Sociology 1 - Perspectives on Society

Instructor:	Michael Woolcock
Office:	Maxcy Hall 403
Office hours:	M 3-4; W 4-5
Office phone:	x2176
E-mail @brown.edu:	michael_woolcock

Teaching Assistant:	Rima DasGupta
Office:	Maxcy Hall 409
Office hours:	M 1-2; T 3-4
Office phone:	x7599
E-mail @brown.edu:	modhurima_dasgupta

Teaching Assistant:	Kathleen Reilly
Office:	Maxcy Hall 404
Office hours:	M 12-1; F 10-11
Office phone:	x7599
E-mail @brown.edu:	kathleen_reilly

Course Description

SOCIOLOGY 1 provides a broad introduction to the discipline of sociology from a macro perspective. The emphasis in the course is on developing a general understanding of the role of history and social institutions in shaping society generally, and American domestic and international affairs in particular. Consideration is given to five fundamental social problems: order, change, distribution, freedom, and identity. Particular attention is given to the idea of `civil society', its role in mediating diverse interests and meeting social needs, and an analysis of the various policy responses that have been invoked to help strengthen it. Throughout the course there will be an emphasis on making analytical connections between social theory and policy, along with the importance of providing clear, informed and consistent reasoning in the presentation of arguments.

Introduction, Aims, and Objectives

For most of you this will be your first course in sociology, perhaps even one of the first of your college career, so a few words of advice and explanation are in order as we commence. First, sociology can initially appear overly complicated, lost in big words, long sentences, and abstract arguments. There is no excuse for bad writing, but often the reason for the confusion is that the reader isn't (yet) familiar with the vocabulary being used. Sociology, like any discipline, has its own terms and concepts that simply have to be learned before significant progress can be made. This means it is vital that you work hard in the course right from the start of the semester, otherwise you will quickly get behind, begin to lose interest, and fail to get the most out the course that you can. Second, most of us already have a general or intuitive understanding of many basic sociological issues, but the key to understanding the processes at work is being able to critically evaluate these issues from a number of different perspectives, and these are neither obvious nor easy to apply. A good analogy is to liken us to fish in water; it's only when we're forced to step outside our everyday world that we appreciate how important those things that we take for granted are to us. Traveling to a country with a completely different set of customs, rules, and traditions has a similar effect (commonly referred to as `culture shock'), but if sociology is taught and learnt well it is possible to experience similar levels of fresh insight and understanding (and sometimes shock!) about one's own society right here in the classroom.

Third, thinking sociologically is an acquired skill, and like any skill it has to be practiced early, often, and well to show signs of improvement. Accordingly, it is important that you make adequate time each week to complete the reading and writing exercises to the best of your ability; in turn, the teaching staff will do their best to provide you with prompt and helpful comments on your work. Fourth, the discipline of sociology covers a vast range of subject areas, ranging from the media, madness, and medicine to development, deviance, and divorce. Any introductory course can only cover a handful of all possible topics, but believing depth to be preferable to breadth in terms of conveying the distinctiveness of a discipline, we have elected to focus on the acquisition of basic theoretical frameworks within which to evaluate and interpret the virtues, vices, and vicissitudes accompanying the twin processes of interdependence and polarization in modern societies. Our particular concern will be the effects of this interdependence and polarization on `civil society', namely those key institutions located between the individual and the state. Our preference for depth from a teaching perspective explains our selection of six books for required reading in preference to a larger number of disparate articles or excerpts, and our decision to assess your knowledge through written essays and a research paper rather than in-class examinations. From a learning perspective, you will have ample opportunity to explore particular topics of interest to you, some of which may not have been addressed in class, in your written work and in class discussions.

Finally, we hold the view that the joys of sociology are realized when students are both challenged and encouraged. There is a considerable amount of reading, discussion, and writing to do in this course, but I trust that the end result will be very satisfying for those who make the time and effort. We are here to help facilitate that process, so make use of discussion sections and our office hours to help clarify aspects which are not clear to you. By the same token, learning is very much a two-way street, and we look forward to gaining new insights from you during the semester.

Aims

This course has three specific aims: (1) to introduce you to the discipline of sociology, with an emphasis on the theories, methods and substantive content of its `macro' perspectives; (2) to encourage you to think deeply, critically, and coherently about American society and its place in the post Cold War world; and (3) to help you establish well-informed links between theory and policy, so that both the problems you identify and the possible solutions you offer for them rest on empirical evidence and consistent argument, rather than anecdote and assertion. These are ambitious aims, the realization of which will require sustained commitment throughout the semester from both students and teaching staff, but such efforts should bear fruit in the form of an interesting, stimulating, and mutually rewarding course.

Objectives

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the central tenets of the `sociological imagination'
Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of sociological theories and arguments
Explain how and why America's institutions influence domestic affairs and international relations
Analyze some of the causes, contexts and consequences of social and economic inequality
Apply sociological reasoning in the formulation of basic public policy issues
Appreciate the virtues and limitations of a liberal arts education and sociology's contribution to it.

Assessment Overview

See Handout #2 for a complete statement of expectations, requirements and submission procedures.

4 Short Essays	40%	Due February 3 & 24, March 19, and April 28
1 Research Paper	30%	Due April 14
Take-Home Exam	20%	Due Monday May 12
Section Attendance & Participation	10%

Lecture Schedule

Date	Class	Title
		Part A: Sociology as Art, Science, Question, Answer
Jan 22, W	1	Introduction: Overview of SOCIOLOGY 1; Mutual Expectations; Policies
Jan 24, F	2	Seminar: Reading and writing essays and research papers in sociology
Jan 27, M	3	Five Social Problems: The Scope and Limitations of Macrosociology
		Part B: Macrosociological Perspectives as Tools for Social Analysis
Jan 29, W	4	The Origins of Social Science and the Emergence of Sociology
Jan 31, F	5	Film: 'The Joy Luck Club'
Feb 3, M	6	Consensus Theory: French and American Influences Essay #1 Due
Feb 5, W	7	Applying and Evaluating Consensus Theory
Feb 7, F	8	Film: 'Lord of the Flies'
Feb 10, M	9	Conflict Theory: German and American Influences
Feb 12, W	10	Applying and Evaluating Conflict Theory
Feb 14, F		No Lecture; Sections still meet
Feb 17, M		No Classes (President's Day)
Feb 19, W	11	Rational Choice Theory: English and American Influences
Feb 21, F	12	Applying and Evaluating Rational Choice Theory
		Part C: The Orgins and Emergence of Human Societies
Feb 24, M	13	Pre-Modern Societies and the Agrarian Revolution, <1750 Essay #2 Due
Feb 26, W	14	The Industrial Revolution and the First `Global Economy', 1750-1900
Feb 28, F	15	The Early Twentieth Century, 1900-1950
Mar 3, M	16	The Information Revolution and the Second Global Economy, 1950-2000
		Part D: Contemporary American Society
Mar 5, W	17	Individualism and Community: Two Traditions in American Social History
Mar 7, F	18	The Rise and Decline of the American Dream? Working Longer for Less
Mar 10, M	19	The Social Consequences of Economic Polarization
Mar 12, W	20	Reviving the Dream: Free Markets, Strategic Trade, and `Family Values'
Mar 14, F	21	Case Study I: Crime as `Wave', Pathology, Rebellion, Rational Response
Mar 17, M	22	Democracy and the Withering of Civil Society in America
Mar 19, W	23	Rebuilding Civil Society: Evaluating Liberal and Conservative `Solutions'
Mar 21, F		No Lecture; Sections still meet
Mar 31, M	24	Identity, Conformity and Freedom in an Age of Integration
Apr 2, W	25	Case Study II: Evaluating Rival Interpretations of the New Urban Poor
Apr 4, F	26	Case Study III: Sports and Entertainment as Metaphors, as Harbingers
Apr 7, M	27	Case Study IV: Education `Reform' as Problem, as Solution
Apr 9, W	28	Morning in America? Towards a New Dawn for Common Dreams
Apr 11, F	29	Film: 'The War on Poverty'
		Part E: Comparative Perspectives on Contemporary Societies
Apr 14, M		No Class Research Paper
Apr 16, W	30	Comparative Perspectives on State-Society Relations and Development
Apr 18, F	31	`Induced Development' and the Dilemmas of Social Sustainability
Apr 21, M	32	America and Western Europe: Complementary, not Competing, Models
Apr 23, W	33	Towards the Pacific Century? Understanding the East Asian `Miracle'
Apr 25, F	34	Poverty, Politics, Population and Pollution: Dilemmas of Developing Countries
Apr 28, M	35	`Cultural Explanations' of the Plight Facing New Economies and Democracies
		Part F: The Sociological Imagination Revisited
Apr 30, W	36	Conclusion: Sociology into the Twenty-First Century Short Essay #4
May 12, M		Take-Home Final Exam Due

Required Texts and Reading Material

Barber, B. (1995) Jihad vs. McWorld New York: Times Books
Chirot, D. (1994) How Societies Change Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press
Collins, R. (1994) Four Sociological Traditions New York: Oxford University Press
Derber, C. (1996) The Wilding of America New York: St. Martin's Press
Gitlin, T. (1995) The Twilight of Common Dreams New York: Henry Holt and Co.
Wilson, W.J. (1996) When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor New York: Knopf
Optional: Appelbaum, R. and Chambliss, W. (1997) Sociology (Second Edition). This a standard overview text covering a vast range of subjects in an informative manner. It's good for summary data and general information, but is expensive. If you're the type who collect books and wants to have a nice reference text on sociology for years to come then you might want to invest in this book, but no required readings will be taken from it.

Copies of all books will be on reserve in the Rockefeller Library.

The Course Outline (Handout #1) and its companion document--Guide to Assessment and Required Reading (Handout #2)--together comprise the structural framework for each class I teach. The Guide is actually much longer (about 9 - 10 pages, depending on the course), and as indicated above, contains all that students need to know about assessment procedures and policies, how to reference their work, prepare for discussion sections, etc. Similar documents are common in language and laboratory classes, but it is a good practice for all disciplines to adopt.

Sheridan Center Comment

As the author of this syllabus it's somewhat difficult to be truly objective about it. Nevertheless, it is fair to say that it does cover all the important aspects of a sound course outline. It provides all the information that students, faculty members, and administrators, both at Brown and at another institutions, need to know about what was taught, why, and how it was assessed. Survey courses such as this invariably have a high turnover rate in the opening week of semester, so this document serves as an important screening and communications devise. It is not too long or too short, conveys a clear sense of the instructor's philosophy, aims, objectives, and expectations, and anticipates concerns regarding work-load and assessment, thereby enabling prospective students to make informed decisions about whether to take the course or not. The document could be improved by making explicit links to related upper-division courses in the department that expand upon the themes introduced here, and by showing how it is related to its companion course, Sociology 2 (Perspectives on Social Interaction: An Introduction to Microsociology)