Sociology 101: Understanding Society (H007)

Monday, Wednesday 5-6:15, LAB Room 208

Contact Info: Heather Sanchez heatherksanchez@gmail.com

Office Hours: Monday 2-4:45 and by appointment

Office is located on the fourth floor of the LAB in the Anthropology/Sociology Department

Required Text:

The required text for this course is a three-hole punch book customized for USM students:

Sociology 101: Understanding Society by Anderson,Taylor, and Chasteen. The text comes with an online Cengage component. You are not required to utilize these resources for class, but exploring them on your own time could help you with the course material.

Course Description, Objective, Academic Dishonesty, and Support for Students with Disabilities:

These topics are covered at length in the introduction to your textbook (USM-1, 2). Please take the time to look over them. Additionally let me emphasize that academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this class. Acts of academic dishonesty such as cheating, plagiarism, etc. will result in a zero for the assignment and potentially the course. No exceptions.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T:

You will be required to engage in discussions on a broad range of topics throughout the duration of the course. I want this to be an experience we can all learn from. Active, academic debate is welcome but even more so, an atmosphere of mutual respect for the opinions of others must be maintained at all times. Students not adhering to this policy will be asked to leave the classroom.

Course Requirements:

-3 multiple choice exams

-4 essays (2.5-3 pages long)

-10 random quizzes based on readings

-1 comprehensive final

-misc. homework assignments

-participation in class discussion both in class and on supplemental Facebook group

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134034159318

Point Distribution:

Exams (120 pts each) 360

Essays (55 pts each) 220

Quizzes (10 pts each) 100

Final Exam 250

Participation/Hw 70

1000

How to calculate your grade: Completing 100-90% of the course requirements gets you an A, 89-80% B, 79-70% C, 69-60% D, 59-0% F. To find out your letter grade take the total amount of points you have earned in the class at the end of the semester and divide by 10.

Lecture Schedule:

I reserve the right to alter the content of this schedule and/or the syllabus over the course of the semester (including changes to assignment due dates and exam dates).

Date	Agenda	Reading	Due In Class
W, Aug 19	Pre-test, syllabus review	none	Homework: sign up for Facebook group
M, Aug 24	Intro to Course: What is Sociology?	“The Promise of Sociology”-USM-5-9 “My Sociology”-USM 9-10
W, Aug 26	History/Theoretical Perspectives	Text pp. 1-18
M, Aug 31	Methods	Text pp. 18-39
W, Sept 2	Culture	Text pp.32-48
M, Sept 7	No Class Labor Day
W, Sept 9	Culture	“Sweating at Starbucks”- USM 21-22 Text pp.49-61
M, Sept 14	Socialization	“Kill, Kill, Kill” – USM 24-25 Text pp. 62-91
W, Sept 16	Social Structure	“The Waiter Strikes Back”-USM 27-28 “Sociologist/Outsider”- USM 33-34 Text pp. 92-119	Essay 1 Due: Essay Assignment 2A or 2B. USM-23
M, Sept 21	Groups and Organizations	Text 120-144
W, Sept 23	Review Day Exam 1
M, Sept 28	EXAM 1
W, Sept 30	Deviance and Crime	Text pp 144-176
M, Oct 5	Deviance and Crime	Complete reading from Sept 30
W, Oct 7	Deviance and Crime	“Gender and Sex Offenders”-USM 45-47
M, Oct 12	Stratification	“Alienation”- USM 48-55 “Affluence in the Aftermath of Katrina”-USM 58-62
W, Oct 14	Stratification	Text pp 176-208
M, Oct 19	Stratification	Text pp 208-231	Essay 2 Due: Essay Assignment 7A. USM-62
W, Oct 21	Review Day Exam 2
M, Oct 26	EXAM 2
W, Oct 28	Race and Ethnicity	“Fences and Neighbors”- USM 64-70 Text pp 232-260
M, Nov 2	Gender and Sexuality	Text pp 260-288
W, Nov 4	Gender and Sexuality	“The Sanctity of Sunday Football”- USM-77-82 “Emulating Barbie”-USM- 94-96
M, Nov 9	Gender and Sexuality	Text pp 260-288	Essay 3 Due: Essay Assignment 9A. USM-76
W, Nov 11	Family	Text pp 310-330
M, Nov 16	Religion	Text pp 330-342
W, Nov 18	Review Day Exam 3
M, Nov 23	EXAM 3
W, Nov 25	No class Thanksgiving Holiday
M, Nov 30	Education and Health	“Savage Inequalities”-USM 105-112 Text 342-368	Essay 4 Due: Essay Assignment 11A. USM-103
W, Dec 2	Closing Statements/Review for Final Exam
W, Dec 9	Final Exam 1:30-4pm

Essay Assignments:

All Sociology 101 students are required to write approximately 2500 words outside of class. Your essay assignments were designed to meet these requirements. All essays should be 2.5-3 pages, and typed in 12 pt. font, Times New Roman (double spaced with 1 inch margins). The specific criteria for each paper can be found in your textbook (see chart above). All papers will be collected within the first 5 minutes of class. Papers turned in after the first five minutes of class will be considered late and 10 pts will be deducted from the assignment’s final grade. Papers must be received in person. Do not email assignments to me. Late papers will not be accepted so please plan ahead. A grading rubric for essays will be posted on the Facebook group.

Attendance:

Attendance is not required. However skipping class means you risk missing quizzes that cannot be made up. Excessive absences will also hurt your participation grade.

Extra Credit:

No extra credit will be given.

Exams:

All exams will be a mixture of multiple choice and short answer. You will need to bring a pencil and scantron on exam days. Make up exams will not be given. If, for extenuating reasons, you must miss an exam, you must notify me prior to the exam being administered. If you can provide the proper documentation (doctor’s excuse, etc.) then you can make up the points on your final exam. For example your final exam will be worth 370 points rather than 250. May I remind you again that your final will be comprehensive. I encourage you not to miss any exams.

Cell Phone Policy:

Please power off cell phones before entering class. Texting, twittering, etc. during class is a distraction to the instructor as well as those around you. Students caught using cell phones during class will have points taken off their final grade.

*I want this course to be an enjoyable experience for all of us. If you ever have any questions or concerns please feel free to see me after class, during office hours, or email me. If you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from completing assignments or coming to class Do Not wait until the last minute to approach me. I’m here to help, but I cannot do that if you wait until the week before finals to ask.