Instructor: Geoff Palmer
Email: geoffrey.b.palmer@gmail.com
Website: canvas.northseattle.edu
Office: NSCC Espresso Lounge
Office Hours: M,W 12p-1p and by appt.
Classroom: CC3443
Meeting Time: MWF 11a-11:50a
SOC&101
Introduction to Sociology
Autumn 20131
Credits: Five.
Prerequisites: None.
Course Start Date: 9.23.2013
Course End Date: 12.11.2013
Course Description: This course will provide you with an introduction to the academic
discipline of sociology. While this word may mean nothing to you at this point, the goal is that
by the end of the quarter you will not only have a sense of what sociology means but also a good
grasp of the history of sociology, its major theoretical approaches, and some of today’s important
sociological developments and key questions. Beyond this it is my aim to engage your
imagination, creativity and energy. I hope to stimulate your thinking and get you to begin
thinking “sociologically.” At the very least you will find this class to be informative and
complementary to your own interests, at the best you will be fascinated and hooked for life.
Objectives: By successfully completing this course you will be able to
1. Articulate what it means to think sociologically.
2. Articulate the differences between Individualism and the Sociological Perspective.
3. Read and understand classic and soon-to-be-classic pieces in the sociological literature.
4. Acquire the ability to think sociologically about your world.
5. Better understand people from other social structures, and why they are similar to or
different from yourself and your social network.
6. Expand your set of explanations for social phenomena like deviance and crime,
educational and occupational outcomes, and racial inequality.
7. Improve your ability to think critically.
8. Improve your ability to communicate effectively.
9. Demonstrate your understanding of the relationship between individuals and society.
Course Requirements and Policies:
Course Readings: Many of the course readings exist in the Experience Sociology (ES) textbook
by Croteau and Hoynes. Other readings will be emailed to you and/or posted on the class
website. You can find the reading schedule towards the end of this syllabus. I will assign
additional readings as we move through the quarter. To maximize the personal benefit that you
might receive from the readings, read before coming to class.
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I reserve the right to change, amend, or alter this syllabus at any time without advance notice. In the event that I do
alter the syllabus, I will inform you verbally in class, and electronically via email and class website.
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Clickers: Get one! Make sure it’s the kind from Turning Technologies. The correct models are
compatible with RF receivers and are available in the NSCC bookstore.
Participation: For this class, participation scores are based on one minute papers (OMPs),
clicker quizzes, demographic and opinion clicker questions, comprehension checks, and
discussions. You may not email me an OMP from a remote destination. You may submit one
minute papers on scraps of paper if you wish. OMPs may be about: (1) remaining questions
about terms and/or concepts that were discussed in class but remain unclear and (2) a summary
of the main ideas discussed during the day. OMPs that either do not relate to class material or
are overly simplistic outlines of topics covered will not receive credit.
Small assignments: will be revealed to you throughout the quarter.
All of your written small assignments must:
(1) be typed in black ink using 12 point Times New Roman font.
(2) be double-spaced with margins not smaller than one inch on the top, left, right, and
bottom of the page.
(3) include your name on your paper.
(4) be stapled together in the upper-left corner of your assignment if you have more than one
page.
I will deduct 1% from your work for each requirement that is not met.
Submission of Written Work: Come to class with a hard copy of your written work, and be
prepared to submit it in person by the beginning of class on the day that it is due to receive full
credit.
Late Penalties: begin to accrue at the beginning of class on the day that your assignment is due
unless otherwise noted in the assignment prompt. For each business day that your assignment is
late, your assignment score will decline by 10%.
Exams: There will be three midterms and one final exam. All of these exams cover material
from the readings and lectures. The final exam is cumulative. All exams include multiple
choice questions as well as short answer questions, so make sure to bring a scantron form, #2
pencil, and a pen with you on exam days. I will grade these exams in a manner that evaluates
your understanding of material from class. This means that you should always answer exam
questions based on what you have learned in this class, not from other experiences.
Examination Conduct: Students are expected to complete examinations without the
unauthorized use of reference materials, notes, cell phones, ear buds, or classmates.
You may only make-up the Midterm Exams: if you miss one of the Midterm Exams for an
acceptable reason. You may not make up the Final Exam. I will arrange a make-up exam for
any Midterm if you meet the following conditions:
1) You supply evidence of any of the acceptable excuses listed below.
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2) You contact me to let me know what happened to you no later than end of business on the
day of the midterm.
3) You take the initiative in setting a new date on which you will take the midterm.
Acceptable Excuses and the Burden of Proof: There are three acceptable excuses for turning
in late work and missing the midterm exam. They are:
1) Illness
2) Death in the family
If one of these events applies to you, it is your responsibility to gather supporting evidence.
Doctor’s notes are fine, and are best when they include mention of how much time you need to
recover. I will not call your doctor or speak with your aunts and/or uncles. If you need help
figuring out how the death registry works to satisfy the requirements for the death in the family
excuse, please let me know.
You may revise the first Midterm Exam if you would like to improve your score. You may
only make up half of the credit that you missed on your first run, so it is better to do well the first
time than to rely on the retake process.
Grade Appeals: If you feel that you deserve a different grade than the one you received on any
assignment, you may file a one-page typed hard-copy grade appeal with me. You do not need to
submit an electronic copy or keep your appeal anonymous. I will not accept grade appeals via
email. This grade appeal must clearly state why you feel that you deserve a different grade than
you received. Please understand that grade appeals may result in either salubrious or undesirable
changes to your grade.
Grade Summary:
Participation ............................................................................................................. 20%
Assignments ............................................................................................................. 20%
Midterms .......................................................................................................... 10% each
Final ......................................................................................................................... 30%
_____________________________________________________________________
Total ....................................................................................................................... 100%
Grading Scale: At the end of the quarter, I will convert your score for the quarter into a GPA
score. For this reason, I subscribe to the grading scale found on the following page:
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Percentage Earned
100-98
97-96
95-94
93-92
91
90-89
88-87
86
85
84
83
82
81
80
79
78
77
Grade-Point Letter-Grade
Equivalent
Equivalent
4
A+
3.9
A
3.8
A
3.7
A3.6
A3.5
B+
3.4
B / B+
3.3
B
3.2
B
3.1
B
3
B / B2.9
B2.8
B2.7
C / C+
2.6
C
2.5
C
2.4
C
Percentage Earned
76
75
74
73
72
71
70
69
68
67
65
64
63
62
61
60
59 and x < 59
Grade-Point Letter-Grade
Equivalent
Equivalent
2.3
C
2.2
C
2.1
C2
C1.9
C- / D+
1.8
et cetera
1.7
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.2
1.1
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0
Page One Writing Center: It is always a good idea to have at least one extra set of eyes look
over your writing before you hand it in. For this reason, I recommend becoming acquainted with
the Writing Center here on campus. Visit here for more info:
https://northseattle.edu/tutoring/page-one-writing-center.
Plagiarism: While I encourage you all to discuss readings and lectures with one another, I do
not abide by the practice of copying each other’s work or failing to cite the work of others. If, in
writing one of your papers, you find that it is necessary to mention something that another author
said or wrote, cite them. When in doubt, cite. For more information about academic honesty,
visit the following website:
http://www.washington.edu/uaa/gateway/advising/help/academichonesty.php.
Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with documented
disabilities. Students should contact Disability Services (located in Student Success Services in
the College Center building) to discuss their accommodation needs as soon as possible.
Classroom Diversity: Respect for diversity is a core value of NSCC. Our college community
fosters an optimal learning climate and an environment of mutual respect. We, the college
community, recognize individual differences. Therefore, we are responsible for the content and
tone of our statements and are empathetic speakers and listeners.
Respectful and Inclusive Environment: The instructor and student share the responsibility to
foster a learning environment that is welcoming, supportive, and respectful of cultural and
individual differences. Open and respectful communication that allows for the expression of
varied opinions and multicultural perspectives encourages us to learn freely from each other.
Fragrance Policy: Students are encouraged to refrain from wearing heavily scented products
during class sessions, since some individuals may experience chemical sensitivities to fragrances
that interfere with their learning.
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Tentative Course Schedule:
Preliminaries.
9.23.2013
Syllabus, course introduction and roll call.
9.24.2013
ES Ch. 1
Online: How to read your text; How to use the discussion board.
9.25.2013
Clickers—Make sure to bring yours with you.
Topic 1. “What is Sociology?”
Questions addressed: What is individualism? What is the sociological perspective? How does
individualism differ from the sociological perspective? How does the sociological perspective help us to
understand what a person is? What are some analytical problems that stem from an individualist
perspective? What are some advantages that stem from using the sociological perspective instead of
individualism?
9.26.2013
Online: Comparing Individualism and the Sociological Perspective. Part 1.
9.30.2013
C. Wright Mills. “The Promise.” —Bring this with you to class.
10.1.2013
Online: Comparing Individualism and the Sociological Perspective. Part 3.
Topic 2. “How do sociologists understand our world?”
Questions addressed: What is social science? How do sociologists study the social world? What does it
mean to say that social science knowledge is provisional? What kinds of studies do sociologists
conduct? What are some advantages and disadvantages of each study type? What is the difference
between a dispositional and a situational hypothesis? How do we know if a variable is a “cause”?
10.2.2013
ES Ch. 2.
Devah Pager. “The Mark of a Criminal Record.”
10.3.2013
Online: How do we view the world? Part 2.
Topic 3. “How do people think about culture?”
Questions addressed: What is culture? How is it created? What does it mean to say that culture is
socially constructed? What is publication bias? How does publication bias relate to culture? What does
it mean to say that culture can be exploited? What is symbolic interactionism and how can I use it to
understand how a symbol can take on different meanings?
10.7.2013
ES Ch. 3.
Assigned: Small Paper #1.
10.8.2013
Online: Culture Part 2.
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10.9.2013
Trask.
10.10.2013
Online: Culture Part 3.
10.11.2013
Harkness.
10.14.2013
Review for Midterm #1.
10.16.2013
Midterm #1.
10.18.2013
Midterm #1 discussion.
Assigned: Midterm #1 Revisions.
10.21.2013
Grade Check.
Topic 4. “How does a human become a person?”
Questions addressed: How do we come to think the way that we do? How does context affect the way
that we perceive? What is biological determinism? What is social determinism? How do biology and
social forces cause behavioral outcomes? What is epigenetics, and how does it relate to sociology?
10.22.2013
ES Ch 6; Online: Socialization Part 1.
10.23.2013
Due: Small Paper #1.
10.24.2013
Online: Socialization Part 3.
10.25.2013
Due: Midterm #1 Revisions.
Topic 5. “What is structure and why does it matter?”
Questions addressed: What is social structure? How are we connected to it? What does it mean to say
that social networks are an example of social structure? What are social ties, and how can they vary in
strength? How do our social ties affect our happiness? What is social location, and how could it affect
me? What is “the power of the situation”?
10.29.2013
ES Ch. 4
Online: Structure Part 1.
10.30.2013
Fowler and Christakis.
10.31.2013
Online: Structure and Social Networks
11.1.2013
Movie.
11.4.2013
Review for Midterm #2.
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11.6.2013
Midterm #2.
Topic 6. “How do we think about, and what do we do with, non-conformists?”
Questions addressed: What is deviance, and how does our definition affect how we think about it? What
is crime, and how is crime related to deviance? How do the Individualist and Sociological explanations
for crime differ? What is the Code of the Street, and why would someone follow it? How does
segregation affect crime?
11.7.2013
ES Ch. 8; Online: Deviance Part 1.
11.8.2013
Small Paper #2 Assigned
11.11.2013
NO CLASS—Veteran’s Day.
11.12.2013
Online: Deviance Part 4
Topic 7. Axes of Inequality: “What is class and how does it matter?”
Questions addressed: How have income, wealth, and class inequality changed over time? What is social
mobility? What is the Blau-Duncan model? How do the Individualist and Sociological explanations for
economic and occupational outcomes differ? What is the Wilson Thesis, and how does it argue that class
is the most important determinant of social inequalities? How did Marx view the history of human
societies? What did Marx think was good about capitalism? What did Marx think was bad about
capitalism?
11.14.2013
ES Ch. 9; Online: Class Part 1.
11.15.2013
Karl Marx. The Communist Manifesto.
Topic 8. Axes of Inequality: “Don’t we live in a post-racial world?”
Questions addressed: What is race, and how did it come to be? Has our understanding of race always
been the same? How can race and ethnicity be viewed as subjective? How does Wilson argue that race
does not explain social inequality? What is hidden prejudice? What is implicit bias? Don’t we live in a
post-racial world, and if so, how do people justify racial inequalities today?
11.19.2013
ES Ch. 10; Online: Race Part 1.
11.20.2013
Bonilla-Silva
11.22.2013
Review for Midterm #3
Due: Small Paper #2
11.25.2013
Midterm #3
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Topic 9. “How do Institutions structure our exposure to wealth, status, and power?: Education &
Family”.
Questions addressed: How does school affect educational outcomes compared to families and
neighborhoods? What does it mean to say that the family and education are institutions? How do
people choose mates? How has mate selection changed over time? What are three hypotheses that
explain the link between cohabitation with divorce, and which ones are supported in the literature?
What are two distinct parenting styles that affect child educational outcomes?
11.26.2013
ES Ch. 12, pp. 314-329; ES Ch. 13, pp. 344-362; Online: Family and Education Part 1.
11.28.2013
Thanksgiving Break—No Class
11.29.2013
Thanksgiving Break—No Class
12.3.2013
Online: Family and Education Part 2
Final Exam Preparation
12.4.2013
Short Answer Review
12.6.2013
Final Jeopardy
12.11.2013
Final Exam: Wednesday December 11, 2013 10:30a-1230p in CC3443
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