SYP3000: SOCIETY AND THE INDIVIDUAL
Summer
2009
Class: M-F 12:30-1:45 p.m. in 0112 Newins-Ziegler Hall
Instructor: Monika
Ardelt, Ph.D.
Office: 3350
Turlington
Phone: 392-0265
ext. 247
E-mail: Ardelt@soc.ufl.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday
and Thursday 1:55-2:45 p.m., and by appointment
WWW: http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/ardelt/
Course Content
“Knowledge
is far more than the accumulation of isolated facts and figures. It involves a
deeper understanding, an ability to ‘walk around’ facts and see them from
different angles.”
(Joseph Lowman, 1985)
My major goal in this course is to help you
see reality from many (new) perspectives.
In particular, I would like you to take the perspective of a stranger in
a strange land. We will learn how to
translate theories of social psychology, especially the theory of symbolic
interactionism, into everyday life and, conversely, to interpret situations of
everyday life according to theories of social psychology. How do these theories help us to understand
the behavior of other people as well as our own behavior? How do they explain why we (re)act in the way
we do?
We will examine the underlying structure that
lies behind our actions. Interaction
(even deviant behavior) does not happen just randomly but follows specific
social rules and norms. Together we will
try to discover these social rules and norms in our everyday activities.
O’Brien, Jodi. 2006. The Production of Reality. Essays and
Course packet available at Orange
& Blue Textbooks (
Requirements
Attendance: Attendance of class is
required because non-attendance by several students at a time will destroy the
dynamic of the class. You will be allowed two absences without any questions.
After that, any unexcused absence will result in a half point reduction of your
final grade.
Assignments: Almost every week, I will
give you a 600-word written assignment that you should submit to me via E-Learning before class on or before the designated due date. The written assignments must be submitted
either as a Word document (*.doc) or saved and submitted as
a rich text format (*.rtf) file. I
will not be able to download, read, and grade any other file format. Each 600-word assignment is worth 2 points. To get full credit, you need to submit at least 600 words of text that
pertain to the assignment (names and headings do not count). There are a
total of 12 assignments. Six of the
assignments (or the first 12 points you will earn) are required and will count
as 12% of your grade. Six additional assignments are optional. You have the
option to substitute five of the additional assignments (or up to 10 points
above your initial 12 points) for 10% of the average grade of your three exams.
Except for the first two assignments, I will not accept any late entries regardless of the excuse but you are
allowed to drop one assignment and might still earn the full 100 points in the
class. If you submit all 12 written assignments, you can earn up to 2 extra
credit points that will be added to your total score at the end of the semester.
To submit your MS Word file or *.rtf file in E-Learning, go to the University
of Florida e-Learning Support Services home page at <http://lss.at.ufl.edu/> (bookmark this page). “Log In,” using
your Gatorlink username and password in the boxes under “E-Learning System
Entry.” If you do not have a Gatorlink ID or if you cannot remember your
Gatorlink login information, go to the Gatorlink website at <http://gatorlink.ufl.edu> or to the
CIRCA Help Desk in the Hub (phone: 392-HELP) for assistance.
Important: Before you log in to E-Learning for the first time on
your computer, you should perform a browser and Java check to make sure that
both are compatible with E-Learning. To do so, go to the
After you have successfully logged into E-Learning, click on the link
for our course. To view and submit an assignment via
E-Learning, click on the “Assignments” tab in the tool bar then on the assignment link
of the assignment that you want to submit. The Submission screen for that
assignment appears.
Submitting an assignment involves two steps:
(1) Upload the file from your
computer to E-Learning:
·
To locate the file, click on “Add Attachments” to open the “File
Browser” window.
·
Click on “My Computer” to open the “Upload Files from Your
Computer” window.
·
Click on “Browse” to open your computer’s browser.
·
Select the file you want to upload by double-clicking on it (or click
on the file and then click “Open”).
·
You are returned
to the “Upload Files from Your Computer” window. Click on “OK”.
·
The Submission screen for that assignment appears again. You will see a
hyperlink for your assignment file. You can click on the hyperlink to make sure
that it is the correct file.
(2) Submit the file for grading.
·
Click on “Submit”. A screen appears asking you “Are you sure you want
to submit this assignment?” Click on “OK”.
·
The submission confirmation screen appears. Click on “OK”.
If you want to revise and resubmit your
assignment before the due date, click on “Assignments” in the tool bar, click
on the “Submitted” tab, and then on the “Take Submission Back to Inbox” icon in
the top right corner. This will move the assignment back to the “Inbox” and you
can click on the assignment and repeat the above steps to submit a revised
version of your assignment. Before you do this, however, you should click on
the “Remove” icon to remove the old version of your assignment first.
To view your submitted assignments, click on
“Assignments” in the tool bar and then click on the “Submitted” tab. All
assignments you have submitted and resubmitted, and assignments for which you
have missed the cutoff date will be listed. Once assignments are graded,
however, they are moved to the “Graded” tab. To view your grades, click on
“Assignments” in the toolbar and then on the “Graded” tab or click on “My Grades”
in the toolbar.
Cheating: I define copying parts or
all of an assignment or exam from an author or another student or allowing
another student to copy parts or all of your assignment or exam as cheating.
WARNING:
Students who are caught cheating in this way will fail the class immediately!
Exams: There will be three exams,
two midterm exams on May 22 and June 3 and the final exam on June 18. All exams
will consist of multiple choice questions. The exams will be based on the
readings as well as on material from class, including class discussions. The
exams will not be comprehensive, that is, they will
cover only material presented in class or in the readings that were not covered
by the previous exam(s).
I do not plan to give any make-up exams. So
if you should encounter any difficulties, come and see me early!
Accommodations
for Students with Disabilities: Students requesting classroom accommodation must
first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will
provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation
to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.
Three Tips for Staying Awake in Class (and make class more interesting to you):
1. Ask questions.
2. If you feel yourself falling asleep, ask provocative questions. Challenge your professor.
3. Read the assigned material before class to do #1 and #2.
|
OPTION 1 |
OPTION 2 |
||
|
Requirements First Midterm Second Midterm Final Exam Six 600-word assignments
(required) Additional (up to five) 600-word assignments |
% of Final Grade 22% 22% 34% 12% 10% |
Requirements First Midterm Second Midterm Final Exam Six 600-word assignments |
% of Final
Grade 25.33% 25.33% 37.34% 12.00% |
Your grade will be calculated according to the
formula of either Option 1 or Option 2, whichever results in a higher grade for
you.
Plus
you can earn up to 2 extra credit points
under Option 1 (but not Option 2), which will be added to your total score if you complete all twelve written
assignments!
I will not grade on a curve, i.e. your grade
will depend on your absolute performance, not your performance compared to
other students.
The points that you will earn can be
translated into letter-grades as follows:
|
92.5 - 100.0 = A 90.0 - <92.5 = A- 87.5 - <90.0 = B+ 82.5 - <87.5 = B 80.0 - <82.5 = B- 77.5 - <80.0 = C+ |
72.5
- <77.5 = C 70.0
- <72.5 = C- 67.5
- <70.0 = D+ 62.5
- <67.5 = D 60.0
- <62.5 = D- <60.0 = E |
A WORD OF CAUTION: Keep in mind that the
points you earn during the semester will determine your final grade. Optional
assignments must be submitted by the due date and cannot be turned in after the
end of the semester to improve your grade. Your actual total points at the end of the class will determine your
grade. I will not round up points.
Begging will be futile!
|
Tentative Class Schedule |
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|
Date |
Topic |
|
|
05/11 – 05/12 |
What is real? |
O’Brien:
pp.1-12, O’Brien |
|
05/13 – 05/14 |
Perspectives in social psychology |
O’Brien:
pp.44-54, 57-62, (O’Brien Reading 4) |
|
05/15 |
Wisdom and knowledge |
O’Brien: pp.54-57 |
|
05/18 – 05/20 |
Socialization and language |
O’Brie6/02/2009n: pp.63-77,
O’Brien |
|
05/21 |
Cognitive structure and social structure |
O’Brien: pp.77-82, O’Brien
|
|
05/22 |
First Midterm! |
|
|
05/26 – 05/27 |
Naming as an interactional process |
O’Brien:
pp.127-130, O’Brien |
|
05/28 – 05/29 |
Definition of the situation |
O’Brien: pp.130-139, O’Brien |
|
06/01 – 06/02 |
Self-concept and social identity |
O’Brien:
pp. 235-249, O’Brien |
|
06/03 |
Second Midterm! |
|
|
06/04 – 06/05 |
A theory of reality |
O’Brien:
pp.333-345, O’Brien |
|
06/08 – 06/09 |
Self-fulfilling prophecies |
O’Brien:
pp.345-347, O’Brien |
|
06/10 – 06/15 |
Conflict in self-production |
O’Brien:
pp.425-441, O’Brien Readings 15, (24-25),
33, (34), 35-36, (37) |
|
06/16– 06/17 |
Conflict in cultural production |
O’Brien:
pp.347-352, 441-443, O’Brien |
|
06/18 |
Final Exam! |
|