SYP3000: SOCIETY AND THE INDIVIDUAL
Summer 2012
Class: M-F 12:30-1:45 p.m. in 2353 Turlington Hall
Instructor: Monika Ardelt,
Ph.D.
Office: 3350
Turlington
Phone: 294-7166
E-mail: Ardelt@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.
Readings
O’Brien, Jodi. 2011. The Production of Reality. Essays and Readings on
Social Interaction. 5th Edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine
Forge Press.
Course packet available at Orange & Blue
Textbooks (309 NW 13th Street, directly across from Krispy Kreme Donuts or 3421 West
University Avenue, in the Westgate Plaza, formerly Title Town Textbooks, behind
Grandys and Mi Apa
Latin Cafe).
Requirements
Readings: It is essential that you read the assigned
readings as scheduled since I plan to use most of the class time for
discussions and some group exercises. To initiate a discussion, I might ask you
to write the answer to a short question during class. Your written answer will
then serve as the basis for class discussion, and I will feel free to call on
any student in class to contribute to the discussion.
Attendance and Class Participation: Attendance of class is required because
non-attendance by several students at a time will destroy the dynamics 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 attendance and class
participation grade. To receive the full 6 points of the class participation
grade, you will need to attend class and participate regularly in class
discussions. If you never or rarely participate, you cannot earn more than 3 of
the 6 points even if you do not miss class.
Assignments: About twice every week, I will give you a
600-word written assignment that you should submit to me via E-Learning in
Sakai before class on or before the designated due date. For general
information about e-Learning in Sakai visit
https://lss.at.ufl.edu/sakai-training/student_index.shtml.
The written assignments must be
submitted either as a Word document (*.doc or *.docx) 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. However, 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). To sign into e-Learning in Sakai, click on the “Continue”
link under “Sakai System Entry” using your
assigned Gatorlink
username and password. 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.
After you have successfully logged into e-Learning, you will be taken to your My Workspace, where you can
access the sites you own and/or the sites you belong to. The “?” icon
set to the right side of each title bar will bring up a help file associated
with that window. Note: You can also access the Help tool in the
left tool bar of each site. For further assistance please contact e-Learning Support Services at
(352) 392-4357 select option 2 or email: learning-support@ufl.edu
To submit an assignment via e-Learning, navigate to our course and click on Assignments in the menubar. Assignments are displayed in the order they are
due. Do the following to submit an assignment:
Step 1: Click the assignment
you want to submit.
Step 2: Follow the directions.
Step 3: To add an attachment, click the Add Attachments button.
Browse for a Local File and click Continue.
Step 4: Click Submit when you are done. Once you have submitted the
assignment, you can view it later, but you cannot modify it.
NOTE: Please click the Honor
Pledge checkbox stating that you have not received outside help with the assignment.
To view your grades, click on Gradebook 2 in
the menubar.
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 July 16 and July 25
and the final exam on August 10. 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.
Grading
|
OPTION 1 |
OPTION 2 |
||
|
Requirements First Midterm Second Midterm Final Exam Attendance and class
participation Six 600-word assignments
(required) Additional (up to five) 600-word assignments |
% of Final Grade 20% 20% 32% 6% 12% 10% |
Requirements First Midterm Second Midterm Final Exam Attendance and participation Six 600-word assignments |
% of Final
Grade 23.33% 23.33% 35.34% 6.00% 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 |
For information on current UF grading policies for assigning grade points, see http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationgrades.html.
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Tentative Class Schedule |
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|
Date |
Topic |
|
|
07/02 – 07/03 |
What is real?Assignment 1 due! |
O’Brien:
pp.1-10, Readings (1)*, 2-3; CP: Miner,
1956 |
|
07/05 – 07/06 |
Perspectives in social psychology |
O’Brien:
Reading 4 |
|
07/09 |
Wisdom and knowledge |
|
|
07/10 – 07/12 |
Socialization and language |
O’Brien:
pp.49-62, Readings (5), 6-7, 17 |
|
07/13 |
Cognitive structure and social structure |
O’Brien: pp.63-70, Readings 8, (9), 10 |
|
07/16 |
First Midterm! |
|
|
07/17 – 07/18 |
Self-concept and social identity |
O’Brien:
pp. 107-120, Readings 11-13, 15, (16) |
|
07/19 – 07/20 |
Naming as an interactional process |
O’Brien:
pp.173-188, Readings 18, 20, (21) |
|
07/23 – 07/24 |
Definition of the situation |
O’Brien: pp.249-261, Readings 22-23, (24), 25-27, (28), 40; CP: Staples, 1992 |
|
07/25 |
Second Midterm! |
|
|
07/26 – 07/27 |
A theory of reality |
O’Brien:
pp.337-349, Readings 29-31 |
|
07/30 – 07/31 |
Self-fulfilling prophecies |
O’Brien:
pp.349-352, Readings 32-33; |
|
08/01 – 08/06 |
Conflict in self-production |
O’Brien:
pp.453-469, Readings 14, (19, 36), 37-39 |
|
08/07– 08/09 |
Conflict in cultural production |
O’Brien:
pp.352-358, 469-471, Readings 34, (35), 41-42; CP: Chomsky, 2003 |
|
08/10 |
Final Exam! |
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