Fall, 1998 Social Science 109 2:00-3:15 MW
Leslie A. Morgan, Ph.D. Office:  Academic IV-B Room 346
Office Hours: 1-2PM M/W or by appointment Phone :  (410)455-2074
URL: http://www.research.umbc.edu/~lmorgan/index.htm
e-mail: lmorgan@umbc.edu

Course Texts:

Lindsey, Linda L. 1997. Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Reskin, Barbara and Irene Padavic. 1994. Women and Men at Work. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
 

Purpose of the Course: The course is designed to acquaint students with the status of women in society, the diversity among women, and the ways in which sociologists examine gender roles and relationships between the sexes in many areas of social life.

Requirements and Expectations:
 

1. Attendance - Attendance will not be formally taken, but absences are noticed.  It is expected that students attend regularly as part of class responsibilities. Not all lecture material will be covered in assigned readings.  Students who must miss class for valid reasons are strongly encouraged to get the class notes from another student.  Past experience has shown that poor attendance is associated with poor performance on exams, and does not reflect favorably on a student whose grade at the end of the term is borderline where a judgement must be made.  Please take note!
 

2. Readings - Regular reading assignments are given for the entire semester in this syllabus.  There may be incidental material given in class to augment this list.  Students are responsible for covering readings in order to maximize participation in class discussion and performance on exams.  Not all readings will be discussed in class but may appear in exam questions, so failure to read assigned chapters will result in poorer performance.
 

3. Examinations - Three exams will be given in the course, dividing the time and material approximately in thirds.  Each exam will contain both objective and essay components and will focus most on the material covered in that section of the course (overlap is likely).  Each exam is worth 100 points or 25% of the final course grade, and the dates for exams are listed on this syllabus.  Students are expected to take all exams on time, unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise. Those who must miss an exam must call the instructor prior to the exam at the number given above, or leave a message in the Sociology office (455-3979) as to the reason for your absence, and how you can be contacted to schedule a makeup exam.  Students who fail to call will not be given a makeup and receive a zero for that exam.  The instructor retains the option of giving a different makeup exam (i.e., all essay).  Makeups will occur within a week of the exam date, and students who fail to appear for a scheduled makeup will be given a zero!
 

4. Mini-Papers The fourth component of the grade will be a set of four mini-papers, which will address specific topics and require research in the library or on the web to find factual information. Topics, directions and a sample mini-paper will be made available. Topics will be focused and require you to locate evidence in support of a particular argument or assertion. Quality of writing, organization, and effectively documented sources will all count in the evaluation. Each mini-paper will earn a maximum 25 points and there will be an option to rewrite the first one if your grade is low. These will have FIXED due dates, and points will be removed if papers are turned in after the start of class on the day they are due. Early papers are fine.
 

5. Grading - Final grades will be based on a student's numeric scores on their graded work (Exams 1-3, 25% or 100 points each=75% or 300 points, four mini-papers total=25% or 100 points). Points will be totaled and minimums established for each letter grade (e.g., normally out of 400 potential points, 360 or 90% would be required for an A). If the grading scale is adjusted from a 90%, 80%, 70% standard for A, B, and C, students will be informed. Only in true borderline cases will other factors (e.g., grade trend) be considered.  No extra credit work will be available.  No incompletes will be given except in very unusual circumstances and with prior consultation with the instructor.
 

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Lindsey Reskin/Padavic
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Week #1 Chapter 1

Week #2 Chapter 2

Week #3 Chapter 3

Week #4 Chapters 4,11

Week #5 Chapters 5,6

___________________________________Exam #1 October 5, 1998   ______________________________________

Week #6 Chapter 1,2

Week #7 Chapter 3,4

Week #8 Chapters 5,6

Week #9 Chapters 7,8

Week #10 Chapters 9

__________________________________ Exam #2 November 9, 1998_______________________________________

Week #11 Chapter 7

Week #12 Chapters 8,9

Week #13 Chapter 12

Week #14 Chapter 13

Week #15 Chapter 14

_________________________________ Exam #3 - December 16 @1:00-3:00 ________________________________

Note: Students are responsible for the readings listed in each section on that exam.
 

SOCY/WMST 355 -Mini-Paper Assignment

Fall, 1998

Purpose: The intention is to get you to hone your writing and research skills while exploring current information on the status and roles of women in society. Therefore, the grade will depend on 1)what you find out (quality of information) and 2) how well you present it.

You'll be given a statement and need to find information to support or refute it. We'll go through an example in class of how this might be done. For each topic statement, you must answer twice. You answer first for women as an aggregate--typically using women in the U.S. as your focus. THEN you answer a second time examining racial/ethnic, social class, age, educational or regional diversity among women. It is nearly impossible (and inappropriate) to discuss "the status of women" these days, since the circumstances of women are so diverse. Sometimes the answers you find for the aggregate may be turned on their heads when you examine varying groups of women. Absence of this diversity component makes for an incomplete paper! You need not address all types of diversity, but must include at least two (race/ethnicity, class, religion, age, education, region) in each mini-paper.

Your goal is to make as convincing an argument as possible based on as much factual data as you can find. This paper is not on your opinions. Papers must be original work by the student and be completed on your own, without collaboration. I will be suspicious if I see papers coming in with the same references cited and/or the same points being made.
 

Quality of Information:

Information should be: ***Sociological***Current*** Reputable***

Since this is a sociology/women's studies course, I want students to rely on sociological data in writing their papers. That means examining academic journals, research-based web sites, etc. utilizing a sociological frame of reference. There is a LOT of information out there of questionable quality, especially (but not exclusively) on the web. Caution is especially encouraged there, where there are few checks and balances. Information should also be recent/current. "Dated" information, such as that found in books a few years old, is less compelling than recent information. No published source cited should be more than 5-7 years old, and newer is better!

You should have 3-4 good quality sources for each mini-paper. You may include more, but space is limited. I would prefer quality references to larger numbers. I suggest that you look for a) recent statistics that might support your position in government documents and other reference sources, 2) research articles that would support your position, 3)statistical data from reputable web sites. Your paper must go beyond the materials presented in class to represent completion of this assignment.

Do not rely on viewpoints of "experts" or statements that are purely ideological in their orientation. Try to amass evidence that will prove your argument. DO NOT use sources such as self-help books, popular magazines, newspapers, or television programs to attempt to bolster your case.
 

Tips and Requirements for Presentation:

1. Put the date, your SS number and the topic statement at the top of your mini-paper.

2. Two sides of one standard page is the maximum space permitted for everything.

3. Typing is the norm (see me if there are problems with this expectation)

4. Double spaced (except for references, which should be single spaced)

5. Standard font size, margins (not big or little)
 

Your paper should not take time for much introduction, but get right to the facts. You don't need to fill the two sides of the paper, but that is the maximum space you can use, so be concise. Some people will write longer papers and others can get by with less if they write compactly and have the same quality. Explain each point that you wish to make, illustrating it with facts, statistics, etc. and be sure to point out issues that are disputed as well.

Within the text, you should cite sources for each of the facts or statistics you present and the views of any article, web site, etc. that you employ with an appropriate format. The most critical thing that paper writers forget is to document the material they use from their sources within the paper. This involves two items: 1)giving citations in the text of the paper for ideas and information that you got from others, and 2) having a complete and alphabetical bibliography of all of the sources cited at the end of the paper. Most people do the second better than the first. The books you read for the course show formats for citing sources in the text, if you haven't done this before.

The key thing is that every idea, concept, or thought that you borrow/use from someone else needs to be acknowledged, not just quotes or statistics. You may use any accepted format for citing sources, but it must be used consistently throughout the paper (i.e. don't switch from footnotes to in-text citations in mid stream). If you have a format you are accustomed to using, go ahead and use that format. Credit will be deducted from papers not utilizing proper sources of material, for not adequately citing sources, or for an incomplete bibliography.

Use all of the resources at your disposal to locate relevant articles and books. Use on-line search capabilities (such as UnCover) and use the laserdisc search capabilities in the reference room at the library (PsychLit,Social Sciences, etc.--please remember you need to sign up in advance for these library resources). You should emphasize research articles, since they are usually more recent (and quicker to read!).

DO NOT use popular magazines, such as Newsweek, Working Woman, Cosmopolitan or their ilk. This is a academic paper, and you need to examine sources such as U.S. Government statistics from the Department of Labor, Gender & Society, Signs, The American Journal of Sociology and similar sources. DO NOT use self-help books for popular audiences and political/ideological books and articles. See me if you have any questions about appropriateness of your sources!

Give yourself enough time to review the text and bibliography and check for silly problems like spelling and punctuation. Turn in one copy of the paper (please no slippery plastic covers) and keep a copy for yourself. It hasn't happened yet, but my dog might eat it!
 

Topics and Due Dates:
 

Paper 1: September 16**

Female and male students currently achieve equally in higher education.

(Optional rewrites due September 28)

** Since this is a learning experience, students have the option of revising their first mini-paper and resubmitting it. This does NOT guarantee an improved grade for added effort. It is up to the individual to decide whether to allocate energies in this way or put the effort and feedback toward improving the second paper.
 

Paper 2: October 12

There is no longer a gender-based glass ceiling in the business/corporate world.
 

Paper 3: November 2

Contemporary women share power equally in marriages and in the family.
 

Paper 4: November 23

Women have improved their representation among political office-holders in the 1990s.