INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Spring Semester, 2004
MWF 11:00-11:50
MAC-208

Karen Dalke
Cofrin Hall B-321
Office Hours: MWF 12:00-1:00 and by appointment!
DALKEK@UWGB.EDU

This class is an introduction to sociology as an intellectual field of study. The course will acquaint you with basic concepts and theoretical approaches sociologists use to examine the structure of modern society. We will examine a variety of social institutions in American society--the family, the educational system, the economy, the stratification system--to see how they function and what they accomplish. The study of sociology should lead you to new insights about the world around you–the process that Peter Berger refers to as "achieving ecstasy." We cover a wide range of topics, and I hope that you will find this material to be exciting and interesting. It will also challenge many of the things that you "learned" in high school and many assumptions that we hold about modern society--that is one of the purposes of your college education and of sociological study in particular. Feel free to question these things. I invite you take sociology courses to explore other areas of the discipline; these include minority groups; urban sociology; deviant behavior; class, status, and power; criminology, race and ethnic relations; and social theory.

Course Objectives

· Study the origin and development of sociology as a distinct discipline within the social sciences

· Identify important figures in sociology, among them Max Weber, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Irving Goffman, and understand their contributions to sociology and the social sciences more generally

· Learn important sociological concepts such as socialization, social class, social stratification, and social reproduction

· Identify major theoretical approaches in the field, including structural theory. conflict theory, and social interaction theory

· Apply the practice of sociology to social institutions such as the family, education, and the workplace

· Use sociological concepts to understand current events in the world around us

Grading and Course Requirements

Your final grade for the class will be determined by your scores on three exam grades as shown below. In addition, up to 20 points can be earned by completing extra credit assignments. The emphasis of the course will be knowing the reading material and the ability to discuss during classes. If the class seems to be struggling as whole in regards to grades on the exams, additional work may be added to compensate.

Three exam grades: 300 pts
Total possible score: 300pts


Final course letter grades will be assigned using a measurement scale that is not stricter than:

A>270

C 210-232

A/B 263-269

D 203-209

B 240-262

F <202

B/C 233-239

 

Exams

Approximate exam dates are shown on the syllabus. Each exam may contain a combination of multiple choice, matching, or true-false questions. The final exam is cumulative (it will include material from earlier sections of the course).

Extra Credit

There will also be a series of ‘extra credit’ assignments that you may complete. These will be available each week on D2L. The assignment for the chapter will be made available on the date we begin the chapter and must be completed and in the dropbox by 12 noon on the following Friday. The assignment must be completed during this time frame and there will be no make-up assignments!! Up to 5 points can be earned for each assignment for a total of 20 extra points toward the final grade. You can continue to complete extra credit assignments until the 20 point limit is met. In other words, if you score a 3 on two of your assignments, you can complete another assignment to make up the 4 points. Since everyone has a different writing style, the assignment can be written in a question answer format or narrative. Please check spelling and grammar. These excercises provide great insight into the sociological perspective.


Suggested Reading

Keeping current on what is going on around you is important and can be facilitated by reading a paper such as the New York Times. Check with the Bookstore for prices. In addition, it may be useful to read some of the classic writings by Durkheim, Mills, Goffman, Marx, and Weber as they are likely to be discussed in other disciplines during your college career. 

Course Syllabus

The following is a list of day-by-day reading assignments and discussion topics for the course. You are responsible for completing each reading assignment before coming to class. This is important so that we can have active involvement in classes.


Jan 21 Introduction to the class
Jan 23 Chapter 1: Taking a New Look at a Familiar World
Jan 30 Chapter 2: Seeing and Thinking Sociologically
Feb 6 Chapter 3: Building Reality: The Social Construction of Knowledge
Feb 13 Chapter 4: Building Order: Culture and History
Feb 20 Chapter 5: Building Identity: Socialization
FIRST EXAM
Feb 27 Chapter 6: Building Image: The Presentation of Self
Mar 5 Chapter 7: Constructing Difference: Social Deviance
Mar 12 Chapter 8: Building Social Relationships: Intimacy and Families
MARCH 13TH-MARCH 21ST SPRING BREAK
Mar 26 Chapter 9: The Structure of Society: Organizations and Social Institutions
Apr 2 Chapter 10: The Architecture of Stratification: Social Class and Inequality
SECOND EXAM
Apr 9 Chapter 11: The Architecture of Inequality: Race and Ethnicity
Apr 16 Chapter 12: The Architecture of Inequality: Sex and Gender
Apr 23 Chapter 13: The Global Dynamics of Population: Demographic Trends
Apr 30 Chapter 14: Architects of Change: Reconstructing Society
May 7 Conclusions

May 10 FINAL EXAM 10:30-12:30


Expectations for Student Performance

As a college student attending a four-year liberal arts college in the University of Wisconsin system, you have the right to expect that your instructors will come to each class on or before the scheduled meeting time; that she or he will have selected appropriate course materials and will have made that material available in a timely manner; that he or she will have prepared materials based on that day's reading assignment; and that she or he will return your written assignments, exams, and other work by the date specified in class (no more than two weeks after the assignments have been turned in). If your expectations for any course are not met, you should discuss the situation with the chair of the appropriate academic program. Similarly, UWGB faculty have expectations for students enrolled in each of their courses. My expectations for student performance in this class are as follows:

1. Students will attend all classes as scheduled. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor of any absences before any classes are missed. Note that UW-Green Bay academic policy, as stated in the Student Handbook, allows a maximum of two missed classes each semester. There should be no unexcused absences from this or any other class.

2. Students will arrive for class on or before the scheduled meeting time. The class period goes for a full 50-minute time period. Students will not pack up their materials, put on their coats, begin to leave the classroom, etc., until the end of the scheduled class period. In the rare circumstance when the course material requires the instructor to run over the 50-minute class period, students will not leave their seats, pack up their materials, etc., until the instructor has finished the class discussion for the day.

3. Students will come to each class prepared to discuss the material assigned for that day. This means that you should complete all reading assignments before the scheduled class period, take the appropriate notes on the reading material, and that you should able to contribute to a knowledgeable discussion of the course material.

4. If you are unable to take an examination at the regularly scheduled time, you must make arrangements prior to the scheduled class period.

5. Plagiarism and cheating will be treated as academic misconduct, under the UWGB student code of ethics. Plagiarism and/or cheating is an offense that may result in receiving a grade of F for the specific assignment and/or for the course. Plagiarism and/or cheating in this or any other course could potentially result in dismissal from the university.

6. Please silence all cell phones and pagers during class. If you need to respond to a call, please do so outside of the classroom.