INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY (Soc. 101W)
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Spring Semester 2005
Dr. Leah Rogne
113 Armstrong Hall
Ph: 389-5610 (o) Ph: 625-5546 (h)
Leah.rogne@mnsu.edu
Office Hours: Tues. & Thurs. 10 a.m.-12 noon & 5-6 p.m.; Wed. 1-4 p.m.; and by
appointment. If you’d like to come in during my office hours, it’s best to make an appointment
so I can make sure you don’t have to wait. My office hours fill up quickly. Call me at home if
you need to. I really don’t mind.
Course: Overview of the nature and characteristics of human societies: the structure and
processes of social life; impact of social forces on individuals and groups; interdependence of
society and the individual; emphasis on cultural diversity and globalism. This is a writing
intensive.
Required Text: McIntyre, Lisa J. 2002. The Practical Skeptic. Boston: Mc-Graw-Hill.
Cargan, Leonard & Jeanne H. Ballantine. 2003. Introductory Readings in Sociology (9th
Edition). Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth. Schmidt, Judy H., Michael K. Hooper, and
Diane Kholos Wysocki. 2003. 6 Steps to Effective Writing in Sociology. Belmont, CA:
Thomsen-Wadsworth. Other readings as assigned.
Course Objectives:
This course will introduce students to the basic perspectives and areas of interest in the
discipline of sociology. After completing the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the sociological perspective and explain its importance in understanding
human behavior;
2. Describe the reciprocal relationship between individuals and society;
3. Distinguish among major theoretical perspectives and explain the usefulness of each in
understanding human behavior;
4. Understand the basic methods of sociological inquiry and apply a critical eye to both
social science research data and information reported in the media;
5. Understand the role of race, class, gender, socialization, social institutions, and other
aspects of social structure in shaping our life chances or opportunities;
6. Question their own common sense understandings and assumptions about human
society and human interaction;
7. Demonstrate an awareness of the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal
power relations among groups in contemporary society;
8. Demonstrate the use of a historical/cross-cultural comparative approach to
understanding of social behavior.
9. Describe the dynamics of current and historical global interdependence and the
relevance of global interconnectedness to life in the United States.
10. Use language to explore and gain a basic familiarity with the questions, values,
and analytical and critical thinking methods used in sociology.
11. Locate, analyze, evaluate and use resource materials or data in their writing in a
matter appropriate to academic or popular audiences.
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Course Responsibilities:
1. Readings: Readings from the text and other readings as assigned. Readings should be
completed on the day assigned in the schedule. Plan to bring your books to class every
day. Students should be alert for any handouts, additional readings assigned,
announcements, or changes in schedule.
2. Attendance: Attendance is important so you are able to be a part of class discussions.
There will be frequent Response Papers that can only be completed if you come to class
that day. I test heavily on material covered in class. If you must miss a class, please
arrange to get notes, handouts, and any announcements/changes in schedule from
another student. (You may also get handouts from me when you return to class, but
please know that if you wait several days, you may put yourself even further behind.)
3. Class participation: Students are encouraged to participate in the life of the class.
Please feel to ask questions at any time. If a student’s grade is marginal, I may take
attendance and participation into account.
4. Accommodation: Every attempt will be made to accommodate qualified students with
disabilities. If you are a student with a documented disability, please see me as early in
the semester as possible to discuss the necessary accommodations, and/or contact the
Disability Services Office at (507) 389-2825 (V) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY).
5. Personal Concerns: If there are any personal concerns, which get in the way of your
doing the best you can, there is help available. Contact the Personal Counselors office:
located in Student Union 245, Ph. 389-1455.
6. Academic Integrity: Academic honesty is expected. Cheating on exams, plagiarizing
papers, or falsifying information will be addressed according to University policy and
will result in a reduction of your grade or failure of the course. When you discuss the
works of others, you are expected to cite the source properly. Please check the
University webpage at http://www.mnsu.edu/supersite/administration/basicstuff/policies.html to see the relevant policy. Complete the attached form and return
it to me confirming you have read, understand, and agree to abide by this policy.
If you have any questions, please ask.
7. Communication: I am very committed to your success in and enjoyment of this class!
Please keep in close touch with me about any concerns you have about how you are
doing in the class, any questions about the content or requirements or anything that may
be interfering with your best performance. Please see me after class, during my office
hours, or call me to make an appointment to meet at a time that works for you.
Assessments:
1. Exams: There will be two (2) exams which cover material from the texts, handouts,
other assigned readings, and any classroom discussions and activities. Makeup exams
will be given only in the case of a documented emergency. You will revise your
answers to the Exam #1 and submit them as a paper.
2. Application Exercises: Students will complete six (6) Application Exercises and
submit papers. Instructions will be handed out separately. Three will be revised. Late
papers will be discounted one letter grade each day (excluding Saturday and
Sunday).
3. Response Papers: There will be ten (10) unscheduled in-class Response Papers, eight
(8) of which will be counted. (I will drop the two with the lowest scores.) These will
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be brief quizes or in-class writing exercises that you can expect to well on if you have
read the material.
Important Guidelines:
1. All assignments will be considered late if they are not handed in at class time. Do not
skip class to complete an assignment. If you are not in class to submit your paper, it
will be considered to be late.
2. Late papers will be discounted one letter grade per day (excluding Saturdays and
Sundays).
3. There will be no makeups if you miss a Response Paper.
4. In case of special circumstances (family emergency such as death or serious illness) I
may accept a late paper without penalty (this does not apply to in-class Response
Papers, which cannot be made up). See me as soon as you know there is a problem.
5. Papers should be typed, double-spaced, no larger than 12-point type, one-inch margins
on top, bottom & sides (like this syllabus). Please make sure you staple pages together.
6. If a paper is short, I deduct a proportional number of points.
7. Please keep a copy of your assignments so you have a backup.
8. Papers that include any material copied from another student’s paper or from a
source without appropriate citation will receive no credit. This constitutes
plagiarism and will be handled according to University policy.
Assignment of Points:
Exam 1
Exam 1 (Revision)
Exam 2
Response Papers (8 @ 10 points each)
Application Papers (6 @ 25 points each)
Application Papers (Revisions: 2 @ 25 each)
Total:
100
50
100
80
150
50
530
Assignment of Letter Grades: Letter grades are assigned on percentage of total points earned
from all course components. A is 90%; B is 80%; C is 70%; D is 60% and F is below 60%.
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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Each text will be referred to as: McIntyre—“Skeptic,” Cargan & Ballantine—“Footprints”
Week 1
Tues. 1/18
Thurs. 1/20
Week 2
Tues. 1/25
Thurs. 1/27
Week 3
Tues. 2/1
Thurs. 2/3
Week 4
Tues. 2/8
Thurs. 2/10
Week 5
Tues. 2/15
Thurs. 2/17
Week 6
Tues. 2/22
Thurs. 2/24
Introduction to Course
What Is Sociology?
Skeptic: Introduction
Footprints: Introduction
Sociological Perspective
Skeptic: Ch. 1
Application Exercise #1: Social Change Paper Due (3 pages)
Sociological Perspective (continued)
Skeptic: Ch. 2-3
Scientific Method in Sociology
Skeptic: Ch. 5
Application Exercise #2: Observation Paper Due (4 pages)
Scientific Method (continued)
Skeptic: Ch. 6
Culture
Skeptic: Ch. 7
Footprints #12: Marvin Harris, India’s Sacred Cow
Culture (continued)
Skeptic: Ch. 4
Footprints #15: Hall & Hall, The Sounds of Silence
Application Exercise #2: Observation Paper Revision Due (4 pages)
The Social Construction of Self and Society
Reading: To be announced
Exam #1
Structure
Skeptic: Ch. 8
Structure (continued)
Footprints # 18: Ritzer, An Introduction to McDonaldization
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Week 7
Tues. 3/1
Thurs. 3/3
Week 8
Tues. 3/8
Thurs. 3/10
Socialization
Skeptic Ch. 10
Footprints #6: Davis, Final Note on a Case of Extreme Isolation
Exam #1 Revisions Due (2 pages)
Socialization (continued)
Footprints #27: Gracey, Learning the Student Role: Kindergarten as
Boot Camp
Footprints #28: Lubeck, Sandbox Society: Summary Analysis
Deviance
Skeptic Ch. 11
Deviance (continued)
Footprints #51: Ball, White Collar Crime
Footprints #53: Glassner, Killer Kids: Trend Making & Misdirection
Spring Break
3/14 – 3/18 Have a great break!
Week 9
Tues. 3/22
Thurs. 3/24
Week 10
Tues. 3/29
Thurs. 3/31
Stratification
Skeptic Ch. 12
Footprints #38: Zuckerman, Welfare Reform in America: A Clash of
Politics & Research
Stratification (continued) -- Social Class
Skeptic Ch. 13
Footprints #19: Hacker, Money & the World We Want
Footprints #20: Kerbo, Upper-Class Power
Stratification (continued) – Race & Ethnicity
Skeptic Ch. 14, pp. 217-223
Footprints #30: Orfield et al., Deepening Segregation in American
Public Schools
Application Exercise #3: Stratification TV Exercise Due (4 pages)
Stratification – Race & Ethnicity (continued)
Footprints #47: Bonilla-Silva & Hovsepian, “This Is a White
Country”: The Racial Ideology of the
Western Nations of the World-System
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Week 11
Tues. 4/5
Thurs. 4/7
Week 12
Tues. 4/12
Thurs. 4/14
Week 13
Tues. 4/19
Stratification (continued) – Gender
Skeptic Ch. 14, pp. 233-237
Footprints #9: Pollack, Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths
of Boyhood
Footprints #10: Taub & McLorg, The Role of Gender Socialization
in Anorexia Nervosa & Bulimia Nervosa
Stratification – Gender (continued)
Reading to be announced
Application Exercise #3: Stratification TV Exercise Revision Due (4 pages)
Political Economy
Footprints #40: Lipset, The Social Requisites of Democracy Revisited
Political Economy (continued)
Footprints #41: Meyer, If Hitler Asked You to Electrocute a Stranger,
Would You? Probably
Application Exercises #4 Due: Media (3 pages)
Family
Footprints #23: Skolnick & Skolnick, Family in Transition
Thurs, 4/21
Week 14
Tues. 4/26
Family (continued)
Footprints #24: Beeghley, Social Structure, Families & Children
Application Exercise #5: Genogram & Discussion Due (4 pages)
Globalization
Footprints # 37: Wilson, A Broader Vision: Social Policy Options
in Cross-National Perspective
Footprints #62: Ritzer, Modernization’s Challenge to
Traditional Values: Who’s Afraid of Ronald
McDonald?
Thurs. 4/28
Globalization (continued)
Footprints #55: Flavin, Rich Planet, Poor Planet
Footprints #56: Mitchell, Next Doubling
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Week 15
Tues. 5/3
Thurs. 5/5
Application Exercise #6: Talking About My Generation Due (3 pages)
Presentations: My Generation
Presentations Continued
Finals Week
Final Exam – Date to be announced
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