FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY

Sociological Perspectives (formerly known as Introduction to Sociology )

SYG 1000 – 003 CRN 84752Fall 2011

Tues and Thurs 9:30-10:50amSO 250

Instructor: Dr. Gina Carreño-Lukasik Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 12:30-1:45pm, 5-6:30pm,and by appointment

Office: CU 267 Phone: (561) 297-1218

Email: gcarreno@fau.edu

Course Description:Welcome to sociology, an exciting way of viewing our world! We all participate in something bigger than ourselves – our individual experiences simultaneously affect and are affected by groups and institutions. Put simply, sociology is the study of human behavior in social context. What distinguishes sociology from other social sciences like psychology is its unique focus on how human beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors are being influenced and shaped by larger social structures and institutions that are themselves constantly reshaped by our actions. In this course we will examine what it means to “think sociologically,” to explore the reciprocal relationship between the individual and society.

Course Objectives:The objective of this course is to introduce students to the sociological perspective, the unique way of understanding that attributes our individual experiences to forces of the larger society (i.e., to the shared understanding and experiences of groups in distinct cultural, institutional, and political contexts). Another objective of this course is to give students the conceptual and methodological tools with which they can critically examine the issues and problems related to our culture, socialization, family, and social inequality, as well as crime, political power and others.

As in any course, I hope that you will leave this class having learned some specific content. In this course, we will examine sociological concepts, theories, and methods. We also will explore issues of diversity and inequality linked to gender, sexuality, race-ethnicity, social class, age, and disability. In addition to considering specific content, however, I hope that this course helps you to think and write more critically. I urge you to question everything, and never to take “the way things are” for granted. I hope that the sociological perspective will show you that change is always possible.

Course Procedures:People learn by discussing issues and sharing ideas. Therefore, I have an informal, interactive style of lecturing in which I urge you to ask questions and share your opinions. Class sessions will consist of lectures, videos, and group discussions. Often my lectures will cover material not discussed in the textbook or reader, but you are still responsible for this material. I expect everyone to attend class having read the assignment indicated on the syllabus, from the textbook as well as the reader.

In this course I will be posting announcements, lecture outlines, and exam study guides onto Blackboard. You may access these sources by going online to http://blackboard.fau.edu and clicking on our course, Sociological Perspectives. I suggest that you print out the lecture outlines and bring them to class so you can follow along during the lecture. If you have any questions about using Blackboard, please don’t hesitate to ask me.

Course Requirements:1) There will be three exams: exam 1 is worth 25% of your grade, exam 2 is worth

35% of your grade, and exam 3 is worth 30% of your grade. Each exam consists of multiple choice questions covering material from lectures, videos, the textbook, the reader, and group discussions. I will post a study guide onto Blackboard prior to each exam. If you miss an exam, you may schedule a make-up only after you provide a physician’s note or documentation of emergency. Without proper documentation, you will receive a grade of zero for the missed exam.

2) Class attendance and participation is worth 10% of your grade. I will take attendance randomly throughout the semester. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get the notes from a student in the class; I will not hand out my own lecture notes. Your attendance grade will come from you attending regularly. You are allowed one unexcused absence with no grade penalty. For each additional unexcused absence, your attendance grade will drop one letter. For example, if you miss two unexcused absences total, your attendance grade is a “B,” and so on.

Grading:I calculate course grades on a 100-point scale. These grades translate to the following letter scale:

93% - 100% = A 77 – 79 = C+ 60 – 62 = D-90 – 92 = A- 73 – 76 = C Below 60% = F87 – 89 = B+ 70 – 72 = C-83 – 86 = B 67 – 69 = D+80 – 82 = B- 63 – 66 = DAlthough it is not my standard policy, I reserve the right to curve the final class grade.

Office Hours and Assistance:I encourage you to come to my office hours to discuss any problems, questions, or suggestions related to the class or to your progress. If you cannot make my office hours, please let me know and we can make an appointment to talk. Please let me know immediately if you are registered with the Office for Students with Disabilities, (561-297-3800) so that we can work together to make any necessary accommodations.

Honor Code:I expect all students to complete their work honestly and independently. Failure to do so will result in an “F” for the course.

Syllabus Changes:I reserve the right to make changes in the syllabus as deemed necessary. I will announce these changes during class meetings, as well as post these announcements onto Blackboard.

Required Reading:There are two required books for this course:

The textbook for this course is:Giddens, Anthony, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P. Appelbaum, and Deborah Carr. Introduction to Sociology. 7th edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc.

The reader for this course is: Goodwin, Jeff and James M. Jasper. eds. 2008. The Contexts Reader. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc.

These books are available at the FAU Bookstore as well as at Booksmart. Please note that if you wish you may purchase an electronic version of the textbook (cheaper!), also available by going to the FAU Bookstore.

Please come to class having done the reading(s) assigned for that day, because I will be lecturing on that material.

Course Outline:

Tues Aug.23 Who is Gina and what will happen in this course?

Thurs Aug.25 textbook: Ch.1 Sociological Perspective

Tues Aug.30 textbook: Ch.1 Sociological Perspective

Thurs Sept.1 textbook: Ch.2 Research Methods

Tues Sept.6 textbook: Ch.2 Research Methodsreader: #66 “The Promise and Pitfalls of Going

into the Field”

Thurs Sept.8 textbook: Ch.3 Culture

Tues Sept.13 textbook: Ch.3 Culturereader: #17 “Roll Over Beethoven, There’s a

New Way to Be Cool”

Thurs Sept.15 textbook: Ch.3 Culture

Tues Sept.20 textbook: Ch.4 Socialization

Thurs Sept.22 textbook: Ch.4 Socializationreader: #19 “Do Media Monsters Devour

Diversity?”

Tues Sept.27 textbook: Ch.6 Groups and Organizations

Thurs Sept.29 Exam 1 (textbook Ch.1, 2, 3, 4 and reader #66, 17, 19)

Tues Oct.4 textbook: Ch.6 Groups and Organizationsreader: #4 “Connecting Communities: On and

Offline”

Thurs Oct.6 textbook: Ch.7 Deviance

Tues Oct.11 textbook: Ch.7 Deviance

Thurs Oct.13 textbook: Ch.7 Deviancereader: #51 “Beyond Crime and Punishment:

Prisons and Inequality”

Tues Oct.18 textbook: Ch.8 Stratification

Thurs Oct.20 textbook: Ch.8 Stratification

Tues Oct.25 textbook: Ch.8 Stratificationreader: #8 “Caring for Our Young: Child Care

in Europe and the United States”

Thurs Oct.27 textbook: Ch.11 Race-ethnicity

Tues Nov.1 textbook: Ch.11 Race-ethnicity

reader: #39 “Are Asian Americans Becoming ‘White’?’

Thurs Nov.3 textbook: Ch.10 Gender

Tues Nov.8 textbook: Ch.10 Gender

Thurs Nov.10 Exam 2 (textbook Ch.6, 7, 8, part of 11 and reader #4, 51, 8, and 39)

Tues Nov.15 textbook: Ch.10 Genderreader: #32 “The Sanctity of Sunday Football:

Why Men Love Sports”

Thurs Nov.17 textbook: no reading Sexual Orientation

Tues Nov.22 textbook: no reading Sexual Orientationreader: #34 “Learning from Drag Queens”

Thurs Nov.24 Holiday

Tues Nov.29 TA Presentation;Exam 3 review

Thurs Dec 1 @ 8am: Exam 3 (textbook part of Ch.11, plus Ch.10, Sexual Orientation, Ch.12, and reader #32 and 34)