lOMoARcPSD|14919046 SOCY1-UC 7200 200 INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY, 4 Units Fall 2021 Class Format: Online (Asynchronous) General Course Information: Faculty Name/Title: Dr. Bahar Tabakoglu Faculty NYU Email Address: bt28@nyu.edu Office Hours: Mondays @ 2:00pm-3:00pm (EST time), via Zoom meeting. Please send me an email to make an appointment in advance. If the office hour time does not work for you, we can set up a meeting for another day/time. Please email me in advance for that as well. Response time and Communication: I will always be available by email and respond within 24 hours. For a virtual meeting, please see above for office hours. Course Prerequisites: Course is open to bachelor degree program students only. Open to DAUS students. Course Description: A study of society, social groups, and culture, and an introduction to sociological theory as a means for interpreting and understanding social human behavior. Topics of discussion include the process of social and cultural change, social structure and stratification, social institutions and politics, social roles and gender, the family, and social control. Purpose of the Course and Learning Outcomes: The main objective of this course is to offer an introduction to sociology in both its theoretical and practical dimensions. Along the way, we will spend time exploring the key concepts, themes and theories in sociology as well as how the discipline emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century. For this purpose, we will concentrate on the foundational and contemporary works as well as cover the main subfields of the discipline of sociology to introduce students to how sociological approach and thought attempt to understand and explain the events, patterns, processes, structures and values of our world through examining key themes and topics. By the end of this course, students will be able to: 1 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 • apply sociological approach and concepts to their understanding of the social-politicalcultural-economic surroundings. • construct an analytical perspective to understand and interpret the social processes and events in their everyday lives. • develop a critical thinking towards questioning and explaining the complex structure of societies and their self-positioning in this formation. • explain societies in their continuity, i.e. by employing a sociological perspective that creates a bridge between the historical backgrounds and contemporary conditions of societies. • identify, compare and contrast the similarities, differences and connections between various social issues and patterns. • grasp the methodological principles of sociological thinking. Communication Methods: Email and course announcements will be the communication methods. Email: I will respond to emails within 24 hours of receiving them. If I plan to be away from my computer for more than a couple of days, I will let you know in advance. Should you encounter any issues with the course, please contact me as soon as possible. Announcements: Please be sure to frequently check the “Announcements” module within the course. This will be the main method I communicate with the class other than email. Information that I might send out would be due dates for assignments and projects, changes to the syllabus, corrections/clarifications of materials and schedules. Please be sure to contact me directly via your NYU email (and not your personal email accounts) should you have any questions. Textbook and Course Materials: Required Textbook: ⇒ Anthony Giddens, Mitchell Duneier, Richard Appelbaum, Deborah Carr (2012), Essentials of Sociology (4th Edition), W.W. Norton and Company Press (ISBN: 978-0-393-91883-0) (Note: Later editions of the book are acceptable as well). The book above will be the main textbook that we will use in this course; therefore, it is required that you have the book by the second week of our course. Recommended Readings: (Note: These are only some recommended, additional readings; they are not required.) – Lisa J. McIntyre, The Practical Skeptic: Readings in Sociology, 6th Edition. – Tucker, Robert C. (edit.) (1978), The Marx-Engels Reader, (2nd Ed.), Norton&Company: New York. 2 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 – Weber, Max (2001), The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Routledge Classics: London and New York. – Gerth, H.H. and C.W. Mills (1946), From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, Oxford University Press: New York. – Durkheim, Emile (1997), The Division of Labor in Society, The Free Press: New York. – Durkheim, Emile (2006), Suicide, Penguin Books. Course Structure: Asynchronous: This course will be facilitated asynchronously online through NYU Brightspace. To access your course, log in to NYU Home with your NetID and Password. Learning Modules: This course is organized into weekly modules. Each contains assigned readings, reaction/response papers and discussion forums (and, visual material/documentaries for some weeks). In addition, there is a final paper assignment. Weekly writing assignments’ content will cover material from weekly reading assignments. All assignments and lectures are designed to cover the readings as well as additional material and topics and highlight major concepts, theories and sociological approaches. Assignments: Unless indicated otherwise in weekly materials, you will submit the writing assignments for this course to its respective assignments area within the course. Course Structure & Expectations: ⇒ Weekly reading assignments & weekly response papers to the reading material: Throughout the semester, there will be reading and writing assignments for each week. The reading material will include chapters from the textbook. You will be required to write a short (1-2 pages maximum) reaction/response paper to the readings each week. In these reaction/reflection papers, in addition to providing a summary of the assigned readings for the week, you are also expected to demonstrate your critical reflections, identify their arguments, present their contributions and offer a critical evaluation. These reading assignments and reaction/response papers are an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you grasp the material and reflect on the main sociological concepts, terms and procedures. In addition, in some weeks, there may be visual material (documentaries) as well. In those weeks, you will be expected to write your reaction/response paper on that documentary. Further detailed explanation about the reading assignments and the response papers will be made in NYU Brightspace under the weekly module for each assignment. ⇒ Discussion Forums: There will be ongoing discussion forums throughout the semester. You are required to actively participate in these forums. These forums will help you exchange ideas with your classmates, get feedback and help all of us get to know, and 3 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 learn from, each other. The discussion topics will vary from topics directly related with the readings as well as to topics that reflect your observations of our social-politicaleconomic-cultural environments. Further detailed explanation about the discussion forums will be made in NYU Brightspace under the weekly modules. ⇒ Final Paper: For this writing assignment, you will be expected to write a final paper by referring to the readings and topics covered in the entire course. The final paper will be maximum 5 pages (double-space), not including the bibliography. This assignment is an opportunity to practice the sociological approach to the study of society (along with relevant concepts, terms and theoretical approaches) and demonstrate your critical reflections on a topic of your choice. You will have two options to write your final paper on: Option 1: you will write either on a social issue (you will be free to choose your own topic as long as it will be related with the themes of our course), or Option 2: you will write an autobiography. For both options, you will be expected to write your final paper by using the sociological lens through which you will interpret and connect your topic/personal experience to larger social-political-cultural-economic issues, while keeping the sociological approach in the center. Further explanation about the paper will be made in NYU Brightspace. Attendance: The learning process improves when students regularly attend class. It is important that your instructor and fellow classmates have the benefit of your participation. Although the course will be in an asynchronous format, students are expected to attend and actively participate in all course expectations and make timely submissions of assignments. Attendance will be taken into consideration when assigning final grades. Please contact me at least 24 hours in advance of the excused absence and arrange to make up missed work. You will be deducted 10 points from your final grade for each unexcused absence unless proper arrangements have been made. Unjustified absences may lower your grade. Students who miss class for medical reasons are required to notify their instructor of their absence and may be asked to produce documentation. Students who plan to miss classes for religious reasons are expected to inform instructors beforehand and to be responsible for assignments given during their absence. For university policies on religious holidays please check: https://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/policies-and-guidelines/universitycalendar-policy-on-religious-holidays.html 4 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 Classroom Expectations: You are expected to conduct yourselves in a professional manner and engage and collaborate with your instructor and classmates. The following list provides suggestions for succeeding in an online environment: ● When you are typing or submitting a message, do not use all capital letters (caps). Caps is equal to SHOUTING YOUR MESSAGE. ● Although it is customary to use acronyms (ex. ROFL - rolling on the floor laughing, BTW - by the way, or FYI - for your information) when writing online, try to avoid using these. There may be those in this course who are not as experienced as you and may miss out on understanding. Time Commitment: Online courses are typically just as time-intensive and may be more rigorous than traditional courses. As you begin this course, you would be wise to schedule 6-7 or more hours per week for studying materials and completing assignments. The concepts we cover are cumulative. If you find yourself spending more time on course learning activities than what has been suggested, please contact me as soon as possible with any questions or concerns. Class Participation: Participation means contributing to the discussion versus simply speaking in; it also means actively listening and building on the questions and discussion points of your classmates. You are expected to conduct yourselves in a professional manner and engage and collaborate with your classmates. All students are expected to participate actively to the course. Your participation grade will be based on your contributions and your active participation to the course expectations presented above. Please check your NYU emails and log in to the course frequently (at least several times per week) and check the announcements. This will keep you apprised of any course updates, assignment information, and messages requiring immediate attention. Assignments and Deadlines: All students must complete all course assignments. All assignments must be uploaded on NYU Brightspace. Assignments will not be accepted through email. Each assignment module will include the detailed assignment description and grading criteria/rubric. The number of the assignments and their due dates are on the course outline that follows. Be sure to pay close attention to deadlines—there will be no make-up assignments or late work accepted without approval. If you will be unable to meet a certain assignment’s deadline, please email me as soon as possible. Late assignments are not accepted 5 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 without prior written permission from me and cannot be granted more than once throughout the semester. Failure to submit assignments on time will result in a grade reduction. Writing Expectations: All students must have adequate writing skills to communicate content in a professional and concise manner. Students must follow APA, MLA or Chicago guidelines, use non-racist and non-sexist language, and include sufficient references to support their thesis and ideas. Viewing Grades and Feedback: Grades and feedback you receive for graded activities will be posted to NYU Brightspace. I will update the online grades each time a grading session has been completed—typically a week following the completion of an activity. You will see a visual indication of new grades posted on your course home page. Grading Policy/Assessment Strategy: Grading in this course is based upon the following activities and assignments. Since all graded assignments are related directly to course objectives, failure to complete any assignment will result in an unsatisfactory course grade. All written assignments are to be completed using APA, MLA or Chicago format and must be typed and double-spaced. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling will be considered in grading. Please carefully proof-read your written assignments before submitting them for a grade. Total 40% Weekly Reading Assignments & Response paper 1: 4 points Response/Reaction Papers to the Reading Response papers 2-13: 3 points each (12 Material papers=36 points) (Total 13 papers=40 points) Total: 30% Forum 1 (6 points) Forum 2 (6 points) Discussion Forums Forum 3 (6 points) Forum 4 (6 points) Forum 5 (6 points) Final Paper Total: 30% 100% TOTAL (! Note to the grading table above: The “percentage” for each requirement can also be read as “points.” That is, for instance, 40% means 40 points. Hence, you will be collecting points/percentages throughout the semester. By the end of the semester, your points/percentage will be evaluated over 100 points/100 percentage. There will not be any curve used for calculation; instead, you will be collecting points.) 6 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 See “School Grading Policies” below for letter grade conversion. NYUSPS Policies: “NYUSPS policies regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Academic Integrity and Plagiarism, Students with Disabilities Statement, and Standards of Classroom Behavior among others can be found on the NYU Classes Academic Policies tab for all course sites as well as on the University and NYUSPS websites. Every student is responsible for reading, understanding, and complying with all of these policies.” The full list of policies can be found at the web links below: University: http://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance.html ● Student Affairs and Reporting- https://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelinescompliance/policies-and-guidelines/student-services.html NYUSPS: http://sps.nyu.edu/academics/academic-policies-and-procedures.html Students With Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability who is requesting accommodations, please contact New York University’s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at 212-998-4980 or mosescsd@nyu.edu. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found at www.nyu.edu/csd. The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the 3rd floor. Health and Wellness: To access the University's extensive health and mental health resources, contact the NYU Wellness Exchange. You can call its private hotline (212-443-9999), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to reach out to a professional who can help to address day-to-day challenges as well as other health-related concerns. Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policy: All students are expected to be honest and ethical in all academic work. This trust is shared among all members of the University community and is a core principle of American higher education. Any breaches of this trust will be taken seriously. A hallmark of the educated student and good scholarship is the ability to acknowledge information derived from others. Students are expected to be scrupulous in crediting those sources that have contributed to the development of their ideas. Plagiarism involves borrowing or using information from other sources without proper and full credit. Students are expected to demonstrate how what they have learned incorporates an understanding of the research and expertise of scholars and other appropriate experts; and thus recognizing others' published work or teachings—whether that of authors, lecturers, or one's 7 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 peers—is a required practice in all academic projects. Students are subject to disciplinary actions for the following offenses which include but are not limited to: ● ● ● ● Cheating Plagiarism Forgery or unauthorized use of documents False form of identification Use the link below to read more about Academic Integrity Policies at the NYU School of Professional Studies. Academic Policies for NYU SPS Students Student Resources: The University reserves the right to deny registration and/or graduation and withhold all information regarding the record of any student who is in arrears in the payment of tuition, fees, loans, or other charges (including charges for housing, dining, or other activities or services) for as long as any arrears remain. Students may contact the Bursar's Office at 212-998-2806 to clear arrears or to discuss their financial status at the University. Students seeking academic help in their studies can use university resources in addition to an instructor’s office hours. University Resources include the Academic Advising, Writing Center, Career Center, Tutoring Center, Learning Center, and Student Affairs. The centers provide services such as tutoring, writing help, critical thinking, study skills, degree planning, and student employment. For a complete list of student resources, Students can visit the NYU SPS Office of Student Affairs Resource and Services page. School Grading Policies: For Undergraduate Courses Grading for undergraduate programs is by letter grade: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, and F. For NYUSPS’s complete undergraduate grading policies, including criteria for a grade of incomplete, taking a course on a pass/fail basis, and withdrawing from a course, see the Grades section of the Policies and Procedures: https://www.sps.nyu.edu/homepage/studentexperience/policies-and-procedures.html#Undergraduate0 Letter % GPA Meaning A 93-100 4.000 Excellent: Earned by work whose excellent quality indicates a full mastery of the subject and is of extraordinary distinction. A- 90-92 3.667 Excellent: Earned by work whose excellent quality indicates a full mastery of the subject. 8 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 B+ 87-89 3.333 Good: Earned by work that indicates a very good comprehension of the course material, very good command of the skills needed to work with the course material, and indicates the student’s full engagement with the course requirements and activities. B 83-86 3.000 Good: Earned by work that indicates a good comprehension of the course material, good command of the skills needed to work with the course material, and indicates the student’s full engagement with the course requirements and activities. B- 80-82 2.667 Good: Earned by work that indicates comprehension of the course material, command of the skills needed to work with the course material, and indicates the student’s engagement with the course requirements and activities. C+ 77-79 2.333 Satisfactory: Earned by work that indicates an adequate and satisfactory comprehension of the course material and the skills needed to work with the course material, and indicates the student has met the requirements for completing assigned work and participating in class activities. C 73-76 2.000 Satisfactory: Earned by work that indicates a satisfactory comprehension of the course material and the skills needed to work with the course material, and indicates the student has met the basic requirements for completing assigned work and participating in class activities. C- 70-72 1.667 Satisfactory: Earned by work that indicates a minimally satisfactory comprehension of the course material and the skills needed to work with the course material, and indicates the student has met the minimum requirements for completing assigned work and participating in class activities. D+ 65-69 1.333 Passing: Earned by work that is unsatisfactory, but that indicates some minimal command of the course materials and some minimal participation in class activities that is worthy of course credit toward the degree. D 60-64 1.000 Minimum passing grade: Earned by work that is unsatisfactory, but that indicates some minimal 9 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 command of the course materials and some minimal participation in class activities that is worthy of credit toward the degree. F Below 60 Failing: Demonstrates minimal to no understanding of all key learning outcomes and core concepts; work is unworthy of course credit towards the degree. Technical Requirements: Computer Hardware: Recommended Requirements ● Computer with at least 4GB of memory or more (RAM) ● Windows 8.0 or Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or higher ● Broadband (high-speed) internet access (direct connection or Wifi) ● Webcam and microphone (for online meetings) Student Technical Skills: You are expected to be proficient with installing and using basic computer applications and have the ability to send and receive email attachments. Software: ● ● ● ● ● ● Google Chrome (recommended browser for viewing online course materials) Mozilla’s Firefox (latest version; Macintosh or Windows) Adobe’s Flash Player and Reader plug-in (latest version). Apple’s QuickTime plug-in (latest version). Microsoft Office Suite (free for NYU Students). Zoom web conferencing tool NYU Brightspace Orientation and Training: To actively participate in this course, you will need to get familiar with the course environment. If you are not familiar with how to navigate this environment as a student or use any of these tools, please visit the link below for a full tutorial on using NYU Brightspace. https://www.nyu.edu/life/information-technology/instructional-technology-support/instructionaltechnology-tools-and-services/nyu-lms-brightspace/student-training-lms-brightspace.html NYU Brightspace Support: To receive 24/7 live support or deliver NYU Brightspace feedback, contact the IT Service Desk: ● Phone: 1-212-998-3333 ● Email: AskIT@nyu.edu 10 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 COURSE SCHEDULE: ! Important Note 1: Our course will be conducted in an asynchronous format, and that there are no synchronous/in-person meetings. However, each week for the course is defined as “from Monday to Monday.” Hence, for each week in the outline below, the dates for the class show Mondays, if not noted otherwise--in accordance with the University Academic Calendar, some of the class dates are not on a Monday. Assignments listed for each Monday are to be submitted the following Monday, if not noted otherwise. Assignments are due by 11:59pm EST on their due dates. ! Important Note 2: The course outline below shows only the main titles of the reading, writing and discussion board assignments. For detailed explanations and all the instructions for these assignments, please see the modules/folders for each week in NYU Brightspace and always follow the weekly announcements. *** Week 1: Tuesday, September 7: (Monday, September 6 is Labor Day, no class. Hence, the class day for this week is Tuesday, instead of Monday.) Introduction to the course, presentation of course structure, expectations and content Assignments: ⇒ Discussion Forum Assignment: – Discussion Forum 1: Introduce Yourself (Due date: Monday, September 13) ⇒ Writing Assignment: Topic: Documentary on the industrial revolution, the rise of capitalism and early 20th century social-political-economic changes (the link to the documentary will be in NYU Brightspace) Assignments: – Watch the documentary – Weekly reaction/response paper 1: on the documentary (Due date: Monday, September 13) Week 2: Monday, September 13 Topic: “Sociology: Theory and Method” Giddens, Chapter 1 Assignments: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 2: on Giddens, Chapter 1 (Due date: Monday, September 20) 11 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 ⇒ Discussion Forum Assignment: – Discussion Forum 2: NYC In the Eyes of a Sociologist (Due date: Monday, September 20) Week 3: Monday, September 20 Topic: “Culture and Society” Giddens, Chapter 2 Assignments: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 3: on Giddens, Chapter 2 (Due date: Monday, September 27) ⇒ Discussion Forum Assignment: – Discussion Forum 3: What Sociological Topic(s) Are You Interested In? (Due date: Monday, September 27) Week 4: Monday, September 27 Topic: “Socialization, the Life Course and Aging” Giddens, Chapter 3 Assignment: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 4: on Giddens, Chapter 3 (Due date: Monday, October 4) Week 5: Monday, October 4 Topic: “Social Interaction and Everyday Life” Giddens, Chapter 4 Assignment: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 5: on Giddens, Chapter 4 (Due date: Tuesday, October 12) Week 6: Tuesday, October 12: (According to the University Academic Calendar, Monday, October 11 is Fall Break, no classes are scheduled. Therefore, the class day for this week is Tuesday, instead of Monday. Classes follow a Monday schedule on Tuesday, October 12.) Topic: “Groups, Networks and Organizations” Giddens, Chapter 5 Assignment: ⇒ Writing Assignment: 12 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 –Weekly reaction/response paper 6: on Giddens, Chapter 5 (Due date: Monday, October 18) Week 7: Monday, October 18 Topic: “Deviance, Crime and Punishment” Giddens, Chapter 6 Assignment: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 7: on Giddens, Chapter 6 (Due date: Monday, October 25) Week 8: Monday, October 25 Topic: “Stratification, Class and Inequality” Giddens, Chapter 7 Assignment: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 8: on Giddens, Chapter 7 (Due date: Monday, November 1) Week 9: Monday, November 1 Topic: “Global Inequality” Giddens, Chapter 8 Assignments: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 9: on Giddens, Chapter 8 (Due date: Monday, November 8) ⇒ Discussion Forum Assignment: –Discussion Forum 4: What is Your Final Paper Topic? (Due date: Monday, November 8) Week 10: Monday, November 8 Topic: “Gender Inequality” Giddens, Chapter 9 Assignment: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 10: on Giddens, Chapter 9 (Due date: Monday, November 15) 13 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 Week 11: Monday, November 15 Topic: “Race, Ethnicity and Racism” Giddens, Chapter 10 Assignment: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 11: on Giddens, Chapter 10 (Due date: Monday, November 22) Week 12: Monday, November 22 Topic: “Politics and Economic Life” Giddens, Chapter 13 Assignment: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 12: on Giddens, Chapter 13 (Due date: Monday, November 29) Week 13: Monday, November 29 Topic: “Families and Intimate Relationships,” Giddens, Chapter 11 or “The Sociology of the Body: Health, Illness, and Sexuality,” Giddens, Chapter 14 (you can choose either one of these chapters) Assignment: ⇒ Writing Assignment: –Weekly reaction/response paper 13: on Giddens, Chapter 11 or Chapter 14 (Due date: Monday, December 6) Week 14: Monday, December 6 – No new reading/writing assignment; you are expected to work on your final paper (Due date: Monday, December 20) ⇒ Discussion Forum Assignment: –Discussion Forum 5: In your view, what are the most important sociological topics and approaches you have learned in this course? (Due date: Monday, December 13) Week 15: Monday, December 13: Last Day of Classes! No new assignment; final paper assignment continues (Due date: Monday, December 20) 14 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com) lOMoARcPSD|14919046 Week 16: Monday, December 20: Final Papers are Due! *** Note: This course outline should be considered tentative since some minor changes may be made according to the needs of class. If a date or assignment needs to be changed, I will announce it on NYU Brightspace before the date it is listed in the syllabus. *** 15 Downloaded by Shuang YAO (247007605@qq.com)