E-Mail......................socshop@yahoo.com
David H. Kessel
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Please click on each link...You will find answers to most of your questions here...please look here first...before asking me...Thanks.
LCC Catalog Course Description
Class Policies and General Comments
Thursday Class Discussion Board
TSS Directory
LCC Catalog Course Description
Introductory Sociology at LCC is split into
three (3) 3-credit courses. This is the 3rd one:
Soc 206 Institutions and Social Change
Sociological study of dynamic organizational nature of society through analysis of social change and major social institutions such as family, education, religion, economy, and political systems.
Grading Scale
Society in Focus, Fifth Edition...by Thompson and Hickey (TH)
IMPORTANT: For a detailed outline of topics and additional required readings, go to the 206 Online Reader.
(Numbers are chapters in the Thompson/Hickey textbook)
4/06............1. Introduction/TSS/Definition of Sociology (Online)
4/13............2. Sociological Concepts and Institutions (Online)
4/20............3. Education(TH 14) Key Terms (Chapter 14 Outline)
4/27............4. Families (TH 13) Key Terms (Chapter 13 Outline)
5/04............5. Political Economy (TH 16 & 17) Key Terms (Chapter 16 Outline) (Chapter 17 Outline)
5/11............5. Political Economy cont.
5/18............6. Media (TH 100-105, 159-162, 231-232, 328-333, 429-431, 456-458, 473-476, 608-612)
5/25............7. Religion (TH 15) Key Terms (Chapter 15 Outline)
6/01............8. Health and Health Care (TH 18)Key Terms (Chapter 18 Outline)
6/08............9. Social Change (TH 20) Key Terms (Chapter 20 Outline)
6/08...........10. Conclusion (Online)
ANALYSIS PAPER
There will be one(1) Analysis Paper...worth 25 pts. The Topic can be found HERE
DISCUSSION BOARD RESPONSES
You will have three (3) Discussion Board Responses to do...worth 25 pts. each...for a total of 75 points. Instructions/Details are HERE
ARTICLE REVIEW: You will be asked to sociologically review an online Article...worth 50 points. The article must be selected from The Sociology Shop. INSTRUCTIONS are HERE.
QUOTE ASSIGNMENT: This is an assignment utilizing the archive of "Quotes of the Week" in The Sociology Shop...worth 50 pts. INSTRUCTIONS are HERE.
MOVIE REVIEW: You can sociologically review any entertainment movie pertaining to some aspect of our course...worth 100 pts. Movie list of possible selections is HERE. INSTRUCTIONS are HERE.
DISCRETIONARY ASSIGNMENT: This is an assignment which allows you to pick the kind of work you'd like to do...worth 50 pts. INSTRUCTIONS are HERE.
BOOK REPORT: This is an assignment which allows you to read and report on any book (fiction or nonfiction) related to our course material...worth 100 pts. If you need help selecting a book, ask me. INSTRUCTIONS are HERE.
INTERNET ASSIGNMENT: This is an assignment which asks you to explore the Internet for sites/articles related to the various institutions we are covering...worth 100 pts. Sites must be selected from those in The Sociology Shop. INSTRUCTIONS are HERE.
INTERNET RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT: This is an assignment asking you to research a topic utilizing only the Internet...worth 100 pts. Instructions are HERE.
FINAL EXAM: This is a Take-Home Final Exam...covering all material...worth 100 pts.
Two of your choices are an either/or choice. These are the Internet Assignment and the Internet Research Assignment…each worth 100 points. Although you don’t have to pick either of them, if you do pick one of them, you cannot pick the other one. Otherwise, you are free to compile your total of 300 points with any combination of assignments you desire.
Specific Instructions for each assignment are above---please follow the format called for in each.
I will need your selections by next week (4/13)...either via email or in print in class. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Once you turn in your selections, they are final. If I don’t get them by next week, I’ll make them for you...but I don’t want to do that, so please give this your attention right away.
4/13----------Analysis Paper Due
4/20----------Discussion Board #1 Due
4/27----------Article Review Due
5/04----------Discussion Board #2 Due
5/11----------Discretionary Assignment Due
5/18----------Discussion Board #3 Due
5/25----------Movie Review Due
6/01----------Book Review Due
6/08----------Internet Assignment Due
6/08----------Internet Research Assignment Due
6/15----------Take-Home Final Due
400 Points........Total
You will need to pick a "CODE NAME" to use when you post...a name known only to you and me. Pick something that doesn't utilize a known nickname so anonymity can be maintained and thus, a feeling of security in terms of your identity. Please put it on the Class Infomation Sheet. NOTE: Although you WILL be required to enter your "name" when you post, you WILL NOT be required to include an email address when you post (However, you CAN if you want, your choice).
I will provide PROMPTS for you to consider (plus, a Bonus Prompt here and there)...thus, giving you a choice. I will post the prompts a week before the week it is due. I fully expect you to do a serious job on those you select...a short paragraph full of general comments just won't "cut" it. You will be allowed to post up to 1000 words...quite a bit...but I won't/can't dictate a certain length...that's up to you.
As indicated under "Due Dates," there are three due dates for your posts...each post must be done BY MIDNIGHT ON THIS DATE. Also, if you "pass" on a Prompt when I first post it, you can go back later and do it if you change your mind.
In addition to the three required posts, I encourage you to post replies to what others have said...as well as posting anything you want as it relates to the course (i.e. response to lectures, class comments, readings, news, etc.). This type of "participation" could come into play when assigning a course grade...in instances where averages are borderline between one grade and another. However, do NOT use your CODE NAME for these kinds of posts. You can use your real name or make up another "handle." Reserve your CODE NAME for the three DB responses you are required to do.
Finally, as just indicated above, I'd like to see our Discussion Board used for more than just the assignment. Also, I may, from time to time, post "announcements," or links to informative websites...or to current articles relevant to our subject matter. Thus, I encourage you TO CHECK THE BOARD REGULARLY...EVERY DAY SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT TO ME :))
The focus of this course is twofold...first, on the institutions of our society (and by implication, on the "system" as a whole) and second, on social change. For the better part of the term we will examine the major institutions...education, family, religion, etc. So, it would seem reasonable to start with a definition and understanding of just what an "institution" is and isn't, sociologically. To facilitate this understanding, the following three links will take you to an outline of ideas concerning institutions, then to a short essay based on it, and also to another essay about "social institutions." Please read this material and then...
...write an analysis paper about what you've read...i.e. explain, in your own words, what an institution is all about and how this definition might differ from what you thought they were about. What does all this make you think about? What implications about our society...as well as us as individuals...do you see or can think of or speculate about?
So, here are the three links:
You are going to need access to a Computer for this course with access to the Internet. Whether its your own computer, your parent‘s, one in a Lab, a friend's computer, or one at a Library, they're not that difficult to find these days.
That means you'll need to have or to learn a basic minimum of skills in navigating the Internet. It's a tool that's quickly become a necessity in today's world...especially as it relates to academics. If you have no experience in doing this, don’t worry, there's plenty of help available...especially at LCC (Social Science Lab is on the 4th floor of Center Bldg) and on the Internet itself. I've put a link under MEMU (above) to a "beginners" tutorial which takes you through it step by step. I’m also willing to help get you started, if necessary.
Why? Besides being an immensely rich and important source of all sorts of information, the Internet provides the opportunity for providing reading material for academic classes...making materials accessible to anyone...anytime. This also cuts down on the amount of copying necessary...saving paper and money. My own website, The Sociology Shop, will be an integral component of this course...it will have a “room” for our class, links to required reading materials, and the details of the course...including assignments and instructions you will need, plus, of course, due dates. The Online Reader...beyond the textbook...is, in effect, a substitute for asking you to buy a Reader, thus saving you money. Thus you need to become familiar with The Sociology Shop in general as well as familiar with our “Sociology 206 Room”...which you are “in” right now. We will be viewing it in class on a regular basis.
ALSO, you will need an EMAIL address for this course. There will be occasions I may need to email you individually as well as the class as a whole. Likewise, you may need to email me with questions or information and possibly, an assignment. If you don't have an Email account, please get one SOON...it is a requirement of the course, not an option. Many are free, such as Yahoo and Hotmail...and these can be accessed on any computer, anywhere. I will be glad to assist you in setting one up...just ask me. IF you already have one (or when you get one), please send me a message (indicating your name---sometimes usernames don’t reveal that) so I can enter your address into my address book and create the class list. Send it to socshop@yahoo.com Please pay prompt attention to this matter...Thanks.
I firmly believe in the use of this technology as a teaching and learning tool...it's an essential component of the course.
Education---Chapter 14
credentialism--415
Eurocentrism--414
hidden curriculum--414
home schooling--421
Pygmalion effect--417
self-fulfilling prophecy--417
tracking--415
Family---Chapter 13
endogamy--373
exogamy--373
family--370
family of marriage--371
family of orientation--371
heterogamy--376
homogamy--376
monogamy--376
polygamy--373
serial monogamy--373
Political Economy---Chapters 16 & 17
power--470
authority--470
charismatic authority--471
democracy--477
dictatorship--476
expertise--472
legal-rational authority--471
military-industrial complex--493
nation-states--476
oligarchies--476
power elite--488
terrorism--492
traditional authority--471
capitalism--508
conspicuous consumption--505
economic system--505
economy--505
hidden economy--520
mixed economy--509
primary labor market--515
profession--515
secondary labor market--515
socialism--509
Religion---Chapter 15
ethical religions--443
profane--439
sacred--439
secularization thesis--450
Health and Medicine---Chapter 18
disease--534
epidemiology--536
health--534
health-care system--545
integrative (holistic) medicine--555
medicalization--549
sick role--543
socialized medicine--546
wellness movement--540
Social Change---Chapter 20
Social change--590
collective behavior--596
social movements--596
