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Sociology
 New Year for Rowan students takes them to Third World countries to volunteer | More Visiting Fulbright Scholars Aim to Make Computers Talk | More Prof. Jooh Lee Honored with Campbell Endowed Chair | More Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and Coriell Institute for Medical Research Build Educational Alliance | More The latest version of CLAS notes is available for download in the newsletters section. HONORS SOCIAL SCIENCE (220119001) Dr. Jay Chaskes TEXTS: Charon, Joel Ritzer, George Rubin,Lillian Websdale, Neil COURSE OBJECTIVES: TEACHING PHILOSOPHY: Learning to think and reason both critically and analytically are perhaps the most valuable skills a college student can acquire. If you learn to make sense out of masses of "facts" (often contradictory ones I might add) using ideas, concepts and hypotheses, then you are well on your way to becoming a skilled problem solver. This problem-solving skill is generic, i.e.; it can be applied to any situation throughout your life. This course is designed to help you further develop your analytical skills. This means I am going to ask you to reach out somewhat beyond the level of effort that you have come to expect from a college course. Don't be frightened! This extra effort involves more effort with respect to thinking and reasoning rather than reading and writing. Students do not seem to be disappointed, but rather seem pleasantly surprised at their ability to "go that extra mile" and know that they have earned the grade they received. I am not simply your instructor, charged with lecturing, giving exams and evaluating your work for a grade. I AM ALSO A RESOURCE TO BE USED FOR IMPROVING YOUR LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN THIS CLASS. I am a source of information, a sounding board for your ideas, and a source of answers for your questions. You may make use of my resource function both in class and during my office hours. This is my obligation as your instructor, although I do this simply because I really enjoy doing it. I believe that the classroom experience is a cooperative effort between the instructor and the students. I find that my students' ideas, comments and questions sharpen my own critical and analytical skills, and make me re-examine, re-evaluate and modify what I present in class. If professors are doing their job properly, they are also functioning as students! So this class is, for me, a cooperative venture in which we can all help each other to be better students. THE CLASSROOM MUST BE A PLACE WHERE STUDENTS FEEL COMFORTABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS, MAKE COMMENTS, MAKE MISTAKES, AND ASK FOR HELP. Not only must students trust each other; they must come to trust their instructor who will, in the final analysis, evaluate their work for a grade. In addition to establishing rapport and respecting the dignity of each student, the professor must create a milieu in which students feel it is safe to make mistakes. Much of what we learn, we learn through some form of trial and error (It has been rumored that even this professor has made a wide variety of mistakes over the course of his life!). This milieu is created through the use of frequent consultation with me, multiple stage development of formal writing assignments, and the requirement for rewriting graded assignments. METHOD AND TYPE OF STUDENT EVALUATION: There will be several writing assignments. Many will be informal while others will be more formal. Written assignments are related to both your reading assignments and class discussion. Each of these assignments requires a thorough and "active" reading of the materials. Thinking is only "meta-analysis" until it is produced in written form. Only then can the student examine, weigh, and finally reformulate his or her ideas. This process requires the student to write and rewrite until the coherence, logic and literacy of the student's analytical statements are sufficiently compelling for others to ponder. This process of writing and rewriting is how all writers do their work, professors included! See "Rules for Formal Writing Exercises" elsewhere on this website. Some writing assignments are very brief informal exercises at the beginning of class that are meant to stimulate your thinking and focus your attention on the immediate topic of the class session. Some writing assignments fall in the category of "pre-writing" which are used to focus your attention on an upcoming formal writing assignment. These latter assignments, along with rough drafts of formal writing assignments, are shared with other members of the class as well as with me. Sharing these assignments allows us to help each other become better writers and critical thinkers. All exercises will be in essay form. All of them will be short, but formal assignments will be rewritten. Both the texts and the lectures are crucial to successfully completing these assignments. Both originals and rewrites will be graded. The grade for each of these assignments will be a weighted average of the original and the rewrite, 60% and 40% respectively. Your final grade will be determined as an average of the grades (weighted averages) of all the writing assignments. How this average is to be calculated will be determined by all class participants at the end of the semester. In addition, class attendance is also a criterion for assigning a final grade. Sociology majors and coordinate sociology majors must take this course under the traditional A/F grading system. All others may select the P/NC grading system within the boundaries as specified in your Student Handbook. I will ask students (those eligible) to make their choice before the first assignment is given. After the first assignment has been distributed, you may not change it. Incomplete will only be given under the most unusual circumstances and only after consultation with me. Do not assume I will ipso facto give you an IN if all your work is not completed. In addition, you will be asked to keep a journal. The purpose of the journal is for us to have a “silent dialog” about what you are reading and how those readings contribute to your understanding of the sociological perspective. The writing style here is more informal and thus you will not be held to the same standards of literacy demanded for formal writing assignments. Journals will be collected periodically during the semester. See “Guidelines for Keeping a Journal” located elsewhere on this website. ATTENDANCE AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS: The attendance policy for this course is simple; your attendance is required. I will frequently take attendance throughout the semester in order to learn your names and for administrative reasons. My lectures and discussions augment your reading assignments. Both the lectures and the reading assignments are crucial if you expect to successfully master the requirements of the writing exercises. Therefore, IT IS IN YOUR OWN BEST INTEREST TO BOTH ATTEND CLASSES REGULARLY AND TO COMPLETE THE READING ASSIGNMENTS WHEN THEY ARE DUE. I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LOWER A STUDENT’S FINAL GRADE WHEN THAT STUDENT EXHIBITS A PATTERN OF EXCESSIVE AND/OR UNEXPLAINED ABSENCES. If you have any problems with this class (or with anything else for that matter), I encourage you to see or phone me. If my office hours conflict with your schedule, we can find a time that is mutually convenient. I am NEVER too busy to find time for my students. Although arriving late for class can occur, I take a dim view of this practice when it becomes habitual. I personally find it very disruptive to the class dynamics. I expect you to be in class on time, and you should expect me to do likewise! This is a sign of mutual respect. In addition, once class begins, I expect you to stay in class until the period has ended. Leaving your seat during class is also very disruptive and disrespectful to other students as well as to me. If you have a special need to leave before the period ends, please see me before class. The row of seats nearest the door is reserved for those whom come late or must leave early. TOPIC OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS: JC - Charon 1. How sociologists think about and study society 2. Social reality and social structure: from micro to macro 3. - Inequality and the roots of social misery 4. Gender, intimacy and family: an analysis of intense interaction 5. Sociological research: unraveling the mystery of domestic homicide 6. Politics, economics and the global market place: Using the sociological imagination The following are important dates: Monday, March 13th Spring Break Begins |
