INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
SOC 1101.03
Spring 2015
M/W, 2:50pm-4:05pm, ADM 442
Instructor: Joshua T. McCabe
Office: Library, Room 105-B
Email: mccabej2@emmanuel.edu
Office Hours: M/W 12-1pm, and by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PROMISES
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What can marshmallows teach us about single mothers on welfare? How can watching SportsCenter
get you a promotion at work? Is it possible that losing your job can make you Black? How can
regression analysis improve your sex life? Do schools reduce or create inequality? How can racism
explain the “curse of the Bambini”? Can ideas change history? Can we still end up with racial
inequality without racism? How do we decide who is deserving of help? This course will introduce
students to the study of sociology as a discipline and the sociological way of thinking in general by
trying to answer questions like these ones.
At the end of the semester, students will be able to:
• Analyze and compare the strengths and weaknesses of several approaches to the study of
social, economic, and political phenomenon.
• Understand basic sociological concepts which will enable you to make full use of your
sociological imagination.
• Understand how sociologists approach both theory and empirical research.
• Apply sociological insights to both historical and contemporary events and social problems
in order to make the changes you want to see in the world.
READINGS___________________________________________________________________
There is no textbook for this course. In an effort to save you money and get you to think more
critically, we will be reading original journal articles and a number of books or chapters from books.
All journal articles and book chapters be available on ECLearn. All books will be available through
the library’s eBook service.
FULFILLING YOUR END OF THE DEAL AND GRADING_______________________________
There are seven broad ways in which you will demonstrate your ability to think critically about the
topics we cover and apply them to your world. All written work should be submitted via ECLearn.
Participation (10%)
Reading Quizzes/Memos (10%)
Bourdieu in Action (10%)
Reading, Understanding, and Critiquing (10%)
Social Problem Policy (20%)
Midterm Exam (20%)
Final Exam (20%)
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The first is Participation. In addition to active participation in class discussions, I would like you to
attend at least one sociology-related event outside of the classroom. This can be on campus or
across the city. I will announce relevant events throughout the semester and post them to ECLearn.
After the event, make a 10-15 minute office hour appointment with me to tell me about it. If you
went with other people, you can all sign up as a group. I rarely have time to attend these events so I
love hearing about them from you. The event and visit must take place by Patriots Day.
The second is a series of 10 weekly Reading Quizzes/Memos. These “mini-quizzes” are based on
the readings at the beginning of class each week. It will consist of two questions worth a ½ point
each which should be easy to answer if you’ve done the reading. Students may opt to write up a two
page (500+ words) memo as an alternative but this must be uploaded to ECLearn before class each
Tuesday.
The third is a short analysis showing Bourdieu in Action (800+ words). I will show you a short
movie clip which you must analyze using the concepts we discuss in week 3/4. You may work in
groups of up to three people. This is due on February 11th.
The fourth consists of Reading, Understanding, and Critiquing a research article. In this
assignment, you will focus on making sure you really understand what you are reading. I will give
you a short quantitative study and a series of questions from which you must craft a short (800+
words) analysis. You may work in in groups of up to three people. This is due on March 18th.
The fifth is a longer Social Problem Policy (1500+ words) where you will apply your newly
acquired sociological knowledge in order to come up with a policy that responds to a specific social
problem of your choice. You may work in groups of up to three people. This is due on April 27th.
The sixth and seventh are a Midterm Exam and a Final Exam consisting multiple choice, short
answer, and essay questions for which you must demonstrate your understanding of basic
sociological theories and concepts. More importantly, you should be able to apply them to topics
and issues beyond those discussed in the readings. The midterm exam will take place (in two parts)
on March 2nd and 4th. The final exam will take place on April 30th.
Please do not ask me about extra credit. Assignments are spread evenly throughout the course which
gives you enough time to bring up your grade in subsequent assignments without the need for extra
credit.
The grading scale for the course is as follows:
A 94-100%
A- 90-93%
B+ 87-89%
B 83-86%
B- 80-82%
C+ 77-79%
C 73-76%
C- 70-72%
D+ 67-69%
D 63-66%
D- 60-62%
F Under 60%
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OTHER CLASS POLICIES
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Attendance Policy: Attending class is vital for the learning process. The majority of time spend in
class will consist of discussions among students (not lectures by me) about the material you’ve read.
Therefore, attendance is mandatory for this course. I take attendance at the beginning of each class
and reserve the right to mark unexcused tardiness as an absence. Students with more than three
unexcused absences at the end of the semester will be bumped down a full 1/3 letter grade for each
absence after the first three. For example, a B+ student with 4 unexcused absences would be
bumped down to a B, with 5 unexcused absences to a B-, and with 6 unexcused absences to a C+.
Missed assignments: Students may make up assignments or exams only with documentation of a
legitimate excuse for missing the assignment or exam, such as serious illness or death in the family.
Academic integrity: Emmanuel College is an educational community committed to academic
integrity, ethics and trust. All members of this community share in the responsibility for building and
sustaining a culture of high academic standards. Cheating and plagiarism are very serious offenses
and have severe consequences. The college’s definitions for cheating and plagiarism are specifically
outlined in the Academic Integrity Policy found in your Student Handbook and on our website at
http://www.emmanuel.edu/academics/academic_resources/academic_integrity_policy.html.
Incidents of cheating and plagiarism will result in the following: (a) failure of the assignment or test,
(b) notification of your Academic Advisor, and (c) notification of the Academic Dean. If I deem the
offense serious enough, I may also fail you for the entire course. Cheating and plagiarism not only
hurt your own learning experience, but they are also disrespectful to your fellow classmates who did
complete their own work.
Cellphones/Laptops: Cellphone use is not permitted during class – this includes texting! It is
distracting to me as well as many of your fellow students. Please make sure you turn the ringer off
before you come to class. Students are welcome to use laptops/iPads during class if they are used
for taking notes and other activities related to the class – this does not include Facebook, Instagram,
or Twitter! If I catch you using your laptop for non-class related reasons, you will be banned from
using it in my class for the rest of the semester.
Office Hours: Students are encouraged to visit me during office hours for any reason at all. I am
not always quick to respond to emails so this is the best way to get the help you may need. Students
are also encouraged to visit me during office hours simply to discuss interesting things that they may
have read in class or elsewhere.
Credit Hour Statement: Students are expected to devote a minimum 12 hours of study for each 4credit course per week over the course of a traditional semester. A minimum of three of these hours
are spent in class. (An hour may be defined as 50 minutes for the purposes of this definition.)
Consequently, faculty is expected to assign out-of-class work that will require a typical student to
spend a minimum of an additional nine hours of effort per week on average outside of class.
PART I – THEORY AND CONCEPTS
Week 1
Introduction (1/14)
No required readings. We will go over the syllabus, my expectations of you as
students, and your expectations of me as an instructor.
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Week 2
What can Sociology do for us? (1/21)
Mills, C. W. (2000 [1959]). “The Promise,” in The Sociological Imagination. Oxford
University Press, p. 3-24.
Berger, P.L. (1963). “Sociology as an Individual Pastime,” in Invitation to Sociology.
Anchor Books, p. 1-24.
Week 3/4
The Individual and Society (1/26, 1/28, 2/2, 2/4)
Wacquant, L. (2004). “Habitus,” in Jens Beckert and Milan Zafirovski, eds.
International Encyclopedia of Economic Sociology. London: Routledge, p. 315–319.
Bourdieu, P. (1986). “The Forms of Capital,” in J.G. Richarson, ed., Handbook of
Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. New York: Greenwood Press, p. 241258.
Lareau, A. (2003). Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. University of
California Press. [available as eBook from library]
Memo/Quiz for articles and Lareau Ch. 1-2 and Appendix B on Monday, January 26th.
Memo/Quiz for Lareau Part I and III on Monday, February 2nd.
Week 5
What is Social Construction? (2/9, 2/11)
Omi, M. and H. Winant. (1996). “Racial Formations,” excerpt from Racial Formation
in the United States, Second Edition. Routledge Press.
West, C. and D.H. Zimmerman. (1987). “Doing Gender,” Gender & Society 1(2): 125151.
Memo/Quiz on Monday, February 9th.
Bourdieu in Action due on Wednesday, February 11th.
Week 6
What are Social Structures? (2/18)
Levine, J. (2013). “Introduction and Chapter 1,” in Ain’t No Trust. University of
California Press.
Memo/Quiz on Wednesday, February 18th.
Week 7
Research Methods (2/23, 2/25)
Conley, D. (2011). “Chapter 2: Methods,” in You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to
Thinking Like a Sociologist, 2nd edition.
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Armstrong, E., P. England and A. Fogarty. (2012). “Accounting for Women's
Orgasm and Sexual Enjoyment in College Hookups and Relationships,” American
Sociological Review 77(3): 435-462.
Memo/Quiz on Monday, February 23rd.
Week 8
Midterm (3/2, 3/4)
No reading this week.
Midterm #1 in class on Monday, March 2nd and Wednesday, March 4th.
Week 9
Spring Break (3/9, 3/11)
No classes this week. Work on your Reading, Understand, and Critiquing paper.
PART II – THINKING LIKE A SOCIOLOGIST
Week 10
Explaining the World: Material Interests (3/16, 3/18)
Leeson, P. (2009) The Invisible Hook. Princeton University Press.
Read: Ch. 1-3, 7-8, Epilogue
Memo/Quiz on Monday, March 16th.
Reading, Understanding, and Critiquing due on Wednesday, March 18th.
Week 11
Explaining the World: Ideas/Culture (3/23, 3/25)
Small, M., D. Harding, and M. Lamont (2010). “Reconsidering Culture and Poverty,”
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences 629: 6-27.
Small, M. L. (2002). “Culture, Cohorts, and Social Organization Theory:
Understanding Local Participation in a Latino Housing Project,” American Journal of
Sociology 108(1): 1-54.
Memo/Quiz on Monday, March 23rd.
Week 12
Explaining the World: Institutions (3/30, 4/1)
Healy, K. (2006). “Chapters 1 and 2”, in Last Best Gifts. University of Chicago Press.
[available as eBook from library]
Almeling, R. (2007). “Selling Genes, Selling Gender: Egg Agencies, Sperm Banks,
and the Medical Market in Genetic Material,” American Sociological Review 72(3):319340.
Memo/Quiz on Monday, March 30th.
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Week 13
Review Week (4/8)
No readings for this week. We will go over Reading, Understanding, and Critiquing
paper as well as the instructions for the Social Problem Policy paper.
Week 14
Economy: Markets and Work (4/13, 4/15)
Royster, D.A. (2003). Race and the Invisible Hand. University of California Press.
[available as eBook from library]
Read: Ch. 1-2, 5, 7
Skim: Ch. 3-4, 6, 8
Memo/Quiz on Monday April 13th.
Week 15/16
Polity: Social Change (4/22, 4/27)
Best, R. (2012). “Disease Politics and Medical Research Funding: Three Ways
Advocacy Shapes Policy,” American Sociological Review 77(5):780-803.
Brown, H.E. (2013). “Race, Legality, and the Social Policy Consequences of AntiImmigration Mobilization,” American Sociological Review 78(2): 290-314.
Memo/Quiz on Wednesday, April 22nd.
Social Problem Policy paper due on Monday, April 27th.
Final Exam on Thursday, April 30th, 12:30-2:30pm.
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