SOC 104 Introduction to Sociology Fall 2015 CRN#46837

Core lecture: MW 11-11:50 NR 101

Professor: Lora Bristow Email: Phone: 826-5286

Office: BSS 518D Office Hours: M,T,W 12-1:30 and by appointment

Note: All students must also enroll and participate in one of the following recitation sections:

#46838 Friday 11-11:50 HGH 225 #46850 Thursday 2-2:50 HGH 225 #46851 online

These sections are led by Sociology Graduate Student Teaching Associate Christopher Coker,

Chris’s Office Hours: Mondays 3-4 pm BSS 539 and Thursdays 12-1:30 pm in the Depot

Course Description: From Catalog—(3 units) Study of social patterns across groups, social institutions, and societies. Socialization, social interaction, inequalities, change, social issues, and social science research. Relationship of self and society. [GE Area D.] Translation—Sociology is the systematic study of our social world, including the relationship between self and society, interactions between people and groups, and the social institutions, forces, and structures which pattern our lives. Sociology investigates questions such as:

· Why are some people poor and others rich, and why is the gap between these groups currently growing in the U.S.?

· How are people social animals? How does our culture guide our lives? To what degree do individuals have “free will”, and to what degree are their actions guided/limited by social norms and forces? How does “social control” work?

· How do race, class, gender, sexuality, and other dimensions of social location and identity continue to impact us and reflect the power structure of our society?

· How are social institutions like education, religion, the family, and the media constructed, and how do they impact our lives?

· How do societies live in our natural environment, and what are the consequences?

· How does social change happen?

Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes: Graduates with a BA in Sociology will be able to

1. Think critically about social justice efforts and inequalities in communities and environments.

2. Develop a solid foundation in sociological theory.

3. Make linkages between empirical data and theoretical concepts.

And: Communicate effectively orally and in writing.

Note: Sociology majors must earn a C or better in this course for it to count towards the major.

University Learning Outcomes: This course explicitly contributes to students’ acquisition of skills and knowledge relevant to the following HSU Learning Outcomes:
HSU graduates will have demonstrated:

Critical and creative thinking skills in acquiring a broad base of knowledge and applying it to complex issues.
Competence in a major area of study.
Appreciation for and understanding of an expanded world perspective by engaging respectfully with a diverse range of individuals, communities, and viewpoints.

HSU graduates will be prepared to:

Pursue social justice, promote environmental responsibility, and improve economic conditions in their workplaces and communities.

This course fulfills AREA D – Social Sciences

Upon completing this requirement students will:

· apply the discipline-specific vocabulary, principles, methodologies, value systems and ethics employed in social science inquiry, to a specific instance.

· explain and critically analyze human social, economic, and political issues from the respective disciplinary perspectives by examining them in contemporary as well as historical settings and in a variety of cultural contexts.

· lllustrate how human social, political and economic institutions and behavior are inextricably interwoven.

Course Texts—Required!

1. Introduction to Sociology, 2nd Edition, OpenStax ISBN: 978-1-938168-41-3

Available for FREE download here: https://openstaxcollege.org/textbooks/introduction-to-sociology-2e

You can also purchase a print copy at the bookstore or through Amazon.com for about $20-30.

2. The Myth of Individualism: How Social Forces Shape Our Lives (2013, 2nd edition) Peter Callero ISBN: 978-1442217454 Paperback; also available in e-book/kindle format for purchase online; campus bookstore carries new/used paperback for rent or purchase.

This course combines a traditional lecture format twice a week with a once a week smaller recitation section where you will have opportunities to demonstrate your understanding of readings, do activities, discuss, and add to your understanding of course content, prepare for quizzes, and more. Tasks in recitation section will include individual work as well as work in pairs and small groups. Expect to spend an average of 6 to 8 hours a week outside of class reading, researching, studying, writing, etc.

You are expected to:

· complete reading assignments BEFORE the class session where they are listed on the schedule.

· be on time to and attend all lectures and all sessions of the recitation section in which you are enrolled.

· be sober, respectful of fellow students’ thoughts and experiences, and intellectually engaged in lecture and section.

· turn in assignments on time.

· use Moodle to access course information, turn in assignments as directed, and complete quizzes.

· check (and respond as needed) to your HSU email daily. You will be notified of any changes in course schedule, etc. through this email.

· use personal electronics during lecture and recitation section ONLY for class-related purposes. In other words, you may access your textbook on your phone, but you may not text your friend.

· ensure that you have adequate access to a computer with Firefox or Chrome browser (for Moodle) and word-processing capabilities to produce .doc or .docx files (for Moodle uploads), as well as occasional printer access (for printing papers).

Policies: No late assignments will be accepted. Quizzes will have a window of a few days in which you may take them online through Moodle. Begin working on your papers well ahead of due dates! You must be present in recitation sections to complete and get credit for assignments given there (or complete as directed in online section if you are registered for it).

**If you experience a major life event which prevents you from attending class and/or completing work, talk with us right away. Likewise if you know you will have to miss a class (illness, appointment not otherwise possible, other “legitimate” reasons). Email is good; we are likely to ask you to come to office hours so that we can work together to address your situation.

Learning is the goal. In this spirit, you will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit Paper #1 for more credit if you receive a low score on it.

Grade Information

Assignment Points possible Percent of grade

Reading/Lecture Responses (10) 1.5 points each 15%

Recitation Section Activities (15) 1.33 points each 20%

Class Quizzes (4) 7.5 points each 30%

Kick Ass @College Quizzes (4) 1.25 points each 5%

Papers (2) 15 points each 30%

Grading scale: A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D F

100-93 92-90 89-87 86-82 81-80 79-77 76-72 71-70 69-60 <60

Assignment Information:

Reading/Lecture Responses
You will write a solid, well-crafted paragraph (minimum) to answer questions posed about readings, particularly from the Myth of Individualism text, and topics in class lectures. The prompt will be posted in your Section Moodle site, in the page for the week it is assigned. You will need to write your response directly into the assignment box on Moodle (or copy/paste into this box) and submit by 11 pm Friday for the week assigned. Note that these are not assigned every week; check the course syllabus and weekly pages in Moodle to see where they are assigned.

Recitation/Discussion Section Activities
You have a Section for every week of this course, where you will mostly work in small groups (yes, even those of you enrolled in the online Section!) to discuss, apply, and extend class learnings and complete tasks.

Course Quizzes
These quizzes feature 20 questions each, multiple choice and true/false, mostly focused on the core text (OpenStax), but also including things from lecture and the Myth text. You will complete them in Moodle between 1 pm Wednesday and 11 pm Sunday in the week they are due.

Kick Ass @ College Quizzes

You will follow links from the weekly pages in Moodle, read information on the topics, and then complete a very short quiz back in the Moodle page to check your understanding of the reading. These are topics that will support your success in general in college—classroom conversations, college-level writing and citation of sources, and critical thinking.

Short Papers (student choice of type, topic---more information on these will be given in class/Moodle.)

A) Current Event and Journal Article: read news article and journal article on same topic; summarize, connect with each other, and connect with class content (from recent half of term); include citation of journal article, news article

B) Analysis of Pop Culture Text/Event/Practice and Journal Article: (as above)

Extra Credit opportunities may become available throughout the semester, if activities/events arise on campus/in the community which directly pertain to course learning objectives. These will be announced in lecture.

Exceptional attendance in lectures and sections will be recognized at the end of the semester.

Course Schedule (subject to change with fair notice)

Week / Lecture / Topics / Readings / Due this week (see Moodle for specifics, how to turn in/complete)
Week 1
August 24-30 / Monday / Introduction—What is sociology? / OpenStax Ch. 1
Myth… Introduction
Wednesday / Theoretical perspectives / Kick Ass @ College Quiz 1
Week 2
August 31-September 6 / Monday / Research / OpenStax Ch. 2
Wednesday / Culture / OpenStax Ch. 3 / Reading/Lecture Response #1
Kick Ass @ College Quiz 4
Week 3
September 7-13 / Monday—no class! Labor Day
Wednesday / Culture, continued / Myth… Ch. 1 / Reading/Lecture Response #2
Week 4
September 14-20 / Monday / Interaction / OpenStax Ch. 4
Wednesday / Myth… Ch. 2 / Quiz #1
Week 5
September 21-27 / Monday / Socialization / OpenStax Ch. 5
Wednesday / Groups, Organizations / OpenStax Ch. 6 / Reading/Lecture Response #3
Kick Ass @ College Quiz 2
Week 6
September 28-October 4 / Monday / Deviance, Crime, Social Control / OpenStax Ch. 7
Wednesday / Myth… Ch. 3 / Reading/Lecture Response #4
Week 7
October 5-11 / Monday / Media / OpenStax Ch. 8
Myth… Ch. 6
Wednesday / Stratification / OpenStax Ch. 9 / Reading/Lecture Response #5
Week 8
October 12-18 / Monday / Work and the Economy / OpenStax Ch. 18
Wednesday
** Meet in Goodwin Forum** / Play game! / Quiz #2
Kick Ass @ College Quiz 3
Week 9
October 19-25 / Monday / Global Inequality / OpenStax Ch. 10
Wednesday / Myth… Ch. 5 / Paper #1 Draft in Section
Reading/Lecture Response #6
Week 10
October 26-November 1 / Monday / Race and Ethnicity / OpenStax Ch. 11
Wednesday / Paper #1
Week 11
November 2-8 / Monday / Gender and Sexuality / OpenStax Ch. 12
Wednesday / Quiz #3
Week 12
November 9-15 / Monday / Family, Life Course / OpenStax Ch. 13, 14, 19 (briefly)
Wednesday—no class—Veterans Day! / Myth… Ch. 4 / Reading/Lecture Response #7
Week 13
November 16-22 / Monday / Institutions: Education, Religion, Government / OpenStax Ch. 15, 16, 17 (briefly)
Wednesday / Revise/Resubmit Paper #1 Deadline
Reading/Lecture Response #8
Fall Break
Week 14
November 30-December 6 / Monday / People and Environment / OpenStax Ch. 20
Wednesday / Reading/Lecture Response #9
Week 15
December 7-13 / Monday / Social Change and Social Movements / OpenStax Ch. 21
Wednesday / Myth… Ch. 7, Conclusion / Quiz #4
Reading/Lecture Response #10
Finals Week / Wednesday / Paper #2

Other Information/University Policies:

Academic honesty: Students are responsible for knowing policy regarding academic honesty. For more information, visit: Academic Honesty Policy or HSU Catalog

Students with Disabilities: Persons who wish to request disability-related accommodations should contact the Student Disability Resource Center in House 71, 826-4678 (voice) or 826-5392 (TDD). Some accommodations may take up to several weeks to arrange. Student Disability Resource Center

Add/Drop policy: Students are responsible for knowing the University policy, procedures, and schedule for dropping or adding classes. Schedule Adjustments (Adding or Dropping)

Emergency evacuation: Please review the evacuation plan for the classroom (posted on the orange signs) , and review Campus Emergency Preparedness http://studentaffairs.humboldt.edu/emergencyops/campus_emergency_preparedness.php for information on campus Emergency Procedures. During an emergency, information can be found campus conditions at: 826-INFO or Emergency Conditions

Attendance and disruptive behavior: Students are responsible for knowing policy regarding attendance and disruptive behavior: Class Attendance and Disruptive Behavior