Please note that this syllabus should be regarded as only a general guide to the course. The instructor may have changed
specific course content and requirements subsequent to posting this syllabus. Last Modified: 12:47:57 07/11/2011
SC 096: Aging and Society
Fall 2011
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 12:00-12:50 pm
205 Gasson Hall
Professor: Sara Moorman
Office: 404 McGuinn Hall
E-mail: moormans@bc.edu
Teaching Assistant: Myeongjae (MJ) Yeo
Office: 410 McGuinn Hall
E-mail: myeongjae.yeo@bc.edu
About the Course
“Age doesn’t matter unless you’re a cheese,” quipped actress Billie Burke (the Good Witch in
The Wizard of Oz). Nevertheless, age does matter within societies. This class will cover specific
topics in four general areas of sociological study: roles and relationships (e.g., within the family),
inequalities (e.g., ageism), institutions (e.g., health care), and social change (e.g., the aging of the
population). By the end of the course, you will have acquired a new approach to thinking about
how you and others age in the social world and the ways in which age is portrayed in the media.
Aging and Society as a Core Course
Core courses at Boston College: (a) help students to ask and answer the "perennial questions,”
(b) present culturally diverse material, (c) present an historical view of the subject,
(d) demonstrate the methodology of the discipline, (e) include a significant writing component,
and (f) challenge students to create a personal philosophy of life.
Aging and Society addresses longstanding questions such as “How does a society enable and
constrain the lives of people within it?” and “How should society be structured?” In order to
think about these questions, students must compare and contrast cultures both contemporary and
historical to see how they have met (or failed to meet) the needs of persons of all ages. Students
will learn about methodology so they have a scholarly basis from which to evaluate concepts,
and they will record their critical thinking in three papers and five short exercises. Finally,
students will develop a perspective on aging, both in their own lives (“What would I need to do
to feel I have lived a good life?”) and the lives of others (“What can I do to improve the quality
of life of older persons?”).
Academic Honesty
Your work must be your words and ideas. When writing papers, use quotation marks around
someone else’s exact words and identify whose words they are. If you come across a good idea,
by all means use it in your writing, but be sure to acknowledge whose idea it is. Failure to
comply will result in (a) automatic failure of the assignment, and (b) a report to the Dean and the
Committee on Academic Integrity. For further information, please review the College’s policies
on academic integrity here:
http://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/academic/resources/policy.html#integrity
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Textbook
The bookstore has ordered:
 Quadagno, Jill. 2011. Aging and the Life Course. 5th ed. (ISBN 9780073528229)
Available on 2-hour reserve at O’Neill.
Note: There’s an older edition, the 4th edition, which is also fine to use, and available much more
cheaply through online used book sellers.
Other Required Books
Select any TWO of:

Blechman, Andrew D. 2008. Leisureville. (ISBN 9780802144188)

Critser, Greg. 2010. Eternity Soup. (ISBN 9780307407900)

DeBaggio, Thomas. 2003. Losing My Mind. (ISBN 9780743205665)

Delany, Sarah L. and A. Elizabeth Delany. 1993. Having Our Say. (ISBN 0440220424)

Ellis, Neenah. 2002. If I Live To Be 100. (ISBN 0609608428)

Juska, Jane. 2003. A Round-Heeled Woman. (ISBN 0812967879)

Sarton, May. 1973. As We Are Now. (ISBN 9780393309577)

Winakur, Jerald. 2009. Memory Lessons. (ISBN 9781401303020)
(These books are available at the bookstore, from Amazon and other online retailers, on 2-hour
reserve at O’Neill, in the Boston area public libraries, and for use in my office.)
Course Reserves Online
Access weekly discussion articles as .pdf files through the library website
(http://www.bc.edu/libraries/) or through the link on the course Blackboard page.
Blackboard
Visit the Blackboard page for this course regularly for announcements, grades, course materials,
a copy of the syllabus, etc. I promise you that everything you’ve ever needed (or wanted) to
know about Aging and Society is posted here, so look before you e-mail. If you e-mail me and
don’t get an answer within 48 hours, it’s because you don’t need me to tell you the answer to
your question.
Office Hours: Mondays 1:15-3:15 pm or by appointment
Something I feel strongly about: Come to office hours, whether you have something to ask about
class material or not. Know that:
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One of the major differences between BC and a big state school is the level of access you
have to professors, especially during your first two years. You’re paying for it; you
should make the most of it.
Many of the things you want to do – service trips, internships, semesters abroad, jobs and
grad schools – require a letter of recommendation from a faculty member. Trust me, you
want at least one professor who is able to say much more than “Jenny came to class every
day and earned an A.”
As you’ll learn in this class, it’s nice to have someone from a different stage in life who
you can talk to. Professors are resources for you academically, professionally, and
personally. We’re not your parents. We’re not your family. We’re not your boss. In fact,
after the semester is over, we have no power over you whatsoever. Who better to talk to?
Schedule
Date
September 7
Topic
Introduction to
the course
Reading
September 9
Aging now and
in history
Activity: Life timeline
Due
Reading: Chapters 1, 2 and 4
September 12
September 14
September 16
September 19
Ageism
Article: Pogrebin
Discussion
Activity: Age norms
Life
timeline
Reading: Chapter 3
Book that fits best: A Round-Heeled
Woman
September 21
September 23
September 26
September 28
Health
Inequalities
Article: Friedan
Discussion
Activity: Privilege walk
Age norms
Reading: Chapter 15
Book that fits best: If I Live To Be
100
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September 30
October 3
October 5
October 7
Biology of Aging
Article: Keller
Discussion
Activity: Impairment simulation
Privilege
walk
Reading: Chapter 6
Book that fits best: Eternity Soup
NO CLASS: Columbus Day
October 10
October 12
Interview
October 14
October 17
October 19
Medicare and
Medicaid
Article: Olshansky
Discussion
Activity: Medicare part D
Impairment
simulation
Reading: pp. 104-117, 268-273
Book that fits best: Memory Lessons
Life
history
interview
Article: Moon
Discussion
Activity: Cognitive testing
Medicare
part D
October 21
October 24
October 26
October 28
Dementia
Reading: pp. 158-161
Book that fits best: Losing My Mind
October 31
November 2
November 4
November 7
Caregiving
Article: Snyder
Discussion
Activity: Five wishes
Cognitive
testing
Reading: pp. 217-222, Chapter 12
Book that fits best: As We Are Now
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November 9
Book
review I
November 11
November 14
November 16
Retirement
Article: Kessler
Discussion
Activity: Social Security
Five
wishes
Reading: pp. 95-104, 227-242, 333348
Book that fits best: Leisureville
November 18
November 21
November 23
NO CLASS: Thanksgiving
November 25
NO CLASS: Thanksgiving
November 28
Article: Lynch
Discussion
And watch the 13-minute video here:
http://www.wgbh.org/programs/Grea
ter-Boston-11/episodes/June-102010Vita-Needles-elderlyworkforce-16493
November 30
Aging Well
Activity: Home assessment
Social
Security
Reading: pp. 207-210, 242-248,
chapter 16
Book that fits best: Having Our Say
December 2
December 5
December 7
December 9
Article: Turkel
Discussion
Book
review II
Home
assessment
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Assessment
Grading scale
A+
none at Boston College
B+
87 – 89%
C+
77 – 79%
D+
67 – 69%
F
below 60%
A
B
C
D
93 – 100%
83 – 86%
73 – 76%
63 – 66%
ABCD-
Task
Activity papers
Due date
September 19, 28
October 7, 19, 28
November 7, 16, 30
December 9
Discussions
September 16, 26
October 5, 17, 26
November 4, 14, 28
December 7
15%
Life history interview
October 12
15%
Book review #1
November 9
20%
Book review #2
December 9
20%
90 – 92%
80 – 82%
70 – 72%
60 – 62%
Percentage of grade
6 at 5% each: 30%
Activity papers: For each topic, we’ll complete an activity. In class each week, you’ll receive a
handout with further directions, and we’ll spend some class time on the activity. Then, to receive
credit for the activity, you will write a two-page reflection paper, which is due the first day of the
next topic (see dates above). There are 9 activities, and you are required to complete 6 activity
papers. You may decide to write about every activity, in which case I will drop your lowest three
scores, or you may skip up to three weeks—but proceed with caution: Mark the due dates on
your calendars and read the late work policy carefully.
Discussions: For each topic, there is a reading selection for discussion and debate. On the due
dates listed, come to class having read the selection and considered the thought questions posted
on Blackboard. You’ll be assigned to a small group that you’ll keep for the whole semester. On
discussion day, you’ll talk with one another and with myself and the TA as we circulate around
the room. Your discussion grade will be an average of several assessments: mine, yours, and
each of the others in your group.
But professor, I have a game / doctor’s appointment / family event / hangover planned
that day! Your whereabouts are none of my business, and I (and your group members)
understand that things come up. But if you want a good discussion grade, you need to find a way
to contribute to your group. Maybe that means that you contribute more on the days when you
are in class. Maybe that means that you e-mail your thoughts on the reading to me and your
group members ahead of time so that we can include your ideas. Whatever you do, it’s your
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responsibility to (a) come up with a creative solution, (b) get your group’s agreement that your
solution fulfills your obligation, and (c) let me know about it.
Papers: Scores on three five-page writing assignments will determine the other 55% of your
grade. I’ll provide you with much greater detail on these assignments as they get closer. Here are
the basics:
(1) Life History Interview. Obtain permission to interview someone aged 65 or older. Your
interview should cover three themes: (i) Personal life events (e.g., childhood, education, work,
marriage, children/grandchildren), (ii) Societal life events (e.g., war experience,
inventions/technological changes, cultural trends, political events), and (iii) Life review (e.g.,
what would your interviewee do differently if s/he could? What is s/he most proud of? What
advice does s/he have for a person who is young today?)
(2) Book Reviews. Read two of the books listed under “Other Required Books” on the second
page of the syllabus. For each, consider: (i) What did the book have to say about aging? (ii) What
were your personal reactions to the book’s messages about aging? (iii) How did the book’s
messages about aging support or counter the material we covered in class and/or the material in
your textbook?
Submitting Papers and Activities
On time: Bring a hard copy of your paper to class on the date it is due. If for some reason this is
not possible (e.g., cannot attend class that day; printer failure) I will accept papers in .pdf form
via e-mail until 11:59 pm. You should submit via e-mail so that we both know the time it was
submitted. Otherwise, the paper counts as “submitted” at the time I receive it: If you slid it under
my office door at 11 pm on the due date but I do not find it until I arrive at my office the next
morning, it’s late. If you e-mail me a paper, I will respond confirming that I received it, can open
the attached file, and am grading it. If you haven’t received confirmation, then do not assume
that I have your paper.
Late work policy: Papers submitted after 11:59 pm on the due date are late and will lose a letter
grade a day. That is, a paper submitted on time is worth, at best, an A. A paper submitted
between midnight and 11:59 pm of the day following the due date is worth, at best, a B. If you
are submitting work late but wish to avoid the late penalty, you must make arrangements with
me in advance, or you must provide proof of extenuating circumstances (e.g., doctor’s note,
funeral program).
Extra Credit
There will be chances to earn extra credit. All extra credit opportunities will be made available to
the entire class, and will be announced both in class and on Blackboard. Do not ask me for
individual assignments or personal extensions.