CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
Fall 2004
Mark Rubinfeld
Nightingale 8
Office phone:
832-2430; Home phone: 364-1228
E-mail:
mrubinfeld@westminstercollege.edu
Website:
www.people.westminstercollege.edu/faculty/mrubinfeld
Office Hours: Mon., Tues.,
Wed., and Thurs.
Course
Description:
This course explores
contemporary issues from a social problems perspective. Focusing on various
current issues such as poverty, unemployment, crime, substance abuse,
terrorism, racism, discrimination, and sexual inequality, the course utilizes
sociological analysis to examine how contemporary issues are defined—and dealt
with—in American society.
Required Books (Available at College Bookstore):
Bales, Kevin. 1999. Disposable
People.
Kozol, Jonathan. 1995. Amazing Grace.
Parillo, Vincent N. 2004. Contemporary
Social Problems. Sixth Edition.
Course
Objectives:
Procedures and Course
Outline:
This course utilizes
a variety of learning tools including readings, lectures, videotapes, class
discussions, field trips, group exercises, and oral presentations. Reading
assignments, paper deadlines, and exam dates appear on the attached course
outline.
Assignments and Grading:
Final grades will be
based on the following: a mid-term (30% of the final grade), a final
examination (30% of the final grade), two papers (each
worth 15% of the final grade), and a group presentation (10% of the final
grade). In addition, you will be responsible for up to three short homework
assignments during the course. To pass the course, you must complete all
of the course assignments. Final grades will be based on the percentage of
total points earned: 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+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), and F (below 60).
Mid-term
and Final Exam: Both the mid-term and the final exam will include multiple
choice, true-false, and short essay questions covering information from the
readings, lectures, and class discussions.
Two papers: You will have at
least two weeks to complete the two papers, each four-to-six pages long
(double-spaced), related to the readings. Late papers will be accepted up to
one week late with a ten-point penalty; after one week, no late papers will
be accepted. (Note: an absence on the day a paper is due is not a valid
reason for missing a deadline. It is your responsibility to find someone to
deliver the paper for you, or to fax or e-mail a copy of the paper to me on the
due date).
Group Presentation: You will be placed
into groups with each group giving a thirty minute presentation on a current
social problem.
Up to Three Short Homework
Assignments: These will be used to prepare, and facilitate, discussions on
the readings. They will require no outside research, just thinking, and
reaction, to the readings. They may be handwritten or typewritten, two pages
long, and each should take no more than a half an hour-to-an hour to complete.
They will be graded, simply, as completed, or not completed.
Class Participation and
Attendance:
Classroom
discussions are important; they help to clarify various issues that arise from the
readings and add diversity to the learning experience. I expect that all
students will participate in classroom discussions. Although this class has no
formal attendance policy, a significant number of questions on the
midterm and final will focus on class lectures and discussions. Furthermore,
since I will be weighing class participation in borderline grading situations,
students who regularly attend class and frequently participate in classroom and
discussions will have an “edge” in achieving a higher, final grade. Finally, I
reserve the option of giving quizzes, assigning additional homework, or
emending this syllabus as the need arises.
Student-Student and
Student-Faculty Relationship:
All students must be
respectful of other students. This means no talking while other students are
talking or trying to listen. It also means showing up to class on time so as
not to disrupt the class with late arrivals. Once class begins,
no chatting, no reading outside materials, and no sleeping in class. If you
must eat, make sure it is a “quiet” food. Also, turn off your cell phones. In
other words, act appropriately for a college class; if your actions create a
distraction, you will be asked to leave. My office hours are listed at the
beginning of this syllabus. At any time, feel free to meet with me to discuss
readings, lectures, assignments, or other matters relevant to this course. If
you cannot meet with me during my scheduled office hours, I am also available
by appointment. It is especially important for you to see me early in the
semester if you are having difficulties with the course. Do not wait till the
end of the semester when there is little I can do to help you out. Finally,
feel free to meet with me if you would like to learn more about sociology, including
pursuing it as a major or minor, or incorporating its application into papers
and assignments from your other classes.
Group Presentations
Due to time constraints, there are a
number of chapters from the text that will not be covered in lectures nor
assigned to everyone for reading. In order to give you a “glimpse” into the
content of these chapters, we will use group presentations that will: 1) allow
us to cover more material than we could normally cover through lectures and
readings, 2) provide you with a greater variety of viewpoints, and 3) afford
you the opportunity to experience working on a group project that includes
public speaking.
Midway through the semester, we will
form groups with each group being responsible for reporting on one of the
unassigned chapters in the textbook. Each group will have 30 minutes to report
to the class on the chapter, and 5 minutes for a question and answer period.
The group should not try to cover all of the material in the chapter but focus,
instead, on the most pertinent point (or points), serving as the “instructor
for the day,” and emphasizing what it thinks the students should learn.
Each member of the group must
participate in the oral presentation. All students in the group will receive
the same grade. On the day of the group presentation, each group must submit an
outline of its presentation and what each individual member will be covering.
The final exam may include several questions stemming from the presentations so
it is important that students not presenting on a given day listen attentively.
It has been my experience that the best presentations are those that involve
the following:
Solid preparation: All group members should be equally
prepared for the presentation. This usually necessitates a clear delineation of
member roles in preparing for and conducting the presentation. In addition,
many of the best presentations involve outside research or activity. For
example, one group arranged a class visit to a city jail and, serving as tour
guides, provided students with a firsthand account of prison conditions and
attempts at prison reform. Another group used part of its presentation to put
on a skit dealing with AIDS awareness and then, utilizing handouts and poster
boards, provided details of the AIDS epidemic in the
Class activity
and/or handouts: Having the
class take an active role in at least part of the presentation (through
handouts, posters, transparencies, games, videos, or any other audio or visual
aids that the group deems useful) often results in better class attention and
discussions. In presenting your material, strive to be informative, engaging,
and creative. Try to think of different ways of involving the class into your
presentation so they stay interested.
Introduction of
the panel members: You can
make the group presentation more personal by introducing yourselves at the
beginning of your presentation. This helps to lessen the “intimidation factor”,
and to create an atmosphere more conducive to audience participation.
Furthermore, try not to forget to establish eye contact with members of the
audience, and to smile from time to time. If you can, also try to avoid reading
from your notes or cue cards.
Careful time
budgeting: Use your time
wisely. Thirty minutes is not very long for a presentation. While you should be
prepared to use the entire 30 minutes for your presentation, this does not mean
that you should try to cram as much information or activities as possible into
your presentation. It is better to cover two well-developed points about a
topic than to zip through ten confused and disjointed points.
Expectations
about audience participation:
Of course you will do the best you can to encourage participation and
discussion from the class. However, the burden of responsibility is not
entirely yours. The rest of the class is also responsible for ensuring that the
group presentations are an engaging and rewarding experience for everyone
involved. This entails: 1) listening attentively (showing respect for speakers),
2) taking part in the discussion and/or activity, and 3) preparing at least one
question or comment to share with the class during the question and answer
period.
Grading: As previously mentioned, each member in the
group receives the same grade. The grades for the group presentations will be
based on the following criteria: 1) substance or content, 2) creativity and
resourcefulness (use of materials, exercises, activities, etc.), and 3) form
and style (articulation, length, organization, preparedness, etc.). If the
group is having a problem with one or more of its members (e.g., not coming to
preparatory meetings, showing no interest in the project, not doing his or her
share of the work), first, try to work it out with the member or members. If the
problem persists, however, let me know about it as early as possible. If the
group consensus is that one or more members of the group are not participating
to the satisfaction of the group, the non-participating member or members will
not get credit for the assignment, and receive a zero for their group
presentation grade. This ensures: a) that the group is not penalized for the
lack of preparation of any of its members, and b) that no group member or
members receive credit for the work that others are doing.
Having
fun: Education does not always have to be a chore. In addition to learning new material, this
is an opportunity to develop public speaking skills, gain self-confidence, make
new friends, and have some fun. This is your time to teach and to reach. Go for
it!
COURSE OUTLINE
|
Week |
Topic |
Assignments |
|
1 |
Introduction to Contemporary Issues and Social Problems |
No assignments |
|
2 |
Definitions and Perspectives |
Monday August 30 Contemporary Social Problems, Chapter 1, The
Sociology of Social Problems, pp. 1-28 |
|
3 |
Definitions and Perspectives (and) City Life and Urban Issues |
Wednesday September 8 Contemporary
Social Problems, Chapter 4, Housing and Urbanization, pp. 91-118 Wednesday
September 8 Amazing
Grace,
Chapters 1 and 2, pp. 3-54 |
|
4 |
City Life and Urban Issues (and) Race and Ethnic Relations (and)
Poverty |
Monday September 13 Contemporary
Social Problems, Chapter 8, Race and Ethnic Relations, pp. 225-254 Amazing
Grace,
Chapters 3, 4, and 5, pp.57-182 Wednesday
September 15 Contemporary
Social Problems, Chapter 6, Poverty and Social Class, pp. 155-189 |
|
5 |
Poverty (and) Alcohol and Drug Abuse (and) Crime and Violence |
Monday September 20 Contemporary
Social Problems, Chapter 13, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, pp. 387-422 Amazing
Grace,
Chapters 6 and Epilogue, pp. 185-226 |
|
6 |
Crime and Violence and Midterm Exam Review |
Monday
September 27 Contemporary
Social Problems, Chapter 9, Crime and Violence, pp. 239-273. Due: Wednesday September 29 ***FIRST
PAPER *** |
|
7 |
Midterm Exam (and) Global Inequality and World Conflicts |
Monday
October 4 ***MIDTERM EXAM*** (Covering Chapters 1,4,8,6,13,
and 9, and all of Amazing Grace) Wednesday
October 6 Disposable
People,
Chapter 1 Due:
Wednesday October 6 ***Top
Three Choices—Group Presentations*** |
|
8 |
Global Inequality and World Conflicts |
Monday October 11 Disposable
People,
Chapters 2 and 3 Wednesday October 13 Disposable
People,
Chapters 4 and 5 |
|
9 |
Global Inequality and World Conflicts (and) Alienation, Anomie, and
Postmodern Perspectives |
Monday October 18 Disposable
People, Chapter 6 and Epilogue Wednesday
October 20 Contemporary
Social Problems, Chapter 2, The Individual in Modern Society, pp. 29-54 |
|
10 |
Alienation, Anomie, and Postmodern Perspectives (and) Sexual
Behavior |
Wednesday
October 27 Contemporary
Social Problems, Chapter 14, Sexual Behavior, pp. 423-429 |
|
11 |
Sexual Behavior (and) Gender
Inequality |
Monday
November 1 Contemporary
Social Problems, Chapter 7, Gender Inequality and Heterosexism, pp. 191-224 Due: Monday November 1 ***SECOND
PAPER*** |
|
12 |
Gender Inequality (and) The Family |
Due: Wednesday November 10 Contemporary
Social Problems, Chapter 10, The Family, pp. 291-324 |
|
13 |
The Family (and) Group Presentation Preparations |
No
assignments |
|
14 |
The Family (and) Group Presentation Preparations |
Due: Monday November 22 Outline
for Group Presentations and Group Presentation Preparations Wednesday
November 24 Thanksgiving
break |
|
15 |
Group Presentations |
Monday November 29 Group
Presentations Wednesday
December 1 Group
Presentations |
|
16 |
Last Class, Final Review, and Student Course Evaluations |
Monday December 6 Leftover
Group Presentations, Group Presentation Grades and Feedback, Final Exam
Review, and Class Wrap Up ***FINAL EXAM*** (covering text chapters 2,14,7, and 10, and, all of Disposable
People) is scheduled for Monday December 13 at 2:00-3:50 |