Course Description:

This course offers hands-on expefience using personal computers and U.S. census data to analyze the social trends and patterns that are at the heart of much of sociological research. In addition, the course prondes an overview of the discipline of sociology: its questions, concepts, methods of analysis, and ways of looking at the world. Our focus will be on issues facing contemporary American society. We wiU investigate the connections between self and society, private troubles and public issues, deviance and normality, order and conflict, and continuity and change. We wiU explore the social structures and processes that shape our everyday lives and define what it is to be hu nan in this place and time. Some of the topics we wiU consider include: identity construction and transformation, the power of cultural nones and ideologies; socialization processes; the rationalization of American society; changes in the organization of work and economy; class and power in American society; race in America; the effects of growing up male or female; sexuality and intimacy; trends in family life; the effects of divorce on children and adults; poverty, welfare, and underclass communities; and, grassroots attempts at social change in American society. We will study both the historical roots and the current forms of these social phenomena and explore the connections among social structure, culture, and human behavior.

For the computer projects, you will use StudentChip software and data from the 1950 to 1990 U.S. Censuses to investigate how our society has changed in the last forty years. Drawing on sociological concepts, theories, and research presented in class and in the readings, you will build your own arguments for the reasons behind the changes that you have uncovered. The computer projects and readings will explore questions such as:

Who has access to higher EDUCATION? Are there race and gender differences in educational attainment and in the return to education? Has there been educational inflation that has devalued the worth to a given amount of education? Do race and gender affect the worth of education? Is education a vehicle of social mobility, as human capital theorists maintain, or a reproducer of existing inequalities in our society, as conflict theorists assert?

How important are birth cohorts and their relative size? What happens when an exceptionaUy large or especiaUy smaU cohort passes through a society's institutions (e.g., its schools, labor market, and nursing homes)? Does generation matter in predicting behanor and beliefs? Why do those seUing coffee, jeans or political candidates need to be concerned about not only age, but also BIRTH COHORT in predicting future markets for their products?

Are men's and women's experiences becoming more similar over time? Does GENDER stiU matter in access to postgraduate education, high-status occupations, high incomes, and in family divisions of labor? How sex-segregated are jobs today versus in the 1940s? What's happening to the gender composition of occupations such as medicine and law, two occupations that Americans have long accorded high prestige? What explains the relative power of women and men?


What has been happening to the LIVING ARRANGEMENTS of Americans? What factors explain recent trends in cohabitation, marriage, divorce, and remarriage? In single-person households, single-parent families, and step-families? What implications does this have for children? for adults?

Does RACE still matter, as Cornell West asks in his recent book by that title or is it true, as the majority of white Americans believe, that African Americans as a group fare as well or better than white Americans? Have political mobilization by people of color, greater access to higher education, anti-discrimination law, and affirmative action programs reduced or eliminated many of the racial differences that have so long been a cornerstone of American society?

Most Americans describe our country as a "middle class society," a description that does not conjure up images of extreme WEALTH AND POVERTY. What does the distribution of income and wealth look like in the U.S.? In the last forty years have we become a more equal or less equal society? What factors are important in explaining these trends? Who's poor and who's rich in American society?

The popular media is awash with stories about "the Browning of America." Most Americans estimate that a quarter of our population is African American. What, in fact, is the current racial and ethnic distribution of the U.S. population? Popular movements have arisen in states such as California, Texas, and Arizona to restrict the largely Asian and lIispanic immigration to those states. Is immigration on the rise? What are the characteristics of those immigrating to the U.S.? What effects has this IMMIGRATION from Asia and Latin America had on the internal population movements of native-born Americans?

Class Meetings: 9:00 - 9:50 pm MTWTh
CLASSTIME DISCUSSIONS/LECTURES: 204 Asbury, Mondays and Wednesdays

DATA ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATIONS/PRACTICUMS: 112 Julian, usually on Tues.

HANDS-ON LABS: Prevo Computer Lab, typically on Thursdays
MEDIA DAYS: lMS Media Classroom, lower level of Roy O. West library
HEARING OTHER VOICES: 2 evening classes; places and times to be announced
WRAP-UP LAB: My house, Thurs. Dec. S, 7pm

Because we are doing a variety of activities from discussion of sociological research and theory to data analysis practicums to hands-on work on computers to media presentations, we will meet in different locations. Be sure to check the syllabus and note classtime announcements so you know where we are meeting on a particular day.

Office Hours:

My office is on the 3rd floor of Asbury Hall, in room 331. If the listed hours are inconvenient, we can set up another time to meet. I don't mind being called at home and you don't need a crisis or low grade to be welcome.

Mondays 1:15-3:1S p.m.

Wednesdays 1:15-3:15 p.m.

Readings for the Course:

Nancy Davis and Robert Robinson, eds., Sociological Perspectives on American Society,
2nd
ea., Ginn Press, 1996.
Frank Furstenberg, Jr. and Andrew Cherlin, Divided Families: What Happens to Children
When Parents Part. Harvard University Press, 1991.
James Henslin, ed., Down to Earth Sociology: Introductory Readings, 8th ea., Free Press,
1995
George Ritzer, The McDonaldization of Societv, Revised edition. Pine Forge Press,
1996.
Zeta Data, StudentCHIP for IBM-DOS (FreyCen D version), 1996 (this software is
available
in 329 Asbury, the Sociology & Anthropology main office, for $6)

Course Expectations:

Because each person in a class contributes to its success (or failure), I expect everyone to attend our class meetings, read and think about the day's readings, work on the in- class projects, and participate in the give and take of class discussion. Over the course of the semester, there will be a) five computer projects done with a partner and a dasstime presentation of the results of one of those;' b) a research paper done individually that involves your ovrn analysis of data and use of research by other sociologists; and c) three exams that cover the assigned readings and material discussed in class, practicums, labs, and videos. Two hour blocks of time have been set aside for the exams to give you enough time with them. The exams will count 20% each toward the final grade as will the computer projects/presentation and the research paper. Makeup exams will be given only under compelling circumstances and if you contact me before the exam.

First Exam: Tues. Oct. 1, 8:00-9-50 am
Second Exam: Weds. Nov. 6, 9:00-10:SOam
Research Paper: Tues. Dec. 3
Final Exam: Mon. Dec. 16, 9:00-noon

Computer Projects:

No advanced experience with computers is needed. The Student CHIP software is quite user-friendly. For the most part, it is a menu-driven program that presents you with choices as you go along. I will give you handouts explaining its basic features as well as go over procedures, terminology, and information about data analysis techniques in the data analysis demonstrations. During data analysis practicu ns and the hands-on labs, you can practice these techniques and I can offer help if you get stuck. All you need to operate the program is the Student CHIP floppy disk and an IBM-compatible computer. There are 32 IBM-compatible terminals in the Prevo Computer Lab on the first floor of the Julian Center, 21 in the Roy 0. West word processing lab in the lower level of the library, and some in the residence halls, or some of you may have your own personal computer that is IBM-compatible (Mac's are not). The only other supply needed is a protractor to construct pie charts.

At the end of the semester, you should understand how sociologists operationalize abstract concepts into variables; the difference between an independent and a dependent variable, how to construct a hypothesis; why control variables are important; the difference between causal and spurious relationships; the distinction between cohort and age effects; how to construct and interpret tables, bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs; how to recognize when authors are distorting statistical information through biased samples, faulty analysis, or misleading presentation of data; and,the ethical issues involved in conducting research. These are important understandings and skills for any citizen to have as well as required in a variety of professions where information-processing is a central component of the job.

Course Outline:

This outline will give you an idea of how the course will unfold. Readings should be done by dasstime on the day that they are listed in the syllabus. This will give everyone in our class a chance to express a reaction to these readings. Sometimes I may ask you to do free writing (unpressionistic writing) on the day's readings to help you organize your ideas before discussing them in class.

W1. INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE AND TO SOCIOLOGY (Thurs. Aug. 29)

Computer-use survey

THEORIES OF CULTURE: Cannibals and Sacred Cows (Fri. Aug. 30)

"Part I: The Sociological Perspective" Pp. 1-26 in Henslin (indudes articles 1-3 by Peter Berger, James Henslin, and C. Wright Mills)

Marvin Harris, "The Cannibal Kingdom" Excerpt from Cannibals and Kings. Pp. 9-16 in Davis and Robinson.

W2. DOING SOCIOLOGY: Looking for Hidden Meanings, Multiple Meanings, and Order in the Seemingly Unordered (Mon. Sept. 2)

Douglas Foley, "The Great American Football Ritual" Article 38 in Henslin.

DATA ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATION: What StudentChip Can Do (Tues. Sept. 3 in 112 Julian)

StudentChip reference materials.

PRESENTING THE SELF; Taking on Roles (Weds. Sept. 4)

Rose Weitz, "Coping vrith AIDS," Article 25 in Henslin.

Peter Conrad, "Learning to Doctor: Reflections on Medical School" Article 39 in Henslin.

Jennifer Hunt, "Police Accounts of Normal Force" Article 40 in Henslin reader.

HANDS-ON LAB: Accessing StudentChip, Opening Directories and Files, Checking Population and Variable Specifications (Thurs. Sept. 5 in Prevo Computer Lab)

Review StudentChip reference materials.

W3. THE POWER OF SOCIAL LABELS (Mon. Sept. 9)

William J. Cha nbliss, "The Saints and the Roughnecks," Artide 24 in Henslin. David Rosenhan, "On Being Sane in Insane Places" Article 27 in Henslin.

DATA ANALYSIS PRACTICUM: Constructing Variables and Hypotheses; Distinguishing Causality from Correlation (Tues. Sept. 10 in 112 Julian)

James Henslin, "Doing Sociological Research" and "How Sociologists Do Research" Pp. 2742 in Henslin.

MEDIA DAY: "Obedience" (Weds. Sept. 11, in the IMS classroom, lower level of Roy O. West)

Eric Markusen, "Genocide in Cambodia" Article 34 in Henslin.

NORMS, IDEOLOGIES, AND SANCTIONS: Doing the Unthinkable (Thurs. Sept. 12)

James IIenslin, "The Survivors of the F-227" Artide 23 In Henslin. Mark Dowie, "Pinto Madness" Pp. 183-96 in Davis and Robinson.

W4. CREATING DEVIANCE: Cocaine Dealers and Urban Gangs (Mon. Sept. 16)

Martin Jankowski, "islands in the Street: Urban Gangs" Pp. 225-47 in Davis and
Robinson.
Sheigla Murphy et al. "Drifting into Dealing: Becoming a Cocaine Seller" P. 207
24 in Dans and Robinson.

DATA ANALYSIS PRACTICUM: How to Percentage a Table_Across, Down? How to Detennine if a Group is Under- or Over-Represented (Tues. Sept. 17 in 112 Julian)

CONTROLLING DEVIANCE: Curtailing Arrogance and Panic (Weds. Sept. 18)

Norris Johnson, "Fire in a Crowded Theater" Article 21 in Henslin. Richard Lee, "Eating Christmas in the Kalahari" Article 22 in IIenslin.

HANDS-ON LAB: Constructing Tables (Thurs. Sept. 19 in Prevo Computer Lab)

W5. SOCIALIZATION AND THE REPRODUCTION OF CULTURE: The Role of Schools (Mon. Sept. 23)

EIarry Gracey, "Learning the Student Role: Kindergarten as Academic Boot Camp" Article 35 in Henslin. Joseph Tobin et al., "Socialization in Three Cultures: A Difficult Child in a Japanese Preschool" in Davis and Robinson.

DATA ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATION: CoUapsing Variables; Constructing Tables with Controls (Tues. Sept. 24 in 112 Julian)

TRENDS IN AMERICAN EDUCATION: Has educational inflation occurred? Do inequalities persist? (Weds. Sept. 25)

COMPUTER PROJECT 1 DUE in class; Student Presentation on Trends in

Education

Jonathan Kozol, "Savage Inequalities" Artide 30 in Henslin.

HANDS-ON LAB: Modifying Variables; Constructing 3-Way Tables (Thurs. Sept. 26 in Prevo Computer Lab)

W6. DATA ANALYSIS PRACTICUM: Following a Cohort through Tiine (Mon. Sept. 30)

FlRST EXAM: Tues. Oct. 1, 8:00-9:50 am in 204 Asbury

HANDS-ON LAB: Constructing Side-by-Side and Stacked Bar Graphs (Thurs. Oct. 3 in Prevo Computer Lab)

W7. DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN AMERICA: Baby Booms, Baby Busts, the Aging of U.S. Society, and Generational Struggles (Mon. Oct. 7)

COMPUTER PROJECT 2 DUE in class; Student Presentation on Cohort

Imbalances and Aging Populations

Landon Jones, "Introduction: The Pig and the Python" Pp. 3-8 in Davis and Robinson.

Arlie Hochschild, "Communal Lifestyles for the Elderly" Article 20 in Henslin.

HEARING OTHER VOICES: Gay and Lesbian Speakers (Evening Class, Tues. Oct. 8, 7pm in 204 and 220 Asbury)

CONSTRUCTING SEXUALITlES AND INTIMACY: Historical Shifts in the Conceptualization of Sexuality, Love, and Marriage (Weds. Oct. 9)

Lawrence Stone, "Sex in the West: The Strange History of Human Sexuality" Pp. 155-64 in Davis and Robinson.

James Stoddard, "Why Gay People Should Seek the Right to Marry" Pp. 165-68 in Dans and Robinson reader.

FALL BREAK: Thurs. Oct. 10-Sun. Oct. 15

W8. SOCIAL CLASS IN AMERICA: Stratifying by Wealth, Income, Social Honor, and Cultural Capital (Mon. Oct. 14)

G. William Domhoff, "The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats" Article 32 in Henslin.

Andrevv Hacker, "Who They Are: The Upper Tail" in Davis and Robinson.

RESPONSES BY THOSE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CLASS HIERARCHY (Tues. Oct. 1S)

James Coleman, "Diary of a Homeless Man" Article 17 in Henslin.

Willhm Thompson, "Hanging Tongues: A Sociological Encounter with the Assembly Line" Article 18 in IIenslin.

HEARING OTHER VOICES: Stephanie Rodriguez on her life as an abused wife and homeless mother (Evening class Weds. Oct. 16, time and location to be announced)

Kathleen Ferraro and John Johnson, "How Women Expefience Battefing: The Process of Victimization" Pp. 169-174 in Davis and Robinson.

GENDERED VIOLENCE: Rape, Domestic Assault, and other Forms of Intimate Violence (Thurs. Oct. 17)

Diana Scully and Joseph Marolla, "Riding The Bull at Gilley's: Convicted Rapists Describe the Rewards of Rape" Article 5 in Henslin.

Robert Edgerton, "Sick Societies" Artide 33 in Henslin.

W9. DOING GENDER: Constructing the Meaning of Being a Woman in Sororities and in Feminist Goddess Religions (Mon. Oct. 21)

Wendy Griffin, "The Embodied Goddess: Feminist Witchcraft and Female Divinity" Pp. 93-104 in Davis and Robinson.

Lisa Handler, "The Fraternal Sisterhood: Sororities as Gender Strategy" Pp. 1945-126 in Davis and Robinson.

DATA ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATION: Plotting Graphs and Lying with Graphs (Tues. Oct. 22 in 112 Julian)

Work on Computer Project 3.

CONVERGENCE OR CONTINUED DIVERGENCE IN THE LIVES OF WOMEN AND MEN? (Weds. Oct. 23)

COMPUTER PROJECT 3 DUE in class; Student Presentation on Jobs, Gender,

and Income

Arlie Hochschild and Anne Machung, "Men who Share the Second Shift" Article 36 in Henslin.

Nancy Ammerman, "Husbands and Wives in Fundamentalist Homes" Pp. 175-82 in Davis and Robinson.

HANDS-ON LAB: Constructing Line Graphs (Thurs. Oct. 24 in Prevo Computer Lab)

Work on Computer Project 4.

W10. MEDIA DAY: "When Abortion was Illegal" (Mon. Oct. 28 in lMS classroom)

ABORTION AS REFERENDUM ON TI1E MEANING OF WOMEN'S LIVES: The Conflicting Conceptualizations of Pro-Choice and Pro-Life Activists (Tues. Oct. 29)

Kristin Luker, "Worldview of the Activists" Pp. 7S-92 in Davis and Robinson.

THE CHANGING LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF AMERICANS: What's Happening to Age-at- Marriage, Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage? (Weds. Oct. 30)

COMPUTER PRC)JECT 4 DUE in class; Student Presentations on Trends in American Living Arrangements

Frank Furstenberg and Andrew Cherlin, Divided Families, ch 1-2.

DIVIDED FAMILIES: The Economic Consequences of Divorce for Children, Men, and Women (Thurs. Oct. 31)

Frank Furstenberg and Andrew Cherlin, Divided Families, ch 3.

W11. DIVORCE AND THE ADJUSTMENT OF CHILDREN (Mon. Nov. 4)

Frank Furstenberg and Andrew Cherlin, Divided Families, ch. 4-5.

DIVORCE, THE LAW, AND PUBLIC POLICY: Recent Changes and Proposals for the Future (Tues. Nov. 5)

SECOND EXAM: Weds. Nov. 6, 9-10:50 am in 204 Asbury

HANDS-ON LAB: Constructing Pie Charts from Tabular Data (Thurs. Nov. 7 in Prevo Computer Lab)

Bring a protractor with you.

W12. POVERTY IN AMERICA: De-Industrialization, Hypoghettoization, and Cultures of the Poor (Mon. Nov. 11)

Elijah Anderson, "The Code of the Streets" Pp. 43-54 in Davis and Robinson. EUiot Liebow, "Tally's Corner" Article 31 in lIenslin.

MEDIA DAY: "Another America: Poverty in Appalachia" (Tues. Nov. 12 in IMS Media Classroom)

STIGMATIZATION OF THE POOR: American Attitudes toward Poverty (Weds. Nov. 13)

Herbert Gans, "The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All" Article 29 in Henslin. Elijah Anderson, "Streetwise" Article 16 in Henslin.

RECENT CHANGES IN WELFARE POLICY AND LAW: Welfare Caps, Workfare, and Relocation of the Poor (Thurs. Nov. 14)

Work on Computer Project 5

W13. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF RACE (Mon. Nov. 18)

Karen Sacks, "How Did Jews Become White Folks?" Pp. 55-70 in Dans and Robinson.

MEDIA DAY: "Walking the Color Line" (Tues. Nov. 19 in IMS Media Classroom)

Langston Hughes, "That Powerful Drop" (handout)

THE CHANGING FACE OF AMERICAN SOCIETY: Trends in Immigration and the Racial- Ethnic Mix of the United.States (Weds. Nov. 20)

COMPUTER PROJECT 5 DUE in class; Student Presentations on race,
ethnicity, and immigration
William Frey and Jonathon Tilore, ''immigrants In, Native Whites Out" Pp. 71
74 in Davis and Robinson.
Richard Rodriguez, "Searching for Roots in a Changing World," Article 46 in
Henslin.

DATA ANALYSIS PRACTICUM: Lying with Statistics: The Use of Biased Samples (Thurs. Nov. 21 in 204 Asbury)

Stephen Jay Gould "The Finagle Factor" Pp. 26-30 in Davis and Robinson.

THANKSGIVING BREAK: Nov. 23 - Dec. 1

W14. DATA ANALYSIS PRACTICUM: Lying with Statistics: The Case of Averages (Mon. Dec. 2 in 204 Asbury)

Work on your research paper.

THE LENS OF RACE IN AMERICA: How Situations Get Defined (Tues. Dec. 3)

RESEARCH PAPERS DUE in class

Brent Staples, "Just Walk on By" Pp. 51-54 in Davis and Robinson. Peter Kramer, "A Rescue without Cheers" Pp. 4142 in Davis and Robinson. Thomas Szasz, "The Sane Slave" Pp. 197-206 in Dans and Robinson.

MEDIA DAY: "True Colors" (Weds. Dec. 4 in IMS Media Classroom)

WRAP-UP LAB: Talking Back to a Statistic (Evening Class at my house, 2696 Putnamville/Cemetery Road, Thurs. Dec. 5, 7pm)

W15. TI1E POWER OF SOCLAL PROCESSES: Rationalization in American Society (Mon. Dec. 9)

George Ritzer, The McDonaldization of Societv, ch 1 and 3-6.

THE IRRATIONALITY OF RATIONALITY: Living in an Iron Cage? (Tues. Dec. 10)

Arlie Hochschild, "The Managed IIeart: The Commercialization of Feeling" Pp. 143-54 in Davis and Robinson. George Ritzer, The McDonaldization of Societv, ch 7-8

MEDIA DAY: "CBS Documentary: Who's Getting Rich and Why Aren't You?" (Weds. Dec. 11 in IMS Media Classroom)

THE POWER OF HUMAN AGENCY: Fighting Back against Bureaucratization and De- Humanization (Thurs. Dec. 12)

David Osborne, "They Can't Stop Us Now" Pp. 120-26 in Davis and Robinson. George Ritzer, The McDonaldization of Society, ch 10.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Monday December 16, 9am-noon in 204 Asbury