ClassInfo

This course introduces students to the social, historical, political and theoretical contexts that shape our conceptions of race, gender, and class. Though the title of this course is free of spelling errors, there exists the potential for intersectional inaccuracies. The separation of race, class, and gender by commas implies that these parts of identity are uncooperative. Race, gender, class, sexuality and other dimensions of identity are relational and function within a broader, dynamic matrix comprised intersecting identities. Additive models of social difference do little to recognize the simultaneity of inequality. To "bring race into the conversation," is not license to silence other instruments (gender, sexuality, class) playing within an orchestra of oppression. Intersectional analyses of race, gender, and class require scholars to acknowledge how various forms of social difference work in concert with one another to produce and reproduce social inequalities and a multiplicative model of marginalization. Multiple forms of marginalization involve teamwork. Through such co-operation and cooperation, oppressions build off one another in cumulative,"multiplicative," and in some cases, exponential fashion. Hence, a more accurate title for this course could be racegenderclasssexualityindigeneityabilitycitizenship³.

In this course we will study the inextricable links between race, gender and class, as well as other dimensions of social difference, while ensuring that the other instruments playing in orchestras of oppression are not silenced. Students will explore both the stability and variability of race, gender, and class as dimensions of social difference. In addition to analyzing the role of race, gender, class, and other dimensions of social difference as independent conditioning forces, students will also examine the level of cooperation required between these social constructs to produce and reproduce inequality. The content of this course urges students to form a relational (as opposed to autonomous) conception of gender, race, and class to better grasp their existence as social constructs.

This course meets the following Council on Liberal Education requirements: Diversity and Social Justice in the U.S. theme, theSocial Sciences core, and the Writing Intensive core. This course contributes to the acquisition of a liberal education, helping students gain a broad understanding of the subject, including factual knowledge, the theoretical foundations of that knowledge, and its associated key modes of inquiry.

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Statistics are powerful tools for studying society. For some sociologists, they are one of the best ways to understand broad trends across time, space, and social groups. For others, they are the kind of elite, technological wizardry that turns people into numbers and blinds us to important sociological questions about who decides what we "know" about the world. Some of us think math is fascinating, and some got into this business because we don't speak math. This class tackles both sides. We want to provide you with the skills you need to understand and use statistical analyses, but also to think about where and when these skills are best put to use. The University of Minnesota is especially concerned that students spend time in the classroom "doing the work of the field, not just reading about it," and so we will take a hands-on approach to working with real life data. By the end of this class, students will be able to:

• Find statistical information, interpret what it tells us, and decide whether to believe it


• Manage data and do basic statistical analyses with a computer program


• Interpret the output from that program and clearly communicate that information to other people using plain language and effective visual figures

Whether you plan to go to graduate school, go into a data-driven job such as policy analysis or non-profit work, or just want to be a better consumer of information, these skills should serve you well. This course also fulfills UMN's Mathematical Thinking Core. We will be discussing the math behind each statistical concept as both a body of knowledge that is worth understanding on its own and a logical tool that can help us work through real-world problems. While we will be working through a few calculations to do this, the point of these exercises will be to improve your ability to explain what a particular process does to our data and how we should interpret the results.

"Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and write." - H.G. Wells

"No one man should have all that power." - Kanye West

1) An Extended Reflective Work-related Autobiography. This option will follow the class lectures and discussions most closely as we together examine the changing U.S. occupational structure, work experiences, career development, post-graduate educational options (including graduate and professional school, technical training, etc.), occupational choice, and the way sociological knowledge, skills, and perspectives can be used in your future work careers. Students will write about their work-related experiences, including both paid and unpaid work (the latter including work in the family setting, internships, and volunteering) and how they influenced their development. They will also reflect on the benefits, rewards, and drawbacks of the occupations they are considering in the future, drawing on the assigned texts and other relevant literature.

2) An Extended Reflective Essay on the Uses of Sociology in Public Life. Specific topics could include: the status of social scientific research and writing in politics and public policy implementation; the ways in which sociological thinking and research inform movements for social change;
the presence (or absence) of sociological research and thought in popular culture and the mainstream American media; and others.

3) Service Learning Report or Action Project. This option will involve writing a sociological report based on community service learning with a local community organization of your choice. This paper will be based on a minimum of 30 hours of community service work completed during the course of the semester. The Community Service Learning Center will help you find a place, or if you're already volunteering they will help you formalize this so you can write on it.

Alternatively, instead of writing a report based upon the service experience, the final product will involve working on, and writing about, an actual project of direct relevance or immediate concern to your organization or agency. These projects might involve a variety of tasks such as writing a mission statement or action plan, creating program materials or a grant proposal, working on an evaluation study, or producing publicity information.