UBC OKANAGAN

IRVING K. BARBER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

SOCI 111 - INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Winter 2015– Term II
SYLLABUS

Professor: Bruce Nelson

Office: Arts 306
Phone: 250-807-8471
E-mail: bruce.nelson@ubc.ca
Classroom: ASC 140
Class Time: Mon 3:30 – 6:30
Office Hours: Wed & Fri: 11 – 12:00 Noon or by appointment

Course Format
The course will consist of a combination of lectures, class discussion and group work. Students are expected to
have read the assigned weekly readings prior to the respective lecture. Class attendance and participation is
essential for students to achieve a good grade.

Course Objectives
This course provides students with a broad overview of sociology and how a sociological perspective can help
one understand everyday life. The course begins with a review of the roots of sociology, including both
classical and contemporary theory. We will explore how society influences human behavior and the human
condition. We will investigate the relationship between the individual and society by looking at how one is
influenced by social institutions, such as the family, and by social structures, such as class. We will then apply
various sociological perspectives to contemporary topics including crime and inequality. The course, through
practical assignments, is also structure to help students discover their “sociological imagination”, allowing
them to identify the link between personal circumstances and public issues.
Throughout this course, students will have the opportunity to:

 Discuss the differences between sociology and related disciplines such as economics, psychology and
political science
 Describe the classical sociological theories
 Become familiar with the topics of social stratification, culture and global stratification
 Become familiar with social patterns related to class, race and gender
 Apply different sociological perspectives to contemporary social issues
 Develop a practical understanding of social research methods
 Research social issues of interest
 Discover and nurture the sociological imagination

Evaluation Criteria and Grading

Exams
Exams Midterm 25%
Final 25%
Discussion Group: Attendance 10%
Write-up 10%
Research Paper 30%
Total 100%
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The scheduled examinations and submission of work by due dates is compulsory. If you miss or plan to miss a
scheduled examination or the submission of work by a due date due to illness or other unavoidable reasons,
you need to submit proper documentation to be allowed to re-schedule.

Required Readings

Custom Textbook: Consisting of chapters from Sociology by Macionis, John J. & Linda Gerber. Toronto:
Pearson

Seeing Ourselves by Mocionis, John J., Nijole V Benokraitis, Peter Urmetzer, Bruce Ravelli. Toronto:
Pearson

Additional Resource

Mysoclab

Academic Integrity
The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all
students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At
the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of
information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or
mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the
breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are
imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating usually result in a failing grade or mark of zero
on the assignment or in the course. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recidivism. A
more detailed description of academic integrity, including the policies and procedures, may be found at
http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/faculties/resources/academicintegrity.html.

If you have any questions about how academic integrity applies to this course, please consult with your
professor.

Disability
If you require disability related accommodations to meet the course objectives please contact the Coordinator
of Disability Resources located in the Student development and Advising area of the student services building.
For more information about Disability Resources or about academic accommodations please visit the web site
at: http://okanagan.students.ubc.ca/current/disres.cfm

COURSE SCHEDULE

Jan 5
Class Cancelled

Jan 12
Introduction: What is Sociology?
 Text: Chapter 1 (pp. 1 – 24)
 Reader: Chapters 1 & 2 (Mills & Berger) 3rd edition
Chapters 1 (Mills) 4th edition, Connect (Berger) pdf

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Jan 19
Sociological Investigation
 Text: Chapter 2 (pp. 25 – 52)
 Reader: Chapters 5 & 7 (Weber & Altorki) 3rd edition
Chapters 4 & 8 (Weber & Altorki) 4th edition

Jan 26
Theory: Karl Marx
 Text: Chapter 4 (pp. 81 – 97)
 Reader: Chapters 12, 33 & 47 (Marx & Engels, Ross et al & Abdolmohammad) 3rd edition
Chapters 9 & 29 (Marx & Engels, & Ross et al) 4th edition,
Connect (Abdolmohammad) pdf

Feb 2
Theory: Durkheim and Weber
 Text: Chapter 4 (pp. 97 - 104)
 Reader: Chapters 22 & 23 (Weber & Ritzer) 3rd edition
Chapters 18 & 19 (Weber & Ritzer) 4th edition

Feb 9 Reading Break—No Class

Feb 16
Culture
 Text: Chapter 3 (pp. 53 – 80)
 Reader: Chapter 8 & 11 (White & Harris) 3rd edition
Chapter 8 (White --pdf on Connect) & Chapter 8 (Harris) 4th edition

Feb 23
 MID-TERM EXAM
 Readings: TBA

Mar 2
Global Stratification
 Text: Chapter 7 (pp. 151 – 176)
 Reader: Chapter 28 (Rock—pdf on Connect) & Chapter 8 (Urmetzer) 3rd edition
Chapters 28 & 30 4th edition
Mar 9
Gender Stratification
 Text: Chapter 8 (pp. 177 – 206)
 Reader: Chapters 35 & 36 (Margaret Mead & Pomerantz, et al) 3rd edition
Chapters 31 & 32 4TH edition
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Mar 16
Socialization
 Text: Chapter 5 (pp. 105 - 128)
 Reader: Chapters 15 & 16 (Mead & Kilbourne) 3rd edition
Chapter 12 (Mead, 4th edition) and Chapter 16 (Kilbourne—pdf on Connect)
 Research Paper Due

Mar 23
Social Interaction in Everyday Life
 Text: Chapter 6 (pp. 129 – 150)
 Reader: Chapters 18 & 20 (Goffman & Axtell) 3rd edition
Chapter 15 (Goffman) 4th edition & Chapter 20 (Axtell---pdf on Connect)

Mar 30
Conclusion and Exam Review
Discussion Group Write-up Due

April 6 – Easter Monday: No Class

End of Semester

Course Requirements & Evaluation

Exams: There will be two exams consisting of multiple choice, true/false and short answer questions.
Exams are not cumulative. Mid-term: Monday, Feb 23. Final: In final exam period.

Discussion groups and write-up: Students will meet weekly in groups of 6 – 8 to discuss the lecture
and reading material. Small discussion groups are an excellent way for students to get to know each
other, debate the topics, grapple with ideas and difficult concepts and formulate ideas around their
research projects. Each week, the group will appoint a moderator who will be responsible for taking
notes of the discussion. Each group member will take a turn as moderator. The moderator is also
responsible for guiding the discussion and helping the group remain focused on the discussion
question. Each moderator’s notes should include the topic/questions of the discussion and the related
comments/notes of each participant. Each moderator is responsible for transcribing notes into a final
write-up (formatted and edited for clarity) which I will collect during the last class.

Group Attendance and Participation

Attendance and Participation in discussion groups is mandatory and will be graded. Each student is
allowed one excused absence; after which marks will be deducted. There will be no exceptions. There
will be approximately ten discussions throughout the term (depending on the time available) with
each one comprising 1.1% (accounting for one absence) of the overall participation grade (1.1% x 9).

Written Assignment

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Each student is required to submit a written paper, 3 – 4 pages in length (not including bibliography
and appendices).

Objective: Research a public issue from a sociological perspective drawing from peer reviewed
journals and academic books. Supporting evidence must include at least four peer reviewed journal
articles or academic texts (books published from a publisher of academic material – e.g. Oxford
University Press, Sage, Fernwood etc.) One peer reviewed source can be substituted for an alternative
news source such as The Real News Network (therealnews.com), rabble.ca, thetyee.ca

These are the minimum requirements only. Students are encouraged to broaden their research to
include more academic sources.participate in group discussion each week.
Structure: The written assignment must be structured as an academic research paper and include:

1) Title Page
2) Introductory paragraph with a clear hypothesis
3) Brief literature review (1 – 2 paragraphs)
4) Supporting paragraphs (evidence, quantitative or qualitative, to support your hypothesis)
5) Discussion
6) Concluding paragraph
7) Bibliography
8) Double Spaced
9) 12 pt. Times New Roman Font

Citation:

Students are to cite following the APA citation format. Numerous online resources provide
explanation and examples of APA. The following link will connect you to UBC Okanagan Library’s
Citation Style Guides

http://library.ok.ubc.ca/citation-style-guides/

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