Introduction to Sociological Principles
Sociology 101 - Ticket #41692
Fall 2008
Mon/Wed 2:00-3:30pm - SS 316

Final Group Project - due on Monday, Dec. 15 at 2pm!

McDonaldization Resources
Publisher Study Site
McDonaldization Site - general information
McDonaldization MySpace Page
 

Exam #2 Study Guide - The date of exam #2 has changed to Monday, Oct. 27!

Exam #1 Study Guide

Homework
 
Class Schedule and readings

Required Materials for Course      

Sociology Now: The Essentials by Kimmel and Aronson. (2009) ISBN# 0-205-59310-0
*it is also available on line as an e-book from Course Smart:   URL:  www.coursesmart.com at the price of $45.50

The McDonaldization of Society 5. by George Ritzer. (2008)  Pine Forge Pub. ISBN# 978-1-4129-5430-3
You need this edition of the book - there is quite a significant difference between this and the one just before it.

California Iowa Explorations (class blog with Kirkwood College Students):  http://caliowaexplorations.blogspot.com/
or http://caliowaexplorations2.blogspot.com
*once you have registered with google (you don't need to use a gmail account) you just go to this site and log in.

Course Description 

What is sociology?  If it is the study of society, what is society?  And how does the individual fit in to all this?  This Introduction to Sociology course will provide many different ways of looking at the social world and how we as individuals, communities, societies act within and create parts of it.  We will analyze some of the major theoretical orientations by applying them to issues such as deviance, communities, organizations, and education, just to name a few. This course requires you to have a “sociological imagination.” This term was penned by Sociologist C. Wright Mills and refers to a way of imagining the world, a way of looking at issues, people, events.  It is this imagination which we will use to find out how we are affected and how we affect the world around us.   

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Explain what sociology is and describe the kinds of work professional sociologists do
• Describe the differences between sociology and other academic disciplines
• Examine the nature and significance of culture on people’s lives
• Describe the process of socialization and assess its importance in understanding human behavior
• Explain social structure, provide examples and express how these structures shape society and social experiences
• Explain social stratification and analyze economic, racial/ethnic, and gender inequality in a societal context
• Apply the sociological perspective (sociological imagination) to their own lives
   

Course Requirements
Your grade will be based on several components:

Exams
The first part of your grade will be based on two exams. If you miss an exam, you may take a make up exam for a deduction in points. This make up exam must be taken within the week after the original exam during Dr. Holzgang’s office hours. You must contact me to set this up.  There are always situations beyond your control, so please contact me as soon as possible if there is a problem.  The exam will be a mixture of multiple choice and in-class, short essay questions.  Check your syllabus for dates of the exams. No makeup exams will be allowed after the exams have been passed back. 

Final Project
This project will be due the last day of class. This will be a group project and your group will be discussing your findings to with class. If you do not like to talk in front of people, someone else from your group may talk. I will be giving more details on this later.  Each person will be responsible for their own work as well as part of the group work.  You will be given a confidential evaluation on the day of your presentation where you discuss what part you were responsible for as well as each group member. 

Written Homework Assignments
You will also have homework assignments.  The homework assignments will be posted on Dr. Holzgang’s website (www.Cerritos.edu/aholzgang) and on TalonNet before the homework is due.  The assignment will be due in class on the date listed on the syllabus.  When you turn in these homework assignments, you must have your first and last name, the class, and the homework assignment number on the homework assignment.  These homework assignments will ensure you are keeping up with and understanding the readings for the course as well as integrating the course material to our social world. You have access to computers through Cerritos College. To obtain access from school, you will need to go to the basement of the LRC where you will be given a computer sign-on account so that you may access this web site from school if you do not have web access at home or work.

 California Iowa Blog 
This semester you will be on a blog (www.caliowaexplorations.blogspot.com)  with another Intro to Sociology class in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. You will be given instructions on how to log in to the blog and you are responsible to participate. Participation is in the form of posting comments, ideas and issues regarding this class.  We will be monitoring the blog, but you will be required to turn in a copy of your postings at the end of the course (you can just copy and paste them in a word document). You will be required to turn in 10 thoughtful postings (not just saying, “yea, me too”).

Emailed homework
Your homework assignments may be turned in via email to me. (aholzgang@Cerritos.edu) I must receive the email before class time on the day it is due for it to be on-time. Remember that there may be server problems and that it is your responsibility that I get it. I will send you a reply when I do receive it.  I will print out a copy of your emailed homework for you to pick up in class after I have recorded it. 

Whenever you send me any email, you must include in the subject line your first and last name, the class (either the ticket number or the day/time) and the homework assignment number.  If you do not have this information in your subject heading, I will not accept it.  Your assignment may be cut and pasted into the actual email or sent as a Word document attachment. Any other program must be sent in the email message (cut and paste it) or I won’t be able to access it. 

You will also have quizzes and in-class assignments throughout the summer session. These will be assigned during the class. It is important you are in class to get these assignments – if you are not in class to get the assignments, you will not be able to make them up.  

All assignments (except those done in class or exams) are to be typed on a computer, typewriter, or word-processor.  They are to be in font no larger than 12 point, no smaller than 10 point, double-spaced, with one inch margins.  If an assignment is turned in late, it will be counted down one point for each day it is late. 

Reading Assignments
The readings are to be completed by the date listed on the syllabus. This way you will have done the readings and will be ready to discuss the issues in class. If you have to miss a class, please check with a classmate for the notes or assignments missed. 
 

Academic Honesty

Honesty is expected of all students.  Students should consult the Cerritos College Catalog regarding official policy. For this class, cheating is unacceptable in any form.  If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing, you will receive a zero on that assignment and possibly a failing grade in the class. 

Participation/Attendance
Your attendance and participation is expected for every class period. You are also expected to be on time and stay until class is dismissed.  I will be taking attendance each day. Excessive absences will impact your course grade – you must be in class to participate. Participation will be in the form of coming to class prepared to discuss that day’s readings as well as turning in assignments in a timely manner and participating in the e-discussions.  According to Cerritos College policy, if you miss more than 3 days of class consecutively, you may be dropped from the class by the instructor. If there is a problem, please get in touch with me.

Your final grade composition will be based on the following: 

2 Exams @100 points each                                       200 points
            Final Project                                                                100 points
            Homework/class activities/quizzes                            100 points
            Blog Participation                                                         50 points
            Total                                                                            450 points

Distribution of the course grades typically follows the following scale:

Do’s and Don’ts for this class: 

A Note about Extra Credit

Generally, I do not believe in Extra Credit.  To succeed in this course you are asked to be diligent, committed, and serious about your regular assignments.  If you put forth this effort on your class assignments, you will not need extra credit.  There may be times when speakers are on campus or there are important events happening at Cerritos College. I will let you know if there are any such events and if so, which events you may attend and do a write-up to count as extra credit. 

**Any student who needs instructional accommodation due to a disability should see me as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made. 

Note:  This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor in order to adapt to instructional and/or student needs.

Course Schedule/Readings

 

 Homework

#1. We did this assignment in class on Wednesday, Sept. 3. If you were not in class, please read the reading "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" that is on Talon Net (in the Resources section of your class). Then write about a paragraph about what you thought of these people and their customs.

#2. Due Wed. Sept. 10.  In about 1-2, typed, double-spaced pages, answer this question:  After you have read the first part of chapter 3 in your book, list some of the ascribed statuses you have then list some of the achieved statuses you have.  (see pages 71-72)

#3. Due Wednesday, Sept. 17.   For this homework, you are going to go out and observe one part of our world:  Fast Food.  Pick 2 different fast food restaurants in your area (Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Subway, etc DO count) - NOT the ones on campus. (If you work at any fast food chain, do not use that company) Give yourself some time to be there.  Observe for at least 15 minutes each place. Take notes of the following:  (you do not need to type up these notes)

• Observe the overall structure of the the establishment.

• How is the work area situated in regard to the customer area?

• Are the cooking facilities hidden from public view?

• Note the number of employees and the gender and age of the staff. 

• Observe the way the customers are being processed.

• Can you detect a "script" that the employees follow? How do they address customers?

• Does each worker seem responsible for a single task (grilling burgers, bagging fries, taking orders and operating the cash register, clearing the tables)? 

• Is there an apparent hierarchy among the workers? What is the managers role?
   

• Compare your findings between the two different places:  How much similarity is there? Are there common characteristics between the two? You will be turning in the notes and the answers to these last few questions.

#4. Due Monday, Oct. 6. Please read "The Health Divide" by Lisa Berkman (handed out in class), then answer the following question in about 1 typed page. According to the author,  what are some reasons poor and working class people in the U.S.  do not have the same health outcomes as other people in the U.S.?

#5. We will complete this in class on Monday, Oct. 20. If you are not here for that, please answer the following question in about a page: How does the textbook define race? Why might ethnicity be a better category to use for identity?

#6. Due Monday, Nov. 3. After reading Ch. 2 in Ritzer's McDonaldization of Society, in about 1 page typed, double spaced, please explain what formal rationality is.

#7. Due Monday, Nov. 10.  Choose one of the characteristics of McDonaldization you have read so far (efficiency and calculability) and then apply it to a place you see McDonaldization in your life. (You should answer this in about a page or so)

#8. Due Wednesday, Nov. 19. Now that we're almost done with Ritzer's book, what stands out to you as most interesting so far with this topic of McDonaldization. (please write at least a full paragraph)