1 INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY SOCIOLOGY 1010 20 Bountiful Campus Spring 2009 _______________________________________________________ Instructor: Liliana Gardner Office: 435 BEH S E-Mail: [email protected] Class: 6:00 am- 8:45 pm Tuesday, Bountiful rm 102 Office Hours: before class or e-mail for an appointment. Text: The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology by Lisa J. McIntyre, McGraw-Hill. Class Objectives: The first, and most important, objective of this class is to enhance your understanding of how societal forces influence your life. We live in a society made up of a culture (values, beliefs, norms, and language) and a social structure (positions and roles). Both of these are powerful influences in your life. In addition, your behavior is influenced by membership in a variety of groups. Hopefully studying culture, social structure, and group processes will give you a greater capacity to see the social world through the lens of the “sociological imagination.” A second objective of this class is to expose you to an overview of several substantive areas in sociology. Sociologists usually specialize in specific areas and this class will introduce you to the major areas of sociological study. We will work at these two objectives throughout the semester. Each section will make a contribution to both. Learning Activities: Reading: During the semester we will read four books in addition to the textbook. Gappers of Frip is available on the class webct site and the others are available in the bookstore. Each student is expected to read the chapter(s) and readings and be prepared to discuss the material in class. We will be somewhat flexible with the schedule to allow for greater discussions. This material is vital to your understanding of social processes so please be diligent in your reading. We will start with George Saunder’s The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip a clever story that gives insight into how sociologists view the world. Born to Buy by Juliet B. Schorwill provide many examples of our contemporary consumerism culture and highlight the disadvantages of socialization within that culture. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser discusses many of the structural consequences of the fast food industry in the United States. Nickel and Dimed is a book written by a journalist about working in the new service economy. It will feature aspects of inequality, social class, and social stratification up close and personal in everyday life. 1) George Sanders. 2000. The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip. Ny: NY. Villard. 2) Schor, Juliet B. 2005. Born to Buy: the Commercialized Child and the new Consumer Culture. NY: NY. Scribner. 3) Schlosser, Eric. 2001. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: MA. Houghton Mifflin. 4) Ehrenreich Barbara. 2001. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. NY: NY. Metropolitan Books. 5) McIntyre, Lisa J. 2005. The Practical Skeptic : Core Concepts in Sociology. NY: NY McGraw-Hill-Humanities. (TEXT BOOK) Writing: Includes the critiques and the chapter summaries. The Critiques: You will be required to write a 1 PAGE double spaced (it must not exceed this length or points will be docked) critique of each of the books. The papers must be in 12cpi, Times New Roman font, have 1 inch margins all the way around, and use ASA – American Sociological Association–style. There is an ASA style guide on webct. Use it to learn proper ASA formatting. Each paper will consist of three parts: 1) you will identify the primary thesis (thesis statement) of the reading – what is the main issue/concept the author wants you to walk away with 2) a summary of the primary findings and how they were derived – the author’s methods, theories, data, evidence, etc. and how well he/she did in presenting them; and 3) YOUR PERSONAL CRITICAL EVALUATION AND APPLICATION of the piece – tell me how well the author met their objective in convincing you of their thesis, giving me a trail of your logic, then, give me an application of the sociological concepts from the reading. This is where you tie in with other ideas, readings, experience, lectures, and concepts from the class. I want to know how this information can be applied. Tell me what you got out of the reading and why. “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it” or “It was sad” will not be acceptable. These must be scholarly evaluations that intellectually apply the concepts. These critiques must be handed in at the beginning of class. You may also email it as an attachment file to me at least ½ hour before class on the day it is due. You will be graded on the consistency of your logic, your ability to argue your point, and on the mechanics of language, spelling and grammar. Chapter Summaries: Chapter summaries will include: 1) a summary of main points covered in each of the chapters assigned and 2) relevant examples showing applications of concepts in the chapters.3 Outside Activities: You will need to attend 9 outside activities relating to concepts covered in class and in the text including films, cultural events, research presentations, etc. During the last day of class you will hand in a journal about each event. Details about the requirements for these activities as well as instructions for writing about these assignments are on webct. Assessments: There will be one mid-term examination and a final examination. Both exams will be in class exams. The final is comprehensive, but will focus primarily on the material covered since the midterm. The examinations will include multiple-choice questions taken partly from the test manual prepared for the text and partly from the material presented in class. There will also be short essay questions on each exam taken from the material presented in class and the readings. Grading: Your grade will be determined by your performance on the two examinations, the reading critiques, and the chapter summaries. Assignments should be handed in on or before the day they are due. Points. The two examinations will each be worth 100 points. The critiques will each be worth 20 points for a total of 80 points. The chapter summaries will be worth 10 points each. The journal will be worth a total of 90 points with entries about each individual activity worth 10. Examinations 200 points Critiques