Sociology 490: Senior
Seminar in Sociology
Fall
2004
Meets: MWF
11:00 AM – 12:25 PM
Room: EDUC 226
Instructor: Dr.
J. Daniel McMillin
Office: DDH AA208. Office Phone:
664-2386. Department Phone:
664-2368.
E-mail: dmcmillin@csub.edu
Office Hours: MW 12:30 – 2:00 PM, or by appointment.
Overview
This quarter the Senior Seminar is grounded
in a book titled Social Things: An Introduction to the Sociological Life
(2002) by Charles Lemert. In this book
Lemert explores the link between individuals and the invisible social
structures that surround them, i.e., how these structures impact their
lives. He, as did C. Wright Mills in an
earlier work, The Sociological Imagination (2000), examines the ways in
which experiences of individuals are shaped by social structure and how these
structures have been shaped by historical forces. Once we understand the nature of social structure, we will
explore the relevance of this concept to contemporary forms of knowledge
production. We will achieve this by
coupling an academic treatment of a social issue with a cultural expression of
the same or a similar issue. For
example, we will read Patricia Hill Collins’ book, Black Sexual Politics:
African Americans and the New Racism (2004). This book is coupled with Zura Neale
Hurston’s novel; Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937, Forward by Mary H.
Washington 1990) a cultural treatment of race, gender, and inner growth. We
will read Alford A. Young, Jr.’s book titled The Minds of Marginalized Black
Men: Making Sense of Mobility, Opportunity, and Future Life Chances
(2004). This book explores how poor
Black men see racism and socioeconomic inequality in relation to their
lives. The book by Young is coupled
with The Last of the Mohicans (2003), an example of pure heroic
masculinity, written by James Fenimore Cooper.
We end the course with The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home
Becomes Work (1997, Introduction 2000) by Arlie Russell Hochschild. This book focus on the work/family balance
and how so many people see, whether they acknowledge it or not, their work as
the locus of the most important activity and relationships in their life.
Course Goals
In this course we will:
1.) gain an understanding of social
structure, and the sociological imagination.
What is social
structure? How do we recognize it and
its consequences? What is the nature of
the sociological imagination and how does it help us understand the
neighborhood, the state, the region, the nation, and the world in which we
live?
2.) learn to apply the concept of social
structure to our reading of academic and popular "texts," and to our
lives and the lives of other people situated quite differently than ourselves
in the various social structures that compose the world in which we live.
For each work we read ask
how is social structure incorporated into the content of this book? What is the dominant ideology/discourse used
to explain/legitimate the topic under consideration? Does the author "deconstruct" any dominant knowledge
claims? Does the author provide an
alternative explanation for the topic under study?
3.) learn to apply the concept of social
structure, and the sociological imagination, to popular forms of knowledge
production.
Is social structure
reflected in popular culture, like novels and films? Do the novels we read capture the impact social structural forces
on individual lives?
Prerequisites
Sociology 301, Sociology 300, and a second
methods course (which may be taken concurrently with this class) are
prerequisites for this course. These
prerequisites apply to those of you who are graduating under the 2001 – 2003
CSUB Catalog or an earlier catalog. Individuals
graduating under the 2003 – 2005 or a later CSUB Catalog must have all of the
following classes completed before enrolling in Senior Seminar: Sociology 300,
301, 302, and the second methods course.
Beginning fall quarter 2005 all students, regardless of the catalog
they are graduating under, must complete the required theory and methods
courses before they will be allowed to enroll in Senior Seminar. There will be no exceptions to these
required prerequisites.
Assignments
Reaction Paper (Four Papers @ 50 Points Each)
You are required to write
four reaction papers. The first
reaction paper will be on Social Things (2002). You will be asked to apply the concepts in
this text to your own life. Subsequent reaction papers will ask you to compare
and contrast academic and popular culture pairings. In other words, you are required to write a reaction paper that
compares and contrasts each academic book with the novel it is paired
with. For example, you will write a
reaction paper that compares and contrasts Black Sexual Politics (2004)
and Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). These reaction papers will allow you to: a.) demonstrate your
ability to trace the presence of social structure in both academic and popular
treatments of the topic under study, b.) demonstrate your knowledge of the
topic under study, and c.) demonstrate your ability to apply the
themes/theories/findings in an academic study to a popular text.
Your reaction papers must
conform to the ASA citation and reference style. This can be found on the Department web page, on the Applied
Research Center web page, or on my web page.
You will be marked down if you do not follow the ASA citation and
reference style.
NOTE: YOU WILL LOSE FIVE POINTS FOR EACH DAY THAT
YOUR PAPER IS LATE, REGARDLESS OF THE REASON THAT IT IS LATE.
There
is no term paper.
Class Participation (Each Assignment @ 25
Points)
Form
1. Leading class discussion:
You are required to lead a class discussion on one assigned academic
reading/s. By academic reading I mean one
chapter from one of the sociology studies, e.g., Collins (2003), Young (2004),
Hochschild (1997) You will present the
material, analyze the reading, and facilitate class discussion. You will hand in an outline of your oral
presentation.
Form
2. In-class writing
assignments: We will have a series of in-class writings, which require that
you apply the course readings to a question, a news event, a social-historical
event, and so on. These will be
"pop" writing assignments so come prepared.
Form
3. Thought questions:
You are required to write a thought question on selected readings. The questions must demonstrate your
knowledge of the material—they must be thoughtful. You are required to bring a typed question to class on the
day that we discuss the reading (you cannot write your question while you are
in class). Questions will be graded for
how well they reflect your understanding of the material. Dues dates for thought questions are listed
on the syllabus.
NOTE: CLASS PARTICIPATION ASSIGNMENTS CANNOT BE MADE UP. ALSO, All ASSINMENTS WRITTEN OUTSIDE OF
CLASS MUST BE TURNED IN AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON THE DAY THEY ARE DUE.
Total points for the course = 275
Grading (To Calculate Your Grade Divide Your Total
Points by the Total Possible at any Given Time.)
98-100 = A+ 88-89 = B+ 78-79 = C+ 68-69 = D+ Below 60 = F
94-97 =
A 84-87
= B 74-77 = C 64-67 = D
90-93 =
A- 80-83 = B- 70-73 = C- 60-63 = D-
Attendance
Attendance is extremely important. You are
expected to attend each class. You
cannot make-up in-class participation points.
I will keep track of your attendance.
If you are ill or having other difficulties that affect your attendance please
contact me and working together we can resolve the problem.
Disability Services
Please let me know if you are working with
Disability Services and you have needs that I should know about.
Reading
You must read the assigned work in accordance
with the calendar of readings (see below). You will be expected to read the
assignments before you come to class.
You may find that some of the reading is a little dense, so be sure to
give yourself enough time to read the material twice. If you are having difficulty understanding the material please
see me during my office hours and I will do my best to help you. Also, I encourage you to form study groups.
Discussion is part of the learning
process; discussing the readings with other students can help you to develop a
deeper understanding of the material.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism occurs when you use material
(e.g., exact written or spoken words, a summary of written or spoken
words/sentences, and/or ideas) that someone else has produced without giving
credit to the original author. When you
use someone’s words or thoughts you must be sure that you indicate (cite) where
the material came from in your paper. Also, buying a paper, book report, or essay or having someone else
write your paper, book report, or essay counts as plagiarism. I will follow the guidelines for plagiarism
in the CSUB Catalog which includes assigning a failing grade for the course and
placing a note in your academic file.
Here are some examples of the proper citation style:
Direct Quote: Memory has a social
basis. As Albert Memmi (1957: 103)
states, “Just as the memory of an individual is the fruit of his history and
physiology, that of a people rests upon its institutions.”
Paraphrase: Memory has a social basis.
The memory of a people is rooted in their social institutions (Memmi,
1957: 102).
Classroom Conduct
Some of the material that we cover in this
course is sensitive in nature and can spark debate. I encourage discussion and debate and I want all students to feel
comfortable expressing their opinion about the materials/themes covered in the
course. However, discussion and debate
should always focus on the content of the points made in the readings, in my
lectures, or during class discussions.
Personal verbal attacks are not acceptable forms of discussion and
debate. Here is an example:
Inappropriate
response: That's a really stupid thing to say.
What a dumb idea. You are wrong.
Appropriate
response: I understand your point but I see it a little differently. I think...(your point).
Please arrive on time and do not leave
early. If you must arrive late or leave
early you must notify me in advance, and then do so quietly so that others are
not disturbed. Also, turn off your cell
phones.
Required Reading:
Collins, Patricia Hill. 2004. Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism. New York: Routledge.
Cooper, James Fenimore. 2003.
The Last of the Mohicans.
New York: Dover Publications.
Hochschild, Arlie Russell. 1997. The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work. New York: Henry Holt.
Hurston, Zora Neale. 1937. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper-Collins.
Lemert, Charles. 2002. Social Things: An Introduction to the Sociological Life. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield.
Young, Alford A, Jr. 2004. The Minds of Marginalized Black Men: Making Sense of Mobility, Opportunity, and Future Life Chances. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
S 15 Introductions, Orientation, Etc.
17 Lemert – Ch. 1, 2, 3
18 Lemert – Ch. 4, 5, 6
22 Lemert – Ch. 7, 8, 9
23 Lemert – Ch. 10, 11, 12
27 Collins – Introduction, Ch. 1. Though Question Due
29 Collins – Ch. 2, 3
O 1 Collins – Ch. 4, 5
4 Collins – Ch. 6. First Reaction Paper Due
6 Collins – Ch. 7, 8
8 Hurston – Forward, pp. 1-50
11 Hurston – pp. 51-99. Thought Questions Due
13 Hurston – pp. 100-153
15 Hurston – pp. 154-193
18 Young – Preface, Introduction, Appendix, Ch. 1
20 Young – Ch. 2, 3
22 Young – Ch. 4, 5. Second Reaction Paper Due
25 Young – Ch. 6, 7. Thought Question Due
27 Young – Ch. 8
29 Cooper – Note, Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
N 1 Cooper – Ch. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Thought Question Due
3 Cooper – Ch. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
5 Cooper – Ch. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,
8 Cooper – Ch. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
10 Hochschild – Introduction, Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4
12 Hochschild – Ch. 5, 6, 7. Third Reaction Paper Due
15 Hochschild – Ch. 8, 9, 10. Thought Question Due
17 Hochschild – Ch. 11, 12, 13
19 Hochschild – Ch. 14, 15, 16, Appendix
22 So, What Have We Learned?
24 Study/Reading Day
29 Final Examination Day (11:00 AM to 1:30 PM). Fourth Reaction Paper Due