Sociology 200 – Introduction to Sociology

Spring 2023
Meting in: CH 171
11:30 AM – 01:20 PM

Instructor: Wynn Strange
Pronouns: they/them/theirs
Salutations: Instructor, Professor, Wynn

Office Hours

By arrangement – email to schedule – evening and weekend time is available via zoom

Course Introduction

This course is to introduce you to the basics of sociology and will focus on how sociologists interpret and understand the relationship between individuals and society. We will examine social institutions and social theories used to show the importance of sociological concepts in understanding everyday inequalities.

Pedagogy Statement

You each come to this class with varied experiences and at different times in your lives. Our education and growth is not all at the same rate and it does not follow the same path. Who is in our lives, where we come from, what is happening around us, where we live, and how we live – all the things that make up our histories and biographies are varied. But we all have immense potential, if given the support and opportunities to continue to grow. I have set up this course purposefully, to be flexible and participatory and to encourage engagement that recognizes your existing knowledge with hope that you will have an opportunity to grow that knowledge.

Given we are in unique times and this is an online course that is not meeting regularly, we have to rely on multiple forms of communication. Learning is best through discussion and dialogue, and we will be having this dialogue online. Everyone has ways they learn best, that might be talking, listening, reading, watching, writing, and alone, one-on-one, in small groups, or in a class. It can take us some time before we know what works best for us, I encourage you to reflect on what has worked best for you in the past, and engage with this class in a way that works for you. And if you’re not sure, try multiple ways of engaging until you find what works well for you!

I am here for each of you, you are not bothering me if you have a question or if you’re struggling and need to communicate more frequently.

The combinations of the theories, beliefs, assumptions, and approaches I take are my pedagogy. My pedagogy statement is meant to communicate to you the way I approach teaching this class. This I believe is important because we don’t hear much about what goes into class prep, and I feel it’s an important part of creating a space for dialogue. I approach teaching as facilitating education, learning, and growth; I am not transmitting knowledge to you as if you are passive absorbers of facts. Knowledge is not something that a teacher owns that is gifted to students. Education and the growth of knowledge is a process, and knowledge is created and re-created by us all. I ask that you bring to this class curiosity and empathy. My hope for each of us is that we will be challenged, that we will wrestle with ideas, and that we will ask more sophisticated questions by the end of the class.

“Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.”
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed

“I don’t need you to have answers at the end of this class, I want you to have more sophisticated questions, and a desire to learn even more about what you don’t know.”
Chris Andersen

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the term students should be able to achieve the following course-specific outcomes:

Explain key sociological theories.
Understand and explain the sociological imagination.
Explain mechanisms of inequality in American society.
Critically analyze social historical trends.

This course will also contribute to the development of the following skills:

Critical thinking. Students will learn modes of inquiry to identify current ways of thinking and the tools to understand how to make change. Students should be able to analyze critically both historical and contemporary society.
Communication. Students will continue the lifelong work of improving their written and verbal communications through discussions and assignments.
Diversity, Equity and Social Justice. Students will explore and analyze power and social justice in historical contexts and contemporary settings from multiple perspectives.

Acknowledging Indigenous Peoples and Lands

As we prepare to engage in intellectual work this term we are mindful to recognize that we live, work, and learn on the original homelands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Indigenous peoples who made their homes along the Columbia River Gorge and Willamette River Valley thousands of years ago. Furthermore, we also acknowledge that these groups, along with other Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas, continue to confront ongoing efforts to marginalize them that are contemporary manifestations of a legacy of enslavement, colonialism and genocide.

Acknowledging Forced and Invisible Labor

We must also acknowledge that much of what we know of this country today, including its culture, economic growth, and development throughout history and across time, has been made possible by the labor of enslaved Africans and their ascendants who suffered the horror of the transatlantic trafficking of their people, chattel slavery, and Jim Crow. We acknowledge the coerced labor and control of Asian and Latinx migrants through racist immigration policies used to exploit workers for undervalued and unsafe labor. Additionally, we acknowledge the invisible and unpaid labor of women. We are indebted to the labor of those who came before us, and we must acknowledge the tremors of that violence throughout the generations and the resulting impact that can still be felt and witnessed today.

Course Caveats & Ground Rules

This course is designed to give a broad introduction to the study of sociology. The materials in this course will cover a wide range of content and may challenge deeply held and normative social beliefs. Please keep in mind that the work we are engaging are the product of rigorous scholarly research, peer review, and acceptance. In the spirit of scholarly discourse, critique of the materials in this course should be based on similarly reputable scholarship. This will foster an environment that permits collegial debate, while encouraging mutual learning and respect in the classroom.

The subject matter of this course may create an emotional response in students. It is my goal as an instructor to facilitate dialogue. I encourage students to be open and honest about such reactions and to explore using the tools of sociological analysis the roots of their feelings. While there is a place for each of these forms of interaction, I encourage us to strive for dialogue whenever possible, but to avoid debate.

Ground Rules for Discussions

While I encourage making connections to your other classes and your own experiences, discussion should first center around the course materials. What do the readings and videos say about the topic(s)?
- Do not offer opinions without supporting evidence.
- Always have your book, readings, and notes in front of you.
Take responsibility for the quality of the dialogue.
- Be prepared to learn from each other as well as the instructor.
- Listen actively and attentively.
- Ask for clarification, additional explanation, or examples if you are confused or don’t know something. If you have a question, it is likely that others do too.
- Build on one another’s comments; work toward shared understanding.
- Do not monopolize discussion.
Take responsibility for respecting each other and the people we discuss in class.
- Critique ideas, not people.
- Do not interrupt one another.
- Avoid put-downs (even humorous/sarcastic ones).
- If you are offended by anything said during discussion, acknowledge it immediately.
Be conscious of stereotypes. If you use personal experience when you speak, do so without generalizing.

Calendar	Date & Topic	Materials – All materials are on Canvas (All materials should be read, watched, or listened to before we meet the class they are listed. We will refer to the materials during class.)	Assignments due	Planned activities
Week 1	Apr. 3 Introductions	Review syllabus.		Introductions. Syllabus review.
Week 1	Apr. 5	Review: What do sociologists do?		How to write a discussion question.
Week 2	Apr. 10 Introductions to sociology	A Critical Introduction to Sociology: Chapter One (26 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.
Week 2	Apr. 12 Introductions to sociology	Patricia Hill Collins, Changing Times: Sociological Complexities. (8 pages) Black Feminism, Intersectionality and Democratic Possibilities – Professor Patricia Hill Collins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qU10tQ_rHo) (1:29:27)	Discussion questions / reflection.	Have students identify three personal troubles, and consider how to connect these to social issues.
Week 3	Apr. 17 Research methods	Dalton Conley, Chapter 2: Methods from You May Ask Yourself (~30 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.	Create a list of norms of campus / prison.
Week 3	Apr. 19 Research methods	Excerpts from The missing link in data analysis: An introduction to the use of critical theory to guide data analysis. (3 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.	Review methods sections and identify methods.
Week 4	Apr. 24 Classic sociology theory	Emile Durkheim, 1893 translated by Margaret Thompson 2004. Part Two: Division of Labour, Crime and Punishment. The Division of Labour in Society. (23 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.	Compare lists of norms of campus / prison.
Week 4	Apr. 26 Classic sociology theory	Max Weber, 1922, Class, Status, Party (12 pages) W.E.B. du Bois, 1903, Of Our Spiritual Strivings from The Souls of Black Folks (12 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.
Week 5	May 1 Classic sociology theory	Howard Zinn, 1999, Marx in Soho: A Play on History. (32 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.
Week 5	May 3 Re-imagining classic sociology theory	Chief Red Cloud’s Speech, 1890 (1 page) Sojourner Truth, Ain’t I A Woman (1 page) Excerpts from Anna Julia Cooper. (3 pages) Audre Lorde, 1979. The Masters Tools Will Never Dismantle the Masters House (4 pages) Come hell or high water: the battle for Turkey Creek (56:07)	Discussion questions / reflection.	Draw a map of campus or the prison for 10 minutes then exchange with a partner, what is different and what is the same? What could explain these differences based on our perceptions?
Week 6	May 8 Sociology of disability	Bianca Manago, Jenny L. Davis, Carla Goar. 2017, Discourse in Action: Parents’ use of medical and social models to resist disability stigma (9 pages) Sexuality and Disability: Forging Identity in a World that Leaves You Out \| Gaelynn Lea \| TEDxYale (21:27)	Discussion questions / reflection.
Week 6	May 10 Race & Ethnicity in Education	Jean Yonemura Wing, 2007, Beyond Black and White: The Model Minority Myth and the Invisibility of Asian American Students (28 pages) Stop Asian Hate: Connie Wun on Atlanta Spa Killings, Gender Violence & Spike in Anti-Asian Attacks \| Democracy Now! (~20 minutes)	Discussion questions / reflection.	Game of categorizing examples as individual, interactional, organizational, or institutional.
Week 7	May 15 Race, Ethnicity, & Gender at Work	Adia Harvey Wingfield, 2009, Racializing the Glass Escalator: Reconsidering Men’s Experiences with Women’s Work (20 pages) Houston’s Cancer Cluster \| Fault Lines (25:07)	Discussion questions / reflection. Implicit bias reflection.
Week 7	May 17 Gender & Race in Media	bell hooks, 1992, The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators from Black Looks: Race and Representation (14 pages) Peter A. Leavitt, Rebecca Covarrubias, Yvonne A. Perez, and Stephanie A. Fryberg. 2015. Frozen in Time: The Impact of Native American Media Representations on Identity and Self-Understanding. (10 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.	Print BLS data, have students review and discuss the race and gender implications of careers.
Week 8	May 22 Race, Gender, Transnationalism, & Family	Minjeong Kim – 2014 – South Korean Rural Husbands, Compensatory Masculinity, and International Marriage (27 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.
Week 8	May 24 Gender & Work	Catherine Connell, 2010, Doing, Undoing, or Redoing Gender? Learning from the Workplace Experiences of Transpeople (19 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.	Print up ads and review what gender, race, and class messaging is included.
Week 9	May 29 No class
Week 9	May 31 Race & Policing	Victor Rios. 2011. Chapter 3: The Labeling Hype from Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys. NYU Press. (27 pages) Crips and Bloods: Made in America (1:23:49)	Discussion questions / reflection.
Week 10	June 5 Religion & Charisma	Janja Lalich, 2004, Introduction: Cults and True Believers from Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults (22 pages)	Discussion questions / reflection.	Print religious beliefs or attitudes and religious data, have students review and analyze.
Week 10	June 7 Gender, environment & the state	Patricia Mooney Nickel & Angela M. Eickenberry, 2007, Responding to “Natural” Disasters: The Ethical Implications of the Voluntary State (8 pages) Bhattacharya, Sayan. 2019. “The Transgender Nation and its Margins: The Many Lives of the Law.” South Asian Multidisciplinary Academic Journal. Online. (15 pages) Is the US unfairly spying on Muslim Americans? \| The Stream (24:55)	Discussion questions / reflection. Final paper – Apply your sociological imagination.

Assignments

Discussion questions / reflections
1. For each reading answer the following questions to the best of your ability:
  1. What is the reading about? Briefly summarize in your own words.
  1. What is the main takeaway(s) from the reading?
  1. What are key points made that support the key takeaway(s)?
  1. What is one key term and what is its definition?
1. Write one question to discuss in class. We probably won’t get to all the questions each week, but preparing to ask a question is an important skill for entering new spaces.
Class activities.
1. We will have various class activities meant to stimulate thought and encourage analysis on topics related to our reading materials.
Final: Writing Assignment – Apply your sociological imagination
1. Write a 5-7-page paper.
1. Use your sociological imagination. Share a story (your own or someone close to you), and use at least 5 of the readings to discuss the ways the personal story is connected to a social problem.

Grading

Assignment	Points
Class activities (x9)	10 each / 90 total
Discussion questions / reflections (x18)*	10 each/180 total
Final 5-7-page assignment	80
Total	350

*There are 24 readings assigned in this class. You will be graded on 18 out of the 24. Doing them all will not be counted for extra credit, though you will find that these should be useful to refer back to for your final paper, and I encourage you to do as many as you can. However, I understand that there may be weeks that it is challenging to complete the reflections, thus there is room for you to skip a handful of the reflections without penalty.

Participation & Discussion questions

You must attend class regularly to get the most out of this class. You might miss important announcements and changes, and opportunities to learn if you do not attend. Check with a classmate or the professor if you miss a class, and be sure to read, watch, or listen to the materials assigned for the day.

Communications

I will make announcements about changes to readings and assignments in class, if you miss class you will have a harder time keeping up. Any significant changes to the class will also be announced on Canvas or emailed to the class.

I will try my very best to respond to emails within 24 hours. Occasionally emails can be missed, buried, etc. because I’m only human. If you don’t hear back from me in 48 hours, send your email again to bump it to the top of my inbox.

If you send me an email please address me by my first name, Instructor, Professor, or other non-gendered salutations.

Deadlines & Late work

In life we all have to abide by deadlines, and I understand you are all at varying stages of learning how to manage your schedules to meet competing deadlines. We are also continuing to live with the logistical, emotional, and psychological impact of covid.

With all that said, I will accept late work. I urge you to adhere to the deadlines when possible. I ask that if you are going to turn in something late, that you turn it in within 2 weeks of its deadline. If you need to turn in something late, here is what that would look like: up to 2 weeks late, no penalty. 2+ weeks late, half a grade off.

One of the reasons following the deadlines is helpful is so that your work, and my work in reading and responding to your assignments, is more evenly spread out and thus more manageable. Sticking to the schedule also helps ensure you get the most out of this class.

If you struggle to stick to the schedule, let me know as early in the term as possible.

Accommodations

Many of the practices of what are considered accommodations are policies I incorporate in this class. However, I encourage students with disabilities who may require accommodations to contact the PSU Disabilities Resource Center (DRC) and the instructor at the beginning of the term to verify accommodations. The DRC will provide all services remotely and ask that you engage with them via phone, email, or Virtual Front Desk unless you are unable to do so and require an in-person visit. We appreciate your consideration of immunocompromised and chronically ill students, staff, and community members. Please call our office at 503-725-4150 or email us at drc@pdx.edu. You can visit the DRC website at http://www.pdx.edu/drc

Disabilities that may require accommodations include: ADD or ADHD; Allergies; Autism Spectrum; Cerebral Palsy; Chronic Medical; Cognitive Disorder; Diabetes; Head Injury; Hearing Impairment; Learning Disability; Orthopedic/Physical; Psychological; Seizures; Speech; Temporary Medical; Visual Impairment; and Other Disabilities.

I encourage students with any of the above disabilities or other disabilities who are not already registered to explore the DRC website, as you may find that your education experience can be made more enriching through available accommodations: https://www.pdx.edu/disability-resource-center/accommodations

Academic honesty

I expect that you are here to learn, and that you want to learn. I understand that there are times that it seems like shortcuts are worth taking, but you will shortchange yourself if you cheat or plagiarize. If you are struggling, please speak with me so that we can make a plan. You are expected to be academically honest. Your assignments in this class must be your original work. You can refer to the Student Conduct Code for more information on PSU policies. Plagiarized work will result in failing the assignment, and may be reported to the university.

What is plagiarism?

If you use a direct quote (i.e. someone else’s words), you must include it in quotation marks and cite the source, including author(s) name(s), the date of publication, and the page number. If you summarize or paraphrase an idea from another person, you must cite the source, including author(s) name(s) and the date of publication. Failure to cite your sources, whether intentional or not, is plagiarism.

We need to give credit where credit is due! Being able to synthesize your words with the words of others to make an argument, and being able to point to the original author are key skills to develop.

This syllabus is a living document, that means that it may change! If there are changes, I will alert you all via email and D2L.