SOCI 1101: Introduction to Sociology
Georgia Regents University
Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Social Work
Fall 2013
TTH: 10:00-11:15am
Room: Allgood Hall N126
Dr. Dustin Avent
Email: daventho@aug.edu
Office Phone: 706-667-4579
Office: Allgood Hall N226
Office Hours: Tues 8:30-9:30, Thurs 2:30-5:00, or by Appt.
COURSE OVERVIEW
The objective of this course is to give you a general survey of the field of sociology. More
importantly, this course also aims to provide you with a way to think about and understand the
social world and your place in it. Therefore, the lectures, readings, and assignments will focus
on understanding the basic social processes and how you can apply them to everyday events,
both small and large, both personal and political.
With this in mind, we will begin the course by focusing on the development of the ‘self’ and
identity, as well as the rules that guide interaction between individuals. Then, in the second part
of the course, we will examine how large-scale social changes and the organization of society
affect us as individuals. In part three of the course, we will focus on how institutions and social
interaction create and reproduce inequality. In the final part of the course, we will see how all of
this applies to contemporary U.S. society.
REQUIREMENTS
Required Texts:
The following books are required for the course:
Henslin, James M. 2007. Down to Earth Sociology. Fourteenth Edition.
Newman, Katherine. 2006. Chutes and Ladders: Navigating the Low-Wage Labor
Market. Russell Sage.
These books are available at the GRU Bookstore.
Most readings for the class will come from the required books. Unless marked with an asterisk
readings can be found in Down to Earth Sociology. Readings marked with an asterisk can be
found on the Desire2Learn course website. You should complete each day’s readings before
class. The lectures are meant to elaborate on – not summarize – the readings.
Short Papers (10%)
Students will complete two written assignments. These assignments and their due dates are
listed on the reading schedule. I will have more details on these assignments as the session
progresses.
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Exams (30%, each)
There will be three exams for this course. The dates are listed on the course schedule. Each of
these exams will consist of several types of questions. These questions will require students to
draw on readings, as well as lectures and discussions, from the course. We will discuss the
exams more fully as they approach.
The course grade will based on: class participation, a set of short written assignments, and three
examinations.
The grading scale for the final course grade is as follows:
90-100=A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D; 59 & below=F
I DO NOT accept late assignments (tests or papers) except in cases of documented illness or
family emergency.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Academic honesty is required of all students at Georgia Regents University. All acts of
dishonesty in any work for this class (exams, papers, quizzes, etc.) constitute academic
misconduct. This includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of information,
and facilitating such dishonesty. The policy reads in part:
“Academic honesty requires the presentation for evaluation and credit of one’s own work, not
the work of others…Plagiarism is the failure to acknowledge indebtedness. It is always assumed
that the written work offered for evaluation and credit is the student’s own unless otherwise
acknowledged. Such acknowledgement should occur whenever one quotes another person’s
actual works, whenever one appropriates another person’s ideas, opinions, or theories, even if
they are paraphrased, and whenever one borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative materials
unless the information is common knowledge.”
Sanctions will be sought for any cases of academic dishonesty. You should be aware that it is
within the limits of the University to expel students for such conduct. If I identify such conduct
you will at minimum receive a zero for the assignment. For more information see the GRU
Catalog. It is your responsibility to read and comply fully with this policy.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Any student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation for a disability, should make
an appointment with the Office of Disability Services in Galloway Hall, phone number 706-7371469. You will be required to provide proper documentation from the Office of Disability
Services so that proper arrangements can be made. For more information see
http://www.gru.edu/admin/tds/
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COURSE SCHEDULE
8/20 Introduction to the Course and Sociology
P. Berger, “Invitation to Sociology” 3-7
C. Wright Mills, “The Promise” 20-28
Human Behavior
8/22
*McIntyre, “Hernando Washington”
8/27
Patterns of Behavior and Social Norms
M. Harris, “India’s Sacred Cow”461-469
H. Miner, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” 87-91
Chagnon. “Doing Fieldwork among the Yanomamo” 92-108
8/29
The Creation and Effects of Norms
J. Henslin, “Eating Your Friends is the Hardest Part: The Survivors of F-227” 277-286
*Shearing and Stenning “From the Panopticon to Disney World” 355-360
J. Hunt, “Police Accounts of Normal Force” 470-480
9/3
Meaning and Social Perceptions
D. Rosenhan, “On Being Sane in Insane Places” 322-334
*Espeland and Sauder. 2009. “Rating the Rankings” Contexts
Assignment 1 Due: Norm Violation
9/5
Status and Social Roles
Dyer “Anybody’s Son Will Do” 481-492
9/10
Status and Social Roles, cont’d
Zimbardo “The Pathology of Imprisonment” 315-321
Video: “Quiet Rage”
9/12
Socialization: Learning to be Human
K. Davis, Extreme Isolation 151-160
Clark. “Sympathy in Everyday Life” 118-134
H. Gracey, “Kindergarten as Academic Boot Camp” 446-460
9/17
Deviant Behavior: Constructing Deviance
W. Chambliss, The Saints and the Roughnecks 314-327
*Best, Joel. 1985. “The Myth of the Halloween Sadist.” Psychology Today. November,
p14-16.
9/19
Patterns and Perceptions of Deviance
*H. Becker. “Becoming a Marihuana User.” Outsiders, Chapter 3, p41-58.
*S. Danziger. The Real War on Crime.
9/24
Exam 1
Social Groups and Inequality
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9/26
The Formation of Social Groups
*R. Collins, “The Non-Rational Foundations of Rationality”
10/1
Power and Authority
P. Meyer, “If Hitler Asked You to Electrocute a Stranger. . .” 269-276
*H. Kelman and V. Hamilton, The My Lai Massacre
10/3
Social Inequality: Constructing Difference
S. Katz, The Importance of Being Beautiful 341-348
Video: “A Class Divided”
10/8
Social Inequality: Gender
Henslin “On Becoming Male” 161-172
Eder “On Becoming Female” 173-179
*Vedantam. 2013 “Why Aren’t More Girls Attracted to Physics?” NPR
10/10
Social Inequality: Gender
Thorne and Luria “Sexuality and Gender in Children’s Daily Worlds” 180-191
*Williams, Christine. 1992. “The Glass Escalator.” Social Problems 39(3):253-267.
*Schwalbe “The Sport of Empire” Common Dreams
10/15
Social Inequality: Race
Page “Showing My True Color” 360-368
Ezekial. “The Racist Mind” 369-375
10/17
Social Inequality: Race
*Alexander. 2013. “The Zimmerman Mind-Set: Why Black Men are the Permanent
Undercaste.” Time Magazine
*Palmer, “We Live in Many Americas”, Sociology in Focus Blog
http://www.sociologyinfocus.com/2013/07/15/we-live-in-many-americas/
*Saulny and Brown. 2009. “Professor’s Arrest Tests Beliefs on Racial Progress” The
New York Times
10/22
Social Inequality: Class
Higley “The U.S. Upper Class” 395-406
Gans “The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All” 376-382
10/24
Social Inequality: Class and Social Mobility
Morris and Grimes “Moving Up from the Working Class”383-394
Ehrenreich “Nickel and Dimed” 411-124
10/29
The Reproduction of Inequality
*Marx and Engels “Manifesto of the Communist Party”
Assignment 2 Due: Inequality
10/31
Exam 2
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Social Institutions
11/5
The Social Structure of the Market
*K. Polanyi. The Great Transformation. Chapter 4 (“Societies and Economic Systems”),
p43-55.
*K. Polanyi. The Great Transformation. Chapter 6 (“The Self-Regulating Market and
the Fictitious Commodities”), p68-76.
11/7
The Effects of Markets
*R. Collins, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Leidner “Over the Counter and McDonald’s” 497-507
11/12
Constructing the Family
*Coontz “The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love”
*Coontz, Stephanie. 1992. “Leave It to Beaver…American Families in the 1950s”,
pp.23-41 Ch. 2 in The Way We Never Were
11/14
Education
*J. Kozol “Savage Inequalities”
*NPR “Missed Summer Learning Spells Out Long-Term Struggles”
Newman, Chutes and Ladders, Chapter 1 (5-25)
11/19
Media
Newman, Chutes and Ladders, Chapter 1 (25-57)
Contemporary U.S. Society
11/21 Newman, Chutes and Ladders, Chapter 2
Video: Crips and Bloods
11/26
Newman, Chutes and Ladders, Chapter 3
Video: Crips and Bloods
11/28
No Class: Thanksgiving Holiday
12/3
Newman, Chutes and Ladders, Chapters 4, 6-7
12/5
Newman, Chutes and Ladders, Chapter 8
Recommended: Chutes and Ladders podcast (EconTalk)
TBA Exam 3
Note: I reserve the right to add, cancel, or adjust the course schedule with appropriate
notification.
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