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Jared R. Lancer Course Syllabus: Intro Sociology

Spring 2010 Course Syllabus: Introduction to Sociology (Soc. 1)

Instructor: Jared R. Lancer, Ed.D.

Contact Information:

Email:

Business: 310.500.6939

Required Text: Kendall, D. (2006) Sociology in Our Times—The Essentials, (6th Ed.) Thompson Wadsworth. *The instructor may provide additional reading

Schedule and Calendar

Location: Wed: Liberal Arts Campus, Rm. M211 (Moved to T Building Starting Second Class); Fri: Pacific Coast Campus, Rm. EE262)

Schedule: All Classes meet on Wednesday (6:30-9:30) or Friday from 6-9pm

Calendar: No classes on 2/12, 3/24, 4/5-9

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course students should be able to:

1.Assess the dimensions of social stratification based on social class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, global, and/or age.

2.Evaluate the impact of the major social institutions on human behavior, namely economics, politics, education, religion, and family.

3. Justify theimportance of the sociological imagination in the understanding of social phenomenon.

4. Debate how major sociological theories can be used to differently explain the prevalence of social phenomenon.

Required Course Reading and Expectations

Reading the assigned chapter prior to class is an expectation and requirement in order to contribute to class discussion and activities and course completion.

Prepare to take a short answer quiz each class based on the required chapter reading and class lecture.

Overview of Course Schedule, Important Dates and Point Sum

1. Weekly Quiz, 10 points per with a possible of 100 points

2. Mid-Course Review & Assessment50 points

3. 5Article Reviews/Policy & Program Recommendations, 10 ptsper 50 pts tot

4. Final Course Assessment, 100 possible points300 possible points

January

Wed/Fri

1/20; 1/22 – Read Chapter 1 – General Overview (Early Thinkers); Class quiz 1

1/27; 1/29 – Read Chapter 2 (Culture); Class quiz 2

February

2/3; 2/5 – Read Chapter 3 (Socialization); Class quiz 3; 1st Article Review/Policy Recommendation Due in Class

2/10; 2/19 – Read Chapter 4 (Social Interaction and Society); Class quiz 4; 2nd Article Review/Policy Recommendation Due in Class

2/17; 2/26 - Read Chapter 5 (Groups/Organizations); Class quiz 5

February/March/April

Wed/Fri

2/24; 3/5 – Read Chapter 6 (Crime); Class quiz 6; 3rd Article Review/Policy Recommendation Due in Class

3/3; 3/12 – Read Chapter 8 (Social Class/Economy); Class quiz 7

3/10; 3/19 – Read Chapter 9 (Race/Ethnicity); Class quiz 8

3/17; 3/26 – Mid-Term Course Assessment and Feedback

3/31; 4/2 – Read Chapter 10 (Gender/Sex); Class quiz 9; Feedback on Mid-Course Assessment

Spring Break: 4/4-4/10

4/14; 4/16 – Read Chapter 11 (Marriage/Family); Class quiz 10; 4th Article Review/Policy Recommendation Due in Class

4/21; 4/23 – 5th Article Review/Policy Recommendation and Presentations Due in Class

4/28; 4/30 – Final Course Review & Take Home Part I- of Final Exam

May

5/5; 5/7 – Final Course Assessment

5/12; 5/14 –Return Final Assessments with Feedback

1. Weekly Quiz, 10 points per with a possible of 100 points

- Based on required reading and lecture pertaining to reading

- All short answer response

- Suggested due date is the same night given or following week of class

*You may submit any/all quizzes for grading & feedback up until 4/21; 4/23 Class

- Should you receive a grade you do not care for, my expectation is that you will re-think your responses and work and re-submit for review

2. Mid-Course Review & Assessment 50 points

- Is based on previous course material discussed and prior quiz questions

- Must be completed in class – No Exceptions

3. 5 Article Reviews/Policy & Program Recommendations, 10 pts per 50 pts

- 3 pages, double spaced, type-written (Not Including Reference Section)

- Written structure includes:1) Overview summary of social problem with proper citations from other sources as to why the problem is important; 2) Key summary points from the article you reviewed and how it relates to the problem - adds to it, counters it, etc; 3) Sociological analysis – using one theory from class to analyze the problem and the point of view of the author who wrote the article reviewed; 4) Policy recommendations – draw conclusions about what needs to be done as a logical next step based upon what was learned from your sociological analysis

4. Final Course Assessment, 100 possible point

- Is based on first class department sociological thinking assessment of a social problem and interpretation of data table (In class)

- Is based on previous course material discussed and prior quiz questions as

- Must be completed in class – No Exceptions (Take Home – Handwritten)

Attendance
Class attendance is necessary in order to be successful.
- More than four absences will result in being dropped from the course

- If absent, you will not have an opportunity to participate in the quiz distributed that evening

Participation/Engagement
Engagement in class means you will…
- read prior to our meeting in order to have a basic understanding as to the topics and content to be learned

- do most of the talking – that’s one of my goals (so remind me if and when this is occurring)

- come with questions and will ask questions when you do not understand

- be active in sharing different ways of thinking about the topics we’re discussing, while respecting your colleagues

- demonstrate understanding of course material

- come prepared with assignments completed and prepared to share the work that you have done with others

- want to do you’re best by putting forth great effort on our quizzes

- work collaboratively with others on assignments in class

*Doing these things will ensure success in any class; Doing these things will help me determine beyond a shadow of a doubt what your final earned course grade will be.

Grading Scale and Criteria Guidelines

Overall Scale

A=270-300

B=240-269

C=210-239

D=180-209