SYG 2010 Social Problems
Class Success 101
 If I lecture, take detailed notes. You will be asked to refer to class
notes (not just the overhead notes) in the final exam
 ASK questions. Don’t hesitate to interrupt my lecture if I say
something confusing or incorrect.
 Bring assigned reading for that day to class.
 Check the blog every day. Comment on the posts if you are
uncomfortable speaking up in class.
 For successful journals: Jot down journal ideas as they come to you in
class, so that you can write about them later. Submit something during
every journal check so I can give you feedback. Give yourself a quiet
space to write - journals should be “deep thinking time” to develop
your sociological imagination.
 See the big themes in the course, don’t focus too much on the tiny
details. Major themes: social inequality, social construction,
sociological imagination, power, social change, and institutions.
 Write in the margins of your readings. Write a keyword list, a song
lyric, a movie quote. Draw a doodle, comic, or a conceptual map.
Maybe what you just read reminded you what your mother said on the
phone yesterday. Maybe the author said something you think is wrong
and you want to yell at them for that. Maybe the confusing writing
hurts your brain. Maybe you’re bored at some point want to skip a
paragraph. Maybe you just read an exciting passage and you want to
use it for a journal entry. Write all that down!
 Watch the Wire before class. Anticipate pop quizzes on the Wire for
an attendance grade. Use all resources I provide to help you
understand the show (study guides, character lists, powerpoints), even
if I don’t explain them to you in class.
 If you watch ahead of the assigned episodes, avoid spoiling the Wire
for other students.
 Read the campus newspaper, The Alligator, and the local newspaper,
the Gainesville Sun. Being informed about social problems in our own
back yard will make day of action planning a lot easier.
 Be courteous and professional when writing emails to the professor.
All email correspondence is permanent record.
Example of a poorly written e-mail: 
you still havent given me credit for the first HW assignment, i brought it
up to you when you handed back the assignments, and at the time you
wrote the one in on the sheet but apparently you havent made the change
official.
I will confront you about your poor manners!
Randy,
Okay. I will not take the attachment you just sent me without ANY
explanation or email text. Please write me back with a corrected email
and I will consider taking your assignment electronically. For your own
info, I'm making a mental note that you have very poor email etiquette. I
hope you are aware that other professors might find this unbecoming!
All the best,
Meggan
Example of a properly written e-mail: 
Dear Meggan,
Hi! I have a concern about my grade that is posted on WebCT. I turned
in the assignment for Homework 1 but I have not yet received credit. If
you have time we can talk about this after class on Tuesday or during
your office hours.
Thanks so much!
Jason
4th year undergrad sociology major
Ground Rules for Class Discussion
Don’t take discussion too personally
Attack the ISSUE not the person (not personal attacks)
Use appropriate tone (not yelling, no condescention, respectful)
Open mind
Don’t force your opinion
Transforming views, or enforcing
Balance passion of opinions with listening to others
Participation—equal opportunity
Don’t interrupt
Validate points but disagree
Be prepared to back up argument (with readings and facts)
Quit talking – know when to and don’t drag on
Eloquence
Stay on topic
Empathy
Don’t get too easily offended
Don’t hold grudges
For shy people—ask “What do you think?”
How to read critically:
 Don’t assume that the professor endorses the view of the author.
 Is a particular bias or frame work evident? Can you tell what “school
of thought” the author belongs to?
 Ask yourself “Is it possible to disagree with any of this?”
 Ask yourself “How can I convince Meggan and/or my classmates that
I understand what this is about?”
 Try to predict what points of controversy will be debated in class.
 Try to find as many instances of a central theme. For instance,
Dandaneau is concerned with explaining the paradoxes of society. In
the margins, note any time you read a reference to that theme.
 At the top of EACH page of text, write the “most prominent”
keywords that define that page. That way, you have created your own
“index” or “dictionary” out of the text, for helpful reference later.