Sociology

• 1/8/13: Receive syllabus, overview of policies and procedures, review final exam, lecture and reading on "Schooling and Society"
• 1/9: "Schooling and Society" continued, Tracking Assignment
• 1/11: Finish "Schooling and Society", begin lecture and reading on "Socialization and the Life Course", Schooling and Society HW (DUE Tues. 1/15):

1. List and describe each of the 3 components in the Functionalist view of education

2. How does Conflict Theory view education?

3. What is the connection between SES (Socio Economic Status), occupational, and educational attainment?

4. Describe each of the 3 criticisms of standardized testing

5. What was the argument made by 'The Bell Curve', and what are its criticisms?

6. Why was tracking developed, and what have the consequences been?

7. Describe how the Teacher Expectancy Effect relates to the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

• 1/15: "Socialization and the Life Course", First Week of School Activity (DUE Weds. 1/16):

Think back to your first week at Sky Islands...

1. What expectations were communicated to you and by whom?

2. Who or what were the most significant socialization agents?

3. What expectations were communicated formally and informally?

4. How did this experience differ from your socialization at other schools? Be specific.

• 1/16: "Socialization and the Life Course" continued
• 1/18: "Socialization and the Life Course" continued
• 1/22: "Socialization and the Life Course" continued
• 1/23: "Socialization and the Life Course" continued, Socialization and Play Assignment (DUE Fri. 1/25):

-Think back to your early experiences with play in childhood (OR observe the play interactions between young children, if possible, and tailor the following questions to your observations):

1. What play activities were you involved in?

2. What differences were there between the play or roles of boys and girls?

3. How were your play experiences a form of socialization?

• 1/25: "Socialization and the Life Course" continued
• 1/29: "Socialization and the Life Course" continued
• 1/30: Receive "Final Project Guidelines" (DUE Fri. 5/10, but with smaller due dates along the way), Project Topic HW (DUE Fri. 2/1):

1. Describe your ideas for your topic. Also, why do you want to study this topic?

2. What is your initial plan for your Action Component?

• 2/1: "Socialization and the Life Course" continued
• 2/5: Finish "Socialization and the Life Course", Socialization HW (DUE Fri. 2/8):

1. What is the Nature vs. Nurture controversy, and what role does socialization play in it?

2. How is socialization a form of social control?

3. Describe each of the 4 consequences of socialization

4. Describe each of the 6 agents of socialization

5. How does psychoanalytic theory describe human behavior?

6. What is the "Looking Glass Self", and how does it shape human behavior?

7. Describe each of the 3 main phases of development in childhood

8. How do rites of passage and resocialization transform one's identity?

• 2/6: Introduce "Culture and the Media", lecture and reading on "Caucasian American Education", Final Project Topic HW (DUE Fri. 2/8):

1. Describe your topic in detail- what exactly do you plan to study?

2. What is your plan now for your Action Component?

• 2/8: Finish "Caucasian American Education", lecture and reading on "Culture and the Media", Cultural Anthropology Assignment (DUE Weds. 2/13):

Choose a particular social situation or interaction, observe it as a cultural outsider, and then write down the following:

1. What the situation or interaction is, and a detailed observation of it

2. Your objective interpretation of what the interactions or behaviors mean

3. Assuming that you were an outsider, how accurate would your ability to interpret cultural interactions and meanings be, and why?

• 2/12: Unit Quiz 1 and Binder Check, "Culture and the Media" continued
• 2/13: Lukas out- Shari covers
• 2/15: Lukas out- Shari covers
• 2/19: Receive "Research Paper Outline" and discuss, NOTE: Your sources for your research must be collected and approved by Fri. 3/8!
• 2/20: "Culture and the Media" continued, Symbols of American Culture Activity
• 2/22: No School- Rodeo Break
• 2/26: "Culture and the Media" continued
• 2/27: Watch "In Whose Honor?"
• 3/1: Finish "In Whose Honor?", "Culture and the Media" continued
• 3/5: "Culture and the Media" continued, Ethnomethodology HW (DUE Fri. 3/8):

1. Identify a norm and violate it, then record peoples' reactions

2. How did they try to normalize the situation or impose social sanctions?

3. Explain whether this norm was implicit or explicit, and why

• 3/6: "Culture and the Media" continued, Culture HW I (DUE Tues. 3/12):

1. Describe the difference between material and nonmaterial culture, and give an example of each

2. How does a society as diverse as the U.S. still share a common culture?

3. In what ways is culture learned?

4. What are symbols, and what role do they play in shaping culture?

5. Define the Sapir-Worf Hypothesis, and state why most scholars think it's only partially correct

6. Describe how language can be used to reinforce power or social inequality

7. Define 'norms', and state the differences between implicit and explicit norms

8. What's the difference between folkways, mores, and taboos? How are they enforced?

9. What are beliefs, and how do they hold a culture together?

10. What are values, and how do they relate to peoples' behavior in a society?

• 3/8: "Culture and the Media" continued, Subcultures at School Activity, Research Outline (DUE Tues. 3/12):

Create a list of topics using your sources that will be used to address the different key points in your paper, and state which sources will be used for each topic.

• 3/12: Finish "Culture and the Media", begin lecture and reading on "The Mass Media and Popular Culture", Methodology Report (DUE Fri. 3/15):

Write up a research outline for your project-

1. What kinds of data will you collect?

2. Which tool will you use to collect your data? (i.e. survey, interviews, content analysis, historical analysis, controlled experiment), and why?

3. How will you collect your data?

• 3/13: "The Mass Media and Popular Culture" continued
• 3/15: "The Mass Media and Popular Culture" continued, Action Proposal (DUE Tues. 3/19):

1. Describe your idea for your Action Component. What do you plan to do, and why?

2. Write up a brief timeline. When do you plan to start your Action Component, how long are you going to do it for, and how often?

3. How will you know when your Action Component is finished?

4. What resources, materials, or help do you need in setting it up? How do you plan to obtain them?

Also receive Media Analysis HW (DUE Fri. 4/5):

-Watch a particular kind of TV show, and make careful and detailed notes on the depictions of:

1. Men

2. Women

3. Racial/ ethnic minorities

4. Any other groups (such as age, class, sexual orientation, region, etc.)

-Then, describe what your observations tell you about the cultural ideals of the dominant/ pop culture

• 3/19: Midterm Exam and Binder Check
• 3/20: Review exam
• 3/22: No Class- Special Event
• 3/25-4/1: NO SCHOOL- SPRING BREAK
• 4/3: "The Mass Media and Popular Culture" continued
• 4/5: "The Mass Media and Popular Culture" continued, Data Analysis Guidelines (DUE Fri. 4/12):

Once you've conducted your own research, analyze it and write down the following:

1. What patterns, trends, or relationships did you find?

2. Why do you think these occurred? What factors may have influenced the results?

3. Did your findings match your hypothesis or what you expected to observe? Why or why not?

4. If you were to conduct this research again, what would you do to obtain better or more reliable data?

-Include your data with your analysis!

• 4/9: AIMS Testing
• 4/10: "The Mass Media and Popular Culture" continued
• 4/12: Finish "The Mass Media and Popular Culture", begin lecture and reading on "Race and Ethnicity", Research Paper Outline (DUE Fri. 4/19):

Create an outline (based on the examples in your "Research Paper Outline" handouts), that includes the following:

1. Introduction

2. Thesis statement

3. Each paragraph with topics

4. Conclusion

5. Inclusion of your background research

6. Inclusion of your own research

7. Inclusion of which sources you will use in each paragraph

8. Correct outline formatting

 also receive Culture HW II (DUE Tues. 4/16):

1. Describe the differences between a subculture and a counterculture

2. What is cultural relativism, and how is it different from ethnocentrism?

3. How does the dominant culture relate to cultural hegemony?

4. Describe how the media influences culture

5. Describe each of the ways in which cultures can change

• 4/16: "Race and Ethnicity" continued
• 4/17: "Race and Ethnicity" continued
• 4/19: "Race and Ethnicity" continued, Salience and Stereotypes Activity (DUE Tues. 4/23):

1. Observe people over the weekend and make a list of the first thing (most salient characteristic) that you notice about them

2. Once you've made your list, write down whether these observations lead you to stereotype these people. Why or why not?

3. On what are your stereotypes based?

• 4/23: Watch "Play Again", Play Again Analysis
• 4/24: Continue watching "Play Again", with analysis
• 4/26: Unit Quiz 2 and Binder Check, Rough Draft of Research Paper DUE, continue watching "Play Again", with analysis, Final Draft of Research Paper and Action Component Evaluation (Both DUE Fri. 5/3):

1. Summarize the experience you had in completing your action component. What changed from your original plan, and why?

2. What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

3. How has your action component contributed towards enacting a positive change or raising awareness about your topic?

4. Were you to do this again, how might you do it differently, and why?

5. After this experience, do you feel that one person can make a difference? Why or why not?

• 4/30: Finish "Play Again", with analysis
• 5/1: Continue lecture and reading on "Race and Ethnicity"
• 5/3: "Race and Ethnicity" continued
• 5/7: "Race and Ethnicity" continued
• 5/8: No Class- All-School Event
• 5/8: Final Project DUE (Research Paper and Completed Action Component), "Race and Ethnicity" continued, Race and Ethnicity HW (DUE Tues. 5/14):

1. Describe how race and ethnicity differ

2. How is race socially constructed?

3. How does racialization differ from racial formation?

4. Define the 'out-group homogeneity effect', and explain how it relates to racial formation

5. How does prejudice differ from discrimination?

6. Describe each of the forms of racism

7. How does each sociological theory interpret prejudice and racism?

8. Describe the criticisms of the Assimilation Perspective

• 5/14: Project presentations 
• 5/15: "Smoke Signals" Film Analysis
• 5/17: "Smoke Signals" Film Analysis continued
• 5/21: Final Exam and Binder Check, Class Evaluations (DUE first thing Weds. morning)
• 5/22: All- school cleaning and moving
• 5/24: NO SCHOOL- Summer Break