Sociology 301.001: Survey of Theory
Southern
M/W
Peck Hall 3316
Fall 2006
Dr.
David Kauzlarich
1206 Peck
Phone: (618) 650-2891
Fax: (618) 650-3509
Email: dkauzla@siue.edu
Web Page: http://www.siue.edu/~dkauzla
Office
Hours: M/W
I. Course Information
This
course is intended to provide students with an overview of the core theories
and theorists in sociology. The course is divided into two major sections. First, we will focus on the substance and
significance of the main theories in sociology: Functionalism, conflict,
symbolic interactionism, and rational choice.
While this section of the course will be characterized by interactive
lectures, we will also have group discussions. The second part of the course is designed to
allow us to openly and critically apply sociological theory to a range of
sociological topics and problems. This
portion of the course will be more interactive, and group discussions will
become more prevalent. Hopefully, not
only will you leave the course with a better understanding of theory per se,
but also of how it can be applied to better understand social structure,
culture, and interaction.
Sociology
majors should know that the SIUE Sociology faculty expects you to leave this
class with a paper that can be used as a foundation for your work in the
methods, statistics, and sociology senior assignment seminar courses. As you will read below, this course will
require such a paper.
II. Required Texts
Kauzlarich (2005) Sociological Classics.
Ritzer and Goodman (2004). Sociological Theory. Sixth Edition.
Other
mandatory readings will be handed out in class.
III. Course Requirements
The
final course grade will be determined by the students' performance on:
1.
Three
exams (60%)
2.
A
major paper (20%)
3.
Four
APop@
quizzes (10%)
4.
Brief
Presentation of your paper to the class (5%)
5.
Class
participation and attendance (5%)
These
are weighted in the following manner:
Exam
I.............................................. 50
points
Exam
II............................................. 50
points
Exam
III............................................ 50
points
Major
Paper...................................... 50
points
Four Pop Quizzes.............................. 25 points
Class
Presentation of Major Paper .. 12.5 points
Class
Participation and Attendance.. 12.5 points
Total..................................................250
points
Exams: The exams will be mostly in-class essays
and are intended to gauge your understanding of the lectures, discussions, and
readings.
Major
Paper:
Each student is required to write a major paper that involves a
theoretical interpretation of a sociological topic or problem. (Much more on this in section VI of this syllabus).
Class
Presentation of Major Paper: Each student will briefly present their
paper in Powerpoint to the class toward the end of the semester. Specific dates and times of individual presentations
will be determined around the time of the midterm.
Class
Participation and Attendance: Students
are expected to come to class with questions, comments, and critiques of their
readings. Students are also expected to
be an active member of their group, if and when convened. Unannounced, periodic roll will be taken.
Pop
Quizzes: I will give four Apop@
quizzes. These cannot be made up and of course, are unannounced. Their main purpose is to ensure that you are
coming to class prepared and keeping up with the readings.
IV. Determining the Final Grade
Final
grades will be determined by dividing the total amount of points earned by the
total amount of points possible. The
resulting percentage will be converted into a letter grade according to the
following scale:
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F under 60%
At
any point in the semester you will be able to calculate your exact standing in
the class. Simply
divide the number of points you have earned by the total amount of points possible and refer to
the above scale. Note that the final
point distribution may change if exam scores need to be curved.
V. Tentative Course Outline
Part I:
Introduction to the Core of Sociological Theory
8/21 Introduction to the Course
8/23-28 Introduction to Sociological Theory
and Metatheory
In Kauzlarich, read Ch. 1, Mills and Ch. 2, Berger.
8/28-9/6 Conflict Theory
Marx
Critical Theory
Modern Conflict Theorists
In Kauzlarich, Read
Ch.4, Marx and Engels.
9/4 No
Class – Labor Day
9/11 EXAM
I
9/13-18 Functionalism
Durkheim
Parsons
In
9/20-25 Weber
Rationalization
Bureaucracy
In
927/-10/2 Symbolic Interactionism
Mead
Cooley
In
10/4-9 Varieties of Feminist Theory
In Kauzlarich, Chs. 9 (Addams) and 14 (Bernard).
10/11 EXAM
II
Part II: Applying Sociological Theory
10/16-18 Crime
10/23-25 Social Stratification and Inequality
In
10/30-11/1 The Workplace and Bureaucracy
11/6-8 Gender
In
11/13-15 Race
In
Kauzlarich, Ch. 7 (Dubois) and reread Ch. 8 (Martineau)
Ritzer and Goodman, pp. 200-202 on DuBois.
11/20-22 No
Class – Thanksgiving Break
11/27-12/6 Class Presentations (dates may be
increased or decreased depending on enrollment).
12/6 Paper Due in Class!
12/14 Final
Exam, 12-1:40.
VI. The Paper
Your
paper assignment requires you to provide theoretical interpretations of a major
subject area within sociology, or of a social problem.
Students
should choose a sociological topic or problem stemming from the general areas
of sociology indicated below. The
ultimate focus of your paper must be narrower than the areas listed below. For sociology majors, this will help you
develop a paper more suitable for the research proposal you will need to
complete in 302. Communicate with me
should you have any questions about the suitability of your topic.
Crime
and/or Deviance
Race
and Ethnic Relations, Racism
Gender,
Sexism, Patriarchy, Sexuality
Marriage
and Family
Urban
Sociology
Bureaucracy,
the Workplace
Religion
Population
Aging,
Gerontology, Ageism
Social
Movements
Social
Stratification, Classism
Education
Eco-Human
Issues
We
will attempt to schedule the presentations as democratically as possible.
The
paper is due the last day of class, 12/6!
As
you prepare the paper, the following outline should be your guide. Extreme deviations must be approved by me.
(1)
A description
of the problem or topic. Why is
it sociologically relevant? What is the nature, extent, and distribution of the problem or
topic? Why is the topic at hand
important and worthy of discussion? (1-2 pages)
(2)
Research evidence. Conduct a brief literature review. What research has been conducted on the topic
that is related to or inspired by your theory?
What are the findings of the research? (2-3 pages)
(3)
Description of the theories.
Select two theories to guide your analysis and provide a brief summary
of each. (2-3 pages).
(4) Theoretical interpretation. Apply your sociological theories to
the subject. Explain how the theories
shed light on the subject and how it increases the understanding of the
problem/topic. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR PAPER. (5
pages)
(5)
Conclusion. What is the
significance of your analysis? What does
it show? How is it valuable? (1-2 pages)
Papers
must be typewritten, free of misspelled words, and logically organized. It must be between 12 and 15 pages, excluding
references. A minimum of 5 references
other than the course texts must be used.
VII. Policies on Late Papers and Missed
Exams
Makeup
exams will be given only under exceptional circumstances. Proof of hardship, illness, etc. is
required. If a makeup exam
is granted, you will need to give
me at least one week to compose it. This
means Pop quizzes cannot be made up.
Late
papers will be accepted, but will be degraded at a rate of 25% per day,
starting the second that class ends on the paper due date.