Introduction to Sociology 01:920:101:26 Tuesdays and Thursdays: 7:40-9:00 PM College Avenue Campus, Scott Hall: Room 135 Course website: Sakai Instructor: Victoria Gonzalez Email: vmg49@scarletmail.rutgers.edu Office Hours: Thursdays 2:00-3:00pm or by appointment, Alexander Library Overview and Learning Goals Have you ever found yourself people-watching or thinking about why people do the things they do? If you have, then you are exhibiting an interest in sociology. During this course, we will engage this curiosity by learning how to think like a sociologist and exploring major concepts, theories, scholars, subfields and research results of this social science discipline. This course is designed with several learning goals in mind: (1) students will be working on a variety themes in sociological inquiry such as family, gender, sexuality, inequality, race, social movements and more, (2) students will be discussing both classic and contemporary perspectives, with a particular emphasis in rooting sociological concepts in everyday experiences and (3) students will learn the epistemological basis of different types of knowledge and the various approaches to social research questions.. The discussions had in this course, which will be both intriguing and frustrating at times, will change the way that you see the world and society. This class may lead to the desire to take more Sociology courses, and even to pursue work in the field. If you declare Sociology as your major, you have been warned This course satisfies Rutgers' School of Arts and Sciences' core curriculum requirements of 21st century challenges and social and historical analysis. To quote the brilliant Crystal Bedley, "I don't know what that means, but important officials want me to put it on my syllabus." Academic Integrity Throughout this course you should do your own work. Violations include cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, denying others access to information or material and facilitating violations of academic integrity. We will uphold the university s policies regarding academic integrity, which can be found at: http://ctaar.rutgers.edu/integrity/policy.html If you have any questions regarding plagiarism or related topics please ask.
Classroom Expectations 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 email, text messaging, listening to music, reading newspapers, leaving and returning, leaving early without permission, discourteous remarks, and other behaviors specified by individual instructors. Courteous and lawful expression of disagreement with the ideas of the instructor or fellow students is, of course, permitted. 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. Serious verbal assaults, harassment, or defamation of the instructor or other students can lead to university disciplinary proceedings. The University Code of Student Conduct is at: http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~polcomp/judaff/ucsc.shtml. Email We don t want to delete your emails by accident so please make sure to include a meaningful subject line (e.g., question about second assignment ) and your name somewhere in the email. We will do our best to respond within 24 hours if not sooner. 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. Course Requirements and Methods for Achieving Learning Goals: Participation: Participation is required. There are many students in the course but the way to get the most out of this experience is to participate. Attendance will be taken and I will be taking note of those who contribute to discussions. Class Activities: The schedule for class activities can be found in the class schedule. Class activities will require either loose leaf or notebook paper and activities will be collected at the end of class. You will not be able to make up these activities if you are absent. Completion of class activities requires class attendance. Exams: There will be two major exams: Midterm and Final. Both exams will be taken during class time and there will be reviews for each before they occur. The composition of the Midterm: 40 multiple-choice questions, 5 true or false and 5 fill in the blank (50 questions - 2 points each). The exam will cover Week 1-6. The composition of the Final: 40 multiple choice questions - 2 points each, 5 true or false and 5 fill in the black - 1 point each, 1 short answer - 10 points.
Blog Posts: Starting Week Two, I will be posting blog topics on the blog section of the sakai site. You must choose 1 throughout the semester and write 600-800 words on the topic. It can be written in the first person but must have all correct spelling and grammar. You must also make one outside reference in support of you argument. This reference can be an article (news, magazine or academic) or a clip (film, television, news, etc.). I also encourage all of you to read other students' blogs. Though you will not be required to make a certain number of comments on other students' blogs, doing so will factor into your participation grade. Extra Credit: Students can sign up the week of February 17th to give a 5 to 7 minute class presentation on a song, movie, or television episode of your choosing. (Please note: If you have a question about whether the content of your selection is appropriate for class, please provide Ms. Gonzalez with the content that you are going to be working on at least two days before your scheduled presentation.) The presentation should consist of (1) one song, image or clip, (2) an oral presentation describing how at least one course concept can be applied. This assignment will be worth up to a half letter grade. Presenting does not guarantee you will receive the full points for this assignment. You can earn full points for this assignment by (1) clearly explaining the course concept (i.e., provide the class with the definition of the concept), (2) Specifically explaining how the concept is relevant to the chosen selection. Presentations will occur at the beginning and end of class. Students will not be allowed to sign up for this extra credit opportunity after February 17th. The signup sheet will be posted on Sakai. No reminder emails will be sent, so you are expected to know the date you are presenting should you choose to complete this assignment. Grading Class Attendance and Participation 10% Class Activities (5 activities at 5% each) 25% Midterm 25% Blog Post (must choose 1 of 10 topics) 10% Final Exam 30% Total 100%
CLASS SCHEDULE Week 1: Introduction to Introduction to Sociology o Tuesday January 20th: Course Overview o Thursday January 22th: Sociological Imagination C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination (Oxford University Press, 1959) Ch. 1: 1-8. (on sakai) Malcolm Gladwell, "Getting In," The New Yorker (October 10, 2005): 1-6. (on sakai) Week 2: Building Blocks of Sociology o Tuesday January 27th: Classical Perspectives: Marx, Weber and Durkheim, Oh My! "The Development of Sociological Thinking," pg. 14-17. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) o Thursday January 29th: Sociological Theory **Class Activity # 1** "Neglected Founders" - "Levels of Analysis: Microsociology and Macrosociology," pg. 17-25. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) Week 3: Studying Sociology: A Mixture of Methods o Tuesday February 3rd: Avenue Qs: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods "Research Methods," pg. 38-48. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) "Steps in the Research Process" sheet (on sakai) o Thursday February 5th: Thinking Like a Sociologist: Social Context and Experimentation **Class Activity # 2** Excerpt from Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. (on sakai)
Week 4: Me, Us and Them o Tuesday February 10th: Sociology of the Individual Erving Goffman, "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life" (pages yet to be assigned-will be on sakai) Eric Klinenberg, Going Solo (Penguin, 2012) Introduction: 1-17. (on sakai) o Thursday February 12th: The Changing Nature of Groups and Families "How do groups and organizations affect your life?" pg. 159-160. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) "The Dark Side of the Family" - "Alternative Forms of Marriage and the Family," pg. 449-457. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) Week 5: Socialization o Tuesday February 17th: Documentary Day: Genie "Secret of the Wild Child" o Tuesday February 19th: What it Means to be a Member of Society **Class Activity # 3** Excerpt from Caroline Hodges Persell's "Becoming a Member of Society through Socialization" (on sakai) "Agents of Socialization" sheet (on sakai) Week 6: Gender and Sexuality o Tuesday February 24th: Gender "Gender Socialization" and "The Debate about Gender Socialization," pg. 93-97. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) o Thursday February 26th: Sexuality To be announced.
Week 7: Race and Discrimination o Tuesday March 3rd: Blast from the Past Lawrence D. Bobo and Camille Z. Charles. "Race in the American Mind: From the Moynihan Report to the Obama Candidacy" Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (2009): 243-259. o Thursday March 5th: Contemporary Catastrophes To be announced. Week 8: Midterm Week o Tuesday March 10th: Midterm Review Session o Thursday March 12th: Midterm Week 9: SPRING BREAK!!!!! Week 10: Institutions o Tuesday March 24th: National Identity "The Concept of the State" - "Democracy in the U.S." pg. 353-363. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) o Thursday March 26th: Culture To be announced. Week 11: "Social Diseases" o Tuesday March 31st: Deviance: Social norms and Coutercultures **Class Activity # 4** "The Study of Deviant Behavior," pg. 164-172. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) o Thursday April 2nd: Crime and the Prison Complex
"Crime Reduction," pg. 186-191. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) "Incarceration Rates Around the World" sheet (on sakai) Week 12: Inequalities o Tuesday April 7th: Class Janny Scott and David Leonhardt, " Class in America: Shadowy Lines that Still Divide," New York Times (May 15, 2007). (on sakai) o Thursday April 9th: Wealth and Poverty Annie Lowrey, "The Rich Get Richer through the Recovery," New York Times September 10, 2013. Week 13: As the World Goes Round and Round: Social Movements and Social Change o Tuesday April 14th: Social Movements Documentary Day: "We are Legion" o Thursday April 16th: Global Processes and "Othering" Philip Zimbardo, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil (Random House, 2007): 324-379. (on sakai) "The Effect of Globalization," pg. 76-79. Introduction to Sociology: 8th edition (excerpt on sakai) "Global Inequality" sheet. (on sakai) Week 14: Technology and Contemporary Society o Tuesday April 21st: Media and Culture **Class Activity # 5** Sherry Turkle, "Always On/Always on You: The Tethered Self" in James Katz ed., Handbook of Mobile Communication Studies (2008): 121-137. o Thursday April 23rd: The Future of Society Maggie Koerth-Baker, "How robots Can Trick You into Loving Them," New York Times Magazine September 17, 2013. (link below but also on sakai): http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/magazine/how-robots-can-trick-you-into-lovingthem.html?hp&_r=2&pagewanted=all&
Week 15: Final Week o Tuesday April 28th: Review for the Final o Thursday April 30th: The Final