Sociological Theory SOC 482 |
Instructor: Dr. Dana Fennell e-mail: Dana.Fennell@usm.edu |
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Fall 2009 CH 103 T/Th 1:00pm-2:15pm H001 12646 |
Office: LAB 441 Phone #: 266-5355 (better to e-mail) Office Hours: T/Th
10:00am-11:00am; 2:30pm-3:00pm or by appointment |
Course Description and Objectives: This course provides an overview of sociological theory. You will
*learn about prominent classical and contemporary theorists and their perspectives,
*understand how to apply these concepts and perspectives to current social life,
*develop your writing skills as this is a writing intensive class.
Course Materials:
Required Books:
Allan, Kenneth.
2007. The Social Lens.
Farganis, James.
2008.
Additional
Online: I set up a
facebook group (http://www.facebook.com) called “theory” for this class in
order to keep you updated, provide you with test reviews, and allow you to
discuss class topics. The group is part
of the Southern Miss network so to gain access you need to be part of the
Southern Miss network.
Classroom
Environment:
Learning is an interactive experience, and I expect everyone to participate actively in class discussions and activities. Everyone will not always agree, but the classroom environment must remain one of respect. Not following this policy will lead to points being taken from your final grade. We will be covering some sensitive topics so if you ever feel uncomfortable discussing a particular topic for any reason, please leave the room and meet with me later.
Notes: Policies on Academic Honesty and support for students with disabilities are located in your textbook.
*If a student has a disability
that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires
accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations
(ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by
Address:
The
Office
for Disability Accommodations
Voice
Telephone: (601) 266-5024 or (228)
214-3232 Fax: (601) 266-6035
Individuals with hearing impairments can contact ODA using the
Service at 1-800-582-2233 (TTY) or email Suzy Hebert at Suzanne.Hebert@usm.edu.
Tentative Schedule:
Date |
Topic |
Assignment
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Aug 20 (Th) |
Introduction |
Allan xix-xxii, 1-3; Farganis 1-19 |
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Aug 25 (T) |
Overview |
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Aug 27 (Th) |
Comte & Spencer Parsons and Merton |
Allan 167-172, 175-177, 197-207 |
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Sept 1 (T) |
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Sept 3 (Th) |
Durkheim |
Allan 71-102; Farganis 55-80 |
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Sept 8 (T) |
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Sept 10 (Th) |
Gilman |
Allan 137-151 |
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Sept 15 (T) |
Marx, World Systems Theory |
Allan 9-38; Farganis 23-53 Allan 431-451 |
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Sept 17 (Th) |
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Sept 22 (T) |
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Sept 24 (Th) |
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Sept 29 (T) |
Test 1 |
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Oct 1 (Th) |
Weber |
Allan 41-68; Farganis 81-115 |
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Oct 6 (T) |
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Oct 8 (Th) |
No Class: Fall
Break |
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Oct 13 (T) |
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Oct 15 (Th) |
Mead & Blumer |
Allan 105-135; Farganis 133-143 Allan 301-315; Farganis 331-341 |
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Oct 20 (T) |
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Oct 22 (Th) |
Goffman |
Allan 315-328; Farganis 341-350 |
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Oct 27 (T) |
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Oct 29 (Th) |
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Nov 3 (T) |
Test 2 |
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Nov 5 (Th) |
DuBois, Smith, Collins |
Allan 151-165; Farganis 145-156 Allan 471-489, 501-516; Farganis 363-383 |
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Nov 10 (T) |
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Nov 12 (Th) |
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Nov 17 (T) |
Foucault and
Baudrillard |
Allan 519-567; Farganis 415-426 |
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Nov 19 (Th) |
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Nov 24 (T) |
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Nov 26 (Th) |
No Class: |
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Dec 1 (T) |
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Dec 3 (Th) |
Last Day of Class/ Test 3 |
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Dec 10 (Thursday) 1:30pm-4:00pm |
Exam Week Group Presentations Due |
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* This syllabus is not set in stone, nor does it provide all the details of each assignment. I reserve the right to modify this syllabus at any time.
Grading and
Assignments*:
Exams (3): 13% each
Journal: 19%
Papers (3): 10% each
Presentation: 12%
*If you miss a test or other assignment for a documented reason, please contact me within a week by e-mail. These exceptional situations will be handled on an individual basis.
Exams: There are three exams. Each is worth 13% of your final grade.
General Journal and Paper Guidelines: This is a writing intensive course so you need to write 3 papers (each 4-5 pages each) in addition to a journal (4 entries of 1.5-2 pages each).
All papers and journals must be typed, double-spaced, and in 12 point Times New Roman font. You must write complete pages to get full credit (works cited does not count towards assignment length). You should use a word processing program to check for obvious grammatical mistakes. I take off for grammar, especially when mistakes impede your meaning. Also, do not use wikipedia or wiki-products as sources in your papers. Papers need to be turned in as hard copies during the first 10 minutes of class, or else they are considered late. If your paper is turned in late but the day the assignment is due, 20 points will be taken off your paper. If your paper is turned in on a day after the due date, I will not accept it. Plagiarism occurs when you directly quote or paraphrase a source and do not cite. If you are referencing classroom texts, you still must cite. For more information, see the last page of your syllabus. If you are not sure what plagiarism is, please meet with me. If you plagiarize, disciplinary action will follow.
Journal: In order to grasp theory, it is important to reflect on the readings, critique them, and try to understand how they are relevant to today’s society. Each week you can turn in a journal entry. By the end of the semester you need to have written 4 entries, each entry 1.5-2 pages. In these entries, provide your reflections on the readings for the current week (do not write about readings from earlier in the semester). More specifically, for each entry I want you to do more than repeat what the theorist said. I want you to be critical. I want to see you critique and reflect upon the theory. Further, I want you to spend the bulk of the entry applying the theory, using it to analyze some part of the current society around you.
Short Paper Assignments: Please choose 3 of the following paper topics. Each paper should be 4-5 pages, and have any sources cited appropriately.
*Marx Due Sept 22 In this paper, focus on Marx and his critique of capitalism, especially the idea of alienation. After briefly explaining these key concepts, explain whether you feel his ideas apply to workers today in our global postindustrial society. Finally, as part of this, imagine you were running a company….would any of Marx’s ideas shape how you run the company?
* Dramaturgy Due Oct 29 In this paper I want you to take a look at and see a social setting you are a part of (or used to be a part of) in a new light. Do this by examining and analyzing a particular social setting employing concepts borrowed from Goffman.
* Film Analysis Due by Nov 12 In this paper, pick any film of your choice and analyze it using theoretical concepts you learned in the class.
* Standpoint Due Nov 17 In class you’re reading about DuBois and Smith’s standpoint theory. Explain what standpoint theory means, and then think of a particular group you belong to. Discuss whether you feel like you have a particular “standpoint.” If so, go on to explain how research should be conducted in order to tap into and understand your standpoint.
* Book Report Due by Nov 24 For this paper, read an article (or chapter out of a book) by any sociological theorist we are not focusing on in class. Note for this paper you will need to go outside of your class textbooks and find a source yourself. Discuss the main thesis of the article, key theoretical concepts employed, and how this theorist compares to other theorists that were discussed in class.
*Generating Theory Due Nov 24 Now that you’ve read the ideas of so many theorists, in this paper develop your own theory. Possible things to discuss are what sociology is and why sociology is important, how research should be conducted (empirically, inductive, deductive), and what some of your key concepts and theoretical propositions are.
*Create Your Own Idea due by Sept 29 and date of completion to be negotiated. Create your own paper topic and get it approved by me.
Presentation: This presentation is a group presentation. Each group should consist of 2-3 people and the presentation should last 10-15 minutes. The goal of this project is to show the relevance of theory to contemporary issues in society. Each group can pick any theorist or theoretical paradigm of their choice. Your presentation can be as creative as you like, including a game or a video and so on.
Attendance and Participation: Classroom attendance and active participation in class is vital. You are expected to be in class to talk about the readings and papers and if you are not, this will affect your grade negatively (I will take points off your final grade).
Plagiarism
Plagiarism occurs when you do not appropriately give credit to others for
their ideas. You must appropriately cite
and reference your sources in order to avoid this. Unless material is common knowledge, or you
are documenting your own thoughts and ideas, you must cite your sources. Plagiarism can happen in a number of
ways. You are plagiarizing if you are:
1.) paraphrasing material from a source and not giving credit to the source, 2.)
directly quoting a source and not giving credit to the source, or 3.) directly
quoting from a source and not using quotation marks (even though you may be
giving credit to the source). For this class, you must always mention
your sources in the text of your paper (a parenthetical reference) and create a
works cited page. You must even quote
definitions from the book and readings.
For example:
*If directly quoting: A “dominant group is one that is advantaged and has superior resources and rights in a society” (Kendall and Miller 2007:314). Or:
According to Kendall and Miller, a “dominant group is one that is advantaged and has superior resources and rights in a society” (2007:314).
*If paraphrasing: According to Kendall and Miller (2007), the terms advantaged and disadvantaged are used by sociologists to emphasize the importance of power relations versus group size to patterns of discrimination; a subordinate group may be larger in size than the dominant group, yet still have less power in society.
For your works cited make sure you include the author(s)’
name(s), year of publication, title, city of publication and publisher’s
name. Ex. Kendall, Diana, and Amy
Chasteen Miller. 2007. Understanding
Society. Mason: Thomson
If it is a journal article, make sure you include not only the title of the article but also the title of the journal.