Sociology 134 How Race Ethnicity Shape American Social Life Spring 2010 Lecture 77 6104 Social Science 4 00 5 15 TR Instructor Angela Barian Office 8107 Sewell Social Science Building Office hours Most Fridays by appointment 3 30 5 00 Mondays on chat Email abarian ssc wisc edu Office Phone 262 1933 Class email list soc134 77 s10 lists wisc edu We must continually remind students in the classroom that expression of different opinions and dissenting ideas affirms the intellectual process We should forcefully explain that our role is not to teach them to think as we do but rather to teach them by example the importance of taking a stance that is rooted in rigorous engagement with the full range of ideas about a topic bell hooks That is what learning is You suddenly understand something you ve understood all your life but in a new way Doris Lessing Course Description This class provides a basic sociological understanding of how race relations shape social life in the United States A sociological approach includes considering race and ethnicity as social constructs that permeate all social life are entrenched in social structures and institutions and shift and mutate over time and place though often in ways that reproduce existing patterns of power relations More concretely we will attempt to understand the ways in which race and ethnicity continually shape public life and our experience of the world and ourselves Sometimes this class deals with controversial topics Lively and productive discussion is the goal We all should remember that everyone is living with a race and ethnicity as well as a sex gender sexual orientation class size belief system nationality etc that each individual has a relevant and vital perspective and that a well rounded understanding of the world cannot be achieved without the participation of all perspectives You are expected to think critically about the ideas and issues raised in class and to contribute arguments and viewpoints Come with an open mind respect the different experiences of others and be prepared to rethink your own assumptions about racial and ethnic relations Textbook Readings There is 1 required textbook for this course Rethinking the Color Line Readings in Race and Ethnicity 4th edition There are older editions of the book floating around they have most but not all of the assigned readings Sorry The book is available at Room of One s Own bookstore 307 W Johnson Street Readings from the book are identified in the syllabus with RCL p xx There will also be required articles to read for the course Those are available on my website www ssc wisc edu abarian for free You can read them on the screen or print them out if you like Online readings are identified in the syllabus with this cute web icon If you can t afford the book just come talk to me Please don t be embarrassed I m a poor struggling student as well I get it believe me The readings assigned for each week are noted in the syllabus you are responsible for making sure you have completed all necessary readings I expect you to have completed the readings before coming to class on the Tuesday day of the week they are listed Office Hours In addition to being available most Fridays for in person office hour appointments I will be available on Googlechat for real time live chat virtual office hours This semester I will be online from 3 30 5 00 every Monday The account is soc134 gmail com if you do not have a gmail account or don t know how to join it s free let me know Of course I am still available over email and for in person office hours so you can ignore the chat hours completely and still get my help Assignments Tests on Lectures and Readings There are 3 tests in this course These are not meant to be massive exams but rather checkpoints after each unit to assess where we are You ll easily be able to complete them in 75 minutes Tests will have multiple choice short answer and an essay which will not be sent ahead of time You ll be able to handle it Really Essays will ask you questions that challenge you analytically and encourage you to be creative intellectually They will be analyses with arguments using the course material Please take note the first two tests are during lecture times If you anticipate not being able to make it in on time or have regular attendance this course is probably not for you Tests 1 and 2 are worth 30 points test 3 is worth 50 points Course Blog 5 times this semester you will be responsible for writing blog posts about issues of race and ethnicity The blog project is designed to promote and reward you for your engagement with the class and current events I will show you how to set up a free blog online You will share your blog with 4 5 other students and do not have to publicly reveal your name though I should know your online handle so I can grade them Blog posts should be an exploration into a topic of relevance to the course They can be responses to issues we cover in the course relating the course material to current events or other creative endeavors that relate to the course I will include parts of your posts anonymously in class lectures so make em good Posts should generally be the equivalent to 1 2 single spaced pages usually between 5001000 words If you have more to say go for it Posts will be graded on a 5 point basis 5 point posts will be not only insightful but original clearly communicated and impeccably written with no mistakes 4 point posts are good solid posts but may have lapses in development of ideas lack insight creativity or original thought 3 point posts are adequate but weaker and less effective than 4 and 5 point posts They may rely on personal feelings clich s or platitudes Reviews of the course material will earn 3s ex I like this reading because This lecture was clearly presented because 2 point posts don t have a clear central idea or don t respond appropriately to the assignment Main ideas or theses of the posts may be too vague or obvious to be developed effectively They may misunderstand sources 1 point posts are completed but don t respond to any material or lack a central point They may be disorganized or be excessively short If it is not apparent in the response that you have done the course work thought about the issues in the course or have taken the material seriously you will receive a zero for that post If you get stuck thinking about what to write about check the things to think about this week in this very syllabus You