SOCIOLOGY
3991- JUNIOR HONORS SEMINAR
Spring 2000, Tu Th 2-3:15 in 130 Blegen
Professor: Christopher Uggen
(Pronounced
You-Gun)
1160
Social Sciences: 624-4016
Office:
Tu, Th
uggen@atlas.socsci.umn.edu
http://www.soc.umn.edu/~uggen/
Logic of
the Course
The Junior Honors Seminar is designed to help
sociology honors students become integrated into the department of sociology.
We will introduce you to the major areas of research in our department and you
will meet with several members of our faculty.
Course
Objectives
Our first objective for this course is to help you develop some basic
competencies that you will need to complete your
senior project. Our second objective is to get you thinking and talking about
some of the most important and difficult questions you will need to consider.
Competencies:
· Can you use Sociological Abstracts, JSTOR, and other online indexes?
· Can you read an article critically and summarize it clearly for others?
· Can you prepare a cogent literature review that clearly summarizes the state of knowledge in an area?
· Can you prepare a grant proposal that identifies an important research problem and shows that you have the means and imagination to solve it?
· Can you present your ideas coherently in a semi-formal oral presentation?
· Have you emerged from the seminar with a concrete research question for your senior honors thesis?
Questions to ask yourself and other sociologists (such as our guests):
· Why do you study what you study? Do you find personal meaning in your work? In some areas more than others?
· Do you attempt to maintain objectivity and value neutrality in your research? How?
· Do you adopt a particular theoretical orientation in your work? How or why have you taken this approach?
· How do you see the general relation between social science and social policy? What are the specific policy implications of your work?
· How do you do your work? What sort of methodology is most appropriate for answering the types of research questions you ask? What is the relation between theory and methodology?
· Do you try to separate your role as a scientific expert from your role as citizen, teacher, student, or advocate? How?
Course Organization
This course has been
tailored to your individual and collective needs and interests. The first three
weeks of the class are designed to help you find your place in the discipline
and the department. On January 27, we voted to determine the areas of sociology
we will investigate and the sociologists we will invite to participate. I then
finalized the reading list for the latter portion of the course during the
first week of February.
Your grade will be
determined by your literature review (30% of course grade, due 3/23), grant
proposal (20% of grade, due 4/20), oral presentation (10% of grade, due
4/25-5/2), and class participation (10%). The remaining 30% will be determined
by a written précis (see attached description), short assignments (such as
those due 1/25 and 2/1 below), and in-class quizzes. We will not have quizzes
unless it becomes apparent that students are unprepared to discuss the
readings.
Required
Texts
There are
no required texts for this class. The syllabus lists a few required readings
that should be completed before each session. These materials will be made available during class.
Everyone is expected to read the core articles closely. One student will
summarize the précis articles, email their summary to seminar
participants, and bring hard copies to class. The remaining students may then
simply skim these pieces.
Other
Excellent Texts and Resources
1. American
Sociological Association, 1998. ASA Style Guide.
2. Richlin-Klonsky,
Judith, and Ellen Strenski, eds. (The Sociology
Writing Group). 1998. A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers. 4th
ed.
3. Becker, Howard S. 1986. Writing for Social
Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article.
4. Becker, Howard S. Tricks of the Trade: How to
Think About Your Research While You're Doing It. Chicago:
5. Strunk
Jr., William, and E.B. White. 2000. The Elements of Style.4th
Ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Earlier ed. available
online: http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html
6. Uggen's
Link Page: http://www.socsci.umn.edu/~uggen/links.htm
Course
Policies, Expectations, and Friendly Reminders
1. GRADING.
·
30%
literature review (due
·
20%
grant application (due
·
10%
in-class presentation (due 4/25-5/2)
·
10%
class participation
·
30%
précis, short assignments, and (maybe) quizzes (throughout semester)
2. LATE
ASSIGNMENTS, MAKE-UP EXAMS, AND INCOMPLETES.
·
ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments are due to me at the beginning of
class on the date noted in the syllabus. Late assignments are penalized 5% per
day. If family or medical emergencies
prevent you from attending class, provide written documentation of the
emergency. In such cases, you may also fax the assignment to the department fax
machine at (612) 624-7020.
·
INCOMPLETES:
No incompletes will be given for this class.
·
SNOW:
If the University is open, I will hold class.
3. RESPONSIBILITY. You are
responsible for everything discussed in class.
4. CHEATS. I trust my students not
to cheat or plagiarize others’ work. When this trust is violated, I am
personally offended and vigorously prosecute academic misconduct.
5. TEACHING PHILOSOPHY, COLLEGE,
AND DEPARTMENT POLICIES: ATTACHED.
NOTE: The
course schedule jumps around a bit to accommodate the busy schedules of our
guests. You will also note a heavier emphasis on stratification and
law/crime/deviance than on other areas of departmental specialization, since
these were the areas of greatest student interest in our survey.
Week 1
1/20 2 Doing Sociology that Matters (to you
and to others)
·
Science
and Policy
·
Applied
and Academic Sociology
Coleman, James S.
1992. “The Rational Reconstruction of Society.” American
Sociological Review 58:1-15.
Rossi, Peter H. 1999. “Saving Academic Sociology.” Sociological Inquiry 69:
110-20.
Turner, Jonathon H. 1998.
“Must Sociological Theory and Sociological Practice be So Far Apart? A Polemical Answer.” Sociological
Perspectives 243-58.
1/25 3 Mapping the Discipline
Assignment: Visit the website of another
sociology research department (Yahoo! has a nice list). List the “areas”
of specialization (these may be listed under faculty research, graduate or
undergraduate programs, departmental history, research centers, or something
else). Also record the number of full-time faculty and any “big names” you recognize.
Be ready to discuss how the social organization of academic knowledge affects
what counts for sociology.
Simon, Rita J.
and Jennifer Scherer. 1999. “What Matters in Sociology.” Sociological Inquiry
69:296-302.
Huber, Joan. 1995 “Institutional Perspectives on
Sociology.” American Journal of Sociology 101: 194-216.
1/27 4 Mapping the Department
·
Class
discussion and return of ballots
Satz, Lisa. 1999. Faculty Research
Activities 1999-2000. University of Minnesota
Department of Sociology.
Week 3
2/1 5 Taking Stock: What is the
·
Compiling
an annotated bibliography
·
Developing
“expert” knowledge in an area
·
Appraising
the quality of various sources
·
Interdisciplinary
issues
Welsh, Sandy. 1999. “Gender and
Sexual Harassment.” Annual Review of Sociology 25:169-190.
Assignment: Identify, print, and read one
review in “your” area using the search function at http://soc.AnnualReviews.org/ Bring
this to class and be ready to discuss it.
2/3 6 Following
through: The literature review in grants and articles
·
What
survives in the published article?
·
Speaking
to academic and non-academic audiences
Huiras, Jessica. 1999. “Employee Theft and Career Goals
among Young Adults.” Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Program Grant Proposal. University of Minnesota
Department of Sociology.
Huiras, Jessica,
Christopher Uggen, and Barbara McMorris. 2000. "Career Jobs, Survival
Jobs, and Employee Deviance: A Social Investment Model of Workplace
Misconduct" Forthcoming in The
Sociological Quarterly (May). Plus
reviews and correspondence.
Week 4
2/8 7 Literature Searches
·
Quality
and quantity – journal “impact” rankings
·
Sociological Abstracts, Social
Science Citation Index, Social Science Abstracts + Psychinfo, Econlit, et al.
2/10 8 Former
Sociology Honors Students Tell All
Guests: Ryan King and Jessica
Thurk
·
panel discussion on the sociology honors sequence
·
two exemplary theses
King, Ryan. “Crime Perceptions and National Context: A Comparison Of
Thurk, Jessica. 1999. “Turning the Telescope: Looking
into a Science Department.” Undergraduate Honors Thesis,
Department of Sociology,
Week 5
2/15 9 Topic
Session
2/17 10 What
Makes Research “Sociological?” Sociolegal Examples
Guest: Professor Elizabeth Heger Boyle
Everyone reads: Boyle, Elizabeth Heger, Barbara McMorris, Mayra Gomez, and Andrea Hoeschen,
2000. “International Norms and Cultural Change: The Case of Female Genital
Cutting.” Paper to be presented at the 2000 annual meetings
of the American Sociological Association,
Everyone reads: Carr, Dara.
1997. Female Genital Cutting.
2/22 11 What
Makes Research “Sociological?” Sociolegal Examples
Everyone reads: Savelsberg,
Joachim. 1994. "Knowledge, Domination and Criminal Punishment." American
Journal of Sociology 99(4): 911-943.
Precis (Brian Duginski): Grattet,
Ryken, Valerie Jenness, and
Theodore R. Curry. 1998. “The Homogenization and Differentiation of Hate Crime
Law in the
2/24 12 Departmental Specialization in
Organizations and Occupations
Guest:
Professor Joe Galaskiewicz
·
Why
are sociologists so hung up on the individual level of analysis?
Everyone reads: Galaskiewicz, Joseph. 1991. "Making
Corporate Actors Accountable: Institution Building in Minneapolis-St.
Paul," Chapter 14 in The New Institutionalism in Organizational
Analysis, edited by W. Powell and P. DiMaggio, U. Of Chicago Press,
Everyone reads: Knoke, David and Arne L. Kalleberg.
1994. “Job Training in
Precis
(Kathy Nelson)
Galaskiewicz, Joseph. 1997. “An Urban
Grants Economy Revisited: Corporate Charitable Contributions in the Twin
Cities, 1979-81, 1987-89.” Administrative Science Quarterly 42: 445-471.
Week 7
2/29 13 Departmental
Specialization in Stratification: Class & Gender
Everyone reads: Marini, Margaret Mooney, and Pi-Ling Fan. 1997. “The
Gender Gap in Earnings at Career Entry.” American
Sociological Review 62:588-604.
Precis (Les Andrist): Gerteis, Joseph,
and Mike Savage. 1998. “The Salience of Class in
3/2 14 Departmental
Specialization in Stratification: Class & Gender
Guest: Professor Yanjie Bian
Everyone reads: Bian, Yanjie, and John R. Logan. 1996. “Market Transition and the
Persistence of Power: The Changing Stratification System in Urban
http://www.urop.umn.edu/index.html.
Week 8
3/7 15 From
“Literature Review” to Theory
·
pointing
your paper in the right direction
3/9 16 Departmental Specialization in Crime,
Law, and Deviance
Guest: Professor Ross MacMillan (Tentative Date)
·
Precis by Megan and/or Marty
Everyone reads: Macmillan, Ross. “When She Brings Home the
Bacon: Labour Force Participation and Risk of Spousal
Violence against Women.” Forthcoming. Journal of Marriage and the Family.
Precis (Megan Carollo) Kruttschnitt, Candace. 1995. “Violence by and Against Women: A
Comparative and Cross-National Analysis.” Pp. 89-108 in Interpersonal Violent
Behaviors: Social and Cultural Aspects, edited by R. B. Ruback,
and N. A. Weiner.
NOTE: If you wish to submit a
draft of your literature review by March 9, I will return it with suggested
revisions in time for you to make changes by the March 23 due date.
3/14 17 Stratification: Age, Health, and Inequality
Precis (Eric Hedberg) Pampel, Fred C. 1994. “Age, Class,
and Inequality in Public Spending.” American Journal of Sociology
100:153-195.
Precis (Theodora Nemeth). Kawachi, Ichiro,
Bruce P. Kennedy, Kimberly Lochner, and Deborah Prothrow-Stith. 1997. “Social Capital, Income
Inequality, and Mortality.” American Journal of Public Health 87:
1491-98
3/16 18 Stratification:
Race and Ethnicity
Guest:
Professor Doug Hartmann (Tentative Date)
Everyone
reads: Hartmann, Douglas. 1996. “The Politics of Race
and Sport: Resistance and Domination in the 1968 African American Olympic
Protest Movement.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 19:548-66.
Precis (Lauren Fuller). Massey, Douglas. 1993. “Latinos,
Poverty, and the Underclass: A New Agenda for Research.” Hispanic Journal of
Behavioral Sciences 15: 449-475.
Week 10
3/21 19 Departmental Specialization in Life Course & Family
Guest: Jeylan Mortimer
Everyone reads: National Research Council and
Precis (Mary Lowe): Mortimer, Jeylan
T., Michael D. Finch, Seongryeol Ryu,
Michael J. Shanahan, and Kathleen T. Call. 1996. “The Effects of Work Intensity
on Adolescent Mental Health, Achievement, and Behavioral Adjustment: New
Evidence from a Prospective Study.” Child Development 67: 1243-1261.
3/23 20 LITERATURE
REVIEWS DUE
NOTE: Spring Break March 27-31
Week 11
4/4 21 Levels of
Analysis
Guest: Professor Carl Malmquist (tentative date)
Individual Level: Everyone reads: Malmquist, Carl P. 1996. Homicide: A Psychiatric
Perspective.
Situational
Level: PRECIS (Rachel Wurst). Luckenbill, David F. 1977. “Criminal Homicide as a Situated Transaction.” Social
Problems 25: 176-186.
National Level:
PRECIS (Marty Lloyd). Messner, Steven F. and Richard Rosenfeld. “Political Restraint of
the Market and Levels of Criminal Homicide: A Cross-National Application of
Institutional-Anomie Theory.” Social
Forces 75: 1393-1416.
4/6 22 Group Discussion on Levels and Methods
of Analysis
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