Race, Class and Gender in Society

Approved by Faculty Senate April 13, 2009

Social Problems

Spring 2008 Sociology 216

Minne 234

MWF 2-2:50pm

Instructor: Jennifer Chernega, PhD

Office: Minne 226Office phone: 457-5428 E-mail:

Office hours: MWF 8:30-10:30am and by appointment

Course Purpose and Goals

Welcome to the study of social problems. This course is designed to help students learn about how sociologists look at current, existing social problems. In addition, students will learn about how society influences all of our daily lives and how you can apply the ideas of sociology to your experiences. Together we will apply concepts from sociology to events in our society as well as those that affect us as individuals.

Every week we will address a new topic area. Students will be expected to read the assigned material, participate in class discussion and complete assigned writing projects. These activities will help students see how sociology can be used as a tool to better understand the social problems of our society and our world and how we can use social research and concepts to find solutions.

If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please speak with me as soon as possible.

University Studies Program Social Science Outcomes

1. Understand humans as individuals and as parts of larger social systems.
2. Understand the historical context of the social sciences
3. Identify problems and frame research questions relating to humans and their experience.
4. Become familiar with the process of theory-building and theoretical frameworks used by the social sciences.
5. Understand research methods used in the social sciences.
6. Describe and detail discipline-specific knowledge and its application.
7. Understand differences among and commonalities across humans and their experiences.

These outcomes are reflected in the textbook, lectures and class discussion.

Course Procedures

This course is broken into five parts and each week we will explore a new topic. The midterm will ask questions covering the material from the first part of the course. At the end of the course there will be a final exam. This exam will cover material from the second half of the course. It will also include some comprehensive components. The course will also include several quizzes and response papers. Additional information will be given about the response papers as we go.

Test Makeup and Late Paper Policies

If you know that you will not be able to attend the midterm, talk to me immediately so that we can schedule an alternate time before the class takes the exam. If you get sick and cannot make it to the midterm, call me before the test begins and we will arrange for a makeup exam. Attendance at the final exam is mandatory, as per university regulations. If you are absolutely unable to attend the final because of sudden and severe illness, contact me as soon as possible and we will go through the appropriate university procedures for scheduling a makeup exam.

It is very important for all papers for this class to be turned in on time.

If you are absent the day an assignment is due, you should get it to me before the class period it is due or send it with another student in class. Late papers will be marked as late and will be marked downtwenty percent (20%). Papers that are more than a week late will not be accepted.

Academic Dishonesty

Cheating can take many forms. Cheating can include, but is not limited to, copying someone’s answers during exams, buying or copying a paper and turning it in as your own, or using someone else’s ideas or words in a paper or presentations without appropriately attributing them. Obviously, cheating in exams, papers, or presentations will not be tolerated in this class. If you are found cheating, you will receive an F in this class. See the Winona student handbook for more information about cheating and plagiarism.

Other Policies

Please be respectful of your classmates and your professor by turning off cell phones and pagers before class begins. If you need to leave class early, tell me before class starts what time you will be leaving, sit near the door and try to leave quietly. Also, please respect the opinions, experiences and values of your classmates during class discussions.

Attendance and Participation

Often, I hand out sheets for people to record notes on during group discussions or video presentations. Occasionally, I will collect these sheets and record them in order to assess your attendance and participation grade.

Course Grading

Points will be allotted according to the following table

Point Allocation:

Assignment or ExamTotal Possible Points

5 Quizzes=50

Midterm Exam=50

Final Exam=75

5 Short Response Papers= 50

Attendance and participation=25

Total possible points for this course=250

At the end of the course, the number of points you have received will be converted into a letter grade with the following scale:

Percentage of Possible PointsLetter Grade

90-100%A

80-89.9%B

70-79.9%C

60-69.9%D

59.9% or lessF

I reserve the right to change this grading scheme at any time. This may include increasing or decreasing the number of points for individual assignments or the total number of points available in the semester.

Course Textbooks

This course will use the following book:

Mooney/Knox. 2008. Social Problems: Exploring Social Issues. Custom Text by Cengage Learning.

Additional readings will be available on D2L.

Course Schedule

Date / Class Topic / Readings Due
Introduction to Social Problems
1/12 / Introductions
1/14 / What is sociology
1/16 / Norms and Deviance
1/21 / Understanding social problems / Pgs. 1-14
1/23 / Social Problems exercise / Pgs. 15-28
1/26 / The Social Problems Process
Crime
1/28 / Crime and Social Control / Pgs. 37-68
1/30 / Crime statistics
2/2 / Articles on Crime / Pgs. 70-103 and 114-123
2/4 / U.S. approaches to crime
2/6 / Prison System (Shakespeare Behind Bars)
2/9 / The death penalty
2/11 / Solutions from other countries
2/13 / Response paper due
Alcohol and Drugs
2/16 / Alcohol and Other Drugs / Pgs.125-156
2/18
2/20 / Article on Drugs and Alcohol / Pgs. 104-113
2/23 / U.S. Responses to Drug use
2/25 / Solutions from other countries
2/27 / Midterm Exam
3/2-3/6 / Spring Break / No class
Health Care
3/9 / Illness and the Health Care Crisis / Pgs. 157-200 Response paper due
3/11 / Articles on Health Care / Pgs. 201-226
3/13 / Mental Health
3/16 / Health Care in the U.S.
3/18 / Health Care around the World
3/20 / Sicko or the Breast Cancer Diaries
Food
3/23 / Food in America / Response paper due
3/25 / Black Gold / Readings online
3/27
3/30 / Future of Food
4/1 / No class / No class
4/3 / No class / No class
4/6
4/8 / Grocery store access / Readings online
4/10 / No class / No class
Environment
4/13 / Environmental Problems / Pgs. 227-265 Response paper due
4/15 / Environment and Race, Social Class / Readings online
4/17 / U.S. Responses
4/20 / Solutions from other countries / Readings online
4/22 / Blue Vinyl
4/24
Social Movements
4/27 / Theories of social movements / Response paper due
4/29 / Historical social movements / Readings online
5/1 / Thinking through priorities
Final Exam- / Wed. May 6th @ 10:30 am