Urban Sociology
Sociology 370 Winter Semester 2012
Section 1: 3716 HBLL on T Th at 01:30 pm - 02:45 pm
Instructor: Benjamin Gibbs
Office: 2032 JFSB
Office Hours: M W 10:00am-Noon
Office Phone: 801-422-8284 (2-8284 if on campus)
Email: benjamin_gibbs@byu.edu
Texts & Materials
Required
THE URBAN SOCIOLOGY READER
By LIN, JAN
ISBN: 9780415323437
GANG LEADER FOR A DAY
By VENKATESH, S
ISBN: 9780143114932
Counterfeit Community: The Exploitation of Our Longings
for Connectedness
By John F. Freie
ISBN: 9780847688722
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (1998-06-04)
Vendor
Price
(new)
Price
(used)
BYU
$74.95
$56.25
BYU
$16.00
$12.00
Amazon
$30.95
$3.61
Course Description
The development of urban life coincided with the birth of Sociology. As the Industrial Revolution was
reshaping work and industry, the development of highly populated cities led many historians,
philosophers, economists and others to wonder if the growth of the city would lead to social progress or
social peril. Much like the discussions surrounding Facebook today, technology has the potential to alter
how individuals interact with each other which in turn can influence social norms and behavior and
ultimately definitions of morality. We will explore the classical and contemporary questions regarding the
city in this course, but our ultimate question is "Does where we live matter and if so how important is that
influence on the fate of a society?" As we will discuss throughout the course, the answer depends on how
one defines "community."
Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
BC+
C
C-
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
D+
D
DE
67-69
63-66
60-62
59 and lower
Teaching Philosophy
I believe the best way to learn is by discussion in an environment where we feel comfortable being wrong.
Aside from covering the basics, I prefer to dwell on unresolved debates rather than relatively easy
concepts and solutions.
Grading Policies
Missing an exam will automatically result in full letter grade reduction with additional reductions based on
circumstance. Late papers (including e-mails sent during or after class) will result in a full letter grade
reduction. Be sure to allow enough time for printing and stapling of assignments. Do not send any
assignments by e-mail. My general rule for grading is to return all graded assignments to students 1 week
after I have received them.
Study Habits
1. We will meet 27 times for a total of 50 hours of lecture and discussion.
2. You have approximately 650 pages of reading, or 30 pages due each class.
3. You will read the writings of approximately 35 different authors.
4. You will see approximately 400 PowerPoint slides.
5. You will be asked approximately 30 quiz questions, 150 multiple choice questions and 6 essays
questions. But in total you will prepare for approximately 250 questions.
…in short, you need a strategy.
1. Read. You cannot fully summarize or contend with an idea you have not read. In rare occasions where
the argument of the author is obvious can you skim, but I still read every word of these readings in
preparation for the class (even though I have already read most readings several times). In most cases,
these readings are enduring because the ideas within them are still meaningful for understanding the
important questions about class. Therefore, it is worth your effort to untangle the arguments.
2. Read for ideas, not for completion. Read to understand what the author is saying:
a. Underline interesting, new insights.
b. Box main points, key definition.
c. Circle/question mark confusing ideas.
d. Write questions on the margins to engage in the ideas you are learning.
e. Write summaries in the margins to guide a reread of the article/chapter for tests or paper writing.
Your notes in the reading should give you easy access to the main ideas and key contributions of the
articles weeks after you have read the article/chapter.
3. In class, take notes on new learning. The PowerPoint slides will be available a week before the tests,
so your notes should be centered on new learning, clarifying insights and summary statements either
from lecture, slides or class discussion. As a general rule, do not take notes verbatim on lecture or
discussion material.
Course Learning Outcomes


Identify key social problems
Be able to identify key social problems that emerge from the urban environment. Be able to trace
the history of urban growth and subsequent impact of immigration and segregation in the city. In
your photo essay assignment you will document aspects of city life that are commodified
(counterfeit community) and explore evidence of genuine community. You will also be able to
understand the consequence of failed institutions (police, health care, education, economy) on
the prevalence of gang activity.
Developing Empathy
Developing Christ-like empathy for individuals and groups who struggle in society and find ways
to extend compassion.
Assignment Descriptions
Exams:
Exam #1 (150 pts) and Exam #2 (150 pts) will be made up of both class and reading material for
the sections covered. Exam #2 is not cumulative. The exams will consist of roughly 50 multiple
choice questions and two essays questions. A list of 10 potential essay questions for the exam
will be passed out one week before the exam. As a result, the quality of your exam questions
should be at a high level. Exams 1 and 2 will be in the testing center. The final exam (200 pts)
consists of new material covered in class since exam #2 as well as more general cumulative
material. The final will be structured like exams #1 and #2. The final exam will be in class.
Quizzes:
10 Pop Quizzes (150 pts): There is not a specific attendance policy in this course. However, inclass quizzes make up a significant portion of your grade. These will take place throughout the
term and will be unannounced. They will consist of short essay responses to any of the material
in the reading (15 pts. each). Latecomers (or early leavers) cannot make up in-class quizzes.
There will be a bonus quiz that will replace your lowest quiz score.
Project:
Project (200 pts): The student project can either be the Photo Essay or the Walk the Block
Challenge. Both assignments are intended for students to apply course content to applied
settings. The purpose of the Photo Essay is to capture images of urban life, counterfeit
community and genuine community locally. You may take pictures of places, groups of people,
and things. Evidence of community can be direct (i.e. town meeting) or indirect (i.e. rainbow
flag). Your ability to frame pictures, use indirect lighting, and use balance in the composition of
your photos is not relevant to the overall aim of this project. This is a research paper where you
will apply course concepts by linking the material to local evidence (i.e. photographs). I will not
accept pictures where the photographer could be considered in danger (i.e. do not take up close
pictures of Utah State Prison, do not take pictures of homeless people in the woods).
Furthermore, photographs of individuals should be taken after the express permission of the
subjects. Pictures of groups of people and objects in public spaces require no express
permission. Staged pictures are not commonly accepted. This is a research paper that uses
photographs as evidence of the key concepts you are exploring. The paper should be about 10
pages in length with three different photographs (1. urban life 2. counterfeit community 3.
genuine community).
For the Walk the Block Challenge, students must identify two city blocks that are markedly
different by SES, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other ascriptive features. Students must walk
both blocks and make qualitative comparisons and include any additional information available
on the area including the census, the Utah state website, and mapfinder (I will give more
information in class). The principle goal of this project is to observe how place can shape human
behavior and life chances. The paper should be about 10 pages in length, applying course
content to evidence (i.e. field notes).
Utopia!:
This project is an analysis of a "utopian" community (100 pts). You will research a community in
the United States that claims directly or indirectly to be a utopian community. The Internet will
be your best source. Describe the aims of the groups, its methods for addressing inequality and
unequal motivation and the key “thing” that centers the community morally.
Selling Place:
In groups you will pick a local town or city in Utah and devise a way to sell place (50 pts). You
will apply reading to find the best way to booster a location including identifying symbols,
histories, and other indicators of meaning for the purpose of increasing revenue.
Point Breakdown
Assignments
Points
Exam 1
150
Exam 2
150
Final Exam
200
Quizzes
150
Project
200
Utopia
100
Selling Place
50
Total Points
1000
BYU Honor Code
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their
academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own
must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing
grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to
adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others
and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and my own
expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor
Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.
Preventing Sexual Discrimination and Harassment
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an
educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex
discrimination in education. Title IX covers discrimination in programs, admissions, activities, and studentto-student sexual harassment. BYU's policy against sexual harassment extends not only to employees of
the university, but to students as well. If you encounter unlawful sexual harassment or gender-based
discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895 or 3675689 (24-hours); or contact the Honor Code Office at 422-2847.
Students with Disabilities
Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably
accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability
to complete this course successfully, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office
(422-2767). Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified,
documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the SSD Office. If
you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of
disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the
Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB.
Academic Honesty Policy
The first injunction of the BYU Honor Code is the call to be honest. Students come to the university not
only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but
also to build character. President David O. McKay taught that 'character is the highest aim of education'
(The Aims of a BYU Education, p. 6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in
fulfilling that aim. BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should
complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic
dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or
falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.
Plagiarism Policy
Writing submitted for credit at BYU must consist of the student's own ideas presented in sentences and
paragraphs of his or her own construction. The work of other writers or speakers may be included when
appropriate (as in a research paper or book review), but such material must support the student's own
work (not substitute for it) and must be clearly identified by appropriate introduction and punctuation and
by footnoting or other standard referencing.
Respectful Environment Policy
"Sadly, from time to time, we do hear reports of those who are at best insensitive and at worst insulting in
their comments to and about others... We hear derogatory and sometimes even defamatory comments
about those with different political, athletic, or ethnic views or experiences. Such behavior is completely
out of place at BYU, and I enlist the aid of all to monitor carefully and, if necessary, correct any such that
might occur here, however inadvertent or unintentional."
"I worry particularly about demeaning comments made about the career or major choices of women or
men either directly or about members of the BYU community generally. We must remember that personal
agency is a fundamental principle and that none of us has the right or option to criticize the lawful choices
of another." President Cecil O. Samuelson, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010
"Occasionally, we ... hear reports that our female faculty feel disrespected, especially by students, for
choosing to work at BYU, even though each one has been approved by the BYU Board of Trustees.
Brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be. Not here. Not at a university that shares a constitution
with the School of the Prophets." Vice President John S. Tanner, Annual University Conference, August
24, 2010
Course Schedule
Date
Th - Jan 5
T - Jan 10
Topics
Assignment
Due
Reading Due
Introduction to the
Course
-
-
Section One: The
Basics
-
Lin and Mele 1. General Introduction, 2. Introduction
to Part One
~16 pages
-
Lin and Mele 1. Tonnies "Community and Society" 2.
Simmel "The Metropolis and Mental Life" 3. Wirth
"Urbanism as a Way of Life"
~26 pages
Utopia! Due
Lin and Mele 1. Gans "Urbanism and Suburbanism
as Ways of Life: A Reevaluation of Definitions" 2.
Fischer "Theories of urbanism"
~20 pages
-
Lin and Mele 1. Introduction to Part Two 2. Park
"Human Ecology" 3. Burgess "The Growth of the
City" 4. Zorbaugh "The Natural Areas of the City"
~30 pages
-
Lin and Mele 1. Firey "Sentiment and Symbolism as
Ecological Variables" 2. Logan and Molotch "The
City as a Growth Machine" 3. Dear "Los Angeles and
the Chicago School"
~30 pages
Section Two:
Inequality and the
City
-
Lin and Mele 1. Introduction to Part Three 2.
Wacquant and Wilson "The Cost of Racial and Class
Exclusion in the Inner City" 3. Massey and Denton
"Segregation and the Making if the Underclass"
~25 pages
-
Photo Essay
or Walk the
Block Ideas
Due
Lin and Mele 1. Wacquant "Urban Outcasts" 2.
Portes and Manning "The Immigrant Enclave" 3.
Duncan "Men Without Property"
~30 pages
Conclusions
-
Exam #1 in Testing Center Friday (3rd) Sat. (4th)
and Mon. (6th)
GANG LEADER
FOR A DAY
-
Venkatesh Forward and Chapter 1 "How Does It
Feel to be Black and Poor?"
~30 pages
GANG LEADER
FOR A DAY
-
Venkatesh Chapter 2 "First Days on Federal Street"
and Chapter 3 "Someone to Watch Over Me"
~ 85 pages
GANG LEADER
FOR A DAY
-
Venkatesh Chapter 4 "Gang Leader for a Day" and
Chapter 5 "Ms. Bailey's neighborhood"
~70 pages
GANG LEADER
FOR A DAY
-
Venkatesh Chapter 6 "The Hustler and the Hustled"
and Chapter 7 "Black and Blue"
~60 pages
Th - Jan 12
-
T - Jan 17
-
Th - Jan 19
-
T - Jan 24
-
Th - Jan 26
T - Jan 31
Th - Feb 2
T - Feb 7
Th - Feb 9
T - Feb 14
Th - Feb 16
T - Feb 21
No Class
Th - Feb 23 GANG LEADER
FOR A DAY
Conclusions
-
-
-
Venkatesh Chapter 8 "The Stay-Together Gang" and
Author's Note
~40 pages
T - Feb 28
DOCUMENTARY:
TBA
-
Selected Reading
Th - Mar 1
DOCUMENTARY:
TBA
-
Selected Reading
T - Mar 6
Section Three:
Commodified Place
Lin and Mele 1. Introduction to Part 6 2. Lin
"Globalization and the Reevalorizing of Ethnic
Places" and 3. Zukin "Whose Culture? Whose City?"
~25 pages
-
-
Lin and Mele 1. Gottdiener "Looking at Themed
Environments" 2. Mele "Globalization, Culture and
Neighborhood Change" 3. Selected Reading
~20 pages
-
-
Lin and Mele 1. Caldeira "Fortified Enclaves" 2.
Hamel, Lustiger-Thaler, Mayer "Urban Social
Movements" 3. Kohler and Wissen "Glocalizing
Protest"
~30 pages
Conclusions
Selling Place
Group Project
Due
Salamon: Selected Reading
Exam #2 in Testing Center Friday (16th), Sat.
(17th) and Mon. (19th)
DOCUMENTARY:
Flag Wars
-
Selected Reading
Th - Mar 22 DOCUMENTARY:
Flag Wars
-
Selected Reading
Section Four:
Counterfeit
Community
-
Freie Chapter 1 "Identifying the Counterfeit" and
Chapter 2. "Genuine Community"
~40 pages
-
-
Freie Chapter 3 "Housing" and Chapter 4 "Public
Spaces"
~35 pages
-
-
Freie Chapter 5 "The Workplace" and Chapter 6
"Political Community"
~45 pages
-
-
Freie Chapter 7 "Religion" and Chapter 8
"Cyberspace"
~30 pages
Conclusions
Photo Essay
of Walk the
Block Due
Freie Chapter 9 "Popular Solutions" and chapter 10
"Pathways to Genuine Community"
~40 pages
Th - Apr 12 Exam Preparation
Day
-
No class
T - Apr 17
-
Final Exam 7pm-10pm in class
Th - Mar 8
T - Mar 13
Th - Mar 15
T - Mar 20
T - Mar 27
Th - Mar 29
T - Apr 3
Th - Apr 5
T - Apr 10
-