Competences

a) Start and maintain an objective and critical discussion about social stratification and inequality in society;
b) Sensitise social studies students to issues of inequality in an objective and critical manner;
c) Foster among social studies students an awareness and appreciation of civil movements that promote equality in society;
d) Initiate active participation in projects, both local and global, that target issues of stratification and inequality. 

Knowledge 

a) Demonstrate understanding of sociological theories of social stratification, such as Marx’s, Weber’s and Bourdieu’s theories;
b) Establish different forms of social stratification, mainly the apartheid, caste, feudal, and social class systems;
c) Develop an in-depth analysis of the social class structure (with reference to studies such as those of M. Savage, and F. Devine et al.);
d) Appreciate the relevance of stratification theories to life chances;
e) Demonstrate different types of social mobility, namely vertical and horizontal mobility, and the promotion or hindrance of social mobility by factors like education, marriage, occupation and family background using Malta as a case study; 
f) Appreciate prominent social mobility studies, and apply these to the Maltese context for instance those of J. H. Goldthorpe et al. and S. M. Lipset and R. Bendix. 

Skills

a) Enhance the social studies students’ understanding of stratification and inequality and broaden their knowledge to Maltese society;
b) Discuss inequality issues objectively and critically in an interactive learning environment with social studies students;
c) Refer to past and contemporary social processes, such as protests and civil movements, relating to stratification, inequality and different life chances focusing on ‘doing’ social studies by way of experiencing different scenarios.