Sociology 101: Introduction
to Sociology (for majors)
Fall 2003
Dr. Scott Schaffer
Course Meetings: Mon/Weds/Fri
1pm to 150pm, Hash 210
Office Hours: MTWTh 1130am to 1245pm or by appointment
vox: 717/872.2567
fax: 717/872.3942 email: scott.schaffer@millersville.edu
course web site: http://www.millersville.edu/~schaffer/courses/f2003/soc101
Course Description:
This course is designed to give you a rigorous introduction to sociology – in essence, to make you a budding sociologist.
Sociology is really about being a professional three-year-old – it’s all about learning how to ask questions and having your worldview change as a result of those questions. It is a critical enterprise; we don’t presume the goodness of anything that happens in the social world, but instead work to figure out why things happen in the way they do, whether or not that is good, and how to improve it if it’s not.
Sociology is also a mindset – a particular way of looking at and acting in the world. It can be depressing. One of my favorite quotes is that “Sociology and shiny happy people do not readily mix” (Dandaneau 2001), and it’s true. We get to figure out why the world isn’t as good as it could be. But, we also get to come up with ways of making it better, so this course should ultimately be inspiring and should help you begin to see how we can be better neighbors, friends, compatriots, lovers, and citizens.
Finally, this course requires some openness on your part. Because sociology is a critical endeavor, we interrogate everything, including those things we think we already know. You may (and hopefully will) find at the end of the semester that you have changed, that your ideas or beliefs are shakier, or that you don’t know what you used to think you knew. That’s a good thing, and your personal growth in this course is as much a part of your success here as the work you submit for grading.
This course is part of the Sociology/Anthropology learning community, and so some of what we discuss here will overlap with the Cultural Anthropology course. That’s a good thing, since we do come at the world from different perspectives. This learning community will enable you to think through the world – to develop the critical thinking and communication skills that will help you better articulate those things you learn here and already know (or think you know) about the world.
During this course, we will cover a variety of issues and topics, most of them focusing on issues of inequality in our society but all having to do with what sociology studies. We will also work on your exposure to sociological theories – the basic framework we use to look at and analyze the world. And ultimately, you will be asked to work with the materials and skills we develop here in order to develop your own understanding of a particular social problem – and by the end of the semester, I assure you that, with your cooperation, you will be able to.
Required Materials:
There are six books that are required for this course, all of which are available in the campus bookstore or from amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com. The first four you will need throughout the semester; the last two can be purchased later in the term if need be.
Desai, We Are the Poors: Community
Struggles in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Giddens, Duneier, and Appelbaum,
Introduction to Sociology (sold as a package with the Massey reader)
Massey (ed.), Readings for Sociology
Ritzer, Contemporary Sociological
Theory and Its Classical Roots
Bourdieu, et al., The Weight
of the World: Social Suffering in Contemporary Society
Bourdieu,
Acts of Resistance: Against the Tyranny of the Market
Course Assignments:
There are eight kinds of assignments you will be asked to complete during the semester. You must complete and submit for evaluation all of them in order to pass the course. Those that are starred are pursued in conjunction with ANTH 121, ENGL 110, or both.
Midterm Examination: There will be a midterm examination during the 7th week. This exam will be comprised of concept identification questions and an essay. A prep sheet will be distributed one week in advance.
Theory Translation Paper: This 3pp paper will ask you to take an original text of one of the theories discussed in the Ritzer book, translate parts of it into questions to understand what the theorist is asking, and then talk about the theory in two ways: first, in the way that you would explain it to a non-sociology major friend or family member; and second, as an analytic framework you could use to analyze a particular social phenomenon. The original theoretical texts will be available online or on eReserve at the library.
* Professional Journal Critique: This 3pp paper will ask you to summarize the argument in a professional journal article (available on the course web site) and how that argument is developed, to evaluate its success in conveying that argument to its intended audience, and to critique the claims made by the argument in the article.
Pop Quizzes: There will be a total of four pop quizzes during the semester. These quizzes will test you on the readings up to the day that the quiz is given. These questions will also serve as models for the final examination multiple choice questions.
* Cultural Event Analyses: During the semester, you will be asked to attend two cultural events offered on campus. These must be different events from the ones you attend for ANTH 121 and ENGL 110. You will write up a 1-2pp discussion of the event and its relation to issues or ideas we’ve discussed in this course.
* Stratification Research Paper: This paper, which will ultimately be a minimum of ten (10) pages in length, will be pursued in conjunction with your work in ENGL 110 and ANTH 121. The paper will ask you to pursue outside sociological research on the elements of stratification you deal with in your oral history project for ANTH 121 (alternate assignment for students not in the learning community). You will be asked to use one of the sociological theories we’ve discussed this semester as a basis for analyzing the research you’ve done and to develop a clear argument about that project. This paper will be due during the scheduled final examination period.
Final Examination: During the last two days of the semester, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the course issues and concepts on a final exam. The exam will be short-answer and essay-based, and will be comprehensive. A prep sheet will be given one week in advance, and will detail the questions that are “fair game” for the exam.
Course Participation: I define “course participation” in a rather broad manner – to me, it’s anything that shows me that you are committed to doing well in this course and improving the quality of your work. On some days, that may be attendance in class; on others, active participation in class discussion; and it can also include showing up for office hours, asking questions in class or via email, or in other ways that show me you want to do well in the course. My approach to the class is simple: I’m here to give you the spoon, not to feed you with it. If you want to satisfy your hunger, you have to meet me halfway.
Grade Breakdown:
You should note that I grade on a letter grade basis with +/- modifiers. At the end of the semester, those letter grades are turned into their GPA equivalents and weighted as below. There are no “points” here… Also, if you are a Sociology major, you must get a C or better in this course before proceeding on to other courses; I also consider anything less than a C to be a failing grade.
| Midterm Examination | 10% |
| Theory Translation Paper | 10% |
| Professional Journal Critique Paper | 10% |
| Pop Quizzes | 10% (2.5% each x 4) |
| Cultural Event Analyses | 5% (2.5% each x 2) |
| Research Paper | 20% |
| Final Examination | 20% |
| Course Participation | 15% |
Course Policies:
Attendance and Preparation: Your attendance in each class session is mandatory – you cannot expect to do well in this course, or any other university course, without being in class. While there are no “points” given for attendance, your grade will be significantly better if you are in class, having read and thought about the material assigned for that day, and are ready to discuss that material. If you are unable to attend on a particular day, please let me know via email before the class begins, especially when something is due. No makeup exams will be given in any case, and no late work will be accepted unless I am informed in advance and evidence can be provided.
Timeliness: As you know, the tempo of the semester system does not allow one to fall behind, and everything in this course builds to the final research paper. As such, you are requested and required to submit all assignments on the time and date announced. Except in the case of a severe, catastrophic, and well-documented misfortune that befalls you (such as your departure from this mortal coil), no late papers will be accepted and no makeup exams will be offered; in the event of a catastrophe, you must contact me by phone or e-mail as early as possible. In no event will there be a makeup pop quiz. Papers must be submitted to me in person at the time and date due, to the Sociology/Anthropology Department office prior to the deadline, or by e-mail to me before the deadline.
Presentation: The papers you will write in this course represent a significant portion of your time this semester and are intended to get you to think about the nature of the society in which you find yourselves. The expectation is that you will pursue these assignments with vigor and a clear intent to do well in the development of your analytic and critical thinking skills. As such, you are required to proofread and spell- and grammar-check all work submitted during this course. There is no excuse for submitting shoddy work in a time when any decent word processing program can polish your work. Any paper submitted with copious errors will automatically lose two full letter grades (with no appeal) and may be returned for correction. With the second presentation foul, your paper will receive a zero (0), and any subsequent paper submitted in a sloppy manner will receive a zero (0) as well.
Academic Dishonesty: Absolutely NO form of academic dishonesty (defined as the use of prohibited materials during an examination, any kind of communication with another person other than the professor or an exam proctor during an examination, the representation of another’s work as your own whether that work was purchased or freely offered) will be tolerated in this course. As it is contrary to both the mission of the university and to MU policies, any act of academic dishonesty will be met with an immediate failure on the exam or assignment at minimum, and referral to Student Affairs for judicial board proceedings at most. Just don’t even think about it – it robs us all of the learning experience.
Lecture and Reading Schedule:
Please note that you are expected to have completed the readings listed for each class session on the day they are listed. While my lectures will touch on issues raised in the readings, you should not presume that they are a substitute for actually doing the readings or vice versa. Please ensure you have read and thought about the readings prior to each class session, and come prepared with something to say about them. You should, at the very least, be ready to discuss these four things:
· What the readings were about (in other words, a brief summary)
· One interesting thing about each of the readings
· One question you had about the readings
· One thing that made you angry, changed your mind about something, or made you rethink something you thought you knew.
During the main part of the course, the readings from Massey’s Readings for Sociology and for Bourdieu’s The Weight of the World are broken down by group number. (The actual readings assigned to each group are listed on p. 9 of this syllabus.) You are expected to read at least the readings assigned to your group; you should attempt to read the essays assigned to all three groups.
Weeks 1-2: Thinking about sociology, thinking through sociology
M Aug 25: Introduction to the Course:
Mechanics
W Aug 27: Introduction to the Course: What Sociology Is. Read Ritzer, pp.
1-12; Giddens, ch. 1 (pp. 3-29)
F
Aug 29: Introduction to the Course: What Sociology Does. Read Desai, pp. 7-34;
Giddens, ch. 2 (pp. 30-54)
M Sep 1: No class – Labor Day.
W Sep 3: Desai, pp. 35-76
F
Sep 5: Desai, pp. 77-119
Weeks 3-10: Sociological topics for study – readings for Massey are listed by their number in the table of contents
Week 3: Culture and Society
M Sep 8: Desai, pp. 120-149
W Sep 10: Giddens, ch. 3 (pp. 55-89)
F
Sep 12: Massey: Group A: 1, 2, 3, 4; Group B: 1, 2, 3, 5; Group
C: 1, 2, 3, 6
Week 4: Socialization, Social Interaction and Everyday Life
M Sep 15: Theory translation paper
handed out and discussed; Giddens, chs. 4-5 (pp. 90-137)
W Sep 17: Massey: Group A:
8, 9, 11; Group B: 9, 10, 12; Group C: 8, 10, 12
F
Sep 19: Ritzer, pp. 13-41
Week 5: Social Groups and Social Stratification
M Sep 22: Giddens, ch. 6, 8 (pp. 138-177,
216-261)
W Sep 24: Massey: Group A: 13, 14; Group B: 14, 15; Group
C: 15, 16
F Sep 26: Ritzer, pp.
42-74
Week 6: Global Inequality
M Sep 29: Theory translation DUE at
the start of class; Giddens, ch. 9 (pp. 262-291)
W Oct 1: Massey: Group A: 17, 19, 21; Group B: 18, 19, 22; Group
C: 19, 20, 21
F Oct 3: Midterm prep
sheet handed out and discussed; Ritzer, pp. 75-113
Week 7: Midterm Exam
M Oct 6: Massey: Group A: 23, 26,
29; Group B: 24, 25, 27; Group C: 25, 28, 29
W Oct 8: Midterm Examination prep session – come prepared
with your questions.
F Oct 10: Midterm Examination.
Week 8: Gender, Ethnicity, and Social Movements
M Oct 13: No class – Fall Recess.
W Oct 15: Giddens, chs. 10,
11, 13 (pp. 292-371, 394-434)
F
Oct 17: Massey: Group A: 30, 31, 34; Group B: 30, 31, 32; Group
C: 30, 31, 33
Week 9: Work, Education and the Mass Media
M Oct 20: Journal critique paper
handed out and discussed; Giddens, chs. 14, 16 (pp. 435-466, 498-527)
W Oct 22: Massey: Group A:
37, 40; Group B: 38, 40; Group C: 39, 40
F
Oct 24: Ritzer, pp. 114-145
Week 10: Urbanization, Globalization and the Environment
M Oct 27: Giddens, chs. 19-20 (pp. 604-672)
W Oct 29: Massey: Group A: 44, 47; Group B: 45, 48; Group
C: 46, 49
F Oct 31: Journal critique
paper DUE at the start of class; Ritzer, pp. 146-177
Weeks 11-13: Social inequality and everyday life
Readings from The Weight of the World are assigned to you on the basis of group (see p. 9 for page numbers).
From this point on in the course, we will utilize a seminar format – essentially, it will be mostly discussion and very little lecture from here on out.
M Nov 3: Research paper handed
out and discussed; WW, pp. 1-22 + 3 other essays from “The
Space of Points of View”
W Nov 5: WW, pp. 123-129
+ 2 other essays from “Site Effects”
F
Nov 7: Ritzer, pp. 178-202
M Nov 10: WW, pp. 181-189 + 3 other
essays from “The Abdication of the State”
W Nov 12: WW, pp. 255-256
+ 4 other essays from “On the Way Down”
F
Nov 14: Ritzer, pp. 203-231
M Nov 17: WW, pp. 421-426 + 3 other
essays from “Outcasts on the Inside”; AR, 2 essays from
pp. 1-44
W Nov 19: WW, pp. 507-513
+ 3 other essays from “The Contradictions of Inheritance”; AR,
2 essays from pp. 52-90, 94-105
F
Nov 21: Ritzer, pp. 232-268
M Nov 24: Final examination
prep sheet handed out and discussed; WW, pp. 607-629
W/F
Nov 26/28: No class – Thanksgiving Recess.
Week 14: Wrapping up the semester
M Dec 1: Final examination prep session
– bring your questions to class
W Dec 3: Research paper prep session – bring your questions to class
F Dec 5: Final examination, part one in Hash 210
M Dec 8: Final examination, part two in Hash 210
W Dec 10, 1015am to 1215pm: Research paper DUE at start of exam session; research presentations must be given during final session