FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, SUNY SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY FRIDAY 1:10-4:00, A321B FALL 2007

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1 FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, SUNY SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY FRIDAY 1:10-4:00, A321B FALL 2007 Dena Smith Office Hours: Friday 12pm Description: Sociology is the scientific study of social life and human interaction. Sociologists recognize that all human behavior and interactions occur within a social and an historical context, and that individual-level experiences are shaped by one s group memberships, culture, interpersonal relationships, and interactions with major social institutions including the family, educational system, media, the economy, and the state. Most importantly, sociology helps us to understand why people behave the way they do. Students of sociology will not only learn things about the society in which they live, but about their role in that society and hopefully be able to spark connections between personal experiences and social situations. While this course cannot possibly cover all topics in the discipline of sociology, it will provide an introduction to the areas sociologists study, as well as to the methods and the theory used in the process. Required Texts: available at the FIT Barnes and Noble bookstore: 1) Essentials of Sociology, Giddens, Duneier and Appelbaum 2) Readings for Sociology, Garth Massey Requirements and Grading: Students are expected to attend and be prepared for each class meeting, as well as to participate in all class activities. Readings are due and will be discussed on the date listed on the schedule. Assignments for the course are as follows: two exams, three papers and in-class work, which will count towards the class participation grade. Information on these assignments will be handed out as the due dates approach. Assignments can only be made up if the class was missed for a medical or other emergency, for which you must have documented proof. Exams must be taken during the allotted times. Late papers will not be accepted. Finally, please be respectful of the classroom and turn cell phones off before entering. Most importantly, this is an introductory class and you should have questions so ask them often and feel free to talk to 1

2 me about anything interesting, confusing, or otherwise, either in class or during office hours. Grade Breakdown: Exam 1 25% Exam 2 25% Paper 1 10% Paper 2 20% Paper 3 10% Class Participation 15% (Including Attendance, in-class writing, and other in-class work) Grading Scale: (grades are non-negotiable) A+ 100 A A B B B C C C D F below 60 Course Schedule: (additional assignments may be given at instructor s discretion) Chapters and pages are in the text book. Readings with titles are in the reader or on reserve. Week One 8/31 What is Sociology? A brief introduction Introduction to Sociological Theory - Pgs The Sociological Imagination Week Two 9/7 Sociological Theory (Part II) and an Introduction to Sociological Research Methods, Culture - Pgs Telling the Truth about Damned Lies and Statistics - Chapter 2 Guidelines for paper 1 distributed 2

3 Week Four 9/21 Socialization, Social Interaction, Social Structure, Groups - Chapters 3, 4, 5 - On Face-Work - Boyhood, Organized Sports and the Construction of Masculinities Paper 1 due Week Five 9/28 Education and Religion - Chapter 12 - Religious Community and American Individualism Film Bowling for Columbine Guidelines for paper 2 distributed Week Six 10/5 Conformity, Deviance and Crime - Chapter 6 - The Saints and the Roughnecks - Police Accounts of Normal Force Week Seven 10/12 Healthcare, Illness, Sexuality - Ch The Epidemic in Mental Illness: Clinical Fact or Survey Artifact Week Eight 10/19 Exam 1 Week Nine 10/26 Social Class, Social Stratification, Inequality - Chapter 7 - Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America - Uses of the Underclass in America Week Ten 11/2 The Economy - Chapter 8, Chapter 14 pgs When Work Disappears 3

4 - The McDonald s System Film Roger & Me Guidelines for paper 3 distributed Week Eleven 11/9 Observation day Week Twelve 11/16 Race and Ethnicity - Chapter 10 - Optional Ethnicities, My Secret Life as a Black Man Paper 2 due Film - Eyes on the Prize Week Thirteen 11/30 Gender, Families and Intimate Relationships - Chapters 9, 11 - Shared Paternity - The Emotional Geography of Work and Family Life Week Fourteen 12/7 Globalization in a Changing World - Chapter 16 - Modernization s Challenge to Traditional Values: Who s Afraid of Ronald McDonald? - An Alternative to Globalization Week Fifteen 12/14 Review of the course paper 3 due Week Sixteen 4

5 12/20 Exam 2 From: The New Yorker and the American Sociological Assn., The Sociologist s Book of Cartoons,