CORNELL UNIVERSITY
SOC 1101 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Winter 2014-15 [DEC. 26 – JAN 17]
3 Credits & 135 Hours of total work time
Online format
Prof. Paromita Sanyal
Department of Sociology
352 Uris Hall
ps724@cornell.edu
Email Contact Hours:
TBA
Teaching Assistant & Contact Hours
TBA
_____________________________________________________________________________________
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This course is intended to give you a broad idea of what the discipline of Sociology is, what its principal areas
of investigation are, and what are the particular perspectives and methods that scholars of the discipline use.
A broad range of topics will be covered over the semester. The ultimate goal of this course is to ignite your
critical thinking about the unceasing stream of social phenomena that surrounds you and to equip you with
the cognitive weapons to debunk taken-for-granted reality and commonsensical explanations of social
phenomena.

Understand the origins of sociology, its theoretical perspectives, and diverse methods of advancing
knowledge about the social world
 Understand core sociological concepts and their application to multiple areas of research
 Develop a sociological imagination—a critical view of social interaction beyond the “taken-forgranted”—to appreciate what motivates individuals to act the way they do given certain environments
 Demonstrate social scientific reasoning through synthesis of course materials and articulation of original
argument in oral and written communication
_____________________________________________________________________________________
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
[Viewing Video Lectures; several Short Assignments; 1 or 2 Midterm papers; & 1 Final paper/ exam]
Online Participation [10% of final grade]:
First Midterm [30% of final grade]: Paper assignment requiring application of the sociological perspectives
to a specific historical case. Length 5 pages double-spaced.
Second Midterm [30% of final grade]: Paper assignment requiring finding publicly available data and
making an argument based on that. Length 5 pages double-spaced.
Final Exam [30% of final grade]: Cumulative exam. Format TBA.
[Assignment and exam requirements and grade allocation are subject to modification with advance notice.]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1
COURSE WEBSITE & MATERIALS
The course website is maintained via Cornell’s Blackboard system. The website will be used to post course
and staff information, documents (e.g., the syllabus, readings, announcements, assignments, and grades).
Students should enroll in the website right away. You can enroll to access the course website at:
http://blackboard.cornell.edu/. If you have any problems with this, contact your TA.
Required Course Materials: Uploaded on Blackboard
_____________________________________________________________________________________
CLASS POLICIES
Academic Conduct & Integrity
We are all expected to abide by Cornell's policies, and you are reminded of those that relate particularly to
academic integrity, especially producing original work in the response memos and exams. See the Code of
Academic Integrity and the Essential Guide to Academic Integrity at Cornell for related information. All
submissions in this course are subject to review for textual similarity and detection of plagiarism on
Turnitin.com. Your submissions will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference
database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism; use of Turnitin through Blackboard is subject to the
Usage Policy posted on the Turnitin.com.
Absences & Late Submission
Late submissions will not be accepted since sufficient time will be given to complete assignments before the
due date. The final exam will be held on the last day of class (Jan 17, 2015).
Grades
You are responsible for addressing any concerns or omissions from the grade book within 48 hours of
posting. After that grades will be considered final.
Communicating with Professor & TAs
The professor and TA will be able to correspond with you via email. But because the professor will be based
off-campus and not on U.S. time, it will require some time before you get a response to your email. We will
try to keep the response time as short as possible, however. Please copy the TA in every email you send to the
professor.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
GRADING SCHEME
A+ ≥ 96.6
A 93.3 – 96.59
A– 90.0 – 93.29
B+ 86.6 – 89.99
B 83.3 – 86.59
B– 80.0 – 83.29
C+ 76.6 – 79.99
C 73.3 – 76.59
C– 70.0 – 73.29
D+ 66.6 – 69.99
D 63.3 – 66.59
D– 60.0 – 63.29
F ≤ 59.99
2
COURSE OUTLINE
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Dec. 26, Fri) SOCIETALIST PERSPECTIVE
 Emile Durkheim, “The division of labor and social differentiation”, pp. 141-146; “The causes of the
development of the division of labor”, pp. 150-154; “Religion and ritual”, pp. 219-238 in Anthony
Giddens Emile Durkheim: Selected Writings, Cambridge University Press.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Dec. 29, Mon) GROUP PERSPECTIVE
 Gerhard Lenski, “A Theory of Inequality,” pp. 89-116 in Three Sociological Traditions: Selected Readings,
Randall Collins edited, Oxford University Press, 1974.
 Paul DiMaggio and Michael Useem, “Social Class and Arts Consumption: The Origins and Consequences
of Class Differences in exposure to the Arts in America,” Theory and Society 1978, 5(2): 141-162.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
(Dec. 30, Tues) CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
 Lyn Spilman, “Culture” in Encyclopedia, p.922-927.
 Clifford Geertz, “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight,” pp. 412-453 in The Interpretation of Cultures,
Basic Books, 1973.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Dec. 31, Wed) NETWORK PERSPECTIVE
 Mark Granovetter, “The Strength of Weak Ties,” American Journal of Sociology, vol 78, no. 6 (May) 1973, pp.
1360-1380.
 Lynn Smith-Lovin and Miller McPherson, “You Are Who You Know: A Network Perspective on
Gender,” pp. 224-251 in Paula England, ed. Theory of Gender/Feminism on Theory, Aldine, 1993.
 Deirdre Royster, “Networks of Inclusion, Networks of Exclusion: The production and maintenance of
segregated opportunity structures,” pp. 144-178 in Race and the Invisible Hand: How White Networks Exclude
Black Men from Blue Collar Jobs.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 01, Thurs) INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVE (RP #6)
 Erving Goffman, “Introduction,” pp. 1-16; “Performance,” pp. 17-34 in The Presentation of Self in Everyday
Life, Anchor Books, 1959.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 02, Fri) SOCIAL INEQUALITY AND POVERTY
 Katherine Newman, “The Invisible Poor,” pp. 39-61 in No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner
City, Vintage Books & Russell Sage Foundation, 1999.
 Robin Rogers-Dillon, “The Dynamic of Welfare Stigma”, Qualitative Sociology 1995, 18(4): 439-456.
 Kathleen Mullan Harris, “Life After Welfare: Women, Work, and Repeat Dependancy”, American
Sociological Review 61(3): 407-426.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 05, Mon) RACISM & RACIAL INEQUALITY
 Elijah Anderson, “Campaigning for Respect,” pp. 66-106 in Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral
Life of the Inner City, Norton, 2000.
 Loic Wacquant, “The State and Fate of the Dark Ghetto at Century’s Close,” pp. 43-91 in Urban Outcasts:
A Comparative Sociology of Advanced Marginality, Polity, 2008.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 06, Tues) IMMIGRATION & ETHNICITY
 Victor Nee and Jimmy Sanders, “Understanding the Diversity of Immigrant Incorporation: A Forms-ofCapital Model”, Ethnic and Racial Studies 2001, 24(3): 386-411.
 Min Zhou and Yang Sao Xiong, “The Multifaceted American Experiences of the Children of Asian
Immigrants: Lessons for Segmented Assimilation”, Ethnic and Racial Studies 2005, 28(6): 1119-1152.
3
_______________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 07, Wed) CRIME & PRISONS
 Richard Rosenfeld, “Crime Decline in Context,” pp. 368-376 in The Contexts Reader, Jeff Goodwin and
James M. Jasper (editors), Norton.
 Bruce Western and Becky Pettit, “Beyond Crime and Punishment: Prisons and Inequality,” pp. 377-383 in The
Contexts Reader, Jeff Goodwin and James M. Jasper (editors), Norton.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 08, Thurs) MARRIAGE & FAMILY LIFE
 Kathryn Edin, Maria Kefalas, and Joanna Reed, “A Peek Inside The Black Box: What Marriage Means For
Poor Unmarried Parents”, Journal of Marriage and Family 66: 1007-1014.
 Andrew J. Cherlin, “Should the Government Promote Marriage?” pp. 55-60 in The Contexts Reader, Jeff
Goodwin and James M. Jasper (editors), Norton.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 09, Fri) GENDER
 Edward H. Thompson Jr., “The Maleness of Violence in Dating Relationships: An Appraisal of
Stereotypes”, Sex Roles 24 (5/6) 1991, 261-178.
 Pamela Stone, “The Choice Gap,” pp. 105-131 in Opting Out: Why women really quit careers and head home,
Univ. Of California Press, 2007.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 12, Mon) THE HOUSEHOLD
 Arlie Russell Hochschild, “The Third Shift,” pp. 197-218 and “Evading the Time Bind,” pp. 219-238 in
The Time Bind: When work becomes home and home becomes work, Metropolitan Books, 1997.
 Julie Brines, "Economic Dependency, Gender, and the Division of Labor at Home," American Journal of
Sociology 1994, 100: 652-688.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 13, Tues) SOCIAL MOVEMENTS & POLITICS
 Rhoda Lois Blumberg, ‘The Civil Rights Movement’, pp. 15-21 in The Social Movements Reader: Cases and
Concepts, Wiley Blackwell, 2009.
 Doug McAdam, ‘Recruits to Civil Rights Activism’, pp. 66-74 in The Social Movements Reader: Cases and
Concepts, Wiley Blackwell, 2009.
 Aldon Morris, ‘Tactical Innovation in the Civil Rights Movement’, pp. 259-263 in The Social Movements
Reader: Cases and Concepts, Wiley Blackwell, 2009.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 14, Wed) WORK AND THE ECONOMY
 Richard Swedberg, ‘The Market’, pp. 179-182 in The Contexts Reader, Jeff Goodwin and James M. Jasper
(editors), Norton.
 Annalee Saxenian, ‘Silicon Valley: Competition and Community’, pp. 29-57 in Regional Advantage: Culture
and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1994.
 Shehzad Nadeem, “The Uses and Abuses of Time: globalization and time arbitrage in India’s outsourcing
industries,” Global Networks, 2009, 9(1): 20-40.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 15, Thurs) GLOBALIZATION
 Mary Blair-Loy and Jerry A. Jacobs, “Globalization, Work Hours, and the Care Deficit Among
Stockbrokers,” Gender & Society, 2003, 17, pp. 230-249.
 Reena Patel, “Off-Shoring Customer Service: A New Global Order,” pp. 27-47 in Working the Night Shift:
Women in India’s Call Center Industry, Stanford university Press, 2010.
 Arlie Hochschild, “The Nanny Chain,” The American Prospect, 2000, 11, pp. 32-36.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(Jan. 16, Fri) Wrap Up/ Review.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
FINAL EXAM (Jan. 17, Sat)
4