SOCIOLOGY 101 (Sections 13-18) Introduction to Sociology Monday & Thursday 10:35-11:30am Beck Auditorium (Livingston Campus) Spring 2015

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1 SOCIOLOGY 101 (Sections 13-18) Introduction to Sociology Monday & Thursday 10:35-11:30am Beck Auditorium (Livingston Campus) Spring 2015 Professor: Kristen W. Springer Department of Sociology 26 Nichol Avenue Room 040 New Brunswick, NJ Office Phone: (848) Office Hours: Tuesday 12pm-2pm at 112 Paterson Street, Room 460 (Rutgers Health Institute -- or by appointment Course Website: sakai.rutgers.edu (course designation: Intro Soc (101): Spr2015 ) Teaching Assistants (TAs): Eunkyung Song (esong@sociology.rutgers.edu) Jorie Hofstra (jhofstra@sociology.rutgers.edu) Office Hours: Thursday 1:30pm-2:30pm at the cafeteria in Livingston Student Center or by appointment Discussion Sections: 13 Monday 8:55-9:50 am Tillett Hall 105 Song 14 Monday 12:15-1:10 pm Tillett Hall 105 Song 15 Monday 12:15-1:10 pm Tillett Hall 207 Hofstra 16 Thursday 8:55-9:50 am Tillett Hall 207 Hofstra 17 Thursday 12:15-1:10 pm Tillett Hall 105 Song 18 Thursday 12:15-1:10 pm Tillett Hall 207 Hofstra COURSE DESCRIPTION Sociology is the scientific study of social life. Sociologists recognize that all human behavior and interactions occur within a distinctive social and historical context, and that individual-level experiences are shaped by one s group memberships, culture, interpersonal relationships, and interactions with major social institutions including the family, educational system, media, the economy, and the state. This course will introduce you to key concepts of sociological theory and methods, and to some fundamental arguments about social life. Although a semester-long course cannot be comprehensive in its coverage of all the disciplines of sociology, we will cover important substantive topics and problems in a variety of the subfields of sociology. Some of these subfields include social stratification, gender, family, medical sociology, crime, and deviance. Students will gain a toolkit of sociological concepts to apply to their own life experiences, including interactions with friends, family members, and romantic partners; educational and employment experiences; and 1

2 one s own observations about the social problems and injustices in the United States and elsewhere. We will also discuss the ways that sociological research can inform social policy and practices to improve the life situations of the disadvantaged. REQUIRED TEXT Giddens, Anthony, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P. Appelbaum, and Deborah Carr Introduction to Sociology, 9 th edition. New York: W. W. Norton. ISBN Referred to as (GDAC). This book is available at the Rutgers Bookstore and will also be on reserve at Alexander Library. I know that this edition is new and expensive. If you purchase an older version, please make sure you compare your version with the one on reserve at the library, and read the updated/new sections from the book on reserve. COURSE REQUIREMENTS LECTURES The course is organized around readings, lectures, and discussion sections. Lecture time is used to clarify the reading material, present additional material related to the readings, listen to guest speakers, watch relevant videos, and discuss the course material. I do not take attendance. However, it is highly unlikely that you can pass the course without regularly attending lectures. Furthermore, you need to read the assigned material prior to class. If you miss a lecture, you need to get lecture notes from a classmate, not from the instructor or TA. I have also enabled the chat room feature on our Sakai site. This can be a good way to ask each other about class material if you miss class. DISCUSSION SECTIONS One great thing about this class is that you have the opportunity (and obligation) to attend one discussion section a week. This is a critical part of the class and is a great opportunity to discuss the material and ask questions. You will have additional readings or work assigned for the section, and the material covered in section will be on the test. Attendance and active participation is required at discussion section, and accounts for 10% of your course grade. You will receive an additional section syllabus outlining expectations, grading, and requirements for your section. Section will begin the first day of class (January 22) and continue through the last day of class (May 4). The only exception is that sections will not be held on the day of the exams (Thursday February 26 and Monday April 6). However, TAs will hold open office hours from 8:55am 9:50am in their regular section room for you to come by and ask questions before the test. This is optional and for your benefit. EXAMS Ninety percent of your grade will be comprised of three non-cumulative, closed-books, closed-notes exams consisting of multiple choice and true/false questions. The exams are only cumulative in the sense that several themes run through this class throughout the semester, and you are responsible for understanding these themes. Each exam will be worth 30% of your grade. The tests are designed to gauge not only your ability to memorize pertinent facts about sociology but also assess your ability to connect theories learned in the course to real world applications. The exams will cover all course 2

3 material including the readings, my lectures, guest lecturers, videos shown in class, and material covered in sections. I will provide a review sheet and you will have a review session to help you prepare for each test. I would be delighted if everyone in this class gets an A on every test. Please bring pencils and your RUID to the tests. The last test is scheduled during the final exam period but is not cumulative and will be the same length as the first two exams. Exams start at the beginning of class and finish at the end of class (except the final, as noted below). You will not get extra time if you arrive late. If you arrive at an exam after the first student has finished and left, you will not be permitted to take the exam. This is to ensure the integrity of the examination and reduce the temptation to cheat. Students must take exams when they are scheduled. Please notice that our final exam is scheduled for Monday May 11 th from 8am 11am. The exam will not take the full time and I am therefore starting the final at 9am not 8am. Unfortunately, I am unable to reschedule the final exam. Make up exams will only be allowed under extraordinary circumstances with approved excuses. Approved excuses include a medical excuse or family emergency that can be properly documented (e.g., doctor s note, police report, funeral program). If you have a religious observation that conflicts with a scheduled exam, please notify me no less than two weeks prior to the exam. University athletes with prior approval for events are also excused. Personal holidays, broken alarm clocks, weddings, jobs, exams in other courses, and the Rutgers bus system are not acceptable reasons for missing an exam. Make up exams will be given during the Sociology Department scheduled make up times and will be harder than regular exams. Cheating will result in at least a failing grade on the exam and a referral to the Office of Academic Integrity. GRADES Final course grade will be based on the standard grading scale. A pts. B pts. B pts. C pts. C pts. D pts. F 59 pts. and less GRADES CAN NOT BE NEGOTIATED COMMUNICATION SMART CLASS Students are expected to regularly access their Rutgers and the course website at sakai.rutgers.edu. Important information will be disseminated to your Rutgers account (unless you change your address through the Rutgers system) and will be posted on the sakai course website. Furthermore, the Powerpoint lecture outlines will be posted on the course web-site 24 hours 3

4 before class. These Powerpoint outlines are not full lecture notes and do not substitute for your own note-taking. Furthermore, if posting the lecture outlines prior to class deters students from attending class, I will cease posting my outlines. I have also equipped the Chat Room feature in Sakai. You can use the Chat Room to ask fellow students questions or discuss the material. Of course, proper and polite behavior is expected in the Chat Room. AND OFFICE HOURS This is large lecture course and as such, there will be limited opportunities for one-on-one student/professor engagement. There are, however, several ways to contact me and the TAs. Students should feel free to ask questions before, during, or after class/section. In addition, the TAs and I will hold office hours and we encourage you to come by. If you have a conflict with the times of our office hours, please let us know and we can arrange to meet at another time. Finally, we are happy to correspond by within the following guidelines. Please do not with questions that can be answered by looking at the syllabus. We may NOT reply to these s at all. In addition, if you miss a lecture, you need to get lecture notes from a classmate. I prefer that you from an account that lists your name as the sender. The subject heading should signal that you are one of our students. You may begin the subject with Soc 101 Student, or the like. I also ask that you include your full name in the text of the so we can be sure we are responding to the correct student! We receive so many s that even important s may not receive a reply for 48 hours though we will make every effort to return your s within 24 hours. If you have not received a reply from one of us within 24 hours, please feel free to again. However, please do not at the last moment (that is 24 hours before exams, deadlines, etc.) with questions regarding the material and assignments. You may not receive a response to these s. To reply to as many s as possible, we may convey responses in as few words as possible. Please do not view these parsimonious responses as discourteous. We respond to all students with the same brevity. CLASS CONDUCT AND GROUND RULES The Department of Sociology encourages the free exchange of ideas in a safe, supportive, and productive classroom environment. To facilitate such an environment, students and faculty must act with mutual respect and common courtesy. Thus, behavior that distracts students and faculty is not acceptable. Such behavior includes cell phone use, surfing the internet, checking , text messaging, listening to music, reading newspapers, discourteous remarks, and other behaviors specified by individual instructors. Courteous expression of disagreement with the ideas of the instructor or fellow students is, of course, permitted and strongly encouraged. If a student engages in disruptive behavior, the instructor, following the University Code of Student Conduct, may direct the student to leave class for the remainder of the class period. Instructors may specify other consequences in their syllabi. Serious verbal assaults, harassment, or defamation of 4

5 the instructor or other students can lead to university disciplinary proceedings. The University Code of Student Conduct A FURTHER NOTE ON THE USE OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPTMENT IN CLASS I do not want to see or hear any electronic device during class, with the exception of laptops. Further, laptops may only be used in class to take notes. Please do not use laptops for other reasons including, but not limited to, surfing the web, checking Facebook, or writing s during class. If I notice or suspect someone using laptops for reasons other than note taking, I will ask the student to leave and/or ban laptop use. DIVERSITY STATEMENT The Rutgers Sociology Department strives to create an environment that supports and affirms diversity in all manifestations, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, social class, disability status, region/country of origin, and political orientation. We also celebrate diversity of theoretical and methodological perspectives among our faculty and students and seek to create an atmosphere of respect and mutual dialogue. We have zero tolerance for violations of these principles and have instituted clear and respectful procedures for responding to such grievances. STATEMENT ON STUDENT DISABILITY In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in this course, please contact me at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required. Students with disabilities must verify eligibility through the Office of Student Disability Services ( ACADEMIC INTEGRITY I follow the Rutgers University s policy on academic integrity. Familiarize yourself with the policy at this website: Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and I am obligated to report such conduct and violations of this policy to the Undergraduate Director and Office of Academic Integrity. SAS CORE CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS This course satisfies Rutgers' School of Arts and Sciences' core curriculum requirements of 21st century challenges and social and historical analysis. 5

6 SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS* January 22 Introduction to the Class: Overview of Topics and Requirements January February 2-5 February 9-12 February 16 February What is Sociology? GDAC: Chapter 1 Asking and Answering Sociological Questions GDAC: Chapter 2 Culture and Society GDAC: Chapter 3 Academic Integrity Presentation Stratification, Class, and Inequality GDAC: Chapter 8 February 26 Exam 1 (covering material up through February 16 th ) March 2-5 March 9-12 March March March 30 April 2 Global Inequality GDAC: Chapter 9 Conformity, Deviance, and Crime GDAC: Chapter 7 SPRING BREAK Gender Inequality GDAC: Chapter 10 Families and Intimate Relationships GDAC: Chapter 15 Guest Lecture: Violence Prevention Lisa Smith Coordinator, Domestic Violence Department of Sexual Assault Services and Crime Victim Assistance April 6 Exam 2 (covering material from February 19 March 26) April 9-13 April 16 Ethnicity and Race GDAC: Chapter 11 Aging 6

7 GDAC: Chapter 12 April April May 4 The Sociology of the Body, Health, and Illness GDAC: Chapter 18 Topic TBD Catch up May 11th at 9am Exam 3 *This schedule may be modified throughout the course. Students will be given ample notice of any changes. 7