SYG 2000: INTRODUCTION
TO SOCIOLOGY
Professor: Chris Girard
Office: DM 335 Cell phone: 305-244-4668 E-mail: girardc@fiu.edu *Contact me for anything except your grade!
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
This
course will cover the basic concepts and theories used by professional
sociologists. Sociologists study life in
groups. Some of the groups studied live
in fascinating, exotic worlds. We will
briefly visit these foreign worlds as we learn about sociological
concepts. The exciting journey provided
by the course is captured in the words of the textbook author: “When I took my first course in sociology, I
was hooked.” Hopefully, you will become
“hooked’ as well. You will receive first-hand
knowledge of how larger social forces—shaped by social class, race, and
gender—set each of us on different paths in life. There is one required
text for the course:
James M. Henslin. 2009. Sociology:
A Down-to-Earth Approach: Core Concepts.
Third Edition.
Boston: Pearson.
EXAMINATION AND GRADING SYSTEM: There will be two quizzes, one midterm, and a
final exam. Each quiz will count for 1/6
of the final grade, and each exam will count for 1/3 of the final grade. If the student desires, a 10-page paper on a
topic to be chosen by the student may be submitted for a fifth grade (each quiz
would then count 1/8 toward the final grade and the two exams and paper would
each count 1/4 toward the final grade). All
examinations will be given in class (see scheduled times in this
syllabus). The midterm will consist of
32 multiple-choice questions. The final
exam will consist of 21 multiple-choice questions and one essay question (see
below). The quizzes will consist of 16
true-false questions. Students arriving
late for quizzes and tests will have as much time as it takes for the last
person arriving on time. Grades are
posted (DM 335) or can be seen after class. Don’t’ call!
Elaborate different
systems of social stratification and fully explicate the two major theoretical
perspectives that explain
stratification.
PAPER: Students pursuing
paper option must download paper guidelines from web page, must submit
a rough draft along with final draft (no exceptions!) and must have topic
and at least 3 sources approved by the professor in advance. The rough draft must be turned in two weeks
before the final exam and the final draft must be turned in one week before the
final exam (on the date that writing assignments are due—see the second page of
the syllabus).
EXTRA
CREDIT: Extra
credit, equal to a quiz grade, may be earned by a 5-minute oral presentation in
front of the class. Doing a presentation
is equal to getting 100 on a quiz! It
automatically receives 50 out of 50 possible points. This presentation must be on a topic (approved
in advance by the professor) in the book or lectures, have at least 3
transparencies, be written as notes that are not read, be educational and
entertaining, and be rehearsed during office hours or by calling the professor
before it is scheduled. The student may
do up to two oral presentations. Extra
credit points will not substitute for test scores, but will be added to both
achieved and possible points. With no
extra credit, the average of the two quizzes (1) is added to the midterm (2)
and final (3) and this total score is divided by 3 (see examination and grading
system above). With one oral presentation,
total points are divided by 3.5. With
two oral presentations, or with the paper option, total points are divided by 4. With both the paper and 2 presentations,
total points would be divided by 5, and so forth.
MAKE-UP POLICY: You must
make arrangements with me (please call 305-244-4668),
before the midterm exam
and quizzes, if you need to
take a make-up exam. You must schedule a
make-up for the final exam at least one week in advance and the alternative
testing date must be prior to the scheduled date for the final exam.
ATTENDANCE:
By
taking this class, you make a commitment to attend all lectures, arrive
on time, and leave only when the professor is finished lecturing. Integrity is an essential aspect of
who I am and I expect this of all students.