Junior Tutorial: Stigma and Social Recognition

SOCIOL 98JD Subject & Catalog Number

Description

This class examines how stigma — how having a “spoiled identity” (Goffman 1963) — shapes the way people act, interact, and make sense of the world. We will ask questions like: how do individuals or groups become stigmatized? How do people experience, cope with, or resist this stigma? How is stigma tied to discrimination, or the unequal access to resources and opportunities? And how might we reduce or challenge stigma? How can we promote its opposite, social recognition?

Together, we will unpack the concept of stigma by diving into case studies. We will discuss the stigmas associated with dirty work, polluted relationships, illness, disability, poverty, criminal records, and more. We will also analyze the ways stigma intersects with class, race, gender, and sexuality. Our approach will be both micro-sociological — looking at individuals and social interactions — as well as meso-sociological — studying organizations, institutions, cultural scripts, and power.

During the semester, you will also conduct your own research on stigma and recognition. You will learn to use and apply qualitative methods, either ethnography, participant observation, in-depth interviews, textual analysis, or archival work. You will also receive individualized support as you prepare your final project. By the end of the course, you will have a clearer sense of the mechanisms by which stigma contributes to social inequalities.