Problems of American Institutions
Sociology 110
Spring 2005
Instructor: Jill Bouma
Office:
213 Frost
Office Hours: MWF 10-11; T: 9-10
and by appointment
Class: MWF 2:00-2:50
Room: Frost, Rm 216
Office phone: 3812
Email: jill_bouma@berea.edu
Course Description:
Rising crime rates, the demise of “family values,” soaring health care costs, racial and ethnic strife,
environmental disasters, schools failing our children, increasing disparities between the rich and poor –
such social problems are served up to us daily by the news media. Where do such problems originate,
how real are the problems, and what can we do to change them? This course will use a sociological
approach to analyze contemporary social problems, primarily in the US. We will learn that social
problems are not rooted in personalities or genes. Instead, social problems emerge through conflict
between and within social institutions. We will study the ways in which our family, health, economic,
political and educational institutions have changed, why some of these changes are seen as problems and
others are not, and the solutions that have been proposed by various groups in our society.
Prerequisite: MAT 012 or waiver. This course may be used for the Social Science component of the
Science Requirement.
Course Materials:
Curran, Daniel, and Claire Renzetti. Social Problems. Boston: Pearson Custom
Publishing, 2000. (abbreviated as SP in course outline)
Johnson, Allan. Privilege, Power, and Difference. Mayfield Publishing Company, 2001.
Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities. New York: Crown Publishers, 1991.
Rubin, Lillian. Families on the Fault Line. New York: Harper Perennial, 1995.
Office Hours: I will hold office hours Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10-11 and Tuesday from 9-10.
My office is in Frost 213. I encourage you to visit me during office hours. Come by for help with the reading or
just to talk. Feel free to set up an appointment outside office hours as well. The best way to contact me is through
email.
Class attendance policy: Attendance at all classes is required. A student is subject to failing when five
(5) absences are accumulated. No late work will be accepted or make-up tests given except for dire
situations (e.g. medical emergency or death in the family).
Course Requirements:
Class will be a mixture of lecture, discussion, debates, and group work. I will provide brief lectures on
the core concepts underlying the readings each day. The rest of the class will be discussion or group work.
Before you come to class, please carefully read the day’s assigned text, take notes on the key ideas, and
formulate your own questions or comments related to the readings. If I find during class discussions that
students are not keeping up with the readings, I will start giving daily quizzes.
Evaluation:
Exams:
Participation, quizzes, and
written responses
Data Analysis Paper 1
Data Analysis Paper 2
Debate
Final (cumulative)
35%
10%
10%
15%
15%
15%
EXAMS: There will be two in-class exams:
• Friday, February 18
• Friday, April 1
PARTICIPATION/QUIZZES/WRITTEN RESPONSES:
This course is designed to help you understand, analyze, and begin to address contemporary social
problems. To help you apply the concepts in class and note their relevance in your everyday life, you are
asked to attend at least two outside talks or events this term. February is Carter G. Woodson Month, and
March is Women’s History Month: both months offer rich learning opportunities. I will distribute a list of
events you can attend. I encourage you to attend as many of these as possible – it will enrich our class
discussions to apply what we are learning directly to campus activities. If you know of other activities
you think would be relevant, please let me know, and I will add them to the list.
As part of your participation grade, you are asked to attend any two of the events on the list to be provided
(more may become available throughout the term). Within one week of the event, you must turn in a
two-three page typed summary and critique of the event. Half of your paper should be devoted to
clearly and succinctly summarizing the main points. The other half should be a well-reasoned analytical
critique. This is NOT a journalistic response in which you tell me why you did or did not like the
speaker. Instead, it should be an analytical response, evaluating the points made, weighing the evidence,
and clearly explaining how this event furthered your understanding of key sociological concepts.
These papers, each worth 50 points, will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
succinct summary of event:
20 points
insightful sociological critique:
20 points
grammar, spelling, sentence
structure, and proper citation
10 points
DATA ANALYSIS:
Twice during the semester, we will be working with census data to investigate the effects of race, gender,
and education on earnings. First, we will examine 2000 census data to determine if women make less
than men, and if people of color make less than whites. To do so, we will examine national and state level
data, using Kentucky as our comparison category. In our second data analysis exercise, we will learn the
logic of control variables. Here, we will examine the effect of education on earnings and then determine if
race and gender still affect earnings, once we control for education. The culmination of each data
analysis project will be a paper, in which you analyze and discuss your findings.
DEBATE:
During the semester, you will participate in one of six debates covering the following broad areas:
family, health, crime, education, gender, race, or the environment. On February 16, I will ask you to
rank your preferences for topic area. I will assign groups the following week. On Friday, March 11, you
will meet in your group to choose a specific issue from the book Taking Sides, which I will provide. It is
essential that you be present on this day – attendance on March 11 is required as part of your overall
debate grade. On that day, I will give a detailed outline for the debate process. On Monday, April 25,
we will devote the entire class period to preparing and practicing the debates. Attendance is required. I
will be grading you on both the form and content of your debate. It is essential that you have practiced
your debate many times before performing for the class.
COURSE OUTLINE
Fri., Feb 4:
Introductions
Mon., Feb 7:
What is a Social Problem?
READ: Chapter 1, SP
Wed., Feb 9
Economics, Politics, and Power
READ: Chapter 2, SP
Fri., Feb 11
Economics, Politics, and Power:
READ: Chapter 2, SP
Mon., Feb 14
Social Class, Inequality, and Poverty
READ: Chapter 4, SP
Wed., Feb 16
Social Class, Inequality, and Poverty: US Stratification System
READ: Chapter 4, SP
In-Class: Rank preferences for debate topic
Homework due: Search recent government and news sources to determine
most current statistics on welfare and poverty rates
Fri., Feb 18:
EXAM 1 (Covers Chapters 1,2 and 4)
Mon., Feb 21
Power and Privilege – the other side of Inequality
READ: Johnson, Introduction - Chapter 3 (pp. vi-41)
Wed., Feb 23:
How Privilege Happens/Role of Capitalism
Johnson, Chapters 4, 5, 6 (pp 42-82)
Homework: 1-2 page typed summary and critique of Johnson’s theory on role
of capitalism and its links to racism and sexism. Do you believe his theory?
Fri., Feb 25:
How Privilege Works
Johnson, Chapters 7-9 (pp 83-136)
Video: True Colors
Mon., Feb 28:
Data Analysis: Investigating Effect of Race and Gender on Earnings in the US
Wed., Mar 2
Data Analysis
Fri., Mar 4
Data Analysis
Mon., Mar 7:
Data Analysis: Presentation of findings
Wed., Mar 9
Fighting the System: Becoming Part of the Solution
Johnson, Chapter 10
PAPERS DUE
Fri., Mar 11:
Family
READ: Families on the Fault Line, prologue and introduction
ATTENDANCE REQUIRED: meet in groups to determine debate topics
Mon., Mar 14:
Family
READ: Families on the Fault Line, Chapters 2 and 3
Wed., Mar 16:
Family and the Economy
READ: Families on the Fault Line, Chapters 4-7
Homework due: Choose three passages from the text to discuss. (1-2 pages,
typed, double-spaced.)
Fri., Mar 18:
Race and the Rise of Ethnicity
READ: Families on the Fault Line, Chapters 8-9
3/19-Mon. 3/28:
Spring Break
Wed., 3/30
Race and the Rise of Ethnicity
READ: Families on the Fault Line, Chapters 10-11
Fri., Apr 1
EXAM 2 (Race, Family, Gender)
Mon, Apr 4
Education: The Great Equalizer?
READ: Savage Inequalities, Intro and Chapter 1
Wed, Apr 6
Education
READ: Savage Inequalities, Chapters 2
Fri., Apr 8
Education
READ: Savage Inequalities, Chapters 3
Data Analysis
Mon., Apr 11
Education
READ: Savage Inequalities, Chapter 4
Data Analysis
Wed., Apr 13
Education
READ: Savage Inequalities, Chapters 5 and 6
Fri., Apr 15:
Peer Review of Data Analysis Papers – ATTENDANCE REQUIRED
Mon., Apr 18
Crime and the Criminal Justice System
READ: Chapter 3, SP
Wed, Apr 20
Crime and the Criminal Justice System
Video: “The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison” part I/ Papers Due
Fri., Apr 22
Crime and the Criminal Justice System
Video: “The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison” part II
Mon., Apr 25
Preparation and Practice for Debates
ATTENDANCE REQUIRED
Wed., Apr 27
DEBATES 1 and 2
Fri., Apr 29
DEBATES 3 and 4
Mon., May 2
DEBATES 5 and 6
Wed., May 4
Problems of Health Care
READ: Chapter 10/ Guest Speaker
Fri., May 6
Problems of Health Care
READ: Chapter 10
Mon., May 9
Problems of Health Care
READ: Chapter 10
Wed., May 11
Wrap-up and Review
1 p.m.
Mon, May 16
FINAL EXAM – CUMULATIVE