*Please note that this syllabus should be regarded only as a general guide to the course and is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.
SOCY104902, Social Problems, 3 Credits
Boston College Summer Session 2016
Summer 2, June 27 - Aug 3
Monday and Wednesday
6:00 PM - 9:15PM
Instructor Name: Will Attwood-Charles
BC E-mail: attwoodc@bc.edu
Phone Number:
Office: 508c McGuinn Hall
Office Hours: MW 3pm – 5pm
Boston College Mission Statement
Strengthened by more than a century and a half of dedication to academic excellence, Boston College
commits itself to the highest standards of teaching and research in undergraduate, graduate and
professional programs and to the pursuit of a just society through its own accomplishments, the work of
its faculty and staff, and the achievements of its graduates. It seeks both to advance its place among the
nation's finest universities and to bring to the company of its distinguished peers and to contemporary
society the richness of the Catholic intellectual ideal of a mutually illuminating relationship between
religious faith and free intellectual inquiry.
Boston College draws inspiration for its academic societal mission from its distinctive religious tradition.
As a Catholic and Jesuit university, it is rooted in a world view that encounters God in all creation and
through all human activity, especially in the search for truth in every discipline, in the desire to learn, and
in the call to live justly together. In this spirit, the University regards the contribution of different religious
traditions and value systems as essential to the fullness of its intellectual life and to the continuous
development of its distinctive intellectual heritage.
Course Description
This course is an exploration of different sociological approaches to the study of social problems and
social trends in contemporary society. It examines the linkages between social structures/institutions,
culture and human experience. The course emphasizes theoretical research issues, especially how, and to
what degree, the understanding of social problems are a direct result of the processes used to define social
problems as well as the research methods and procedures used to investigate them. Students will learn to
critique popular discourses from a critical sociological perspective and will be encouraged to form their
own opinions and critiques.
Textbooks & Readings (Required)
For this course, you will need two books:
The Sociological Imagination, C Wright Mills
Selected Writings of Karl Marx, edited by Lawrence H. Simon (1994)
Copies will be available at the BC Bookstore. The remainder of the readings will be available on course
reserves.
Canvas
Canvas is the Learning Management System (LMS) at Boston College, designed to help faculty and
students share ideas, collaborate on assignments, discuss course readings and materials, submit
assignments, and much more - all online. As a Boston College student, you should familiarize yourself
with this important tool. For more information and training resources for using Canvas, click here.
Course Objectives
1. Learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view.
2. Developing a clearer understanding of, and commitment to, personal values.
3. The student will demonstrate knowledge across cultural settings and will learn the impact of culture,
gender, and age in the construction of social problems as demonstrated in class discussion and written
assignments.
4. The student will demonstrate ethical awareness pertaining to questions of human existence and social
affairs as demonstrated by a critical engagement with the readings and thoughtful analyses of various
social problems.
Grading
Class Participation & Attendance: 20%
Bad Article Example: 15%
Response Paper (1): 20%
Response Paper (2:) 20%
Final Project: 25%
A (4.00), A- (3.67)
B+ (3.33), B (3.00), B- (2.67)
C+ (2.33), C (2.00), C- (l.67)
D+ (l.33), D (l.00), D- (.67)
F (.00)
All students can access final grades through Agora after the grading deadline each semester. Transcripts
are available through the Office of Student Services.
Deadlines and Late Work
No late work will be accepted unless you have received approval from me PRIOR to the assignment’s due
date.
Course Assignments
Class Participation: Class participation includes coming prepared to class, actively sharing your insights
into the readings, and contributing knowledge you may have from other courses, current events, or
relevant personal experience to the discussion. Additionally, you are required to bring 3 questions relevant
to each week’s readings into class. If you miss a class, you must email these questions to me before the
class session. Each class (following the first week) will begin with the opportunity for students to ask
questions pertaining to previously discussed readings. We will be covering a lot of dense and
conceptually complex material, so it is important that we have time to revisit, connect, and clarify
concepts as we go along. The class is structured as a continuous conversation between the assigned
authors, students, and myself. Following opening reflections, students should feel free to interrupt and ask
questions during the lecture. We will also have occasional small group breakout sessions where students
can discuss and debate course material. Following breakout sessions, group representatives will be given
the opportunity to relay their thoughts and questions to the class for further discussion. Towards the end
of each class, I will provide a brief primer on the next session’s readings in order to contextualize the
material and give students some sense of what to “look” for. Reading (especially of the assigned sort) is a
lot more fun when it’s a scavenger hunt 
You’re also encouraged to bring news stories/editorials/blog posts to class that you think are relevant to
the day’s discussion.
Bad Article Example: You are required to find an example of poorly argued explanation or diagnosis of
a contemporary social problem in a popular magazine or newspaper. Along with submitting the example
you are required to write an explanation of why/how your example reflects a “bad argument” using the
theoretical and methodological frameworks discussed. Your write-up is expected to be from 1 to 2 pages
(double spaced) in length and make use of any of the in class readings previously discussed. However, if
in class readings are selected, you will be expected to contribute something other than what was discussed
in class. This assignment can be handed in anytime after we have finished our in class readings, but is due
no later than 7/816.
Response Papers: You will be responsible for two response papers throughout the course; each response
will be 3-5 pages (double spaced) in length. For these response papers you can chose any topic that we
cover that resonates with you to write about. Each response paper is required to include references to at
least 3 readings from the course (these readings can be from different lectures, but must have a clear
connection). You are also welcome to use additional and/or outside material. A good reflection paper is
one that demonstrates an understanding of the concepts being discussed and how they help us understand
historical events/empirical phenomena. An excellent reflection paper is one that demonstrates a critical
understanding of the concepts (the limitations of concepts, how concepts potentially contradict other
concepts, or how certain concepts are insufficient for helping us understand historical events/empirical
phenomena). As you are welcome to pick any topic that we cover to write about, you are also welcome to
turn the papers in at anytime during the semester. However, students must turn in their first response
by7/20/16.
Final Project: Throughout the course, you will be encouraged to think of final paper topic that relate
concepts discussed in class to issues or questions that are of interest to you. This will be a collective
process as you have conversations with your classmates and myself. The goal of the final paper is to
synthesize the different concepts you’ve learned in class to explain a contemporary social problem and
potential collective avenues for addressing it. Final papers should be between 5 – 8 pages, double-spaced,
not including your bibliography.
Course Schedule
Date/Week
Topic
Reading/Assignments
6/27/16
Welcome!
In class readings (don’t worry,
you’ll only have to read one of
them):
Disparity Between Life Spans of
Rich and Poor Growing
The Care Gap
The 30 Year Betrayal Dragging
Down Generation Y’s Income
Poorest Areas Have Missed Out on
Boon of Recover, Study Finds
Flint Water Crisis
Due Date
6/29/16
Self & Society
7/4/16
7/6/16
Outside Readings:
“The Promise” - C Wright Mills,
The Sociological Imagination
HOLIDAY (NO CLASS)
Idealism &
Materialism
Outside Readings:
Selections from “The German
Ideology,” Pgs. 102-156 of Selected
Writings of Karl Marx
In Class Readings (again, you’ll
only have to read one of them):
“The Father-Fuhrer,” by Kevin D.
Williamson, National Review
“The Right vs. The Family” – Arlie
Hochschild, Dissent Magazine
7/11/16
7/13/16
Gender/Sexuality
Family
7/18/16
Race
7/20/16
Class
“Rising US Income Inequality” –
David Jacobs, Work In Progress
Outside Readings:
Bad Article Example Due
“Compulsive heterosexuality:
Masculinity and Dominance,” Ch. 4
(pgs. 84-114) of Dude, You’re a
Fag by C.J. Pascoe
“Introduction” and “The Cult of
Virginity,” pgs. 9-40 of The Purity
Myth by Jessica Valenti
Arlie Hochschild, The Second Shift:
Working Families and the
Revolution at Home, Ch. 1
“US policy fails at reducing child
poverty because it aims to fix the
poor” by Philip Cohen
Outside Readings:
Karen E. Fields and Barbara J.
Fields, Racecraft: The Soul of
Inequality in American Life, Ch. 1
Film: People Like Us
First Reading Response Due
By
Outside readings:
“Women without class: Chicas,
Cholas, Trash, and the
Presence/Absence of Class
Identification,” by Julie Bettie,
Signs
Outside Readings:
“The Forms of Capital,” pgs. 96111 from The Sociology of
Economic Life by Pierre Bourdieu
7/25/16
7/27/16
The Economy
Work
Film: Inside Job
Outside Readings:
David Harvey, The Enigma of
Capital and the Crisis of
Capitalism, Ch. 1
Outside Readings:
Juliet Schor, The Overworked
American, Ch. 1
Ross Perlin, Intern Nation: How To
Earn Nothing And Learn Little In
The Brave New Economy, Ch. 2
8/1/16
Utopias
Outside Readings:
Nancy Fraser, Fortunes of
Feminism: From State-Managed
Capitalism to Neoliberal Crisis, Ch.
2
Juliet Schor, Plenitude: The New
Economics of True Wealth, Ch. 5
8/3/16
FINAL EXAM
Final Paper Due
Written Work
Summer Session students are expected to prepare professional, polished written work. Written materials
must be typed and submitted in the format required by your instructor. Strive for a thorough yet concise
style. Cite literature appropriately, using APA, MLA or CLA style per your instructor’s requirements.
Develop your thoughts fully, clearly, logically and specifically. Proofread all materials to ensure the use
of proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. For writing support, please contact the Connors Family
Learning Center.
Attendance
Attending class is an important component of learning. Students are expected to attend all class sessions.
When circumstances prevent a student from attending class, the student is responsible for contacting the
instructor before the class meets. Students who miss class are still expected to complete all assignments
and meet all deadlines. Many instructors grade for participation; if you miss class, you cannot make up
participation points associated with that class. Makeup work may be assigned at the discretion of the
instructor. If circumstances necessitate excessive absence from class, the student should consider
withdrawing from the class.
Consistent with BC’s commitment to creating a learning environment that is respectful of persons of
differing backgrounds, we believe that every reasonable effort should be made to allow members of the
university community to observe their religious holidays without jeopardizing their academic status.
Students are responsible for reviewing course syllabi as soon as possible, and for communicating with the
instructor promptly regarding any possible conflicts with observed religious holidays. Students are
responsible for completing all class requirements for days missed due to conflicts with religious holidays.
Accommodation and Accessibility
Boston College is committed to providing accommodations to students, faculty, staff and visitors with
disabilities. Specific documentation from the appropriate office is required for students seeking
accommodation in Summer Session courses. Advanced notice and formal registration with the appropriate
office is required to facilitate this process. There are two separate offices at BC that coordinate services
for students with disabilities:
● The Connors Family Learning Center (CFLC) coordinates services for students with LD and
ADHD.
● The Disabilities Services Office (DSO) coordinates services for all other disabilities.
Find out more about BC’s commitment to accessibility at www.bc.edu/sites/accessibility.
Scholarship and Academic Integrity
Students in Summer Session courses must produce original work and cite references appropriately.
Failure to cite references is plagiarism. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not necessarily limited to,
plagiarism, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, cheating on exams or assignments, or submitting
the same material or substantially similar material to meet the requirements of more than one course
without seeking permission of all instructors concerned. Scholastic misconduct may also involve, but is
not necessarily limited to, acts that violate the rights of other students, such as depriving another student
of course materials or interfering with another student’s work. Please see the Boston College policy on
academic integrity for more information.