COURSE SYLLABUS SOC101, SOC 2101 Introduction to Sociology 2013-2014 2 nd term Professor Roman DAVID Lectures on Friday 13:30-15:30, LBY G01 Tutorial on Thursday 16:30pm 17:30pm Office: WYL 211 Tel: 2616-7126 Email: rdavid@ln.edu.hk Professor CHEN Hon-fai Tutorials on Monday 10:30-11:30 and 15:30-16:30 Office: WYL309 Tel. 2616 7127 Email: honfaichen@ln.edu.hk Ms. CHAN Sin-yui, Sharon Tutorials on Thursday 14:00-15:00 and 15:30-16:30 Office: WYL222 Tel. 2616 7275 Email: sharon@ln.edu.hk
Brief Course Description This is an introductory course in Sociology, starting with an overview of the nature of the discipline, followed by a survey of various aspects of the structures and dynamics of social life. General and specific examples are used to illustrate how thinking sociologically adds to our knowledge of the world around us. Aims This course aims to introduce students to the methods, subject matter, and perspectives of sociology. Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, successful students will be able to: (1) recall fundamental perspectives, methods, and concepts in sociology (2) understand the foundation of social organization and social process (3) understand readings in basic sociology texts (4) effectively consolidate and communicate course materials in class discussions and presentations as well as in the form of academic essays (5) apply sociological thinking to analyze everyday social life issues Assessment and Measurement of Learning Outcomes Four assessment components measure the learning outcomes (LOs) listed above: 1. Tutorial discussion and participation (20%) (measures LOs 2,3,4,5) 2. Two writing assignments (20%) (measures LOs 2, 4,5) 3. Mid-term exam (20%) (measures LOs 1, 2,3,5) 4. Final exam (40%) (measures LOs 1,2,3,4,5) Assessment Points Level of attainment/assessment criteria Tutorial discussion and participation 20% Two essays (1000- word individual) on 17-20% Actively and frequently participate in class tutorial discussions, demonstrate good understanding of sociological thinking through questions and comments on the discussion 13-16% Regular contribution to tutorial discussion, demonstrate some understanding of sociological thinking through questions and comments on the discussion 9-12% Sometimes contribute to tutorial discussion, limiting mainly to questions about facts and/or asking for clarification of concepts 0-8% Rarely contribute to tutorial discussions, seldom ask questions, offer insights or give comments 9-10% Demonstrate excellent understanding and application of contents covered in lectures and tutorials, clear and logical 2 P a g e
any tutorial topics 10% each Mid-term Exam 20% (multiple choice) Final Exam 40% (multiple choice + 2 open-ended exam questions) organization of paragraphs and contents, fluency of language use and conformity to styles of academic writing 7-8% Demonstrate good level of competence in the understanding and application of course contents, adequate consideration and effort in the organization and style of writing 5-6% Demonstrate some understanding and application of course contents, acceptable use of language and style 0-4% Demonstrate little understanding of course content and how they can be applied in daily life, careless in the organization of materials and below average ability in the use of language and conformity to academic writing style 17-20% Excellent ability to recall fundamental sociological perspectives, methods and concepts as covered in lectures, tutorials and the textbook 13-16% Good ability to recall fundamental sociological perspectives, methods and concepts as covered in lectures, tutorials and the textbook 8-12% Average ability to recall fundamental sociological perspectives, methods and concepts as covered in lectures, tutorials and the textbook 0-7% Poor ability to recall fundamental sociological perspectives, methods and concepts as covered in lectures, tutorials and the textbook 36-40 Demonstrate excellent level of accomplishment in all four learning outcomes under an exam environment 25-35% Demonstrate good level of accomplishment in all four learning outcomes under an exam environment 17-24% Demonstrate average level of accomplishment in all four learning outcomes under an exam environment 0-16% Demonstrate low level of accomplishment in all four learning outcomes under an exam environment Indicative Content 1. Introduction 2. What is Sociology? Major Sociological Perspectives 3. Sociological Investigation 4. Culture 5. Socialization 6. Groups and organizations 7. Social stratification and inequality 8. Social institutions: Religion and Education 3 P a g e
9. Sex, Gender and Family 10. Deviance and Social Control 11. Social Change 12. Conclusion Required/Essential Macionis, John J. 2012. Sociology. 14th ed. Hong Kong: Pearson Education (You should read the relevant chapters in the textbook before coming to class.) Recommended/ Supplementary Berger, Peter L. 1986. Invitation to Sociology. London: Penguin. Cargan, Leonard and Jeanne H. Ballantine. 2009. Sociological Footprints: Introductory Readings in Sociology. Belmont, Calif.: Cengage Learning. Charon, Joel M. 2010. Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Giddens, Anthony. 2002. Introduction to Sociology. New York: Norton. Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-To-Earth Approach. 11th edition. Hong Kong: Pearson. Hong Kong Sociological Association. 2008. Sociology in the 21st Century. Hong Kong: Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan University. Johnson, William A. (et.al.) 2010. The Sociology Writer s Manual. Boston: Prentice Hall. Lau Siu-kai et al (eds.) Indicators of Social Development: Hong Kong: (various years), Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, (various years). Massey, Garth. 2012. Readings for Sociology. New York: Norton. Mills, C. Wright. 1970. The Sociological Imagination. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Ritzer, George and J. Michael Ryan (eds.) 2011. The Concise Encyclopedia of Sociology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Roberts, Kenneth. 2009. Key Concepts in Sociology. N.Y.: Palgrave Macmillan. Course Rules Lectures basically follow the textbook so please get a copy from the bookstore or use copies in the library; lecture notes are merely extractions from the textbook not its substitute. English is the medium of instruction for lectures and tutorials. Each unjustified absence from tutorials will result in a 5% deduction from your final grade if you are unable to come to class for legitimate reasons, notify your instructor well in advance so that alternative arrangements could be made. If you miss class because of illness or other unforeseeable circumstances, you must notify the instructor within 24 hours of your absence. In case of illness, show the instructor a doctor s certificate; in case of other reasons, a written explanation together with any supporting documents must be given so as to avoid the 5% deduction. If you are late for a tutorial for 10 minutes or more, you will be considered absent. 4 P a g e
Students should be aware of University regulations about dishonest practice in course work and the possible consequences as stipulated in the Regulations Governing University Examinations. Examples of dishonest practice include plagiarism (i.e. presentation of another person's work without proper acknowledgment of the source), copying the work of other students or deliberately allowing other students to copy from you (whether from this or any other institution), submitting the same piece of work for more than one course. Supplementary mid-term test and final exam will only be granted if (1) an application is made at least one week before the test or exam date, or (2) in case of unforeseeable circumstances such as illness or emergencies, that an application is made within 24 hours after the missed test or exam. The course instructors are the final arbiters on whether there are legitimate grounds for a supplementary test or exam to be granted. You need to write TWO individual essays for your writing assignments requirement (1,000 words +/-5% each) on any tutorial topic. One is due on or before the 24 th of March at 12:00 noon. The second essay is due on or before the 2 nd of May at 12:00 noon. For each essay, you need to submit both HARD COPY and SOFT COPY. The hard copy should go to WYL201; the soft copy is to be uploaded on Moodle; both have to be submitted before the deadline. Please note that once your essay is uploaded, you cannot make any changes. DO NOT UPLOAD A WRONG FILE; YOU WILL BE MARKED ZERO. You may submit a third essay to replace the mark of the first essay. The deadline will be the same as the deadline of the second essay. Essays will receive a 10% reduction in marks (cumulative) for each day past the due date. Essays received more than 5 days after the due date will not be marked. When submitting your essays, please clearly state the following on the first page: your name(s) as on your student ID card(s), student ID number(s), time and day of your tutorial class (e.g. Wednesday 10:30am), topic, date of submission, name of your tutor, and word count. References must be clearly and fully referenced. Please also number your pages and do a spell-check before submitting your essay. Tutorial Topics ALL students need to come to tutorials prepared. This means doing the specified reading and spending time thinking over the discussion questions so that you will have something to contribute in class. Additional instructions will be posted on the Moodle. They may include additional questions to help you with the assigned texts and additional tasks. 1. What is Sociology? You attended the first lecture on sociology. Based on the lecture, the textbook by Macionis and the reading of the first chapter in the book Invitation to Sociology by Peter L. Berger, Can you tell what is sociology? In order to be well prepared for this tutorial, you need to read the chapter 5 P a g e
by Peter Berger (uploaded to Moodle) and answer a set of questions related to this chapter (also uploaded to Moodle). Peter L. Berger, Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective. London, New York: Penguin, 1966 or later editions, chapter 1 Sociology as an Individual Pastime. Macionis, chapter 1. 2. The Post-80 grievance: Personal trouble or social issue Post-80 grievance has attracted increased public attention in Hong Kong in recent years. This new generation launches a number of complaints: high housing prices, high inflation rate, widening gap between the rich and the poor, long working hours, lack of promotion opportunities etc. How do you interpret their complaints? What are the major differences between personal troubles and public issues? Is the Post-80 grievance reflecting a kind of personal trouble or a consequence of the change of social structure? Macionis, chapter 1 The Sociological Perspective, esp. pp. 5-7 Seeing Sociology in Everyday live Charles W. Mills, The Sociological Imagination, chapter 1. The promise. Xiaogang Wu, Hong Kong Post-80s Generation: Profiles and Predicaments, Hong Kong: Central Policy Unit, 2010, available at http://www.cpu.gov.hk/doc/en/research_reports/hk's%20post%2080s%20generation%2 0-%20Profiles%20and%20Predicaments.pdf 3. Can one lie with Statistics? What is the role of statistics in research? To illustrate whether/how people lie with statistics everyone tries to bring a newspaper clip to the class and share with others survey findings or other quantitative data reported in newspapers or research reports. You should answer a set of questions related to this chapter (uploaded to Moodle). Macionis, chapter 2 Sociological Investigation (pay particular attention to the section Can People Lie with Statistics ). Peter L. Berger, Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective. London, New York: Penguin, 1966 or later editions, chapter 1 Sociology as an Individual Pastime. 4. Culture What is culture? Can we see culture? What does it mean that culture is like a map? How can we explain that many cultural habits can be found in different, or even all cultures? Additional instructions and questions will be posted on the Moodle. 6 P a g e
Macionis, chapter 3, Culture. Clyde Kluckholm, Queer Customs. In Readings for Sociology (2nd ed.) edited by Garth Massey. New York: Norton, 1996. Pp. 88-95 (available at Moodle). 5. Are we free within society? We are looking for sociological, not philosophical, answers to this question. For instance, does socialization make us free? For more inspiration, you should look at the small section at the end of the chapter on Socialization Are We Free within Society? Additional instructions and questions will be posted on the Moodle. Macionis, chapter 5 Socialization, especially p.131. Ruth Sidel, Mixed Messages. In Readings for Sociology (2nd ed.) edited by Garth Massey. New York: Norton, 1996 (available at Moodle). 6. Group Conformity and Deviance Read chapter 9 Deviance. Consider performing a non-criminal deviant act in front of your peers (e.g., stand facing the back of an elevator as you ride up or down, walk around campus backwards for a few minutes, say goodbye when you should say hello, etc.). As you perform this act, observe how other people react to you as well as how you feel in performing the act. Take notes immediately after your act on (you may work in groups of 2-3 for this exercise, e.g. one to perform the act and others to take notes or vice versa): the non-criminal deviant act that you performed and where you performed it; how other people reacted to you and why you think they reacted that way; and how you felt when you acted in a socially deviant way and why you felt that way. Come to class with your notes and share your experience with the class. What does this experience tell you about the nature of deviance? Which of the theories described in the text book are useful in helping you understand your experience? 7. Social Stratification: Does education help to advance upward mobility in Hong Kong (your country)? Education is generally believed to be the key factor to advance upward mobility. Is this the case in Hong Kong (or a country of your origin)? Define key terms (social stratification, class, upward mobility) and use available data (statistics, government policy documents, academic article) to find out answer to the question. Additional instructions and tasks will be posted on the Moodle. Macionis, chapter 10 Sociological Stratification Xiaogang Wu, Hong Kong Post-80s Generation: Profiles and Predicaments, Hong Kong: Central Policy Unit, 2010, available at 7 P a g e
http://www.cpu.gov.hk/doc/en/research_reports/hk's%20post%2080s%20generation%2 0-%20Profiles%20and%20Predicaments.pdf 8. Gender inequality in Hong Kong Based on these statistics and your own experience/observation, to what extent would you say that gender inequality exists in Hong Kong? Non-local students please use the 15 minutes to share the gender inequality in your home country with local students before the start of the tutorial discussion. Macionis, chapter 13. Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong, Women and Men in Hong Kong: Key Statistics, 2012 Class Schedule Lectures Tutorials Fri Topic Read Topic Mon Thu 24.01. Introduction No class 07.02. What is Sociology? Major Ch 1, Housekeeping 10.02. 13.02. Sociological Perspectives 4 14.02. Sociological Investigation Ch 2 What is sociology? 17.02. 20.02. 21.02. Culture Ch 3 The Post-80s 24.02. 27.02. grievances 28.02. Socialization Ch 5 Can people lie with 03.03. 06.03. statistics? 07.03. Groups and organizations Ch 7 Voluntary Q & A 10.03. 13.03. sessions on essays 14.03. Midterm Exam Culture 17.03. 20.03. 21.03. Deviance and Social Control Ch 09 Essay 1 due on 24.03. 28.03. Social stratification and Ch 10 Are we free within 31.03. 03.04. inequality society? 04.04. Sex, Gender and Family Ch 13, Conformity and 07.04. 10.04. 18 Deviance 11.04. Social institutions: Ch 19, Social stratification 14.04. 17.04. Religion and Education 20 and upward mobility 25.04. Social Change Ch 24 Gender inequality in 28.04. 24.04. Hong Kong 02.05. Conclusion Essay 2 due on 02.05. 8 P a g e