Sociology 441

Sociology 441: Stratification

Paper: option 2

Class, unions, and class consciousness at work

The purpose of the term paper is to take the ideas discussed in class and in the reading and for you to see if they apply to a specific case you will investigate. The paper focuses on class divisions and class consciousness and how well they explain unionization. Sociologists have debated several reasons why unions are declining. Your task in this paper is to evaluate how these general causal explanations help you understand a specific case of unionization or non-unionization. Does this individual case fit or not fit the general patterns we (and Geoghegan) have discussed?

To do this you need to look at the attitudes and behavior of one working-class individual. You should arrange an interview with some working-class individual once you have a good understanding of the general issues that need to be discussed (see below).

Your paper should have a clear statement that answers the causal questions, "Why is there a union (or no union) at the worker's company and why does this worker favor (or oppose) a union? In answering these questions you should evaluate the general causal theories that social scientists (and Geoghegan) have used to explain the decline of unions in America:

low working-class solidarity and more middle-class individualism;
high prosperity and benefits (and thus high worker satisfaction);
employer hostility to unions (and thus employee fear);
bureaucratic, corrupt, incompetent, or unaggressive unions;
high turnover and low worker commitment;
deindustrialization and the expansion of service work;
other ideas your case study suggests.

Think about causes and consequences. Explicit comparisons (i.e., similarities or differences) to material from the reading or class lectures will strengthen your paper. The paper should be a maximum of five pages. Grading: 1. Does the paper cover all issues? 2. Does the description of the case study have specific concrete details that relate to the issue being discussed? 3. Is the paper a causal analysis? And is there a good overall conclusion about what is the primary cause for union membership and attitudes? 4. Does the paper relate this specific case to the general national patterns (i.e., is it explicit about whether this case fits or contradicts the general patterns we have reviewed in class)?

Due: Tuesday, December 10

See also: Option #1 "Survival strategies of poor single mothers to make ends meet."

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Last updated November 4, 2002

comments to: Reeve Vanneman. reeve@umd.edu