Survey of General Sociology:

Course Syllabus

Class Notes

Fall 2008

Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00AM to 11:30PM; and office hours can also be made by appointment. I spend a good deal of time in my office so you can often find me there or in the cafeteria at lunch time. Join me.

Readings:

1. Text: D. Stanley Eitzen and Maxine Baca Zinn, In Conflict and Order, 10th edition, 2004, Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

2. Reader: D. Stanley Eitzen and Craig Leedham, Solutions to Social Problems: Lessons from Other Societies 3nd Ed., 2004, Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

3. Reader: Michael Moore, Dude, Where's My Country, 2003, NY: Warner.

4. Handouts will be given out in class and there will be readings on reserve at the Library Desk.

5. There will be assignments to attend speakers, forums and campus events as well as watch selected television programs, movies, and videos shown in and outside of class.

COURSE GOALS and LEARNING OUTCOMES:

This course will provide a survey of the research methods, theory, and subject matter of sociology.

Students who complete this course will:

1. Understand the basic vocabulary, research methods, and theories of sociology. Actively attend to and apply global, comparative, historicaI should be on this Web page for ownership as well, for the tim being:
   
   danielpe@hawaii.edul, and critical thinking skills to under-standing economic, political, and social information/issues.

2. Appreciate and respect cultural diversity.

3. Be an engaged citizen in global, national, and local levels.

4. This course is structured as a "community." One of the goals of this kind of class is that students will grow to relate to, know, understand, share, and cooperate with one another--as well as their professor. Studying and learning can be more meaningful when it takes place in supportive relationships. Reach out to others and respond to others who extend themselves out to you. Be friendly. Help this be an empowering, and enjoyable class.

STUDENT CONDUCT CODE:

Please review and abide by the HawCC catalog’s Student Conduct Code regarding cheating, academic dishonesty, smoking, weapons, drug, and other policies. Behaviors that interfere with education are unacceptable.
 

SPECIAL NEEDS & COUNSELING:

HawCC is organized and committed to providing equal access to students with disabilities. See me early about any special needs for which you require help. Phone 974-7741 to arrange for counseling on disabilities and/or other problems that are undermining your ability to complete this course.
 

THE STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE:

Class time will be used in a variety of learning formats. There will be games, lectures, discussions, exercises, videos, individual and group activities, etc. Students will
be responsible for the readings and class time will be an extension of some aspects of the readings but it will not be a recapitulation of the readings. If you do not understand something in the readings, please
bring it up in class or see me during office hours. I hope that you will work cooperatively with me and with one another to make this course a rich, powerful and enjoyable experience for you and for all. If you have any problems, or any special enthusiasm that you want to share--please take the time to come and speak with me.
 

YOUR WORK FOR THE COURSE:

You will be evaluated based on the following:

ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION:

Students gain most from a course when they attend regularly and enthusiastically. In other words, come to class and actively participate. You will receive points for every hour of class attendance. You can earn 4 points by attending a class. Unfortunately, excused absences will still count as absences. You will also be given a score on participation counting 60 points of your grade. Participation consists of active listening, responding to others, and generally being part of the class process. Participation is not just a matter of speaking up. The quality of your contributions
also matters. If you are shy and speaking up in class is difficult for you, I will take that into onsideration. While it may be hard to participate at first, I nevertheless want you to please strive to
contribute to class and small group discussions when appropriate. If you are a frequent speaker in class discussions, please encourage the quieter students to participate by deferring the floor to them. Part
of "good participation" in this course is helping and supporting others and making sure that the class process is not distracted by beepers, cell phones, individual conversations, etc. 2. QUIZZES & EXAMS: There will be unannounced and announced quizzes on the reading assignments. These quizzes will be given at the beginning of the period on the day that the reading assignment is due. If you miss a quiz you cannot make it up. Each quiz will count between 5 and 55 points. There will be both a midterm and a final exam covering both lectures and class discussions as well as the handouts, videos, and regular
reading assignments. These examinations will each count between 75 to 150 pts.

DEBATE:

There will be a debate/panel research project. This assignment will be graded and count between 50 and 100 points.

EXTRA CREDIT:

Students will be given points for attending and writing about selected talks, films, forums, and television specials that will be announced throughout the semester.

COMMUNITY SERVICE:

Twelve hours of community service are expected. The HawCC Ola=a Community Center in Kea=au will be the site. (It is located across from the McDonald’s in Kea’au.) The program is open from 1PM to 5PM. You may do tutoring with the kids or work creatively with the youth or the larger community in a variety of ways. This will be discussed in class. Please go to
http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/laurab/riskwaiver2002.pdf to download and fill out the risk waiver form for your community service placement.  The Risk Waiver form MUST be turned in to your instructor before you go to Ola’a or anywhere else to complete your community service requirement for this course.

YOUR GRADE FOR THE COURSE

Will be based from the total score of the highest scoring student. This base score will then determine the "curve" or letter grade of each student as follows: A=90% or better of the base score; B=80-89%; C=70-79%; D=60-69%; and F = 59% or lower than the base score.

COURSE CALENDAR AND ASSIGNMENTS:*

Week Begins Reading Assignment is due at the BEGINNING of the week)

1. 1/9 Eitzen text (In Conflict and Order= Atext@): ch. 10; and in your Solutions reader: ch. 10, also.

2. 1/16 Monday is Martin Luther King Day. It is a day off. By the beginning of the week be sure to finish a special reading available at the Library Reserve Desk entitled, "Social Class," and the Preface and chs. 5, 6, and 9 of your Solutions reader.

3. 1/23 Text: ch. 9; in your Solutions reader: ch. 1, and pp. 26-27; pp.37-38, p. 88, p.112,; Dude reader: ch. 7.

4. 1/30 Text: ch. 8; your Solutions reader: p. 54; p. 69, p. 79, p.138-139. 5 2/6 Text: ch. 13; Solutions reader: chs. 2, 3, & 20, and pp.122-123; Dude: ch. 8. 6 2/13 Text: ch. 14; Solutions reader: ch. 31, pp. 154-155, pp. 171; Dude: Introduction, & chs. 1 & 9.

5. 7 2/20 Monday is President’s Day. It is a day off. Text: ch 18;
   Dude: chs. 2 & 4.

6. 8 2/27 MIDTERM EXAM. Friday is a day off.

7. 9 3/6 Text: ch. 3; Dude: chs. 3, 5, 6 & 10. Videos this week.
   10 3/13 “Addicted to War” comic; and the Dec. 2004 edition of New
   Internationalist: pp. 9-28 (Both are available at the Library
   Reserve Desk.)

8. 11 3/20 Text: chs. 4 & 5.

9. 12 3/37 S P R I N G B R E A K !!!!!

10. 13 4/3 Text: ch. 6; Solutions: 2nd Ed. (at the Library Reserve Desk):
    chs. 31 & 32; and your own 3rd Ed. copy of Solutions: pp. 190-
    191.

11. 14 4/10 Friday is Good Friday. It is a day off. Text: ch. 7;
    Solutions: chs. 34 & 35. Videos this week.

12. 15 4/17 Text: ch. 15; Solutions: pp. 209-210, chs. 36 & 37.

13. 16 4/24 Earth Day Fair. Help out!!! Readings to be announced.
    Begin reviewing for your final exam.

14. 17 5/1 Readings to be announced. Semester Review. Assignment to
    be announced. Wednesday, May 3rd is the last day of classes.

15. 18 5/8 F I N A L E X A M W E E K

16. The TR class’s final exam is on Thurs 5/11 in this same room.

17. The Friday class’s final exam is on Tues 5/9 in this same room.
    
    SUMMER!--- ENJOY!

Class Notes

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