Sociology 3901: Social Change and Policy
University of Minnesota, Duluth

Texts:
Blank and Burau: Comparative Health Policy, 2nd edition
Sharon Hays: Flat Broke with Children
Jonathan Kozol: The Shame of the Nation: the Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America

Course Description: Analysis of the social change and maintenance forces as they affect social life. Social theory and research will be emphasized along with the formation and implementation of social policy.

Course Objectives:
By the end of the course you should:
1. Be familiar with theory and research as it relates to social change and policy, including the basic requirements of effective evaluation research. .
2. Understand the reciprocal relationship between social movements and public policy as well as make a good beginning in understanding the other major social forces affecting social policy.
3. Understand the major issues and debates relating to:
a. Health care and health insurance
b. Poverty and welfare reform
c. Poverty, race, and education


Paper: Based on the readings, videos, discussions, and web resources, you will be asked to choose an area of social policy and write a 4-6 page paper recommending a particular course of action at the federal, state, or local level that will help solve one or more of the problems we will be studying in this course. Your grade will depend primarily on the quality of your supporting evidence and arguments.
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Grading: Grades will be based on three exams, along with individual and group work in class, as follows:

Group work will often involve a video, and if you miss the video, you may have to rely on extra credit to replace the missing points.

Grading standards: A, 92-100; A-, 90-91; B+, 88-89; B, 82-87; B-, 80-81; C+, 78-79; C, 72-77; C-, 70-71; 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.

Student Conduct Code. Student behavior is governed by a conduct code that has been adopted by the Board of Regents for all campuses.

Egradebook: I will be entering your grades into a software program called egradebook, accessible to you on the internet (http://www.d.umn.edu/egradebook). Be sure to let me know of any discrepancies between your records and the grades recorded on egradebook, so I can double-check my records. All discrepancies must be brought to my attention by the last Friday of classes, so that everything will be in order for me to enter the final grades into the UMD records after our final exam

Extra-Credit: Option 1: A maximum of 15 points extra credit will be available, with up to 5 points for each short paper submitted via e-mail or in person, based on campus presentations that relate to social policy (health policy, welfare policy, or education policy in particular; ask me if you're not sure).

Option 2: Read the New York Times online (http://www.nytimes.com) and/or the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com) and create a journal that includes a summary of up to 15 articles relevant to social policy (1 points per summary, up to 15 points maximum).

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 and fairly, to listen to your concerns, to respect your point of view, and to treat you as a person of value. I also ask that you turn off your cell phones/pagers during class time, unless you let me know that you're expecting an urgent call.

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.