September – January / January - June
Sociology / Instructor: Lisa Korpics
E-Mail:
Website: www.vcsd.k12.ny.us/Domain/246
Phone: 845-457-2400 Ext. 19355
Room: 145
Post Session: Tues through Friday
Overview: What is Sociology?
Sociology is the science of discipline that studies societies, social groups and he relationships between people. The field encompasses the formation, evolution, transformation, continuation, dissolution and demise of societies and social groups. For example – Do you still go on play-dates at the park with your parents? (Nothing wrong if you still do!), but likely you no longer have that type of interaction with your family. It has transformed. When you were 4 years old did you borrow the car to go to the movies with your friends? Probably not, but perhaps now you do because your family (your 1st social group), has evolved. A good friendship turns into a relationship. Your old form of interaction has dissolved, and a new one has formed. In a negative way, a crowd of usually nonviolent individuals becomes violent and breaks into stores and starts a riot due to electricity black out. Their behavior wouldn’t have happened without the group. The group’s influence suddenly became stronger than their own individual moral code. They now act and think as a group; without realizing it.Sociology looks at the many different levels of social life of human behavior in groups. It could be a group as small as a friendship with one person (dyad), or a group of 3 friends (triad – these can be a bit treacherous depending on gender!), or as large as the social structure of humanity itself. How do organizations change human behavior? How can humans behave so differently in different situations without a set of rules to follow? Whether the focus is on how people interact with each other, in certain situations or locations, at different ages, with different people and environments, on a team, in a club, at a prom– or even in different classrooms. It is the makeup of the individuals, and the various “cultures” they bring with them, that will form the new culture of the group.
While we do look at individuals in Sociology, it is more focused on our relationships and influence we have on each other. Unlike Psychology, which focuses on the individual and contains some physiological and neurological content, Sociology always focuses on the individual as part of a society.
Expectations:
This course covers material that you may not have discussed in prior courses which is also why it is usually an upper classmen elective. Maturity and tolerance are crucial in this class. Inability to accept other points of view, “agree but disagree” politely and respect the viewpoints of others will result in your removal from this class. For clarification purposes, this can be done at any time during the course.Expectations (continued)
-Be on time. I am aware the hallways are crowded and that some of you travel from one end of the building to the other, however I can also check this fact for myself on my attendance program. Please do not take advantage of this. Constant unexcused tardiness will impact your participation grade.-Do not wait for me to tell you to take out your notebooks, or start the Do Now. It wastes valuable time. Do not write on my brand new desks! I’ve waited 16 years for them and it would not be in your best interest to ruin them. Trust me on this.
-Cellphones: unless we are doing an activity that involves the use of a cellphone (which does happen on occasion), please keep them on silent and out of sight. If you are looking into your purse or under your desk, or in your book and you are glowing from the light of your phone we can tell – that is not out of sight. Best is off your desk entirely. I don’t think we need to waste time in an upper level course on cellphones. The policy is clear in your student handbook.
-Bathrooms/water fountain. We are fortunate that Room 145 is right next to each of these. Therefore, if you need to use them please do so but try to do this before class begins or during the last few minutes unless it is an emergency.
-If you miss notes, readings, articles, etc. you can find them on my website. If you miss a test or a quiz I can arrange for you to take it online. Please see me with any questions you may have about absences. Since this is a one-semester course, after 5 unexcused absences you can be given no credit. Spring semester and Senioritis are a naturally occurring phenomenon – however remember that your graduation depends on a certain amount of credits. Don’t let this half-credit class keep you from graduation. You can refer to your handbook for school policy on absences.
-Be respectful; of your classmates and me. You will find that I can be your strongest advocate, but as your teacher I have a job to do that will benefit you in college and in life. If you disrupt the class and waste time, this is not respectful to any of us – even yourself.
Communication
· If there is something going on that is impacting you in a negative way, please feel free to talk to me about it. I can’t help you if I don’t know something’s wrong.· You can email me with questions and if your parent/guardian would like to contact me email is best since I check it frequently during the day and when I get home. This way I can respond quickly.
· I’m looking forward to an exciting year – you will meet “The Box of Deviance”, you will have “Date Night” complete with music and ambience. You will get “married” and then later on tell us how it all worked out after ten years. There are a variety of surprises in store for you. Sometimes you’ll laugh, be shocked – perhaps even shed a few tears, but it is my goal for you to enjoy Sociology and consider the world from a whole new viewpoint. /
Materials
Notebook for notes and either a folder specifically for this course or a notebook with folders in it. Some students find binders work well. There is a lot of reading material involved in Sociology – keeping track of it is important.Grading Policy
Exams, Projects, Papers – 40%Quizzes, Class & Group work – 30%
Participation & Tolerance – 20%
Homework – 10%
Midterms: One semester courses have midterms at the time you would usually have Quarterly Exams in Full Year Course
Finals: Given during in-class Finals and Midterm (full semester courses) Weeks
School Website: You will find that I use the website for a variety of purposes all designed to benefit you. Please familiarize yourself with it and I will explain further in class.
Research Paper:
Given towards the end of the course, usually on our Criminology Unit. You will have in-class computer lab time for research and to work on your paper. (in addition to time spent outside of class completing it).
Official Syllabus: Sociology
· Introduction to Sociology - How and why did it begin? Sociological Imagination, Perspectives, Founders of Sociology, Founders of Sociology, Comte, Spencer, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Addams, Cooley and others. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective, “Looking Glass Theory” Functionalist Perspective, Conflict Perspective, Feminist Perspective, Integrated Perspectives, Causes, Correlations, Measurement and analysis of data, Sociological Investigation into issues at VCHS, Methods of research, Ethics of research and evaluation of results. Case Study: World of Jenks and Sociological Perspective
· Culture & Societies - Culture, Biological or Social? Material and Non Material Culture, Symbols and Language, Whorf-Sapir Analysis, Norms, Taboos, Folkways, Proscriptive (Prohibit = NO) norms and Prescriptive (Prescribe = YES) norms, beliefs, values, subcultures, culture clash, dehumanization, countercultures, cults, assimilation and/or multiculturalism, ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Population, mortality rates, migration, population growth, population composition, de juror and de facto segregation (today), ethnic makeup of cities (Case Study: New York City and Newburgh, NY). Urbanization, Industrial society, Post industrial society, Global society. Theories on poverty – stereotypes on poverty.
· Social & Global Stratification - Property, power, prestige, Social Classes: lower class, working class, middle class, upper class, determination of class measured by: poverty, wealth, intelligence, disability, environment, effects of socialization. Social mobility, patterns and structural mobility and individual mobility, status, achieved or/and ascribed, conflict status, roles, role strain, poverty and geography, access to health care/food/ incentive vs. no incentive strategies for poverty management and success. Case Study: Freakonomics – Malcolm Gladwell
· Socialization, Family & Social Groups - Unsocialized children (feral), family, (changes and transitions and dynamics), evolution of families throughout childhood to early adulthood. Friends, siblings, self concept, personality development and it’s effect on social groups. In groups, Out groups, Reference Groups, Primary Groups, Secondary Groups, small groups, leadership and conformity, social organizations, bureaucracy vs. collectivist. Sociograms of your own family. Poverty in our own neighborhoods. Poverty in Appalachia – 50 years after Kennedy’s visit.
MIDTERM
· Sex, Gender Race & Ethnicity - Definitions, identities, influences, psycho social influences, biological influences, gender stereotypes, types of sexuality, the deconstruction of “traditional” sexuality, social stratification in reference to sexual preference, sexism in workplace, higher education, minority vs. majority, the new majority and the status quo, prejudice and discrimination, sources and solutions to prejudice, Case Studies: Different “types” of ethnic-Americans. Melting pot or salad? Case Study: What if? (Role reversals of acceptance vs. intolerance.)
· Deviance, Crime and Social Control - Theories of Deviance, Differential Association Theory, Anomie Theory, Control Theory, Labeling Theory, Psycho-biological Theory, positive vs. negative deviance, measurement of deviance and factors of influence. Case Study: Kitty Genovese Deconstructed. Case Study: New York City Police Department and COMPstat – fighting crime by using data and evaluating resources, crime, statistics (and how they can be manipulated), Crimes against people: murder, homicide, rape, assault, sexual and child abuse, Crimes against property, Philip Zimbardo’s Theory of Evil, criminal signaling, “Broken Windows Theory”, obedience to authority (Stanley Milgram), computer crime, hacking, victimless crime, organized crime, social control of deviance, Criminal Justice systems. Criminology paper.
· Health & Medicine - Sociological impact on health, major health problems in the US, Medical establishment, managed care, costs and equality, access to health care, health care proxy, advanced directives, ethics of euthanasia, right to health care.
· Education Marriage & Family - Early adulthood transitions, relationships, singlehood, cohabitation, marriage, types of marriages, divorce, starting a family, Middle Adulthood, Older Adult hood, Relationship categories. Case Study: Social Media and Monogamy. Polygamy, Polyandry, Serial Marriage. The marriage game, the 1950’s vs. today family styles, functional family vs. dysfunctional family. Family of origination vs. Family of orientation. Development of education in the US, Horace Mann and tax supported education, the rise of credential society. Costs of college in the US as de facto discrimination, Theories of education. Case Study: violence in schools and bullying – root causes or all problems in one basket? Discipline, security, mainstreaming, public vs. private vs. homeschooling.
FINAL EXAM
Sociology / 1