Introduction to Sociology
Fall 2006
Instructor: Dr. Melissa Bonstead-Bruns
Office: 442 Schneider
Office Hours: 2-3 MW or by appt.
Phone: 836-5167
Email:
Website:
Mentors:
Email:
Office hours:
Francis Oakgrove
2:00 – 3:00 T
Sarah Rath
12:30 – 1:30 T
“People who like to avoid shocking discoveries, who prefer to believe that society is just what they were taught in Sunday School, who like the safety of the rules and the maxims of…the ‘world-taken-for-granted,’ should stay away from sociology. People who feel no temptation before closed doors, who have no curiosity about human beings, who are content to admire scenery without wondering about the people who live in those houses on the other side of that river, should probably also stay away from sociology.”
Peter Berger—Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective. 1963
Course Description:
The course objectives for this course are to a) allow you to discover what relationship there is between you and society and how this relationship may be affected by your own volition; b) familiarize you with the field, i.e. familiarize you with the sociological perspective; c) demonstrate how the sociological perspective is applied via the scientific method; and d) promote critical thought.
Readings:
There are two texts for this class that are available for at the UWEC bookstore. The main text is called The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology by Lisa J. McIntyre. The second text is entitled The Practical Skeptic: Readings in Sociology and is a collection of readings, chapters, and articles from other sources. In order to do well in this course you will need both texts. Several supplemental readings may be provided in class as well.
Grading:
For this course, the mastery system of grading is used. What this means for you is that you are not expected to compete with your classmates for a good grade. All students in the course may do well if they achieve the required number of points. You may decide personally what grade you want to work for.
There will be opportunities to earn a maximum of 600 points throughout the semester. Your final grade will be based on the total number of points earned. Final grades will be assigned based on the following distribution:
635-675A
607-634A-
587-606B+
567-586B
540-566B-
519-539C+
499-518C
472-498C-
452-471D+
432-451D
405-431D-
404 and ↓F
There will be three exams, each worth 100 points each (for a total of 300 points or 44 percent of your grade). The remaining 350 available points will come from individual and group assignments, a semester project, class participation, and reading responses. Individual assignments may have a small group component but the final product (i.e. what is turned in) will be an individual effort. Group assignments are done entirely in class. For group assignments, each group will complete the assignment and turn in one response for the entire group. Information on each activity will be given in class. A summary of how points are allocated is given below.
Point Allocation
Exams3 @ 100 points each / 300
Assignments (Individual and Group) / 50
Semester Project
Problem Essays 3 @ 25 points each
Presentation/Project
Group Evaluation / 75
50
25
Reading Responses:
14 Chapters @ 5 points each (from the Core Concepts book)
11 Readings@ 5 points each (from the Readings in Sociology book)* / 70
55
Participation/Attendance / 50
Total / 650
*Note that even though only 11 reading responses from the Readingsbook are assigned, it is expected that you will read all (23) assigned readings.
It is expected that you will complete the assigned readings and attend class regularly. Note that lecture will not always overlap with your assigned readings so keeping up with the readings and coming to class will be crucial for doing well in this course.
Extra Credit:
Each student may earn a maximum of 10 extra credit points during the semester. Extra credit can be earned in three different ways.
- Two extra credit points can be earned by locating a current newspaper/magazine/web article that addresses a current or recent course topic. Students will be expected to write a paragraph about the item explaining how it relates to the course topic. Students will also be expected to share the article with the rest of the class by briefly describing its contents and how it relates to the course topic.
- Three extra credit points can be earned by attending a university event that relates to a particular course topic. Examples of qualifying events include The Forum events (invited speakers presenting information on current issues and topics); certain films presented at the campus theatre; or other special events in the community or on campus that relate to course topics. Students will be expected to write a paragraph about the event explaining how it relates to the course topic. Students will also be expected to discuss the event with the rest of the class by briefly describing it and how it relates to the course topic.
- Other extra credit points may be available throughout the semester which will be connected to in-class activities.
Attendance:
Attendance is crucial to doing well in this course and I will take regular attendance. I do not deduct points for missed class but I will look at your attendance record when I calculate final grades. If your final grade is on the borderline between two grades, attendance may boost your final grade. Work commitments are not a legitimate excuse for missing class. If your work responsibilities are going to conflict with class-time, I suggest that you drop the course. Excused absences include illness, injury, or emergency severe enough to prevent a student from attending class; participation in an approved field trip listed in the catalogue as a requirement for a course in which a student is enrolled; or participation in an authorized extra-curricular activity, which appears on the regularly approved calendar of University events.
Class Participation:
Class participation is a vital part of this course. It is easy for me to lecture for throughout the entire class period, but far more interesting for you and for me if this course is more interactive and collaborative. Even if you are nervous or tentative about talking in class, I strongly encourage you to take the risk and participate in class discussion. To make it easier for you I will do my best to create a comfortable classroom environment where you can feel safe participating. Although I prefer you get participation points through involvement in class discussions, you can also demonstrate participation by meeting with me or with the teaching apprentices to discuss course materials or by submitting questions or comments by email about issues or topics covered in class or in your text.
Evaluation of Assignments:
I expect that most assignments will require a response between one and three typed double-spaced pages. However, some assignments may be completed on the form that is handed out in class. Please make your responses both concise and thorough. The teaching apprentices will be in charge of looking them over for completeness and to see if there are any common problems or misunderstandings. You may lose points on the reading responses if they are not complete, if they do not appear to be done carefully and thoughtfully, or if they are late. The TA’s will also be looking for exceptionally good responses to share with the entire class for exam review. I suggest that you look over the responses that are selected for public viewing and compare them to your own to be sure that you are on the right track. Responses will be shared anonymously and will not include any identifying information. If you do not want your responses considered for public sharing, please let the TA’s or myself know. Generally speaking, the comments that we will write on your individual and group assignments will be in the form of questions designed to help look closer at the phenomenon at hand. Often times, we will not write much if your response is satisfactory. Grades will be assigned according to several criteria including:
Completeness of response—Respond to all aspects of the assignment and refer to concepts, terms and/or ideas given in the text when appropriate. Note that a response can be accurate but still be incomplete. Thus, it is possible to loose points for incompleteness even if your answer is not “wrong.”
Accurateness of response—Although I will not comment on the rightness or wrongness of your own personal beliefs, I will expect that you use concepts, theories and ideas presented in class and in your text correctly.
Thoughtfulness of response—I expect that you will demonstrate your knowledge of the material with clear and concise, thoughtful responses.
Style—Although I will not grade you on grammar or language usage, in order for me to evaluate you fairly I must be able to read and understand what you are saying, thus, please type or write neatly and proofread your work. As a general rule, it is difficult for me to grade what I cannot read or understand. Assignments that are unreadable will be returned and not graded.
Rebuttals:
Students may submit written rebuttals if they believe that we have overlooked something in my grading of their assignments. For example, if we deduct points for not responding to one of the questions on the assignment sheet and you believe that you did address the question, then you may submit a written rebuttal that demonstrates how you addressed the question and why additional points are warranted. Rebuttals are not meant to be opportunities to re-write your assignments. I will make point corrections when properly justified. Rebuttals are due one week from the date graded assignments are returned in class.
Examinations:
I give exams for four basic reasons 1) they provide you with feedback on how you are doing in the course, what you are learning in the course and what you may need to work on in order to improve; 2) the preparation needed to do well on tests in this course is a very good learning experience; 3) exams provide me with feedback on how I am doing as an instructor in the course; and 4) exams provide me with one of several indicators according to which I will assign your final grade.
Late Assignments:
Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Assignments turned in after the rest are collected or left under my door during class will be considered late. Late assignments will have one point deducted for each day that the paper is late (excluding Saturdays and Sundays). However, I will not deduct more than half the total value of the assignment for lateness so it is to your benefit to turn in all assignments, even if they are late. In general, I will not give make-up exams except for cases of excused absences. Excused absences include illness, injury, or emergency severe enough to prevent a student from attending class; participation in an approved field trip listed in the catalogue as a requirement for a course in which a student is enrolled; or participation in an authorized extra-curricular activity, which appears on the regularly approved calendar of University events. I reserve the right to assign alternative exams in make-up situations.
Miscellaneous:
In order to prevent confusion and utter chaos, I have several policies that I invoke for every class that I teach. First, any paper that is longer than one page in length mustbe stapled. Paper clips, plastic binders, or dog-eared pages will not be accepted. Secondly, I expect you be courteous both to me and to your fellow classmates. Students who engage in distracting behavior (talking at inappropriate times, sleeping, or exhibiting a negative attitude towards class or towards classmates) will be asked to leave. Lastly, we deal with many sensitive issues in this class that people often tend to have passionate feelings about. I expect this and encourage individuals to speak their minds whenever they wish. However, in discussing these issues, you may attack ideas but not individuals. Attacking or ridiculing an individual who holds a certain idea is an ad hominem argument and is not seen as sound logic. The more appropriate argument is one addressing the soundness or logic of the given idea.
I strongly encourage students who have questions to see me during my office hours or to visit one of the two teaching apprentices during their office hours. If you are not able to attend any of these office hours, you may email me or email the TA’s. If you have not gotten a reply within 24 hours on a weekday or within 48 hours on a weekend, please send your email again. Please note that I typically do not respond to email messages from students who are informing me that they will not be in class unless it is an extreme or special case.
If you have a documented disability, which requires accommodation, please contact me as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements can be made. If you have any questions about accommodations for a disability, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities office at 836-4542 or in person in the Old Library 2136.
Academic Dishonesty:
In accordance with University of Wisconsin System code on Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures (14.04) I reserve the right to impose disciplinary sanctions for a given assignment, exam, or for the course in response to academic misconduct including but not limited to plagiarism (claiming credit for the works of others), cheating on an examination, collaborating with others on work meant to be done alone, etc.
Using the Course Website:
I use my website to provide you with another resource to assist you in doing well in this course and learning the material. Prior to each exam, I will post my lecture outlines. These outlines are general and do not cover everything discussed in class and do not cover your readings. The best way to use these outlines for test preparation is to use them first to check your notes. Make sure that you have material in your notes that addresses each item in the outline. Once you are sure your notes are complete and accurate, use the lecture outlines to test yourself. For each item in the outline, ask yourself the following questions:
- What were the important points made about this item?
- Can I apply what I’ve learned about this item to a real-life situation?
- Is there information in my readings about this item?
Baccalaureate Degree: Goals and Portfolio:
The faculty has been asked to encourage you to participate in the assessment of the Baccalaureate Goals of the University by collecting papers and projects into a portfolio to be submitted to a committee of faculty and staff prior to graduation. This project is not meant as an evaluation of students, but to assess how well the University is doing in accomplishing its goals. The class itself addresses the following Baccalaureate Goals:
Developing the ability to inquire, think, and analyze.
Developing the ability to write, read, speak, and listen.
Developing an appreciation for international and intercultural experience.
Developing an understanding of human behavior and human institutions.
Goals of the First-Year Experience (FYE) Course:
The FYE course is designed to address the needs of incoming first-year students. The goals of the FYE are listed below. We will do our best in this course to address each of these goals.
- to introduce you to liberal education and to awaken intellectual curiosity
- to enhance skills needed for academic success: reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking, inquiry, analysis, use of information technology, library skills, and time management
- to strengthen your connection to the University
- to engage you in meaningful academic and non-academic out-of-class activities
- to enhance your accountability for your education
Course Outline and Schedule:
The following is a tentative reading list and course schedule for the course. This course schedule and reading list is subject to change as the course progresses based on our movement through the material and the particular interests of the class.
I. What is Sociology and How is Sociology Done?
Weeks One and Two (Responses due Wednesday, September 18th)
From The Practical Skeptic—Core Concepts
Introduction
Chapter 1, Responding to Chaos: A Brief History of Sociology
Chapter 2, The Sociological Eye
Chapter 3, Science and Fuzzy Objects: Specialization in Sociology
From The Practical Skeptic—Readings
Reading #1, C. Wright Mills, “The Promise”
Reading #3, Lisa J. McIntyre, “Hernando Washington”
Week Three (Responses due Monday, September 25th)
From The Practical Skeptic—Core Concepts
Chapter 4, Who’s Afraid of Sociology?
Chapter 5, The Vocabulary of Science
Chapter 6, Doing Social Research
From The Practical Skeptic—Readings
Reading #4, Simon Davis, “Men as Success Objects and Women as Sex Objects: A Study of Personal Advertisements”
Reading #5, David A. Karp and William C. Yoels, “Student Participation in the College Classroom”
Reading #6, Lisa J. McIntyre, “Doing the Right Thing: Ethics in Research”
II. Sociological Foundations (Culture, Social Structure, Society, Social Institutions, Socialization)
Week Four (Responses due Monday, October 2nd)
From The Practical Skeptic—Core Concepts
Chapter 7, Culture
From The Practical Skeptic—Readings
Reading #9, Horace Miner, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema”
Reading #11, Theodore Caplow, “Rule Enforcement Without Visible Means: Christmas Gift Giving in Middletown”
Exam I – Monday, October 9th
Weeks Five and Six (Responses due by Monday, October 16th)
From The Practical Skeptic—Core Concepts
Chapter 8, Social Structure
From The Practical Skeptic—Readings
Reading #7, Philip Meyer, “If Hitler Asked You to Electrocute a Stranger, Would You? Probably.
Reading #14, Erving Goffman, “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life”
Reading #15, Philip G. Zimbardo, “The Pathology of Imprisonment”
Reading #18, William E. Thompson, “Handling the Stigma of Handling the Dead: Morticians and Funeral Directors”