Syllabus
Sociology 108: Introduction to Sociology
Fall 2000
Sections 3 and 5
Time: M-W-F 10:00-10:50 a.m.
Location: Wham 105
Instructor: David Ashmore
Office: Faner 3427
Phone: 453-7624
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. E-mail: daasoc@siu.edu
My office is on the third floor in the north end of Faner Hall, above the University Museum. Take the elevator or stairs to the third floor. If you take the stairs, go to the right; if the elevator, to your left. In either case, my office is in the first wing you come to, about two-thirds down the hall on the left.
This course is an introduction to the field of sociology. In the first third (roughly) of the semester, we will discuss the basic concepts of sociology. In the remainder of the term, we will discuss several of the major subdivisions of sociology, such as stratification, the family, religion, and politics. By the end of the semester, if you attend class, take notes, do the reading, and study your notes, you will have a basic understanding of social interaction within this society as well as in other societies.
This course has two themes to tie the various topics together. One theme is that things are not always as they appear. One result of careful sociological analysis is that we are able to get beyond surface "commonsense" explanations of situations and develop a better understanding of the true nature of social interaction. This is often called the "debunking" function of sociology. It is arguably the most important function played by sociology. Sociology offers a perspective on social life that is quite different from that of most Americans. The first week of class, we will talk about what C. Wright Mills called the sociological imagination. This is, in large measure, the ability to alternate between "insiders'" and "outsiders'" perspectives of situations in order to obtain an understanding that is not possible using either perspective alone.
Our second theme is that the meaning of all social situations is constructed by the people involved in those situations. Human behavior is controlled only to a very minor extent by instincts. Thus, people must create meanings through interacting with one another. People must perceive and interpret the world before they can respond to it. Our constructions of situations depend on our nationality, the language we speak, and our place in society in terms of categories such as class, religion, gender, and race.
The textbook for this course is:
Rodney Stark. 2001. Sociology.
Eighth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
The book is available at all the local academic bookstores. This book is conceptually sophisticated and somewhat difficult to follow. You will have to carefully study the book and pay attention in class if you hope to do well this semester.
Your grade in this course will be based on four exams, two papers, attendance, and ten quizzes.
The first three exams, on February 9, March 7, and April 9, will each consist of twenty-five multiple-choice, five true-false, and four essay questions. The final, comprehensive, exam will consist of fifty multiple-choice and ten true-false questions, and essay questions worth eight points. The final will be a double exam both in the sense that it is twice as long as the other exams and in the sense that one-fourth of it will cover the material presented since the third exam and three-fourths will cover the material covered by the first three exams. The date and time of the final will be announced later. Exams will cover both class material and readings. The first three exams will be worth 100 points each, and the final, 200 points. Together, they account for five-ninths, about 56%, of your grade.
You will write two three-to-five-page papers. The first paper will involve writing about the sociological imagination You will write one to two pages describing, in your own words, the sociological imagination and two to three pages describing an instance of the use of the sociological imagination. All materials needed for writing the paper are on electronic reserve. In grading your papers, I will be looking for correct spelling and grammar; an adequate understanding of the sociological imagination; and the ability to apply this understanding. This paper will be due on February 21. The second assignment will require you to write about the social construction of reality. Once again, you will be expected to write one to two pages telling, in your own words, what the social construction of reality is. In the final two to three pages you will discuss an article that illustrates how people construct reality. In grading your papers, I will be looking for correct spelling and grammar; an adequate understanding of social construction; and the ability to apply this understanding to some instance of social interaction. This paper will be due on April 2. The two papers are each worth 100 points. Together, they are worth two-ninths, about 22%, of your grade. Both papers must have a title page, a reference page, and quotations with citations telling their sources. If you do not follow these rules the paper will be returned to you. You also must include page numbers. Failure to do this will result in a twenty-point penalty. I will give you specific instructions about the papers shortly.
There will be twelve quizzes. I will drop your lowest two quiz scores. Each quiz will be worth 15 points. Together, the quizzes are worth about 17% of your grade. The quiz questions will be based on the quizzes contained on the Website for your textbook. Unlike those questions, however, which are multiple-choice, the quiz questions will require you to provide short answers. The syllabus tells you which chapter will be covered by each quiz. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class period. Quizzes will be collected ten minutes after all quizzes have been handed out. People who do not come to class before quizzes are collected will not be allowed to take the quiz.
To access internet quizzes, follow these steps.
1. Go to sociology.wadsworth.com.
2. Click on Courses and Books.
3. Click on Introduction to Sociology.
4. Click on the book by Rodney Stark.
5. Click on Student Resources.
6. Click on the appropriate chapter.
7. Click on quizzes.
I expect you to come to class each day. Much of the material covered in class is not covered in the book. Much of the material in the book will be presented in a somewhat different way in class. I will be passing around an attendance sheet each day. It is your responsibility to sign the sheet before you leave class. Everyone will start out with 50 attendance points. I will deduct one point for each time you do not sign the sheet. Do not sign the sheet for anyone else. If I find that you are doing this, neither you nor the person you are signing for will receive credit for that day's class.
There are 900 possible points in this course. The grading scale is as follows:
80 to 100%; 720-900 points: A.
70 to 79%; 630-719 points: B.
60 to 69%; 540-629 points: C.
50 to 59%; 450-539 points: D.
0 to 49%; 0-449 points: F.
Please come to class on time and stay for the entire period. It is rude to come late or leave early. It is distracting for both me and your fellow students. While you are here, you will be expected to avoid engaging in private conversations. Other students are here to learn. Constant talking is disruptive and keeps others from gaining any benefit from coming to class.
Make-up exams and quizzes will be given only in the case of illness, death of a family member, or official university activities. You must provide written verification of the reason for your absence in advance. If it is not possible for you to provide advance notice, you will be expected to provide verification from Student Development in Woody Hall in order to make up a quiz or exam. All quizzes and exams must be made up within one week of the scheduled date. Late papers will not be accepted unless you make arrangements in advance or provide written verification showing that you were unable to turn the assignment in on time. If you will not be here the day the paper is due, turn it in early. Make-up exams and quizzes will be different from those taken by people who take them at the regular time. No make-ups will be given because your roommate turned off your alarm.
If you have problems understanding any of the material presented in class or in the readings, please let me know. You can talk to me after class or in my office during office hours. You may also ask me questions by e-mail.
I do not want to give D's and F's. I will do so only if you force me to by your failure to perform up to standards. Please, please let us know if you are having problems with the course.
Every semester some students want to know about extra credit. While I believe that many students use extra credit work as a way to make up for their failure to put forth sufficient effort during the semester, I do recognize that sometimes people come up a little short despite their best efforts. You may earn extra credit by writing a 1-page summary, in your own words, of an "A Closer View" section in the textbook. Each summary is worth up to 15 points. You may turn in three of these assignments during the semester. This is the only way to earn extra credit. Since I use a very generous grading scale, there will be no grading by the curve. There may be a little leeway given, which means that if you come very close to the next higher grade, you probably will receive it. It is your responsibility to keep track of your grades. Do not ask us for your point totals or your current letter grade. Exam grades will be posted the second period after the exam, by the last four numbers of the social security number for those students who sign the permission sheet attached to this syllabus. Quizzes will be made available at the end of the second class following the quiz. Papers will be available two weeks after the due date.
Course schedule:
Note: All dates are tentative and subject to change. (ER) indicates that an item is on electronic reserve.
Week One.
January 17,19 Introduction to Sociology.
Read Stark Chapter 1, "Groups and Relationships: A Sociological Sampler."
January 19. Quiz One over syllabus.
Week Two
January 22. Introduction to Sociology, continued.
Read Mills, "The Promise" (ER).
January 24,26. Society and culture.
Read Stark Chapter 2, "Concepts for Social and Cultural Theories".
Quiz Two over Stark Chapter 2.
Week Three.
January 29, 31. Micro sociology.
Read Stark Chapter 3, "Micro Sociology: Testing Interaction Theories.
Read Charon, "Creation of Social Reality" (ER).
February 2. Macro Sociology.
Read Stark Chapter 4, "Macro Sociology: Studying Larger Groups and Societies."
Quiz Three over Stark Chapter 3.
Week Four.
February 5. Macro Sociology continued.
February 7. Biological Sociology.
Read Stark Chapter 5, "Biology, Culture, and Society."
February 9. Exam One.
Week Five.
February 12, 14. Socialization.
Read Stark Chapter 6, "Socialization and Social Roles."
Read Berger and Luckmann, "Socialization" (ER).
February 16. Deviance.
Read Stark Chapter 7, "Crime and Deviance."
Quiz Four over Stark Chapter 6.
Week Six.
February 19. Deviance, continued.
Read Burkett and White, "Hellfire and Delinquency" (ER).
February 21. Paper One Due.
Social Control
Read Stark Chapter 8, "Social Control."
February 23. Social Stratification.
Read Stark Chapter 9, "Concepts and Theories of Stratification."
Quiz Five over Stark Chapter 8.
Week Seven.
February 26. Social Stratification, continued.
February 28. Comparative Stratification.
Read Stark Chapter 10, "Comparing Systems of Stratification."
March 2. Racial and Ethnic Relations.
Read Stark Chapter 11, "Racial and Ethnic Inequality and Conflict."
Quiz Six over Stark Chapter 10.
Week Eight.
March 5. Racial and Ethnic Relations, continued. Read Sigelman and Welch, "The Contact Hypothesis Revisited" (ER).
March 7. Exam Two.
March 9. Gender and Inequality.
Read Stark Chapter 12, "Gender and Inequality."
March 12-16. Spring Break: No Class.
Week Nine.
March 19. Gender and Inequality, continued.
Read Collins, et al., "Toward an Integrated Theory of Gender Stratification" (ER).
March 21, 23. The Family.
Read Stark Chapter 13, "The Family."
March 23. Quiz Seven over Stark Chapter 13.
Week Ten.
March 26, 28, 30. Religion
Read Stark Chapter 14, "Religion."
March 30. Quiz Eight over Stark Chapter 14.
Week Eleven.
April 2. Paper Two due.
April 2, 4, 6. Political Sociology.
Read Stark Chapter 15, "Politics and the State."
April 6 Quiz Nine over Stark Chapter 15.
Week Twelve.
April 9. Education and Work.
Read Stark Chapter 16, "The Interplay Between Education and Occupation."
April 11. Exam Three.
April 13. Social change.
Read Stark Chapter 17, "Social Change: Development and Global Inequality."
Week Thirteen.
April 16. Social Change continued.
Read Chirot, "The Rise of the West" (ER).
April 18, 20. Population.
Read Stark Chapter 18, "Population Changes."
April 20. Quiz Ten over Stark Chapter 18.
Week Fourteen.
April 23, 25. Urbanization.
Read Stark Chapter 19, "Urbanization."
April 27. Bureaucracy.
Read Stark Chapter 20, "The Organizational Age."
Quiz Eleven over Chapter 19.
Week Fifteen.
April 30. Bureaucracy continued.
May 2, 4. Social Change.
Read Stark Chapter 21, "Social Change and Social Movements."
May 4. Quiz Twelve on Chapter 20.
Final Exam. Date and time to be announced.