INTRODUCTORY   SOCIOLOGY   (SC00103)
Lara   Birk   –   Spring   2011
Class:   TTh   10:30 ‐ 11:45   a.m.
(McGuinn   334)
Office   Hours:   TTh   9:30 ‐ 10:25   a.m.
(McGuinn   410A)
Email:    birk@bc.edu
Welcome   to   Introductory   Sociology!
Whether   you   are   new   to   sociology   or   a   seasoned   major   catching   up   on   requirements,   you   should   find   this   course   challenging   but   reasonable.
My   philosophy   as   an   instructor   is   that   you   have   as   much   to   teach   one   other   as   I   have   to   teach   you.
As   such,   conversation   will   be   a   substantial   portion   of   the   course.
By   enrolling   in   SC00103,   you   hereby   agree   to   do   each   set   of   readings   **prior**   to   the   class   in   which   we   will   discuss   them   and   that   you   will   be   an   active   participant   in   all   class   discussions   and   activities .
My   central   objective   in   this   course   is   to   help   each   of   you   develop   a   “sociological   imagination”   that   you   can   then   apply   to   the   everyday   world   around   you.
I   also   aim   to   provide   you   with   the   opportunity   to   strengthen   the   critical   thinking,   reading,   writing,   and   speaking   skills   you   will   need   to   excel   at   college   and   beyond.
If   you   have   questions   or   concerns   at   any   point   during   the   course,   please   do   not   hesitate   to   talk   with   me   after   class   or   to   come   see   me   during   my
office   hours   or   by   individual   appointment.
Introductory   Sociology   SC001   and   the   Social   Science   Core:
Introductory   Sociology   is   a   social   science   core   course,   and   as   such,   it   will   reflect   all   of   the   critical   components   of   the   BC   Core   Curriculum:

Perennial   Questions   –   How   is   society   structured?
What   does   it   mean   to   say   our   selves   and   identities   are   socially   constructed?
What   do   our   everyday   social   interactions   tell   us   about   the   society   and   culture   within   which   we   live?
How   do   our   race,   class,   gender,   sexuality,   and
(dis)ability   status   affect   our   life   chances?
Is   society   “fair”?
Why   do   some   groups   have   more   power   than   others?
What   role   do   social   institutions   such   as   education,   medicine,   and   the   family   play   in   the   reproduction   of   inequality?
What   makes   some   behaviors,   activities,   and   people   “deviant,”   and   what   is   the   purpose   of   such   labels?
Are   we   completely   free   agents   or   does   society   exert   some   control   on   and   influence   over   our   lives   and   choices?
How   can   we   resist   what   is   unjust   and   effect   social   change?
 Cultural   Diversity   –   In   this   course,   we   will   sustain   an   intense   focus   on   race,   class,   gender,   sexuality,   and   disability.
We   will   examine   different   groups’   relations   to   power   and   attend   to   the   many   ways   in   which   these   factors   intersect   and   affect   our   own   lives.
As   we   will   discuss   many   sensitive   subject   matters   throughout   the   semester,   I   ask   that   you   treat   your   fellow   classmates   with   respect   and   compassion   and   focus   your   critical   comments   on   students’   arguments—never   on   the   student   themselves.
 Historical   Perspective   –   The   development   of   a   “sociological   imagination”   is   at   the   heart   of   this   course.
Throughout,   we   will   take   up   C.
Wright   Mills’   call   for   us   to   investigate   the   relationship   between   “personal   troubles”   and   “public   issues.”    In   other   words,   we   will   analyze   the   connections   between   the   seemingly   private   events   of   our   own   lives   on   the   one   hand   and   history   and   social   structure   on   the   other.
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INTRODUCTORY   SOCIOLOGY   (SC00103)
Lara   Birk   –   Spring   2011
 Methodology   –   Sociologists   rely   on   multiple   research   methods   to   guide   their   research,   and   one’s   choice   of   methodology   is   profoundly   shaped   by   one’s   philosophical   approach   toward   the   subject   in   question.
The   readings   in   this   course   reflect   a   diverse   range   of   methodologies—and   so   too   philosophies—and   we   will   train   our   focus   not   only   on   the   content   of   such   readings   but   also   on   how   the   methodology   and   philosophy   they   represent   made   such   knowledge   possible.
 Writing   –   While   the   majority   of   college   students   think   of   writing   as   something   you   do   once   and   turn   in,   good   writing   is   actually   an   iterative   process—meaning   it   is   something   you   return   to   again   and   again.
The   ideas   you   have   will   shape   how   you   write,   and   the   writing   you   do   will   in   turn   shape   your   ideas.
Writing   and   critical   thinking   go   hand   in   hand,   and   the   two   together   are   perhaps   the   most   important   skills   you   will   develop   in   your   college   career.
As   such,   for   both   paper   assignments,   I   will   allow   you   to   do   revisions   of   either   paper   provided   you   truly   refine   and   improve   your   ideas   (not   merely   your   textual   edits).
If   you   want   to   maximize   your   efforts,   I   recommend   you   work   with   a   writing   tutor   at   the   Connors   Family   Learning   Center   (CFLC)   or
Learning   Resources   for   Student   Athletes   (LRSA)   if   you   are   an   athlete.

Creating   a   Personal   Philosophy   –   While   we   will   study   a   great   many   theoretical   perspectives   in   this   course,   we   are   not   learning   theory   merely   for   theory’s   sake.
I   will   expect   you   to   apply   the   concepts   we   learn   to   the   world   around   you.
I   will   ask   you   to   consider   social   problems   from   different   and   perhaps   unfamiliar   vantage   points.
I   will   challenge   you   to   use   the   course   to   critically   examine   your   previously   held   assumptions   and   unarticulated   beliefs   and   to   develop   a   thoughtful   and   informed   approach   to   your   life   and   the   lives   of   all   those   with   whom   you   will   make   contact.
You   should   come   away   with   a   richer   sense   of   your   own   place   in   society   and   your   potential   to   make   a   difference   in   it.
Required   Texts:
1.
Readings   for   Sociology   (6 th
edition),   edited   by   Garth   Massey
[Hereafter   referred   to   as   “RS”]
2.
Seeing   Ourselves:   Classic,   Contemporary,   and   Cross ‐ Cultural   Readings   in   Sociology   (8 th
edition),   edited   by   John   J.
Macionis   &   Nijole   V.
Benokraitis
[Hereafter   referred   to   as   “SO”]
3.
Additional   Readings   in   Course   Reserves
[Hereafter   referred   to   by   “(Reserves)”]
Course   Requirements   &   Grading:
 Attendance   &   Participation   11%
 In ‐ Class   Quizzes   (7   of   9   unannounced   quizzes)   14%
 Co ‐ Leadership   of   1   Class   Discussion   10%
 First   Paper   (5   pg   Sociological   Autobiography   due   3/3)    15%

Second   Paper   (10   pg   Sociological   Research   Paper   due   5/5)    20%

Final   Exam   (Cumulative   on   5/10)    30%
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INTRODUCTORY   SOCIOLOGY   (SC00103)
Lara   Birk   –   Spring   2011
Section   1:   Introduction   to   Sociology
Date   Assignment
Tues.
1/18
Thurs.
1/20
Tues.
1/25
Thurs.
1/27
RS   Ch.
2   (Mills:   Sociological   Imagination);   SO   Ch.
2   (Berger:
Invitation   to   Sociology)   &   4   (Miner:   Body   Ritual   of   the
Nacirema)
RS   Ch.
3   (Durkheim:   What   Makes   Sociology   Different)   &   4
(Burawoy:   Public   Sociologies)
SO   Ch.
6   (Babbie:   The   Importance   of   Social   Research)   &   RS
Ch.
6   (Best:   Telling   the   Truth   about   Damned   Lies   and
Statistics)
Section   2:   Self   and   Social   Interaction   in   Everyday   Life
Date   Assignment
Tues.
2/1
Thurs.
2/3
Tues.
2/8
SO   Ch.
15   (Mead:   The   Self);   Cooley:   The   Looking   Glass   Self
(Reserves)
RS   Ch.
13   (Goffman:   On   Facework);   SO   Ch.
20   (Goffman:
Presentation   of   Self   in   Everyday   Life)
Garfinkel:   Studies   of   the   Routine   Grounds   of   Everyday
Activities   (Reserves)
Section   3:   Social   Structure   &   Identity
Date
Thurs.
2/10
Tues.
2/15
Thurs.
2/17
Tues.
2/22
Thurs.
2/24
Assignment
RS   Ch.
16   (Messner:   Boyhood,   Organized   Sports,   and   the
Construction   of   Masculinities);   SO   Ch.
22   (Tannen:   You   Just
Don’t   Understand:   Women   and   Men   in   Conversation);   SO   Ch.
39   (Lorber:   Night   to   His   Day:   The   Social   Construction   of
Gender)
SO   Ch.
40   (Benokraitis:   How   Subtle   Sex   Discrimination
Works);   SO   Ch.
41   (Leeder:   Domestic   Violence:   A   Cross ‐
Cultural   View)
Herek:   Beyond   Homophobia   (Reserves);   Brickell:   The
Sociological   Construction   of   Gender   and   Sexuality   (Reserves)
RS   Ch.
26   (Lareau:   Concerted   Cultivation   and   the
Accomplishment   of   Natural   Growth)   &   Lubrano:   Limbo   Ch.
1
(Reserves);   RS   Ch.
17   (Bettie:   Women   without   Class)
SO   Ch.
21   (Rothenberg:   Invisible   Privilege);   McIntosh:   White
Privilege   and   Male   Privilege   (Reserves)
Topic
Introductions
The   Sociological   Imagination
What   is   Sociology?
Social   Research
Topic
The   Self
Presentation   of   Self
Social   Breaching
Topic
Gender
Gender   Inequality   and
Sexism
Sexuality   and   Homophobia
Class
White   Privilege
3

Tues.
3/1
Thurs.
3/3
DUE   TH   3/3
INTRODUCTORY   SOCIOLOGY   (SC00103)
Lara   Birk   –   Spring   2011
SO   Ch.
41   (DuBois:   The   Souls   of   Black   Folk);   RS   Ch.
18
(Walton:   My   Secret   Life   as   a   Black   Man);   SO   Ch.
43   (Collins:
Controlling   Images   and   Black   Women’s   Oppression)
RS   Ch.
21   (Waters:   Optional   Ethnicities);   SO   Ch.
44   (Brodkin:
How   Did   Jews   Become   White   Folks?);   SO   Ch.
45   (Zhou:   Are
Asian   Americans   Becoming   White?)
Race
Racial   &   Ethnic   Identities
5   Page   PAPER
Sociological
Autobiographical   Essay
SPRING   BREAK
SPRING   BREAK
Tues.
3/8   NO   CLASS
Thurs.
3/10
Tues.
3/15
Thurs.
3/17
NO   CLASS
RS   Ch.
7   (Brandt:   Racism   and   Research:   The   Case   of   the
Tuskegee   Syphilis   Study);   Solorzano   et   al:   Critical   Race
Theory,   Racial   Microaggressions,   and   Campus   Racial   Climate
(Reserves)
Powell   et   al:   Toward   a   Transformative   View   of   Race   from
There’s   No   Such   Thing   as   a   Natural   Disaster   (Reserves)
Tues.
3/22   Garland   Thomson:   Extraordinary   Bodies   Ch.
2   (Reserves)
Section   4:   Social   Institutions   &   the   Reproduction   of   Inequality
Date
Thurs.
3/24
Tues.
3/29
Thurs.
3/31
Tues.
4/5
Thurs.
4/7
Tues.
4/12
DUE   TU   4/12
Thurs.
4/14
Assignment
RS   Ch.
39   (Weber:   The   Protestant   Ethic   and   the   Spirit   of
Capitalism);   SO   Ch.
11   (Marx   and   Engels:   Manifesto   of   the
Communist   Party);   SO   Ch.
49   (Mills:   The   Power   Elite)
RS   Ch.
31   (Gans:   Uses   of   the   Underclass   in   America);   SO   Ch.
37   (Eglitis:   The   Uses   of   Global   Poverty:   How   Economic
Inequality   Benefits   the   West)
RS   Ch.
22   (Ehrenreich:   Nickel   and   Dimed);   SO   Ch.
48
(Newman:   Getting   a   Job   in   Harlem);   McLeod:   Ain’t   No   Makin’
It   Ch.
5   (Reserves)
RS   Ch.
24   (Thompson:   Hanging   Tongues:   A   Sociological
Encounter   with   the   Assembly   Line);
RS   Ch.
25   (Paules:   “Getting”   and   “Making”   a   Tip);   RS   Ch.
28
(Romero:   Maid   in   America)
SO   Ch.
58   (Bowles   and   Gintis:   Education   and   Inequality);   SO
Ch.
59   (Kozol:   Savage   Inequalities:   Children   in   US   Schools);   RS
Ch.
27   (Eitzen:   Upward   Mobility   Through   Sport)
RS   Ch.
29   (Chambliss:   The   Saints   &   the   Roughnecks);
Ferguson:   Bad   Boys   Ch.
2   (Reserves)
Research   Paper   Topic   Proposal
(1   paragraph   including   at   least   2   ideas   for   sources)
SO   Ch.
61   (Parsons:   The   Social   Structure   of   Medicine);   SO   Ch.
63   (Dorkenoo   and   Elworthy:   Female   Genital   Mutilation);   SO
Race   &   Racism
Intersectionality
Disability
Topic
Macro   Perspective:
Capitalism
Economic   Inequality
Labor
Labor   &   Resistance
Education
Labeling   Theory   in
Education
Research   Paper   Topic
Medicine
4

Tues.
4/19
Thurs.
4/21
INTRODUCTORY   SOCIOLOGY   (SC00103)
Lara   Birk   –   Spring   2011
Ch.
27   (Beagan:   “Even   If   I   Don’t   Know   What   I’m   Doing,   I   Can
Make   It   Look   Like   I   Do”:   Becoming   a   Doctor   in   Canada)
RS   Ch.
44   (Hochschild:   The   Emotional   Geography   of   Work   and   Family   Life);   RS   Ch.
42   (Stack:   Domestic   Networks);   SO
Ch.
53   (Douglas   and   Michaels:   The   Mommy   Myth)
RS   Ch.
10   (Fernea   &   Fernea:   A   Look   Behind   the   Veil);   RS   Ch.
46   (Bellah   et   al:   Religious   Community   and   American
Individualism);   SO   Ch.
71   (Myers:   The   American   Paradox:
Spiritual   Hunger   in   an   Age   of   Plenty)
Family
Religion
Section   5:   Deviance   &   Social   Control
Date   Assignment   Topic
Tues.
Thurs.
4/26
4/28
SO   Ch.
28   (Durkheim:   The   Functions   of   Crime);   SO   Ch.
30
(Anderson:   The   Code   of   the   Streets);   SO   Ch.
31   (Farley:
Prostitution:   A   Worldwide   Business   of   Sexual   Exploitation)
SO   Ch.
29   (Rosenhan:   On   Being   Sane   in   Insane   Places)   &
Lemert   &   Branaman:   Goffman   Reader   Chapter   6   (Reserves)
Deviance
Total
Institutions
TBA
Required   15   Minute   1 ‐ 1   Conference   RE:   your   paper   Sociological   Research   Paper
Tues.
Thurs.
5/3
5/5
RS   Ch.
5   (Kelman   and   Hamilton:   The   My   Lai   Massacre);
Meyer:   If   Hitler   Asked   You   to   Electrocute   a   Stranger,   Would
You?
Probably   (Reserves)
RS   Ch.
32   (Shearing   and   Stenning:   From   the   Panopticon   to
Disney   World);   Williams:   The   Alchemy   of   Race   and   Rights   Ch.
3   (Reserves);   RS   Ch.
33   (Rhodes:   Total   Confinement:
Madness   and   Reason   in   the   Maximum   Security   Prison)
Obedience
Social
Control
DUE   TH   5/5
TBA
10   Page
Structured
Paper
Review
Session
Sociological   Research
Review
Paper
MON.
5/10
FINAL   EXAM   (12:30 ‐ 2:30   p.m.)   CUMULATIVE
*I   reserve   the   right   to   make   changes   to   this   syllabus   at   any   time,   provided   I   give   you   fair   and   ample   warning.*
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INTRODUCTORY   SOCIOLOGY   (SC00103)
Lara   Birk   –   Spring   2011
Academic   Integrity:
Policy   and   Procedures
The   pursuit   of   knowledge   can   proceed   only   when   scholars   take   responsibility   and   receive   credit   for   their   work.
Recognition   of   individual   contributions   to   knowledge   and   of   the   intellectual   property   of   others   builds   trust   within   the   University   and   encourages   the   sharing   of   ideas   that   is   essential   to   scholarship.
Similarly,   the   educational   process   requires   that   individuals   present   their   own   ideas   and   insights   for   evaluation,   critique,   and   eventual   reformulation.
Presentation   of   others’   work   as   one’s   own   is   not   only   intellectual   dishonesty,   but   also   undermines   the   educational   process.
Standards
Academic   integrity   is   violated   by   any   dishonest   act   which   is   committed   in   an   academic   context   including   but   not   restricted   to   the   following:
Cheating   is   the   fraudulent   or   dishonest   presentation   of   work.
Cheating   includes   but   is   not   limited   to:

The   use   or   attempted   use   of   unauthorized   aids   in   examinations   or   other   academic   exercises   submitted   for   evaluation;

Fabrication,   falsification,   or   misrepresentation   of   data,   results,   sources   for   papers   or   reports,   or   in   clinical   practice,   as   in   reporting   experiments,   measurements,   statistical   analyses,   tests,   or   other   studies   never   performed;   manipulating   or   altering   data   or   other   manifestations   of   research   to   achieve   a   desired   result;   selective   reporting,   including   the   deliberate   suppression   of   conflicting   or   unwanted   data;

Falsification   of   papers,   official   records,   or   reports;

Copying   from   another   student’s   work;

Actions   that   destroy   or   alter   the   work   of   another   student;

Unauthorized   cooperation   in   completing   assignments   or   during   an   examination;

The   use   of   purchased   essays   or   term   papers,   or   of   purchased   preparatory   research   for   such   papers;

Submission   of   the   same   written   work   in   more   than   one   course   without   prior   written   approval   from   the
instructors   involved;

Dishonesty   in   requests   for   make ‐ up   exams,   for   extensions   of   deadlines   for   submitting   papers,   and   in   any   other   matter   relating   to   a   course.
Plagiarism   is   the   act   of   taking   the   words,   ideas,   data,   illustrations,   or   statements   of   another   person   or   source,   and   presenting   them   as   one’s   own.
Each   student   is   responsible   for   learning   and   using   proper   methods   of   paraphrasing   and   footnoting,   quotation,   and   other   forms   of   citation,   to   ensure   that   the   original   author,   speaker,   illustrator,   or   source   of   the   material   used   is   clearly   acknowledged.
Other   breaches   of   academic   integrity   include:

The   misrepresentation   of   one’s   own   or   another’s   identity   for   academic   purposes;

The   misrepresentation   of   material   facts   or   circumstances   in   relation   to   examinations,   papers,   or   other   evaluative   activities;

The   sale   of   papers,   essays,   or   research   for   fraudulent   use.
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