Soc 122 Introduction to Sociology
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SOC 122: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Johnson County Community College

Liberal Arts Division; Fall 2004

CRN xxxxx Section xxx; CLB 412; 9:00 – 9:50 a.m.; MWF; 3 credit hours
CRN xxxxx Section xxx; YYY YYY;

 

I. Professor: Dr. Betty Bullock

Office: CLB 428

Hours: MWF 8:30 -9:00 a.m.; MWF 2:00 – 2:30 p.m.;
TR 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.; Anytime by appointment.

Phone: Office: 469-8500, ext 4280

Home: 785/594-2610 Please, no calls after 9:00 p.m.

E-mail: bbullock@jccc.net

 

II.  Course Objectives

To become familiar with the discipline of sociology, its terminology, tools, and methods.

To be able to look clearly and objectively at society and at the same time to be able to analyze societal happenings with sociological understanding.

To be able to understand you and your place in society as well as to be able to understand your neighbors and their place in society.

To provide a foundation from which you will be able to apply what has been learned for the purpose of directing social change.

 

III.  Text: Sociology: The Core. Michael Hughes, Carolyn J. Kroehler, James W. Vander Zanden. 6th edition. 2002. Boston: McGraw Hill.

 

IV.  Attendance:

Each class will build on the work of the previous sessions. Therefore, it is in your best interest to be present at all class sessions. I expect you to be present at all class sessions. Absences in excess of six may result in a failing grade. Good attendance gets the benefit of the doubt.

 

V.  Course Requirements:

1. Five examinations/evaluations.

2. Extemporaneous in-class and take home writing assignments.

3. Two page book exegesis. DUE: XX November (5 extra credit points by X Nov.)

This is not a book review. Address such questions as: what theoretical perspective does the author use; does the author employ the sociological imagination; what sociological concepts or theories did you see applied in the book; what is the significance of the title; was this book difficult, easy to read, why?; was it believable, why?; was it sociological, how?

VI.  Deadlines and Examination Dates

No exams will be given early. In order to make up an exam, courtesy and credibility dictate that you inform me in advance if you are unable to take a scheduled exam. If you experience an illness or emergency, please call or have someone else call within 24 hours of the exam. No make-up exams will be given without the above 24-hour notification.

All make-up exams will be essay and must be taken before the next exam is given. It will be your responsibility to notify me in advance before the exam will be placed in the Testing Center, 334 Student Center. Make-up exams taken in the Testing Center may not enjoy the same benefits as those in class.

The third exam will be a take-home exam. In order to take the exam under these special circumstances, you must be present the day the exam is passed out and you may have missed only one class period in the semester.

All papers will be typed. Spelling, punctuation, grammar…do count! Late work will be dropped ten percentage points.

All work for the semester, including make-up exams, must be completed by 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 8 December. NOTHING will be accepted after that time.

VII.  Grading:

Final grades will be based on the total number of points accrued during the semester. Bring me written proof that you donated a pint of blood or attempted to give blood and you will receive 10 extra points. (If this practice is counter to your religious principles, please see me for alternatives.)

Grades will be based on the following percentages:

100 – 92 % A

91 – 82 % B

81 – 72 % C

71 – 65 % D

Below 65% F

Withdrawal from the course without receiving a W can be done anytime before 17 September. The last day to drop this course and receive a W is 17 November.

 

VIII.  Grading System: Each student may choose between two different evaluation systems. Once the choice of system is made, you must remain with that system throughout the semester. There will be no change in choices. Your choice must be made by 5 September. Both systems are characterized by application not memorization. The final exam will not be comprehensive. Study guides will be available for all exams.

A. Objective Exam System. This system is composed of four objective exams to be given on the weeks indicated in the course outline. Questions will include: true/false, multiple choice, and matching. One exam will be a take-home exam.

B. Essay Exam System. This system is composed of four essay exams. The essay questions will be both short answer and extended answer and will look for an understanding of and application of the concepts and definitions as well as original examples. There will generally be some choice of questions. One exam will be a take-home exam.

 

IX. Great Expectations:

It is everyone’s responsibility to get as much as you can from this class. Therefore, when you are in class, please be present 100%!

Please arrive on time. Please stay for the entire class. I will dismiss class in plenty of time for you to get to your next class. Opening and closing of the door during class is very disruptive and rude as is whispering to friends during class.

Please use the restroom , fill water bottles, …before, not during, class. Schedule appointments before and after class times, not during. And, please inform me of any extenuating circumstances you may have with regard to these expectations.

Please turn off any telephones or pagers before class begins. If your phone rings during class, you get to bring treats for everyone to the next class.

When in doubt, ask!!!

 

X. Miscellaneous Information:

This course may be taken for Honors. Please see me if you are interested.

If weather conditions or any emergency dictate the cancellation of class on the day of a scheduled exam, be prepared to take the exam during the next regular class period.

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him/her from fully demonstrating his/her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible to discuss accommodations necessary to complete the course requirements.

JCCC provides a range of services to allow persons with disabilities to participate in educational programs and activities. If you desire support services, contact Access Services for Students with Disabilities 469-8500, ext. 3521, or TTY 469-3885.

 

 

Course Outline:

Week of Reading Assignment Topic
  none Syllabus;  Get Acquainted
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 

LAST DAY OF CLASS, MONDAY, 8 DECEMBER

FINALS PREPARATION DAY - WEDNESDAY, 10 DECEMBER, NO CLASSES

ALL FINALS BEGIN THURSDAY, 11 DECEMBER

(Do not follow your regular class schedule for finals week.)

 

9:00 CLASS FINAL: 9:00 – 10:50 A.M., FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER

 

 

EXEGESIS

 

1. Choose a book from the list at the back of your syllabus. OR Choose a book you really want to read (or have to read for another class). If you choose a book not on the list, please check the title with me before proceeding.

Write a two-page exegesis of the book you read. An exegesis is a critical analysis of a book. It is not a book review. The primary question to answer is, How is this book sociological? To get the answer to that question, answer the following question:

Specifically, what sociological concepts did you see illustrated in this book? For example: In The Lord of the Flies, I saw resocialization when the boys had to create new rules for how they would live on the island. Ralph’s group did…. Jack’s group did…. Underline the concept you are describing. In this example, "resocialization" would be underlined. Include at least TEN concepts or theories from your book and/or class, and brief support from the book to illustrate the concept.

Other questions you might ask include:

a. What theoretical perspective (functionalism, conflict, symbolic interaction) did the author and/or the characters employ?

Did the author and/or characters use their sociological imagination?

What is the significance of the title?

Was the book difficult/easy to read?

The format should look something like this. The first paragraph (three sentences, at least) will be a very brief summary of the book. Include the title and author. The second paragraph can begin with "I saw the following sociological concepts."

The division of the paper into paragraphs should be based on concepts that are related to one another. Do divide the paper into paragraphs. You do not need a transition sentence between paragraphs.

Use the Writing Center to help with spelling, punctuation, grammar….It counts for 10 percent of the grade. They will not proofread, but they will help you with the rules. If you did not write an exegesis but a book review, you will have the opportunity to rewrite based on my suggestions.

 

The Republic – Plato

The City of God – St. Augustine

Black Like Me – John Howard Griffin

Death at an Early Age – Jonathan Kozal

Rachel and Her Children – Jonathan Kozal

Manchild in the Promised Land – Claude Brown

The American Dilemma – Gunnar Myrdal

The Two-Career Family – Lynda Holmstrom

The Second Shift – Arlie Hochschild

The Managed Heart – Arlie Hochschild

The Soul of a New Machine – Tracy Kidder

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee – Dee Brown

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kessey

Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck

The Hidden Dimension – Edward T. Hall

The Silent language – Edward T. Hall

The Dance of Life – Edward T. Hall

And the Band Played On – Randy Shilts

The Walking Wounded – Beverly Barbo

Sexual Preference – Bell, Weinberg & Hammersmith

A Short History of North American Indians – Edward Spicer

Cry the Beloved country – Alan Paton

The Jungle – Upton Sinclair

Working – Studs Terkel

Will the Circle Be Unbroken? - Studs Terkel

The Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison

The Mother Machine – Gena Corea

Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

The Feminine Mystique – Betty Friedan

The Second Sex – Simone de Beauvoir

Street Corner society - William Foote Whyte

Talley’s Corner – Elliot Liebow

Men and Women of the Corporation – Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Asylums – Erving Goffman

Madwives – Carol A. B. Warren

Living and Dying at Murray Manor – J. Gubrium

Doomsday Cult – Jon Lofland

The Crime of Punishment - Karl Menninger

Soul on Ice – Eldridge cleaver

On Death an Dying – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

The Obsession – Kim Chernin

The Cancer Journals – Audre Lorde

50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth

World Hunger – Frances Lappe

Blaming the Victim – William Ryan

The Best Little Boy in the World – John Reed

A Death in the Family – James Agee

Sister Carrie – Theodore Dreiser

Silent Spring – Rachel Carson

Unsafe at Any Speed – Ralph Nader

The Savage God –A. Alvarez

The Lost Weekend – Charles Jackson

The Man With the Golden Arm - Nelson Algren

In a Different Voice – Carol Gilligan

Coming of Age in Mississippi – Ann Moody

Alley Life in Washington – James Borchert

The Color Purple – Alice Walker

Iron John – Robert Bly

Non-violent Resistance – M. K. Gandhi

Know Woman - Irene Claremont de Castillejo

The Unopposite Sex – Badinter

Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut

Tuesdays With Morrie – Mitch Albom

Who’s Running America? – Thomas Dye

The Powers That Be – William Domhoff

The Coming of Age – Simone de Beauvoir

A Clockwork Orange – Anthony Burgess

Lord of the Flies – William Golding

Animal Farm – George Orwell

Out on a Limb – Shirley MacLaine

The Way Things Ought To Be – Rush Limbaugh

July’s People – Nadine Gordamer

To Kill a Mocking Bird – Harper Lee

Slim’s Table – Mitch Duneier

Sidewalk – Mitch Duneier

The Altruistic Personality – Samuel and Pearl Oliner

A Time to Lose – Paul Wilson

Nickel and Dimed – Barbara Ehrenrich

The MacDonaldization of Society – George Ritzer

The Price of Motherhood – Ann Crittenden

John Grisham’s works

Toni Morrison’s works

Stephen King’s works

John Irving’s works