Sociology is
the study of society.
It focuses on identifying, explaining, and interpreting patterns and
processes of human social relations. This introductory course
is designed not just to teach you some of the major findings of sociology,
but to help you master fundamental sociological skills, including both
the ability to think with a "sociological imagination" and
to understand the basics of computer-based data analysis--skills which
have broad applicability in a range of educational and work settings. It
is my hope that this hands-on experience of "doing" sociology
will both enliven your interest in sociological analysis and help you
develop practical skills that you can use in other contexts as well.
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The two books in this course are:
1) Joan Ferrante, Sociology: A Global Perspective,
Seventh Edition (be sure to get this edition, which is extensively changed from the previous one; discounted and used books available at online sites like amazon.com; and Steven
E. Barkan, Discovering Sociology Using MicroCase
Explorit, 3rd edition (this must be purchased new so as to get the key to download the software). These books will be supplemented by various online resources. |
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Reading assignments will
be made for each class, and students are expected to have read them
and to be prepared to discuss them. The course will involve a steady
stream of exercises, a short paper, and three exams, so students
should study the daily schedule page closely and plan accordingly.
This diversity of grading materials helps most students achieve a higher
grade than they would otherwise, but only if they keep up-to-date.
Course Requirements:
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You
are expected to attend class regularly, and to complete the readings assigned for each class. Class participatiion is encouraged, to the extent possible in a large
class.. Readings should be completed before class--you will get much more out of the lectures and discussions that way. You are responsible for all material covered in
class, including assigned readings, powerpoint-assisted lectures,
films, video clips, and exercises in data analysis. Keep in mind that
the Rutgers-Camden catalog states that for every hour in class,
each student is expected to spend at least two hours outside
of class doing course-related work.
Cell phones should be turned off or put on vibrator mode during class. The use of laptops in class is permitted, but only for course-relevant purposes. Surfing the net or conducting business not related to the course is distracting to other students and is forbidden.
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Exams |
There
will be three closed-book, multiple-choice exams in this course,
two during the semester and a final. Study Guides will
be handed out before each exam. These three exams will
make up 55% of your grade (15% for the first, 20% for the other
two). Please
note that if is your responsibility to contact me the day of
the exam if you are forced to miss it; you may otherwise forfeit
your right to take it. Practice
On-Line Tutorial Quizzes and other study guides are
available at the text website. These Chapter Tests provide
a useful way of reviewing the text material. Use of these
online quizzes is voluntary, but some of the questions will be
incorporated into the in-class exams. Before each exam,
a study guide will be available online to specify what you are
responsible for knowing. |
MicroCase
Exercises
Read
these instructions carefully! |
You
will be asked to complete four computer-based assignments from
the Discovering Sociology workbook, using the Microcase
Explorit data analysis software that comes with it,
which will also be available in the computer lab in the sociology
building. In
addition, there will be a "Do-Your-Own-Exercise" which
will ask you to formulate your own hypothesis and test it using
the MicroCase software. The four workbook exercises will
count for 20% of your grade; the Do-Your-Own Exercise will count
for an another 20%. You will be responsible for the basic skills taught in these exercises on the three exams as well.
To get full credit, these assignments must be handed
in at the class for which they are assigned, and must include
a printout of the data for the final question, whether
or not a printout is asked for in the exercise. Open-ended
questions should be answered with full sentences. Late exercises
will be accepted, but will be penalized twenty points. You
will be responsible for the material taught through the exercises
for the exams. Please note: submission of each exercise
constitutes a promise that you did the exercises and found
the answers on your own. Click
here to familiarize yourself with the department's
plagiarism policy; it is your responsibility to know it.
I will be available by appointment for those students who need
assistance in getting going with MicroCase. In addition, several
online tutorials are available at the department's Online
Research Tutorials, Guidelines and Videos and the MicroCase
Resources webpages. |
Short
Paper
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There will
be one short (two page) paper assignment based on Horace Miner's
article about the Nacirema, worth 5% of your grade. |
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A supplementary Sakai course website will be utilized for specific purposes in this course, most notably the submission of the short paper assignment, the posting of grades, and access to copyrighted course materials. |
Office Hours, Email Communication,
and Departmental Policies and Resources
Office Location and Appointments |
Room
211, 405-7 Cooper Street (enter from campus side via white
porch). Office
phone: 856-225-6013. Because of my tight teaching schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I ask students who wish to see me to schedule an appointment by emailing me or by talking to me before or after class (I am available to meet on other days, but these will vary). I am happy to answer simple course-related and advising questions via email. |
| Email
Address |
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| My Home
Page |
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The
Department's Web-Enhanced
Curriculum
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| MicroCase
Grader and Tutoring |
Former Rutgers student and sociology graduate
Kristi Napoleon will grade the MicroCase exercises and paper,
although I look them over as well. Kristi and I will be available as
well for MicroCase tutoring and assistance by appointment. |
Technology
and
Enhanced Learning |
This
course is based on the dual convictions that technology can enhance
learning and that learning to use technology effectively is a
critical job skill for the 21st century. The use of computer
technology will be an important part of this course, both in
the classroom, where internet usage, MicroCase analysis, and
Powerpoint presentations will be common, and in your coursework
outside of class. Updated PowerPoint presentations in pdf format will
generally be posted by the night before class. Students are reminded
that PowerPoints are intended to be supplements to classroom
lecture and discussion, not full summaries of them. |
updated:
January 15, 2009
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