Sociology 101.008/.009

Introduction to Sociology

Fall 2009

Class : MW 2 - 3^15 p.m., Liberal Arts 4110	Instructor: Dr. Marion Hughes
Class home page: http://pages.towson.edu/mhughes	Office: Linthicum 301C
Phone: 410-704-2930 E‑mail: mhughes@towson.edu	Office hours: Mon 3^30 - 4^30 p.m. Fri 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Sociology is the study of the organization of human life, specifically social relations and the social order that results from them. This course serves as an introduction to the field of sociology, offering a foundation in the theoretical perspectives, research methodology, and applications of the sociological perspective to various aspects of society and social structures. Throughout the semester, we will examine how the actions and experiences of individuals are molded by and in turn shape the social contexts in which they live.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, engaged students should be able to:

• Display an understanding of the interrelationship between social forces and our daily lives, and locate themselves in the context of the broader social, cultural, and historical patterns of society.

• Describe basic methods of sociological research and how they are used to examine the social world.

• Analyze social phenomena by accurately applying relevant sociological theories and concepts.

• Synthesize sociological insights gleaned in this course and apply them to real world phenomena.

Materials

Readings for this course are from two required books, and articles available on the Internet through links on the course home page. Full citations for the Internet readings are listed below the class schedule.

Books

The two required books are available as a bundle from University store, with the Conley text as an e-book and the reader as a paperback. Both are also available directly from the publisher, and from other book outlets.

Text: Conley, Dalton. 2008. You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like a Sociologist. New York; W. W. Norton and Company. ISBN: 978-0-393-92760-3

Reader: Goodwin, Jeff and James M. Jasper. 2008. The Contexts Reader. New York; W. W. Norton and Company. ISBN: 978-0-393-92989-8

Additional Supplies

Each student will also need a package of 3" X 5" index cards for quizzes.

First assignment: Your first assignment this semester is to go to the class home page, print or save a copy of the course syllabus, read the course syllabus, and complete the last page, which will be collected in class on Wednesday, September 2. Completion and timely return of the final page will count as your first quiz grade.

Course Requirements

Course home page

This course is web-supported. Some of your readings are accessible through the course home page. The syllabus, exam reviews, and any changes to the class schedule will only be available on the class home page.

Readings and Quizzes

Readings are assigned for every class meeting, and listed on the class schedule on the day we will discuss them in class. Do them BEFORE class. Class will be more fruitful and interesting the better prepared everyone is. To ensure this end, once a week beginning Monday, September 14 there will be a short quiz or quickwrite on the readings and/or the material covered in the prior class. Quizzes focus on key concepts and serve two purposes. They allow me to assess the progress of students in the course between exams, and also help you evaluate your own performance and comprehension of the material. Students who miss the quiz or class with an unexcused absence will receive a 0 on that day's quiz. Completion of the final page of the syllabus (due in class on Wednesday, 9/2/2009) will count as your first quiz grade. The two lowest quiz grades will be dropped at the end of the semester. Quizzes count for 20% of your course grade.

Exams

There are 3 non‑cumulative exams in this course. The exams consist of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions. All material covered in class, including readings, handouts, exercises, group discussions, videos, etc. is fair game for inclusion on exams. Exam dates are listed below and in the class schedule. Several days before each exam, a review sheet will be posted on the class home page.

	Due Date	% of course grade
Quizzes	Weekly beginning 9/14	20
Exam 1	Mon, October 5	25
Exam 2	Wed, November 4	25
Final Exam	Wed, December 16, 12^30 p.m.	30
		100%

Course Policies

Attendance policy

Attendance is expected for all classes and tests. Only students with a documented excused absence, who have notified me in advance, either in person or via e-mail or telephone, will be allowed to make up missed exams or will be excused from the weekly quiz. Excused absences are defined in the academic regulations section of the Undergraduate Catalog. Students with excused absences will not be permitted to make up missed quizzes, but the absence will not be counted in calculating the average quiz grade. Students who arrive in class too late for the quiz or who miss class with an unexcused absence will receive a 0 for that day’s quiz. Two unexcused absences are allowed without penalty, as I will drop the two lowest quiz grades when calculating the quiz average. As a reminder, regardless of the reason for missing class, it is your responsibility to obtain class notes from your classmates.

Grading policy

In accord with university policy, students will earn plus/minus grades in this course. Refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for the university policy on plus/minus grading and corresponding quality points. The C- grade has been suspended by the university and will not be awarded. A grade below C will not count for credit in major courses. Final course grades will be awarded as follows:

93 – 100: A

90 – 92: A-

87 – 89: B+

83 – 86: B

80 – 82: B-

77 – 79: C+

70 – 76: C

67 – 69: D+

60 - 66: D

Below 60: F

Failing, absent from final: FX

Department Statement on Academic Dishonesty

The faculty of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice takes a strong stand against Academic Dishonesty of all forms. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any class. It includes, but is not limited to, any form of cheating or unapproved help on an exam or academic exercise, copying someone else’s written work without citation, presenting fabricated information as legitimate, any unauthorized collaboration among students, or assisting someone to cheat in any way. All students have the ethical responsibility for doing their own work. A student who is uncertain about whether or not something constitutes academic dishonesty in a particular class has the obligation to see their instructor for clarification. Consistent with university policy, the minimum penalty for academic dishonesty in any form is determined by the individual faculty member in each class, and may consist of Aa reduced grade (including AF@ or zero) for the assignment; a reduced grade (including AF@) for the entire course,@ or other options as stipulated in Appendix F of the Undergraduate Catalog. Students who are charged with academic dishonesty must remain enrolled in the course and cannot withdraw. Instructors who make the determination that academic dishonesty has occurred will notify the student in writing of the finding, the penalty, and the process for appeal. The same written notice will be forwarded to the Office of Judicial Affairs on campus, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and to the Chair’s Office in the department. Academic Dishonesty undermines the legitimate efforts of students and involves serious repercussions. The faculty of the department urge all our students to act with integrity with regard to work submitted.

I have no tolerance for academic dishonesty. For this course, academic misconduct will result in a final course grade of F. If you have any questions about what constitutes dishonesty, please ask me or refer to the Undergraduate Catalog.

University Policies

Statement from the Academic Standards Committee

Students may not repeat a course for a grade more than once without prior approval of the Academic Standards Committee. Please consult the Academic Regulations section of the Undergraduate Catalog for the procedure for petitioning the Academic Standards Committee.

Disability Support Services

Students who have, or suspect that they may have, a disability should seek services through Disability Support Services (DSS) if they have not already done so. Students must be registered with DSS and receive written authorization to obtain disability-related accommodations. If you need accommodation due to a disability, please visit DSS for guidance. The office is located in the Administration Building at 7720 York Road, Room 232, Ph: 704-2638 or 704-3475.

H1N1Influenza Policy

Students should not attend classes or other university events from the onset of flu-like symptoms until at least 24 hours after the fever subsides without the use of fever-reducing medications. Such absences will be considered excused absences; however, students are responsible for the material covered during the period of their absence.

University wide emergency

In the event of a university-side emergency, course requirements, classes, deadlines and grading schemes are subject to changes that may include alternative delivery methods; alternative methods of interaction with the instructor, class materials and /or classmates; a revised attendance policy; revised semester calendar; and a revised grading scheme. In the case of a university-wide emergency, please refer to the course home page (http://pages.towson.edu/mhughes) or email from the instructor

For more general information about any emergency situation, please refer to the following:

o University web site: www.towson.edu

o TU Text Alert system – service designed to alert the TU community via text messages to cell phones when situations arise that affect the ability of the campus to function normally; sign up at http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/facilities/police/campusemergency

Class Schedule

Date			Topic	Readings
August	31	M	Welcome to Sociology
	Thinking like a sociologist
September	2	W	The Sociological Imagination	Conley, ch. 1 Last page of syllabus due
	7	M	Labor Day – no class
	9	W	Social facts: Suicide	Durkheim (I) Conley, pp. 194-199
	14	M	Brief history of sociological thought	Conley, ch. 1 Sociosite (I)
	16	W	Major sociological paradigms	Conley, ch. 1
	Finding out what we want to know
	21	M	Overview of social science research	Conley, ch. 2 Shapin (R63)
	23	W	Research methods: Experiments & Surveys	Lovaglia (R65) Gabler and Kaufman (R15) Schuman (R64)
	28	M	Research methods: Field research & other qualitative methods	Adler and Adler (R66)
	30	W	Ethics in social science research	Borge (I) Zimbardo – slide show (I)
October	5	M	Exam 1
	Culture: it’s what separates us from the apes
	7	W	Elements of culture	Conley, ch. 3 Gusfield (R16)
	12	M	Media and their influence	Conley, ch. 3 Sternheimer (R18)
	Learning culture
	14	W	Socialization	Conley, ch. 4
	19	M	Gender socialization
	21	W	Social Interaction – the dramaturgical perspective	Goffman (I) Zussman (R1)
	The ties that bind: social groups and networks
	26	M	Groups and organizations	Conley, ch. 5
	28	W	Social networks: it is a small world after all	Conley, ch. 5 McPherson, Smith-Lovin and Brashears (I)*
November	2	M	Implications of networks	Oracle of Bacon (I) Erickson (R3) Wellman (R4)
	4	W	Exam 2
	You know I’m bad, I’m bad, I’m really, really bad… (Michael Jackson, RIP)
	9	M	Deviance and Social Control	Conley, ch. 6
	11	W	Deviance and Social Control	Chambliss (I) Horwitz (R49)
	16	M	Crime in the U.S.	Rosenfeld (R50)
	18	W	Criminal Justice system in the U.S.	Western and Pettit (R51)
	Bases of inequality
	23	M	Sex and gender	Conley, ch.12
	25	W	Learning and living gender	Hartmann ( R32) Jacobs (R33)
	30	M	Race and Ethnicity	Conley, ch. 13 Morning (R35)
December	2	W	Race and ethnicity in the U.S.	Qian (R11) Herring (R26) Gans (R36) Arthur (R37 ) Zhou (R39) Lee and Bean (R40)
	7	M	Social class and stratification	Conley, ch. 14 Marx and Engels (I) Jackson (R21)
	9	W	Class in the U.S.	Rank (R23)
	16	W	Final Exam: 12^30 – 2^30 p.m.

Notes: Class schedule is subject to change.

I = Internet reading

R# = Contexts reader, reading number #

Internet readings: Online readings can be accessed easiest from the course home page. Several articles (denoted by *) are available through the a research database to which Towson University subscribes and need to be accessed on campus, through Towson’s dial-up networking, or through Cook Library’s home page (from the “Connect from off-campus” link under “Services”).

Borge, Caroline. 2007. “Basic Instincts: The Science of Evil.” Primetime, ABC News. January 3. (read article and view webcast)

Chambliss, William. 1993. “The Saints and the Roughnecks.” In Down To Earth Sociology, edited by James M. Henslin. New York: The Free Press.

Durkheim, Emile. 1982. “What is a social fact?” Pp. 50-59 in The Rules of Sociological Method, edited. by Steven Lukes; translated by W.D. Halls). New York: Free Press.

Goffman, Erving. “The Arts of Impression Management.” Chap. 6 in The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York; Doubleday.

Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. 1848. Manifesto Of The Communist Party, part I.

* McPherson, Miller, Lynn Smith-Lovin and Matthew E. Brashears. 2006. “Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades.” American Sociological Review 71: 353 – 375.

Oracle of Bacon at Virginia website. Department of Computer Science, School of Engineering, University of Virginia.

Sociosite. Famous Sociologists website.

Zimbardo, Philip. Stanford Prison Experiment website.

Sociology 101.008/.009 Fall 2009 Name __________________________________

Return this page on: September 2, 2009

Preferred nickname or pronunciation tips: _____________________________________

(Intended) Major? _________________________________________________________________

The three nouns (not adjectives) that best describe who you are (don’t think; list the first 3 that come to mind!): _____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

** Please print or attach recent photo on back of this sheet for 1 point extra credit on course grade.

I have read and understand my rights and obligations under the terms of this course syllabus.

Signature ________________________________

Date __________________________________

Any questions about the course?