Download Jincheng College of Sichuan University SOC 201 Introduction to

Jincheng College of Sichuan University
SOC 201 Introduction to Sociology
Summer 2017
Basic Information
Term: June, 30------August 07, 2017
Class hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30-10:30, 2 hours each day
Discussion: Saturday, 1 hour (60 minutes)
Review section: Saturday, 1 hour (60 minutes)
Credit: 4
Total contact hours: 72 (50 minutes each)
Course Objectives
This course is an introductory course to sociology. We will examine some major
sociological theories and concepts. As an introductory course, we will not have sufficient
time to tackle all subfields in sociology, however, you will learn perspectives to understand
the world from a sociological point of view. By the end of the course, we will achieve the
following goals:
1. A brief overview of the field of sociology.
2. Understand the main goals of sociology/sociologists.
3. Knowledge of various subfields within sociology.
4. Understand various research methodologies.
Course Requirements
Attendance and In-Class Participation (10%)
Write-up Assignments (20% each)
Experiment #1: Go to a public place and make observations for one hour. Take notes to
remind you of what you observed. You should type-up a detailed memo of everything you
saw immediately after your observation so that nothing is forgotten. Write up your report
using relevant sociological concepts. What conclusions can you draw from your
observations? What are further questions that were raised? What would theorist X say about
the situation?
Experiment #2: How do you identify yourself? For this experiment, dress in the opposite
mode of style of the way you identify yourself. For example, if you mainly identify yourself
as a man, dress up like a “feminine woman.” Or if you identify yourself
primarily as a student, dress up like a professional employee or a homeless person. Walk
around or go about your daily business for 1-2 hours. Make observations of how you feel,
how others treat you, how you act, etc. Write up your report using relevant sociological
theories and concepts.
Midterm Exam (25%)
Final (25%)
Grading Scale
90> A; 80-89 B; 70-79 C; 60-69 D; 59< No Pass
Readings/Required Texts
In this class, we will use the following textbook in addition to academic journal articles.
Articles and other relevant resources will be emailed to you.
Introduction to Sociology (8 edition) by Anthony Giddens, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P.
Appelbaum, and Deborah Carr.
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Course Policies
1. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class.
2. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please consult with writing handbooks and writing tutors
before all written assignments are turned in. Plagiarism includes not citing existing ideas,
concepts and theories in addition to words in verbatim. Be familiar with the program’s
policy on cheating and plagiarism.
3. Laptops and other electronic devices may be used during class, except during exams.
4. I will respond to emails within 48 hours. It is best to make an appointment or speak to
me after lecture.
5. All written assignments should be double spaced with 1.25-inch margins.
6. Please keep in mind the following when writing your papers: - A strong
argument/objective in the paper. - Applying readings in correct and adequate context. Readability and grammar. Please use university resources to have your papers proofread.
- Wikipedia and dictionary.com are not academic sources, but they may lead you to primary
academic sources.
7. Please be mindful of your peers’ thoughts and opinions. While active discussions are
encouraged, part of the course objective is to learn that people have different beliefs and
perspectives.
8. It is your responsibility to keep me updated with attendance, email, etc. Please check
your email regularly for instructions and readings.
Course Topic Outline
Week 1
1 Introduction and Overview
2 Classical theory
3 Research methods
4 Research methods cont’d
5 Discussion
Week 2
8 Groups, networks, and organizations
9 Social interaction
10 Social interaction cont’d
11 Crime and deviance (Experiment paper #1 due)
12 Discussion
Week 3
15 Race and class inequality
16 Midterm review
17 Midterm Exam
18 Race and class inequality cont’d
19 Discussion
Week 4
22 Gender
23 Sexuality
24 Immigration
25 Families
26 Discussion
Week 5
29 Education (Experiment paper #2 due)
30 Religion
31 Rural, suburban, and urban life
32 Final Review
33 Final Exam
Academic Integrity
When completing an assignment for this course, students are expected to do original work
for the assignment and to not reuse work they may have done in previous courses or other
settings unless the instructor grants specific prior approval. Cheating is defined as the giving
or receiving of aid (written, oral, or otherwise) in order for a student to receive undeserved
credit on class work, homework, tests or any other assignment that is his or her own
responsibility. Plagiarism violates the central core of education philosophy. It involves
stealing another person’s work and claiming it as one’s own. It occurs whenever
one directly copies another person`s intellectual effort and integrates it into his/her class
work without giving proper credit to the author. Paraphrasing is defined as “a restatement
of a text or passage fiving the meaning in another form” (Webster’s New Universal
Unabridged Dictionary, 1996). When one paraphrases but intentionally omits authorship of
the work, this, too is a serious violation of academic honesty. All students have an individual
responsibility to understand what cheating, plagiarism, and paraphrasing are. The student
must also be aware that the consequences for doing the above listed offences are severe.
Whenever you have doubt about what constitutes cheating, plagiarism, or paraphrasing,
contact your instructor. With the advent of the Internet, the potential for cheating by simply
cutting and pasting information into a paper is tempting. Be aware that these dishonest
activities will not be tolerated and instructors have access to increasingly sophisticated
search engines to “test” the validity of student work.