SOC 101: Intro to Sociology The World Sociologically
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MWF 8:10 am - 9:05 am & 1:35 - 2:30 pm at Buckley Center 112
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Professor: Valerie Francisco, Ph.D.
Email: francisco@up.edu
Office: Buckley Center 134
Office hours: Mon & Wed, 11:00– 12:00 pm
INTRODUCTION
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This course is an introduction to the discipline of sociology. Sociology is a study of social life with a distinct approach
that pays attention to larger social forces, institutions and structures. Developing a “sociological imagination” or a
sociological analysis assumes that institutions like media, the family, the state and the economy shape individuals. These
social structures organize social life and inherently produce privilege and disadvantage based on race, ethnicity, class,
gender, sexuality and citizenship. Moreover, these structures often vary with time and geography. All of these factors
affect the ways in which people grow, live, interact and contribute to society. In other words, humans are social beings
and sociology is a study of how society influences humans. Students will study a range of sociological concepts to
analyze their daily experiences and contemporary issues from a sociological perspective. This course will approach the
study of sociology with a global perspective.
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Learning Outcomes
In the successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Analyze their personal experiences “sociological imagination” that links macro social forces to micro social
interactions through class assignments and papers.
2. Understand a range of foundational theories and concepts from key sociological scholars through periodic
examination and daily class discussions.
3. Apply sociological perspectives on contemporary issues
of social and political importance by recognizing the
difference between normative and empirical statements.
In class discussions and quizzes, students will be learn
how to discern normative beliefs are in flux and
influenced by social conditions.
4. Cultivate a global perspective of sociological issues and
problems to foster civic engagement and a dialogue on
social justice, both locally and globally with the use of
analytical essays and class discussions.
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COURSE EVALUATION
Attendance and participation:
10%
Attendance is required. Participation is required. You must participate in the life and culture of our course, both
in-class and online. You must bring your book. You must have read the assigned reading. You must come to class
and participate in activities and discussions to help our class come to common conclusions about sociology. During
your contributions to our lively discussions, I will be marking your participation in class. Any negative, belittling
or insulting comments will also affect your grade.
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Quizzes:
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Every week, usually on Fridays, students will complete a quiz based on the readings of the week. Students will
be responsible to take the quiz online on the class website due every Friday at 11:58 PM. These quizzes are
designed to assess your mastery of weekly readings and concepts. The lowest 2 quiz scores will be dropped in lieu of
the successful completion of writing assignments due in the first and last week of the course. These will be
online activities unless otherwise specified.
Analytical Essays:
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30%
Students must complete 2 analytical essays due at 12:00 pm on February 7 and April 2 submitted through
turnitin.com. These essays will require students to apply a sociological concept to a contemporary issue or conduct a
social experiment to understand how sociology is present in day-to-day life. Students must write an analysis or
interpretation of the issue or result of the experiment. All essays MUST be 4-pages,12-point font in Times New
Roman or Arial with one-inch margins, double-spaced and of excellent academic writing. Every paper must use
at least 3 references from the course material. Detailed instructions will be handed out 2 weeks before the paper
is due. Students will submit their essays on Turnitin dot com on the course Moodle site.
Examinations:
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10%
50%
Students must complete 2 in-class examinations on February 28 and on the scheduled final exam time. These
examinations will have a combination of multiple choice and short answer essay questions. These exams will test
your ability to discuss foundational theories and apply the core concepts in the study of society drawing from course
readings and material, class discussions and assignments to analytical questions. You must come to these exams
with correct materials such as a No. 2 pencil and exam sheet.
I do not take late papers or assignments. I do not provide make up dates for assignments and exams.
I will use a lettered-grade system to assign your final grade as follows:
Grade
Point Range
A
90-100
B+
87-89
B
80-86
C+
77-79
C
70-76
D
60-69
F
< 60
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COURSE EXPECTATIONS AND POLICIES
Academic Integrity: Plagiarism and cheating are bad news. Don’t do it. The University of Portland and, I, as a faculty
member take academic integrity very seriously. If you’re caught plagiarizing, it can seriously mess up your entire
academic career. Like, seriously. If you have questions about how to properly credit other peoples’ ideas or words, please
see me during office hours or refer to the on-campus Writing and Learning Center. Otherwise, plagiarism will result in
either a failing grade for the assignment or for the entire course or expulsion, depending on the gravity of the case.
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Reading is FUNdamental: This class is going to require a fair amount of work – I want to be clear about that up front –
and because an incomplete is not awesome, I will not give them. If you don’t come to class or do the readings you will
fall behind. Worse, you’ll think that you can ‘wing it’ and then everyone else in the class will be annoyed because we will
all know that you didn’t read and you’re just talking to talk. This class meets twice a week and I know that we are all
busy – but take the time to read. I can promise that if all of us are prepared for the class, it will be interesting and fun!
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Excellent Writing and Critical Thinking: One of my goals in this class is to help you become sharp critical thinkers and
better writers. What is the use of a good idea if you cannot communicate it well? What is the use of good writing skills
without a single, critical thought? We are all still in the process of becoming good writers and thinkers. I expect that you
will use all the resources available to you at UP to sharpen these skills and practice them in class. If you need help with
your writing for any reason, see the writing center resources below.
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Class participation: You are expected to participate actively in class discussions. I am not interested in having you just
absorb whatever information I am presenting; our goal is to develop your critical thinking skills. I expect that each of
you will be prepared for every class and that you will be able to demonstrate that you have read and can engage in
critical discussion of our material. Your participation in class discussions will be counted towards your final grade.
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Class Culture and Tardiness: I will never be late to class. You shouldn’t either. If you are late more than 10 minutes to
class, I will count it as an unexcused absence. Turn off or mute your Tomagachi, pagers, walkmans, CD players, iPods, cell
phones, iPads, laptops, and any random small tech devices you have. If you need to catch up on sleep, do it outside of
the classroom. If you’re feeling sleepy, but want to stay in class, stand up, get your blood flowing, and sit back down. I
hope to foster a culture of respect and courtesy during our class, so please don’t text or be on Instagram or Facebook
because your mind is wandering during lecture. Try to be present.
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Absences: Because our course relies on participation, attendance is important. If you are absent you will still be
responsible for the assignments and exams during that class. You will be allowed two unexcused absences. All absences
are unexcused unless health documentation is provided. More than three absences will impact the class participation
portion of your grade. If you know you are going to miss a class, email me for an excused absence.
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Communication: Because I am as busy as you are, I will only answer student emails about our class on Mondays and
Wednesdays. Through our course site, you’ll be able to post on the class forum and email each other, so feel free to
communicate with one another about class inquiries.
Incompletes: Forget about it. I will not give incompletes unless you have a family or medical emergency.
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Academic Freedom: Learning how to look at the world sociologically can and will challenge your prior assumptions,
beliefs and perspectives. Still, this is a SOCIOLOGY class—we will be drawing from your experiences and insights—
but we will also be contextualizing it in larger structural, historical, political and economic forces. In designing this
course, I have prepared material that describe a range of opinions on social issues, however, some of the readings share
a perspective that is critical of the normative conceptions of race and ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality and citizenship. I
have included literature that look at world critically, which is a perspective that I share as a scholar.
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Just as I value my own academic freedom, I also respect and value the freedom of all of my students. I will never
discourage anyone from voicing their political beliefs or analysis, so long as it is relevant to the discussion. I encourage
people to voice dissenting views (it makes for much livelier discussion!). I will never censure views that I disagree with,
nor will I ever let political beliefs influence my assessment of your work in class. If anyone feels marginalized or
silenced in any way by myself or other students, I hope that you will be able to tell me so that we can resolve the matter.
REQUIRED COURSE TEXTS
The required text for this class can be purchased at the university bookstore:
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Sociology: A Global Perspective, 8th Edition by Joan Ferrante
Assigned readings that is not in the required text will be made available to you via our class website or email.
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University Policies and Resources
University of Portland’s Code of Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is openness and honesty in all scholarly endeavors. The University of Portland is a scholarly
community dedicated to the discovery, investigation, and dissemination of truth, and to the development of the whole
person. Membership in this community is a privilege, requiring each person to practice academic integrity at its highest
level, while expecting and promoting the same in others. Breaches of academic integrity will not be tolerated and will be
addressed by the community with all due gravity.
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Assessment Disclosure Statement
Student work products for this course may be used by the University for educational quality assurance purposes.
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Disabilities Statement
If you have a disability and require an accommodation to fully participate in this class, contact the Office for Students
with Disabilities (OSWD), located in the University Health Center (503-943-7134), as soon as possible. If you have an
OSWD Accommodation Plan, you should make an appointment to meet with me to discuss your accommodations. Also,
you should meet with me if you wish to discuss emergency medical information or special arrangements in case the
building must be evacuated.
The Learning Resource Center
The Learning Resource Center, located in Franz 120, houses the Writing Center, Math Resource Lab, Speech Resource
Center, Group Process Assistance, and International Language Assistance (French, Spanish, German, Chinese).
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The Writing Center is open by appointment and works to support professors and students as they write across the
disciplines. Appointments are made electronically. To schedule an appointment, go the Writing Center website at http://
www.up.edu/lrc/writing/ and click on ‘Appointments’ to sign in and view the schedule.
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The Math Resource Lab offers tutoring to students studying mathematics Sunday through Thursday. Help with
mathematics is available on a walk-in basis or, to schedule an appointment, call (503) 943-8157.
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The Department of Communication Studies offers assistance to students at the University of Portland who seek to plan,
prepare, practice, and deliver public presentations. Speech assistants are available by appointment only. To schedule an
appointment go to www.up.edu/lrc/speech and click on the email link.
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The Department of Communication Studies also offers assistance to students working on group projects. For
information on how to schedule an appointment, go to www.up.edu/lrc/groupprocess.
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The International Languages and Cultures Department offers tutoring support in French, German, Chinese, and
Spanish. To make an appointment, go to www.up.edu/lrc/languages/signup. Introduction to Sociology - Spring Syllabus 2014
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READING SCHEDULE (Subject to change)
WEEK 1: The Sociological Imagination
Monday
Jan 13
Syllabus and Contracts
Wednesday Jan 15
Ferrante, Chapter 1
Friday
Moodle: Mills, “The Promise of Sociology”
Jan 17
Assignment: Society’s Impact On You
WEEK 2: Theoretical Perspectives and Methods of Social Research
Monday
Jan 20
Ferrante, Chapter 2
Wednesday Jan 22
Essay #1 Guidelines Distributed
Friday
Jan 24
Quiz 1
WEEK 3: Culture
Monday
Jan 27
Wednesday Jan 29
Friday
Jan 31
Ferrante, Chapter 3
Moodle: Miner, “Body Ritual of the Nacirema”
Quiz 2
WEEK 4: Socialization
Monday
Feb 3
Ferrante, Chapter 4
Wednesday Feb 5
Friday
Feb 7
Quiz 3
Essay #1 Due
WEEK 5: Social Interaction
Monday
Feb 10
Ferrante, Chapter 5
Wednesday Feb 12
Moodle: Goffman, “Presentation of Everyday Self”
Friday
Feb 14
Quiz 4
WEEK 6: Formal Organizations
Monday
Feb 17
Ferrante, Chapter 6
Wednesday Feb 19
Friday
Feb 21
Quiz 5
WEEK 7: Deviance Conformity and Social Control
Monday
Feb 24
Ferrante, Chapter 7
Wednesday Feb 26
Examination Review
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Feb 28
In-Class Examination
WEEK 8: Social Stratification
Monday
Mar 3
Ferrante, Chapter 8
Wednesday Mar 5
Moodle: Gans, “Functions of Poverty”
Friday
Mar 7
Quiz 6
WEEK 9: Spring Break: March 10-14
WEEK 10: Race and Ethnicity
Monday
Mar 17
Ferrante, Chapter 9
Wednesday Mar 19
Friday
Mar 21
Quiz 7
Essay #2 Guidelines Distributed
WEEK 11: Gender
Monday
Mar 24
Wednesday Mar 26
Friday
Mar 28
Ferrante, Chapter 10
Film: Mis-Representation
Quiz 8
WEEK 12: Economics and Politics
Ferrante, Chapter 11
Monday
Mar 31
Speaker: Dr. Lauretta Frederking
Wednesday Apr 2
Speaker: Dr. Martin Monto
Friday
Apr 4
Class cancelled
Essay #2 Due
WEEK 13: Family
Monday
Apr 7
Wednesday Apr 9
Friday
Apr 11
Ferrante, Chapter 12
Moodle: Francisco, “Internet is Magic”
Quiz 9
WEEK 14: Migration and Demography
Monday
Apr 14
Ferrante, Chapter 15
Wednesday Apr 16
Friday
Apr 18
No Class - Easter Break
Quiz 10
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WEEK 15: Social Change
Monday
Apr 21
No Class – Easter Break
Wednesday Apr 23
Ferrante, Chapter 16
Final Examination Review
Friday
Apr 25
Speaker: Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines
Assignment: Society’s Impact On You Revisited
Section 1 at 8:10 am - 9:05 am: Monday, April 28, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Section 2 at 1:35 pm - 2:20 pm: Tuesday, April 29, 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Final Examination
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SOC 101 CONTRACT !
I, __________________________ , a student in Professor I, Professor Francisco, agree to teach this course with Francisco’s course will: these tenets in mind: • Attend regularly • Attend regularly • Don’t be late • Don’t be late • Keep up with reading assignments • Keep up with reading assignments • Pay attention during class • Pay attention during class • Don’t text or check Facebook during class • Organize interesting in-­‐class activities, • Participate in class activities, quizzes, small quizzes, small group assignments, and course group assignments, and course blog blog • Participate in class discussions positively and • Facilitate class discussion positively and fairly • Write clear comments and give quick feedback fairly • Write well on your writing • Check your UP email • Reply your UP emails • Turn in your work on time • Grade your work in a timely manner • Challenge your own ideas • Challenge your ideas about the social world • Be open to others’ views • Be open to others’ views !!
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I will submit these requirements the course in Professor Francisco’s grading and pedagogy will excellent condition and timely to get a good grade in follow these guidelines: this course: • I will be fair • Class Participation • I will be transparent • Weekly Quizzes • I will be timely
• Analytical Essays • Examinations !
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Deal? ________________________________________________________________________________
Student Professor Valerie Francisco
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