2201. SOCI Principles of Sociology
An overview of sociology which emphasizes the social nature of human behavior, including an introduction to culture, social structure, socialization, deviance, stratification, family, gender, religion, demography, and complex organization.
Syllabus for Section 02
As of 12/29/06 subject to change
Please check your schedule online to make sure that you are registered for this class and this section. If you are not registered for Sociology 2201/02 (3 credit hour course), then you are not in this class.
Please read the Syllabus thoroughly. You are responsible for its contents. You will sign and return the agreement that is at the end of this document. It states that you have read and understood the syllabus and course policies and procedures. Please sign and return a hard copy of the form on the last page of this document. You are to return the form on or before the beginning of class on Monday, January 22, 2007. Changes will be posted on VISTA and announced during the live classes. Spring Semester 2007 Mondays and Wednesdays 2-3:15PM Room 1021 New Social Sciences Building Dr. Jonathan A Freedman Office Until Jan 26th or thereabouts: Room 311 Library After Jan 26th Room 4072 New Social Sciences Building Phone: [phone] email: [e-mail] Website: http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~jfreedm1/ Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30-5:PM (Make Appointment) Other times and online meetings possible What is the Sociological Perspective? We are the subject matter of Sociology. How do we relate to the world around us? How can we best describe that world and the manner in which it is organized? Sociology tries to provide a perspective on that world and the situations in which we as group members have faced, are facing, and will face. Sociology is one way of understanding social situations. If you are visual in orientation, you learn to view a situation with a special set of lenses. If hearing is your dominant sense, you learn to listen as if you have a special set of earphones that heighten certain words and sounds. And the other senses have special ways of grasping situations. In
this class, you will learn the sociological perspectives of looking at our social world and the social worlds of other people. The sociological perspective is not taking the world at face value. You will learn how to become a practical skeptic- how to think critically about your life and the lives of others. If this class really works for you, you will learn a powerful way of understanding yourself and society. You will be able if you choose to build on that skill throughout your life.
Course Design: The Course is an experiment. We are exploring the effects of teaching introductory sociology as a large class. It is easy to design a large class if you minimize interaction. The professor just lectures and the students read and take tests. It is possible to design a large class that has interaction that enhances the learning of each student. When I taught at Syracuse University, I had classes of over 200 and these worked well with the aid of teaching assistants. We will have a single teaching associate. We thrive on challenges. The Course is designed around a textbook with several supplements. We will follow the chapters of this text spending a week on each chapter. The text is SOCIOLOGY: YOUR COMPASS FOR A NEW WORLD: BRIEF SECOND EDITION by ROBERT J. BRYM, University of Toronto, and JOHN LIE, University of California at Berkeley. The text is brand new this semester and is filled with contemporary (or nearly contemporary) references. The topics we are likely to cover are: 1. A Sociological Compass 2. Culture 3. Socialization 4. Social Interaction 5. Networks, Groups, and Organizations 6. Deviance, Crime, and Social Control 7. Social Stratification: United States and Global Perspectives 8. Globalization, Development, and Inequality 9. Race and Ethnicity 10. Sexuality and Gender 11. Families 12. Religion and Education 13. Politics, Work, and the Economy 14. Health, Medicine, Disability, and Aging 15. Collective Action and Social Movements 16. Population, Urbanization, and the Environment The Classroom: This is a live class and while we will use Vista for course administration, some assignments and discussion, the major learning will be classroom focused. Attendance will be taken and one will lose points for absences. We are in the new Social Sciences building in an auditorium designed for 300. There are comfortable desks circling the stage.
Well call this the Mezzanine. There are straight-back chairs in the pit in front of the stage. The room is well equipped for media presentations. There will be permanently assigned seats in the Mezzanine. We will use the seats in the pit for group work. Each student will be assigned to a discussion group named after a famous sociologist and will have a chance to discuss both in the classroom and online. We will have to get used to this new space and as with any new space, it is wise to anticipate problems. Course Strategy You must be an active learner to succeed in this course. In addition to immersing yourself in a text and feeding back the specifics of what you are learning through quizzes, tests and papers, you are expected to think and write critically and creatively. There will be several ways for you to demonstrate what you are learning. You demonstrate the connection between the course content and your experiences through critical thinking and writing. Some of this writing will be in response to short assignments including a few quizzes. You will also keep a learning journal called a SocLog that will allow for you to develop your own ideas around course themes and share experiences. The Professor, Teaching Associate, and some students will comment on this writing thus reinforcing the learning. Our goal is to lead to lasting learning about sociology. Key to lasting learning is the application of the sociological imagination. Part of being an active learner is to dance along with the course. Do not wait until the last minute to do assignments. I am looking for you to grow as you dance and to learn and practice some new steps. Procrastination will lead to a mediocre outcome. Some experiences will be in the classroom and others will be online. I will minimize lectures and use discussions, debates, simulations, movie clips, and other approaches to aid in enjoyable understanding. Because these will be special experiences, you will be expected to attend regularly and attendance will be taken. You will be assigned to a group of nine and you will be expected to participate online with your group a well as in the classroom While much of the course will be based in the classroom, we will be using some online resources. You will need access to the Internet either at home or on campus. Our text analyses a feature film in each chapter Kennesaw uses Vista as its course management system. Quizzes, discussions, most assignments will be found on Vista. You are expected to learn how to use this system. Here is a link to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Vista http://its.kennesaw.edu/helpdesk/vista/student/index.htm I will demonstrate Vista during the first week of classes. .
REQUIRED: Robert J. Brym and John Lie. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World: The Brief Edition. The Second Edition. Thomson/Wadsworth. 2007 Eve L. Howard. Classic Readings in Sociology. Fourth Edition. Thomson/ Wadsworth 2007 with Infotrac You might find many of the articles available online for free, but the book makes it easy and Infotrac could prove essential. [Note: When you buy this book new, you will get a free subscription to Infotrac an excellent database that will aid you in doing assignments for this course. If you buy the book without Infotrac, you will have to use Galileo or alternative searching tools.] The New York Times Reading the New York Times is highly recommended as this newspaper has frequent articles with a sociological approach. Its content will also help with your SocLogs. You may get a free online subscription to the Times by going to http://www.nytimes.com/mem/email.html?_r=1&oref=slogin#th If you prefer the paper version, it might be available on campus for free or you may subscribe for 40 cents a day by going to http://www.nytimes.com/student. Search for Kennesaw and my name to get this rate. Films: Each chapter in our text highlights a feature film. We will show excerpts of some of these in class, but you might wish to view the film in its entirety and comment on it in your SocLog. REQUIREMENTS SocLog [twelve worth one point each Credit also for meaningful comment on anothers entry.] The SocLog is your online learning journal a place where you document your thoughts, experiences, questions and answers about sociology. You should write in your SocLog at least once a week. You will be part of a SocLog group of nine students and you will be expected to share comments with the other members of your group. Some of the SocLogs will be to respond to specific assignments. Other entries will be up to you. There will be a PowerPoint on Vista on SocLogs and a rubric on what constitutes a quality entry. There are suggestions for potential thinking or for selected experiences for you to consider in that PowerPoint, but how you demonstrate what you are learning is up to you. To receive full credit for your SocLog, you should produce fifteen detailed entries that illustrate your sociological thinking. . There is a two-week window for the completion of each SocLog and no credit given for late SocLogs. Additional credit might be given for substantive comments on the entries of others. (no comments like Ive been there myself. I know just how you feel.What are you doing this weekend? etc., but comments such as: have you considered the following. or I disagree with you be-
cause the attached article states are valuable. You wont lose points for simple supportive comments. Movie Reviews [4 @ 3 points each] The Brym/Lie text features a movie review for each chapter. Your SocLog Group will be assigned two movies to review. This will take the form of a ten-minute group presentation to the class. In addition you will do individual movie reviews of your choice either from the book or elsewhere. Please follow the guidelines suggested by Brym linked in the third paragraph. http://www.newtexts.com/newtexts/BrymLie/cluster-
.cfm?cluster_id=1668&section=4 You might be interested in taking part in a movie review contest which has as its first prize free textbooks for a semester. The contest is described at the above URL.
Three tri-mester exams [three worth ten points each] These short answer exams will give you an opportunity to demonstrate your individual book learning. The first will cover the Brym and Lie Parts 1 and 2. The Second Brym and Lie. Parts 3 and 4, and the last will cover Brym and Lie Parts 5 and 6. The readings from the Classic Readings book will be covered by the test when the readings were assigned. Final Exam: This will take place during the exam period and will cover the entire course. It will be in a short- answer format. A Sociological Portrait: or Adventure Project [Ten points] You have a choice for the final paper: either a portrait of a member of another generation or a member of another culture. A sociological portrait places a person within their society. Portraiture is a way of recording people. Their personality, character, status, the place and time they lived, the environment in which they live . . . (from Wikipedia) Sociologist Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot has pioneered in sociological portraiture. As I listen to these extraordinary women and men tell their life stories, I play many roles. I am a mirror that reflects back their pain, their fears, and their victories. I am also the inquirer who asks the sometimes difficult questions, who searches for evidence and patterns. I am the companion on the journey, bringing my own story to the encounter, making possible an interpretive collaboration. I am the audience who listens, laughs, weeps, and applauds. I am the spider woman spinning their tales. Occasionally, I am a therapist who offers catharsis, support, and challenge, and who keeps track of emotional minefields. Most absorbing to me is the role of the human archaeologist who uncovers the layers of mask and inhibition in search of a more authentic representation of life experience.- Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot Ive known rivers: Lives of loss and liberation Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. You will need informed consent from your portrait subject. Adventure Project:
Be on the lookout during the course for a topic you wish to explore in more depth. Using the text, infotrac, the New York Times and other sources, you to are prepare a five-page overview of what you learned during your sociological adventure. We will share some topics developed in the past. Under certain conditions, small group projects of 2-3 students are possible. However, most group projects have a few people who do all the work while others bask in the credit. There must be clear assignments and accountability within the group. Either paper should be approximately five pages in length. Other formats are allowed with the permission of the professor. Detailed information on these papers will be presented during the course.
Celebration of Learning: A learning/sharing party at the end of class. There will be a chance to share some of the Portraits and Adventure Projects.
Short Overall Evaluation of Learning In addition to an anonymous survey at the end of the class, Dr. Freedman learns a great deal from a simple signed evaluation. You will be told most of the questions early in the course. Attendance: [ten points] You are expected to attend every class from start to finish. More than three unexcused cuts will affect your grade. You are receiving a special opportunity to learn some lifelong skills. You wont learn by being absent. Attendance will be taken at every class. You will be assigned to a permanent seat for this class and you will be considered absent if that location is empty. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In Summary ASSIGNMENT VALUES: Three tri-mester exams @ 10 points = Final Examination 10 points Twelve SocLogs:plus relevant comments [@ 1 point each = Paper Portrait: or Adventure Project 15 points = Four Movie Reviews 3 points each Attendance and Participation {Possible Extra Credit if arranged): Service Learning at the Atlanta Community Food Bank 30 points 10 points 18 points 15 points 12 points 15 points 5 points}
COURSE CALENDAR Important Dates to Remember: January 2-3 Final Registration January 5-11 Late Registration Drop/Add January 15 Martin Luther King Day No Classes (Monday) January 22 Syllabus Review Form due at the beginning of class March 2 Last Day to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty March 3-9 Spring Break No Classes April 25 Last Day of Class Celebration of Learning TBA Final Examination A detailed course calendar will be available and updated on Vista ADDITIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES: What follows are additional Policies and Procedures for Sociology 2201 Section 02 for Spring 2007 Course Administration: 1. The best way of contacting Professor Freedman is via email at [e-mail]. The next best way is to talk to him at the end of class. 2. He plans to be on campus, Mondays and Wednesdays during the day, and on some Fridays, but he has frequent meetings to attend. Office Hours are Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30-5:PM (Make Appointment) Other times and online meetings possible 3. As Sociology may be viewed as the study of people in groups, some of your experience in this class will be as a member of a group that will meet live and online. Your active participation in your group is vital to your success in this course. It is impossible to get a good grade in this class without active group participation. 4. If a member of your group is not participating, please inform the Professor. Therefore, if your performance in your group is poor (lack of entries, no help in preparation of debates, etc.) students can request that the professor fire you from the group. You can also be fired for non-performance. If you are fired, you will become part of a Limbo Group of other low performers or be placed alone until your performance improves. If it does, you will receive another group placement. If it does not, you should withdraw from the course.
5. POLICY ON LATENESS: The instructor recognizes that most students at KSU are performing a balancing act among obligations for home, work, and school Many students are on the edge. If one unanticipated negative event takes place, academic disaster frequently follows. This class is fifteen weeks. Please try to stay on time or even better, get ahead with assignments. Other classmates are depending on your producing work for them to comment upon and being an active member of your learning group. Both your grades are affected. I am known to be very understanding, but it is impossible to make up group experiences. 6. Therefore, one short extension will be granted to on the edge students if requested on or before the due date of the assignment. Extensions requested after the due date will only be granted for extraordinary situations. ASSIGNMENT EXTENSION COUPON: This coupon may be handed in for a one-class extension on any one assignment during the semester. It can only be used once, so use it wisely. NAME ASSIGNMENT NEW DUE DATE Signature of Professor or TA 7. Class Manners: I like to run a laid-back class and sometimes believe that a buzz is a sign that students are exchanging ideas about the topic. Most students successfully model good classroom behavior. However, there are some students who create difficulties to both teachers and serious learners. This seems to encourage rudeness to me or other students. This class starts with 135 students and order will be essential for learning. The author of a SocLog last semester stated the she and her friends had a no talking and no cell phone use rule during broadcasts of Greys Anatomy. Such a rule will extend to this class. There are likely to be several visitors to this class during the semester that cannot comprehend such disrespect that reflects on KSUs overall image. Rudeness will not be tolerated. I will stop the class, ask the offending students to leave or even leave myself. Continuing rude behavior will lead to a failing grade. Do not carry on side conversations during class, it is distracting and disturbing. Do not come to class to sleep. Please do not schedule professional or other appointments that conflict with class times. While there are genuine emergencies, you will be considered absent if you leave before class is over. Please inform the Professor or TA if you have a special situation. Todays Date
9. NO CELLPHONES OR INSTANT MESSAGING IN CLASS. You will be asked to leave. If there is an emergency need for the cell to be on, use the vibration feature and leave the classroom when you receive the call. 10. If you bring a laptop, use it to take notes or enhance the course experience, not to check your email, etc. 11. All work for the class is due by the final class on April 25th, 2007. Students may request a short extension of three days. Any work submitted after the due date or extension date will not be accepted and receive a zero. 12. Special Accommodations Notice In accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to my attention, as I am not legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. 13. Please also inform me if you are an international student or a student for whom English is a second language and you are having difficulty with sociological language and concepts. 14. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the Universitys policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/fal...