Social Problems
SYG 2010 (Section 8203)
Fall 2011
Instructor: Joshua Sbicca, MA
Class Meeting Time: Tuesday periods 8-9. Thursday period 9.
Class Location: Norman 331
Office Location: Turlington 3309
Office Hours: Wednesday 10-11, Thursday 3-4, or by appointment.
Office Phone: 392-0251 ext. 241 (You are unlikely to reach me here)
E-mail: jsbicca@ufl.edu (Please use this as the most reliable way to reach me)
Website: http://jsbicca.wordpress.com/
____________________________________________________________
Course Description: This course is designed to explore the study of social problems stemming from
or related to race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, education, unbridled political power, and the
environment. We will focus on how history and process at multiple scales (local, national,
international), and in both the global North and global South give social problems both a particular and
generalizable essence. Specifically, we will be learning how social problems are defined, measured,
researched and understood in a context where both structural forces and individual agency are at play.
Just as important, we will be investigating a variety of strategies aimed at both solving and preventing
social problems.
My Teaching Philosophy: During an era where educators are often pressured to “teach to the test,” I
believe it is imperative to engage with students on how to better participate with society as active
citizens. My goal is to lend students tools to critically analyze social, political, economic, and cultural
structures of oppression and to creatively solve social injustices. Furthermore, the classroom should be
a place where students have the space for reflection on their own social position, and for linking the
complexities of history to imaginings of the future. Teachers should play the role of facilitator for
students to self-determine the trajectory of their lives with a strong educational foundation critically
aware of the challenges to and need for intellectual, political, social and economic freedom.
Required Text: No books have to be bought. All the readings will be available either electronically or
through the library.
Instructions for accessing readings on ARES:
If you are accessing off campus:
1. Go to the UF library’s website http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/
2. Click on the green button that says “Off Campus Access”
3. Enter your gator link account & password. You should see a note that says you are successfully logged
in to the library’s proxy server.
4. Click on “Smathers libraries” (library west)
5. From the library’s homepage, click on “course reserves”
6. This will take you to the e-reserve site, ARES. If you are new to ARES, create a new account. If you
are not new, enter your ARES ID and password.
7. Once in ARES, under “student tools” click “search classes”
8. Search by department (sociology) or search by my last name (SBICCA)
9. You will see our course name and section (8203), click “add class”
10. Click on “main menu” and then click on the class you just added. This should take you to the
readings, of which most are in adobe PDF format. Sometimes they link to a website.
11. A final note: always be sure that you use the “proxy log-in” function, or you will not be able to view
the files!
Assignments:
Participation, Readings, and Attendance:
- This class is based on your consistent participation. You need to complete assigned readings and
actively participate in class to get an A. I will design both individual and group in-class
assignments. These assignments will happen at various times throughout the semester at my
discretion. If it seems necessary I will take random attendance. These will be 5 points each.
Reading Comprehension – Summaries, Discussion Questions, and Leading Discussion:
- You will write a two page, double-spaced summary on the week’s readings, five times this
semester. These are due on Monday evenings by 11:55 PM. These are each worth 5 points.
- You are responsible for coming up with two discussion questions ten times this semester. This
exercise is an opportunity for you to think critically and sociologically about the readings and
come up with questions that you think will stimulate conversation and respectful debate. Discussion
questions are worth 2 points and are due Monday evenings by 11:55 PM. The questions should
be related to readings/films for the coming week. Each question must be on a different reading.
- ALL READINGS SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY MONDAY.
Reflection Papers on Local Social Problems:
- These papers are meant for you to critically engage with readings, films, and relevant materials
throughout the semester by 1) linking them to social problems happening in Gainesville and greater
Florida, and 2) reflecting on your own experiences and beliefs. You are required to write four,
three page reflection papers (double spaced). The papers are due by 11:55 PM on the date
provided in the schedule. These papers are each worth 10 points. I am looking for you to show me
that you deeply thought about the topic, while simultaneously using sociological concepts to support
your reflections.
- A list of sociological terms is on Sakai under “Resources”. You are required to appropriately use at
least three terms in each paper.
- You can do one extra reflection paper for extra credit on an unassigned week.
Final Group Project:
- This assignment will be the majority of your grade. You will work in teams of 4 people to pick a
social problem and come up with solutions to that social problem. 40 points will be a based on a 7-9
page group paper. 30 points will be based on a 10 minute Youtube video. 10 points will be a peer
evaluation of your contribution to the group. I will hand out a more detailed description of this
assignment at a later date. This paper is due December 6th at 11:55 PM.
Instructions for Turing in Assignments on Sakai:
All information on this system, including troubleshooting, can be found at: https://lss.at.ufl.edu/ and
https://lss.at.ufl.edu/sakai-info/. To log in you will need to go to:
https://elearning2.courses.ufl.edu/portal. TURN IN ALL ASSIGNMENTS ON SAKAI
Grades and Point System*
90 – 100
86 – 89
80 – 85
76 – 79
70 – 75
66 – 69
60 – 65
59 and below
A
B+
B
C+
C
D+
D
F (E)
-Participation and Attendance –
-Reading Comprehension –
-Reflection Papers –
-Group Project –
Total =
50 points – 23%
45 points – 21%
40 points – 18%
80 points – 37%
215 points – 100%
* Information on current UF grading policies for assigning grade points can be found at
http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationgrades.html Incomplete grade contract and
information can be found at http://www.clas.ufl.edu/forms/
Weekly Readings and Films
Assignments
& Holidays
Weeks 1 & 2: Sociological Theory, Education, and Pedagogy
August 22 – September 4
-
Course, syllabus, meet your classmates.
1) Read: A Social Problems of Critical Constructionism, “The Social Problems Process” by Best (ARES);
“The Promise” in The Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills (ARES)
-
2) Read: “What Kind of Society is American Society” by Wright (ARES); Searching For Paulo Freire:
Classnotes For My Students by Amardo Rodriguez: http://www.sociology.org/pedagogy/searching-paulofreire-classnotes-students/; Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol (Chapter 1): (ARES)
Weeks 3, 4, 5: Capitalism, Poverty, Power
September 5 – September 25
-
3) Read: “What’s Wrong with the American Dream” by Jennifer L. Hochschild:
http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s5712.html; The Meritocracy Myth by McNamee and Miller Jr.
(Ch.2); The McDonaldization of Society, “Introduction”, by George Ritzer (ARES).
-
4) Read: Envisioning Real Utopias by Wright (What’s so Bad About Capitalism – Ch.3); Nickel-andDimed: on (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich (ARES)
-
5) Read: “Patterns of Power” by John Scott (ARES); Manufacturing Consent, Ch.1 by Herman and
Chomsky (ARES).
- No class on
Monday,
September 5.
-Guest speaker,
September 8
- Local Problems
Paper One,
September 23.
Weeks 6, 7, 8: Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, and Privilege
September 26 – October 16
-
-
6) Read: Racism without Racists, “Will Racism Disappear in Obamerica?” by Bonilla-Silva (ARES);
“Being Black in America” by Andrew Hacker (ARES); “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible
Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh: http://www.case.edu/president/aaction/UnpackingTheKnapsack.pdf
7) Read: “Gender Inequality” by Wright:
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~wright/ContemporaryAmericanSociety/Chapter%2015%20-%20Gender%20inequality%20--%20Norton%20August.pdf ; “Nymphet Fantasies: Child Beauty Pageants
and the Politics of Innocence by Giroux” (ARES)
- Local Problems
Paper Two,
October 14.
- Guest speaker:
Katty Nutter,
October 11
-
8) Read: “Intimate Combat: Sexuality and Gender Inequality” in Down So Long ...: The Puzzling
Persistence of Gender Inequality by Robert Max Jackson;
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/jackson/sex.and.gender/Readings/DownSoLong--Sexuality.pdf; “ The
“Brandon Teena Archive” by Judith Halberstam (ARES); “Challenging the Reproduction of Privilege
from Within” in Undoing Privilege by Bob Pease (ARES)
In Class: Anti-Oppression Exercise (October 13)
Weeks 9 & 10: State Power and Militarism
-
-
October 17 – October 30
9) Read: Governmentality “Basic Concepts and Themes” by Micthell Dean (ARES)
10) Watch: Power of Nightmares Part 1 & 2 (3 if you have time):
http://www.archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares
Read: Military Legacies by Tyner (Ch. 1) (ARES)
Week 11: Colonialism & Neocolonialism/Neoliberalism
October 31 – November 6
11) Read: A Brief History of Neoliberalism by Harvey (Intro and Ch.1) (ARES); Exterminate All the
Brutes, “The Birth of Racism” by Sven Lindqvst (ARES); “Two Myths That Keep the World Poor” by
Vandana Shiva http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc/shiva112305.cfm
No class on
Friday,
November 4.
Week 12 & 13: Environmental and Food Inequality
November 7 – November 20
-
-
12) Read: The Treadmill of Production by Gould, Pellow and Schnaiberg (Chapter 1) ; IPCC Report on
Climate Change Summary:http://www.greenfacts.org/en/climate-change-ar4/index.htm; “Human
Health and Well-Being in an Era of Energy Scarcity and Climate Change” By Cindy L. Parker, MD, MPH,
and Brian S. Schwartz, MD, MS: http://www.postcarbon.org/Reader/PCReader-Parker-SchwartzHealth.pdf
Watch: Blind Spot: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/blind_spot/
13) Read: “Toxic Waste and Race at Twenty 1987-2007:
http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/2007%20UCC%20Executive%20Summary.pdf; “Tackling the Oldest
Environmental Problem: Agriculture and Its Impact on Soil” by Wes Jackson:
http://www.postcarbon.org/Reader/PCReader-Jackson-Agriculture.pdf; Food Deserts:
http://whyhunger.org/programs/fslc/topics/food-deserts.html
Week 14 & 15: Social Movements
November 21 – December 6
- No class on
Friday,
November 11.
- Local Problems
Paper Three,
November 18.
-
14) Listen: What it Means to be a Citizen by Paul Loeb:
http://a4.g.akamai.net/7/4/27043/v0001/kalw.download.akamai.com/27043/YourCall/050610yc.mp3
Read: The Politics of Protest by Meyer (Ch. 2) (ARES); Challenging Authority (Ch. 2) (ARES); That
Vision Thing: http://www.thenation.com/article/vision-thing
15) Read: Liberation Sociology by Joe Feagin and Hernan Vera (ARES); Envisioning Real Utopias, Ch.
1 & 2 by Eric Olin Wright: http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~wright/ERU_files/ERU-CHAPTER-1-final.pdf and
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~wright/ERU_files/ERU-CHAPTER-2-final.pdf; “Youth, Higher Education,
and the Crisis of Public Time: Educated Hope and the Possibility” of a Democratic Future by Giroux
(ARES)
- No Class on
Friday,
November 25.
- Local Problems
Paper Four,
December 2.
- Activist Panel,
December 1.
Assignment Standards: Assignments need to be in 12-point, Times New Roman font, with one-inch
margins. I expect people to use the American Sociological Association, MLA, or APA standards of
citation. Please visit the following websites for citation details:
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/guides/3asa.pdf,
http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/mla,
http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/apa. I will go over this in class and also assist any
student who needs help figuring this out. Another great library resource in sociology can be found at:
http://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/sociology.
NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED UNLESS WITH OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION.
Academic Honesty: Every student falls under the University Honor Code and Academic Honesty
policy and is therefore responsible for maintaining this ethical standard. Plagiarism in any form will not
be tolerated. I will provide guidance on how to give proper credit to sources used, but it is ultimately up
to the student to choose not to cheat in any way. Please come to me with any questions. Your rights and
responsibilities can be found at
http://www.dso.ufl.edu/studentguide/studentrights.php#academichonestyguidelines.
Discrimination/Harassment Policy Statement: UF prohibits any form of discrimination or
sexual harassment among students, faculty and staff. For further information, refer to the UF Human
Resources Policies website at: http://www.hr.ufl.edu/eeo/sexualharassment.htm
Accommodations for students with disabilities: "Students requesting classroom
accommodation must first register with the dean of students office. The Dean of Students office will
provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor
when requesting accommodation." (reprinted from http://www.ir.ufl.edu/fac_handbook/syllabi.htm).
Final Notes:
1) I reserve the right to change this syllabus at anytime. I will make sure that students are clear on
what changes occur.
2) Use of cell phones, texting, and perusing the internet will not be allowed. This class requires your
undivided attention and participation.
Writing an Academic Paper
1. Have an introduction. In this introduction, have a thesis or main statement.
2. Have a conclusion that ties your paper together.
3. Have a page listing your resources, making sure to cite each within the body of your paper as well.
4. Avoid making statements not supported by your resources.
5. Paraphrasing an idea of a statement requires citation.
6. Do not use personal websites, Wikipedia, and other non-credible sources.
7. You can never use too many resources.
8. Always use complete sentences.
9. Avoid using too many lengthy quotes.
10. Do not use contractions, run-on sentences, “text speak.”
11. Start a new paragraph with each new main idea.
12. Avoid using slang terms.
13. When quoting a short phrase, put punctuation before the end quote. “This is an example.”
14. Watch out for their – they’re –there, too – to – two, whether – weather, farther – further, then –
than, definitely – defiantly, and other common writing errors.
15. It is okay to start a sentence with “And,…” and “But, …”
16. While saying “his” and other masculine terms is grammatically correct, try to avoid this. Use “his or
her” or “their” instead, if possible.
17. Be consistent with tense.
18. Be careful with terms such as “anyone,” “someone,” “somebody,” “no one,” and “nobody.” They are
actually singular. “Somebody lost his or her book” is actually correct. “Somebody lost their book” is not.
19. Do not write in the same manner that you talk; generally, it is too casual. At the same time, make
sure the sentences and paragraphs flow naturally.
20. For best results, write your paper early, put it aside for a few days, and then revise it.