SOCL

1101: Introduction to Sociology

Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday, 10:30-11:35
Richards 200
Fall 2017

Instructor: Laura Senier
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology & Anthropology and Health Sciences
Office: 934 Renaissance Park
E-mail: l.senier@northeastern.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 4:00-5:00, Wednesdays 1:30-3:00, or by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Tibrine da Fonseca
Office: E-mail: dafonseca.t@husky.neu.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 11:45am 12:45pm, or by appointment

Course Description
Sociology is the systematic, scientific study of the patterns of social life. Our discipline is guided by
the assumption that human behavior is shaped by external forces, and we therefore aim to identify
these forces, explain how they affect individuals and social groups, and then make valid predictions
about how they may shape future behavior or events. Sociological research has touched on
everything from how people try to look their best in face-to-face interactions; to how race, gender
and class shape identities and social conditions; to how the system of industrial capitalism came to
dominate the world. Sociologists have pursued answers to these through inventive and sometimes
controversial methods: collecting questionnaires from thousands of randomly selected strangers;
conducting in-depth interviews to ask people about their most intimate experiences; living on the
streets and observing what happens there; or simulating prison conditions on a college campus.
This course will provide you with an understanding of central sociological approaches, concepts,
theory, and methods that we use to understand social order, social conflict, and social change. In
addition to preparing you to take advanced classes on specific sociological topics, this class will also
help you understand events unfolding around you and prepare you to be an engaged citizen.

Course Objectives
Successfully completing this course will mean that you will be able to:
1. Apply sociological concepts to understand and explain the world you live in.
2. Analyze how social arrangements shape peoples behavior and choices.
3. Understand forces that give rise to and perpetuate different types of inequalities.
4. Critique social scientific research, whether reported in the mainstream media or in a
scholarly journal article.
5. Identify connections between social issues (e.g., body image and gender inequality).
6. Cultivate your critical thinking skills by asking questions, evaluating arguments, and
exploring alternative points of view.

Assessment
Your grade in this course will be based on the following assignments:
1. Exams. Most of your grade will be based on three exams, the last of which will be held
during the final exam period (date and time TBD). The exams will be made up of multiple-
choice questions, and each exam will be worth 300 points. Questions will be drawn from
the assigned readings and from class lectures. Dates for the exams are noted in the syllabus.
If you miss an exam, you must provide the instructor with proper documentation (e.g., note

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 from a healthcare professional, court official, funeral director) explaining the reason for
your absencesorry, no exceptions.
2. Homework Assignments. Beginning in week 2, a weekly homework assignment will be
posted in InQuizitive, the online quiz tutorial that accompanies your textbook. The
assignment will be posted by 5pm on Thursday and be closed at 9am on Monday morning.
Thirteen of these assignments will be posted over the course of the semester. You must
complete 10 of them by the Monday deadline, for a total of 100 points toward your final
grade. Please note that these assignments are timed, and once the assignment has closed on
Monday morning, you will not be able to access it.
a. Extra Credit Options. This syllabus has a built-in option for extra credit; you may
earn up to an additional 20 points of extra credit by completing more than the
minimum 10 InQuizitive assignments. Just keep in mind that once InQuizitive
assignments close, you will not be able to access them. Therefore, if you think you
might benefit from extra credit assignments, you should plan to take advantage
of this opportunity early in the semester, and complete as many of the
InQuizitive assignments as possible.

Grading
I do not grade on a curve, which means that you will earn the grade you receive based on your
scores on individual assignments, and that you will be able to assess your progress at any time
during the semester. You will earn the grade for this course that corresponds with the following
point distribution:
A 940 points + C 740-769 points
A- 900-939 points C- 700-739 points
B+ 870-899 points D+ 670-699 points
B 869-840 points D 640-669 points
B- 800-839 points D- 600-639 points
C+ 770-799 points F 599 points or less

Academic Honesty
I expect all students in this course to be familiar with the Universitys policies on academic honesty
and integrity. For more information about the Universitys policies, please see
http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/academic-integrity-policy/. Lack of familiarity with the
policies will not excuse failure to comply with them. Cheating or plagiarism will result in an
automatic failing grade for that assignment, and written reports to the dean of your school or
college and to Office of Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution (OSCCR). They may (at their
discretion) take further disciplinary action.

Accommodations
Please let me know (the earlier the better) if you need any special accommodations in the
curriculum, instruction, or evaluation procedures in order to enable you to participate fully.
Northeastern provides a number of academic resources to support students. For more information
on any of these resources, contact your academic advisor or visit the MyNEU Academic Guide at
http://www.advising.neu.edu/. If you have difficulty obtaining course materials, especially the
textbook, please come and talk with me as early as possible in the semester.

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Expectations

What you may expect of me:
1. Office hours. My office is in Renaissance Park Room 934, and my regularly scheduled office
hours are Mondays from 4:00-5:00 pm and Wednesdays from 1:30-3:00 pm. Tibrine has
office hours on Mondays after class, from 11:45-12:45 pm.
a. We understand that everyone is busy, and if our regular office hours conflict with
your class, work, or athletic schedules, we are more than happy to arrange an
alternative, mutually convenient meeting time.
2. Extra Credit Assignments. This syllabus has a built-in option for extra credit; you may
earn up to 20 points of extra credit by completing more than 10 assignments in InQuizitive.
My view on extra credit is that it is only fair if it is made available to all students equitably at
the outset of the semester. I cannot unfairly privilege some students who approach me
individually asking for extra credit opportunities later in the semester. If you think you may
benefit from extra credit, you should plan accordingly and avail yourself of the opportunity
to do so by tackling the InQuizitive assignments early in the semester.
3. E-mail and telephone communication. The best way to contact me outside of class is via
e-mail (l.senier@northeastern.edu). Generally speaking, you may expect a reply within 24
hours.
What I expect of you:
1. Attendance and participation. I do not take attendance regularly or count it as a portion
of your grade. My general philosophy is that I assume everyone in this class is an adult who
can make their own choices about attending class. I also find that attendance is a poor
proxy for attention, and that presence in the classroom does not necessarily signify that
students are engaging thoughtfully and critically with the material. That being said, I can
assure you that the lectures do build upon each other, meaning that irregular attendance
will compromise your understanding of the material and your success on the exams and
homework assignments. To be clear if it is your goal to earn a high grade in this class, I
encourage you to attend and participate regularly!
2. Blackboard. I will post a PDF of the material covered in lectures to Blackboard at the end
of each week. You will quickly find, however, that my slides often have a mix of photos or
illustrations with minimal text, which means that downloading slides from Blackboard and
reading them is not a substitute for attending lecture, paying attention, and taking notes. If
you miss a class (for whatever reason), it is your responsibility to obtain notes from a
classmate. While I am happy to meet with you in office hours to discuss the course material,
do not expect me (or my TA) to recreate lectures during office hours.
3. Classroom courtesy. Arrive on time. Turn off your cell phone. Be respectful.
a. A note on use of electronic devices: If you must use your laptop to take notes,
please refrain from viewing materials unrelated to the class. Although you may
think you are being discreet, its profoundly distracting to other students if you are
checking your brackets or shopping for shoes.
4. Assignments. All homework assignments will be accessed and completed via InQuizitive.
No exceptions.
5. That by the end of the semester, you will have helped me understand the popularity of the
Bachelor and the Bachelorette. This is a group assignment.

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Required Readings

There is one required text for this course (You May Ask Yourself, Fifth Edition, by Dalton Conley)
available at the Curry bookstore. You can also purchase an e-book version from the publishers
website. Whichever option you choose (hard copy or e-book, purchase or rental), make sure you
also purchase access to InQuizitive, since you will need access to it to complete the homework
assignments.

Additional required articles will be made available via Blackboard.

So that you may participate fully in class discussions, you are expected to bring copies of the books
and readings to class.

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Reading Schedule
I may make changes to this schedule, if needed to accommodate the schedules of guest speakers or our progress through the material. Any
changes will be announced in class, posted on Blackboard, and broadcast via the class email list.

Week Dates Topic Readings
1 9/6 Introduction Conley 1
9/7 In-class exercise:
cancer as a sociological problem
2 9/11 Introduction
9/13 Methods Conley 2
9/14 Methods Redmond & Barret; van den Brink et al.
3 9/18 Methods Tilcsik, Pride & Prejudice
9/20 Culture Conley 3; Grazian, Girl Hunt; Miner, The Nacirema
9/21 Culture Klawiter, Racing for the Cure
4 9/25* Culture
9/27 Socialization Conley 4; Lareau, Invisible inequality
9/28 Socialization
5 10/2 Exam 1
10/4 Social Structure: Groups Conley 5
10/5 Social Structure: Groups Sherry Turkle, Connected, but alone? [TED talk]
6 10/6 NO CLASS: COLUMBUS DAY
10/11 Social Structure: Groups
10/12 Social Control Conley 6
7 10/16 Social Control
10/18 Class Inequalities Conley 7 & 10
10/19 Class Inequalities
8 10/23 Exam 2
10/25 Gender Conley 8; Hatton & Trautner, Rolling Stones covers
10/26 Gender Kimmel, Guyland
9 10/30 Gender Lindy West, If you cant say anything nice [This American Life podcast]
11/1 Race & Ethnicity Conley 9; LeDuff, At a slaughterhouse, some things never die
11/2 Race & Ethnicity
10 11/6 Race & Ethnicity
11/8 Family Conley 12; Hochschild, The Nanny chain
11/9 Family Miller & Bui, Equality in marriage grows; Belkin, Mom & Dad share it all

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Week Dates Topic Readings
11 11/13 Health & Society Conley 11; ORourke, Whats wrong with me?
11/15 Health & Society
11/16 Health & Society Gawande, Overkill
12 11/20 Capitalism and State Power Conley 14 & 15
11/22 NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING BREAK
11/23 NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING BREAK
13 11/27 Capitalism and State Power
11/29 Science, Environment & Society Conley 17; McCright & Dunlap, Cool dudes; Nisbet, Climate change
11/30 Science, Environment & Society Sze, Toxic Soup Redux; Smith, No Such Thing As a Natural Disaster; Frickel,
Our Toxic Gumbo
14 12/4 Collective Action Conley 18; Majora Carter, Greening the Ghetto [TED talk]
12/6 Collective Action
*9/26 last day of add/drop

Final exam: date/time/location TBD