Soc 201: Contemporary Social Problems
Monday and Wednesday, 6:10 PM – 8:00 PM
2011 September 6 through 2011 November 14
236 Bentley Hall
Professor: Craig Wiernik
Office: 111 Bentley Annex
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM and by appointment
Course Blog: http://soc201--socialproblems.blogspot.com/
Email (best way to contact) : wiernik@ohio.edu
Course Objectives and Description
Sociology, as an academic discipline, was “founded” by individuals interested in ameliorating
(reducing/eliminating) what they perceived to be major problems in the social world around them. These
were conditions thought to be detrimental to human and community life. Sociology is about taking a critical
look at society and attempting to understand how society functions as if we were “outside observers.” In
this way we can examine a variety of social issues that we often call social problems – though as you’ll learn,
whether something is a problem or not is based on the meanings and values which underlie one’s view of the
world.
In this course we will examine different social problems facing America today, examining them through
the lens of these issues listed above. Additionally, we will look in-depth at two of these problems – one
which you might have never considered, and one that you might not have known you need to worry
about. We will talk about these problems in the context of social life – how our culture and institutions
operate with each other, and how this may, or may not lead to social problems. This course will address a
number of questions:
1) What are social problems, anyway?
2) What are the causes of social problems?
3) Who defines something as a social problem? How does this impact individuals and social life?
4) What is the difference between an “objective” and a “subjective” social problem?
5) What can we do anything about these social problems, anyway?
This course will teach you to think critically about these social issues, and provide an understanding of social
values. Many issues discussed in the class will be controversial and I do not expect (in fact it is impossible)
to agree with every argument and approach. Having said that, each student is responsible for his or her
own part in maintaining a courteous environment where disagreements are probable, uncomfortable
silences are okay, listening (not simply waiting to talk) is a must. The goal of class is to learn for ourselves
and from each other.
Generally, you will obtain the skills that will help you:
1) Think critically through the application, comparison, and contrasting of various ideas and theories
to various social problems (in this case, social problems).
2) Utilize fundamental tools that can be used to explore various social issues, such as poverty,
inequality, and punishment in America.
3) Utilize a historical perspective which helps understand evolutionary developments over time (social
life does not occur spontaneously, in-the-moment!).
4) Improve your understanding of human and social behavior, and the impact of legal and social
systems on individuals and collectives.
5) Think critically about a wide variety of topics, social and otherwise.
Best way to contact Craig…
…is by email. You MUST put “Soc 201 - <subject>” in the subject line of your email (with the
topic of your email) , or your email WILL NOT BE READ!!! (Fill in <subject> above with the topic
of your email – do not leave it blank). I will respond to all email within one business day of receipt.
When I need to contact you, I will send you email to your campus email account. It is VITAL that you
check your ohio.edu email address at least once per day.
Required Readings and Materials Required for Class
You will have roughly 20 pages per night, for about 140 pages of reading each week.
Some advice on how to read: Try to take in the main ideas and key terms for each reading, rather than the finepoints. I will never ask you to memorize a tiny piece of minutia (On what date was so-and-so Born? How
many amendments to the constitution are there?1). Instead, I will ask you to take these ideas, theories, and
concepts that you read and learn about, and apply them to social situations. Focus on the overall idea of the
reading, the conclusion the author presents, and some of the reasoning and evidence behind the author’s words.
In other words, read critically, but do not waste your time memorizing small details.
Finally, you will have significantly more reading from Wednesday to Monday than you will from Monday
to Wednesday, given the additional time you will have to read. It’s not that you’re reading more than in any
other class, I’m just breaking it up so you have more reading when you have more time to do it.
There are two overall approaches to social problems. These books represent the “objective” view of social
problems – they provide examples of a number of different social problems. Though their example, we
will also come to understand the “subjective” view of social problems as well. In addition to other
materials provided on the course blog, we will read the following three monographs:
Braman, Donald. 2004. Doing Time on the Outside: Incarceration and Family Life in Urban
America. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
Manjoo, Farhad. 2008. True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-fact Society. New York: Wiley.
Schor, Juliet B. 2005. Born to Buy. New York: Scribner.
You must also learn the following Google command: “Define: <word_to_be_defined>”
When you come across a word in your reading you do not know, let Google be your friend. Typing the
above command with the word will give you a variety of definitions. You should prefer the definitions
provided by WordNet at Princeton (very obvious when you look at the source URL in Google).
Finally, you must watch a number of videos each week. Specifically, you must watch:
 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (available at http://www.thedailyshow.com or
http://www.hulu.com for free), Monday through Thursday.
 The Colbert Report (available at http://www.colbertnation.com or http://www.hulu.com for
free), Monday through Thursday.
1
There are 27 amendments to the United States constitution.

The “Morning Joe” Podcast (available on subscription through iTunes, RSS feeders, and
downloadable daily at http://podcastfeeds.nbcnews.com/audio/podcast/MSNBCSCARBOROUGH-NETCAST-M4V.xml ), Monday through Friday.
Grading and requirements for success in this course:
Your grade in this course will be based on the following breakdown:
 Attendance/Participation – 20% of your final grade
 Group project – 20% of your final grade
 2 Exams – 25% and 35% of your final grade, respectively
o Exam Dates: October 12th, 2011, and November 16th, 2011
There will be NO MAKE UP ASSIGNMENTS or EXTRA CREDIT of any kind offered for any
reason.
Attendance
Attendance will be taken each day at various times during class. If you are not in class when attendance is
taken, you will not get credit for being there that day, even if you arrive just a few minutes late. You get
two free missed classes for any reason. I have a “no note-out” policy – any absence over two will be
counted against your attendance grade.
Most importantly, you must show up ON TIME on test day. This is a very large class, and it will be
quite disruptive to your classmates if you have to climb over them to get to your seat after the test has
already begun. Thus, anyone who arrives to class on test day after the doors have closed WILL NOT BE
ADMITTED TO THE TEST, AND WILL RECEIVE AN AUTOMATIC “F.” There will be NO
EXCEPTIONS to this policy.
Tests
Tests are cumulative in that some of the basic building-block concepts (like power, inequality, values, etc.)
will be present in much of what we do this quarter. You may not be asked to remember something specific
that you read from before a previous test, but you may be asked to make links or comparisons between
current readings and previous ones. Additionally, you may be asked to use these concepts in the questions on
future exams, not just memorize information.
The range of grades and the meaning behind each is as follows:
Grade
A-, A (90 – 100)
B-, B, B+ (80 – 89)
C-, C, C+ (70 – 79)
D (60 – 69)
F (59 or lower)
Meaning
Outstanding, Excellent, Exceptional
Very Good, Thorough, Comprehensive
Accurate, Adequate, Sufficient, Satisfactory
Poor, Incomplete, Inadequate, Insufficient
Confused, Wrong, Incorrect
In our class, a “C” is the baseline. It represents adequate work (after all, we can’t all be excellent at everything;
no one can). If all you do is show up for class, you’ll probably get a “C.” Don’t do “C” work (only coming
to class, never reading, etc.) and expect to get an “A” in this class. If you are concerned you may not be
attaining the grade you want, see Craig in his office hours sooner rather than later in the quarter. Grades
and your attendance will be tracked via BlackBoard, so you can always see how you are doing.
Don’t forget to Read the “Fine Print:”
CELL PHONES ARE BANNED FROM THIS CLASSROOM!
Due to the highly distracting nature of cell phones and smart phone technology, I am banning them from
this classroom. I understand that life is complicated: people get sick, jobs need to be done, etc. However,
cell phones serve as a major distraction, both to you as students, and to me as your professor (they may be
more distracting to me).
If you are caught with a cell phone in class, you will be asked to leave class for the day, and you
will lose any attendance credit for that day. On a second offense, you will be asked to leave class,
and receive an “F” for the attendance portion of the grade for the entire course. On the third
offense, you will be asked to leave class, and you will immediately FAIL the course, no matter
how well you have done on the tests.
Further thoughts on the use of technology (computers, etc.)
As a student, it is important to consider the power of wirelessly connected devices and to use that power
appropriately. Never before has a student had the ability to maintain a physical presence in a classroom
while communicating with the outside world in such a way as is possible with modern wireless devices.
Having the Internet at your fingertips has tremendous benefits to you as a student, both in its ability for
independent exploration and clarification of ideas discussed in the classroom. I encourage you to use
technology to enhance your studies. However, here are some important guidelines for you to consider:
Stay on Task
 Stay focused, stay engaged.
 Keep the outside world outside.
 Contribute, don't detract, from the atmosphere of learning.
 I do notice texting behavior!!! That is usually the time that I will then call on you and expect you to
answer a question (which you will probably not be able to do because you were texting. Then you
may turn red, get embarrassed and have to say “I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” If you’re
lucky, I might let you go at that point. I might not.)
Don’t Distract Others
 Don't distract others by your use.
 Don't annoy or distract the professor and your classmates.
 Keep it silent -- mute.
 Resist the temptation to surf the web during class.
o Of course, if you surf for stuff that contributes to class, that is totally fine.
 Do not access inappropriate or offensive content in class.
If your technology use becomes a distraction for you, your classmates, or me, you will be asked to
turn off the device in question. If the behavior continues, you will be asked to leave class, and
receive an “F” for the course.
I do not expect to need to take such drastic measures.
Syllabus Changes
The professor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus as the course progresses. The instructor
will inform the students of the change, both in class and via the course blog.
Academic Misconduct is defined by Ohio University as dishonesty or deception in fulfilling academic
requirements. It includes, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, un-permitted collaboration, forged
attendance (when attendance is required), fabrication (e.g., use of invented information or falsification of
research or other findings), using advantages not approved by the instructor (e.g., unauthorized review of a
copy of an exam ahead of time), knowingly permitting another student to plagiarize or cheat from one's
work, or submitting the same assignment in different courses without consent of the instructor. Note: An
instructor may impose a grade penalty for academic misconduct and/or file a judicial referral.
Dishonesty is defined by:
1. furnishing false information to the university by forgery, alteration, or misuse of documents or
records;
2. furnishing to the university a written or oral false statement;
3. furnishing false identification to a university or civic official.
For the university’s formal policy regarding academic dishonesty, see the Student Code of Conduct:
http://www.ohio.edu/judiciaries/conduct_policy.cfm#CP_JUMP_252099.
If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, please visit
http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/cyberplag.
Students who are found to be dishonest will receive academic sanctions (most likely an “F” in the course
for the quarter) and will be reported to the University’s Judicial Affairs office for possible further
disciplinary sanction.
Disability Access Statement - Ohio University encourages qualified people with disabilities to participate
in its programs and activities and is committed to the policy that all people shall have equal access to
programs, facilities, and admissions without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability,
performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. Any
student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss
your specific needs. If you are not yet registered as a student with a documented disability, please contact the Office of
Disability Services at 740-593-2620 in Crewson House.
Syllabus Contract
Contemporary Social Problems, Fall, 2011
I, _______________________________, have read the syllabus, either a printed copy, or have read
it from the class website for this course SOC201 – Social Problems.
I understand that success in this class requires me to:
1) Complete all readings as assigned.
2) Complete all assignments as assigned
3) Come to class prepared to participate in an active discussion about the topic of the day.
4) Respect the ideas and thoughts of others.
Please initial:
_____ I have read the syllabus completely and have been given the opportunity to ask questions
about it.
Please provide me with the following information:
1) How many quarters of college have you completed?
2) What is your major (if you have decided)?
3) Why are you taking this class (you are NOT allowed to say “It is required” – come up with
something more interesting, please)? Or, tell me what you hope to learn about in this course.
4) Tell me two interesting things about yourself.
5) Have you taken an Introduction to Sociology (Soc 101) Class? Where and when?
6) What do you think is the most pressing social problem in America?
______________________________
(Signature)
________________________
(Date)