Sociological Analysis of
Social Problems
Winter 2008
Class hours: 6:00-10:00
Jeffrey K. Dowd
Location: Van Dyck 211
jdowd@rci.rutgers.edu 01:920:103:01
Office
Hours: M 3-5
Website: www.rci.rutgers.edu/~jdowd
Broadly
speaking, the purpose of this course is to provide a basic understanding of
sociology. Specifically, this course addresses the uses of sociology to
understand social problems. I selected some of the most prominent
contemporary social problems in the
The readings are available on my website. Click on
your class and then the web version of the syllabus. Next, click on the
article and a PDF file should open up.
Grading: 25% writings (16pts
for the 2-page typed writing and 9pts for in-class writing assignments)
65% final multiple choice
10% attendance, class participation and/or quizzes (very short, few questions)
Grading Scale: A=90-100, B+ = 86-89, B = 80-85, C+ = 76-79, C = 70-75, D = 65-69, F = below 65.
Multiple Choice: 75-85 questions that will focus on understanding and application of ideas from the articles. Questions will not test your ability to memorize statistics or definitions but measure your ability to interpret the meaning of the author’s argument and/or follow the logic of the question.
Writing: There is no term paper for this class. However, there will be some writing –consisting of timed writing assignments at the beginning of class, designed to get students thinking about the day’s topics. I will distribute questions ahead of time to guide your reading then give a few minutes at the beginning of class for you to assemble your thoughts on paper. I will collect and grade these papers. I am not expecting a polished essay – a paragraph demonstrating your understanding of the material is sufficient. Sometime during the semester, you must pick one question and hand in a 2-3 page typed (double-spaced) answer to a question in place of a timed-writing. You can do this on any question at any time (even one you have previously written a 5-minute paragraph on). Here are some writing tips.
The writing assignments have several functions – first, they help me assess your understanding of the material in a way that multiple-choice tests cannot. Second, I find that if students are allowed to think about the material before class it makes for more productive discussions. Third, the questions will help guide your reading and give you an idea of what kind of knowledge I am looking for on the tests. Lastly, I want students to focus on learning concepts rather than the kind of memorization of disconnected facts that can often accompany expectations of multiple-choice tests.
Attendance policy – everyone starts out with a 9.0 for attendance/participation – I deduct one point for every missed class, then I may either add 1 point for participation or deduct 1 point for lack of participation (this rarely happens – you have to be sleeping in class to lose this point). There will be a sign-in sheet in the front of the classroom.
Emails – use my rci address and put ‘social problems’ in the subject line – I do not open emails with no subject.
Since the issues we deal with in this course are about contemporary social problems, I would highly recommend reading a quality newspaper on a daily basis. Below are links to newspapers and two magazines (that have regular web updates). The theories and ideas from class will be easier to learn if you can recognize the concepts outside of the classroom.
At the very least, I would recommend picking up a free copy of the Targum – Rutgers Newspaper. On-line at http://www.dailytargum.com/
December 26th (Wednesday) – Social Problems
and Conventional Wisdom
All of us can offer explanations of the social world and
different social problems that we encounter. A sociological analysis of
social problems, however, may conflict with our ‘common sense’ understanding of
social problems. The following articles explore the sociological
imagination. In doing so, they contrast sociology from conventional
wisdom and demonstrate how the former provides a more accurate picture of the
world around us.
Lecture: What is Sociology? What is a Social
Problem?
Cerulo
and Ruane – The Sociological Perspective (3-8)
Cerulo
and Ruane – Why do Conventional Wisdoms …
(233-237)
December 27th (Thursday) – Environment and
Society
In surveys, most Americans rate environmental protection
as a high priority. In addition, Americans often cast ‘the environment’
as something that affects everyone. The following article, however,
demonstrates that most environmental problems do not affect everyone
equally. The author also discusses obstacles to environmental
protection.
Movie: excerpts from Housing
– Urban Problems and
Contemporary ‘Solutions’
Americans alternatively describe cities as tourist
attractions/centers of cultural life or dens of the social chaos of crime,
drugs, and immorality. The following articles analyze these different
versions of the modern city and the causes and consequences or urban decay and
urban renewal.
Parenti
– Policing the Themepark City (90-110)
December 28th (Friday)
– Crime and Punishment
Criminal justice policies of the last few decades have
led to a level of incarceration unseen in American history and without
comparison in the industrialized world. Including the parole and
probation population, 7 million citizens are currently under some form of correctional
supervision. Many researchers use the term ‘mass incarceration’ to
describe this situation. Yet, this term may not accurately describe the
situation. As the following articles point out, incarceration rates
reflect more than the prevalence of crime among certain groups in society.
How does
‘mass incarceration’ become mass incarceration of certain groups? How
does the
Cole
– Color of Punishment (234-243)
Recommended
– Crime and the Media
The issue of guns and gun violence took center stage
after two teenagers shot several of their fellow students at
What does
Movie: Bowling for Columbine
[10-213]
January 2nd (Wednesday)
– Social Class
Social class at first glance appears to be an
individually achieved status. The following articles, however, define
class and show how it is not solely the result of individual achievement.
The articles further discuss how class functions to shape life chances for
members of different classes.
McNamee
and Miller Jr. – The American Dream (1-4)
McNamee
and Miller Jr. – Social and Cultural Capital (71-94)
Dreier – The US in
Comparative Perspective (38-46)
– Class as Lived Experience
The following film examines class as a lived
experience. In other words, it demonstrates how people experience class
on a daily basis and how different people subjectively interpret the meaning of
class. The article further examines class differences. Nothing
seems more personal and individual than how we raise our children. Yet,
Lareau demonstrates that child-rearing strategies adhere to social
patterns. Not only do such strategies vary by class, but this variation
also partially explains differing outcomes for children.
Movie: People Like Us: Social Class in
Recommended
January 4th (Friday)
– The Working Poor
The Welfare Reform bill of 1996, entitled the Personal
Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act, was fairly explicit about whom and
what was to blame for poverty. A series of myth about welfare drove
Welfare Reform – such as the idea that welfare mothers had more kids to get
more welfare money, did not need welfare, or preferred not working. These
myths provided the basis of popular support for reform - despite decades of
research that disputed such claims. Acting on these myths policymakers
cast work as the solution to poverty. Yet, if work solves poverty, those
who work should not be poor. The authors use different research methods
to explore the reality of the working poor.
Shipley – The Working Poor (3-12/39-46) part1 part2
– Racial Formations
There is nothing natural about race. Science has
proven that races do not exist – except of course, the human race. Rather,
as Omi and Winant show, race is a socially constructed and modern
phenomenon. While Omi and Winant define race, Lipsitz shows how race
influenced economic outcomes in the past and how past racial practices
condition racial inequality today.
Lipsitz – The
Possessive Investment in Whiteness (138-150)
January 7th (Monday) – Racial Inequality
Popular culture often depicts
racism as policies, ideas, and events of the distant past. Such an
analysis may cause one to suspect that racism is something that happened a long
time ago, and, therefore, is no longer relevant today. While virtually
every American, at least publicly, would say that racial inequality is not
desirable and that they would not participate in its continuation, racial
inequality persists and achieves some measure of legitimacy. Shapiro demonstrates how racial inequality continues in a
supposedly ‘race neutral’ environment. Bobo and Smith discuss
discourses (ways we talk about things) that allow racial inequality to achieve
legitimacy while everyone denounces racism.
Bobo
and Smith – Laissez-Faire Racism (155-165)
Movie: True Colors [2-3199]
Recommended
- Racial Segregation
Racial segregation conjures up images of the American
South in the 1950s and 1960s. However,
What do the
author’s identify as the source of racial segregation? How do they
support these claims?
Tatum – ‘Why
Are All the Black Kids…’ (213-222)
Movie: Divided City
[2-3952]
January 9th (Wednesday)
– Immigration
The
- Present Day Immigration
Immigration has emerged as a hotly contested political
issue in recent years. After a Republican Congressman sponsored a bill to
make all undocumented workers and anyone who ‘aids’ them felons, massive
protests erupted nationwide (including a half a million people in Los Angeles
and several hundred in New Brunswick). The following film explores the
immigration debate as it unfolds in one
Movie: Farmingville [2-6662]
Zhou
– Are Asian Americans Becoming White? (29-37)
January 11th (Friday)
- Gender
Sociological theory separates gender and sex. Sex
refers to biological characteristics while gender is a social
construction. As the articles will show, gender denotes more than just
difference. Cerulo and Ruane document the effects of a gendered
society. Risman offers an overview and synthesis of gender
theories.
Pick one
form of inequality from Cerulo and Ruane and explain why this inequality
persists. Risman points out the limitations of each of the three major
paradigms of gender theory. Pick one such limitation and explain how
another theory corrects the problem.
Risman
– Gender as Structure (292-299)
– Sexuality and Sexual
Attraction
The following movie examines sexual attraction,
specifically
Movie: Busting Out [2-7326]
Valenti
and Derkacz – Feminist Blogs Respond to Club… (1-9)
Mayer
– Filming White, Middle-Class Girls Gone Crazy (58-59)
January 14th (Monday)
– Gender and Masculinity
Students often assume that gender studies is synonymous
with women’s studies - as if men do not have a gender. Men, however, like
women also have a gender. Faludi examines problems associated with our
present-day form of masculinity.
What is the
male paradigm of confrontation and why does Faludi say it has proved useless to
men?
- Same-Sex Marriage
The battle over same-sex marriage has been one of the
most contested political issues in recent years. In 2004, 11 States
passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. In the 2006
elections, 7 more states amended their constitutions to ban same-sex
marriage. Proponents of these amendments argued that the amendments
protected marriage while opponents argued that laws against gay marriage
violate civil rights. In October 2006, the
Graff – What is
Marriage For? (341-345)
January 15th (Tuesday)
–– Education
Ideally, o
Kozol – The Ordering
Regime (63-87)
– Higher Education
Costs for higher education have been steadily rising in
recent years. Adjusted for inflation, average tuition and fees at
universities nationwide have nearly doubled in the past two decades. As a
result, the average student now leaves a 4-year college with $17,000 worth of
student debt. Considering these developments, Schwartz discusses the
value of education.
What is an
instrumental orientation to education? Why does Schwartz view this as
harmful?
Recommended
– Generation Y
C. Wright Mills wrote that we cannot understand the
biography of a person without understanding history. In essence, he meant
that without an understanding of the social forces surrounding individuals we
cannot hope to explain their lives. The following articles discuss the
historical forces surrounding Generation Y (roughly those born in the 1980s and
early 1990s ). To understand the private
troubles this generation (i.e. most of you) faces and will face we need a
better understanding of the public issues. The following articles explore
some of the public issues facing generation Y.
Q. According
to Furstenberg Jr. et al., why has ‘early adulthood’ emerged as a distinct
stage in the life course for generation Y? How does Kamenetz respond to
the idea that current problems are primarily the result of youth culture and/or
poor choices of young people?
Readings: Furstenberg Jr. et al. - Growing Up is Harder to Do
Kamenetz
– excerpt from Generation Debt
January 16th
(Wednesday) – Health Care
The state of health care in the
Sered
and Fernandopulle – Sick Out of Luck (27-32)
– Global Poverty
While global poverty statistics are contested, virtually
all numbers present a grim picture. One particularly disturbing statistic
comes from UNICEF, which estimates that 30,000 children die every day from
malnutrition or vaccine preventable diseases. This poverty exists within
a highly unequal world. For example, a few hundred millionaires now own
as much wealth as 2.5 billion of the poorest people. Scheper-Hughes
documents poverty in rural
Lappe
and Collins – Why Can’t People Feed Themselves (38-44)
– Globalization and Terrorism
Globalization, broadly defined as a system of global
interconnectedness, has made the world smaller. As such, social
conditions around the world affect our lives. Yet, September 11th
came as a shock to many Americans, in part, because few knew much about the
world outside of
Sikkinh
– Understanding the Sep. 11th Terror Attacks (309-313)
January 18th (Friday)
– Final Exam