SOCIOLOGY1

ProfThomasB.Gold
Spring2012

446BarrowsHall;6424760
MW2:003:00155
Dwinelle tbgold@berkeley.edu

OfficeHours:Thursday2:154:15;signupsheetondoorof446Barrows

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Sociology1introducesmajorconcepts,theories,scholars,subfields,andresearchresultsofthisveryrich
anddiversesocialsciencediscipline.Wewilllearnwhatitmeanstothinksociologically,andhowthisdiffers
fromotherwaysofseeingtheworldaroundus.Wewilladoptaconstructivistapproachtothinkingaboutsocial
things,andwillemphasizethecrucialimportanceofinstitutionsinmediatingtherelationsbetweentheindividual
andthelargersociety.
Thefirstthreeweeksareprimarilyconceptual:wewilldiscusswhatSociologyisasadiscipline,what
sociologistsdo,howtheyseetheworld,whatyoucandowithadegreeinSociology,etc.Togetthroughthecourse,
itiscrucialtounderstandwhatitmeanstosay,asC.WrightMillsdoes,thatthesociologicalimaginationgrasps
theinterplayofbiographyandhistory,andthatitworkswiththedistinctionbetweenthepersonaltroublesof
milieuandthepublicissuesofsocialstructure.
Armedwiththeseinsights,wemovetosubstantiveareasofSociologywhereweapplysomewhatabstract
conceptstoexamplesofempiricalresearch.Thesesubstantiveunitsbuildfromthesocialconstructionoftheself
andsmallgroups,tolargergroupssuchasthefamilyandorganizations,andthentocollectivitiessuchas
economicclass,ethnicityandgender,allthewayuptothenationstateandthenglobalsociety.Wewillapplythe
samebasicwaysofseeingatalloftheselevels.Throughfrequentinternationalcomparisons,wewillseehow
similarinstitutionssuchasthefamily,andsocialfactssuchasethnicrelations,arestructuredandfunction
differentlyindifferentsocieties.
EverythingwedointhiscourseisimmediatelyrelevanttotheRealWorld.Studentsareexpectedtofollow
currentevents.Wewilllearnhowtoreadthemediaaswellasmoreacademicpublicationscritically,andhowto
writeusingsocialscienceconceptstoexplainsocialphenomena.
Thisisafastpacedintroductorysurveycoursewhichcondensesahugeamountofmaterialintooneterm;
depthissacrificedtobreadth.Thiscanbeverystimulatingbutalsofrustrating.Therewillbemanysuggestions
foradditionalcoursestotakeinourNo.1rankedDepartment,aswellasCalprofessorstospeakwithand
readingstodoonyourownontopicsyouwishtopursuemoredeeply.
Lectureandsectioncomplementeachother.Attendanceatbothisrequired.Lectureintroducesconcepts,
theories,controversies,differentpointsofview,examplesofresearchandinfluentialscholars,providescontext,
backgroundandinterconnectionsforassignedreadings,goesthroughsomeoftheassignedreadingsandpoints
outwhatismostimportantinthem,showshowtoapplyseeminglyabstractconceptstotheworldaroundus,and
offersthechancetointeractanddebatewiththeprofessorandotherclassmates.Apowerpointoutlinewillbe
providedforeverytopic.Insection,GraduateStudentInstructors(GSIs)reviewthelectureandassignedreadings
andutilizeavarietyofotheractivities,includingsectionspecificassignments,tohelpstudentsunderstandthe
materialandhowtoapplyit.GSIsholdseparateofficehours.Studentshavingproblemscomprehendingthe
materialormanagingtheirtimeshouldspeakwiththeGSIbeforethingsgetoutofhand.TheStudentLearning
Centerisanotherveryvaluableresourceforassistance.
Byregisteringforthiscourse,youacknowledgeandacceptthatyouhavereadthissyllabusandyouknow
thatattendanceatlectureandsectionisrequired,andthateverythinginbothlectureandsectionisfairgamefor
examinations.Thisincludesanyvideosshowninlectureorassignedforoutsideviewing,orguestspeakers.
Lecturewillbeginat2:10andendat3:00.Itisthestudentsresponsibilitytobeawareofanyassignmentsand
changestothesyllabuswhich,alongwithannouncementsandadditionalrequiredreadings,willbepostedonthe
coursebspacesite:soc1sp2012@bspace.berkeley.edu.Tardinessandabsencearenotacceptableexcusesfornot
knowingaboutthese.Somestudentshaveextremelyheavydemandsontheirtimeduetoextracurricular
commitments.ItistheirresponsibilitytonotifytheirGSIandtheprofessoraboutthisassoonaspossibleandto
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discusshowbesttoensuresuccessfulcompletionofallcourserequirementsontime.Studentswithdisabilities
shouldalsonotifytheprofessorandGSIassoonaspossibleaboutspecialneedssothatarrangementscanbe
madeexpeditiously.Studentswhomissthefirstlecturearestillresponsibleforknowingalloftheinformation
conveyedhere.
Alllectureswillbeconductedtopless,whichmeansthatlaptopsmaynotbeopenduringclass.Other
electronicdevicesmustalsobeturnedoffandputaway.
Thebreakdownofthefinalgradeisasfollows:twoclasswidewrittenassignmentsat10%each;inclass
midtermonMarch7(20%);cumulativefinalexam,May8,11:302:30,whichcoverstheentiresemester(40%);
andsectiongrade(whichincludesattendanceparticipation,andallsectionassignments)(20%). Exams
combinemultiplechoice,shortanswerandessayquestions.Plagiarismisaveryseriousoffenseandany
suspectedcaseswillbeinvestigatedquiteseriously,and,ifnecessary,reportedtotheOfficeofStudentAffairsfor
disposition.
Therearetworequiredbooks:LisaJ.McIntyre,ThePracticalSkeptic:ReadingsinSociology(5th
edition)andWesMoore,TheOtherWesMoore.McIntyresThePracticalSkeptic:CoreConceptsinSociology
(5thedition)isrecommended.ThereisalsoareaderavailableatCopyCentralonBancroft.Allassigned
readingsbelowwithan*areinthereader.
StudentswhohavealreadytakenSoc.3or3ACcannotreceivecreditforSoc.1.

UNITI:INTRODUCTION
Week1:January18:Introductiontothecourse
Requiredreading:LisaJ.McIntyre,ThePracticalSkeptic:ReadingsinSociology(5thed.),Ch.9,Miner,
(BodyRitualAmongtheNacirema)

Week2:January23,25:SociologyasaWayofSeeing
McIntyre,Ch.1(Mills,ThePromise),Ch.2(Coontz,HowHistoryandSociologyCanHelpTodays
Families

Week3:January30,February1:SeeingSociety
McIntyre,Ch.4(Davis,MenasSuccessObjectsandWomenasSexObjects),Ch.5(Gallagher,
MiscountingRace),Ch.Ch.6(McIntyre,DoingtheRightThing)
*HowardSchuman,SenseandNonsenseAboutSurveys
*EmileDurkheim,SocialOrderandControlViaCloseTies;TheExampleofSuicide

UNITII:SOCIALCONSTRUCTIONOFTHEINDIVIDUAL
Week4: February6,8:TheIndividualandSociety
McIntyre:Ch.8(KluckhohnQueerCustoms),Ch.10(Laz,ActYourAge),Ch11(Quinn,ThePower
andMeaningofGirlWatching),Ch.12(Anderson,TheCodeoftheStreets),Ch.14(Goffman,The
PresentationofSelfinEverydayLife)
*EmileDurkheim,TheDualismofHumanNatureanditsSocialConditions

Week5:February13,15:SocializationandDeviance
McIntyre,Ch.7(Meyer,IfHitlerAskedYoutoElectrocuteaStranger,WouldYou?Probably),Ch.16
(Zimbardo,ThePathologyofImprisonment),Ch.23(SchmidandJones,SuspendedIdentity),Ch.28
(Rosenhan,OnBeingSaneinInsanePlaces)
*MichelFoucault,Panopticism

Week6:February22:LifeCourse
WesMoore,TheOtherWesMoore,entire

****FIRST TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT DUE IN YOUR GSIS BOX IN 410

BARROWS BY 4:00 ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24****
Week7:February27,29:Family
*ArlieRussellHochschild,TheTimeBind:WhenWorkBecomesHomeandHomeBecomesWork
*JudithStacey,GayandLesbianFamiliesAreHere
*KathleenE.Hull,AnnMeier,andTimothyOrtyl,TheChangingLandscapeofLoveandMarriage

Week8:March5,7:FinishUp,Review,Midterm

*****IN-CLASS MID-TERM MARCH 9*****

UNITIII:INEQUALITY
Week9:March12,14:Stratification
McIntyre,Ch.32(Loewen,TheLandofOpportunity),Ch.33(Ehrenreich,NickelandDimed),Ch.
34(NewmanandLennon,TheJobGhetto)
*DavisandMoore,SomePrinciplesofStratification
*MarxandEngels,TheCommunistManifesto

Week10:March19,21:RaceandEthnicity
McIntyre,Ch.35(Feagin,Racism),Ch.36(Harlow,RaceDoesntMatter,But...),Ch.37(Kelley,
ConfessionsofaNiceNegro),Ch.38(Leung,TheModelMinorityMyth)
*EdwardE.Telles,MexicanAmericansandImmigrantIncorporation

Week11:March26,28:SPRING BREAK

Week12:April2,4:GenderandSexuality
McIntyre,Ch.19(Molotch,TheRestRoomandEqualOpportunity),Ch.25(Zimmer,HowWomen
ReshapethePrisonGuardRole),Ch.29(Armstrong,HamiltonandSweeney,SexualAssaultonCampus)
*DouglasHartmann,TheSanctityofSundayFootball:WhyMenLoveSports

****SECOND TAKE-HOME ASSIGMENT DUE IN YOUR GSIS BOX IN 410

BARROWS BY 4:00, FRIDAY APRIL 27****

UNITIV:INSTITUTIONS
Week13:April9,11:PoliticalInstitutions
*AlexisDeTocqueville,DemocracyinAmerica
*MaxWeber,PoliticsasaVocation
*RobertPutnam,BowlingAlone:AmericasDecliningSocialCapital

Week14:April16,18:DevelopmentandGlobalization
*BenjaminBarber,JihadVs.McWorld
*SamuelP.Huntington,TheClashofCivilizations
*SangmeeBak,McDonaldsinSeoul:FoodChoices,Identity,andNationalism
*ChrystiaFreeland,TheRiseoftheNewGlobalElite

Week15:April23,25:WrapUp,Review

***FINAL EXAM: TUESDAY MAY 8, 11:30-2:30***

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