**Syllabus is Subject to Change**
Soc 1A: Introduction to Sociology
Spring 2011
Online Class
Instructor: Dr. Robin Kreider
Phone: 848 - 4862
Email: rkreider@gavilan.edu
Website: http://hhh.gavilan.edu/rkreider/
Office: MA 108 (near math lab and MESA)
Office Hours: Mon: 11:30am – 12:30pm; Tu/Th: 12-12:30pm; and Wed 10:30am – 12:30pm
If any of these times do not work we can also set up an appointment
“[Humans] make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under
circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted
from the past.” - Karl Marx
Course Description: This course is designed to provide a general introduction to the discipline of
sociology and is intended for students that have not taken a college course in sociology. The purpose of
this course is to introduce the basic problems, concepts, methods, and theories of sociology. Students will
be introduced to the sociological perspective and will be presented with a set of core sociological concepts
and tools to examine the social world and explore social issues. This course will demonstrate the inherent
analytical and critical nature of sociological inquiry. It is my hope that this course will not only provide
students with a sound and comprehensive introduction to the discipline of sociology, but it will make
sociology relevant and useful in their own lives.
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course, however this course is a transfer-level course
and I have the same expectations of students in this class that I would have of students at a CSU or UC.
There is a respectable amount of reading and writing in this course as well as a high level of critical and
analytical thinking and writing expected. This course will not require you to ‘memorize’ things, but to
engage with the material, analysis it, and critically reflect on yourself, society, and others.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes:
 To provide students with a survey of the major areas of interest within sociology and to enable
them to define, apply, and use basic sociological theories, terms, and concepts
 To introduce students to analytical approaches that will provide them with a critical understanding
of social phenomenon and social issues facing the world today
 Identify and explain the sociological "scientific method" and employ the sociological "scientific
method" in solving simple research problems
 Explain the process by which an individual becomes a functioning member of society and to
identify and describe the basic social institutions in the United States
 To help students broaden their view of society beyond their own immediate experience and
understand how and why their own experiences may be similar or different to the experiences of
others
 To encourage students to employ a sociological imagination in analyzing everyday life
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**Syllabus is Subject to Change**
Required Texts: The following books are available at the campus store and most Internet booksellers
(*be sure to get the correct edition if you buy on the Internet – check the ISBN #*).
 Introduction to Sociology by Giddens, Dunier, and Appelbaum 7th Ed.[ ISBN:9780393932324]
 Threads: Gender, Labor, and Power in the Global Apparel Industry by Jane Collins [ISBN:
9780226113722]
 Additional readings available online or as handouts
Course Requirements: All detailed directions for assignments will be passed out in class. **You must
complete ALL of the following assignments to pass the class**
 Three Exams (300 points total): These exams will be take-home, essay exams.
 Commodity Chain Analysis Research Paper & Presentation (300 points): You will complete a
research paper and present your results the last week of class. More detailed instructions will be
distributed.
 Discussion Forums (200 points): This class is highly interactive. Your regular preparation and
active participation in the course is required and expected. Each discussion forum is worth 20 points
each and you will be graded on the quality of your participation in the discussion (not the quantity of
posts).
 Quizzes (200 points): There will be twelve quizzes worth 20 points each. You will have one day to
access each quiz, two attempts and 60 minutes to complete the quiz. The two lowest quiz scores will
be dropped.
Grades for the course will be determined as follows: I do not grade on a curve. I am happy to give
everyone an A if everyone does A-quality work.
Grading Scale:
A: 100- 95.0%
A-: 94.9 – 90%
B+: 89.9 – 88.0%
B: 87.9% - 84%
B-: 83.9% - 80%
C: 79.9 – 78.0%
C: 77.9% - 74%
C-: 73.9% - 70%
D+: 69.9 – 68.0%
D: 67.9% - 60%
F: 59.9% and below…
Policy on Due Dates:
 Papers and assignments are due on the date indicated in the syllabus or online assignment
calendar. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of these dates. For each calendar day an
assignment/paper is late the student will lose one full letter grade from the grade assigned to
the student’s work. No late assignments/papers will be accepted after three days.
 No make-ups exams allowed.
Administrative Dates to Know:
 February 10th: Last day to ADD a class
 February 16th: Last day to DROP a class with a refund
 March 3rd : NRS deadline
 April 27th : Last day to drop with a “W”
 May 21st -27th :Final Exams
Student Responsibilities:
 Participation: “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” - Woody Allen
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**Syllabus is Subject to Change**
o While attendance will not count for 80% of your grade, it will be difficult to be successful
in this class without regular check-ins with the course website. On-line courses require a
high level of self-discipline and self-motivation.
o This class requires a high level of interaction and engagement with me and your fellow
students. Opinions and class debates are encouraged, but I ask that students provide well
informed arguments preferably related to class materials (by doing this we avoid getting
into debates based solely on emotion).As a participant in the course, you are expected to
respect the ideas and opinions of others even if you do not agree with them. Some of the
lectures, readings, and discussions in this class may challenge your own beliefs and ideas.
Therefore, you should be prepared to have an open, engaged mind.
**I reserve the right (but not obligation) to drop students under the following circumstances: has not
logged into the course for 14 consecutive days, misses more than 4 quizzes or one exam.* However, if you
decide to drop the course it YOUR responsibility to take the necessary actions to drop the course.

Academic Integrity: You are responsible for your own work. If you are questioning whether you
have documented or cited your sources properly, it is your responsibility to see me about these issues
prior to submitting an assignment. If you find yourself thinking about submitting work that is not
your own due to pressure, frustration, or any other reason, please talk with me. I am here to help you
resolve these issues before they could negatively affect your academic career. Misrepresenting your
work will not be tolerated in this class. Students are expected to exercise academic honesty and
integrity. Violations such as cheating and plagiarism will result in an F for the assignment and further
disciplinary action which may include recommendation for dismissal.

Special Needs: Students requiring special services or arrangements because of hearing, visual, or
other disability should contact their instructor, counselor, and the Disabled Student Services Office. If
you have any temporary or long-term special needs (academic, physical, personal) please contact me
during my office hours or after class. Do not wait till the last minute to inform me of a problem, as it
will be more difficult personal situation occurs let me know as soon as possible. I am supportive and
understanding of most situations (I respect your right to privacy, so details are not a requirement to
find a way to work it out.)
Course Schedule
DATE
TOPIC
2/2-2/6
Introductions & Social
Intersections:
Individual and Society
READINGS DUE
Week One
ASSIGNMENT DUE
Week Two
2/72/13
The Sociological
Imagination
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 1
Discussion: Born the
Opposite Sex
Quiz #1
Week Three
2/142/20
Sociological Inquiry and Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 2
Analysis
Commodity Chain
Analysis and Research
Review student papers on the website
Discussion: Three
Theories
Quiz #2
3
**Syllabus is Subject to Change**
Workshop
Film: The Story of Stuff
Week Four
2/212/27
Modern Consumer
Culture
Watch: Affluenza
Socialization: Learning
Culture
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 16 (only
pages 520-526)
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 3
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 4
CCA Research Topic
Summary
Discussion:
Advertisements
Quiz # 3
Week Five
2/283/6
Making and Supporting
a Sociological Argument
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 5
Exam #1 Outline
Discussion: Outlines
Social Interaction & the
Construction of Social
Differences
Week Six
3/73/13
Social Difference and
Power
Introduction to Sociology: pages 292-296, 332335,596-606
McIntosh, Peggy “White Privilege”
http://www.nymbp.org/reference/WhitePrivileg
e.pdf
Social Stratification
Exam #1
Discussion: White
Privilege
Quiz # 4
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 8
Week Seven
3/143/20
Racial Stratification:
Institutional Racism
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 11
CCA Outline and
Annotated Bibliography
Racial Legacy
Film: The House We
Live In
Wise, Tim “Whites Swim in Racial Preference”
http://www.alternet.org/story/15223/
Discussion: Institutional
Racism
Quiz #5
Week Eight
3/213/27
Gender Stratification
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 10
Global Inequality
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 9
Exam #1 Rewrite –
optional
Discussion: Household
Div of Labor
Quiz #6
Week Nine
3/284/3
Globalization,
Rationalization, and the
Global Corporate
Society
Introduction to Sociology: pages 147-167
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 20
Rationalities and
Irrationalities
Pollan, Michael “Power Steer”
http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Power-SteerPollan31mar02.htm
Discussion: Modern
Meat
Quiz #7
CCA Research Paper
Rough Draft
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**Syllabus is Subject to Change**
“The Meatrix 1”(for fun!)
http://www.themeatrix1.com/
Week Ten
SPRING BREAK
4/114/17
Production in the
Postmodern Global
Society
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 14
Discussion: Alienation
Quiz # 8
Work in the
Postmodern Global
Society: Alienation
Week Eleven
4/184/24
The State,
Globalization, and
Global Politics
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 13
Final Papers Due
Discussion: Consumers
of Citizens?
Citizenship and
Globalization
Film: Life and Debt
Quiz #9
Week Twelve
4/25–
5/1
Threads
Threads Preface and Chps 1 & 2
Exam #2
Quiz #10
Week Thirteen
5/2-5/8
Threads
Threads Chps 3and 4
5/9 5/15
Threads
Threads Chps 5, 6 and 7
Discussion: The apparel
commodity chain
Week Fourteen
Exam #2 Rewrite –
optional
Discussion: Cheap
Labor?
Quiz #11
Week Fifteen
5/165/22
Consumption in the
Postmodern Global
Society
Introduction to Sociology: Chapter 19
Student Presentations
Quiz #12
Course Conclusions &
Student Presentations
Week Sixteen
5/235/29
Final Exam & Student
Presentations
Discussion: Presentations
Exam #3
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