INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Fall 2005
SOC 1301, Section 001, Call # 12803

“Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking of
something different.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Andrea Laurent-Simpson Meeting Time: MWF 11:00 – 11:50

Email: andrea.laurent-simpson@utdallas.edu Location: CB1.112
Office: GR 3.406 Credit Hours: 3
Office hours: M 12:00 – 1:00 Fax: 972 883-6297

Description: An overview of the sociological perspective and its application to social

research and social policy.

Objectives: Introduction to Sociology is a wonderful opportunity for students to gain a

greater understanding of the social world that humans have created through their unique
ability to use symbols. My goal is to show students how to better comprehend their
social worlds through an introduction to the following elements:

-Major paradigms in the discipline

-Research Methodologies
-History of Sociology
-Effect of culture, society, and socialization on the individual.
-Use of the sociological perspective to examine stratification, race/ethnicity, and gender.
-Major institutions, especially family, religion, and education, and their impact on social
structures embedded below them.

Most importantly, my goal is to ensure that students leave this course with a strong
understanding of how to use sociology in their everyday lives.

Required Texts: Macionis, John J. Society: The Basics. 8th Edition.

Prentice Hall, 2006. ISBN: 0131922440

Throughout the semester, I will assign readings that I will either give you in hard copy, as
a link on WebCT, or as an article that you will need to locate on the JSTOR database at
the library. These additional readings will be considered requirement s for the course.

Prerequisites: None.

Course Requirements

1. Class attendance and participation are vital to learning. Attendance will be taken at
random throughout the semester. You must be present at the time of roll call. Each
unexcused absence beyond one will result in the lowering of your
attendance/participation grade by 1% point. 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 book whether
it is covered in class or not. I will also assign required readings throughout the
semester that I will either give you or that you will find on the internet.

3. Satisfactory completion of exams, labs, and homework.

4. Labs/homework must be submitted in hard copy format at the beginning of the class
date on which the assignment is due, via WebCT. Work will only be accepted via
WebCT. No late work will be accepted. Do not turn in work under my office door as
this is a good way for it to be lost.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Students that intend to withdraw from the course must do so by September 2 to avoid
getting a W. You must withdraw between September 22 and October 20 in order to
receive a WP/WF.

9. 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, class discussions, video clips, experimental labs,
and creative thinking exercises.

METHOD OF EVALUATION
Exams: 65% (20% exam 1, 20% exam 2, 25% final)
Labs: 20%
Attendance/Participation 10%
Homework 5%

AVERAGE Letter Grade Grade Descriptions as per CCCCD Catalog

90-100 A Excellent
80-89 B Above Average
70-79 C Average
60-69 D Below Average
59 and below F Failing

Exams: Exams will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions that cover
material taken from class lectures, readings, handouts, and videos. Two exams and a
final will be given with the final scheduled for Dec. 5 in our regular classroom. Exams
will be cumulative. MINI SCANTRON BOOKS MUST BE BROUGHT TO EACH
EXAM. STUDENTS MUST PROVIDE THEIR OWN SCANTRON BOOK AND
PENCIL.

Labs: Five labs will be assigned on the website throughout the course of the semester.
Students must choose two of the five labs and turn each of them in via WebCT by the
beginning of class on the day they are due. One lab choice must be taken from the
first two labs, and one must be taken from the last three labs . Please note that LATE
ASSIGNEMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

**All labs must be typed, double-spaced, 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. This is a university
level class, so I will expect you to cite at least two journal articles that support your
position in each lab (citing your book will not count towards this requirement).
Points will be deducted if these requirements are not met. Length should be at least 3
pages and should not exceed 4 pages unless otherwise stated. POINTS WILL BE
DEDUCTED FOR NOT FOLLOWING THESE GUIDELINES.**

Homework: Two assignments will be given via WebCT in the first part of the semester
and will be due at the beginning of class on WebCT on the day that they are due. NO
LATE HOMEWORK ACCEPTED. Work must be submitted via WebCT with the
appropriate time stamp in order to receive credit.

MAKE-UP POLICY

Exams : Exams will only be made up 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 will be short answer and essay format and 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.

Labs: Because late labs are not accepted, there will be no make-ups.

Homework : Because late homework is not accepted, there will be no make-ups.

EXTRA CREDIT

Extra Lab – You may do the “Super Size Me” lab for up to a 5 point increase in your
overall lab grade. However, it MUST be turned in the day that the lab is due for
everyone else, and you must indicate in BOLD, RED LETTERS at the top of the first
page that the work is for extra credit.

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

No other extra credit will be assigned.

POLICIES

Incompletes: Incompletes will not be given.

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. One
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

September 2 Census date (last day to withdraw without a W)

September 5 Labor Day holiday, campus closed
September 22- October 20 WP/WF period
Sept 28 Exam 1
Nov 9 Exam 2
November 24-25 Thanksgiving Holiday, campus closed
Dec 5 Final, 11 am – 1 pm

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE*†

*Subject to change – Any necessary changes will be announced in class.
† Additional, announced readings will be distributed beyond this schedule.
KEY: R – ON RESERVE J – JSTOR database W – Course website

Week 1 (Aug 19) Syllabus and introduction to course

Week 2 (Aug 22)
AUG 24
Week 3 (Aug 29)
AUG 31
Week 4 (Sept 5)
Week 5 (Sept 12)
Chapter 1 – Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method;
Appendix 1, “Why Politicized Science is Dangerous”, M.
Crichton, R
HOMEWORK # 1 due via WebCT, Polit. Sci. summary
Ch. 1 (CONT)
Lab 1 – Sociological paradigms due
Chapter 2 – Culture
Chapter 3 –Socialization
Week 6 (Sept 19) Chapter 4 – Social Interaction in Everyday Life; “Studies in
Ethnomethodology”(Garfinkel), pp. 36 – 45.R for Soc3303
SEPT 19 HOMEWORK #2 due, Status and Role Worksheet
Week 7 (Sept 26) Finish up
SEPT 26 Lab 2 – Breaching Experiment due
SEPT 28 EXAM 1 (Ch. 1 – 4)
Week 8 (Oct 3) Chapter 5 - Groups and Organizations
Week 9 (Oct 10) Chapter 8 – Social Stratification; Social inequality charts
OCT 10 Lab 3 – “Super Size Me” due
Week 10 (Oct 17) Chapter 10 – Gender Stratification
“Can Men ‘Mother’?” article, (B. Risman) J
Week 11(Oct 24) Ch. 10 (CONT); Chapter 11 – Race and Ethnicity; Ch. 1
“The Invisible Man” from Member of the Club, Graham R
OCT 24 Lab 4 - Grocery Store Observation due
Week 12 (Oct 31) Ch. 11 (CONT)
Week 13 (Nov 7) Finish up
NOV 7 Lab 5 – Race and Ethnicity due
NOV 9 EXAM 2 (Ch. 5 – 10)
Week 14 (Nov 14) Begin Social Institutions (lecture); Chapter 13 – Family,
pp. 346 – 362; Domestic Violence article (NIJ) W
Week 15 (Nov 21) Chapter 13 – Family (cont); Religion - Chapter 13,
pp. 363 – 377, Spirituality in Higher Education W
DEC 5 FINAL EXAM, 11 am – 1 pm, CB1.112