Sociological Inquiry SOC 210
Fall 2003
Stephen Adair
Office Hours: Mon., Wed. & Fri. 9-10; Mon. & Wed. 2:00-3:00 832-2979 or 2-2979
Themes
and Objectives
Sociological Inquiry was introduced into the major a few years ago to serve as a bridge between the introductory courses and more advanced courses in sociology. The course will explore the nature of the discipline, discuss the role sociology plays in the larger society, consider the predominant theories and methods used in the field, develop skills that will need for a successful academic career as a sociology major, and inform you about the organization of the sociology program at CCSU. The course should also sharpen your analytic and critical thinking skills. Much of our time in the classroom will be skill-oriented (rather than content-oriented), where we will engage in critical thinking in the process of constructing sociological explanations.
In addition, the course will be partly organized around a series of investigations that are intended for you to link aspects of your personal experience with others in the classroom. These investigations will be further informed by book learning and knowledge of sociological theory, and thus will serve to link sociological knowledge with knowledge of others and ourselves. Each of you will work on a project that I am calling the cliques, ranks and statuses project that will require consideration and reflection on your experience as well as gathering data on your fellow students. Collectively, we will all help you on your individual project, and your individual work will contribute toward a collective project.
Most importantly, then, this course is designed to hone your sociological imaginations. The skills developed should not only improve your ability to meet the academic challenges of being a sociology major at Central, but also strengthen your writing, analytic, and critical thinking skills for more effective participation in discussions that concern public issues, personal decisions, and your professional careers.
I hope and intend that at the end of this course you will have:
developed your critical thinking skills with a greater ability to evaluate and criticize claims and arguments.
broadened and deepened your understanding of social structures and the influence of collective and institutional realities on personal experience, especially as this concerns informal stratification structures and adolescent culture.
greater familiarity with the key figures in the discipline, the major theoretical perspectives, and the various specializations within the field.
a greater appreciation of the complexity and variety of human social life, the diversity of human perspectives, and the challenges associated with overcoming ethnocentrism in the production of valid knowledge.
a greater understanding of sociological reasoning, and how it differs from other forms of explanation.
a deeper insight into your own life and the lives of others around you.
a complete understanding of the organization and objectives of the sociology program at CCSU, and more insight on how the Sociology program may prepare you for future challenges.
An understanding of the new portfolio requirement for Sociology majors.
Required
Texts
Social Things: An Introduction to the Sociological Life, Second edition. Charles Lemert.
Rowman and Littlefield, New York 2002.
Peer Power: Preadolescent Culture and Identity. Patricia and Peter Adler.
A Guide to
Writing Sociology Papers.
The Sociology Writing Group, Worth Publishers. 2001.
A packet of photocopied material is also required.
Course
Requirements
All students are expected to attend class, participate in class discussions, read the assigned materials, and complete all assignments on time.
Your course grade will be based on a point system. An A for the course will be given for 130 or more points; an A- for 125-129; a B+ for 120-124; a B for 115-119; a B- for 110-114; a C+ for 105-109, a C for 100-104; a C- for 95-99; a D+ for 90-94, a D for 85-89, a D- for 80-84 points, and an F for less than 80.
Points will be earned based on the following course assignments:
Three quizzes. Up to 30 points (Four quizzes will be given. Only the three best will be counted. Each quiz is worth up to ten points).
Seven assignments. Up to 49 points (excluding extra credit—see scoring below). Each assignment is worth up to 7 points.
Research paper. Up to 40 points.
Attendance and participation. Up to 20 points.
Just by registering for the course you receive 3 points.
Total possible points, excluding extra credit, equals 142.
1. Quizzes. Details on the quizzes will be provided in class. Four quizzes will be given. Only the best three quiz grades will be counted. Make-up quizzes will generally not be provided. A missed quiz will be dropped as the lowest grade. Students in good standing may elect not to take the final quiz, and have it dropped as the lowest grade.
2. Assignments. The seven assignments will be described in handouts, which will always be provided at least a week before the due date. The assignments will include a variety of activities including short self-reflective essays, library work, and textual analysis of published research. Most of the assignments will be part of the cliques, ranks, and statuses project and may be used as parts of your research paper.
The assignments will be graded on a seven (or seven + one) basis:
8 pts. - superb, flawless work, completed with energy and insight, exceeds expectations
(A work + 1 point extra credit)
7 pts. - excellent work (an A)
6 pts. - very good work, but perhaps some minor problems, or competent work but not
insightful (A-/B+)
5 pts. - good work, but room for improvement (B-/C+)
4 pts. - needs improvement - a marginal passing grade
3 pts. - a failing grade
1 or 2 pts. - incomplete work
0 pt. - no work submitted
If any assignment is handed in late, it will lose one point if handed in within a week of the due date; and two points if it is more than a week late. Work will be accepted up until the last day of class, May 6th. Any written assignment may be redone if it was originally handed in on time. You will receive the grade based on the rewrite, except you will never receive a lower grade for completing a rewrite, and your grade cannot improve more than three points. If you rewrite an assignment, you must pass in the original graded work with your rewrite. All written work should be typed; hand-written work will be returned ungraded, and work that is resubmitted will be considered late.
3. The Research Paper Details on the research paper will also be provided, but will be based on the data we will create on cliques, ranks, and statuses in high school and some additional library research. The paper will be approximately eight to ten pages. Work in class and several of the shorter assignments will provide the groundwork for the research paper. A letter grade will be given on the research paper, and then a corresponding number of points out of 40 will be given.
4. Attendance and participation. A number of points between 0 and 20 will be assigned based on your attendance and class participation. The grade is based not only on your attendance and verbal participation in class, but also on completing your work on time, staying up to date with the readings, and my overall evaluation of our effort to create a learning context for yourself and others in the classroom. We will do some group work in this class, and some of this grade will be based on your participation and contribution to the group activities.
-----
Students
who need course adaptations or accommodations because of documented
disability, or who have emergency medical needs, or who need special
arrangements in case the building must be evacuated should see me as soon as
possible.
Course
Schedule
The
schedule is tentative. Cancellations
or our own decisions are likely to change some dates. I will keep you apprised of changes in class. The listed
readings should be completed prior to the class meeting on the corresponding
date.
Part I: Thinking Sociologically, Sociological Analysis, Informal Stratification Systems
9/3 Introduction to the course
9/5 Sociology as a discipline
The sociological imagination
Readings: Lemert, pp. v-11.
9/8- Power and sociological insight
9/10 Readings: Lemert, pp. 12-46
9/12- Invisible structures
9/15 Readings: Lemert pp. 113-135
Chambliss “Saints and Roughnecks.”
9/17- Measurements
9/19 Readings: Lemert pp. 136-175
Gaines, “Teenage Wasteland”
9/22- Writing in Sociology
9/26 Readings: A Guide to Writing… Chapters 1-5
Assignment 2 due: 2/26
9/29 Studies, Theses and Hypotheses
10/1
10/3- Research Methods
10/6 Readings: Adler and Adler pp. 19-38
TBA
Assignment 3 due 10/6
10/10
Readings: TBA
Collins, “Stratification and Emotional Energy”
10/20- Cliques and Popularity
10/24 Readings: Adler and Adler, pp. 1-18; 38-97
10/27- Social Relations, Identity and Stratification
10/31 Readings: Adler and Adler pp. 98-218
11/3 Textual analysis
Readings: A Guide… Chapter 6
11/5 Library Research
Readings: A Guide… Chapter 7
11/7- Review of Literature
11/14 Readings: Giordano, “The Wider Circle of Friends”
Eder, “Segregating the Popular From the Unpopular”
11/17- Qualitative Analysis
11/19 Readings: A Guide… Chapter 8
11/21- Quantitative Analysis
11/24 Readings: A Guide… Chapter 9
Part
V: A Brief History of Sociology as a Discipline
12/1- A Brief History of Sociology
12/5 Readings: Lemert, pp. 59-112
Final papers due 12/3
12/10 Review, Final thoughts, Evaluations