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Course Number: SOC 306/AH1
Course Title: Racial & Culture Rel
Summer 2020
TTH 11:00-12:00
Office Hours: By Appointment
Faculty Name: James Eric Siburt, PhD
Phone: 717-203-4940
Email: ​James.Siburt@alvernia.edu
Faculty Office: NA

UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVES
All courses at Alvernia are designed to foster the Core Franciscan Values of service, humility,
peacemaking, contemplation, and collegiality, as set forth by Alvernia’s Mission Statement, as
well as to promote the General Objectives as outlined in the University Catalog.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Analysis of ethnic and racial differentiation in pluralistic societies. Theories of dominant and
minority groups are studied. This course fulfills the human diversity graduation requirement.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course will focus on the underlying failure of human ability to truly know and understand
the Stranger/Alien/Other and the impact this failure has upon ethnic and racial differentiation in
pluralistic societies. Throughout the course the student will engage with various case studies and
academic texts to explore the fallacy of human perception and the social structures that shape our
understanding of the Other. Throughout the course the student will be challenged to examine and
develop a sociological understanding of the social dynamics between the self and others.

REQUIRED TEXTS
Gladwell, M. ​Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know.​
NY, NY: Little, Brown and Co., 2019. ISBN-13: 978-0316478526 (​The audio version of this text
provides the best experience, but the print/kindle version will be required for proper research
citation​.)

Additional Provided Resources

Ritzer, George, and J. Michael Ryan. The Concise Encyclopedia of Sociology. Malden, MA:
Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. (​PDF​)
Griffiths, Heather, et al. ​Introduction to Sociology 2e​. Houston, TX: OpenStax College, Rice
University, 2017. (​PDF​)

Crash Course in Sociology​ (YouTube)

Every Week you will be expected to read articles or other selections that are not found in your
required texts. These will be available in your ​Student Resource Folder​.

COPYRIGHT RESTRICTION
Materials used in conjunction with this course may be subject to copyright protection under Title
17 of the United States Code. Under certain Fair Use circumstances specified by law, copies may
be made for private study, scholarship, or research. Electronic copies should not be shared with
unauthorized users. If a user fails to comply with Fair Use restrictions, he/she may be liable for
copyright infringement. For more information, including Fair Use guidelines, see the Alvernia
University Copyright and Fair Use Policy:
http://www.alvernia.edu/library/library_resources/copyright_policy.html​.

COURSE FORMAT
As stated previously, this course will be web-enhanced – meaning that blackboard will be used
as a supplemental tool. Its basic purpose will be to deliver information and materials to you.
You will also need Blackboard to submit your assignments. The general format of the course will
be lecture and discussion based. (​Weekly Zoom sessions that coincide with the classroom
schedule will be used until social distancing requirements permit meeting in person.)​
Register in advance for this Zoom meeting:
https://alvernia.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJModOGhqzIrEtaVnOVnsNcPg1l-XRuGkFZi

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Readings
The expectation is that you have completed your assigned readings before they are discussed in
class. All assigned readings are of equal importance. Failure to do your readings in a timely
manner will lead to your having difficulty keeping up with the class and may lead to
unannounced quizzes becoming a part of the course. Furthermore, not doing the reading may
impair your ability to participate in class discussions and will therefore be deleterious to you
attendance and participation grade.

Attendance/Participation​ (15% of total grade)

Class attendance is required. Students are asked to inform the instructor beforehand (if possible)
if a class will be missed, this does not guarantee that the absence will be excused. Unexcused
absences will lower your final grade for attendance and participation. The more classes that you
miss, the lower your participation grade will be. Sending text messages and ringing cell phones
will not be tolerated and will certainly lower your final grade for attendance and participation.
For your benefit, let me repeat myself, do not send texts, tweet, book faces, or in any way “play”
with your phone while in class if you have an expectation of receiving a passing score for
attendance and participation. You are expected to participate in classroom discussions. If you
do not participate in classroom discussions, ask relevant questions, etc. you will not receive full
credit for attendance and participation. Your grade for attendance and participation will be
determined as much by your participating in classroom discussions and otherwise vocally adding
to the class’ experience as it will be your ability to be where you should be when you should be
there.

Late and Improperly Written Assignment Policy

All written assignments must be submitted through Blackboard. Late writing assignments are not
accepted unless approved. As a general rule any late assignment will at best receive a score of 60
out of 100. An assignment that is not turned in will receive a score of 0. Plagiarism on any paper
will result in a 0 for the essay.

Academic Honesty
All students are expected to adhere to the university’s Academic Honesty Policy, as outlined in
the Student Handbook. Breaches of honesty include but are not limited to:
● Copying another student’s work
● Plagiarizing the published work of another
● Facilitating the dishonesty of another student
● Cheating on an examination.
It is your responsibility to read and understand the policy; failure to do so does not excuse you
from adhering to the policy.

Editorial Style
While Chicago, Turabian, or MLA is preferred for most humanities courses, you may use the
editorial style of your field (APA?) and this should remain consistent across all of your
submitted works. However, you need to be certain that you are documenting(citing) all
incorporated ideas and information to avoid plagiarism.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities
Act (“ADA”), the University offers accommodations to students with documented learning,
physical and/or psychological disabilities. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the
Disability Services Coordinator, preferably prior to the beginning of the semester, to initiate the
accommodation process and to notify instructors as soon as possible so accommodations can be
made early on in the semester. Course requirements will not be waived but, if possible,
reasonable accommodations will be made to allow each student to meet course requirements.
Students needing assistance should contact the Disability Services Office in BH 106 (inside the
Learning Center), by phone (610.568.1499), fax (484-335-4486), or e-mail
(​disability.services@alvernia.edu​).
GRADING POLICY & GRADING RUBRICS
As stated above, the grading for this course will be determined in the following manner:
Attendance and Participation​: 15%
Discussion Forum​: 25%
Research Journal Report #1​:15%
Research Journal Report #2​:15%
Final Research Analysis​: 30%

GRADING SCALE
This course will follow the standard Alvernia University undergraduate grading scale. Each
percentage point as listed above equals one point below.

Undergraduate Grading Policy

A 94-100 C 73-76 P Passing Grade
A- 90-93 C- 70-72 I Incomplete
B+ 87-89 D+ 67-69 WP Withdrawal/Pass
B 83-86 D 63-66 WF Withdrawal/Fail
B- 80-82 D- 60-62 AU Audit
C+ 77-79 F Failure

CHECKING ALVERNIA EMAIL AND E-CAMPUS ALERTS

It is the student’s responsibility to check Alvernia and Blackboard email accounts on a regular basis.
Failure to check these accounts are not an acceptable excuse for missing important
information/deadlines that may be communicated by faculty or staff of Alvernia University. It is
highly encouraged that students enroll in the electronic emergency notification system called
e2Campus (​www.alvernia.edu​).

This syllabus is designed so that you will have a concrete understanding of what is expected of
you as a student and how your grade will be determined. While the course objectives and the
manner of determining your grade will not change, the schedule and dates for topics are
tentative. As the semester progresses, there may be instances that we spend more (or less) time
on a given topic than originally planned (the expected primary cause for this is class interest
and lively discussion). As these changes occur, recalibration will be made to our schedule.
You will always be given fair notice to account for the flexibility in scheduling.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
Week One: May 5&7
Read – Syllabus
Explore – What is Sociology?(​PDF​)
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Two: May 12&14
Read – Talking to Strangers: Introduction
Explore – Epistemology of the Social Power
Dynamic Framework (​PDF​)
AND The Bases of Social Power (​PDF​)
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Three: May 19&21
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter One
Explore – ​The Science of Lying
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Four: May 26&28
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Two /
Prior to reading this chapter please complete
the Word Completion Exercise​ (​PDF​)
Explore – Mixed Signals: Why People
Misunderstand Each Other (​PDF​)
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Five: June 2&4 - ​Research Journal
Report #1 Submitted to Blackboard 6/6/20
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Three
Explore – Sender Demeanor (​PDF​)
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Six: June 9&11
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Four
Explore – ​Revisionist History
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Seven: June 16&18
*This week deals with mature subject matter and
may be disturbing to some.
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Five
Explore – Introduction to Sociology, Chp 7:
Deviance, Crime, and Social Control (​PDF​)
AND Mnemonic Imagination (​PDF​)
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Eight: June 23&25
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Six
Explore – Man’s Face and Mimic Language:
Read Introduction/Skim Contents (​PDF​)
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Nine: June 30 & July 2
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Seven
Explore – Intro to Sociology: Sect. 4.3
Social Construction of Reality(​PDF​)
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Ten: July 7&9 - ​Research Journal
Report #2 Submitted to Blackboard 7/11/20
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Eight
*This week deals with mature subject matter and
may be disturbing to some.
Explore – ​Your Reality Might Not Be Mine
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Eleven: July 14&16
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Nine
Explore – Hermeneutics Interrogation (​PDF​)
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Week Twelve July 21&23
If you feel you are in crisis, please call the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It is a free,
24-hour hotline, at 1.800.273.TALK (8255).
Your call will be connected to the crisis center Week Fourteen: August 4&6 - ​Final
nearest to you. If you are in an emergency, call Research Analysis Submitted to Blackboard
911 or go to your nearest emergency room. 8/8/20
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Ten Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter
Explore – Habitus (​PDF​) Twelve
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal Explore – Intro to Soc: Chp.11 Race &
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion Ethnicity(​PDF​) AND ​Race & Ethnicity
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Week Thirteen: July 28&30 Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion
Read – Talking to Strangers: Chapter Eleven
Explore – ​Karl Marx and Conflict Theory
Reflect - Sociology Research Journal
Discuss - Weekly Forum Discussion

 
Project and Assignment Details

Weekly Discussion Forum Projects: ​25%

(Available Friday through Monday) Discussion forum projects function as a means for students
to engage and discuss course material together as a group. Each week a new discussion forum
project will be posted. The forum topics will center around each week's readings and may require
engaging additional material, video lectures, film clips, articles, current events, or conducting
brief online research. Each student will be required to carry out the assigned activities and post
accordingly. Students are required to respond to at least 2 other posts in a conversational fashion.
Last minute posts, failure to engage in the conversation, or deliberate sidetracking of the
conversation will result in a loss of points. See ​Rubric​ for details on expectations

The Stranger Among Us

One of you in this class is a Stranger and has willingly agreed to inform me of everything they
observe about each of you throughout this course. This information will be derived from every
interaction that occurs in and out of the class setting. The Stranger will report what they hear,
see, and learn about each of you. This person will receive no preferential treatment nor any
extra points, other than their final paper will consist of somewhat different observations.
Throughout this course you are tasked with determining the identity of this Stranger, making
note of your progress as a portion of your weekly Sociological Research Journal posts. You are
not to act upon your assumptions by confronting the Stranger or attempt to expose them in any
way. As part of your Final Analysis Research Paper you will declare the identity of the Stranger
and how you came to this conclusion through the use of class materials to support your
assumption. I will then reveal to each of you in my final comments if you are correct or, if not,
the identity of the Stranger among us.
Sociological Research Journal & Report: ​2X 15%
For this class you will keep a weekly Sociology Research Journal. This journal may be in any
application of your choosing, but ones that are easily accessed/shared on both phone and primary
computing device would be preferable. Some suggested applications are Evernote, Google Keep,
Google Docs, Simplenote, Apple Notes, DropBox, One Note, Word, Apple Pages, etc. The
information that you must document on at least a weekly basis is as follows:
1. Assigned Material Insights​: Describe what was most insightful from your readings or other
course materials from this week and why? What was the most difficult aspect to understand?
Why? Be certain to cite as you write so your reports and final paper will be easier to write.

2. Social Insights​: What have you observed/connected to this week that had a direct correlation
to what was being discussed this week or in the course to date? This information can be obtained
from any interactions you have had(change names of individuals to protect their identity) or
cultural products such as television, movies, music, streaming, social media, etc.

3. Sociological Revelations​: What overall revelations or epiphanies have you had based upon
your readings and social insights? What are the a-ha moments that have occurred? This are
typically about the self, but may also be about others. What are the direct applications to your
career?
4. Stranger Danger​: What has been your progress in identifying the stranger amongst us? How
have the course materials informed your progress this week? What are some significant clues
that have emerged from your observations? Do not attempt at making a guess at this point.

At the end of Week 5 and 10 you will submit a Research Journal Report that summarizes all of
the aforementioned information 1​ .)u​ sing the four sections as a guide. Your report should be at
least 2​ .)4​ pages, one for each section, and include a ​3.)r​ eference page, which does not count
toward the 4 page minimum. Your report should not consist of lists or a journal dump, but must
be 4​ .)w
​ ritten in a narrative format that reveals your insights from the designated portion of the
course. Y ​ ou are NOT submitting your journal, but a report based upon your journal.​ Your first
report will include information from weeks 1-5 and your second will contain information from
weeks 6-10. The weekly entries from weeks 11-14 will be summarized in your final paper. (See
Final Analysis Research Paper for details.)

Final Research Analysis Paper: ​30%

Your final written project for this course will be a more formal(academic) summation of your
Sociological Research Journal than your first two reports. The paper will demonstrate your
overall understanding of the assigned resources from the course by ​1.)​ defining the most
significant insights from your engagement with these resources, ​2.)​ how this course has shaped
how you observe society and culture, and ​3.)​ the significant epiphanies you have uncovered
about yourself and others. You will then ​4.)​ layout how this information was used in your pursuit
of identifying the stranger among us. ​As with any formal writing assignment you will need to
incorporate citations to support and strengthen your work, have an introduction, conclusion, and
reference section​. Your paper must be in APA format and contain a minimum of 5 pages of
written content. (Title pages, abstracts, and reference section do not count toward the minimum
content requirement.)