On to the information…
Analytic Papers are due on Tuesday at the beginning of class. You are required to turn in your paper (which will include a reference page) and two sheets from the peer review. If you want your paper back, also include a self addressed, stamped envelope when you submit your paper.
Presentations. Your presentation can involved the use of handouts, visual aids or just your creative self. You will have about 3-4 minutes to present your paper. Essentially, tell us the social problem you discussed, the sociology you used, and what conclusions you drew from your project. This counts toward your participation grade not your paper.
Citations. You are required to follow the American Sociological Association’s citation format. There are several links here to guide you. If you have questions about citing, please post your question to the website. I will respond until Monday at 9pm.
Cal State
University of Kansas
Purdue University
Quotations. Quote judiciously. In discussing your social problem, it may be appropriate to quote a document, an expert, or one of your texts. However, think twice before using a quotation, if you can state the main point of the quote in your own words, citing appropriately, that’s the better way to go. When quotations are used sparingly they are more effective.
]]>Quiz 5: will cover Institutions (see posting from November 9), you should be able to define what an institution is, as well as provide some examples of institutions (i.e. economy, family, etc.) and what the institution does. You can expect to see a form of the grid that we completed last tuesday.
That grid contained: institution, status, roles, values, norms, social structure, and organizations. The addendum to the definition, an institution is an accepted and persistent constellation of statuses, roles, values, and norms that respond to important societal needs.
In addition, this quiz will cover deviance. You should know what it is, and that as a violation of norms there are these four points to remember:
1. Norms vary in seriousness
2. Norms vary across groups
3. Norms vary across time
4. Norms vary between subcultures
As usual you are responsible for knowing about the MSL readings.
Peer Review
Please bring 2 copies of your paper. The more complete your paper the more helpful this step will be. (Please do not use an incomplete paper as an excuse to miss class) Here is the peer review sheet if you'd like to take a look, I will bring copies of these to class.
Be sure to take a look at the About Writing posting.
Happy Thanksgiving!
]]>First, writing while seemingly a solitary process is actually social. The emphasis I place on writing is to make transparent (or more obvious) that writing is social, and to create a dialogue about writing, specifically your writing. The dialogue (or conversation) involves the writer (you) and the reader (me) and your classroom colleagues.
Second, writing and thinking go hand in hand. Clear thinking is demonstrated by clear writing, however clear writing cannot mask unclear thinking nor can unclear writing demonstrate clear thinking. Our writing reflects where we are in the thinking part, which is often not so clear – yet, the process of writing and thinking moves both aspects forward. It is the process of writing and thinking, thinking and writing that is essential. The writing and thinking can be helped through having others read drafts, outlines or even talking about our ideas. All of which you have done during this term. My undergrad advisor Lee Clarke, puts it this way “write, write, write, edit, edit, edit, share, share, share” (see Clarke's page ). I would say the order is write, edit, share, write, edit, share... but I think you get the idea.
Third, writing has moments of clarity and ease, as well as confusion and struggle. This aspect of writing is often the most frustrating, particularly if we have been fortunate to experience the clarity and ease part. This is why there are so many books about writing (Ann Lamott, Bird by Bird; Howard S. Becker, Writing for Social Scientists; Natalie Goldberg, Writing down the Bones, just to name a few), some more technically focused than others.
Importantly, the difficulty and frustration part of writing should not be confused with you or your abilities, try not to take it personally. Writing is a skill, an ongoing, ever improving skill – it is not a reflection of you as a person. This last point is the hardest to remember, because so much effort is often put into our writing. And anything less than success can feel like a personal failure, it’s not. Your writing is just that - writing, just like you learned how to tell time, and as frustrating as that could be (just look at kids struggle with it), which you may still have to figure out time zones and daylight savings, – but having eventually mastered time, you are now able to do many more things from this skill. Writing is similar, often frustrating, but a skill that will open up more possibilities.
]]> Having shared some philosophical issues about writing, here are those issues in practice:Feedback is an integral part of the writing dialogue. I will happily talk to you about your paper(s) and ideas, that’s how points one and two listed above are put into practice. If things are unclear, let’s figure out how to make things more clear. In particular, I understand that people learn differently and attempt to present methods that will address a variety of learning styles, if something doesn’t work for you let me know. The dialogue moves in both directions.
Revisiting and revising. The intention of Revisiting papers is to help think about the “big picture,” of how to better organize the ideas presented in a paper. Assignments and in-class activities are designed to facilitate a re-thinking about organization and ideas. Revising is an application of re-thinking a.k.a. “revisiting”, which means that the revisit should occur prior to the revision. Revising is always an option; most learning occurs through some form of doing. Since writing is a process, revision is always a significant step in this process – I will always read a revision. Having said that, revising and re-writing a paper will not by definition make it better, that’s why the revisit is so important. Further, it is also why talking with a colleague (or your instructor) is an integral part of the writing process. If we just stayed fixed to our computers, essentially inside our heads all the time, we would never know how our ideas were being received or if our ideas were understood.
One last comment, in addition to reading revised drafts, I will also read drafts prior to their being due. In other words, if you want feedback on your Analytic Paper prior to turning it in, I will do that. Note: I will not read your “first draft” which may contain spelling and grammatical errors, typos, etc. If you want your paper read prior the due date, you will need to submit a eletronic copy to me by 6pm on Wednesday November 30. This will allow you to incorporate your colleagues’ feedback from the previous evening’s class and allow time to revise the paper after I read it.
Don't forget, the Writing Center is always a great option. Check out their page MSU Writing Center
Happy Writing!]]>
From Chapter 13, pp 377 -385,
pp388 - 400 begin at “Religion & Politics,” stop at “Challenges & Issues in Contemporary Education”
Read the Key Points on page 409
From Chapter 14, pp 413-424 stop at “The Relationship between Work & Society”
p 429 – 438 begin at “The Nature of Power & Authority,” stop at “Militarism and the Military”
Read the Key Points on page 442
From MSL:
#45 Abiding Faith (5 pages)
#53 Badboys (4 pages)
You choose one, either:
#26 Nickel & Dimed
or #51 Preparing for power
There are two steps for this revisit, which are due November 15:
First create an outline of your paper as it was written and submitted. This can be as simple as going through the paper and using the main point of each paragraph and converting that into your outline. Basically I want you to look at the skeleton of your paper; how you organized it. This is outline #1.
Second, working from the comments I provided (“Revisit” at the end of everyone’s paper) or some others that you've been thinking about, create an outline for what would be the next version of your paper. This should be a more clear and focused version of your paper. This outline, let’s call it outline #2, is to be more detailed than outline #1.
(Importantly this is also some of the information that I’m looking for in the outline for your Analytic Paper)
The example from the board:
Another example, would be the outline for the "Commander in Chic" by Jennifer Pozner
I. How does the News contribute to an environment where “women are still stuck with token representation” Media contributes by perpetuating “outmoded attitudes” toward women that consist of gender specific coverage (i.e. appearance, family relationships, and other “feminizing” details such as cooking)
II. Feminizing details such as baking, activities, and thoughtfulness / manners
a. Example of feminizing details, Harriet Miers, AP says bakes a mean sweet potato pie
b. Example of feminizing details, quotes from relatives and colleagues that she likes to play tennis…; doesn’t gossip, remembers everybody’s birthday…
c. No one has commented on nominee Samuel Alita might bring to a potluck (sociological speculation as to how gender alters news presentation)
d. Example of feminizing details, LA times referred to Miers as Bush’s “work wife”…who embodies meek
III. Physical Appearance and attractiveness
a. Example of appearance, Miers needs a “makeover” according to the VA Times Dispatch
b. Example of appearance /and appeal, San Diego Union Tribune, … “would I wish to marry her”
c. If she were Harry, (sociological speculation as to how gender alters consideration of the candidate)
d. Context of her own boss refers to her shoe size “pitbull in size 6 shoes”
e. National Security advisor Rice is also reduced to shoes and sex appeal as “dominatrix”; Senator Clinton’s “bad fashion sense”; or Congresswomen Sanchez and Sanchez hairstyles and “hootchy shoes”
IV. The Media neglects to see how their actions contribute to the climate, marginalizing women as more emotional, less knowledgeable, and less qualified by their male counterparts.
a. This also a result of persistent economic inequality
b. Women as responsible for family and care work
c. Gender socialization where men are encouraged to lead, and women to support
V. Suggestions for change; it doesn’t have to be this way!
During class we played the Sociologist's version of Monopoly. Be prepared to articulate how that activity demonstrated social class. Also, think about how social class, race, and gender all affect social life (see for example page 227).
Additionally, you should know the following terms; what the term means and how it is important to our sociological understanding:
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE
STRUCTURED INEQUALITY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLOSED & OPEN SYSTEMS OF STRATIFICATION
DISTINQUISH BETWEEN CASTE, ESTATE AND CLASS SYSTEMS
CLASS (SOCIAL CLASS)
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
How does Karl Marx explain social stratification? What does Max Weber ("Vay-ber") argue accounts for social stratification?
SOCIAL MOBILITY
VERTICAL MOBILITY (TYPES OF)
STRUCTURAL MOBILITY
*Family will also be part of the upcoming quiz.
Here are the power point slides on:
Work & Family
Family Graph
Please read through these questions and post a response to one question for each article. (for information on term usage surrounding "marriage", "gay" or "same sex marriage" see terminology)
Butler
Why do some gays & lesbians oppose marriage? Why do many gays & lesbians support marriage?
Why do some argue that marriage buys into the notion of a partiarchal model of relationships? Are there alternatives to marriage that would provide all the benefits without "buying into heterosexuality?"
How could marriage between LGBTi persons challenge traditional or historical notions of family? What factors might suggest that the traditional notion of family needs to be challenged?
Hochschild
What is the Time bind? Give examples of how advertisers have used the time bind to sell products to working parents?
Do you agree with Hochschild's theory on why parents choose not to spend more time at home? How universally could her theory be applied? (think about race, and social class differences)
Why has home become work and work become home? What theory of management has been significant in changing workplace atmosphere? What assumptions are used when the workplace is being described as "home?"
]]>Think about the paid work patterns of your parent(s). What is their current situation? Move back 5 years, and another 5 years.
What , if anything, stands out about their paid work? In relation to managing family responsibilities?
Did the need for childcare generate conflicts or require strategizing within the family? What about transportation or when a child was sick? How are the housework responsiblities allocated (did housework get done)?
Has your parent(s) experienced your influenced your decisions about paid work & family? How?
If you are planning to combining paid work & family, how will you do so? (for some you are likely already doing this, what do you do?) If you are not going to do both, what has impacted your decision?
]]> * Your Thinking Paper # 2 "What's in the News" is due on tuesday at the
beginning of class.
* We'll take Quiz #2 again on tuesday without the research design, a few
application questions will be added instead.
* The course schedule is pushed back one week, this applies to only the
readings. Due dates for assignments, and quizzes do not change. On
tuesday, we will discuss Family. Instead of two weeks to discuss
institutions, we'll combine these into a single week (more specifics
to come).
SEXUAL REVOLUTION
SEXUAL EVOLUTION
SEXUAL SCRIPTS
SEXUAL IDENTITY
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
HETEROSEXUALITY / HOMOSEXUALITY / BISEXUALITY / TRANSEXUALITY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEX & GENDER
GENDER ROLES
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
GENDER STRATIFICATION
RACE
ETHNICITY
PREJUDICE
RACISM (AND FORMS OF)
ASSIMILATION
PLURALISM
COLONIZATION
MINORITY GROUP
MAJORITY GROUP
STEREOTYPE
Taking a page from the SQ3R (Robinson 1970) study method (Tips for Success), formulate some questions:
What is the chapter / article about or what question is this chapter trying to answer?
Better still, what question do I have that this chapter / article might be able to help me answer?
Lorber - What is the difference between U.S. transvestitism and the lower-class women in Egypt who act and dress like men?
How does the social construction of gender legitimate women’s inequality? (what is the social construction of gender?)
How could the social construction of gender be changed to give women more power in society?
Omi & Winant - What does Omi and Winant imply about the act of “passing” for a particular race? (is it a dynamic process, if so , how does it vary?)
Rubin - Why might white ethnics, especially those from the working class, have a particular antagonism for the more recent immigrants who are people of color, despite the fact that most came from immigrant families themselves not long ago? Pay special consideration to the role of the economy.
More generally, how would one’s values change as one becomes assimilated into the dominant U.S. culture?
]]>SEXUAL REVOLUTION
SEXUAL EVOLUTION
SEXUAL SCRIPTS
SEXUAL IDENTITY
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
HETEROSEXUALITY / HOMOSEXUALITY / BISEXUALITY / TRANSEXUALITY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEX & GENDER
GENDER ROLES
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
GENDER STRATIFICATION
RACE
ETHNICITY
PREJUDICE
RACISM (AND FORMS OF)
ASSIMILATION
PLURALISM
COLONIZATION
MINORITY GROUP
MAJORITY GROUP
STEREOTYPE