SOC 101-90NT
Introduction to Sociology
Summer 2017
Internet
Dr. Nicole Youngman
358E Fayard Hall
985-549-2006
[email protected]
Office hours:
by appointment
C. Wright Mills famously described sociology as the “intersection of biography and history.” All of
us are born into pre-existing cultures and social structures that are specific to the times and places
where we live, and as we grow up we have to learn how to negotiate them successfully in order to
become fully accepted members of our societies. The institutions in which we are embedded—
family, religion, economics, politics, health care, media and technology, education, and the like—
can be either harmful or helpful (or some of both) as we make decisions about how we want to live.
Not all of us are born into the same “social locations,” and differences among us such as race and
ethnicity, sex and gender, social class, age, disability, etc. can lead to very different life chances
and life outcomes depending on what resources we have available to us and how well we are able
to make use of them.
Sociologists are interested in studying the many ways in which social life is patterned—how and
why different groups of people with similar social locations tend to have similar cultural beliefs and
life experiences, and what kinds of consequences those beliefs and experiences can lead to. We
look at how and why there is so much inequality in our society, the ways in which belief systems
are acquired and transmitted, and what makes us take some aspects of our society for granted but
question the legitimacy of others. This kind of research requires taking a fresh look at our
everyday, familiar ways of being and thinking in the world; we must carefully gather empirical
evidence to help us learn more about the realities of the social world (and perhaps discard what is
considered “common knowledge” in the process), and use that data to create theoretical
explanations for what we have discovered.
This course is designed to introduce you to the “sociological perspective” and to help you
understand the basics of what kinds of research sociologists do, what we have learned in the
century and a half that the discipline has existed, and how that knowledge can be applied to “real
life” situations.
Course Objectives:
 Students will understand the concept of a “sociological perspective” and be able to apply
this perspective to everyday situations.
 Students will develop a greater awareness of and ability to think critically about the role
that cultural forces play in our personal lives and in the creation of larger social structures.
 Students will be able to make connections between things that happen in our personal
lives (micro-level) and the larger social forces that impact our lives (macro-level).
 Students will sharpen their analytical tools for recognizing and understanding the causes
and consequences of social inequalities in our society.
Required texts:
 Experience Sociology: Make the Familiar New by David Croteau and William Hoynes
 Introductory Sociology Reader complied by Rebecca Hensley and Russell Castro
What you need to know about grades, tests, and studying:
1) Your GRADE will be calculated as follows:
Weekly reading quizzes (average of all scores)
Tests (3 @ 15% each)
Final exam
30%
45%
25%
100%
Final grade scale: 90-100% = A; 80-89% = B, etc.
Please note that this class is NOT graded on a “points” system—quizzes and tests are weighted
differently, as indicated above. The reading quizzes are worth 30% of your grade, each test is
worth 15%, and the final exam is worth 35%.
2) The QUIZZES, TESTS, AND FINAL EXAM will consist of a combination of true/false, multiple
choice, and matching questions. The questions will appear in random order as you take the tests.
The final exam will be cumulative. I will give you study guides for each week’s readings so that you
will know what to focus on, and will also give you review guides for the midterm and final exams.
3) IMPORTANT QUIZ AND EXAM POLICIES:
 Do not flirt with the clock during tests. Each test will be available during a two-day window.
Once you begin, you will have a time limit of an hour for each test and two hours for the final
exam. If you run out of time and the test closes before you are done, you will receive credit
for the questions you have answered correctly, but otherwise you’re out of luck. Reading
quizzes will be available all week with no time limit, but will no longer be available after the
weeks in which they are listed.
 You are expected to plan your time around the test and exam dates and times. They
are not subject to change unless there is a campus-wide or regional emergency. You are
given this information well in advance—along with a two-day time period during which the
tests are available—and should schedule your time accordingly. (HINT: Use Google
Calendar or a similar app to help you keep track of all your test and due dates for all of your
classes.)
 If you do not have a fast enough or reliable enough internet connection at home, you
are expected to come to campus to take tests in a computer lab. Remember that most
of campus is closed on Friday afternoons.
 I will schedule a makeup test for you for full credit ONLY in cases where you or an
immediate family member has a genuine, documented severe illness or emergency. This
includes issues surrounding pregnancy and childbirth, military duties, and disaster-response
duties (i.e., if you are in the National Guard and get activated, or if you work in a hospital
during a regional emergency). Forgetting, sleeping late, family vacations or other social
events, computer problems, having difficulties with your work schedule, etc. are NOT valid
excuses for not taking tests during the time period allotted.
 If you miss a test without a valid reason as listed above, you will be given an opportunity to
make it up with a 20% off late penalty during our final exam period.
 I will NOT give makeups for the final exam except for valid emergencies as listed above.
4) EXCELLENT TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS are absolutely essential for doing well in online
courses. Each week’s materials will become available at the beginning of that week. It is your
responsibility to check our Moodle site every day to remain aware of what coursework is
required as the semester progresses. Understand that you must pace yourself, work
independently, and take personal responsibility for getting readings done (in your books and
online), watching the required videos, taking notes on what you read and watch, etc. If you’d like to
read ahead in the textbooks, you can use the course schedule below. Remember that Moodle
keeps a timestamped log of every single thing you do in this course, so I will be able to tell very
easily if and when you are accessing the course material.
5) IMPORTANT TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR MOODLE:
 Use Google Chrome. Our tech support people have determined that it works better
with Moodle than other browsers. If you don’t have it you can download it for free.
 Do NOT take tests via a wifi connection; use a direct-wired DSL or cable connection.
If you are working at home with a wifi connection, get an Ethernet cable (they’re cheap) and
plug your computer DIRECTLY into your router. Don’t even think about trying to take a test at
a coffee shop or someplace similar where the internet connection is likely to blip out
occasionally. Wifi normally has “hiccups” as the signal fluctuates. If this happens during a
test and you lose your connection you will have a big problem!!
6) Your FINAL GRADE in this class is in fact your final grade. It is NOT subject to negotiation after
the fact and you will NOT be given any opportunities to earn extra credit. I will only make
changes to your grade if you can clearly demonstrate that I have made a mistake in calculating the
grade. You are expected to monitor your grades on Moodle as the semester progresses and to
remain aware of how well (or not) you are doing in class at all times.
***I CANNOT HELP YOU WITH TECH SUPPORT.***
I am a sociologist, not an IT guru. If Moodle freezes up on you during a test, let me know right
away and tell me exactly what is happening; if you are having a legitimate technical problem I may
be able to reset the test for you. Otherwise, there is NOTHING I can do if you are having computer,
internet, or Moodle-related problems except wish you luck. Go to supportstudent support in the
menu at the top of your Moodle page, and contact the appropriate tech support personnel instead
as soon as a problem emerges—do NOT wait until the middle of a test to try and find help.
Class Policies: The Top 5
1) YOU WILL BE HELD TO THE SELU HONOR CODE. Instances of cheating or plagiarism will be
taken seriously and may result in an F for the assignment or exam in question, and/or other
disciplinary action.
2) IF YOU HAVE ANY CONDITIONS OR DISABILITIES that require special arrangements or
assistance, please advise me of them immediately so that we can make sure you are properly
accommodated throughout the semester. If you are a qualified student with a disability seeking
accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you are required to self-identify with
the Office of Disability Services, Room 117, Mims Hall. No accommodations will be granted without
documentation from the Office of Disability Services.
3) EMAIL IS THE BEST WAY TO CONTACT ME. I am rarely in the office during the summer. I’m
more than happy to answer questions, address concerns, etc. as they come up. (Do NOT wait to
tell me if you have a problem. I will NOT be able to help you fix issues at the last minute.)
4) IF WE HAVE A HURRICANE or other regional or campus-wide emergency, we will endeavor to
continue class on schedule (since we are already online anyway!), so if you are able, continue
following the syllabus and keeping up with the readings and tests as usual. I will make reasonable
accommodations for anyone who is directly impacted by a storm or other emergency (including
health care workers, those serving in the National Guard, etc. who may be called in or activated).
KEEP ME INFORMED of your situation should this occur.
5) CHECK YOUR SELU EMAIL AND OUR MOODLE SITE DAILY for reminders and
announcements.
General Email Policies:
1) As stated above, I am glad to answer questions or discuss anything related to class via email.
Feel free to send me any items you run across online that you think may be of interest to me or to
the class.
2) I will generally respond to emails within a couple of hours on weekday mornings and afternoons.
Please do NOT expect a quick response late at night or on weekends or holidays.
3) Please tell me which class and what section you are in when you write so that I’ll know what
you’ve been studying and will be able to easily find your information in my gradebook if necessary.
4) I will occasionally email links or articles of interest to the entire class via Moodle. Unless I
indicate otherwise, these are not “required” reading, but it will be to your advantage to pay attention
to them, as they will be sent with the intention of giving you additional background knowledge on
course materials or a heads-up regarding relevant current events.
Class Schedule:
Anything labeled “reader” is in the Introductory Sociology Reader; “ES” is the Experience Sociology
textbook. Please note that you will have a LOT of additional readings and/or videos posted on
Moodle each week that are NOT listed here. YOU WILL HAVE A TEST ABOUT EVERY TWO
WEEKS.
(Half) WEEK 1: May 31 – June 2
How are humans similar to other animals? What makes us different?
Readings: Charon, “What Does It Mean to Be Human?” (reader)
WEEK 2: June 5 – 9
What do sociologists study? How are private troubles connected to public issues?
Readings: ES Ch. 1 pp. 4-7 and 21-27
ES Ch. 2 pp. 32-39
Mills, “The Promise” (reader)
What is culture? How and why are cultures created and transmitted? Who decides and
enforces our cultural values?
Readings: ES Ch. 3, “Culture”
Miner, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” (reader)
***TEST 1***
WEEK 3: June 12 – 16
How much freedom do we really have to act on our own? In what ways does social structure
control and limit our individual behavior? How is the development of social structure related
to advances in modern technology?
Reading: ES Ch. 4, “Social Structure”
What does it mean to be powerful? How is empowerment different from domination? How is
power related to social inequality?
Readings: ES Ch. 5, “Power”
WEEK 4: June 19 – 23
How does socialization teach us how to survive in society? Who socializes us and why?
How is what kids are able to do and understand related to their age and to their stage of
development?
Readings: ES Ch. 6, “Socialization”
How do the groups and organizations in which we are all embedded influence our own
behavior? How do they influence our interactions with other people? Do people in our
society really think for themselves, or do we basically just do what we're told?
Readings: ES Ch. 7, “Interaction, Groups, and Organizations”
***TEST 2***
WEEK 5: June 26 – 30
Can we really improve our life circumstances strictly through our own efforts? How much
inequality do we really have in our society? What role should the government play in
ensuring that people’s basic needs are met?
Readings: ES Ch. 9, “Class and Global Inequality”
What roles do political parties and the military play in creating government power?
What do labels like "conservative" and "liberal" and "libertarian" really mean? Are we
really a purely capitalist society?
Reading: ES Ch. 16, “Politics and the Economy”
WEEK 6: July 3 – 7
How does our education system work (or not)? What are its true goals? Why do we have so
much inequality in the American education system? What are the consequences of this
inequality, particularly in terms of employment opportunities?
Readings: ES Ch. 13, “Education and Work”
Mutari and Lakew, “Class Conflict” (reader)
Kozol, “Savage Inequalities” (reader)
***TEST 3***
WEEK 7: July 10 – 14
Do “races” really exist or did we just make them up? How is ethnicity different from race,
and where do they overlap?
Readings: ES Ch. 10, “Race and Ethnicity”
What is the difference between sex and gender, and why is this difference so important to
understand? Why do we still have so much violence against women in our culture? To what
extent have things improved for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people?
Readings: ES Ch. 11, “Gender and Sexuality”
WEEK 8: July 17 – 20
What effects do our families have on our lives and our relationships? Is there any
such thing as a "normal" family? Does a family have to be structured a certain way to
be loving and functional?
Readings: ES Ch. 12, “Family and Religion,” pp. 316-329
How are social inequalities influenced by the power and content of our modern media? How
do media portrayals (or lack thereof) of different kinds of people influence our culture and
our consumption patterns, and vice versa?
Readings: ES Ch. 14, Media and Consumption
******FINAL EXAM: Mon. 7/24 – Tues. 7/25*****