Course Schedule: The Who, What, & When
Please note that all course readings are embedded as hyperlinks below. The abbreviation “TB” stands for textbook (which is open access–links to textbook are also embedded below as denoted).
1/31/2022: Welcome to SOC 101! Introductions and Syllabus
2/2: Just Imagine…Introducing Sociology & the Sociological Imagination
Guiding Questions: What is sociology and how do we do it? Why study sociology? And why bother developing our sociological imagination? We will tackle what theory and research look like in the field of sociology.
Readings:
- none!
2/7: Just Imagine…Introducing Sociology & the Sociological Imagination
Guiding Questions: What is sociology and how do we do it? Why study sociology? And why bother developing our sociological imagination? We will tackle what theory and research look like in the field of sociology.
Readings:
- Chapter 1 (1.1-1.4) (TB)
- Yes, Sociology is Racist Too (Contexts Magazine)
2/9: Just Imagine…Introducing Sociology & the Sociological Imagination
Guiding Questions: What is sociology and how do we do it? Why study sociology? And why bother developing our sociological imagination? We will tackle what theory and research look like in the field of sociology.
Readings:
- Chapter 1 (1.1-1.4) (TB)
- Yes, Sociology is Racist Too (Contexts Magazine)
Assignments Due:
Assignments Due:
- Weekly Reading Response 1 due by 2/13 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Response 1 due by 2/13 by 11:59pm via BB submission
2/14: The Social World: Social Interactions and Socialization
Guiding Questions: What is socialization? How are we socialized?
Readings:
- Chapter 5 (5.2-5.4) (TB)
- Examining Media’s Socialization of Gender Roles, Huffington Post
- Reinforcing gender stereotypes: how our schools narrow children’s choices, The Guardian
2/16: The Social World: Social Interactions and Socialization
Guiding Questions: What is socialization? How are we socialized?
Readings:
- Chapter 5 (5.2-5.4) (TB)
- Examining Media’s Socialization of Gender Roles, Huffington Post
- Reinforcing gender stereotypes: how our schools narrow children’s choices, The Guardian
Assignments Due:
- Weekly Reading Response 2 due by 2/22 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Response 2 due by 2/22 by 11:59pm via BB submission
2/23: Culture
Guiding Questions: What Is culture? What makes culture? What does/can culture do? What is the relationship between culture and media? Does media create culture, or does culture produce/reproduce media?
Readings:
2/28: Culture
Guiding Questions: What Is culture? What makes culture? What does/can culture do? What is the relationship between culture and media? Does media create culture, or does culture produce/reproduce media?
Readings:
- White Supremacy Culture
- Cultural Appropriation: Everything is Culture and It’s All Appropriated (GQ)
Assignments Due:
- Weekly Reading Response 3 due by 3/1 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Post 3 due by 3/1 by 11:59pm via BB submission
3/2: Culture (No live class. Instructor will stream film and provide Zoom link for streaming.)
- Film to be watched for this subtopic: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Available on Netflix)
Assignment due:
- Guiding Questions Response for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Available on Netflix) due by 3/6 by 11:59pm via BB submission
3/7: Media & Technology
Guiding Questions: How many good friends do you have? How many people do you meet up with for coffee or a movie? How many would you call with news about an illness or invite to your wedding? Now, how many “friends” do you have on IG? What does “friend” mean on Snapchat? TikTok? How often do you check e-mail? How often do you meet friends for a bite to eat and spend your time texting other people instead of talking to each other?
Readings:
- Chapter 8 (8.1 & 8.2) (TB)
- Technology is Enabling Surveillance, Inequality During the Pandemic
- How White Engineers Built Racist Code…And Why It’s Dangerous for Black People (The Guardian)
3/9: Media & Technology
Guiding Questions: How many good friends do you have? How many people do you meet up with for coffee or a movie? How many would you call with news about an illness or invite to your wedding? Now, how many “friends” do you have on IG? What does “friend” mean on Snapchat? TikTok? How often do you check e-mail? How often do you meet friends for a bite to eat and spend your time texting other people instead of talking to each other?
Readings:
- Chapter 8 (8.1 & 8.2) (TB)
- Technology is Enabling Surveillance, Inequality During the Pandemic
- How White Engineers Built Racist Code…And Why It’s Dangerous for Black People (The Guardian)
Assignments Due:
- Weekly Reading Response 4 due by 3/13 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Response 4 due by 3/13 by 11:59pm via BB submission
3/14: Deviance, Crime, & Social Control
Readings:
- Chapter 7 (7.1-7.3) (TB)
- How Orange Is The New Black and Other Shows Raise Awareness of Criminal Justice and Prison Issues, LA Times
- Keeping Us in Line: Mass Incarceration as Social Control, The Medium
- The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander (pages TBD)
3/16: Deviance, Crime, & Social Control
Readings:
- Chapter 7 (7.1-7.3) (TB)
- How Orange Is The New Black and Other Shows Raise Awareness of Criminal Justice and Prison Issues, LA Times
- Keeping Us in Line: Mass Incarceration as Social Control, The Medium
- The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander (pages TBD)
Assignments Due:
- Weekly Reading Response 5 due by 3/20 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Response 5 due by 3/20 by 11:59pm via BB submission
3/21: Deviance, Crime, & Social Control (No live class. Instructor will stream film and provide Zoom link for streaming.)
- Film to be watched for this subtopic: 13th (Available on Netflix)
Assignment due:
- Guiding Questions Response for 13th due by 3/27 by 11:59pm via BB submission
3/23: Race & Racism
Readings:
- Chapter 11 (11.1-11.5) (TB)
- Charlottesville is Just the Tip of the Iceberg: White Supremacy is the Fabric of America, Hari Ziyad (AfroPUNK)
3/28: Race & Racism
Readings:
- How the Zombie Represents America’s Deepest Fears, Vox
- The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies, The Atlantic
Assignments Due:
- Weekly Reading Response 6 due by 3/29 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Response 6 due by 3/29 by 11:59pm via BB submission
3/30: Race & Racism (No live class. Instructor will stream film and provide Zoom link for streaming.)
- Film to be watched for this topic: Race (The Power of an Illusion)/Get Out (Jordan Peele)
Assignment due:
- Guiding Questions Response for either Race (The Power of an Illusion)/Get Out (Jordan Peele) due by 4/3 by 11:59pm via BB submission
4/4: Social Stratification
Guiding Questions: Is our society an inherently inequitable one by design? What does it mean and look like to live in a socially stratified society? Do we all have “equal opportunity” or is the game rigged? What is the role of agency and what is the role of structure in determining social stratification?
Readings:
- Social Stratification (9.1 & 9.2) (TB)
- Succession Is A Show About Capitalism In An Era of Economic Stagnation, Jacobin
4/6: Social Stratification
Guiding Questions: Is our society an inherently inequitable one by design? What does it mean and look like to live in a socially stratified society? Do we all have “equal opportunity” or is the game rigged? What is the role of agency and what is the role of structure in determining social stratification?
Readings:
- Social Stratification (9.1 & 9.2) (TB)
- Succession Is A Show About Capitalism In An Era of Economic Stagnation, Jacobin
Assignments Due:
- Weekly Reading Response 7 due by 4/10 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Response 7 due by 4/10 by 11:59pm via BB submission
4/11: Gender
Guiding Questions: What is gender? Where does it come from? What purpose does it serve?
Readings:
4/13: Gender
Guiding Questions: What is gender? Where does it come from? What purpose does it serve?
Readings:
- Age, Race, Class, & Sex: Women Redefining Difference (Audre Lorde)
- White Women’s Role in White Supremacy, Explained (Vox)
Assignments Due:
- Weekly Reading Response 8 due by 4/24 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Response 8 due by 4/24 by 11:59pm via BB submission
4/25: Gender (No live class. Instructor will stream film and provide Zoom link for streaming.)
- Disclosure on Netflix
Assignment due:
- Guiding Questions Response for Disclosure due by 4/30 by 11:59pm via BB submission
4/27: Let’s Talk About…Sex, Sexuality, and Sexual Orientation
Guiding Questions: What is sex? What is sexuality? What is sexual orientation? How are they distinct? How are they interconnected? Do we choose our sex/sexuality/sexual orientation, or are they the byproduct of complex social processes?
Readings:
5/1: Let’s Talk About…Sex, Sexuality, and Sexual Orientation
Guiding Questions: What is sex? What is sexuality? What is sexual orientation? How are they distinct? How are they interconnected? Do we choose our sex/sexuality/sexual orientation, or are they the byproduct of complex social processes?
Readings:
- I’m a Black Queer Student, and My School Needs to Recognize My Entire Self
- The Historic Mainstream Appropriation of Ballroom Culture
Assignments Due:
- Weekly Reading Response 9 due by 5/3 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Response 9 due by 5/3 by 11:59pm via BB submission
5/4: Let’s Talk About…Sex, Sexuality, and Sexual Orientation (No live class. Instructor will stream film and provide Zoom link for streaming.)
- Film to be to be watched for this topic: Paris Is Burning
- Assignment due:
- Guiding Questions Response for Paris Is Burning due by 5/8 by 11:59pm via BB submission
5/9: Education
Readings:
Assignments Due:
- Focus on sociological narrative
5/4: Marriage & Family
Readings:
Assignments Due:
- Focus on sociological narrative
- Weekly Reading Response 10 due by 5/15 by 11:59pm via BB submission
- Discussion Board Response 10 due by 5/15 by 11:59pm via BB submission
5/16: Work & The Economy
Readings:
Assignments Due:
- Sociological narrative due no later than 5/20 via Blackboard submission by 11:59pm