Sociology 101 Introduction to Sociology

[Pages:7]Sociology 101 Introduction to Sociology

Spring 2008 (Section 8M3WA) Code 1881

JOYCE TANG Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 11 AM ? 12 NOON

Powdermaker Hall 252Q Department of Sociology Queens College of the City University of New York 718.997.2839 jtang@qc.edu

LECTURE: Lectures will be held in Powdermaker 113 on Monday and Wednesday (8 ? 9:15 AM). Attendance on a regular basis is required since materials will be presented in class that may not be accessible in texts. If you miss a lecture, you should try to get the notes and handouts from a classmate.

DESCRIPTION: This is a great time to study sociology! We are witnessing dramatic changes in the nature of the economy, work, families, communities, political systems, workplaces, and organizations. Socialist societies and western democracies are facing basic questions about their systems and values. To comprehend the staggering events unfolding in the news media everyday, it is essential to have familiarity with sociological theories and explanations.

Sociology is one the many different disciplines in the liberal arts from which to look at the world and ourselves in it. It is a discipline which challenges conventional wisdom, dissolves myths about social reality, and studies how human interaction is responsible for the social world and much of individual experience and identity.

The course is designed to expose students to a framework for understanding individual actions in the social context. It offers an introduction to the basic concepts, theories, methods, and findings of sociology that help describe and explain the sociopolitical, socioeconomic, cultural, and organizational structures of society. This course will teach students "sociological imagination." Students will apply theories and explanations to a wide range of topics including social inequality, gender and family, race and ethnicity, the educational and health care systems, and aging.

In addition to using a textbook, readings will include original writings of key thinkers and scholars in the discipline as well as the findings of recent studies.

OBJECTIVES: This course satisfies the College's Pathways flexible core area of the Individual and Society. After taking this Pathways course, students will [1] learn the basic concepts, theories, themes, and methodology used in the discipline of sociology, [2] gain a general understanding of a major field in the liberal arts as well as an individual's relationship with the larger society, [3] learn how to apply theories and explanations to a wide range of social issues, [4] be able to examine social issues from comparative and global perspectives,

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[5] explore the theme of diversity when considering stability and change, and [6] see connections between personal problems and larger issues in the society.

PATHWAYS GOALS:

1) Gather, interpret, and assess information from a variety of sources and points of view. The course manages an active discourse on various theoretical perspectives. Students read and discuss sociological theories. In addition to using a textbook, readings will include original writings of key thinkers and scholars in the discipline as well as journal articles on selected topics. During class discussion and in exams, students will use these various and sometimes conflicting theories to explain contemporary social problems.

2) Evaluate evidence and arguments critically or analytically. Lectures model critical and analytical thinking by sifting through various sociological theories and evaluating logic and evidence. In exams in and in written assignments, students will be asked to assess the fit between the theory and empirical evidence about various social problems.

3) Produce well-reasoned written or oral arguments using evidence to support conclusions. In both class discussion and the writing assignments, students will choose among sociological paradigms to explain social phenomena and will defend the applicability of their paradigms of choice.

4) Identify and apply the fundamental concepts and methods of a discipline or interdisciplinary field exploring the relationship between the individual and society, including, but not limited to, anthropology, communications, cultural studies, history, journalism, philosophy, political science, psychology, public affairs, religion, and sociology. In Sociology 101:

? Students are exposed to a framework for understanding individual actions in the social context.

? Students learn the basic concepts, theories, themes, and methodology used in the discipline of sociology (e.g., anomie, alienation, symbolic interactionism, structural functionalism, conflict theory, social stratification and mobility, diversity, surveys, experiments, field research).

? Students apply these theories, research methods and explanations to a wide range of topics, including social inequality, gender and family, race and ethnicity, the educational and health care system and aging.

5) Examine how an individual's place in society affects experiences, values, or choices. This course describes the social structures that influence the formation of attitudes, experiences, and values that emanate from class, ethnicity, race, age, and gender. Selected readings and film will be used to illustrate the relationship between these constructs and an individual's experiences and identity as well as larger social movements. In writing assignments and class discussion, students will place individual life in the context of the larger social structure.

6) Identify and engage with local, national, or global trends or ideologies, and analyze their impact on individual or collective decision-making. Through various readings on gender, economic, and institutional inequality, students will learn about and identify major

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trends in society. In class discussion and exams, students will analyze the way these trends shape and are shaped by individual choices.

REQUIRED TEXT (available from the College Bookstore) Goodwin, Jeff and James M. Jasper. Eds. 2008. The Contexts Reader. New York: W.W.

Norton.

Schaeffer, Richard T. 2008. Sociology Matters. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 10% ? Participation 15% ? 1st Exam (8 ? 9:15 AM, Monday, 3.3.08) 15% ? 2nd Exam (8 ? 9:15 AM, Monday, 3.31.08) 15% ? 3rd Exam (1:45 ? 3 PM, Wednesday, 5.21.08) Location to be announced 15%-- Essay assignment #1 15% - Essay assignment # 2 15% - Essay assignment # 3.

There is no extra work for extra credit. Course grade is based on the "grade equivalencies"

provided by the Registrar (There is no grade of D-):

A+ 97 ? 100

B+ 87 ? 89

C+ 77 ? 79

D+ 67 ? 69

A 93 ? 96

B 83 ? 86

C 73 ? 76

D 60 ? 66

A- 90 ? 92

B- 80 ? 82

C- 70 ? 72

F 0 ? 59

GRADE POSTING: Log on to your account on the Blackboard (Bb) periodically for announcements and posting of grades. For privacy reasons, all questions concerning grading should be discussed with the instructor in person (no exceptions). Contact the Office of Converging Technologies (OCT) Help Desk [718.997.4444] if you experience any difficulties in activating or accessing your account on Bb.

PARTICIPATION (including attendance, in-class and take-home assignments, and discussions): Regular class attendance and active participation is required, as the lectures and in-class and take-home assignments will provide information not available in the readings. No electronic submission of any work.

LATE SUBMISSION POLICY: Late submission of any work will be penalized by 20 points per calendar day including Saturday and Sunday (including assignments turned in the same day after 9:15 AM). If you are hospitalized or seriously ill, notification must be accompanied by original medical documentation. This policy applies to any kinds of exercise or activity from which an evaluation of your course work is derived. The instructor reserves the right to refuse permission for late submission if she feels it is not warranted.

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PLAGIARISM: Definition - Using another person=s work, ideas, data, or language without specific or proper acknowledgment, e.g., submitting a written assignment that someone else prepared, or preparing all or part of a written assignment for another person. This course is designed to introduce you to some new ways of looking at and thinking about the world around you. It is understandable that you will find yourself in conversations outside class regarding course materials. However, all work you turn in should be your own. The penalty for plagiarism is stiff. The best way to avoid them is to be above suspicion. If you are unsure as to what constitutes plagiarism, refer to the section on "Academic Dishonesty" in the Queens College 2005-07 Undergraduate Bulletin (pp. 61-63).

EXAMS AND WRITING ASSIGNEMENTS: Each exam is non-accumulative. It covers lecture materials and required readings through the last class meeting prior to each exam. Each exam will consist of 50 to 65 questions (multiple choice and true/false). Approximately half of the questions on each exam will be taken from in-class materials (lectures, discussions, handouts, etc.) and half from the assigned readings. During each exam, you are required to bring your Queens College student ID, two #2 pencils, and an eraser. I will provide a rubric with specific criteria for evaluating each writing assignment. Throughout all essay assignments, I will emphasize the structure of composition and developing a cogent argument.

MAKEUP POLICY: Exams will be given at scheduled times. As a general rule, there will be no make-up exams. In extraordinary circumstances, a make-up may be possible if you are seriously ill or hospitalized (with original medical documentation) and consult with the instructor about making up the exam as soon as possible. However, the instructor reserves the right to refuse permission for a make-up if she feels it is not warranted (e.g., leaving early for vacation or wedding is not warranted).

DISCIPLINE: No audio recording is allowed. All mobile phones, pagers, and electronic devices have to be turned off in class. Notes taken in lectures and other handouts given through lectures are for private study purpose only. The copyright of all these materials belongs to the instructor. The instructor has the right to exclude any student from a lecture when his or her behavior disturbs the rest of the class.

SCHEDULE OF LECTURES & READINGS: Students are expected to complete the assigned readings before class and to contribute to class discussions.

1.28.08 (M) Course Overview

1.30.08 (W) What is Sociology? Assignment: Read C.Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination. Mills articulates his views on how social science should be pursued and describes how personal biography--although unique and important--is influenced by social forces.

2.4.08 (W) Theories: Thinking about Society. This unit introduces classical as well as contemporary perspectives that sociologists use to understand social life. Read: Schaefer, Ch. 1; Goodwin & Jasaper, Chs. 4&5.

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Read: Max Weber on "Bureaucracy," and an excerpt from Durkheim and Modern Sociology, by Steve Fenton, (handouts will be distributed in class.) Writing assignment: the class will be given a case study describing the problems of reorganizing the City of Baltimore, Child Protective Services. Read the case study and analyze the reasons for the poor program outcomes comparing Weber's and Durkheim's perspectives on bureaucracy.

2.6.08 (M) Movie, Norma Rae. Essay Assignment: Describe the strategy that Norma Rae uses to transform her "private problems" into public issues." Select two theorists who postulate about the interplay of personal transformation in a social context in order to explain Norma Rae's transformation in the context of a union movement. Read Schaefer, Ch. 2.

2.11.08 (M) Methods: Studying Society [Schaefer, Ch. 3] This unit describes the basic procedures of experimental design, surveys, and participant observation. The readings contain methodological explanations with clear examples of the various devices that sociologists use to find out information.

2.13.08 (W) Methods: Studying Society (continued) [Goodwin & Jasper, Chs. 63 to 67]

2.18.08 (M) COLLEGE CLOSED (Presidents' Day)

2.20.08 (W) Economic Inequality. This unit defines the structures that propagate inequality and the mechanisms that help these systems persist. [Schafer, Ch. 5; Goodwin & Jasper, Chs. 21 to 24] Read journal article: "Neighborhood and School Influences on the Family Life and Mathematical Performance of Eighth Grade Students," Beveridge, Andrew and Catsambis, Sophia.

2.25.08 (M) Economic Inequality: Who Gets What? [Goodwin & Jasper, Chs. 25 to 29]

2.27.08 (W) Economic Inequality: Who Gets What? (continued) & Review for the 1st Exam

3.3.08 (M) 1st EXAM ON LECTURES/READINGS FROM 1.28 TO 2.27

Gender Inequality. This unit will examine how cultural influences and economic systems produce gender inequality.

[Schaefer, Ch. 7; Goodwin & Jasper, Chs. 30 to 34]

3.10.08 (M) Gender Inequality (continued)

3.12.08 (W) Gender Inequality (continued)

3.17.08 (M) Racial Inequality. A compendium of readings illustrates the nature of segregation, various subcultures that contribute to replicating racial inequality and the effects of political change in ameliorating racial inequality. The readings are supplemented by viewing "Eyes on the Prize," a documentary film telling the story of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Read [Schaefer, Ch. 6; Goodwin & Jasper, Chs. 5, 35 to 40, and 62] 3.19.08 (W) Racial Inequality, Documentary, "Eyes on the Prize." 3.24.08 (M) NO CLASSES SCHEDULED 3.26.08 (W) Racial Inequality (continued) & Review for the 2nd Exam

** Last Day to file for Pass/No Credit and unevaluated withdrawal **

3.31.08 (M) 2nd EXAM ON LECTURES/READINGS FROM 3.10 TO 3.26 Aging. A collection of readings explores contemporary issues shaping public policy for older Americans. These articles explore issues related to transitional older years and the later older years and the social factors that shape these developmental stages. 4.2.08 (W) Aging [Schaefer, Ch. 10, pp. 245-249] 4.7.08 (M) Aging (continued) 4.9.08 (W) Aging (continued) Essay Assignment: interview two people in their "older years." Select two theories presented in the readings that best illustrate how these interviewees experience their "older years."

Health Care. The readings explore unequal access to healthcare, racial disparities in healthcare delivery and the impact that race and income exert on receiving quality healthcare. 4.14.08 (M) Health Care [Schaefer, Ch. 10, pp. 258-269; Goodwin & Jasper, Chs. 45 to 48] 4.16.08 (W) Health Care (continued) 4.21.08 (M) SPRING RECESS 4.23.08 (W) SPRING RECESS 4.28.08 (M) Health Care (continued) Schools. The readings investigate the schools and the family as agents of socialization. 4.30.08 (W) The Schools [Schaefer, Ch. 9. pp. 217-228; Goodwin & Jasper, Chs. 12 to 15] 5.5.08 (M) The Schools (continued) 5.7.08 (W) The Schools (continued) 5.12.08 (M) The Family [Schaefer, Ch. 8, pp. 194-206; Goodwin & Jasper, Chs. 7 to 11]

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5.14.08 (W) The Family (continued) & Review for the 3rd Exam

5.21.08 (W) 1:45 ? 3 PM [3rd EXAM ON LECTURE/READINGS FROM 4.2 TO 5.14] Location to be announced

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