Sociology 1020, Social Problems
Fall 2007
Thursday 5:00-7:20pm
Dixie State College of Utah
Matthew Smith-Lahrman, Instructor
e-mail:
lahrman@dixie.edu
Phone:
(435) 652-7825
Office:
MCD 230
Office
Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 12-1pm
Tuesday & Thursday 4-5pm
Or by appointment
The Course:
This
course
examines
the
“problems”
of
our
world
as
social
constructions.
We will investigate the processes by which people
organize to make claims about what they perceive as injustices and
inequalities in their worlds, and what they do to try and fix these
problems.
Focusing on American society we will study “problems” of
sexuality, drug use, crime, violence, racism, sexism, economic
inequality, and the family to name a few. By the end of the course you
will understand that what are popularly considered problems are the
result of people doing things together, that these problems are
culturally relative and not universal.
Course Objectives:

Demonstrate a knowledge of human development and the human condition;

Understand the ideas, people, and events that are generally thought
to be important by sociologists;

Develop informed points of view based on sociological knowledge which
can be expressed orally and in writing;

Understand sociology as a scientific discipline (i.e. the gathering
and analyzing of empirical data in a systematic fashion);

understand social problems
“natural histories”;

understand functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interactionism as
major theoretical perspectives of sociology;

be able to apply these sociological perspectives to an understanding
of current social problems.
as
claims-making
activities
that
have
Texts:
Linda Mooney, David Knox, and Caroline Schacht.
Social Problems. Fourth Edition.
2005.
Understanding
Evaluation:
Grades will be based on the following:


Three exams each worth twenty-five percent of your final grade.
A term paper worth twenty-five percent of your final grade.
Exams:
You will take three exams. Each will be a mix of multiple choice and
essay questions. They will be graded on a standard scale:
90
80
70
60
–
–
–
–
100 percent of total points
89 percent of total points
79 percent of total points
69 percent of total points
=
=
=
=
A
B
C
D
Paper:
You will write a paper that applies the concepts we learn in class to a
social problem of your choice. I will hand out the paper assignment on
September 20, the paper is due on November 29.
LATE PAPERS WILL BE
GRADED DOWN ONE FULL GRADE.
Attendance:
Attendance is NOT mandatory. However, I lecture on material that is not
in the text. There will be exam questions from my lectures, questions
that are not from the text.
If you miss class you risk missing
information that will be on the exam.
NOTE:
Your final grade is based on your letter grades, not on your
accumulation of points.
ANOTHER NOTE:
class.
You must complete all exams and assignments to pass this
FINAL NOTE: I reserve the right to (a) adjust individual grades based
on my evaluation of your participation and enthusiasm in the course and
(b) make changes to the syllabus during the course if I feel it will
benefit the class.
ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE POLICY: Academic dishonesty in any form, including,
but not limited to, plagiarism on written assignments, submitting other
person’s work as one’s own, and cheating on exams or quizzes will not be
tolerated at Dixie State College of Utah.
Teachers at Dixie State College have the right to manage their classroom
environments to ensure a good learning climate.
If you are a student with a physical or mental impairment and would like
to request accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center
(652-7516) in Room 201 of the Student Services Center. The Disability
Resource Center will determine your eligibility for services based upon
complete professional documentation. If you are deemed eligible, the
Disability Resource Center will further evaluate the effectiveness of
your accommodation requests and will authorize reasonable accommodations
that are appropriate for your disability.
2
Course Schedule
Week & Topics
Readings
Week #1
August 23
THINKING ABOUT SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Mooney, Chapter 1
Week #2
August 30
DRUGS, CRIME AND VIOLENCE
Mooney, Chapters 3 & 4
Week #3
September 6
FAMILY PROBLEMS
Mooney, Chapter 5
Week #4
September 13
RACE AND ETHNICITY
Mooney, Chapter 9
Week #5
September 20
Exam #1
Hand out Term Paper Assignment
Week #6
September 27
GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Mooney, Chapters 10 & 11
Week #7
October 4
YOUTH AND AGING
Mooney, Chapter 12
Week X
October 11
No Class
Week #8
October 18
ECONOMY: POVERTY
Mooney, Chapter 6
Week #9
October 25
ECONOMY: WORK AND UNEMPLOYMENT
Mooney, Chapter 7
Week #10
November 1
Exam #2
Week #11
November 8
EDUCATION, POPULATION AND URBANIZATION
Mooney, Chapters 8 & 13
Week #12
November 15
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Mooney, Chapter 14
3
Week XX
November 22
No Class
Week #13
November 29
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Term Paper Due
Mooney, Chapter 15
Week #14
December 6
CONFLICT, WAR, AND TERRORISM
Mooney, Chapter 16
Exam #3
Thursday, December 13, 5:00pm
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