SYG 2010 Social Problems

Class Success 101

  • If I lecture, take detailed notes. You will be asked to refer to class notes (not just the overhead notes) in the final exam
  • ASK questions. Don’t hesitate to interrupt my lecture if I say something confusing or incorrect.
  • Bring assigned reading for that day to class.
  • Check the blog every day. Comment on the posts if you are uncomfortable speaking up in class.
  • For successful journals: Jot down journal ideas as they come to you in class, so that you can write about them later. Submit something during every journal check so I can give you feedback. Give yourself a quiet space to write - journals should be “deep thinking time” to develop your sociological imagination.
  • See the big themes in the course, don’t focus too much on the tiny details. Major themes: social inequality, social construction, sociological imagination, power, social change, and institutions.
  • Write in the margins of your readings. Write a keyword list, a song lyric, a movie quote. Draw a doodle, comic, or a conceptual map. Maybe what you just read reminded you what your mother said on the phone yesterday. Maybe the author said something you think is wrong and you want to yell at them for that. Maybe the confusing writing hurts your brain. Maybe you’re bored at some point want to skip a paragraph. Maybe you just read an exciting passage and you want to use it for a journal entry. Write all that down!
  • Watch the Wire before class. Anticipate pop quizzes on the Wire for an attendance grade. Use all resources I provide to help you understand the show (study guides, character lists, powerpoints), even if I don’t explain them to you in class.
  • If you watch ahead of the assigned episodes, avoid spoiling the Wire for other students.
  • Read the campus newspaper, The Alligator, and the local newspaper, the Gainesville Sun. Being informed about social problems in our own back yard will make day of action planning a lot easier.
  • Be courteous and professional when writing emails to the professor. All email correspondence is permanent record.

Example of a poorly written e-mail: 

you still havent given me credit for the first HW assignment, i brought it up to you when you handed back the assignments, and at the time you wrote the one in on the sheet but apparently you havent made the change official.

I will confront you about your poor manners!

Randy,
Okay. I will not take the attachment you just sent me without ANY explanation or email text. Please write me back with a corrected email and I will consider taking your assignment electronically. For your own info, I'm making a mental note that you have very poor email etiquette. I hope you are aware that other professors might find this unbecoming!
All the best,
Meggan

Example of a properly written e-mail: 

Dear Meggan,

Hi! I have a concern about my grade that is posted on WebCT. I turned in the assignment for Homework 1 but I have not yet received credit. If you have time we can talk about this after class on Tuesday or during your office hours.

Thanks so much!

Jason

4th year undergrad sociology major

Ground Rules for Class Discussion

Don’t take discussion too personally

Attack the ISSUE not the person (not personal attacks)

Use appropriate tone (not yelling, no condescention, respectful)

Open mind

Don’t force your opinion

Transforming views, or enforcing

Balance passion of opinions with listening to others

Participation—equal opportunity

Don’t interrupt

Validate points but disagree

Be prepared to back up argument (with readings and facts)

Quit talking – know when to and don’t drag on

Eloquence

Stay on topic

Empathy

Don’t get too easily offended

Don’t hold grudges

For shy people—ask “What do you think?”

How to read critically:

  • Don’t assume that the professor endorses the view of the author.
  • Is a particular bias or frame work evident? Can you tell what “school of thought” the author belongs to?
  • Ask yourself “Is it possible to disagree with any of this?”
  • Ask yourself “How can I convince Meggan and/or my classmates that I understand what this is about?”
  • Try to predict what points of controversy will be debated in class.
  • Try to find as many instances of a central theme. For instance, Dandaneau is concerned with explaining the paradoxes of society. In the margins, note any time you read a reference to that theme.
  • At the top of EACH page of text, write the “most prominent” keywords that define that page. That way, you have created your own “index” or “dictionary” out of the text, for helpful reference later.