SOC 101: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

SO= C 101D: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Fa= ll, 2007

Gettysburg College

MWF 10:00-10:5= 0

Glatfelter 001=

Instructor: Je= an L. Potuchek

Email: jpo= tuche@gettysburg.edu

Office: Glatfe= lter 008

Office Hours: M & W 11:00-noon, 2:00-3:00; T 2:00-3:= 00; Th 10:00-11:30; F 1:30-3:00 and by appointment<= /p>

Telephone: 337= -6196

“The fascination of sociology lies in the fact that its perspective makes us see in a new l= ight the very world in which we have lived all our lives.”<= /span>

-- Peter Berger, Invitation to Sociology<= /span>

Sociology is a social science discipline that examines hum= an behavior and human experience in relation to its social context. Because we are all acting within= a social context, you will find that you already know a great deal about the topics that sociology addresses. At the same time, however, because American culture has a strong emphasis on the individual and most often uses a psychological perspectiv= e to understand human behavior and experience, most Americans find the insight= s of the sociological perspective surprising and unexpected.=

This course will introduce you to the basic tools of socio= logy – the concepts, theoretical perspectives, and research methods that sociologists use to understand human behavior and experience. By the end of the course, you sh= ould be able to use those tools (a) to perceive and critically examine the soc= ial structures and social processes that affect your life and the world around you and (b) to read published work written by sociologists.

No course stands alone, and you are encouraged to make connections between this course and the rest of your education. A Gettysburg College education is organized around four major goals – learning how to look at the wor= ld from multiple perspectives (multiple inquiries), learning how to combine different perspectives into a deeper understanding (integrative thinking), learning how to share knowledge and understanding with others (effective communication), and learning how to use what you know to make a contribut= ion to communal life (local and global citizenship). This course fulfills the social science component of the multiple inquiries goal and, as such, it will provide you with a basic grounding in the social sciences as a particular type of inquiry. In additio= n, the course touches on each of the other three goals. It will prepare many of you for interdisciplinary experiences (integrative thinking) that include a social science perspective. It will enhance your communication skills, particularly those related to writing, research, and discussion. Sociology provides particularly useful preparation for citizenship= as it focuses on understanding diversity and inequality, social change, and a variety of public policy issues. Thus, successful completion of this course will provide you with t= he prerequisite for a variety of 200-level courses in sociology that fulfill components of the local and global citizenship goal: three STS courses, f= our domestic/conceptual diversity courses, and one non-western diversity course. <= /p>

= Readings

The following required books for the course are available for purchase at the college bookstore:

Susan J. Ferguson, ed. Mapping the Social Landscape: Readings in Sociology (5^th edition). (Ferguson)

Diane Vaughan, The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at NA= SA. (Vaughan)

Sharon Hays, Fl= at Broke with Children: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform. (Hays)

Assignments and Exams

At= tendance and Participation – Both research and my own teaching experience indicate that almost everyone lea= rns best through active engagement. Thus, students are expected to attend class regularly and to participate actively in class discussion. Missing more than 1 class during= the semester or remaining silent during class discussions will have a negative impact on your final grade for the course. In order to be prepared for participation of high quality, you should complete the reading listed on = the syllabus for each day before coming to class.

We= ekly Analyses – This assignment= will provide students with an opportunity to practice using the tools of socio= logy to understand their own observations and experiences. Weekly analyses will be due in a= t the first class session of most weeks. Each weekly analysis will be a 2-3 page (typed, double-spaced) application of one or more key ideas or concepts from the previous week’s classes to some aspect of your experience outside the course= .

Pa= pers – Students will also complete 2 longer (4-5 page) and more formal papers during the semester. Instructions for each of these p= apers will be handed out in class at least two weeks before the due date.<= /o:p>

Ex= ams – <= /span>There are two in-class exams for the course, a mid-term scheduled for Monday, October 22 and a final exam scheduled for Tuesday, December 11.

Grading

Your basic grade for the course will be computed according to the followi= ng formula:

Quiz on Syllabus

Weekly Analyses

30%

Papers (17% each)

34%

Mid-Term Exam

15%

Final Exam

20%

The grade computed = on the basis of your written work may then be adjusted up or down as much as two fractions of a grade to reflect the quality of your preparation for = and participation in class discussions.

Due Dates and Lateness Policies

Written assignments are due at class time (10:00 a.m.) on the date noted; however= , those in class receive an automatic extension until 5:00 p.m. In addition, each student begins= the semester with two late points, each of which can be used for up to= 24 hours of lateness on any written assignment. Note: Any other extensions beyond these late points will be granted only = in extraordinary circumstances and must be arranged with me before the time the paper is due.

Angel Web Site

An extensive web site for this course is maintained in Angel. There you will find copies of co= urse documents and assignments, a glossary of key concepts, links to supplemen= tary information, and other helpful material.= To get into the site, go to CNAV and click on the ‘AngelR= 17; link for this course in your ‘this semester’ listing. Log in to Angel using the same username and password that you use for the Gettysburg Colleg= e network and CNAV.

COURSE SCHEDULE

*D= ate*	*Activity/Topic*	*Readings*<= /st1:place>
WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?
M Aug. 27=	Introductions
W Aug. 29=	The Sociological Ima= gination	Ferguson: 1, 2, 3
F Aug. 31=	Sociology as a social science – theory and research Syllabus Quiz due	Ferguson: 4 Vaughan, Preface
M Sept. 3=	Everyday examples &#= 8211; invisible social structure Weekly Analysis due	Caplow, “Rule Enforcement Without Visible Means” (available in Angel)
W Sept. 5=	Everyday examples &#= 8211; formal organizations	Vaughan, Chapter 1
F Sept. 7=	Sociology as a social science – empirical research	Ferguson: 5, 6
M Sept. 10	Sociology as a social science – reading data Weekly Analysis due	Karp and Yoels, R= 20;Student Participation in the College Classroom (available in Angel)<= /span>
W Sept. 12	Sociology as a social science – theoretical perspectives	Durkheim, excerpt fr= om The Division of Labor in Society (available in Angel)
F Sept. 14	Sociology as a social science – theoretical perspectives	Ferguson: 8, 17
CONCEPTUAL BUILDING = BLOCKS: CULTURE AND SOCIETY
M Sept. 17	Culture – norm= s, roles and symbols Weekly Analysis due	Vaughan, Chapter 2
W Sept. 19	Culture – valu= es and ideologies	Ferguson: 9
F Sept. 21	Culture – mate= rial culture and technologies	Vaughan, Chapter 3
M Sept. 24	Social interaction a= nd the social construction of reality Weekly Analysis due	Vaughan, Chapter 4 Ferguson: 7
W Sept. 26	Social interaction a= nd social groups	Vaughan, Chapter 5 Ferguson: 15
F Sept. 28	Formal organizations= and informal groups Paper 1 due	Vaughan, Chapter 6
M. Oct. 1=	Learning culture = 211; primary socialization Weekly Analysis due	Ferguson: 11, 55
W Oct. 3<= /span>	Learning culture = 211; adult socialization	Vaughan, Chapter 7 Ferguson: 13
F Oct. 5<= /span>	Learning culture = 211; resocialization and total institutions	Ferguson: 14, 50
M Oct. 8<= /span>	Reading Days
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS<= o:p>
W Oct. 10=	Education=	Ferguson: 12, 51, 52
F Oct. 12=	Science as a Social = Institution	Vaughan, Chapter 8
M Oct. 15=	Economy and work Weekly Analysis due	Vaughan, Chapters 9 = and 10
W Oct. 17=	Economy and work	Ferguson: 33, 42
F Oct. 19=	Economy and work	Hays, Chapters 1 and= 2
M Oct. 22=	Mid-term Exam
W Oct. 24=	Family	Hays, Chapter 3= Ferguson: 53
F Oct. 26=	Family	Ferguson: 43 Craig, “The Mo= ney or the Care” (available in Angel)
M Oct. 29=	Government/Polity Weekly Analysis due	Hays, Chapter 4=
SOCIAL INEQUALITY
W Oct. 31=	Sociological vocabul= ary of inequality	Hays, Chapter 5=
F Nov. 2<= /span>	Social class and life chances	Hays, Chapter 6=
M Nov. 5<= /span>	Social class and lif= estyles Weekly Analysis due	Hays, Chapter 7=
W Nov. 7<= /span>	Race and ethnicity	Ferguson: 25, 31, 32
F Nov. 9<= /span>	Gender	Ferguson: 27, 28, 29
M Nov. 12=	Theories of inequali= ty Weekly Analysis due	Hays, Chapter 8= Ferguson: 23, 41
SOCIAL PROCESSES
W Nov. 14=	Dynamics of power	Ferguson: 35, 37
F Nov. 16=	Deviance<= /span>	Ferguson: 16, 19, 21
M Nov. 19=	Social control<= /o:p> Weekly Analysis due	Ferguson: 39
	Thanksgiving Recess
M Nov. 26=	Theories of social c= ontrol
W Nov. 28=	Social change	Ferguson: 38, 58
F Nov. 30=	Rationalization and = social change ** Paper 2 due	Ferguson: 57
M Dec. 3<= /span>	Population dynamics = and social change Weekly Analysis due	Ferguson: 48
W Dec. 5<= /span>	Social movements and= social change	Ferguson: 59
F Dec. 7<= /span>	Summing Up: The Soci= ological Imagination	Ferguson: 56, 60