SYG 2000 Principles of Sociology
Sections 1989 and 2A24
Fall 2016, Online
Instructor: Heather Covington
Office Location: 3347 Turlington Hall
Virtual Office Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 1pm-2:30pm
Email: (Please write “SYG2000” in subject line.)
Text: Introduction to Sociology 2e
OpenStax CNX.
Communication: Email is the best way to contact me. I will do my best to offer same day replies, but please plan to allow up to 48 hours for a response to all emails.
Course Description:
This course aims to engage students with sociological ways of viewing the world. Students will study a broad array of topics and theoretical approaches to develop a sound introductory understanding of sociological concepts. This course will expose students to ideas and ways of being that they may never have considered in other courses, and students can expect to learn about social structures and institutions, social control and deviance, media and government, research methods and theory, culture and identity, social stratification, racism, sexism, and other aspects of society that help to create the kind of world in which we all live. Students can expect to gain perspectives that will help them to understand and relate to people and situations that they may not have previously understood. Students can also expect to lay a foundation for further sociological study. Students should also expect to gain basic knowledge that will inform the social aspects of a variety of disciplines, thus this course is valuable for students in all majors.
Course Objectives:
- Understand important sociological theories and concepts
- Understand and apply basic sociological research methods
- Build and apply critical thinking skills
- Develop the sociological imagination and apply to real world observations
- Apply sociological knowledge to build communicative skills among diverse social groups
Course Expectations:
Attendance: While this class is online, students are expected to “attend” discussions, participate in online group work, and do all assignments to receive credit for attendance. No late work is accepted under any circumstances, so students should log in regularly to check for additional assignments.
No Plagiarism, Cheating, or Academic Dishonesty: All cheating will be penalized to the maximum extent of UF Policy. Zeros will be given for all plagiarized work and cheating. Students must do their own work. All students are expected to follow the University of Florida’s Honor Code:
We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”
Violations of this code will result in the report of student behavior to Student Judicial Affairs.
Late Assignments: Credit will not be given for work turned in late without the permission of the instructor BEFORE the assignment is due. Alternative assignments will only be arranged in extreme circumstances at the discretion of the instructor.
Submitting Assignments: Assignments will be submitted in different ways. Please refer to the assignment descriptions for how to submit each assignment. Late work will not be accepted due to technological failures. Please try to turn in work before the last minute to ensure you are able to submit on time. If you are unsure how to submit assignments, please contact me as soon as possible. You may also contact the Help Desk for assistance with technological concerns (
Grade Calculation:
Discussion (15 pts x 11) = 165 points
Attendance and Participation=35 points
Essays (2 x 100)= 200 points
Research Paper=200 points
Exams (100pts x 4 tests) = 400 points
Total points possible = 1000 points
Discussion Questions and Answers:For each discussion, you are expected to post one 150 wordoriginal post and a 75 word response to TWO of your classmates’ questions (total 300 words) by the due date. To ensure that you have time to read and respond to your peers, post your original response at least two days prior to the discussion’s due date. To receive full credit, you must behave in a way that exhibits maturity and respect of different opinions.
(165 points total, 15 points each)
Essays:To prepare for the major research paper in this class, you will write two shorter essays on prompts given by the instructor. These essays will help you think critically about the world and generate ideas that will help you think about sociological concepts and conduct research in a collegiate manner. The first essay will help you generate your research topic, and the second essay will call for an annotated bibliography.
These papers must be a full 2 pages butcan be up to 8 pages. This paper will be evaluated based on a rubric that I will give you with detail instructions and adherence to the formatting guidelines, including the following:
- 12pt Times New Roman font
- Double spaced
- 1” margins on all sides
- Page numbers on bottom right corner
- APA format
Additional guidelines will be provided closer to paper’s due date. Submit online via Canvas. (100 points each, total 200 points)
Research Paper: Over the course of the semester, you will choose a sociological topic and conduct scholarly research to produce a well-rounded literature review that details classical and current scholarly work on your topic. The two essays that you will complete earlier in the semester will help you to generate quality work. This paper will be a minimum of 5 pages, but you may turn in a final paper up to 10 pages in length. Additional guidelines will be given later in the semester.
Exams:Fourexams will be administered during the course of the semester, including one midterm and a final exam. The tests will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions. All of the information needed to score highly on the exams will be found in your readings and course documents. To do well on exams, you will need to study all course materials for the tested modules. You are required to complete exams prior to the due date. Study guides will not be provided. (100 points each, total 400 points)
Grading Scale
GradePercentPoints
A93-100%930-1000
A-90-92%900-929
B+87-89%870-899
B83-86%830-869
B-80-82%800-829
C+77-79%770-799
C73-76%730-769
C-70-72%700-720
D60-69%600-699
F0-59%0-599
UF Policies:
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACCOMMODATING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students requesting accommodation for disabilities must first register with the Dean of Students Office ( The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation. You must submit this documentation prior to submitting assignments or taking the quizzes or exams. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the office as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations.
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: Academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the University community. Students should be sure that they understand the UF Student Honor Code at php.
Getting Help:
For issues with technical difficulties for E-learning in Sakai, please contact the UF Help Desk at:
(352) 392-HELP - select option 2
Any requests for make-ups due to technical issues MUST be accompanied by the ticket number received from LSS when the problem was reported to them. The ticket number will document the time and date of the problem. You MUST e-mail your instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up.
Additional Student Resources:
Counseling and Wellness Center:
Student Health Care Center:
Women’s Clinic:
Other Resources:
Please note that this syllabus, particularly the assigned readings and due dates for assignments, is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. Please remain active and attentive on Canvas to keep up with changes. You will be notified via Canvas announcements whenever changes to the schedule or policies are made.
Tentative Course Schedule
Week / Readings and Videos / Assignments DueWeek 1 / Familiarize with Course Site
Read:
- Course Syllabus
- Chapter 1 in e-text
- C. Wright Mills article
- Miner article
- Lecture 1
- Plato's Allegory of the Cave
Discussion 1
Keyterms Ch 1a
Week 2 / Chapter 1: Introduction
Read:
- Chapter 1 in e-text
- "Three Sociological Perspectives" by Paul Colomy
- Sociological Perspectives
Week 3 / Chapter 2: Sociological Research
Read:
- Chapter 2 in e-text
- How to recognize peer-reviewed (refereed) journals
- Barker, K.B. 2010. The social construction of illness: Medicalization and contested illness.
- Social Construction of Illness and Medicalization
Week 4 / Chapter 3 and 8: Culture and Media
Read:
- Chapters 3 and 8 in e-text
- Common Ground: Culture
Week 5 / Chapter 5 and 15: Socialization and Religion
Read:
- Chapters 5 and 15
- “Becoming a Member of Society Through Socialization” From Caroline Hodges Persell
Discussion 5
Week 6 / Chapter 4: Society and Social Interaction
Read:
- Chapter 4 in e-text
- Goffman
- Hunting for Cool
Week 7 / Chapters 13 and 14: Aging, Marriage and Family
Read:
- Chapters 13 and 14
- Changing Families
Week 8 / Chapters 7 and 17: Deviance and Government
Read:
- Chapters 7 and 17 in e-text
- Conrad, Peter. 2005. The Shifting Engines of Medicalization.
Week 9 / Chapters 6 and 19: Organizations and Health
Read:
- Chapters 6 and 19 in e-text
- Unnatural Causes: In Sickness and in Wealth
Week 10 / Chapters 9, 16, and 18: Stratification, Education, and Work
Read:
- Chapters 9, 16, and 18 in e-text
- Kawachi, I. 2000. Income Inequality and Health.
- Hungry For Health: A Journey Through Cleveland’s Food Desert
Discussion 10
Week 11 / Chapter 11: Race and Ethnicity
Read:
- Chapter 11 in e-text
- Omi and Winant
- The Myth of Race
- Environmental Racism
Week 12 / Chapter 12: Sex and Gender
Read:
- Chapter 12 in e-text
- Shapiro, Fausto-Sterling, and Kessler
- Looks Aren’t Everything
- The Role of Gender
Week 13 / Chapters 10 and 20: Global Inequality and Population
Read:
- Chapters 10 and 20 in e-text
- Selections from Guthman, Julie. 2011. Weighing In: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism. Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Week 14 / Chapter 21: Social Change
Read:
- Chapter 21 in e-text
Week 15 / No assigned readings / Final Paper
Discussion 15
Week 16 / No assigned readings / Final Exam, Modules 1-14