Soc 108: Introductory Sociology

Syllabus, Spring 2001

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Instructor: Ashraf Esmail

Office: Woody Hall C-16

Office Hours: To be Announced

Phone: 453-6972 or 453-6969

e-mail- ashesmail@aol.com (I check twice a day)

Class Time and Place: Tuesday and Thursday 9:35 to 10:50 AM, Wham 306

Text :

Stark, Rodney. 2000. Sociology. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing

Course Description:

SOC 108 explores some of the ways social scientists explain human behavior. In contrast to psychology, sociology shows how the structure and collective experience of groups influence how people live. Among characteristic questions are: Why are some people wealthy and others poor, and how does this mold their lives and views of

others of one another? How are adult roles developed, and how are children brought

up to occupy them? Why do conflicts develop between groups within a society, and

how can they be managed? Why do societies designate some behavior as “deviant,”

and how are individuals recruited into deviant patterns of behavior? By grappling

with these questions, students should develop an appreciation of differences between

groups and of the complexities of social life.

Prerequisites: None

Course and General Education Competencies: The student will:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of basic sociological concepts about social processes (e.g.socialization, deviance, social control, and stratification by class, gender, and race) and social institutions (e.g., the family, religion, and the state).

2. Summarize theoretical or explanatory arguments in sociology.

3. Apply these arguments to contemporary events or personal experience.

4. Display knowledge of cultural, class, religious, and other differences within and between societies.

Course Requirements:

1. Completion of assigned readings (prior to class meeting). You are responsible for reading the chapter(s) in advance of the date on which it appears in the syllabus. Major points are covered in the lectures. But given a large amount of material in the textbook, the instructor won’t be talking about most of it. It pays to read.

2. Regular attendance and active class participation are expected of all students

3. Students will be required to take four equally weighted exams and a comprehensive final. Each exam will consist of fifty multiple choice questions (each is worth 2 points to a total of 100 points). The four examinations will cover the required reading as well as the material discussed in class. The final exam will be administered during the week of final exams and is comprehensive. I will try to provide you with a study guide for the exams

Note: The instructor reserves the right to adjust changes in the exam schedule as deemed

necessary. Any such changes will be announced in class. Students not attending

class are responsible for obtaining this information.

Missing an Examination- In the event of a missed exam the student should contact the instructor as soon as possible. It is your responsibility to find me; do not expect me to track you down. Every effort should be made to avoid missing these. You must take exams when they are scheduled. It has been my experience that students miss examinations for two types of reasons that I deem excusable. The first is when you know, in advance, that you will not be able to attend class during and examination because of a family/religious/civic event. In this case students should make arrangements with the instructor. Students also experience certain legitimate crises during the course of the semester. These include: car accident, emergency room visit, sick child, death in the family, or act of one or more supernatural powers (e.g., lightening striking your home). If you miss an examination due to an emergency, you must (1) contact me within 24 hours of your absence and (2) provide written documentation of your absence. Makeup exams maybe of essay format.

4. Comments - As you read each assignment, imagine that you are preparing to appear on a high quality talk show (e.g., Turning Point or 60 Minutes). Make notes about what you find interesting, useful, or things you question or disagree with. From your notes on each chapter, select the most interesting or valuable idea to comment on and hand in for the assignment. Each comment should consist of two parts: a lesson and a commentary. The lesson consists of a statement or quote from the reading assignment, including page numbers where it is found. The commentary is your reaction, evaluation or example. It should say something more than I liked or didn’t agree with a certain point (tell us why you think it is valuable or why you disagree). Comments will be collected at the beginning of every Tuesday class period and they will not be accepted at any other time. Each of your comments should be handwritten (one page), or typed(preferably, 1/2 page typed) per comment, single spaced. Each comment must include your name and what chapter to which it is related. As time permits we will discuss these questions and comments in class. Students will be required to turn in 10 Comments throughout the semester, each worth 10 points, for a total of 100 points. There will be 14 Tuesday class periods after 1-18. Consequently, students can pick four class periods throughout the semester in which they don’t have to turn in Comments. Students may turn in fourteen Comments in which four would be for extra credit.

5. Finally, each student is required to write two 3 paged papers, typed and double spaced paper. Paper 1 will be due on March 1st and Paper 2 will be due on April 26th. Paper assignments will be announced.

Format Guidelines:

Do’s---3 pages typed, double spaced, using 12 cpi font, one inch margins on the top, bottom, left, and right, left justify only, correct use of standard written English--i.e., Grammar, punctuation, spelling, essay format, coherent sentences and paragraphs. (by essay format, I mean have an introduction, body and conclusion, and have transitions between the paragraphs).

You must identify the written source where you got your information.

Don’ts--Do not include a cover page. Instead place name in upper right hand corner of the first page only, skip two lines, center your title between left and right margins, skip two lines and begin your paper. Do not repeat your title or name anywhere else in the paper.

Do not place paper in plastic or cardboard folders. Instead, keep your paper together with one staple in the upper left hand corner.

Do not attempt to hand in your paper late. They are due at the beginning of class on the assigned date. However, students may turn in the paper early.

Grading:

All grades will be in accordance with the standard scale:

A = 90-100

B = 80-89

C = 70-79

D = 60-69

E = 0-59

The grading system

Exam 1 100 points

Exam 2 100 points

Exam 3 100 points

Exam 4 100 points

Final exam 100 points

Comments 100 points

Paper 1 100 points

Paper 2 100 points

_________

800 points total

The instructor reserves the right to adjust final grade upward in recognition of exceptional individual performance.

Attendance:

The student is expected to attend all class meetings. The student is expected to be on time and ready to begin class with the proper materials. Being absent from class will directly affect the final grade. Attendance will be recorded regularly. When a student must miss a class, it is his/her responsibility to get the lecture notes from a classmate, not from the instructor. The instructor will respond to any questions or points of clarification. Please remember that all students are responsible for all information provided in class, whether or not they were present.

Meaningful and positive class participation will be considered in the case of borderline grades--as will absences and excessive tardiness.

Conduct:

Chatting, reading the paper, sleeping and generally not paying attention during lecture can be distracting not only to me but to your fellow classmates. I am not one to suffer such distraction gladly. If you do not want to be singled out in front of the entire class and if you do not want to be asked to leave the classroom, please come to lecture prepared to listen and participate.

Student Code of Conduct:

I expect that you will maintain the highest standards of intellectual honesty in this class. Anyone involved in any act of academic dishonesty as outlined by the University’s Student Conduct Code will automatically fail the course and will be asked to leave for the duration of the semester.

Incompletes:

Incompletes are not automatically available in this course. To be eligible for an incomplete you must (1) have completed the majority of the work for the class, (2) be earning a passing grade, (3) be able to document a reason beyond your control that you cannot complete the work in the allotted time, and (4) make formal arrangements with me for when you plan to make up the course-work. The reason for the incomplete must be a situation or condition that is beyond your control. Suddenly realizing that you’ve spent too much time slacking off during the semester and this class might threaten your graduation status or your GPA is not something beyond your control.

Calendar and Reading Assignments:

(Readings are to be completed before class on the date indicated)

Note: The instructor reserves the right to adjust changes to daily assignments as deemed

necessary. Any such changes will be announced in class. Students not attending

class are responsible for obtaining this information.

1-16 and 1-18 - Review of Syllabus and The Sociological View

1-23 and 1-25 - Ch 3 Micro Sociology and Ch 4 Macro Sociology

1-30 and 2-1 - Ch 1 Groups and Relationships and Ch 2 Concepts for Social....

2-6 - Ch 6 Socialization and Social Roles

2-8 - Exam I (Chapters 1-4 and 6)

2-13 and 2-15 - Ch 7 Deviance and Crime

2-20 and 2-22 - Ch 8 Social Control

2-27 and 3-1 - Ch 9 Concepts and Theories of Stratification

3-1 - Paper 1 due

3-6 - Ch 11 Racial and Ethnic Inequality and Conflict

3-8 - Exam II (Chapters 7-9 and 11)

3-13 and 3-15 - Spring Break!!!

3-20 and 3-22 - Ch 12 Gender and Inequality

3-27 and 3-29 - Ch 13 The Family

4-3 - Ch 14 Religion

4-5 - No Class, Midwest Conference

4-10 - Ch 15 Politics and the State

4-12 - Exam III (Chapters 12-15)

4-17 and 4-19 - Ch 16 Interplay Between Education and Occupation

4-24 and 4-26 - Ch 18 Population Changes

4-26 -Paper II due

5-1 - Ch 21 Social Change and Social Movements

5-3 -Exam IV (Chapters 16, 18, 21)

Final Exam, Tuesday May 8th from 3:10 to 5:10 pm