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The Catholic University of
America xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
x Department of
Sociology
SOCIOLOGY 102 -
GLOBAL SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Instructor: Dr. Sullins
| Office: Aquinas Hall, Rm. 116C | Sociology Dept. Phone: (202) 319-5445 |
| Office Phone: (202) 319 - 5943 | E-mail Address: Sullins@cua.edu |
| Teaching Assistant: Jessica Emami | TA E-mail Address: 12emami@cardinalmail.cua.edu |
| OFFICE HOURS:
|
Monday 12:00-1:30 (TA) Tuesday 12:00-12:30 (Instructor) Thursday 11:00-12:30 (TA and Instructor) |
Welcome and Overview Requirements Texts Assignment Schedule Resources
This course is an introduction to the sociological study of social problems. It is designed to make students aware of major social problems, and to explore the causes of and possible solutions to them. In this task we will attempt to set social problems in a global perspective both politically and intellectually, comparing different societies and theoretical perspectives and by examining broad social trends. Throughout the course the perspective of Catholic social teaching will be compared and contrasted with other viewpoints, and students will be encouraged to develop their own ethic and practice of engagement with social problems.
Course Goals
The goals of the course are to increase student understanding of the social conditions defined as problematic in modern society; to develop student's critical thinking skills to better appreciate diverse perspectives, including that of Catholic social thought, regarding the root causes of social problems; to engage in participant observation in an actual attempt to address a social problem; and stimulate student's creative thinking regarding viable solutions to the challenges faced by individuals, communities, societies and the global community of nations. These goals are pursued in service of the more general goals of a social science and liberal education at Catholic University.
Goals for Student Learning
At the end of this course, the student will be able to:
articulate the unique contribution of Catholic social theory to the understanding of the problems of human society.
The attainment of these goals will be assessed by weekly study question assignments, midcourse anonymous student feedback, and final exam essays (click to see the questions and exam expectations).
Midterm exams are multiple choice, short answer or essay, and true-false questions based on readings and lectures; they are not cumulative.
The final exam will be in-class essay requiring thoughtful integration of all the course content, and will be cumulative. Exam questions will be selected from a larger list of possibilities. Click Here to see this larger list.
Reading Assignments: Study questions are provided for each week's reading material. On Monday each week you will hand in either the answer to these questions or an abstract of that week's material. This is due each Monday for the upcoming week's (not previous week's) readings.
Your study question answers or abstract will be graded as check, check-plus, check-minus, or zero. A check means acceptable work, all but a few weekly papers will receive a check; check-minus is unacceptable work, and constitutes an invitation to re-do the assignment and hand it in again until you get a check; check-plus is very outstanding or impressively good work, and is rarely given; zero means the assignment was not handed in (or was handed in blank or substantially incomplete). Checks may not be redone for a higher score. These will affect your total course percentage score as follows: checks will have no effect; each check-plus will add 1%; each check-minus will subtract 1%; each zero will subtract 2%. At the end of the semester the lowest reading assignment score may be dropped.
Group Presentation: You will be assigned to a small group to prepare a ten minute presentation on an issue or topic of interest related to the weekly material of the course. This will be graded on quality and accuracy of research (50%) and organization and clarity of the presentation (50%). See the Expectations and Evaluation Criteria for Class Presentations.
For more details see my general policies on grading, assignments and exams.
Practicum: Each student will be required to engage in a practicum (12 hours) participating in/observing an activity devoted to adressing some social problem. You will write a 6-page report and may make a brief informal class presentation (ungraded) regarding your experience and findings. For more details see my Twelve Suggested Questions to cover in your report. Also see an example of an "A" quality report. Here are some suggestions for choosing a practicum site.
ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
Note: Due to guest speakers the course schedule is subject to change. Advance notice, as much as possible, will be given of all changes both in class and on this web page. The student is responsible to discover anything that has been both announced in class and posted to this page.| WEEK OF: | READINGS, ASSIGNMENTS, EXAMS, and PROJECTS DUE: |
| Week of
August 31 Introduction; Overview of Sociological Theory |
Light
and Keller, "The Sociological Eye" 9/3: Mass of the Holy Spirit, class does not meet. |
| Week of
September 7 Intro to Catholic Social Teaching (CST) |
Readings (Study
Questions): LJ Ch. 5 Recommended reading: Centesimus Annus (plain language version), Pope John Paul II. |
| Week of September 14
History of CST and Human Rights |
Readings (Study
Questions): LJ Ch. 3 Overviews of Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno The International Bill of Human Rights and associated Covenants. Note the title/subject matter of all nine major covenants, and read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 9/15: Practicum site choice due at beginning of class. |
| Week of September 21
CST and Social Problems |
Readings (Study
Questions): LJ Ch. 6 9/15: Practicum site choice due at beginning of class. CST outline slides (Powerpoint) |
| Week of September 28 Bias and Social Construction |
Readings (Study
Questions): GSP Ch. 1
Crisis of the Family, Finsterbusch (ed.), pp. 62-78 |
| Week of October 5 The Family |
Crisis of the
Family, Finsterbusch (ed.), pp. 79-113
(Study Questions - Due Thursday 10/8) 10/6: Midterm I Study Guide |
| Week of October 12
Poverty and Plenty |
Readings
(Study
Questions): GSP Ch.
6 10/13: Practicum Progress Report due Latest Human Development Report Stats |
| Week of
October 19
Population and Immigration |
Readings (Study Questions): GSP Ch. 7 |
| Week of October 26 Urbanization |
Readings (Study
Questions): GSP Ch. 2
10/29: Group 4 Presentation "Urban Crime" |
| Week of November 2 Industrialization and Globalization |
Readings (Study
Questions): GSP Ch. 3
11/3: Group 6 Presentation "Health Care Options around the World" 11/5: Group 8 Presentation "Fall of the Global Economy" |
| Week of
November 9
The Environment |
Readings (Study
Questions): GSP Ch. 8 Jared Diamond, "Environmental Collapse" (2004 Chafee Lecture) 11/10: Group 1 Presentation "Homelessness in the U.S." 11/10: Guest Speaker: AFL/CIO Labor Union 11/12: Guest Speakers: National Coalition for the Homeless |
| Week of
November 16 Review and Exam |
11/17: Summary/review for exam 11/19: Midterm II Study Guide |
| Week of
November 23 Issues in Warfare and Crime |
Readings (Study
Questions): GSP Ch. 5 11/24: Group 6 Presentation "Nuclear Proliferation" 11/24: Group 2 Presentation "Causes and Effects of Crime" 11/24: Group 3 Presentation "International Crime" 11/26: Thanksgiving Recess, class does not meet. |
| Week of
November 30 Review and Integration |
Practicum Debrief, Case Studies and Presentations Readings: GSP Ch. 9 12/1: Final Practicum Report Due. 12/1: Guest Speaker: Sister Maria de la Revelación Casteneda |
| Week of December 7 |
12/8: Immaculate Conception Holy
Day, class does not meet. 12/10: Last day of class. |
| Week of December 14 | Final Examination scheduled by the Registrar for Thursday, December 17, 1:30-3:30 p.m. |
Notes to note well:
Writing Center. The
Writing Center is an excellent resource for any student here at CUA. The
Writing Center is committed to supporting the writing needs of students at
all stages of the writing process. The Writing Center offers:
Advice from trained consultants;
Techniques for invention, arrangement, and
style;
Assistance for student writers of all
levels; and
Reference material such as dictionaries,
thesauri, and citation formats for APA, MLA, and Chicago style guides.
If, at any point in the semester, you feel like you are struggling to draft, revise or properly reference sources in a writing assignment, make an appointment at http://english.cua.edu/wc. The Writing Center is located in 111 O’Boyle Hall. Instructors may also refer you to the Writing Center for further assistance with any assignment or writing skill
Academic honesty. CUA policy states: Academic honesty is expected of all CUA students. Faculty are required to initiate the imposition of sanctions when they find violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism, improper use of a student’s own work, cheating, and fabrication. The following sanctions are presented in the University procedures related to Student Academic Dishonesty (from http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrityprocedures.cfm): “The presumed sanction for undergraduate students for academic dishonesty will be failure for the course. There may be circumstances, however, where, perhaps because of an undergraduate student’s past record, a more serious sanction, such as suspension or expulsion, would be appropriate. In the context of graduate studies, the expectations for academic honesty are greater, and therefore the presumed sanction for dishonesty is likely to be more severe, e.g., expulsion. ...In the more unusual case, mitigating circumstances may exist that would warrant a lesser sanction than the presumed sanction.” Please review the complete texts of the University policy and procedures regarding Student Academic Dishonesty, including requirements for appeals, at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrity.cfm and http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrity.cfm.
The University grading system is
available at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad//gradesfull.cfm#II
for undergraduates and http://policies.cua.edu/academicgrad//gradesfull.cfm#iii
for graduate students.
Check out the survey software below. You can put your own surveys on the web.
All contents copyright ©
D. Paul Sullins and/or The Catholic University of America
Revised
11/20/09