Introduction to Sociology (Honors)

Spring Semester 2000

Linda Grant, Professor

Baldwin Hall, Room G-1 (Basement level)

Linda Grant’s Office and Hours: 324 Baldwin Hall

1:30-3:30 Tuesdays, and by appointment

Phone: 542-3228

Email: lgrant@arches.uga.edu

OUTLINE AND SYLLABUS

Course Objectives: Sociology 1101H is an introduction to sociological theory and thought. We begin by exploring sociological approaches to the study of society, then read a series of articles and book-length studies that examines the application of sociological perspectives to sectors of social life such as family, the health care system, schools, racial and ethnic relations, and the like. The course objectives are the following:

1. To develop an understanding of sociological perspectives and the major theoretical approaches used by contemporary sociologists.

2. To learn to apply a sociological perspective to the analysis of contemporary social life.

3. To develop an appreciation of linkages between methods and theory in social scientific analysis.

4. To gain an ability to apply sociological analysis, through written assignments and a major independent research project.

5. To develop students’ skills in social scientific writing and in oral argument.

This course will rely on substantial participation from students. There will a substantial number of writing assignments, including a major individual research project carried out by each student that will result in a written and an oral report at the end of the semester. Through written assignments and class discussions, students will be encourage to apply a "sociological imagination" to their own lives and to important contemporary social issues.

Course Format: The course will use a variety of formats, including lectures, discussions, lab sessions, speakers, and group and invididual out-of-class homework assignments. On occasion we will view videos. The last few weeks of class will be devoted to oral reports on students’ individual research projects, so that the fruits of your research efforts can be shared with the class, and so that you have an opportunity to get feedback on your work before completing your final draft.

Attendance Policy: Regular attendance is important to success in this course, since we are small and will operate in a seminar style much of the time. Persistent nonattendance at any stage of the course will be the grounds for an instructor-initiated drop. Please note that in line with UGA regulations, a drop of any type occurring after the midpoint in the semester will result in a WF grade.

Evaluation: Your performance in the course will be based on several criteria and are weighted as follows:

Major Research Project and Oral Report 30%

3 In-Class Examinations 15% each

Two Short "Reflection" Papers 10% each

Attendance, Homework & Class Participation 15%

Major Paper and Oral Report: The major research project, to be discussed more fully in class and on a separate handout distributed in the second week of class, requires that you carry out a major research project on a course-related topic. Briefly, you will be asked to select a social issue of concern to you, summarize sociological and other social scientific research on that issue, and formulate a "policy recommendation" for addressing the issue. You should choose a topic of genuine interest to you, but you should also make certain it is focused sufficiently so that you can address it well in a paper approximately 20 pages long (typed, double-spaced). For example, a paper on the entire program of welfare reform would be too broad, but a paper on the "workfare" component of welfare reform would make a good topic. We will work out a schedule for the presentation of final reports before the midterm break. The written paper will be due at noon on Monday, May 1, 2000. Late papers will not be accepted.

This assignment will require substantial out of classroom research, and considerable reading beyond what has been assigned for the course. The best research papers are those that are produced with sufficient lead time, rather than in a last-minute rush. You will note a date below for turning in your topic and a brief one page summary. I would also like to schedule at least one out-of-class meeting with each of you early in the semester to discuss your paper topic.

All papers should be typed or computer work-processed, double-spaced.

Exams: There will be three, noncumulative, primarily essay examinations, taken during regular class periods. Each exam will cover only those materials assigned to read or presented in class since the previous one. The last exam, given on the last scheduled class day before the student reports begin, will take the place of a final examination, although it is weighted the same as other exams given during the term. The class will not meet during final exam week. Your final paper will be due at the regularly scheduled examination period for this class. Exams will cover all materials assigned in readings, videos, and in class.

Short "Reflection" Papers: You are required to write two short (3-4 pp. double-spaced maximum) papers reflecting and elaborating on readings and/or applying sociological concepts to everyday life. For these papers, you should choose a specific sociological concept and discuss its application to everyday life. You may use as a basis for elaboration your own experiences (current or past), observations of everyday life, materials you encounter in media, and the like. Alternatively, you may reflect, comment, expand upon, or respond to readings we have done in class. We will discuss these assignments more in class.

You may do these at any point you wish to complete them, but at least one must be turned in before the Spring Break and the other must be turned in no later than April 10, 2000.

Attendance, Participation, and Homework: I will keep regular notes on attendance and class participation. In addition, you will occasionally be asked to complete short homework assignments, either individually or with classmates. These will be short and will feed into class discussion. On-time completion of these assignments will contribute to this grade, too.

The topics we cover in this class are inherently controversial, so I expect disagreements during discussions. Please do not be concerned that disagreeing with my, or other class members’ perspectives will in any way imperil your grade. Dialog and discussion can be a wonderful learning tool, and I hope that we will create a climate where everyone feels free to speak his or her mind and is respectful and tolerant to those with differing viewpoints.

Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is very important to me and, I’ve discovered, to the vast majority of students at UGA. I expect that all work presented will represent original effort by the student. If your work in this class builds upon or overlaps with work you are doing for another class, you should speak with me about this first. (Note: The UGA Policy on Academic Honesty is accessible through the UGA website.)

Class Materials: The following materials have been ordered and are available at area bookstores. All are paperbacks:

Jodi O’Brien, Social Prisms: Reflections on Everyday Myths and Paradoxes. Pine Forge Press..

Melton McLaurin, Separate Pasts: Growing Up White in the Segregated South. UGA Press.

Anne Moody, Coming of Age in Mississippi. Dell.

Donna Eder, School Talk. Rutgers University Press.

Leslie Perlow. Finding Time. Cornell University Press.

Abraham Verghese, My Own Country.Vintage.

I recommend that you purchase these books. In addition, we will be reading a number of articles, which are in informal reserve in the Sociology mail room (room 114). You may borrow these items for a maximum of 2 hours to read or to make personal copies. With a class this size and a little cooperation, this should work well. Occasionally I will provide copies of shorter readings for you. All materials should be read prior to the class period for which they are assigned.

Other Policies: I rarely give grades of incomplete in this class, and then only under very unusual circumstances.

I don’t mind phone calls at home at reasonable hours (548-2669), and I try to respond promptly to email messages. If my office hours are not convenient for you, please ask to see us at another time.

Please note: In no cases do I provide grade reports to any third party without signed consent from you. I am very much concerned about educational privacy. If you wish me to report your grade to the honors program on the form typically sent with these courses, please provide such written consent along with your final paper. Please do the same if you wish a report sent to any other source. Otherwise, rest assured that I will not report your grade to anyone other than the registrar, on the final grade report, without your knowledge and consent.

Although we will generally try to stay on schedule, there is a certain fluidity to the syllabus, and we may add videos, guest lectures, etc., as opportunities arise.

Since our classroom lacks video equipment, we generally will move to room 326 on days when videos are shown.

R=Articles on reserve in mail room

Books are listed by author name; see above for full titles

Week 1:

Tuesday, Jan. 11: Introduction; Explanation of Course Requirements

Read C. Wright Mills, "The Sociological Imagination" (R)

O’Brien, chapter 1

Read O’Brien, chapter 2

Robert Sapolsky, "The Trouble with Testosterone: Will Boys Just Be Boys" (R)

Read O’Brien, chapter 3

Gans, "The Community," from his Urban Villagers. (R)

Read O’Brien, chapter 4

Video: The Color of Hate

Preliminary Paper Topic Outline is due today

Read O’Brien, chapter 5

Read O’Brien, chapter 6

Coontz, Excerpts from The Way We Never Were (R)

Video: Double Burden: Three Generations of Working Women

Week Five: Objectivity/Subjectivity in Sociology

Tuesday, Feb. 8

Read O’Brien, Epilogue

Tuesday, Feb. 15: Race as a Social Issue in America

Read McLaurin, "Growing Up White in the South," first half

Thursday, Feb. 17:

Read remaining portion of McLaurin

Tuesday, Feb. 22: Race in America, Black Perspectives

Read Moody, first half

Thursday, Feb. 24

Read Moody, second half

Nathan Wright, Jr., "Twenty Tasks for White People" (R)

Tuesday, Feb. 29: Issues of Gender and Class

Read Lorber, "Variety of Feminisms and Their Contributions to Gender Inequality" (R)

Reskin, "Bringing the Men Back In: Sex Differentiation and the Devaluation

of Women’s Work" (R)

Read Collins, "Moving Beyond Gender: Intersectionality and Scientific Knowledge" (R)

Thursday, March 16: Sexualities, Communities, and Health

Read Verghese, first half

Tuesday, March 21: Sexualities, Communities, and Health (continued)

Read Verghese, second half

Guest Speaker (tentative) of Video: Journey of a Country Doctor

Read: Connell, "A Very Straight Gay: Masculinity, Homosexual Experience, and

the Dynamics of Gender" (R)

Tuesday, March 28: Education, Socialization and the Reproduction of Culture

Read Eder, first half

Thursday, March 30: Education, Socialization, and Reproduction of Culture (cont.)

Read Eder, second half

Video: US and Japanese Educational System

Tuesday, April 4: Issues of Work and Personal Life

Read Perlow, first half

Read Perlow, second half

Tuesday, April 10: Issues of Work and Personal Life

Read Arlie Hochschild, Excerpts from "The Second Shift" (R)

Barbara Wertheimer, "In Factory and Field: Black women & Slavery in America"

from her We Were There: The Story of Working Women in America.

Final written papers are due in by noon on Monday, May 1, 2000