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SOC 201: Power & Politics

Dr. Alessandra Bazo Vienrich (Pronouns: She/her)


Email: albazovienrich@davidson.edu
9:40-10:55 am – Tuesdays & Thursdays: Chambers 2234
Office–– Preyer 202
Office hours–– Thursdays: 11am-1pm or by appointment

Syllabus
Description
Power and Politics introduces students to political sociology, and to the study of the production,
conservation and distribution of power. We are members of a democratic society: the political system is a
reflection of the social system and our collective construction of both legitimate authority and the just
exercise of power. For these reasons, the study of power and politics is important both as a way of gaining
useful knowledge and as a vehicle for deepening one’s understanding of political sociological theory.

Requirements
As a course focusing on the social dynamics necessary to the construction of power and authority in the
US and worldwide, the course counts as an elective in the Sociology major. And as a course employing a
systematic analysis of qualitative, quantitative and/or ethnographic information drawn from the human
world, SOC 210 satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.

Learning Outcomes
SOC 210 enables students to:
* Define power and analyze it empirically.
* Identify the different dimensions of power.
* Evaluate the presentation of the dimensions of power in current and historical contexts.
* Demonstrate the importance of authority legitimization in the existing power hierarchy.
* Infer potential applications of these theories in an increasingly globalized world.

Textbook and materials


Dobratz, Betty A., Lisa Waldner, and Timothy Buzzell. Power, Politics, and Society: An Introduction
to Political Sociology

All other readings will be posted on Moodle: https://moodle.davidson.edu/course/view.php?id=9587

Communicating outside class


Email is the best way to contact me outside of class times. I will do my best to respond to you within 24
hours. I am also available for in-person meetings on Thursdays between 11am and 1pm, or on
Wednesdays by appointment at https://albazovienrich.youcanbook.me. I encourage you to stop by
individually, in pairs, or in groups to chat about the class, Davidson, research projects or your next steps!

Components of Evaluation/Graded Assignments

Selected Reading Memo & In-class Discussion 15%


Foundational Review 10/17 – On Moodle 20%

1
Research Paper – 3 parts 30%
Final Review – During exam period (12/13-12/18) 25%
Participation 10%
Total – 100%

Details Regarding Graded Assignments

Selected Reading Memo & In-class Discussion – 15%


Students will submit a 2-3 page memo on a reading previously selected (the sign-up sheet will be
passed around in class on Thursday, August 29th). The same students will be responsible for
leading in-class discussion on that selected reading. Guidelines on how to facilitate in class
discussion and a rubric for the memo are on Moodle. On most days we will have two student
discussants, on some days we may have one.

Foundational Review – 20%


The first review is “take-home” and will be available on Moodle. It will consist of 3 essays on
anything covered in weeks 1-6. Students are required to take the review alone, without books,
notes, or the help of the internet. The time limit for this review is 1.5 hours.

Research Paper – 30%


For this course, students will prepare a three part research paper. Each part will build on its predecessor
with the goal of completing this course with a solid research proposal on a topic in political sociology.
Students should ask a question about the Role of the State, Social Processes, Revolution and War,
Criminality and Criminalization, Political Participation, Social Movements, or Globalization. I am
available to help students develop a specific topic of inquiry.

Part I – Introduction and Statement of Research – 10% – October 8


Students will prepare a 3-4 page paper that includes an Introduction to the research, outlines the pertinent
areas of Literature Review, and presents a preliminary Research Question.

Part II – Literature Review – 10% – November 7


Using the outline included in Part I, students will prepare an original 8-10 page Literature Review that
situates their Research Question within the current sociological scholarship. They will explore the
Introduction and Preliminary Research Question from Part I to reflect the new Literature Review –
turning in a total of 11 to 14 pages for Part II of their research paper.

Part III – Hypotheses, Preliminary Methods and Contributions – 10% – November 26


Using their Literature Review and Preliminary Research Question, students will develop finalized
Research Questions and Hypotheses. Students will then develop a preliminary Methodology, identifying
ways in which the Research questions could be investigated, and Hypotheses confirmed or rejected. Part
III should also include the explicit contributions that this research would make to the existing scholarship.
Part III requires approximately 3-4 pages of original writing in Hypotheses, Methods and Contributions
and should be submitted with revised Introduction, Literature Review and Research Questions in a now
complete Research Paper of between 14-18 pages in length.

Final Review – 25%


The final review will be available during exam period. This is a take-alone with no books, notes
or internet exam, and will consist of 5 essays on anything covered in weeks 7-15. The final
review has a 3 hour time limit to complete 5 essays.

2
Grading
A 93-100 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 60-66
A- 90-92 B- 80-82 C- 70-72 F <60
B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69

Honor Code
Please refer to http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x8875.xml regarding THE HONOR CODE and THE
CODE OF RESPONSIBILITY. All students are expected to uphold these codes. You are allowed and
encouraged to work together throughout the semester, collaborating to understand readings and to study
for exams together. However, all work on exams and the research paper must be your own.

Attendance Policy
In line with the college’s attendance policy, students who miss 25% of course work, or 4.5 weeks, will
automatically get an F. In addition, students are allowed to miss 3 classes without penalty and will lose
one point from their final grade for any additional absences.

Diversity Statement
I am committed to creating a climate of mutual respect and full participation for all students, from all
backgrounds, with all of the various skills and perspectives that each of you bring to our classroom. I am
humbled and honored to be a member of an institution in which this commitment is shared and supported.
Our goal is to create learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and welcoming. If there
are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or accurate
assessment or achievement, please let me know.

The college welcomes requests for accommodations related to disability and will grant those that
are determined to be reasonable and maintain the integrity of a program or curriculum. To make
such a request or to begin a conversation about a possible request, please contact the Office of
Academic Access and Disability Resources, which is located in the Center for Teaching and
Learning in the E.H. Little Library: Beth Bleil, Director, bebleil@davidson.edu, 704-894-2129; or
Alysen Beaty, Assistant Director, albeaty@davidson.edu, 704-894-2939. It is best to submit
accommodation requests within the drop/add period; however, requests can be made at any time
in the semester. Please keep in mind that accommodations are not retroactive

Classroom Etiquette
I value your presence and encourage you to come to class often and on time. If you are not in class you
will fall behind and this may affect your academic performance and grade in the class. Please don’t talk
when I or another student is speaking. This is disrespectful and discourages others from maintaining a
respectful classroom environment. You are welcome to take notes as you wish, but do so with self-
knowledge and caution. When you are in class, as in life, be present.

I reserve the right to change the syllabus and class schedule if necessary.
If this is the case, an announcement will be made in class, on moodle, and via email.
Remember that the course syllabus provides a general plan for the course;
deviations may occur.

Week 1: Aug. 27th & 29th

8/27: Introduction to the course


8/29: Read chapter 1
Read “Political Sociology in the New Millenium” by Alexander M. Hicks, Thomas Janoski, and
Mildred A. Schwartz (moodle)

3
Questions to consider: What is Power?

Week 2: Sep. 3rd & 5th


9/3: Read chapter 2
Read “State Bureaucracy” by Oscar Oszlak (moodle)

Student discussant: “State Bureaucracy”

9/5: Read “Bringing the State Back In” by Theda Skocpol (moodle)
Read “Paradigms of Relations Between State and Society” by Robert Alford (moodle)

Student discussant: “Bringing the State Back in: Strategies of Analysis in Current Research”
Student discussant: “Paradigms of Relations Between State and Society”

Questions to consider: Where did the nation state, as we know it, come from?

Week 3: Sep. 10th & 12th


9/10: Read chapter 3
Read “Measuring The Effects Of Televised Political Advertising In The United States” by
Kenneth Goldstein and Travis N. Ridout (moodle)

Student Discussant: “Measuring The Effects Of Televised Political Advertising In The United States”

9/12: Read “Ideas, Politics, and Public Policy” by John Campbell (moodle)
Read “What is Ideology” by John Levi Martin (moodle)

Student discussant: “Ideas, Politics, and Public Policy”


Student discussant: “What is ideology”

Questions to consider: What is the connection between the state, politics, and everyday life (culture)?

Week 4: Sep. 17th & 19th


9/17: In class overview of weeks 1-3
Read chapter 4
Read “Student Loan Relief Programs: Implications for Borrowers and the Federal Government”
by Wenhua Di and Kelly Edmiston (moodle)

Student Discussant: “Student Loan Relief Programs: Implications for Borrowers and the Federal
Government”

9/19: In class screening of “American Autumn: The Occupy Movement”

Questions to consider: How does capitalism relate to the state and civil society?
Where did the welfare state come from, and what kinds are there?

Week 5: Sep. 24th & 26th


9/24: Read “Politics and Economic Stratification: Power Resources and Income Inequality in the
United States” by David Jacobs and Jonathan C. Dirlam (moodle)
Read “Welfare Reform: How do we Measure Success?” by Daniel T. Lichter and Rukamalie
Jayakody (moodle)

4
Student Discussant: “Welfare Reform: How do we Measure Success?”

Questions to consider: Who are the “elites” and “rulers,” and how would we know?

9/26: Read chapter 5


Read “What’s Left Unsaid? In-group Solidarity and Ethnic and Racial Differences in Opposition
to Immigration in the United States” by Mathew Creighton and Alessandra Bazo Vienrich
(moodle)
Read “Learning to be Illegal: Undocumented Youth and Shifting Legal Contexts in the Transition
to Adulthood” by Roberto G. Gonzales (moodle)

Student discussant: “Learning to be Illegal: Undocumented Youth and Shifting Legal Contexts in
the Transition to Adulthood”

Questions to consider: How do politics play a role in society’s main institutions?


What are some ways in which immigration and race intersect and how are these
shaped by the state?

Week 6: Oct. 1st & 3rd


10/1: Chapter 5 discussion continued

10/3 Review of weeks 3-6

Week 7: Oct. 8th & 10th

*Research Paper Part I due on Moodle (Tuesday)

10/8: No class- professor at a conference–– use the extra time to work on Part I of research paper
10/10: Review of weeks 1-6

Week 8: Oct. 17th

10/15: No Class (Fall Break)


10/17: Foundational Review-- on weeks 1-6 (available on Moodle)

Week 9: Oct. 22 & 24th


10/22: Read Chapter 6
Read “Debating Group Structure: How Local, Translocal, and National Voluntary Organizations
Promote Democracy” by Melissa K. Miller (moodle)
Read “Graffiti as a Form of Contentious Political Participation” by Lisa K. Waldner and Betty A.
Dobratz (moodle)

Student discussant: “Graffiti as a Form of Contentious Political Participation”

10/24: Read “Nonprofits and the Promotion of Civic Engagement: A Conceptual Framework for
Understanding the “Civic Footprint” of Nonprofits within Local Communities” by Micheal
L. Shier, Femida Handy, and Lindsey M. McDougle (moodle)

5
Student discussant: “Nonprofits and the Promotion of Civic Engagement: A Conceptual Framework for
Understanding the “Civic Footprint” of Nonprofits within Local Communities”

Questions to consider: What are some forces of exclusion/discrimination in democratic society?


How do characteristics like class, gender, and race impact political behavior?

Week 10: Oct. 29th & 31st


10/29: Read chapter 7
Read “The Sweet Enchantment Of Color-blind Racism In Obamerica” By Eduardo
Bonilla-silva And David Dietrich (moodle)

Student Discussant: “The Sweet Enchantment of Color-Blind Racism in Obamerica”

Questions to consider: How is political participation used to enact power/ a form of power?
How has social media changed political participation?

10/31: Read “6 Million Votes: State-Level Estimates of Felony Disenfranchisement, 2016” by


Christopher Uggen, Ryan Larson, and Sarah Shannon (moodle)

Read “Citizenship, Democracy, and the Civic Reintegration of Criminal Offenders” by


Christopher Uggen, Jeff Manza and Melissa Thompson (moodle)

Student Discussant: Citizenship, Democracy, and the Civic Reintegration of Criminal Offenders
Student discussant: 6 Million Votes: State-Level Estimates of Felony Disenfranchisement, 2016

Questions to consider: When should voting be stripped from citizens? Should only U.S. citizens be
allowed to vote? How do U.S. elections compare to international elections?

Week 11: Nov. 5th & 7th


11/5: Read chapter 8
Read “Movements, Countermovements, and the Structure of Political Opportunity” by
David S. Meyer and Suzanne Staggenborg (moodle)

Student Discussant: “Movements, Countermovements, and the Structure of Political Opportunity”

11/7: Read “Collective Identity and Social Movements” by Francesca Polletta1 and James M. Jasper
(moodle)

Student discussant: “Collective Identity and Social Movements”

*Research Paper Part II due (Thursday)

Week 12: Nov. 12th & 14th


11/12: Read chapter 9
Read “The Geometry of Terrorism” by Donald Black (moodle)
Read “Genocide as Social Control” by Bradley Campbell (moodle)

Student Discussant: “The Geometry of Terrorism”


Student Discussant: “Genocide as Social Control”

6
11/14: Read “Does State Failure Cause Terrorism? An Empirical Analysis (1999-2008)” by Bridget L.
Coggins (moodle)
Read “Terrorism Research: Past, Present, and Future”

Student Discussant: “Terrorism Research: Past, Present, and Future”

Week 13: Nov. 19th & 21st


11/19: Read chapter 10
Read “Regulating Immigration in a Global Age: A New Policy Landscape” by Saskia Sassen
Read Interview with Saskia Sassen on Globalization

Students Discussant: Interview with Saskia Sassen on Globalization

11/21: Read chapters from Cinzia Solari’s book, “On the Shoulders of Grandmothers: Gender,
Migration, and Post-Soviet Nation-State Building” by Cinzia Solari

Student Discussant: One chapter from Solari’s book (to be announced)

Week 14: Nov. 26 Overview


*Research Paper Part III due (Tuesday)

11/26: Review of weeks 7-14

11/28: No class (Thanksgiving)

Week 15: Dec. 3rd & 5th


Guest speaker: Cinzia Solari to discuss her book on nation-state and power

Week 16: Dec. 10th No class


Final Review during exam period

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