This course overviews contemporary research on social stratification with particular attention to the study of advanced industrial societies. It presents some of the key findings from the comparative stratification literature and shows how theoretical debates can be tested against empirical data. The course provides a comprehensive overview of the main theories, debates, and methodological developments in the fields of class stratification, the study of inequality of educational opportunity and the intergenerational transmission of social (dis)advantage. Special attention is paid to the study of primary and secondary effects of class background on attainment and, more generally, to mechanisms of inequality transmission.