.5 51317 11.5

1940 416031 599205 91.5 55795 8.5

1960 446839 613758 89.7 70242 10.3

1980 684000 718921 83.3 144079 16.7

2000 829000 646423 78.0 182577 22.0

In the tables, provide footnotes for anything you think a reader would want to know about your data. Forinstance, if you combine racial categories into non-white, you should note what years separate the datain Black and Hispanic categories.



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Project 2Professional Work: Interview or Content Analysis

For this project, you will conduct either an interview with a professional worker or a content analysis ofinformation about professional training sites. Everyone will complete a common set of questions abouttheir profession of choice to supplement their empirical research. Possible professions to consider include:physician, lawyer, executive, lawyer, engineer, scientist, dentist, architect, college professor (if your

profession is not on the list, see me for approval).

Part 1: Common QuestionsOnce you have selected your profession, you will need to collect some basic information about it. Use theOccupational Outlook Handbookpublished by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.Collect the type of information provided in Leicht and Fennell Tables 2.2-2.6 for 2002-3. When you doyour write-up, provide this information first.

Part 2a: InterviewIf you choose to conduct an interview with a professional worker, plan to set aside at least 45 minutes toconduct your interview. Allow time to ask follow-up questions and to follow tangents as they come up.You may write up specific interview questions to follow or you may want to have an outline of topics to

cover. Either way, be sure to address the following topics:Required trainingwhere did you go to school? what kind of courses did you have to take, what

was training like, etc.Work settingdescribe a typical day, a typical weekWhat has influenced your decision to become a professionalProfessional networksare you a member of professional associationsWhat is your view of changes in the profession over timeWhat is your view of the future outlook of your profession

When you write-up the results of your interview, include the name of your interviewee and demographiccharacteristics (approximate age, race, gender). Summarize by topic area your interviewees responses toyour questions, using direct quotes as appropriate. Do not write-up your results as a transcript (question,answer, question, answer, etc.).

As a last step, compare your interviewees responses to the information about the profession given in theOccupational Outlook Handbook. Does the Handbooksportrait of the profession match your interviewees? Ifthere are differences, discuss possible causes.

Part 2b: Content AnalysisIf you choose to conduct a content analysis of professional training sites, you will need to choose aprofession with ranked schools in the publicationAmericas Best Graduate Schoolsby U.S. News and WorldReport. From the list of schools, you will be comparing schools of high, medium, and low status. Use therankings to select two schools of high status (top 20), two schools of low status (bottom 20), and twoschools of medium status (in the middle). Gather what information you can about theses schools from themagazine.

Next, go to each professional programs website and gather information about the schools. Provide eachwebsite address in your write-up as a separate list or in your bibliography. On the website, look forinformation about admissions requirements, program requirements to graduate, the curriculum/coursesoffered, the presentation of the program (what are its specialties, what does it offer, what are itsadvantages, how is it special), and any information about the profession itself (e.g. work settings, futureoutlook).

Compare the six schools based on status. Do the high status schools present themselves differently thanthe low or medium status schools? Are the low status schools different than the high and medium? Etc.



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Are there discernible differences in curriculum, requirements and information provided? Are there anystatus cues given on the website (are they telling you they are high status, low status, etc.)? Describe anyother interesting comparisons you find.

As a last step, compare your content analysis to the information about the profession given in theOccupational Outlook Handbook. Does the Handbooks portrait of the profession match what you see on thetraining site web pages? If there are differences, discuss possible causes.

Evaluation:This project is worth 15 percent of your grade. I am not exactly sure of the expected length but I think itshould be about 4-5 pages, exclusive of appendices or extra material. I will evaluate the presentation ofyour data, the clarity and reasonableness of your analyses, and the completeness of your project.



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Project 3Occupational Analysis Research Paper

Choose an occupation that you would like to know more about. You can focus on a specific job within theoccupation or an occupation overall. If you choose a specific job, be sure to consider and discuss it inrelation to its broader occupational context.

Your research should include a definition of the job or occupation, what kind of work is involved, and abrief historical overview (How and why did this job/occupation come about? What changes haveoccurred and why?). Additionally, you should include the following items marked with an asterisk:

*Demographic composition (gender, race/ethnicity, age, etc.). Has it changed over time?* General compensation data (salary/wage range) for this type of work.* What you see as the one or two most important issues this job/occupation faces, and why.* What strategy(ies) or solution(s) you propose or support; or, how would you reconstruct this

job/occupation for the future in relation to the issue(s) you raise?

After researching your job/occupation, you should be able to respond to the following questions. Theyare a guide to help you develop a comprehensive understanding. However, for your paper, select onlythose items that are relevant to the key issue(s) or focus you want to address. Dont try to address all ofthese in your paper.

How would Marx characterize this job/occupation? What issues does that raise?What kind of education or training is normal? Has this changed over time? How?How does one get into this job/occupation? What are the mobility prospects?Is this job/occupation skilled or not? Evidence of deskilling?Is this job/occupation unionized or not? Why or why not?To whom is this job/occupation responsible? Closely supervised or not? How much autonomy?What time commitment does this job/occupation take? Flexibility in scheduling?How compatible is this job/occupation with family, childcare responsibilities? Issues?How conductive to nontraditional work patterns or arrangements is this job/occupation?Are there health or safety issues that affect this job/occupation or those who hold it?Which issues related to this job/occupation are related to work environment, and which are

related to social relationships?Can a worker make a reasonable living? If not, discuss. What other compensation issues arise?What are the worker supply and demand issues, in the past and today?Has the workforce changed in any major way (e.g. demographics, education, etc.)?Is this job/occupation gendered? How? Or why not?Which inequalities are related to this job/occupation? (e.g. discrimination, harassment, tokenism,

exploitation, abusive practices, systemic advantages, disadvantages)?

How has technology affected this job/occupation over time?Is this job/occupation professionalizing or deprofessionalizing?Has this job/occupation been affected by globalization? Is it likely to be in the future?What are the present job/occupational trends for the future?

Use your course readings and lecture material where relevant to help you discuss the topics or issues youhave chosen. You will need to do some outside reading on your job/occupation. How many sources youneed depends on what issues(s) you choose to cover, and how comprehensive the sources are. Be sure tocite whatever sources you use.

If you know someone who currently is in this job or occupation, or once was, you are welcome to talkwith her/him, as an interview, and use that as part of your research data. Do not identify the individualin any recognizable way when taking notes or using data in your paper (unless this person holds publicoffice). All individuals should be over age 18, and their responses should not put them at risk of criminalor civil liability, or affect their employment. If you are observing work, be sure to get permission from the



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firm as well as the individual, unless it is in a public place. Be sure to exclude identifying characteristicsin your notes.

In your paper, you should at some point compare your job/occupation with another occupation. Whatsimilarities or differences are there in relation to the issue(s) you are discussing? You will not be expectedto do more than brief outside reading on a second occupationjust enough to give you the ability tomake an informed comparisons. You also can develop a comparative perspective by interviewing

another student who is studying a different occupation. Your written work should be your own,however.

Deadlines

Research proposal:Identify the job or occupation you will be studying and what interests you about it, in relation to thesociology of work. Think of at least one substantive issue in relation to this job or occupation that youwould like to investigate in some depth, and briefly explain why you think that it is important orinteresting. What do you see as the problem, or core concern? Also, briefly identify two or three sourcesof information or data that will help you investigate this issue, as well as give an overview of the job oroccupation. For interviews, do not give the names of individuals. Your proposal should be no more thanone page double spaced, and will be evaluated pass/fail. Proposal represents 5% of course grade. Due:.

Research paper:Your paper should be 5-6 pages, double-spaced (the bibliography does not count against the count limit).Paper represents 15% of course grade.

Evaluation objective: To see how well you can apply course concepts and material to analyze key topicsor issues in relation to a job and its occupational context, or to an occupation overall.

Soc 230 Sociology of Work - Marti - Spring 06

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