Sociology 102

General Sociology

 

Winter 2005

Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays

Section 1: 2-2:55pm; Section 2: 3-3:55pm

Newcomb Hall 10B

 

Instructor: Dr. Leslie Cintron

Office Hours: Fridays 10:00am-12:00pm, N-22 Newcomb Hall

Email: cintronl@wlu.edu

Phone: 458-8791

 

 

Course Overview:

 

This course introduces students to the fundamental questions and perspectives that guide sociological analysis.  We begin by looking at the study of sociology and its significance.  What is sociology and what exactly does it mean to apply a sociological perspective to everyday life?  We then focus more directly on questions about how society influences our everyday lives, such as: How do we learn to behave in society?  Why do some people become deviant?  Next we turn to examining social differentiation and inequality in relation to social class, race and ethnicity, sex, and age.  We then move into analyzing key social institutions with an emphasis on the family, politics, religion, work and the economy, education and the mass media.

 

The course is designed to give students an introduction to both the breadth and the depth of the discipline. At several points in the term we will have an opportunity to explore more closely a variety of interesting issues and topics including segregation, the working poor, hate crimes and work and family balance.

 

This class will also introduce some of the issues and strategies involved in doing sociological research. During the term students will have the opportunity to collect and analyze their own sociological data.

 

By the end of this course, you should have the basic tools and analytical skills needed to:

 

·        Understand the role that sociology plays in contributing to our awareness of social reality.

·        Understand the connections between events in your own life and the social world around you.

·        Understand how social science data is collected and used by sociologists.

 

Required Texts:

 

The readings below are the required texts for the course. These can be purchased at either the W&L University Bookstore or your friendly neighborhood or web bookstore. These will also be available on reserve at Leyburn Library (with the exception of the Understanding Society reader):

 

  • Margaret Andersen, Kim Logio and Howard Taylor, Understanding Society: An Introductory Reader, Wadsworth, 2001.

 

  • Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Anchor Books, 1959.

 

  • Arlie Hochschild, The Time Bind, Owl Books,1997.

 

  • Jack Levin and Gordana Rabrenovic, Why We Hate, Prometheus Books, 2004.

 

  • Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton, American Apartheid, Harvard University Press, 1993.  

 

  • Katherine S. Newman, No Shame in My Game, Vintage Books, 2000. 

 

Explanation of Course Requirements:

The course consists of a mixture of lectures and class discussions. The lectures are meant to supplement rather than replace the readings.  As a result, students are expected to attend the lectures, read assigned texts prior to class, and attend and actively participate in class discussions.

Class Discussions: Students are required to attend and actively participate in the class discussions. These are an opportunity to learn from each other and to reflect on the themes in both the readings and lectures. It is imperative that you complete the reading prior to attending class.

Student Class Discussion-leading: Each student will be asked to do one short (5-10 minutes) overview of the key themes and concepts for one week’s readings.  Discussants will also prepare 3-5 questions that will help generate class discussion and they will lead the discussions in both the class and on the course website for that week.  One of the discussion questions should be emailed to me so that it can be posted on the course website by 5pm two days prior (usually a Wednesday) to our student-led class discussion. Sign-up for the presentation and discussion leading will take place in class on Monday, January 10th.

Blackboard Online Discussion: Each week every student will be required to post at least one response message on the Blackboard Online Discussion for Soc102 by 7pm one day prior (usually a Thursday) to the student-led class discussions. These messages should be 2-3 paragraphs, carefully-constructed and cogent responses to the question raised by the discussion-leader(s) and should reflect a thoughtful analysis of the week’s readings.  Students should read all of the online responses for that week prior to attending the student-led class discussion.

Mid-term Examination: There will be one mid-term exam given on Friday, February 11th, 2005. The exam will cover the lectures, assigned readings, discussions and films/documentaries for the first half of the term.

Final Examination: The final exam is not cumulative. It will cover the lectures, assigned readings, discussions and films/documentaries from the second half of the semester. The final exam is scheduled as an in-class exam for Friday, April 1st, 2005.

Research Paper: Students are required to write a research paper on a topic of particular interest to them and of relevance to the material covered in the course. Papers should be approximately 12-15 pages in length.  More information about the research papers will be provided as the term progresses.

  • Research Paper Proposals are due by 5pm on Wednesday, February 23rd, 2005. Individual meetings will be scheduled to discuss your Research Proposals for Friday, February 25th, 2005.

 

  • Final Research Papers are due by 5pm on Monday, March 21st, 2005. Please be mindful of the due date, as papers will be graded down one letter grade (e.g. B becomes C) for each day late (this includes essays turned in after 5pm on the due date.)

 

Readings: We will be moving quickly through a variety of topics so it is very important that you keep up with the readings according to the course schedule. 

 

Guest Lectures: We will have at least one guest speaker coming to campus. **All students are required to attend the University Lecture on Hate Crimes on Tuesday, February 22nd at 7pm in the University Commons Theater**.

 

Attendance and Lateness Policy: Unexcused absences and lateness will result in a lower Attendance & Participation grade.

 

Honor Code:   All students are responsible for knowing and abiding by the University Honor Code. Unless specifically stated by the instructor, all work for the course should be an individual effort.    

 

Final grades are determined as follows:

 

Mid-term exam                         25%

Final exam                                            27%

Research paper                                    25%

Attendance & participation                   18%

Discussion-leading                      5%

 

 

Course Schedule

 

 

Part I.  Introducing Sociology

 

 

Week 1        - January 3             Course Overview

 

  • Mills, C. Wright, “The Sociological Imagination,” in Understanding Society: An Introductory Reader (USR), pp. 1-5.

 

                   - January 5             Sociological Perspectives

 

  • Johnson, Allan, “The Forest and the Trees,” in USR, pp. 6-13.
  • Collins, Patricia Hill, “Learning from the Outsider Within,” in USR, pp. 13-19.
  • Sherman, Arloc and Jodi Sandfort, “Fighting Child Poverty in America: How Research Can Help,” in USR, pp. 20-25.

 

                   - January 7             Doing Social Research

 

  • Weber, Max, “Science as a Vocation,” in USR, pp. 26-29.
  • Babbie, Earl, “The Practice of Social Research,” in USR, pp. 29-39.
  • Kaplan, Elaine Bell, “Not Our Kind of Girl,” in USR, pp. 39-47.
 

 

Part II.  The Elements of Society

 

 

Week 2        - January 10           Culture

 

·         Cunningham, Kamy, “Barbie Doll Culture and the American Waistland,” in USR, pp. 48-51.

·         Abt, Vicki and Mel Seesholtz, “The Shameless World of Phil, Sally, and Oprah: Television Talk Shows and the Deconstruction of Society,” in USR, pp. 52-58.

·         Coltrane, Scott, “Family Rituals and the Construction of Reality,” in USR, pp. 59-66.

·         Dalby, Liza, “Geisha” in USR, pp. 66-69.

 

                   - January 12           Socialization

 

·         Mead, George Herbert, “The Self,” in USR, pp. 70-77.

·         Schulz, Amy, “Navajo Women and the Politics of Identity,” in USR, pp. 77-90.

 

                   - January 14           Class Discussion on Week 2 Readings

 

·         Carothers, Suzanne, “Catching Sense: Learning from Our Mothers to be Black and Female,” in USR, pp. 90-100.

·         Beal, Becky, “Alternative Masculinity and Its Effects on Gender Relations in the Subculture of Skateboarding,” in USR, pp. 101-109.

 

Week 3 -      - January 17           Social Interaction

 

·         Anderson, Elijah, “Code of the Street,” in USR, pp. 116-21.

·         Turkle, Sherry, “Identity in the Age of the Internet,” in USR, pp. 122-125.

 

                   - January 19           Social Interaction: Spotlight on Impression

                                                Management

 

  • Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Anchor Books, 1959, Preface-Chapter 3.

 

                   - January 21           Class Discussion on Week 3 Readings

 

  • Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Anchor Books, 1959, Chapter 4 – 7.

 

Week 4        - January 24           Groups and Organizations

 

·         Cooley, Charles Horten, “Primary Groups,” in USR, pp. 126-29.

·         Weber, Max, “Bureaucracy” in USR, pp. 129-131.

·         Ritzer, George, “Enchanting a Disenchanted World,” in USR, pp. 132-137.

 

                   - January 26           Urban Life: Spotlight on Segregation

 

·         Massey, Douglas and Nancy Denton, American Apartheid, Harvard University Press, Chapter 1-4.  

 

                   - January 28           Class Discussion on Week 4 Readings

 

·         Massey, Douglas and Nancy Denton, American Apartheid, Harvard University Press, Chapter 5-8. 

 

 

Part III.  Social Differentiation and Inequality

 

 

Week 5       - January 31            Social Class and Social Stratification      

 

·         Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels, “The Communist Manifesto,” in USR, pp. 187-191.

·         Shapiro, Thomas, “Great Divides,” in USR, pp. 191-198.

·         Conley, Dalton, “Wealth Matters,” in USR, pp. 198-203.

·         Polakow, Valerie, “The Shredded Net: The End of Welfare as We Knew It,” in USR, pp. 203-209.

·         Wilson, William Julius, “The American Belief System Concerning Poverty and Welfare,” in USR, pp. 217-222.

 

                    - February 2          Spotlight on The Working Poor

 

·         Newman, Katherine, No Shame in My Game, Vintage, 2000. Chapter 1-5.

 

                   - February 4          Class Discussion on Week 5 Readings

 

·         Newman, Katherine, No Shame in My Game, Vintage, 2000. Chapter 6-Epilogue.

 

Week 6        - February 7          Deviance and Crime

 

·         Durkheim, Emile, “The Functions of Crime,” in USR, pp. 161-164.

·         Conrad, Peter, “The Medicalization of Deviance,” in USR, pp. 164-170.

 

                   - February 9          Class Discussion of Week 6 Readings

 

·         Montgomery, Heather, “Children, Prostitution and Identity: A Case Study from a Tourist Resort in Thailand,” in USR, pp. 176-181.

·         Reiman, Jeffrey, “The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison” in USR, pp. 182-186.

 

                   - February 11         Mid-term Exam (In Class)

 

Week 7        - February 14-18    Washington Break – No Classes

 

Week 8        - February 21         Spotlight on Hate Crimes

 

  • Jack Levin and Gordana Rabrenovic, Why We Hate, Prometheus Books, 2004. Chapter 1-6. 

 

                   - February 22         **Special University Lecture on Hate Crimes**

                                                                                7pm, University Commons Theater

 

  • Jack Levin and Gordana Rabrenovic, Why We Hate, Prometheus Books, 2004. Chapter 7-12. 

 

                   - February 23         Spotlight on Hate Crimes: Visiting Speaker –                                                       Dr. Jack Levin

 

*** Research Paper Proposals due today by 5pm***

 

  • Jack Levin and Gordana Rabrenovic, Why We Hate, Prometheus Books, 2004. Chapter 13-Epilogue. 

 

                   - February 25         No Class – Individual Meetings to discuss                                                             research paper proposals

 

Week 9        - February 28         Race and Ethnicity

 

  • Du Bois, W.E.B., “The Souls of Black Folk,” in USR, pp. 235-237.
  • Martinez, Elizabeth, “Being More Than Black and White: Latinos, Racism and the Cultural Divide,” in USR, pp. 237-242.

 

                   - March 2              Race and Ethnicity

 

  • Omi, Michael and Howard Winant, “Racial Formation,” in USR, pp. 243-250.

 

                   - March 4              Class Discussion of Week 9 Readings

 

  • Portes, Alejandro and Ruben Rumbaut, “Immigrant America: Who They Are and Why They Come,” in USR, pp. 250-255.

 

Week 10      - March 7               Age

 

  • Stoller, Eleanor and Rose Gibson, “Cultural Images of Old Age,” in USR, pp. 283-290.
  • Slevin, Kathleen and C. Ray Wingrove, “From Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones,” in USR, pp. 291-294.
  • Quadagno, Jill, “Social Security and the Myth of the Entitlement ‘Crisis’,” in USR, pp. 295-301.

 

                   - March 9              Gender and Sexuality

 

  • Andersen, Margaret, “The Social Construction of Gender,” in USR, pp. 260-265.
  • Messner, Michael, “The Politics of Masculinities,” in USR, pp. 265-270.

 

                   - March 11            Class Discussion on Week 10 Readings

 

  • Schwartz, Pepper and Virginia Rutter, “The Gender of Sexuality,” in USR, pp. 138-146.
  • Kimmel, Michael, “Masculinity as Homophobia,” in USR, pp. 147-151.    

 

 

Part IV.  Social Institutions

 

 

Week 11      - March 14             Education

 

  • Adler, Patricia and Peter Adler, “Clique Dynamics,” in USR, pp. 342-349.
  • Anyon, Jean, “Ghetto Schooling,” in USR, pp. 349-354.
  • Taylor, Howard, “Intelligence,” in USR, pp. 355-361.
  • Orenstein, Peggy, “School Girls,” in USR, pp. 361-365.

 

              - March 16            The Mass Media

 

  • Readings TBA.

 

                   - March 18            No Class Today

 

Week 12      - March 21             Family and Work

 

*** Research Papers due today by 5pm***

 

  • Stacey, Judith, “In the Name of the Family,” in USR, pp. 302-309.
  • Arendell, Terry, “Divorce and Remarriage,” in USR, pp. 309-319.
  • MacDonald, Cameron and Carmen Sirianni, “The Service Society and the Changing Experience of Work,” in USR, pp. 395-402.
  • Presser, Harriet, “Toward a 24-Hour Economy,” in USR, pp. 403-407.

 

                   - March 23            Spotlight on Work and Family Balance

 

·         Hochschild, Arlie, The Time Bind, Chapter 1-9.  

 

                   - March 25            Class Discussion on Week 12 Readings

 

  • Hochschild, Arlie, The Time Bind, Chapter 10-16.

 

Week 13      - March 28             Religion, Power and Politics

 

·         Weber, Max, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,” in USR, pp. 366-370.

·         Wuthnow, Robert, “Growing Up Religious,” in USR, pp. 371-377.

·         Zhou, Min, “Growing Up American: The Complexity of Ethnic Involvement,” in USR, pp. 378-383.

·         Ayella, Marybeth, “Insane Therapy,” in USR, pp. 384-393.

 

                   - March 30            Class Discussion on Week 13 Readings

 

·         Mills, C. Wright, “The Power Elite,” in USR, pp. 428-433.

·         Zweigenhaft, Richard and G. William Domhoff, “Diversity in the Power Elite,” in USR, pp. 433-438.

 

                   - April 1                Final Exam (In Class)