Socialization Over the Life Course
Marsteller Kowalewski
Weber State University
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Sociology 4120
Socialization over the Life Course
TTh 10:30 – 11:45 AM
Rm. SS44
Fall 2010
http://faculty.weber.edu/bkowalewski
Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski
SS 126
Office hrs TTh 9:30 - 10:30 AM
and by appointment
801-626-7893
bkowalewski@weber.edu
Course Objectives
Learn and understand the Life Course Perspective and be able to utilize it to understand human
behavior.
Acquaint students with sociological theories of socialization and provide opportunities for students to
use these theories to understand individuals’ experiences at different stages in the life course.
Provide an introduction to the various stages of the life course and the processes of socialization and
resocialization which occur during these stages.
Investigate the different socializing agents shaping individuals throughout the life course as well as the
individual’s participation in their own socialization.
To be mindful of gender, race and social class differences in the socialization process.
Provide students an opportunity to employ their sociological imaginations in a “real world” setting via a
service-learning project.
 Observe and analyze the lifelong socialization process in local community organizations
 Analyze the lifelong socialization process using different socialization theories and applying
them to observations of socialization in the “real world”
 Analyze the function and purpose of socializing agents in today’s society, such as the
organizations in which students are serving (pre-schools, youth development and after school
programs, adult programs and hospice).
 Explore how our social environment, social institutions, groups and networks influence and
shape human behavior through the life course.
 Determine how to best contribute to solutions to the social issues addressed in local
community organizations serving populations at early and late stages of the life course.
 Learn, better understand and further develop a sense of social responsibility and prosocial
behavior.
Required Text: Clausen, John A. (1986). The Life Course: A Sociological Perspective. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Shanahan, M. and Macmillan, R. (2008). Biography and the Sociological Imagination:
Contexts and Contingencies. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
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Socialization Over the Life Course
Marsteller Kowalewski
Note to Students with Special Needs:
Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact Services for
Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student Service Center. SSD can also arrange to
provide course materials (including this syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary.
Course Evaluations
The evaluation for this course will be based on successful completion of the Preparing to Serve: Online
Training Modules, three in-class reflection exercises, four written assignments, and an oral
presentation. Class attendance and participation will be taken into consideration and will be especially
influential when a student has a borderline grade.
You are expected to turn in assignments on or prior to the due date. Late assignments will be
accepted only if: (1) I am notified in advance (in person, by phone at my office 801-626-7893, or by
leaving a message in the main sociology/anthropology office 801-626-6241); and (2) your reason is
valid, (i.e., you are sick, in an accident, there was a death in the family, etc.).
Extra Credit
There will be NO extra credit assignments in this class.
Grades
Successful completion of Preparing to
Serve: Online Training Modules
3 in-class reflection exercises (15 points each)
Discovering Your Service Site Assignment
Socialization Theories Assignment
Stages of the Life Course Analysis Assignment
Biographies Assignment
Service-Learning Presentation
40 points
45 points
30 points
50 points
30 points
75 points
30 points
------------------------Total 300 points
The final grades will be determined as follows:
270 - 300 = A- to A
240 - 269 = B- to B+
210 - 239 = C- to C+
180 - 209 = D- to D+
below 180 = E
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Marsteller Kowalewski
Service-Learning Project
This assignment requires that you commit yourself to:
a) serving at least 25 hours at a community organization (see list from instructor)
b) recording in the CIC the completion of at least 25 hours of service;
c) completing the Preparing to Serve: Online Training Modules - You must successfully
complete the following 4 modules: Professionalism, Ethics, Cultural Sensitivity and Mentoring;
d) completing 4 reflection papers (dates listed on the course schedule);
e) completing in-class reflection assignments (dates listed on the course schedule);
and
f) preparing and orally presenting your service-learning experience to the class and community
partners at the end of the semester.
This project is woven into every assignment in this course so you should be very thoughtful about your
choice of project and your service-learning assignments. All components of the service-learning project
must be typed. The following outlines the requirements for this assignment.
A. Hours and Service-Learning Site and Contract
1. Hours
This assignment requires that you commit yourself to work at least 25 hours at
the community organization over the course of the semester. Your hours must
be spread over the course of the semester. Thus, you can NOT do all 25 hours in
just one or two weeks, nor all at one time. Additionally, you must complete the
minimum 25 hour requirement to be eligible for full credit on all servicelearning related assignments and exercises. If you only complete 50% of the
minimum required hours, you are only eligible to achieve 50% of the total
points associated with the service-learning assignments for this course.
Serving more than a total of 25 hours is always encouraged and welcomed.
2. Service-Learning Site
You will be engaged in a service project for one of several organizations (see list
provided by instructor).
3. Service-Learning Contract
Each student is required to complete a service-learning contract with their
agency. You can obtain a copy of this document from the course web page by
using the service-learning link. This contract will need to be signed by both the
student and the site supervisor and must be on file in your professor’s office in
order to receive a grade in this course. Signed contracts are due at the same
time as the first service-learning paper described below.
B. Register with WSU’s Community Involvement Center and Record Service Hours
First, you must register as a Service-Learning Student with WSU’s Community
Involvement Center. Do this by going to: http://weber.edu/CommunityInvolvement
and click on “Register” in the menu labeled “Students.” Once you successfully register,
the Center will set up a file for you in their database to track your service hours.
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Note: This will be beneficial to you for this class but also for future employment
and/or graduate school admission. The center will record your service hours for
the duration of your college career and can submit a letter verifying the service
you’ve completed in the community to future employers and/or graduate
programs upon your request.
In addition to registering, you are required to complete an Informed Consent
Agreement in order to begin your service-learning with community partners. This
document can also be accessed at the CIC’s website, in the menu labeled “Students.”
Please print off and complete this form with the requested information; return it to the
CIC office, SU 327.
Finally, you will record your hours at Youth Impact, OWCAP, and Cottages of Hope via
the Community Involvement Center’s Service Hour Tracking System every time you
serve. Use the touch screen monitor located at these organizations to check-in and
check-out each time you are there doing your service-learning project.
If you choose to do your service at a Hospice, then your hours will need to be recorded
on the Community Involvement Center time logs which can be obtained online at:
www.weber.edu/CommunityInvolvement. Go to “Record Your Service Hours” link in
the student menu on this page to download and print the time log. Once your record
your hours on the log, have your site supervisor sign it verifying your hours of service in
their organization and turn in to the Community Involvement Center, room 327 in the
Shepherd Union building.
Your hours of service will be reported to me at three different times during the
semester. If you do not record your hours of service, you will not receive credit for the
service-learning project assignments. All hours must be complete and recorded no
later than November 29th.
C. Preparing to Serve: Online Training Modules
Due: Sept 9
The Community Involvement Center has online training modules available to help
students prepare for their service-learning experience. We are going to utilize these
modules this semester.
The modules can be completed online at:
http://www.weber.edu/CommunityInvolvement/Preparing_To_Serve.html
You must successfully complete the following 4 online training modules:
Professionalism, Ethics, Cultural Sensitivity and Mentoring. Once you have successfully
completed the modules, you must give me a copy of the 4 certificates of completion
that accompany each module.
D. Reflection Papers
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Marsteller Kowalewski
You are required to complete a total of 4 reflection papers over the course of the
semester. These papers are designed to help you apply your sociological knowledge
about the socialization process over the life course to the everyday life experiences you
are having in the assigned service-learning project. Answer the questions thoroughly
and thoughtfully. Do not include in your reflection papers the real names of the people
with whom you are interacting. Protecting the anonymity of the agency’s clients is
professional and ethical; I am expecting you to be both.
Reflection Paper #1 – Discovering Your Service Site and How it Connects to Studying
Socialization Over the Life Course
2-3 pages
Due: Sept 9
This paper requires you to answer a series of questions regarding the agency and your
job within it. In order to answer some of the assigned questions, you will need to attend
an official orientation session at your community organization. You may also need to
“interview” your site supervisor or some other site administrator/staff member(s) to
get more clarification and details on your specific project. Answer the questions as
thoughtfully and thoroughly as you can and support your answers with observations
from your field notes.
a. About the Agency
•
What are the goals or objectives of the organization?
•
How long has the agency been operating?
•
Who does the agency serve?
•
How many volunteers serve the organization?
•
What is the structure of the agency?
•
How is it funded?
•
How does the agency interact with the surrounding community?
•
Who benefits from what this organization does? Is anyone harmed
by its efforts?
•
Describe your scene at your site – people, rooms, sounds, smells etc.
Is this what you were expecting? Why or why not?
•
Why are people involved in this work?
b. About the specific project on which you are going to work
•
What is the community organization’s need?
•
What is the goal of this project? What are the specific outcomes you
are hoping to achieve?
•
Why is this an important project?
•
How is this service project connected to understanding socialization
over the life course?
c. Evaluation of Assets and Challenges
•
What are the talents, skills and/or knowledge you bring to this
project?
•
Identify any challenges you see in pursuing and completing this
project. What are some potential solutions to these
challenges?
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Reflection Paper #2 – Socialization Theories
5-7 pages
Due: Oct 12
 Part I – We have read about and discussed many different socialization theories
utilized by social scientists. Provide a brief description of at least three of these
theories. Which of these perspectives seems most appealing to you and why?
 Part II – The organization in which you are serving may also have a particular
view on the socialization process. From which perspective do you think the
community organization is operating to address the needs of their clients?
Why? Does this impact the types of services they have available to their
clients? If so, how? If not, why not? Does this approach seem like a beneficial
approach to addressing their clients’ needs? Why or why not?
 Part III – Does your view of the socialization process influence the way in which
you serve at your organization? If so, how? If not, why not?
Reflection Paper #3 – Stages of the Life Course Analysis 3-5 pages
Due: Nov 11
Youth Impact students – Some sociologists have argued that the adolescent years are a
turbulent time. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? What evidence or
examples can you point to among the adolescents at Youth Impact to support your
argument? Is this consistent or inconsistent with readings in your texts and class
discussions?
Cottages of Hope students – Some sociologists have argued that the middle years are a
turbulent time. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? What evidence or
examples can you point to among the adults at Cottages of Hope to support your
argument? Is this consistent or inconsistent with readings in your texts and class
discussions?
OWCAP Head Start students – Contemporary socialization theorists argue that
individuals participate in their own socialization in addition to the socialization that
occurs through interaction within social institutions. Do you agree? What evidence or
examples can you point to among the children at OWCAP-Head Start to support your
argument? Is this consistent or inconsistent with readings in your texts and class
discussions?
Final Reflection Paper (#4) – Biographies assignment
12-15 pages
Due: Dec 8
 Part I – Interview one of the “clients” served by your community organization.
Tell their story. Write their biography. Be sure you are using your sociological
imagination when writing their biography.
 Part II – tell your story. Write your biography – an autobiography. Again, be
sure you are using your sociological imagination when writing your
autobiography.
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Socialization Over the Life Course

Marsteller Kowalewski
Part III – Describe and summarize the Life Course Perspective as it is presented
by Shanahan and Macmillan and use it to address how these biographies are
unique yet also the same.
E. In-Class Reflection Exercises
There will be 3 in-class reflection exercises. The dates of these in-class reflection
exercises are listed on the course schedule. You are expected to attend the reflection
session and complete the assignment during the class period. Class attendance is
required for completion of these exercises. Each exercise is worth 15 points for a total
of 45 points.
F. Oral Presentation of Service-Learning Experience
Due: Nov 30 & Dec 2
At the end of your service-learning project, you will need to summarize your experience
in a 12-15 minute oral presentation.
1) You should address the following:
 What?
o Provide a description of the organization in which you served, the
project in which you participated, and your role within that project.
o You must document your service-learning project. What you did –
who, what, when and where? Video and/or photos are preferred
methods of documentation.
 So what?
o Why was this service important?
o Who benefited?
o What did you learn about the community in which you live and/or
study?
o And what did you learn about socialization over the life course
through the service-learning experience?
 Now what?
o What are you going to do with the knowledge you have gained?
2) The presentation should be about 12-15 minutes in length and must have some
visual aids:
o Power point presentation
o Pictures that are large enough to be seen at the back of the room
o Video
o Other visual aids
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Course Schedule
(subject to change)
August 24
Introduction to Class and Service-Learning Assignment
Part I. Understanding Service-Learning and what it means for learning about the life course
August 26
Meet our community partners
Cottages of Hope
OWCAP – Head Start Program
Youth Impact
August 31
In-class Reflection #1
What is service?
Meet at Ogden Nature Center for Adrian Maxson Day of Service
This is the first of 3 in-class reflection assignments
Sept 2
What is Service-Learning?
Preparing to Serve: Online Training Modules
Service-Learning Contract
Informed Consent
Part II. What is the Life Course and Socialization?: Theories and Themes
Sept 7
Studying the Life course and Sociology
Readings: Introduction and Chapter 1 (Shanahan & Macmillan)
Sept 9
Reflection Paper Due: Discovering Your Service Site
Sept 9-16
Studying Socialization
Readings: Chapters 1 and 2 (Clausen)
Part III. Understanding the Life Course Perspective and Research
Sept 21
The Life Course as a Paradigm
Reading: Chapter 2 (Shanahan & Macmillan)
Sept 23-28
Macro Views of the Life Course
Reading: Chapter 3 (Shanahan & Macmillan)
Sept 30Oct 5
Micro Views of the Life Course
Reading: Chapter 4 (Shanahan & Macmillan)
Oct 7
From Macro to Micro
Reading: Chapter 5 (Shanahan & Macmillan)
Oct 12
Reflection Paper Due: Socialization Theories
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Marsteller Kowalewski
Oct 12 In-Class Reflection #2
Part IV. Socialization Over the Life Course
Oct 14-19
Infancy through Early Childhood (conception - 6 years of age)
Reading: Chapter 3 (Clausen)
Video: Seasons of Life, Vol. I
Oct 21-26
Later Childhood through Adolescence (6 - 20 years of age)
Readings: Chapters 4 and 5 (Clausen)
Video: Seasons of Life, Vol II.
Oct 28Nov 2
The Early Adult Years (20 - 40 years of age)
Occupational Careers & Marriage and Family Cycle
Reading: Chapters 6 & 7 (Clausen)
Video: Seasons of Life, Vol. III
Nov 4 – 9
The Middle Adult Years (40 - 60 years of age)
Reading: Chapter 8 (Clausen)
Video: Ageless America
Nov 11 Reflection Paper #3 Due: Stages of the Life Course Analysis
Nov 11 In-Class Reflection #3
Nov 16-18
The Later Adult Years (60 +)
Reading: Chapter 9 (Clausen)
Video: Seasons of Life, Vol. V
Part V. Bringing it All Together: Societies Shape Biographies
Nov 23
Return to the Sociological Imagination
Reading: Chapter 6 (Shanahan & Macmillan)
Nov 30 - Service-Learning Presentations
Dec 2
Sign-up for a time slot
Dec 8 Final Reflection Paper Due – Biographies Assignment
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