What is the difference between dominance hierarchies and social stratification?

Complexity.

Also, dominance hierarchies are usually defined (and settled) by physical factors, or physical contests of strength. While physical size/strength may play a role in social stratification, it’s usually not the only role. Social stratification has much more to do with culture, by which I mean the large complex of learned behaviors that pass between human animals’ brains, and less to do with human animals’ physical size determined by their genes.

That said, you could certainly make an argument (and I’m sure people have) that the same abstract evolutionary mechanisms underlie both dominance hierarchies and social castes.

@FreeRadical: Why only a general idea since you have, I hope, gone to classes, read the texts, written the papers and paid attention? This seems like a last-ditch effort, which is not the way to learn.

Dominance hierarchy can be a form of social stratification. Social stratification is a more general term, one that doesn’t indicate the mechanism.

dominance hierarchy

–noun Animal Behavior.
a system or set of relationships in animal groups that is based on a hierarchical ranking, usually established and maintained by behavior in aggressive encounters: one or a few members hold the highest rank and the others are submissive to those ranking higher and dominant to those ranking lower.

a form of animal social structure in which a linear or nearly linear ranking exists, with each animal dominant over those below it and submissive to those above it in the hierarchy. Dominance hierarchies are best known in social mammals, such as baboons and wolves, and in birds, notably chickens (in which the term peck order or peck right is often applied)

social stratification

noun
the condition of being arranged in social strata or classes within a group

@gailcalled: How does that comment in any way help the OP? While it may be true that the student is unprepared you have absolutely know way of knowing if that is their own fault. Last semester I took two Sociology courses with the same ‘Professor’ who in the first day admitted he was only teaching the class for some spending money before going off with a non-profit in South America. That he did not care what we learned but that he was required to test us.

He spent the next six weeks stroking his own ego and teaching us more about the group he worked with than anything our course was supposed to touch on.

All of what I gained from that class was from my own research and outside material. My professor, my books, my notes were all useless to me. And this is exactly the kind of question some fellow students asked in class – their answer? To learn about the Jacuna tribe and how much my professor was loved by them.

I wouldn’t be so quick to judge.

I didn’t mean that to come off as snippy as I think it may have. I just think there are other factors to consider. And if s/he’s in need of a fairly basic question being answered I would think their education failed them.

@asmonet:Snip away, dear heart. We have all had bad teachers; there are ways around them. Dept. chairman, dean, dropping the course or courses, and just look at you…a shining example.

“All of what I gained from that class was from my own research and outside material.”

I would have been more sympathetic if FreeRadical had not waited until the night before the exam before asking the question. Or possibly had tried to do the research online. At least s/he didn’t have to trudge to the library in 6 feet of snow with leaky boots and blurry glasses.

(Why didn’t you and your classmates have a palace revolution and dethrone that bad teacher?)

@gailcalled: It’s community college, I never saw nearly enough passion in them to attempt it.

It’s far too easy to let those in charge dictate your fate, more than once I coasted an assignment because I knew I was the only one really grading it. Not everyone can get by easily with only themselves to push them. I guess the question just reminded me of the situation and made me defensive. :)