Inequality

Inequality
Bachelor in International Studies
ECTS Credits: 6.0
Semester: 2

COMPETENCES AND SKILLS THAT WILL BE ACQUIRED AND LEARNING RESULTS

BASIC COMPETENCES
CB1 Be able to show that they possess and comprehend facts and contents in an area of study which, based on a previous general secondary school level, have been extended to those included in advanced textbooks and in some aspects proceed from the most advanced studies in this area.
CB2 Be able to show that they have learned how to apply their knowledge professionally to their future jobs or tasks and that they possess the competences needed to develop and defend arguments and solve problems in that area of study.
CB3 Be able to show that they are capable of collecting and interpreting the relevant data (normally within their area of study) needed for formulating judgments which require critical thought on social, scientific and ethical topics of relevance.
CB4 Be able to show that they are able to transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions both to specialized and non-specialized publics.
CB5 Be able to show that they have developed the learning skills required to perform further studies with a high degree of self-dependence.

GENERAL COMPETENCES
CG1 Understand social, political, legal and economic realities from a comparative perspective.
CG2 Be able to approximate and analyze the intrinsic values contained in equal opportunities, multi-cultural society, political ideological and cultural pluralism, human rights, and the international community.
CG5 Be able to debate and formulate critical reasoning, using precise terminology and specialized resources, when analyzing international and global phenomena, employing both the concepts and knowledge from different disciplines as well as the methods of analysis, paradigms and concepts pertaining to the Social Sciences.
CG6 Be able to apply scientific method to the economic, social and political questions of a global society; be able to formulate problems in this context, identify a possible explication or solution, and a method to contrast them by sensibly interpreting the data.

OVERLAPPING COMPETENCES
CT1 Acquire the capacity to communicate knowledge in oral and written form, both to specialized and to non-specialized publics.
CT2 Acquire the capacity to establish good interpersonal communication and to work both in interdisciplinary and international teams.
CT3 Acquire the capacity to organize and plan workloads, taking correct decisions based on the available information, collecting and interpreting relevant data in order to provide assessments in that area of study.
CT4 Develop the motivation and capacity to perform independent continuous learning for life, with an endowment to adapt to change and new situations.

SPECIFIC COMPETENCES
CE1 Be familiar with the principal political and social theories. Be capable of analyzing and comparing contemporary policies.
CE2 Be familiar with and understand the processes of political, social, economic and cultural change in society and contemporary policy.
CE6 Understand the socio-political impact of empires, religions and cultures in historical perspective.
CE7 Understand the main dynamics which generate inequality and its consequences, and comprehend the principles on which equal opportunity policies are based.
CE9 Be familiar with and comprehend the relevance of technological change for economic and social development.
CE10 Be able to discern the differentiating elements in international problems in accordance to the development stages of a country.
CE11 Be able to critically relate present and past events and processes.
CE12 Be able to formulate and solve basic economic, social, political problems in an international context.
CE16 Be able to carry out case studies and apply comparative method to analyze institutions, processes and policies in different countries.

CO9 Understand the consequences of inequality

LEARNING OUTCOMES
· Knowledge of the academic literature on social stratification in contemporary and understanding of empirical evidence compared societies.
· Applied knowledge to understand the role of the family, the welfare state , education systems and labor markets in social inequality.

DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS: PROGRAMME

Theories, basic concepts and key findings on social stratification with a focus on comparative study of economic inequality, social mobility, poverty and inequality based on gender, ethnicity and race. Measurements of inequality: class diagrams, mobility tables, log- linear models; income inequality, quantile ratios and Gini coefficients; poverty lines, absolute and relative poverty; composite indexes; measuring wage gaps and decomposition; discrimination and gaps. Implications of comparative evidence on the discussions about meritocracy, the decline of social class, income inequality in contemporary societies and gender inequality, ethnicity and race. The role of the family, the market and the state in social stratification.

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

- 40% Continuous work (assingments, labs, practicals, etc.)
- 60% End-of-term exam