McMaster University, Sociology 4R03 Individual and Society
Term: 2 Winter 2017 Office: KTH 607
Tuesday 830-1120 Instructor: Carlos Torres Ext. 20423
Lecture hall Email:
KTH B107 Office Hours: by appointment
Course Description:
This fourth year seminar is designed to teach students about the dialectical relationship between individuals and society. This topic will be explored within Canada and globally. The first part of the course provides students with core texts that will familiarize students with the dynamic relationship between individuals and society. The second part of the course will provide students with more of a hands on approach towards the experiences of individuals in society today. Finally, this course encourages students to ask the following questions: what are the prevailing types of individuals that emerge in contemporary society? What are the conditions of society today? How is freedom understood culturally?
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students that take this course will be acquainted with various perspectives that shape an individuals consciousness and the material conditions of society. Students will be given a plethora of frameworks to understand the complex relation between individuals and society. This approach will benefit students as they will learn multiple ways of understanding relations between individuals and society. Moreover,the diversity of perspectives in the course will help students critically evaluate conflicting approaches towards understanding individuals and society. The value in undertaking a critical approach to this topic is that students will learn the limits of each paradigm and will thus, appreciate areas in which new research is needed. In light of the intellectuals demands of the course, student’s communication skills will be challenged and improved as the course unfolds.
Required Text:
Course pack that will be available at the McMaster bookstore
Grade breakdown:
20% for participation in class. The aim of the participation tasks are to critically engage with weekly topics. This may be realized orally or in written format. Students will select which format they prefer to communicate their thinking. Students are highly encouraged to raise questions that show thoughtful engagement with the readings, articulate a synthesis of the main claims for assigned readings and construct critical commentaries about the topics raised.
20% Test 1: The test is designed to measure students conceptual and practical understanding of course materials. The tests will consist of multiple choice questions and short answers. Tests will cover themes and perspectives raised in the assigned readings, class discussions and videos/documentaries.
20% Summary: for a reflection on one of the readings. Students are to select a reading and write a reflection on it. Students can only write a reflection on a reading that has not been covered in class. I will discuss this in greater detail in class. The aim of this assignment is for students to critically engage with the content of a reading of their choosing. Students are highly encouraged to raise questions that show thoughtful engagement with the readings, articulate a synthesis of the main claims for assigned readings and construct critical commentaries about the topics raised.
15% accounts for essay proposal. For this assignment, students will mobilize their perspectives explored in the course and begin to outline their analysis for the final essay. Suggested topics for the essay will be provided. If students are interested in writing on a specific topic, they should consult the course director. This assignment should indicate the content of the essay in progress and should be between 2 to 4 pages. Students will be given descriptive feedback to assist in the development of their final essay. Students may submit their proposal in class or via email. Below are guidelines as to what the proposal should contain.
It shall include:
a) A tentative title
b) An introduction that explains the title and gives an indication of what the paper shall discuss (a work in progress thesis that outlines the argument(s) made)
c) A breakdown of subsections and descriptions that that supports the thesis
d) A working annotated bibliography that explains how each source relates to the topic
25% is allotted to the final essay. This assignment consists of an analytic research paper. Students will be given topics in class. Students wishing to write on a specific topic must first consult the course director. The analytic research paper will be evaluated on a number of criteria. Students will assessed on the ability to demonstrate knowledge of concepts learned in the course and application of them to specific context(s). The latter is meant to show how well students understand the relationship between theory and reality. Students will also be evaluated on their ability synthesize course content and the content of the research topic. The objective here is to measure the strengths of the arguments made in the research paper. Another critical component of this assignment is to assess and measure the cogency of arguments in the essay and the organization of the paper. For this assignment students must have 4 to 6 external academic sources. Students may use non-academic sources, but preference is given to academic sources. Wikipedia sources do not count as a non-academic source. NGO reports and government documents are acceptable. Students must use at least 1 source from the course. The essay should be 10 - 12 pages, double spaced, plus to the bibliography.
Reading Schedule
January 10, 2017 Introduction to the course
January 17, 2017 “The Promise” by C. Wright Mills pp. 3-25 in the Sociological Imagination Oxford University Press, Oxford (2000)
January 24, 2017 “excerpts from Civilization and its Discontents” by Sigmund Freud pp. 22-52 W.W Norton & Company, New York (1989) Doc - Century of the Self
January 31, 2017 “The Foundations of Knowledge in Everyday Life” by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann pp. 19-47 in The Social Construction of Reality Anchor Books, USA
February 7, 2017 “Agonized Consciousness and the Paradox of Self Preservation in a Competitive Culture” pp. 217-247 by Claudio Colaguori in Agon Culture: Competition, Conflict and the Problem of Domination de Sitter Publications (2012)
February 14, 2017 Test 1 to be administered in class
February 21, 2017, no class, reading week
February 28, 2017 “Body Politics” pp. 236-267 by Jack Holland in A brief History of Misogyny the World’s Oldest Prejudice Constable and Robinson Ltd, London (2006) Proposal is due in class
March 7, 2017 “Bodies and Worlds - The Field of Power” pp. 56-93 by David Smail in The Origins of Unhappiness: A new understanding of Personal Distress Karnac books, London, UK (2015)
March 14, 2017 Documentary on Anorexia
March 21, 2017 “excerpts from The Return of Mass flight” pp. 132-159 by Jennifer Welsh in The Return of History: Conflict, Migration, and Geopolitics in the Twenty-First Century Anansi Press USA (2016)
March 28, 2017 “The Rebirth of Cast” pp. 20-59 by Michelle Alexander in the New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness The New Press, USA (2012)
April 4, 2017 “Documentary on Fentanyl Final essay is due in class
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Academic dishonesty consists of misrepresentation by deception or by other fraudulent means and can result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation reads: "Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty"), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university.
It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the various kinds of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, specifically Appendix 3, located at http://www.mcmaster.ca/policy/Students-AcademicStudies/AcademicIntegrity.pdf
The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty:
1. Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one's own or for which other credit has been obtained.
2. Improper collaboration in group work.
3. Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.
DEPARTMENTAL/UNIVERSITY POLICIES:
Do NOT fax assignments. Please see your instructor for the most appropriate way to submit assignments.
The Sociology staff do NOT date-stamp assignments, nor do they monitor the submission or return of papers.
The McMaster Student Absence Form (http://www.mcmaster.ca/msaf/ is a self reporting tool for Undergraduate Students to report absences that last up to 3 days and provides the ability to request accommodation for any missed academic work. Please note, this tool cannot be used during any final examination period.
You may submit a maximum of 1 Academic Work Missed request per term. It is YOUR responsibility to follow up with your instructor immediately regarding the nature of the accommodation.
If you are absent more than 3 days, exceed 1 request per term, or are absent for a reason other than medical, you MUST visit your Associate Dean’s Office (Faculty Office). You may be required to provide supporting documentation.
This form should be filled out when you are about to return to class after your absence.
Students should check the web, the white board and the Undergraduate Bulletin board outside the Sociology office (KTH-627) for notices pertaining to Sociology classes or departmental business (eg. class scheduling information, location of mailboxes and offices, tutorial information, class cancellations, TA job postings, etc.).
Computer use in the classroom is intended to facilitate learning in that particular lecture or tutorial. At the discretion of the instructor, students using a computer for any other purpose may be required to turn the computer off for the remainder of the lecture or tutorial.
The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term. The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students will be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check his/her McMaster email and course websites weekly during the term and to note any changes.
It is the policy of the Faculty of Social Sciences that all e-mail communication sent from students to instructors (including TAs), and from students to staff, must originate from the student’s own McMaster University e-mail account. This policy protects confidentiality and confirms the identity of the student. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that communication is sent to the university from a McMaster account. If an instructor becomes aware that a communication has come from an alternate address, the instructor may not reply at his or her discretion.