Introduction to Sociology
Topical Focus on “the Shadows”
DSOC 1101
Development Sociology
Summer 2016 / Online Three-Week Session
Instructor: Sara Keene
Email: sek99@cornell.edu
Office: 272 Warren Hall
Summer 2016 / Online Session
June 1 – June 24
Welcome to Introduction to Sociology! This course provides a survey introduction to the
principal theories, concepts and methods of sociology and the ways in which these tools assist us
in understanding human societies, interactions, and social change. Focusing on micro- and
macro- levels of analysis, we will explore the aspects of our every day lives that we take for
granted and study the ways in which these patterns and processes are integrated, maintained,
reproduced, and/or transformed. In doing so, we will develop a ‘sociological imagination,’ or an
understanding of how our own lives are shaped by historical processes and forces. Developing
this critical tool of sociological analysis will allow you to understand not only how our social
worlds have changed over time, but also how these changes have shaped your own experiences
in the world.
We will develop this sociological imagination through a topical approach, using the lens of “the
shadows” as our conceptual and empirical focus. The concept of “the shadows” has been used to
understand a range of informal and illegal processes, from informal economies, illegal housing
settlements, and undocumented migration, to name but a few. And while the shadows are often
associated with urban poverty, economic informality, and illegal migration, we will also address
informal and illegal practices amongst the most powerful in society – such as high frequency trading
and market rigging on Wall Street. Drawing on a range of media – from academic texts, to
journalistic essays, to popular films – this course will allow you to understand and apply sociological
theories, concepts, and methodologies to contemporary social phenomena.
Course Goals:
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To provide students with an understanding of key sociological issues, theories and
methodologies. Upon completion of this course, students should demonstrate:
o The ability to identify, explain, and critically evaluate sociological methods,
assumptions and perspectives;
o The ability to critically assess claims/arguments and sources/quality of evidence
employed in the assigned materials;
o An understanding of the classical origins of sociology, as well as examples of
contemporary research.
o The ability to apply basic sociological knowledge to the field of informality and
illegality.
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To develop students’ reading and writing skills. Upon completion of this course,
students should demonstrate the ability to:
o Critically read and deconstruct a text;
1
o Develop clear and coherent arguments;
o Support claims sufficiently with evidence;
o Write with clarity and persuasion.
Course Structure and Format: This is a three-week online course, which will be taught
through Blackboard. The course requirements will consist of three exams.
Grade Breakdown: Your final grade will be weighted as follows:
Writing Responses
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
20%
25%
25%
30%
Students with Disabilities: In compliance with the Cornell University policy and equal access
laws, I am available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be required for
students with disabilities. Requests for academic accommodations are to be made during the
first two days of the session, except under unusual circumstances, so that arrangements can be
made. Students are encouraged to register with Student Disability Services to verify their
eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
Academic Integrity: All the work you submit in this course must have been written for this
course and not another and must originate with you in form and content with all contributory
sources fully and specifically acknowledged. Carefully read Cornell’s Code of Academic
Integrity. The Code is contained in The Essential Guide to Academic Integrity at Cornell, which
is distributed to all new students during orientation. In addition to the Code, the Guide includes
Acknowledging the Work of Others, Dealing with Online Sources, Working Collaboratively, a
list of online resources, and tips to avoid cheating. You can view the Guide online at
www.newstudentprograms.cornell.edu/AcademicIntegrityPamphlet.pdf. In this course, the
normal penalty for a violation of the code is an “F” for the term.
Email Policies: I am available by email Mondays through Fridays, from 9-5pm and I will
respond to your emails within 24 hours (weekends and holidays excluded). However, there is one
exception to this rule: I will not respond to assignment-related questions in the 24-hour period
before the assignment is due. I encourage you to ask questions early, and to begin working on the
assignments well before the due date. Please feel free to email me with any questions related to
the course. I am happy to set up a phone and/or skype meeting to discuss any of your questions
and/or concerns.
Required Texts:
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Giddens, Anthony, Mitchell Duneier, Richard Appelbaum, and Deborah Carr. 2014.
Introduction to Sociology. Ninth edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Hedges, Chris and Joe Sacco. 2012. Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt. New York:
Nation Books.
All other assigned readings will be available on Blackboard.
2
Date
W, 6/1
Th, 6/2
F, 6/3
M, 6/6
T, 6/7
Assigned Readings / Lectures
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W, 6/8
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Th, 6/9
F, 6/10
M, 6/13
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Introduction to the Course
Lecture: The ‘Sociological Imagination’
Giddens et al., Chapters 1-2, pp. 3-40
Mills, C.W., Chapter 1: The Promise (Sociological Imagination)
Lecture: Culture, Society, and Socialization
Giddens et al., Chapters 3-4, pp. 41-88
Lecture: Social Interaction, Technology, and Networks
Giddens et al., Chapters 5-6 , pp. 89-134
Lecture: Work: Straddling the Boundaries of Economic Formality
Giddens et al., Chapter 14, 327-364
Portes, Alejandro and William Haller. 2005. “The Informal Economy,” in N.J. Smelser
and R. Swedberg (eds.) The Handbook of Economic Sociology. Second Edition.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Pp. 403-425.
Millar, K. 2014. “The Precarious Present: Wageless Labor and Disrupted Life in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil,” Cultural Anthropology, 29(1): 32-53.
Lecture: Conformity, Deviance, and Crime: From Hedgefunds to Sexwork
Giddens et al., Chapter 7, pp. 135-158
Lewis, Michael. 2015. “Windows on the World,” “Hidden in Plain Sight,” and “How
Dare You Say that the Stock Market is Rigged!” in Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt.
New York: W.W. Norton Company. Pp. 1-22 and 273-286.
Harris, LaShawn. 2015. Sex Workers, Psychics and Number Runners: Black Women in
New York City’s Underground. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. Selection TBD.
Lecture: Power and Privilege, Stratification and Inequality
Giddens et al., Chapter 8, pp. 159-190
Hedges and Sacco, Chapter 3, pp. 115-176
Lecture: Review for First Exam
No Readings (Work on Exam)
Lecture: Global Inequality
Giddens et al., Chapter 9, pp. 191-212
Davis, M. 2002. “The Origins of the Third World: Markets, States and Climate,” The
Corner House, Briefing 27: pp. 1-35.
Lecture: Gender and Social Reproduction
3
Assignments
 Short Writing Response Due
 Short Writing Response Due
 Exam 1 distributed
 Exam 1 Due
T, 6/14
W, 6/15
Th, 6/16
F, 6/17
M, 6/20
T, 6/21
W, 6/22
Th, 6/23
F, 6/24
TBD
 Giddens et al., Chapter 10-11, pp. 213-268
 Hochschild, Arlie. 2002. “Love and Gold,” in Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Hochschild
(eds.) Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy. New
York: Owl Books. Pp. 15-30.
 Lecture: Structures of Power: Institutionalized Racism
 Hedges and Sacco, Chapter 2, pp. 59-114
 Lecture: Histories of Power
 Hedges and Sacco, Chapter 1, pp. 1-58
 Lecture:Review for Second Exam
 No Readings (Work on Exam)
 Lecture: Aging Under Capitalism
 Giddens et al., Chapter 12, pp. 269-294
 Huang, S., B.S.A. Yeoh, and M. Toyota. 2012. “Caring for the Elderly: The Embodied
Labor of Migrant Care Workers in Singapore,” Global Networks, 12(2): 195-215.
 Lecture: Urbanization, Population, and Environment
 Giddens et al., Chapters 19, pp. 491-528
 Davis, Mike. 2004. “Planet of Slums.” New Left Review, 26: 5-34.
 Lecture: Everyday Life in a Globalized World
 Giddens et al., Chapter 20, 529-555
 Barndt, D. 2008. “Picking and Packing for the North: Agricultural Workers at Empaque
Santa Rosa,” in Tangled Routes: Women, Work and Globalization on the Tomato Trail.
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Pp. 204-260.
 Lecture: Political Power and Social Change
 Giddens et al., Chapter 13, 295-326
 Hedges and Sacco, Chapter 5, pp. 225-272
 Lecture: Enacting a Sociological Imagination: Putting Sociology into Practice
 No additional readings, prepare for exam
 Lecture: Recap and Course Overview
 Exam 3 DUE
4
 Short Writing Response Due
 Exam 2 distributed
 Exam 2 DUE
 Short Writing Response Due
 Exam 3 distributed