Principles s09 - Winthrop University



Sociology 201:Principles of Sociology

Winthrop University, Spring 2009

Class Location: Owens G02

Class Time: T,R (6:30-7:45)

Instructor: Jeannie Haubert Weil

Office: 336 Kinard

Office Hours: Mon 2:30-5:00 or by appointment

Office Phone: ext. 4293

Email: weiljh@winthrop.edu

Preferred Contact Method: While I have to use email from time to time to communicate with the whole class, I find it impersonal as a method of individual communication. In contrast, face-to face communication provides the opportunity for more detailed answers to your questions and allows me to get to know you better. Please come to my office hours with your questions. If my office hours conflict with other obligations you have, you may email me for an appointment.

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

Sociology is the systematic study of human social life. Sociologists attempt to identify and explain patterns in social life such as why some categories of people are more prone to suicide than others or why, in U.S. society, men consistently earn higher incomes than women in the same occupations. Our culture has a very individualistic orientation, but sociology shows us how individual thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by larger social contexts. This course will introduce you to key theories and ideas regarding, socialization, social interaction, family life, deviance, and social stratification, and inequality. If this course is successful in sparking your sociological imagination, you will begin to see the world and your place in it from a new perspective, and will come to see sociology all around you in your everyday life.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

• To expose students to perspectives, concepts, and theories in sociology.

• To introduce the basic methods of conducting social scientific research.

• To enhance critical evaluation of social research and theories.

• To develop interpretive writing skills as related to sociological concepts.

• To encourage students to examine their attitudes, values, beliefs, and habits from a sociological perspective particularly as they pertain to social problems.

• To understand the role of social institutions in shaping social life in a variety of cultures and historical periods.

• To make sociological concepts and theories come alive for students giving them a greater thirst for social scientific knowledge and community involvement.

This course directly meets goals one, four, five, and seven of Winthrop’s Touchstone Program as specified at:

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TEXTS

Macionis, John J. 2006. Society: the Basics (9th edition). Pearson Prentice Hall. New Jersey.

Henslin, James H. 2007. Down to Earth Sociology: Introductory Readings (14th edition). Free Press. New York, NY.

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ATHLETES & PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you need accommodations due to either a university athletic obligation or to a particular disability, please notify me within the first two weeks of the semester.  If you have a disability and require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact Gena Smith, Program Director, Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290 to obtain an official notice for accommodations. 

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CLASSROOM STANDARDS

1. Be respectful of all individuals in the classroom whether or not you agree with them. This is essential for creating an environment in which all students feel comfortable expressing themselves.

2. Cite ideas that are not your own. Please come to me with any questions on how to cite.

3. Type all assignments unless otherwise specified.

4. Be on time. Consistent lateness will significantly reduce your participation grade.

5. Do the readings and be prepared to discuss them. Evidence to the contrary will adversely affect your participation/preparedness grade.

6. Do not be rude. Ringing cell phones, private conversations, sleeping, studying for another course, and text messaging are inappropriate in class. Such actions will adversely affect your participation/preparedness grade.

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CLASSROOM POLICIES

▪ Exam Policy—A student who misses an exam may receive a make-up exam if they are absent due to extreme circumstances (e.g. death in the family, car accident, etc.). Such extreme circumstances must be documented and are subject to the discretion of the professor. Vacation, oversleeping, work, etc. are not considered legitimate reasons for missing an exam.

▪ Borrowed Material—All students are expected to follow the student conduct standards set forth by the university. The university states that all academic works submitted by a student should be the result of his or her own efforts. Suspected violations such as cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and unauthorized collaboration will result in a lowering of your grade the extent to which will depends on the nature of the violation.

▪ Your Ideas and Comments--Your ideas, comments, suggestions and questions are welcome. You are encouraged to take advantage of my office hours for help with course content, paper, or anything else related to the course and your progress.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING

|Participation |4% |

|Exam 1 |24% |

|Exam 2 |24% |

|Exam 3 |24% |

|Final Exam |24 % |

|A | 94% or better |C | 73 - 76% |

|A- | 90 – 93% |C- | 70 - 72% |

|B+ | 87 – 89% |D+ | 67 - 69% |

|B | 83 – 86% |D | 63 - 66% |

|B- | 80 – 82% |D- | 60 - 62% |

|C+ | 77 – 79% |F | less than 60% |

Readings: You are responsible for all materials covered in lectures, readings and films whether or not you are in class. If you do not attend class, get notes from classmates

Participation 4%

These are relatively easy points to get, so make sure you fulfill your basic student duties to receive them! To get all four points, come to class regularly and participate actively in discussions and activities. You do not have to speak in every class, but I do expect you to speak up and come to class often. I will take your overall pattern of attendance into account; thus, to score full credit in this area, I recommend missing no more than two classes.

Exams 24% (each)

This class meets the general education program’s writing requirement via four integrated essay exams. The first three exams will contain some multiple choice questions to assess mastery of basic concepts, but will also contain an essay that requires students to synthesize and analyze sociological theories from in-class and out-of-class materials. All lecture materials, films, activities and readings qualify as testable material. To study for these exams, you should not only study your notes from class, but also make use of the website that accompanies your Macionis text \macionis . Additionally, you should review all readings in the Henslin reader and consider how the readings connect with ideas in the Macionis text.

The final exam will be an all-essay cumulative exam in which you will analyze issues raised in a documentary film using your newly acquired sociological perspective and vocabulary. To study for this exam, you should review the “big picture” themes from each chapter asking yourself “what does sociology tell us about ____”. Then, practice articulating your answer using sociological terms/concepts that you learned throughout the semester.

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COURSE TOPICS & ASSIGNED READINGS [1]

Note: Required readings from the Henslin text will be announced in class each week

|Week |Date |Topic/Activity |Reading | Dates |

|1 |1/13 |Course Introduction | | |

| |1/15 |The Sociological Perspective |Macionis Ch. 1 | |

|2 |1/20 |The Sociological Perspective |Henslin article | |

| |1/22 | | | |

|3 |1/27 |Culture |Macionis Ch. 2 | |

| |1/29 | |Henslin article | |

|4 |2/3 |Socialization and the Life Course |Macionis Ch. 3 | |

| |2/5 | |Henslin article | |

|5 |2/10 |Review for Exam 1 | | |

| |2/12 | | |Exam 1 |

|6 |2/17 |Social Interaction in Everyday Life |Macionis Ch. 4 | |

| |2/19 | |Henslin article | |

|7 |2/24 |Sexuality |Macionis Ch 6 | |

| |2/26 | |Henslin article | |

|8 |3/3 |Deviance |Macionis Ch. 7 | |

| |3/5 |fyi- 3/11 is the last day to withdraw |Henslin article | |

|9 |3/10 |Review for Exam 2 | | |

| |3/12 | | |Exam 2 |

| |3/16-22 |(Spring Break) | | |

|10 |3/24 |Social Stratification |Macionis Ch. 8 | |

| |3/26 | |Henslin article | |

|11 |3/31 |Global Stratification |Macionis Ch. 9 | |

| |4/2 | |Henslin article | |

|12 |4/7 |Gender Stratification |Macionis Ch. 10 | |

| |4/9 | |Henslin article | |

|13 |4/14 |Review for Exam 3 | | |

| |4/16 | | |Exam 3 |

|14 |4/21 |Applying the Sociological Perspective- In-class film | | |

|15 |4/28 |Study Day | | |

| |5/2 |Final Exam-11:30am | |Final Exam |

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[1] I reserve the right to alter this schedule if necessary with at least one weeks notice for any due-date changes

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