Description:
This course will introduce students to the sociological study of society. It is designed to help students understand the larger factors shaping social life and equip them with the tools to interrogate and comprehend the world around them. The course will introduce basic sociological concepts such as the relationship between the individual and society, the social construction of reality, and the causes and consequences of social inequality along with the methods sociologists use to examine these relationships. We will examine major topics in sociological research, including, but not limited to, inequality, mobility, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, crime, punishment and social control, the family, education, and immigration.
Readings
I generally try to spare students the high cost of books, so I will provide all of your readings through Canvas.
Assignments and Grading
Weekly Quizzes – 60%
Each week, except those indicated on the syllabus, your TA will issue a quiz during your discussion section. These quizzes will be a combination of short answer and multiple choice and measure your engagement with the reading and lecture content. Each quiz will be five questions, and we will issue a total of twelve quizzes over the course of the semester. That means that each question will be worth one percent of your final grade.
Midterm – 20%
The midterm will be a comprehensive take home exam consisting of 20 questions, a combination of short answer (1-3 sentences) and multiple choice. The questions will test your knowledge of the core concepts we’ve covered up until this point and your ability to apply them to real-world situations. While I do not issue formal study guides, I will reserve the Monday of the week of the midterm for students to ask any questions they have related to the test or concepts we have covered in class (this is for clarification and elaboration only; do not expect me to repeat an entire lecture because you missed a day of class). Shortly after class, I will issue the exam to students, and it will be due to their respective TAs by Friday at midnight.
Final – 20%
The final will also be a comprehensive take home exam of 20 questions, a combination of short answer (1-3 sentences) and multiple choice. It will be issued the last Wednesday (12-6) of class and due to TAs by the following Wednesday (12-13) at midnight. Our review for the final will be the previous Wednesday.
Late Work and Makeup Policy
I understand that sometimes things happen. If you would like to makeup work, I expect you to present formal documentation of these things within a week of the assignment’s due date, and we will schedule a time for your makeup.
Grading Scale A 94%
A- 90%
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B+ 87%
B 84%
B- 80%
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C+ 77%
C 74%
C- 70%
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D 65%
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F< 65%
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