SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN JAPAN

Paola CAVALIERE (Graduate School of Human Sciences)

Cource Objective
   In this class, we will adopt a sociological approach to critically analyze Japanese social stratification system. The course is divided into four parts. First, we will learn concepts and terms to talk about the stratification system. We will also discuss how Japanese social stratification system is created. Second, we will study sociological theories in order to understand the influence of stratification system on individuals. Third, we will discuss various forms of inequality in Japan (i.e., class, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and age). Fourth, we will pay attention to how people experience inequality in different institutions such as work, family, and education system.

Learning Goals
   Knowledge and Understanding. After studying this course you should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of different interpretations of Japanese culture and society, and begin to develop own critical position on a range of relevant themes and topics.
• Distinguish and provide critical analysis of a range of disciplinary perspectives on key social issues pertaining to Japanese society.
• Identify and critique key social, economic and political forces impacting on Japanese society at various levels in the 21st century.

• Demonstrate the ability to critically interpret, evaluate and present scholarly arguments on a specific topic with a high degree of independence.
• Demonstrate the ability to work independently and in a self-directed manners through appropriate planning, time management and completion of course work.

Requirement / Prerequisite
   NONE

Class Plan

	Theme	Content
Week 1	第 1 回: Introduction to Class	Introduction to class. Basic definitions and concepts of social stratification. Social stratification implies that in every society goods and services are not equally distributed. Some people are wealthy enough to buy a house, others have to pay rent to live in a small apartment. More generally spoken, why are some people rich and others poor?
Week 2	第 2 回: Types of Social Stratification	Social difference and inequality: A society without social stratification implies that there are no inferior or superior positions and all human beings are equal and have the same prerequisites when they are born. The opposite is the case. People are born into families of unequal positions, some are born into rich influential families, others have to live under the poverty level. Wouldn’t it be fair for all human beings to have the same starting position when they are born? In every country the reality looks different and that is a reason why social stratification is such an interesting topic. To what extent have inequality and difference an impact on people’s life?
Week 3	第 3 回: Sociological Theory	In this class we will discuss what 'social stratification' exactly stands for and what its roots are. Social differences can be described by biological characteristics e.g. sex, size or age. Language, religion, race or sex are differences that do not contain the possibility of being valued unequally. In some countries the opposite is the case e.g. women are regarded inferior to men. Prejudices lead to the point that social differences are not equally valued. Cultural background often has an impact on the evaluation of characteristics of human beings.
Week 4	第 4 回: Social Class	The main conditions that occur in societies are social difference and inequality. Social difference means that people have their own individual qualities, attitudes, occupations and social roles.
Week 5	第 5 回: Gender	Two different phenomenons are distinguished in a society, on the one hand “ascription”, on the other hand “achievement”. Ascription is when people have social positions because of qualities beyond their control e.g. race, sex, age. Achievement is when people reached their placement by following certain achievement rules e.g. going to college, study hard and get good marks. In this class we will discuss the ascribed position based on gender.
Week 6	第 6 回: Race/Ethnicity & Age	In this class we will discuss race, ethnicity and age assoure of class differentiation.
Week 7	第 7 回: Review
Week 8	第 8 回: Midterm Exam
Week 9	第 9 回: Work I	The more money you earn the higher your position in the hierarchy is. In this class and the following we will take a closer look at some attributes in a society like income, wealth, occupatio. We will recognise that some of this attributes depend on each other for instance the better your income the better your access to education and medical provision. Social stratification can lead to a chain reaction because after one disadvantage the next one might follow.
Week 10	第 10 回: Work II
Week 11	第 11 回: Family I	In this class and the following we will take a closer look at the class system and how the class given at birth influences our life. A typical country representing the caste system is India. This system exists of castes and sub castes and its main characteristic is rigidity and inequality. When a human being was born into a poor caste, he stayed mostly poor for the rest of his life.
Week 12	第 12 回: Family II
Week 13	第 13 回: Education	Access to education is one of the factors facilitating class mobility. In this class we will focus on education that is and attribute that largely depends on class and income. The better income, the better your access to education and medical provision.
Week 14	第 14 回: Review
Week 15	第 15 回: Exam

Independent Study Outside of Class
   Students are given reading assignments and presentation assignments. Detailed instructions will be given at the beginning and during the course.

Textbooks
   Ishida, Hiroshi and David H. Slater. 2010. Social Class in Contemporary Japan: Structures, Sorting, and Strategies. New York: Routledge.

Reference
   During the semester, I will announce/distribute reading assignments (e.g., copies of articles/chapters, web addresses). Students are expected to complete reading assignments before class starts.

Grading Policy
   S (90-100), A (80-89), B (70-79), C (60-69), F (0-59)