Social Equality and Equity

This course focuses on variations in the structure of opportunity and outcomes within the United States and between the United States and other countries. The forms inequality may take and changes over time in conceptions of inequality and inequity will be examined. Attention will be given to: effects of diverse values, perspectives, and ideologies on conceptualizations of social equality and equity; operational definitions of these conceptualizations; the antecedents and consequences of equality/inequality and equity/inequity as variously defined; and the implications of the above for social work and social welfare. Current levels of inequality in the United States will be assessed by critically reviewing the literature on differentials in opportunities and outcome. Comparative analysis of empirical work on inequality within the United States and between the United States and other countries will be used as a basis for examining debates about the relative costs and benefits of particular levels of inequality and about the trade‐off’s between equality and other social goods. Key research issues and gaps in knowledge will be identified.