Sociology 3701: Syllabus--Spring 2008
University of Minnesota, Duluth
Tuesday (in HH 216) and Thursday (in VKH221) , 9.30-10.45

"The main goal of this course is that you understand how we become social creatures and how, through our everyday interactions, we make and re-make ourselves and our social worlds. One important implication of the ideas covered in this course is that if we understand how we participate in the construction of our own realities, then we can take a more active and purposeful approach to making this the sort of world in which we want to live." (borrowed from O'Brien , The Production of Reality)

Texts: . O'Brien, The Production of Reality,4th edition
Tavris, Carol and Elliot Aronson, Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)

Schedule (http://www.d.umn.edu/~bmork/3701/3701scheds2008.htm) --IF YOU MISS CLASS, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK THE WEB FOR CHANGES.

Course Description: Theory and research issues regarding the relation of individual to society. Socialization, effects of social organization and disorganization, and interpersonal interaction.

Course Objectives:

1. Understand the concepts, theories, and research methods associated with the symbolic interactionist approach to social psychology and to a lesser extent, cognitive social psychology, especially cognitive dissonance theory

2. Understand the central role of language and interaction in the production of reality.

3. Understand the processes by which selves are produced, maintained, and sometimes challenged

4. Understand cognitive dissonance theories and the ways in which a sociological perspective enhances what is mostly a psychological theory

5. Be able to use social psychology to analyze social issues including:

a. Cultural difference and inequality

b. Stigma, deviance and social control

c. Conflict and reconciliation

Videos: Many of the videos used in this class are not available in the UMD library, so that if you miss a video, there may be no way to see if later. . Please use the extra credit option to make points from missed videos.

My Expectations: I expect you to arrive on-time, to treat your fellow class members and me with respect, to have done the reading that is assigned for the day, to bring your questions and ideas about the material we are covering, to make me aware of any problems you are having with course materials. In return, I pledge to be prepared and organized, to communicate clearly my expectations of you, to evaluate your work promptly, to listen to your concerns, to respect your point of view, and to treat you as a person of value.

Grading: Grades will be based on a combination of total points accumulated:

A, 93-100; A-, 90-92; B+, 87-89; B, 83-86; B-, 80-82; C+, 77-79; C, 73-76; C-, 70-72; D, 60-69; F, below 60.

Student Academic Integrity : A violation of UMD's Academic Honesty Policy (behavior which is also referred to as Scholastic Misconduct) such as cheating, plagiarizing or any other "act which violates the rights of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work will result in penalties up to and including an F for the course. For University of Minnesota policies and practices relating to academic honesty, see: www.d.umn.edu/assl/conduct/integrity.

Exams. Exams will be a combination of multiple-choice and essay questions; each exam will cover about 1/3 of the course.

Paper: Who am I? A Social Psychological Analysis. 4-6 page paper, due on Tuesday of week fifteen, containing your description and analysis of the social forces that have helped to produce the person you are today, including: the people who have influenced you the most, changes you have experienced, the activities that have meant the most to you, jobs that you have held, organizations that have been important in your life. Who would you include in your "primary group" at this stage of your life? Also consider changes you would like to make in the future and include a plan for how those changes might be possible in light of what you have learned about social psychology. .You may or may not want to include a personality inventory, available from Career Services, as part of this paper (perhaps, if many of our class members have not already taken it, I will add it to our class schedule).

Extra-Credit: A maximum of 15 points extra credit will be available, with up to 5 points for each short paper based on sociologically relevant campus presentations (see my home page for a list: http://www.d.umn.edu/~bmork).

 Special Arrangements/Facilities: If you have a physical or cultural condition, either permanent or temporary, which you believe makes it difficult for you to participate in and/or complete the requirements of this course in the time and manner prescribed, please let me know by the end of the first week of instruction. Adaptation of methods, materials, or testing may be made as required. It is your responsibility to contact the Access Center for advice regarding adaptations.