Summer 2023  |  SOC 3251W Section 001: Sociological Perspectives on Race, Class, and Gender (82226)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
A-F or Audit
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Meets With:
AAS 3251W Section 001
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
06/05/2023 - 07/28/2023
Wed 05:30PM - 08:00PM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Open (21 of 23 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
In the midst of social unrest, it is important for us to understand social inequality. In this course we will analyze the impact of three major forms of inequality in the United States: race, class, and gender. Through taking an intersectional approach at these topics, we will examine the ways these social forces work institutionally, conceptually, and in terms of our everyday realities. We will focus on these inequalities as intertwined and deeply embedded in the history of the country. Along with race, class, and gender we will focus on other axes of inequality including sexuality, citizenship, and dis/ability. We will analyze the meanings and values attached to these social categories, and the ways in which these social constructions help rationalize, justify, and reproduce social inequality. prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
Class Notes:
This online class will meet weekly synchronously online at the scheduled day and time. The other weekly lecture will be shared asynchronously each week. Click this link for more detailed information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?joh07820+SOC3251W+Summer2023
Class Description:
Numerous scholars in the social sciences have noted pervasive inequalities in the United States. These inequalities often manifest within the realms of education, health, income, wealth (among others) and often cut sharply along the lines of race, gender, and class. This course will examine the cultural processes through which such durable inequality can persist despite widespread (although not-near total) belief in egalitarian ideals in the United States. We will discover, through engagement with scholarly work spanning from the early 20th century until our current moment, how racial, classed, and gendered social positions and identities saturate every aspect of social life - our perception, our routines, our values, and even the way we carry our bodies through the world. Both during class time and within class assignments, students will use such accumulated knowledge to account for why social power remains unequally distributed in the United States.

List of assigned authors in the course include (but is not limited to): W.E.B DuBois, Dorothy Smith, Patricia Hill Collins, Kimberlee Crenshaw, Pierre Bourdieu, and others.

Who Should Take This Class?:
All students who have an interest in grappling with the deep sources/consequences of social inequality, especially if they have already become interested in the sociological discipline, are welcome.

Learning Objectives:
Students will gain an entry-level understanding of essential works in sociology which explain the cultural nature and operation of Race, Class, and Gender in the United States.

In service of the above objective, students will learn strategies for how to digest and comprehend academic texts and their theoretical content.


Students will gain experience in working with other students and the instructor in a discussion (rather than purely lecture) format to review and apply course texts.


Students will develop the ability to translate sociological texts and theory into their surrounding social contexts, using it to analyze a social problem of their choosing in a course paper.


Students will learn how to develop and revise a medium length
(10-12 page) paper, and, consequently, a sociologically-informed argument, throughout multiple drafts and across several weeks.

Grading:
Students will be evaluated on a mixture of class participation, several graded components (an articulation of topic, an outline with provisional sources, a peer-reviewed draft, and the final paper) of a 10-12 page paper due in segments throughout the term, and two remotely-proctored quizzes where students summarize important class concepts in short answer form.
Exam Format:
There is no final exam for the class. A final paper will be due during the final exam period of the term.
Class Format:
Synchronous classes will include the following activities (Instruction will be semi-synchronous, meaning students will have to be online at the assigned times and work on reviewing recorded lectures and written materials on their own time):

-A material "debrief" where students are encouraged to check in with each other in breakout groups about key takeaways from readings. The instructor will also check in on breakout groups during this time to help hone student understanding of course materials

-Twice per term, students will have a one on one conference with the instructor during normal class time to discuss any ongoing issues the student has in the course/check in on progress on course objectives like the final term paper.

-Occasional group activities where students in breakout groups work on applications of course materials which will then be discussed in large-group class discussion.
Workload:
Students should expect to dedicate 4 to 6 hours a week to course readings in addition to several additional hours during weeks before major assignments
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/82226/1235
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
17 February 2023

ClassInfo Links - Summer 2023 Sociology Classes

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