Individual and Society

Spring 2006
SOC 3314, Section 001, Call # 12943

“Only when we know little do we know anything; doubt grows with knowledge.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Andrea Laurent-Simpson Time: MW 2:00 – 3:15

Email: alsimpson@utdallas.edu Location: SOM2.802
Office:GR 3.406 Credit Hours: 3
Office hours: W 12:45 – 1:45 Fax: 972 883-6297 (w/ cover)

Description:
This course will be an introduction for undergraduates to the social psychological
approach with special emphasis on the symbolic interaction paradigm. Social
psychology can be pursued from either a sociological or psychological perspective.
We will be focusing on the sociological, especially individual social experience that is
derived from interaction with groups and others. We will also look at social
structures that emerge from these interactions. Methodologies, socialization,
emergence of self, attitudes, and group processes are some of the many topics that
we will cover. Additionally, we will explore gender, family, and race as studied from
these perspectives.

Required Texts: -Von Der Haar, Christine M. (2005). Social psychology:

A sociological perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ,
Pearson Education, Inc.
ISBN: 0130809837
http://www.safarix.com (cheapest)

-Charon, Joel M. (2004). Symbolic interactionism: An

introduction, an interpretation, an integration. Upper
Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Education, Inc.
ISBN: 0131114794

Supplements:
- Sociosite - http://www2.fmg.uva.nl/sociosite/
- Dead Sociologists Index -
http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~lridener/DSS/INDEX.HTML
#weber

Throughout the semester, I will also assign readings that I will expect you to pull from
reserves at McDermott Library. If you are unable to afford any of the required texts,
McDermott should have at least the Charon text on reserve for you.

Prerequisites: Soc 1301

Course Requirements

1. Class attendance and participation are vital to learning. Attendance will be taken at
every class. If you walk in late, it is your responsibility to see to it that I know you are
present, AFTER CLASS. I will not revisit whether or not you were present in a class
beyond the particular day in question.

Excessive unexcused absences (over 3 for the semester) may result in a lower course
grade. Four tardies will add up to one unexcused absence. Please remember that you
are only allowed three unexcused absences before it begins to affect your overall course
grade. Note that attendance and participation are 10% of your overall grade.

2. Reading of all assigned materials prior to class. Please bring your books to class for
reference purposes. You are responsible for all of the material in your texts whether
it is covered in class or not. I will also assign required readings throughout the
semester that can be found in McDermott Library Reserves or on the McDermott Library
website.

3. WebCT – It is imperative that you stay up to date with WebCT as I will use it to not
only make announcements outside of class, but also to collect assignments. PLEASE DO
NO SUBMIT ASSIGNMENTS OUTSIDE OF WEBCT, AS THEY WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.

5. Satisfactory completion of exams, journals, and literature review. Please be sure to

check any WebCT submissions to ensure that your assignment was indeed submitted. If
the assignment itself does not show up in my account with the appropriate time stamp, it
will not be accepted later.

6. Journals must be submitted via WebCT IN THE TEXT of the email by 2:00 pm sharp
on the day that they are due. ATTACHMENTS AND/OR HARD COPIES WILL NOT
BE ACCEPTED. No late work will be accepted.

7. Consideration for other students is conducive to everyone’s learning. Please arrive on

time and have cell phones turned off. Verbal abuse of others, class disruptions, and
sleeping during class will not be tolerated.

8. Scholastic integrity is key to a successful education. Please keep in mind that all work
is to be done independently, unless otherwise stated by the instructor. If you are unsure
of a situation, you must ask the instructor for clarification. Cheating in any way on any
work in this class will not be tolerated and the student may be turned into the college for
disciplinary hearings. The minimum punishment for cheating in this class will be a 0
on the relevant assignment and/or exam.
9. Students that intend to withdraw from the course must do so by January 25 to avoid
getting a W. You must withdraw between February 13 and March 16 in order to receive
a WP/WF.

10. If you stop attending class, but do not officially withdraw from the course, you will
receive an F. It is your responsibility to withdraw by using the forms found in the
Admission’s Office.

COURSE FORMAT
It is my personal objective to facilitate student learning in any pedagogical way I can.
This means that I will be using a variety of learning methods that include but may not be
limited to reading assignments, lectures, video clips, class discussions, and creative
thinking exercises via journal entries.

METHOD OF EVALUATION**†

Exams: 50% (25% midterm, 25% final)

Journal: 20%
Literature Review 20%
Attendance/Participation 10%

AVERAGE Letter Grade Grade Descriptions

90-100 A Excellent
80-89 B Above Average
70-79 C Average
60-69 D Below Average
59 and below F Failing
** There will be no curve in this course!
† +/- breakdowns will be emailed out on WebCT.

Exams: The midterm and final will consist of multiple choice questions that cover
material taken from class and readings. The final will not be cumulative.

Journal: Students are expected to maintain a journal in which two different approaches
will be used.
Journal pick up # 1: Any theory from the particular assigned chapter may be used
to examine something that you observe in your daily life. The key to doing well here is
application and analysis. Depending on how you think, you may identify the theory that
you would like to apply and then set about finding a phenomenon to demonstrate it. Or,
you may also observe something that makes you think of a particular approach. Either
way, you must analyze your observation utilizing a theory from Chp 2, 4 (as well as
Charon’s Chapter 12), or 5. Please note that each of your two entries must come from
separate chapters.

Journal pick up #2: Using the JSTOR database ONLY (unless previous approval
has been given), locate an article on two of three subjects that we will place special
emphasis on: gender, race, and/or family. You may also do “intersection” articles. You
will then write two separate journal entries that summarize these articles and explain how
the researchers used a social psychological approach to explaining their social
phenomenon. You may also use these articles in your literature review, if you would
like.

All journal entries must be typed, double-spaced, 12 pitch with 1” margins. Cited
material must use APA format and a reference page must be included. See the
following URL for help on this -
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/social_sciences/intext.html.
Journals will be collected twice during the semester, via WebCT email, IN THE
TEXT, please. Attachments/hard copies will not be accepted.

Please note that LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Points will be
deducted if these requirements are not met. Length should be 2 pages maximum unless
otherwise stated. POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FOR NOT FOLLOWING THESE
GUIDELINES.**

Literature Review: A literature review like that found in peer reviewed journals will be
required. Students may pick a topic of their choice. However, this topic, along with a
preliminary hypothesis to be examined, must be approved by me, no later than March 29.
Students may gain approval either via email (WebCT) or during office hours. Approval
will not be given before or after class.

APA format (see journal requirement for help) is required for cites and reference pages.
Students are required to use a MINIMUM of 7 cites. Required readings may be used, but
will not be counted towards this minimum. Literature reviews must be typed, double-
spaced, 12 pitch with 1” margins. Must be submitted via WebCT email, IN THE TEXT,
please. Attachments/hard copies will not be accepted.

MAKE-UP POLICY

Exams: Exams will only be made up according to my discretion and only then, in the
event of a DOCUMENTED illness (only a doctor’s note will suffice) or emergency
(death in the family or military orders). Make-ups must be scheduled by the student
within 24 hours of the original exam date. WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION of the
emergency must be in my hands as of your first return date to class (this means
police reports, hospital/doctor notes, funeral announcement, military orders. I will
not accept pictures or verbal confirmation!). Failure to do this will result in a grade of
F for the exam.

Journals: Journals must be turned in on time for each journal check. Late journals will
not be accepted, as you should have been working on them throughout the semester. You
should NOT wait to do these until a day or two before they are due.
EXTRA CREDIT

Exam Bonuses - There will be bonus questions at the end of each exam.

No other extra credit will be assigned.

STUDY TIPS
1. Read all assigned reading BEFORE you come to class. This will ensure prior exposure
to the material, increasing not only your understanding of class discussion, but your
ability to think critically about what we are covering.

2. Form a study group. This will enable group members to think about the material from
multiple perspectives, creating a broader understanding of the material. You may even
get pizza out of the deal!

3. While it is important to understand definitions of key concepts, it is even more

important that you understand the material conceptually. Ask any student that has had
me and they will tell you that I love to ask application questions on my exams. This
means you not only have to know meaning, you have to understand how it works in the
social world.

4. Cramming is what the unprepared do the night before they barely pull a C on an exam.
Do yourself a favor… study as we go. Reading will help with this, but thinking critically
outside of class, looking to apply what we have learned to your own experiences (on a
date, at the movie, arguing with a sibling, etc), and weekly study groups will cut down on
what you have to do the night before. If you do this, you may find time on exam eve to
do a quick scan of the material and then go out for an early dinner!

5. Ask questions in class. If you do not understand something, this is the time to raise
your voice.

6. Work on journals as we go, rather than waiting until they are almost due. This way
you can be creative in your work and sit down with me during office hours if you have
any concerns.

POLICIES

Incompletes: Incompletes will not be given under any circumstances.

Posting Grades: Grades will not be posted in any form, nor will they be released via
phone or email. Also, grades will not be released to ANYONE but the actual student. It
is my absolute goal to ensure utter privacy for all students, thus my grade release policy.
Grades will only be released through WebCT with the exception of work that is returned
directly to the student.
Missed Classes: The student is responsible for any and all work missed during an
absence. Please do not assume that my outlines are all that is discussed during class, as
discussion always supplements the outline. There is NO substitute for attendance. Four
or more unexcused absence(s) will affect your attendance/participation grade.

Accessibility: If you have a condition that requires accommodation in this class, please
speak with me after class or in office hours during the first week of class. I will be happy
to make appropriate accommodations provided timely notice is received and the
arrangement is consistent with any recommendations from Disability Services, when
applicable. Disability Services can be reached at 883-2098. The syllabus and other
course materials can be made available in alternative formats.

Academic Ethics/Scholastic Dishonesty: The College may initiate disciplinary

proceedings against a student accused of scholastic dishonesty.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts, or omissions related
to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree and/or the submission as one's
own work material that is not one's own. Scholastic dishonesty may involve, but is not
limited to, one or more of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion, use of
annotated texts or teacher’s editions, and/or falsifying academic records.

Plagiarism is the use of an author's words or ideas as if they were one's own without
giving credit to the source, including, but not limited to, failure to acknowledge a direct
quotation. If you have any question about what might be considered plagiarism, ask me
for guidance. A good rule of thumb, however, is, if you have to question if something is
plagiarism, then it probably is.

Cheating is the willful giving or receiving of information in an unauthorized manner

during an examination, illicitly obtaining examination questions in advance, copying
computer or Internet files, using someone else's work for assignments as if it were one's
own, or any other dishonest means of attempting to fulfill the requirements of a course.

Collusion is intentionally aiding or attempting to aid another in an act of scholastic

dishonesty, including but not limited to providing a paper or project to another student,
providing an inappropriate level of assistance; communicating answers to a classmate
during an examination; removing tests or answer sheets from a test site, and allowing a
classmate to copy answers.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

January 16 MLK, JR., campus closed

January 25 Census date (last day to withdraw without a W)
February 13 – March 16 WP/WF period
February 27 Midterm
March 6 - 11 Spring Break, campus closed
March 29 Last day to gain approval for lit review topic/hypothesis
April 24 Final exam
April 26 Literature review due, via WebCT email

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE*†

*Subject to change – Any necessary changes will be announced in class.
† Additional, announced readings may be distributed beyond this schedule.
KEY: R – ON RESERVE http://utdallas.docutek.com/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=64
Password = Soc 3314

Week 1 (Jan 9) Syllabus and Chapter 1

Week 2 (Jan 16) Chapter 1 cont.
JAN 16 MLK, JR. holiday, campus closed
Week 3 (Jan 23) Chapter 2
Week 4 (Jan 30) Chapter 3
Week 5 (Feb 6) Chapter 4, pp. 98 – 115 and Charon, Chapter 12
Week 6 (Feb 13) Chapter 5
Week 7 (Feb 20) Chapter 7
FEB 22 JOURNAL PICK UP # 1
Week 8 (Feb 27) Begin Chapter 8
FEB 27 MIDTERM
Week 9 (Mar 6) SPRING BREAK, campus closed
Week 10 (Mar 13) Chapter 8 cont. and Charon, pp.211 - 212
Week 11 (Mar 20) Gender
“Doing Gender”, Chp. 1, Fenstermaker & Zimmerman, R
“Can Men Mother?”, Risman R
“Parental Gender Role Nontraditionalism and Offspring
Outcomes”, Booth & Amato R
Charon, pp. 209-211
Week 12 (Mar 27) Chapter 11 and
“Doing Difference”, West & Fenstermaker, Chapter 4 R
and Charon, pp. 207-209
Week 13 (April 3) Charon, Chapters 3 and 4
Week 14 (April 10) Charon, Chapters 5 and 6
APRIL 10 JOURNAL PICK UP # 2
Week 15 (April 17) Chapter 8 and Catch Up
Week 16 (April 24) Final exam
APRIL 26 Literature Review due via WebCT email