<aside> ✴️ Instead of a providing a pdf of the syllabus, I'm using Notion, which is software I use to organize everything in my life. Let me know what you think about accessing the syllabus this way. - Amanda

</aside>

<aside> 👤 INSTRUCTOR

Amanda Barrett Cox, Ph.D. (she/her)

Department of Sociology

[email protected]

Office: Dalton Hall 200G

</aside>

<aside> 🗨️ OFFICE HOURS

Tuesdays, 2:30-4:00, (Dalton 200G)

• 2:30-2:45: Drop in without reserving a slot
• 2:45-4:00: Reserve a slot to make sure you get the time you need

Reserve an office hours time slot here: https://calendly.com/amanda_cox. If the available times conflict with your schedule, I’m happy to schedule an appointment at another time. Please email me to find a time that works for you. (Does emailing a professor make you nervous? If so, check out these tips.)

</aside>

<aside> 📢 COURSE DETAILS

Class times: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:55am-11:15am

Location: Dalton Hall 300

</aside>

<aside> 💡 Click the arrow below to expand and view a clickable list of each syllabus section.

</aside>

• Syllabus Sections

Course Description

Sociology is the systematic study of society and social interaction. It involves what C. Wright Mills called the "sociological imagination," a way of seeing the relationship between individuals and the larger forces of society and history. In this course, we will practice using our sociological imaginations to think about the world around us. We will examine how social norms and structures are created and maintained, and we will analyze how these structures shape people's behavior and choices, often without their realizing it. After learning to think sociologically, we will examine the centrality of inequality in society, focusing specifically on the intersecting dimensions of race and ethnicity, gender, and class, and the role of social structures and institutions (such as the family and education) in society. Overall, this course draws our attention toward our own presuppositions—the things we take for granted in our everyday lives—and provides us with a systematic framework within which we can analyze those presuppositions and identify their effects.

Learning Goals

• You will develop an understanding of what sociology is as a discipline, including the kinds of questions sociologists ask and the methods they use to answer those questions.
• You will develop an understanding of the social world that emphasizes the structural as well as the individual causes of social patterns.
• You will learn some key sociological concepts and theories and will apply them to everyday life in order to see the world and your life differently.
• You will strengthen your critical thinking and analytical skills by reading and writing critically and integrating ideas and concepts from the course material.

Required Texts

• We’ll be reading selected chapters from A Sociology Experiment (edited by Shamus Khan, Patrick Sharkey, and Gwen Sharp). Unlike most textbooks, which are written by a single author, A Sociology Experiment is a collection of chapters, each written by a sociologist whose research focuses on the topic of the chapter. We’ll use the chapters listed below to get an overview of each of the major course topics. The chapters are available here. Each costs $1. You will need to purchase the following chapters, costing a total of $8:

  Note: After you purchase each chapter, you’ll be able to read it via an online e-reader. If you have any problems with access, please let me know.

  • 1: A Sociology Experiment: Introduction
  • 2: Research Methods
  • 3: Social Structure and the Individual
  • 4: Social Class, Inequality, and Poverty
  • 6: Gender and Sexuality
  • 8: Sociology of Families
  • 9: Sociology of Education
  • 13: Deviance, Crime, and Violence

• All other readings, podcasts, and videos will be posted on our course’s Moodle site.

Course Requirements

<aside> 🎯 Click the arrows to expand each heading below.

</aside>

Class Engagement

Short-Paper Assignments (2)

Concept Memos (3)

Final Project

"Bumps"