1. Conversion
of SO 226/Social Research Analysis from 3 to 4 credit
hours.
This
conversion allows addition of a weekly statistical workshop,
held in a computer cluster, in which students apply statistical
concepts and procedures in data analyses. Expansion of
SO 226 to 4 credit hours also allows students to carry
out data analysis projects in greater depth and sophistication.
2. Conversion
of SO 375/Senior Seminar in Sociology from 3 to 4 credit
hours.
This
conversion recognizes both the time and effort required
in this capstone course and the extensive one-on-one consultations
with faculty, especially the seminar director, outside
of class. Expansion of SO 375 from 3 to 4 credit hours
is accompanied by increased expectations concerning the
depth and theoretical and methodological sophistication
of students' seminar research projects.
3.
Conversion of SA 355/Language in Society from 3 to
4 credit hours.
SA
355/Language in Society is taught each spring by Joanne
Devine. The course may be taken for either sociology or
anthropology credit (but not both). Professor Devine will
propose changing course credit for SA 355 from 3 to 4
credit hours.
4. Conversion
of sociology electives, in some semesters, from 3 to 4
credit hours through
integration of "Explorations in Sociology."
Selected
sociology offerings that are "normally" 3 credit hour
courses will be expanded in given semesters to 4 credit
hours by integrating "Explorations in Sociology." We propose
four kinds of Explorations in Sociology at the 200- and
300-levels, each Exploration enhancing a course by developing
particular student skills and offering a distinctive approach
to learning.
R Exploring
Sociology through Research
Students
explore sociology and improve research skills by developing
and carrying out empirical research projects on course-related
topics.
W Exploring
Sociology through Writing
Students
explore sociology and improve communication skills by
writing essays on course-related issues. (Fulfills expository
writing requirement.)
C Exploring
Sociology through Collaborative Learning
Students
explore sociology and develop critical thinking skills
by collaborating on course-related projects.
S Exploring
Sociology through Service Learning
Students
explore sociology and contribute to the Skidmore and
larger communities by applying sociological principles
in service to campus and local groups or organizations.
General
Information about Explorations in Sociology
Expansions
of selected electives from 3 to 4 credit hours allows
students in these courses to develop their research or
writing skills, work on group projects, or carry sociological
concepts, theories, and research from books and classrooms
into applied settings. Sociology courses enhanced by Exploring
Sociology through Writing will conform to standards for
the College's writing intensive courses and thus satisfy
the College's expository writing requirement.
300-level
courses that integrate Explorations in Sociology will
be distinguished from 200-level counterparts both by greater
theoretical sophistication and by students' assumption
of additional responsibility for their learning. With
but one exception (SO 222R/Political Sociology) during
the first two years of reconfiguration, each 4 credit
hour elective at the 200-level incorporates collaborative
learning, while each 4 credit hour elective at the 300-level
is enhanced with a significant research component. Students
in 300-level courses are likely to have had courses in
statistics and/or research methods, and thus to bring
appropriate skills to apply and develop with Explorations
in Sociology through Research in advanced courses.
Some
courses are better served by Explorations in Sociology
than are other courses. Exactly which courses integrate
Explorations in Sociology depends primarily upon the contributions
that such enhancements make to students' learning in a
given course. Secondary considerations include the interests
and expertise of the instructor, student interests, and
the need to balance sociology course offerings. As described
on the attached plan, Sociology: Reconfigured Course
Offerings for 2000-01 and 2001-02, the sociology program
will offer varying but appropriate balances of 3 and 4
credit hour courses. Although our plan for the first two
years of reconfiguration includes no courses in Exploring
Sociology through Writing (W) or Exploring Sociology through
Service Learning (S), we anticipate adding such courses
in subsequent years and thus include them in this proposal.
We
anticipate that courses integrating Explorations in Sociology
will be designated with a letter following the course
number (e.g., SO 306R for Sociology of Religion that incorporates
an Exploring Sociology through Research component). Registrar
Ann Henderson reports that this method of designating
courses as Explorations in Sociology is workable. Administrative
details, of course, will be worked out with the Office
of the Registrar.
Reconfiguration
of the sociology curriculum requires corresponding revision
of the sociology major, the sociology minor, the sociology-anthropology
major, and interdepartmental majors with economics, government,
and psychology. A catalogue description of the reconfigured
sociology curriculum and interdepartmental majors is attached
to this plan. The new requirements for interdisciplinary
and interdepartmental majors have been discussed with
the other majors, although these requirements are still
being "negotiated" and are subject to change as the other
majors develop their own reconfiguration plans. Thus,
the descriptions of interdisciplinary and interdepartmental
majors submitted with this sociology reconfiguration plan
should be regarded as tentative. Likewise, requirements
for honors in interdisciplinary and interdepartmental
majors are also tentative.
As
the attachment, Sociology: Reconfigured Course Offerings
for 2000-01 and 2001-02, indicates, the reconfigured
sociology program meets collegewide goals for faculty
teaching loads (i.e., numbers of courses and credit hours)
except for John Brueggemann’s schedule. Because of
the particular required courses that Professor Brueggemann
offers, he teaches 17 rather than 18 credit hours in 2000-01
and 37 rather than 38 credit hours during the first two
years of reconfiguration. Frankly, we just cannot figure
out a way to reconfigure John any other way. Never a slacker,
however, John assures us that he’ll make himself
useful in a host of ways not measured in credit hours.
He surely will.
Rationales
for Selections of Courses for Enhancement with Explorations
in Sociology
a. SO
202C/The Individual in Society
Although
this course functions very well in its current 3 credit
hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement
with collaborative learning. Much of the material in
this social psychology course deals with the impact
of individuals on each other. The act of working with
a small group of students will provide illustrative
fodder for course material related to group performance
and decision-making. The focus of the course on social
processes and interaction will be enhanced by students
having the opportunity to deepen their study of the
intersections between individual and social experiences
through hands-on observational projects and collaborations.
These
collaborative learning experiences will happen in two
ways. The first is that students will regularly meet
together in small groups to discuss the course material
and perform exercises designed to illustrate some of
the social psychological concepts in the course. These
meetings will take place absent of, but with guidance
from, the instructor. The second kind of collaborative
learning experience will be students working together
on a group project that will involve observation and
reporting of interactional processes. Throughout the
semester, these small groups will examine the possibilities
and tensions associated with being individuals embedded
in societies.
b. SO
208C/Social Inequality
Although
this course functions very well in its current 3 credit
hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement
with collaborative learning. Discussions linked to social
inequality are often volatile, which becomes counter-productive
in terms of the goals of the course. Differing interests
and ideologies provide the foundation of social conflict
and inequality. However, so much public discourse lacks
constructive disagreement. In the public sphere as well
as in scholarship, conversations about inequality often
slip into comfortable agreement or mutually exclusive,
hostile points of view. With this in mind in the new
manifestation of this course, extra time will be devoted
to learning in small groups.
Students
will be divided into learning groups at the beginning
of the semester. They will meet regularly outside of
class to discuss the course material and will meet several
times before each exam. In addition, students will give
group presentations on a predetermined topic, for which
they will prepare outside of class during the regular
meetings. The instructor will be present for some (but
not all) of the meetings. Throughout this class, students
will be reminded of the goals of learning together,
of teaching one another, and of the accountability of
community.
c. SO
218C/Ethnicity and Inequality
Although
this course functions very well in its current 3 credit
hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement
with collaborative learning. Discussions linked to racial
conflict are often volatile, which becomes counter-productive
in terms of the goals of the course. In attempting to
address our most difficult social problems linked to
race, earnest consideration of different points of view
is crucial. Disagreement and even tension are healthy
in this pursuit, as long as the discourse remains constructive
and inclusive. But, understanding different points of
view and developing a sophisticated understanding of
racial issues are inhibited by excessive conflict. With
that in mind in this new manifestation of this course,
extra time will be devoted to learning in small groups.
Students
will be divided into learning groups at the beginning
of the semester. They will meet regularly outside of
class to discuss the course material and will meet several
times before each exam. In addition, students will give
group presentations on a predetermined topic, for which
they will prepare outside of class during the regular
meetings. The instructor will be present for some (but
not all) of the meetings. Throughout this class, students
will be reminded of the goals of learning together,
of teaching one another, and of the accountability of
community.
d. SO
222R/Political Sociology
This
course functions well in its current form. The course
is particularly well suited for the research module
add-on, however. To many of our students, learning political
sociology is like learning a foreign language. Students
tend to have little advance knowledge of the issues
that are discussed. In addition, much of the reading
material and class discussion revolves around seemingly
abstract theories. For example, several weeks are spent
considering the merits of competing theoretical perspectives
concerning the role of the state in democratic societies.
Students are better equipped to understand these theories
when they are grounded in empirical observations.
Students
will make empirical observations through secondary analyses
of pre-existing data sets. For example, they may use
Rory McVeigh's data on the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s,
or the General Social Survey, or other data sets that
I will make available to them. They will identify relationships
between variables and interpret those relationships
in light of the theoretical perspectives that we have
discussed in the course.
e. SO
304R/Sociology of Emotions
Although
this course functions very well in its current 3 credit
hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement
with research by students. This is an upper-level seminar
that deals with theoretical and methodological issues
associated with the relatively new sociological study
of emotions. There are a number of debates that students
confront in the course (such as whether and how emotion
should be studied) that will be enlivened by the opportunity
to perform their own empirical study.
Following
an overview of theoretical and methodological issues
associated with the study of emotions, students will
choose an emotion to investigate. Their projects will
consist of a number of steps, each of which will be
guided by the instructor but performed independently
by the students. These steps include reviewing relevant
social science literature, framing a research question,
choosing and describing a method through which to collect
data, going through the institutional review of human
participation in research (when appropriate), gathering
and analyzing data, and reporting on findings in both
written and verbal forms.
f. SO
306R/Sociology of Religion
While
this course functions very well in its current 3 credit
hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement
with research by students. The sub-field of sociology
of religion is notorious for being uninformed by rigorous
empirical analyses. In addition, religious activity
is so inherently subjective that studying it first-hand
offers invaluable insight. For these reasons, students
in SO 306R will be required to do a limited "field research
project."
After
an introduction to the techniques and ethical considerations
of ethnographic research, students will locate a religious
collective that maintains traditions largely unfamiliar
to them. They will then attend a series of religious
activities (including formal rituals). If possible,
students will meet and interact with clergy and lay
people for extended conversations, during which they
will discuss the belief system, myths, rituals, and
symbols of the tradition. Then, students will write
a substantial paper linking their field observations
to larger questions in the sociology of religion. Each
student will then give a 10 minute presentation in class
about his/her experiences.
Ideally,
the topic of this field study will later tie into students'
term papers. The instructor will assist students in
finding appropriate settings for ethnography and will
meet with each student to discuss the process of field
work in a particular context. Otherwise, students will
be encouraged to pursue this experience individually.
g. SO
328R/Social Movements
This
course functions well in its current form. The course
is particularly well-suited for the research module
add-on, however. Many of our students are interested
in studying social movements, but they have limited
experience with or knowledge of social movements. In
addition, much of the reading material and class discussion
revolve around seemingly abstract theories. For example,
in the course we consider the merits of competing theoretical
perspectives such as resource mobilization theory, political
opportunity theory, and the power devaluation model.
Students are better equipped to understand these theories
when they are grounded in empirical observations.
Students
will carry on independent research on a social movement
of their choosing (under close supervision of the instructor).
They will produce a paper that is essentially a case
study of the social movement, interpreting what they
have learned about the movement in light of the theoretical
perspectives that have been discussed in class.
h. SO
314R/Deviance
Although
this course functions very well in its current 3 credit
hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement
with collaborative learning. Students will carry out
two major research projects involving issues in the
sociology of deviance.
i. SO
3XXR/Criminal Justice
This
course is particularly appropriate for enhancement with
research by students. Students will carry out two major
research projects on issues of criminal justice.
5. Total
credit hours for sociology major.
The
sociology major will increase slightly from 30 to 32 credit
hours, reflecting the increase of SO 226/Social Research
Analysis and SO 375/Senior Seminar in Sociology from 3
to 4 credit hours.
6. Conversion
of selected Liberal Studies 2 courses from 3 to 4 credit
hours.
Sociology
faculty teaching the following Liberal Studies 2 courses
will propose conversion of their courses from 3 to 4 credit
hours:
LS
2-117/Class, Race, and Labor History (John Brueggemann)
LS
2-140/Changes in Families (Susan Walzer)
LS
2-179/The KKK in American Society (Rory McVeigh)
Professors
Brueggemann, Walzer, and McVeigh will work with Joanna
Zangrando, Director of Liberal Studies, to convert these
LS 2 courses from 3 to 4 credit hours.
(Note
that LS 2-174/Society and Social Responsibility, taught
by David Karp, is already approved for 4 credit hours.)