Sociology 205

Grading Standards

Society in Focus, Fifth Edition, by Thompson & Hickey

Online Reader

Black Like Me...by John Howard Griffin
Click on title to read a short description of the book

1. Introduction/TSS/Sociological Concepts (T=1/10&17) (R=1/12&19 ) ( O)

2. Social Stratification/Inequality/Poverty (T=1/17&24&31) (R=1/19&26&2/2) (TH 8)( O)

3. Global Stratification (T=1/31) (R=2/2) (TH9) (O)

4. Deviance & Conformity (T=2/7) (R=2/9) (TH7) (O)

5. Racism/Ethnicity (T=2/14&21) (R=2/16&23) (TH10, BLM) (O)

6. Sex and Gender (T=2/28&3/7) (R=2/2&9) (TH11) (O)

7. Age & Elderly (T=3/14) (R=3/16) (TH12) (O)

8. Conclusion (3/14) (3/16) (O)

There will be one Analysis Paper worth 25 points...you will get 10 for just doing it and I'll evaluate the other 15 points. Minimum length is 1 page...Maximum is 3 pages. Topic is HERE.

DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS

You will be required to post three (3) responses on our Discussion Board...each worth 25 points...total of 75 Points. You will get 10 for just doing each and I'll evaluate the other 15 points. Details and Instructions are HERE

DISCRETIONARY ASSIGNMENT

This is a 50 pt. assignment that allows you to do the type of work you prefer...it's at your discretion. Instructions are HERE

INTERNET ASSIGNMENT

This is a 50 pt. assignment. You will be asked to provide 2 pertinent websites for the following subjects: Poverty, Deviance, Racism, Gender, and Age/Elderly. Specific Instructions are HERE

BOOK REPORT

You will have a Book Report on Black Like Me...worth 100 points. Instructions are HERE.

FINAL EXAM

This exam...worth 100 points...covers all the materials of the course. It will be a Take-Home Essay test.

1/17..........Analysis Paper #1 Due

1/24..........1st D.B. Post Due By (Midnight)

2/07..........DA Due

2/14..........2nd D.B. Post Due By (Midnight)

2/28..........Book Report Due

3/07..........3rd D.B. Post Due by (Midnight)

3/14..........Internet Assignment Due/Pass out Final

3/21..........Final Due (between 6-8 PM)



THURSDAY CLASS

1/19..........Analysis Paper #1 Due

1/26..........1st D.B. Post Due By (Midnight)

2/09..........DA Due

2/16..........2nd D.B. Post Due By (Midnight)

3/02..........Book Report Due

3/09..........3rd D.B. Post Due by (Midnight)

3/16..........Internet Assignment Due/Pass out Final

3/23..........Final Due (between 6-8 PM)

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. I've included a link above to "Beginners Central," a tutorial to help assist you. I’m also willing to help get you started...let me know if you need help.

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.

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 has a “room” for our class, links to required reading materials, a Discussion Board for our class, and the details of the course...including assignments and instructions you will need, plus, of course, due dates. The Required Reading Materials...beyond the textbook...in effect 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 205 Room”...which you are “in” right now.

We're going to be covering various areas of "inequality" in this course...primarily class structures, racism, sexism, and political/economic... so maybe a good place to start is with "Equality." What is it...what isn't it? Some say its absolutely necessary, some say its not possible, some say its not desirable, and some say "inequality" is simply a fact of human existence...i.e. inevitable. Regardless, to even grasp what inequality is...we need to grasp what equality is, too, right?
Sociologist Alexander Liazos gives a different slant on this important concept...in the short piece entitled Equality (doesn't equal) Sameness. In addition, read the following quote from Erich Fromm:

It suggests that equality implies lack of difference, that equality implies that everyone is like everybody else, that equality implies identity. Actually equality and the demand for equality implies the very opposite: namely, that despite all differences no person should be made a tool of the purpose of anyone else, that every human being is an end and purpose in himself or herself. This means that each person is free to develop his or her peculiarity as an individual, as a member of a given sex, as a member of a given nationality. Equality does not imply the negation of difference but the possibility for its fullest realization. (Erich Fromm…from article, “Man-Woman,” 1949)

So, read it and comment on them...giving a brief summary of your current views as it applies to the areas mentioned above. Just why do we tend to equate "equality" with "sameness"? Why do we have such a difficult time with "differences"? Why are we seemingly obsessed with "ranking" and notions of superiority and inferiority? Is "heirarchy" an inevitable arrangement of people? The questions could go on forever about this...I'd like to see what you can make of it as we begin.

Discussion Board

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 on Sunday evening of 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 :))