I. ASCRC General Education Form
Group
VII
Dept/Program
Sociology
Course #
220S
Course Title
Prerequisite
Credits
3
Race, Gender, and Class
Soc 110S
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Date
June Ellestad
Celia Winkler
Phone / Email
X5843
Program Chair
Celia Winkler
Dean
Gerald Fetz
III. Description and purpose of the course: General Education courses must be introductory
and foundational. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/gened/GEPreamble_final.htm
Instructor
The primary goal of this class is to give students the opportunity to use sociological theories, concepts, and
empirical research to examine the everyday social world of inequality. In particular we will be looking at race,
gender, and social class as identities and as social structures that pattern the practices, policies, and changes
present in society.
IV. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Course systematically studies systems of
systematically study individuals, racial formations, gender systems, and class
groups, or social institutions; in the United States from both historical and
contemporary perspectives.
analyze individuals, groups, or social problems and structures; and/or Course seeks to understand the origins and
effects of systems of race, gender, and class
on individuals, levels of poverty, and other
markers of inequality.
V. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Course presents an overview of inequalities
Describe the nature, structure, and based on race, gender, and class, with
historical development of human attention to beliefs and social structures,
behavior, organizations, social including labor markets, education, culture,
phenomena, and/or relationships and law.
use theory in explaining these individual, Course investigates theories of stratification,
knowledge, cultural representations, and
group, or social phenomena;
socialization in understanding causes and
effects of systems of race, class, and gender.
VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. ⇓ The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
See attached.
*Please note: As an instructor of a general education course, you will be expected to provide
sample assessment items and corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.
Race, Gender, and Class
Sociology220.02: Fall 2007
INSTRUCTOR:
PHONE:
June Ellestad
OFFICE:
SS302
243-5353 (home 2732605, cell 207-6111)
EMAIL:
june.ellestad@umontana.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 2:00-2:45 and by appointment
EMAIL HOURS:
Monday - Friday 1:45 – 2:00
TEACHING ASSISTANT: Jessica Ulrich
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The primary goal of this class is to give you the opportunity to use sociological theories, concepts, and
empirical research to examine the everyday social world of inequality. In particular we will be looking at
race, gender, and social class as identities and as social structures that pattern the practices, policies, and
changes present in society.
ROLE OF LEARNER & INSTRUCTOR: I do not see myself as the teacher of this course and
you as the students. We are, each of us, both. As the instructor in this course, it is my job to serve as a guide
to your learning. Your job is to do the reading, thinking, and doing required to actively engage in your own
learning. In my role as guide I will, to the extent possible, avoid lecturing. This requires that each of you
come to class prepared (i.e., having done the reading and thinking prior to class) and that you engage in
discussion of the text and lecture material and your own experiences with assigned exercises. All of this will
require that you be present in all senses of that word.
I am expecting the collective wisdom we bring to this adventure to result in lively, active learning.
Warning: While certain elements, such as due dates, might change during the semester, the
emphasis on your preparation and participation will not! Also please note that in addition to
requiring you to read a fair amount of dense, some times dry material, this course involves in class
and out of class exercises and writing. If you stay enrolled in the class I will take that to mean
you=ve agreed to this format.
REQUIRED READING:
THE TEXT:
Newman, David M. 2007. Identities and Inequalities: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class, Gender,
and Sexuality. Boston: McGraw Hill.
ADDITIONAL READINGS: you can find the additional readings on Electronic Reserve
(http://eres.lib.umt.edu). The course password is SOC220
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
PREPARE FOR CLASS (i.e., do and think about the readings before class.)
Most of the in class time will be devoted to class discussions and exercises. For these to be productive and
for them to facilitate the learning process everyone must have completed the reading. Therefore, the first
requirement for this class is that everyone read the assignments BEFORE class.
Earning Points:
Maximum
Attendance
100 points
Tests
400 points
Investigating Stratification Projects
300 points
Total
800 points
The semester grades will be distributed this way: 90% & above an A; 80% to 89% a B; 70%- 79 % a C; 60
to 69% a D, and anything below 60% an F.
Please note: There is no extra credit.
ATTENDANCE
This is a discussion class. To participate in discussions everyone must be in attendance. Thus I will reward
excellent attendance and penalize poor attendance. Everyone begins with 100 attendance points. You loose
these points by failing to attend class or being late to class. For every late or absent day I will make a
reduction in your 100 points. You will loose 5 points if you miss or are late to 2 classes, 20 points if you miss
or are late to 3 classes, 30 points if you miss or are late to 4 classes, 45 points if you miss or are late to 5
classes, and 100 points if you miss or are late to more than 5 classes
TESTS
DROP LOWEST TEST SCORE: Most everyone has an extremely busy week or a week they don’t feel
well. These are issues that have an impact on both attendance and test scores. To address these issues and
to eliminate the need to determine who has a valid reason for missing a test everyone gets to drop their
lowest test score. However, everyone should try to save their drop till the end of the semester as there will
be NO MAKE UP TESTS. If you have a family emergency or are sick towards the end of the semester and
you have used your drop you will NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE UP THE TEST. Also if you have used your
drop do not expect to make up a test because you have a university excused absence. If you participate in
university activities you need to USE YOUR DROP for that activity. Please reread this
paragraph. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
PYRAMIND TESTS: Tests 1 - 4. I have always felt test days were wasted days in that students spend
the full class time working but seldom are they learning. This is because the traditional testing method is an
attempt to evaluate the amount of learning (i.e., studying prior to the test). Other testing methods (e.g.,
pyramid and cooperative tests) are designed to do both- evaluate learning prior to the test and provide
students with a learning opportunity. Additionally, research (e.g., Slusser and Erikson 2006, Zimbardo,
Butler, and Wolfe 2003) suggests that cooperative test taking increases long term retention, reduces test
anxiety, and adds to students’ ability to think abstractly. Thus, except for the final, the tests in this course
will be “two-stage cooperative tests” (Zipp 2007).
HOW PYRAMID TESTING WILL WORK. Everyone will take each multiple-choice, true-false, and fillin-the-blank test twice. During the first 20 to 30 minutes everyone will take the test by themselves. They
will write the answers on their test and on their individual answer sheet. The individual answer sheets will
be turned in and then the learning groups will get together to retake the tests. Using the exact test taken in
the first part of the class the students will discuss and try to come up with the correct answers. During the
discussion each student will complete a new answer sheet (group influenced answer sheet) which will be
turned in about 10 minutes before the end of the class. At the end of the class time I will read the answers
so the groups can compare their answers to the test manual answers.
GRADING THE PYRAMID TESTS. Your test grade will be the grade on your individual answer sheet
plus half the difference between the group average (based on the group’s individual scores) and the group
average of the group influenced scores. To see how this works lets imagine that there were six people in
Group X. They got the following grades on their individual answer sheets: 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, and 40. The
average of these individual scores is 65. The group members got the following grades on their group
influenced answer sheets: 89, 90, 80, 87, 85, and 79. The average of these scores is 85. This means that
every member of Group X would get 10 extra points on this exam [85 (the group influenced average) – 65
(the average individual score within the group) divided by 2] raising their scores to 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, and
50.
FINAL. The final exam counts the same as Tests 1 – 4. It is comprehensive and is NOT a pyramid test.
INVESTIGATING STRATIFICATION EXERCISE
Over the semester you will be doing three investigating stratification projects. You will do the research and
write a research report. The due dates for these projects are Friday, Sept. 14th, Friday, Oct. 12th and
Friday, Dec. 1st .
Late Work: Mark your calendars NOW with the due dates. Late work will be penalized for each partial
or full day (including Saturdays and Sundays) they are late. The penalty for late work will be 5 points for
each partial or full late day.
Friday, Sept. 14th – 1st Investigating Stratification Exercise Due by 2:00 PM. If I am not in my office
there will be a box outside the door. Box outside SS 302.
For instructions see “Investigating Identities and Inequalities: A sociological treasure hunt: The artifacts of
identity in Newman Text. NOTE: This assignment requires planning, traveling around the community
taking pictures, observing the social world, completing an analysis, and writing up a report. You need to get
started EARLY.
Friday, Oct. 12th – 2nd Investigating Stratification Exercise Due by 2:00 PM. If I am not in my office
there will be a box outside the door.
You may choose to do either 1) But I play one on TV: Media portraits of race, gender, and sexuality or 2)
Go to your room: Race, gender, and childhood discipline..
If you decide to do the “Go to your room” change the number of interviews to 3 to 5 and rather than
interviewing just “fellow students” you may interview U of M students, staff, or faculty.
Note: start early. The TV exercise requires you to watch a weeks work of prime-time TV, analyze your
data and write a report. The “Go to your room” investigation requires that you do, analyze, and report on 3
to 5 interviews.
Friday, Dec. 1st – 3rd Investigating Stratification Exercise Due by 2:00 PM If I am not in my office
there will be a box outside the door.
You may choose to do either 1) Race and retail: Personal and institutional discrimination in everyday life;
2.) Living on the outskirts of poverty: A balanced budget or 3.) Organizing for a change: Student groups
on campus.
Note: The race and retail exercise would work well as a group project. Remember these exercises take
time. Start early. I suggest that you complete the exercise before Thanksgiving break.
Important Stuff
Academic Etiquette: Class begins on time. Do not be late. Please contact me if you must be late. I do
not like it when students begin packing up to leave before the end of class. Please resist this
temptation. If you must leave early please let me know before class and cause as little disruption
as possible when you leave. Academic etiquette also includes treating all class members with
respect and resisting the desire to have private conversations with the people sitting near you.
Even whispering is distracting to others-- including the instructor.
Academic Integrity: Plagiarism or cheating of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in
failing the course. In addition to failing the course it is possible there will be other
disciplinary action as I will report the incident. Cheating is a serious offense and will not be
tolerated. Forms of cheating include, but are not limited to, turning in a paper written for another
course, having another student write your assignment, copying another student=s assignment, and
plagiarizing. Plagiarism comes in a lot of forms. The most common form of plagiarism used by
students is failure to correctly cite in the body of the paper whose ideas and/or words you have
used. If the ideas or words you use have been taken from the work of someone else, you must
give that person(s) credit by citing them in the body of your paper and listing them on a
reference page. This includes ideas and quotations from your textbook! Remember I expect your
work to be your own, unless a collaborative assignment is specified. If you have any questions
about what constitutes plagiarism it is essential that you ask me about these. Please become
familiar with the Student Conduct Code ( http:/www.umt.edu/SA/VPSA).
Getting Help: Most of us could use a little help at various times in our academic lives. If you find yourself
needing some extra help in this course please let me know. If you need help with the course
material, we can meet during office hours or I can help you form a study group with others in the
class
Expectation regarding “standard of knowing”: One reason this course is designed to include class and
small group discussions and a fair amount of writing is that we will be using a specific standard of
knowing. That is the criteria for determining if you “know something” will be whether you or not
you explain the ideas, concepts, or research findings to others. Knowing is not that you understand
the material when others explain it to you (Willingham 2003/2004. This expectations puts a great
deal of pressure on all of us (professor and students) to put the work into understanding the
materials and applying this understanding to our everyday world.
About You: If you have needs that may affect your performance in this class, please let me know in person
or on your written information sheet. By working together we will be able to make this class a
positive experience for you. Such needs might include sitting in the front of the class or visiting
with me or the Jessica (the TA) on regular basis.
Class Calendar The following class schedule is tentative and subject to change. It is your
responsibility to be in class to find out about the changes.
Week 1:
August 28th & 30th What is sociology? What is does it mean to be White?
Reading Preface page xii-xx & Chelser, Peet, and Sevig “Blinded by Whiteness: The Development of White College
Students’ Racial Awareness”
Week 2:
Sept. 4th and 6th: Stratification Theories
Reading: Chapter 1: Differences and Similarities & Chapter 9: The Futures of Inequality
Week 3:
Sept. 11th and 13th – Social Construction of Reality
Reading: Chp 2: Manufacturing Difference & Rosenblum & Travis’s “Constructing Categories of Difference”
(Reserve). Friday, Sept. 14th – 1st Investigating Stratification Exercise Due by 2:00 PM
Week 4:
: Sept. 18th and 20th – Language
Tuesday: TEST #1
Thursday: Reading: Pages 71 – 88 in Chapter 3: Portraying Differences in Race, Class, Gender, & Sexuality
Week 5
Sept. 25th and 27th-- --- Language and Media.
Reading: Chapter 3: Portraying Differences in Race, Class, Gender, & Sexuality: Moore’s “Racist Sterotyping in the
English Language (Reserve) and Mantsio’s “Media Magic: Making Class Invisible.”
Week 6
Oct. 2nd and 4th – Socialization in Families
Reading: Pages 106- 132 in Chapter 4: Learning Differences and Lareau’s “Unequal Childhoods” (Reserve)
Week 7:
Oct. 9th & 11th – Socialization in Schools and Community
Reading: Pages 132 – 146 in Chapter 4: Learning Differences; Peltier’s “Growing up Indian.” (Reserve) Lopez’s
“Race-Gender Experiences and Schooling” (Reserve)
Friday, Oct. 12th – 2nd Investigating Stratification Exercise Due by 2:00 PM.
Week 8:
Oct 16th & 18th
Tuesday: Test #2
Thursday: Stereotypes & Prejudice
Reading: Pages 147 – 171 in Chapter 5: Expressing Inequalities & Module 22 by David Myers (Reserve)
Week 9
Oct. 23rd and 25th – Prejudice and Discrimination
Reading: Chapter 5: Expressing Inequalities, William’s “Of Race and Risk”(Reserve) and Module 23 “The Roots of
Prejudice” by David Myers (Reserve)
Week10
Oct 30th and Nov. 1st Health and Illness
Reading: Chapter 6: Inequalities in Health and Illness and Guinier &Torres “Watching the Canary”(Reserve)
Week11
Nov. 6th & 8th
Tuesday: Law and Justice
Reading: Chapter 7: Inequalities in Law and Justice
Thursday: Test #3
Week 12
Nov. 13th and 15th The Economy
Reading: Chapter 8: Inequalities Economics and Work & Ehrenreich’s “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in
America” (Reserve)
Week 13
Nov. 20th
Tuesday: Catch up day
Thursday: Holiday.
Week 14
Nov. 27th & 30th
Reading: Chapter 8: Inequalities Economics and Work & Richie’s “The Social Construction of the ‘Immoral Black
Mother’” (Reserve) Friday, Dec. 1st the 3rd Investigating Stratification Exercise Due by 2:00 PM
Week 15
Dec. 4th and 6th
Tuesday: Test #4 Thursday: Class Wrap Up. Review for final.
Finals Week:
Final Test
Thursday, Dec. 13 at 3:20