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ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 150g
Environmental Issues in Society
McKenzie
MW, 2:00-3:20
Environment and Society is designed to provide insights into the major disagreements that exist today between scholars, leaders and citizens regarding today's environmental issues and problems. We will examine the 20th century rift between so much of humankind and nature - a rift that all too often produces in industrial society urbanites a longing for a nearly forgotten and highly romanticized "benign" nature that can never be recaptured and, more importantly, never really existed. We also will examine the nature of controversies between the urbanite and the farmer and inquire into the schism between urbanite and agribusiness which has been intensified as that sector adopts an increasingly industrialized presence. We will look at the differences between the Industrial World and the Non-Industrial World, never so clearly revealed as at Kyoto, as the international community struggles with global environmental issues. At all times we will attempt to respond to specific questions including what are the real environmental issues facing nations and peoples, to what extent have they been exaggerated or discounted, what are the most appropriate and sensible solutions or approaches to these problems and what are the appropriate role(s) which individuals and societies can play. We will combine social, philosophical, religious, political, economic and geographic perspectives to provide an understanding of how the interrelationships between environment and society have evolved over the span of human history.
The course explores a variety of methodologies/tools to demonstrate how environmental issues/attitudes may be analyzed on scales ranging from local through national to international bases. Hopefully, students will become sufficiently conversant with these tools that they will be able to use them in analyzing non-environmental but equally highly charged social issues.
Readings and Assignments:
In addition to a half dozen required books it is presumed that students will keep abreast of current environmental issues through a daily newspaper subscription. Two examinations (both subjective) are worth 40% of the course grade and two short inquiry/position/research papers (dates due coordinated with the composition instructors associated with the course) are also worth 40% of the course grade. The remaining 20% of the grade will be assigned by the discussion section coordinators and will be based
on a combination of participation/preparation within the discussion
sections.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
GEOGRAPHY 100gm
Los Angeles and the American Dream
Wolch
TTh, 11:00-12:20
Los Angeles (and more generally the Southern California region) has long been the quintessential destination for migrants in search of the American Dream. In the late 19th century, promoters heralded Southern California as a salubrious Mediterranean haven. From then until well after World War II, massive numbers of American flocked to Los Angeles, especially from the Midwest, lured by images of mild weather, citrus groves, and cheap land. Although some sought stardom in Hollywood or riches from the oil fields, most aspired to basic elements of the American Dream; a good job and a home of one's own. All along, people were coming from other countries as well; but their numbers have increased dramatically in recent decades. They too are in search of some version of the American Dream. Ironically, the place sold to millions as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow experiences earthquakes, floods, landslides, and fires. Further, many Angelenos found not the American Dream but instead racism, unemployment, and poverty. This geographical course focuses on Los Angeles, in both its mythical and realized social and physical forms. Alternative perspectives are utilized, drawing concepts from historical and physical geography as well as from economic and social geography.
Required Texts:
Robert M. Fogelson. The Fragmented Metropolis, Los Angeles, 1850-1930. Berkeley, UC Press, 1993. Other readings are in the Course Reader available at the USC Bookstore. TBA additional reserve readings that may be assigned.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
Grading and Course Requirements:
Exercise One 30 points (15%)
Exercise Two 30 points (15%)
Midterm Examination 60 points (30%)
Final Examination 70 points (35%)
Discussion Section 10 points (5%)
Total 200 points (100%)
GEOGRAPHY 120g
Geopolitics
Dear
TTh, 9:30 -10:50
This course examines exactly how the concept and practice of the nation-state came to dominate world politics. It explores notions of turf and territory, nationalism, and the growth of geopolitical awareness. A central focus of the course will be on the "state," and how it has altered its geographical expression since the Industrial Revolution. This historical focus will be used to explain the structure and evolution of the geopolitical map of the modern world into the 21st century.
This course explores the state, the geopolitical map of the 'western' world 1750-1980, and the future (or lack thereof) of the nation-state.
Readings and Assignments:
The course employs readings from numerous primary and secondary sources, with a focus on The Geopolitics Reader, O'Tuathail Et. Al. (EDS.). Two research papers concentrating on contemporary issues in geopolitical theory will be assigned, in addition to a mid-term and a final examination.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
HISTORY 235g
War and the American Experience
Dingman
TTh, 9:30-10:50
This course seeks to prepare students for informed citizenship by enabling them to analyze the role war has played in the development of the United States as a polity and a society. In examining the causes, conduct, and consequences of America's wars, it gives particular attention to the relationship between the military, the society, and the individual. Its lectures and weekly discussion sections address four thematic questions: What was the role of war in the creation of the United States as a nation? Can war be used to extend the boundaries of democracy as well as those of the nation-state? Does the use of war to defend democracy against foreign enemies advance or undermine the principles underlying American government and society? Finally, what should the relationship between the rights of citizenship in a democracy and the obligations of military service be? This course also asks: Is violence endemic in society? Can it be controlled - or displaced - through politically managed wars? Who in society should bear the rights - and risks - of providing for the common defense?
Readings and Assignments:
Geoffrey Perrett, A Country Made by War; Gerald Linderman,
Embattled Courage; Jonathan Utley, An American Battleship in Peace and War; and selections from E.W. Sledge, With the Old Breed; Colin Powell, My American Journey; and Thomas Ricks, Making the Corps.
Students are required to complete two quizzes, two Internet assignments, a critical book review, a course research and writing project, and a midterm and a final examination.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
HISTORY 245gm
Gender and Sexualities in American History
Banner
TTh, 9:30-10:50
This course will focus on the gender division between a public world identified with men and masculinity and a private world of family and domesticity identified by women. We will deal with the nature of both of these worlds and their interactions throughout the course of post-Revolutionary American political and social history, especially in terms of the issues of the gendered nature of repression and reform in the American past. We will also examine the nature and functioning of gender and sexuality in the American past. What has it meant to be a woman or a man? What is the importance of sexuality and homosexuality in our nation's past.
Required Texts:
Walter Williams. The Spirit and the Flesh. (Part Only)
Lois Banner. Women in Modern America: A Brief History.
Jane Adams. Twenty Years at Hull House. (part Only)
Rita Mae Brown. Rubyfruit Jungle.
Sara Evans. Personal Politics.
Other articles will be available in an article pack put together by Dr. Banner.
Grading and Course Requirements
Midterm Examination 25%
Final Examination 30%
Participation 10%
Term Paper 30%
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 100g
The United States and World Affairs: From the Cold War to the Present
Bender
MW, 2:00 - 3:20
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the fascinating study of relations among countries throughout our large and complex world, with special emphasis on United States foreign policy. Traditionally this subject has been conceived strictly as the study of the relationships among governments but these relations cannot be viewed in a vacuum since they are inextricably determined by other actors and factors, such as international organizations (e.g. the United Nations), multinational corporations, individuals, cultures, economics, geography, and history. All of these dimensions will be covered in each of the three parts of the course.
This subject is a broad, complex one that is constantly shifting, and evolving as scholars try to develop theories to explain it and policy makers try to manage foreign policy from day to day. This course should provide the student with a solid background both in the major trends and issues of current world politics and in the main theories and explanations used by scholars of International Relations.
The course outline follows the structure of Goldstein's textbook. Supplementary readings each week are found in a Reader that I assembled from recent articles published (primarily) in Foreign Affairs. The discussion sections will follow the outline of the course but the lectures will not necessarily follow this outline in order to include additional dimensions not covered in the readings.
In addition to the textbook assignments, each student is expected to read at least one major newspaper every day, (e.g., The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Washington Post,) and to come to class conversant with major foreign events and challenges for U.S. foreign policy. There will be snap (i.e. surprise) quizzes during the semester to test your understanding of the major international issues in the news. We will start each class with an analysis of the major international events in the news - you are responsible for initiating this portion of the class.
Required Texts:
Joshua Goldstein, International Relations. New York: Harper-Collins College Publishers, 1996.
Gerald J. Bender (ed.) Readings on Current Topics in Foreign Policy. New York: Foreign Affairs, 1997.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
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JUDAIC STUDIES 211g
The Holocaust
Ellenson and Gillerman
TTh, 9:30-10:50
This course is intended as an introduction to the ethical issues arising from the Holocaust - Adolf Hitler's attempted genocide of the entire Jewish people, as well as the murder of millions of others, during the years 1933-1945. While the approach taken in many courses on the Holocaust is essentially a historical one, the aim of this class is to identify and evaluate the moral dilemmas and challenges that arise from this event. Of course ethical issues do not arise in a vacuum. Historical, sociological, and psychological factors are of supreme importance in shaping the contours within which ethical decisions are made. Proper attention will therefore be paid to these factors in determining the moral lessons that are to be derived from the Holocaust. In this way the course will achieve its objective of assisting the student in gaining an understanding of the processes and complexities of moral reasoning.
It is hoped that the approach to the class will permit the student to view the Holocaust for what it was and is - a tragedy of immense proportions, not only for the Jewish people, but also for the world. In the minds of many ethicists, the Holocaust and related events are harbingers of the most frightening tendencies inherent in an evermore rational, impersonal, and bureaucratically-oriented world. The grading scheme will be as follows:
Midterm Examination 25%
Research Paper 30%
Final Examination 25%
Discussion Section 20%
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
LINGUISTICS 115g
Language, Society and Culture
Finegan
TTh, 9:30-10:50
"Language, Society, and Culture" is a general education course that examines the relationships between patterns of discourse within social groups and harmonious communication in selected institutional and personal settings of everyday interaction. The course focuses on relationships between:
Principal course themes
REQUIREMENTS
The course comprises lectures, discussions, extensive readings, videos, workshops, transcription of conversation, text analysis, written papers, exercises, and an examination. Students also keep a weekly language-and-linguistics diary that provides the basis for one paper (but will not otherwise be inspected). Drafts of papers may be submitted by e-mail or hard copy for timely comments and suggestions. Hard copy drafts of papers must be submitted at least one day prior to the class meeting preceding the meeting on which the paper is due. E-mail copies must be submitted three days before the paper is due, excluding weekends.
Required Texts:
Conley, J. M. & Wm. M. O'Barr. 1990. Rules versus Relationships - The Ethnography of Legal Discourse" (U of Chicago P)
Rose, M. 1989. Lives on the Boundary (Penguin)
Tannen, D. 1986. That’s Not What I Meant! (Ballantine)
Note: Other materials will be available in a course packet. You will be notified in class when the packet is ready to be picked up. The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
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MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES 166gm
Poverty and Welfare in America: Historic and Current Trends
Einbinder
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50
Wealth abounds in the United States, and our economy is one of the
strongest in the world. Many Americans drive luxury cars, dine in fancy restaurants, and live in beautiful homes replete with big-screen television, fancy stereos, stylish clothes, and refrigerators filled to the brim with delicious food. Amidst our country's incredibly high standard of living, though, many of our citizens are poor: 14% of all Americans, and 20% of children, live in families with incomes below the poverty level. This class seeks to answer the question, "WHY ARE THERE POOR PEOPLE IN AMERICA?" To answer this question, we will study the evolution and relationships between the U.S. economy, the government, and nonprofit institutions to understand the growth, development, accomplishments and limitations of the U.S. welfare state. Theoretical and empirical studies by experts in the field will be utilized, as well as descriptions of actual provisions available to all citizens, and those specifically intended to reduce poverty. Students will also research specific aspects of current legislation affecting the poor in the U.S. relying heavily on Internet materials via the World Wide Web. Class discussions, debates, and lectures will be used to explain, explore, critique and debate the materials. Group assignments and individually written papers will be required, and the final examination will be an in-class, formal debate about provisions in the new legislation, judged by invited experts in the field. Characteristics of the American economy and government will be reviewed and compared to those found in other industrialized nations. Demographic information describing Americans' educational achievements, employment and occupational status, income and wage distribution, race/ethnicity, family composition, and other relevant traits will also be reviewed. Sources of government funds, and policies, programs and services paid for by the federal government will be analyzed, and students will have the opportunity to balance the federal budget via a simulation available on-line. The Work Opportunity and Personal Responsibility Reconciliation Act of 1996 that restructures assistance to most poor Americans will be described and its national, state and local impact will be asserted.
Readings and Assignments:
Readings for this class include research-orientated analyses of topics addressed, articles and reports from advocacy and research institutions geared for non-specialist readers, newspaper and magazine articles, and Internet materials. A series of five assignments, two individually authored papers, and three group-related projects, are required with contents that build upon each other to prepare the student for the final in-class examination. Discussion sections are structured to help students prepare these assignments and some class time is devoted to the topic as well. Both the Instructor and the Teaching Assistant are available via phone and e-mail on a regular basis, and a listserve discussion group will be available for students. Official office hours will be arranged, and informal meetings can be set up by request to assist students in mastering the materials of the course.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES 167gm
Marginal Groups in America
Glassner and Mazon
TTh, 11:00 - 12:20
A guiding principle for this course is that marginality is structural to American society. By this we man that there is a market economy with components that systematically and persistently keep certain groups of people at the margins of society. At the same time that marginality is structural to American society, the choice of which groups to marginalize, and the processes by which they are kept at the margins, occur within specific social institutions- in particular, the criminal justice system, educational system and religious organizations. A guiding imperative of the course is to the role of these institutions in examine the goal of these institutions in the marginalization of groups and in the changing social constructions of marginalized groups throughout the history of the United States. For example, when we look at crime today, a general tendency is to bemoan the collapse of family values, moral Principles, and the importance of tradition, and to assume that things were better in the "good old days". Yet the nineteenth century was replete with "moral Panics" the signaled the perceived rise in prostitution, lawlessness, slum dwellers, alcoholism, and opium dens. We will examine the enduring narrative of the excluded "other" and the way it was manifested in the nineteenth century and in its twentieth century derivatives.
Requirements
There will be two midterms (20% each of the final grade) and a final examination (30% of the final grade). Each exam will consist of essay and short-answer questions. In addition, students will submit a term paper of 12 to 15 pages.
While MDA 167 focuses upon marginal groups in America-racial, ethnic and sexual minorities, criminals, and drug and alcohol abusers in particular-it will do so in close conjunction with WRIT 167. The 'content knowledge' offered through MDA 167 will provide students with a realistic and immediate context in which to understand and practice academic discourse; in return, the writing in WRIT 167 will enhance student' comprehension of the topics in MDA 167.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES 215gm
Ethnicity and Place
Chin
MW, 2:00-3:20
This course investigates the concepts of ethnicity and race and their relationship to space and place. One of the course goals is to show students how ethnicity and race are inherently spatial processes. That means, in addition to being social, they are also spatially expressed and active forces in place-making. For example, can we fully understand various racial/ethnic groups without thinking of their neighborhoods, migration routes, homelands, or the role of territoriality in racial/ethnic conflict? Likewise, students will learn to appreciate the extent to which ethnicity and race help create particular landscapes and a sense of place. For instance, how is it that the Southwestern landscape has become so closely associated with American Indians?
We will study these ideas in terms of both micro and macro scales, paying particular attention to issues of inequality, dominance and resistance. The course is broken into five distinct sections, each of which will consist of both theoretical and empirical material. The first part of the course will examine basic concepts. In particular, we will differentiate between race and ethnicity, and develop tools to analyze social processes from a geographical perspective. The second section will examine questions of migration and nation building. Here we will examine various theories of immigration, national identity, and the historical ethnic geography of the United States. The third section of the class will shift gears from the macro to the micro-scale as we study neighborhoods. Topics to be covered include residential and housing discrimination, uneven development, and a critique of the concepts of the 'inner-city' and the 'underclass'. The fourth section will address the role of place in social control and resistance. Space and place have always been fundamental to controlling a people, and likewise to acts of resistance. We will explore several cases of spatial control, including American Indians and the reservation system, and California's current prison system. In addition, we will also consider how place is critical to the development of resistance - as in the case of white suburbanites and anti-immigrant politics. The final part of the course will look critically at identity politics in general and explore some of the strengths and weaknesses and how we might develop more humane and liberatory linkages between race, ethnicity, and place.
Course Requirements
Evaluation will be based on three examinations and two assignments. All exams will consist of essay questions (blue-book format) that will require you to synthesize information from both the lecture and readings. The final exam will be non-comprehensive. Attendance will not be taken, but I am aware of who is and is not attending. A percentage of your grade will be based on class attendance and participation.
Evaluation will be based on the following percentages:
Examination #1 20%
Examination #2 20%
Examination #3 20%
Assignment #l 15%
Assignment #2 15%
Attendance & Participation 10%
Readings
Course Reader "MDA 215: Ethnicity and Place" Available from University Bookstore.
Please contact the department for the complete readings and assignments list.
PHILOSOPHY 140g
Contemporary Moral and Social Issues
Lloyd
TTh, 11:00 -12:20
The course introduces techniques of moral reasoning and classic moral theories which are then used for a detailed investigation of such social issues as affirmative action, environmental ethics, animal rights, pornography and censorship, the ethics of war, and world hunger. We will be considering works by philosophers, legal theorists, political scientists, economists, and sociologists.
Books for the course:
140g Course Reader, in photocopy from the philosophy office
Mappes, Social Ethics (Fifth edition)
Pojman, Life and Death
Course Requirements:
2 in-class mid, terms (15% each)
1 6-7 page paper (20%)
Final exam (40%)
Participation in weekly discussion sections (10%)
Note: You cannot receive a passing grade without turning in all of the required written work. The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
POLITICAL SCIENCE 130g
Law, Politics and Public Policy
TTh, 11:00-12:20
This course explores a broad range of social issues through an introduction to law, courts, and judicial processes. We will begin by examining the idea of law, the nature of legal education, the selection of judges, the civil and criminal justice system, and the role of appellate courts. We will then explore a series of debates and case studies that will give us a chance to delve more deeply into the politics of law and the pursuit of justice. This course will also ask the following questions:
What is "the rule of law?" Does law serve power or justice? What influences outcomes in civil and criminal justice? Was the "Independent Counsel" act a good idea? When do people deserve punishment or deserve to be held "liable" for their negligent conduct? How broad is "freedom of speech?"
Readings and Assignments:
Some of these issues will be explored in movies. But we will also be reading:
Baum's American Courts
Adams' Philosophical Problems in the Law
Lewis' Make No Law
Stern's Buffalo Creek Disaster
Requirements: 1 short paper, 1 longer paper, midterm, final, participation.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
PSYCHOLOGY 155g
Psychological Perspectives on Social Issues
Jellison
MW, 2:00 - 3:20
Prejudice and stereotypes are discussed in relation to social psychological theories and research. General theories related to inter-personal relations, attitude formation and change, conformity, reviewed. Research and specific theories of prejudice are examined in depth. Emphasis is placed on practical approaches for reducing prejudice. The concept of stereotyping (i.e. an over-simplified conception of a group or person) is explored within intimate relationships in regard to conceptions of what it means to be male and female. Finally, the idea that our own self conceptions are a form of stereotype is explored.
Readings and Assignments:
The Social Animal
A Lesson Before Dying
Intimate Strangers
There are multiple brief writing assignments (1-2 pages) in which students apply analytic concepts from the course to their own lives. The discussion section focuses on these practical applications. Examinations are short answer essay. The final is not comprehensive.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
RELIGION 140g
Religion and Ethical Issues
May
TTh, 11:00-12:20
The aim of the course is to enable you to become conversant with Jewish and Christian ways of addressing ethical issues, and to increase your capability to analyze critically various judgements reached abut hose issues. Since Judaism and Christianity (both Catholic and Protestant) are such major traditions in the U.S., studying the ways in which these traditions deal with ethical issues will take us straight into the heart of American culture, and the mutual influence between religion and culture.
There is no such thing as a Jewish or Christian position on any ethical issue, especially in an age where both traditions are sharply divided between "liberal" and "conservative" camps. (For example, there is often more agreement on ethical issues between liberal Jews and liberal Christians than there is between liberal and conservative Christians.) Nevertheless, there are certain Jewish beliefs and traditions, on the one hand, and Christian beliefs and traditions, on the other hand, both derived from the Bible, which deeply inform the ethical analyses of these faiths. We shall be attentive to these beliefs and traditions, directly in the first part of the course.
Required Texts:
Dorff, Elliot N. and Newman, Louis E., eds. Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Morality: A Reader. New York: Oxford University, 1995
Jersild, Paul T. and Johnson, Dale A., eds. Moral Issues and Christian Response. 6th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1997.
"Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, 1984" (pamphlet)
Religion 140 Course Reader
Grading and Course Requirements:
Midterm Exam 15%
First Critical Paper 15%
Second Midterm Exam 20%
Second Critical Paper 20%
Final Exam 30%
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
SOCIOLOGY 142gm
Diversity and Racial Conflict
Hunt
TTh, 11:00-12:20
This course examines the patterns of race relations in the United States. We will examine the relations between the white community and the communities of people of color, particularly African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans and Latinos. We will also discuss white ethnic groups.
We will explore the way in which race relations shape our institutions and structures and our daily lives. We will also see the way in which institutional racism operates. Theories personal racism, internalized racism, cross-racial hostility between people of color and the intersection of race, class and gender will also be discussed.
A few of the issues we will be concerned with include: the historical and contemporary expressions of racism in America and the various ways in which racism, sexism, and class are interconnected. We will also consider why these divisions and the accompanying differences in opportunity and achievement continue; how these divisions and differences are reproduced and the reality that lies behind the rhetoric of equality and opportunity and justice for all. For example, how are economic rewards, employment decisions, political electoral campaigns and public policy decisions shaped by racial bias? In what way do these factors influence university admissions, faculty hiring, and relations with fellow students and student groups? Has racism changed over time? On a personal level, how do we cope with our own racism and with racism directed against us? We will also consider the necessary conditions and the processes to bring about effective social change.
Required Reading: (All books are on 2 hour reserve at Leavey Library. See Reference Librarian for Xerox Reader material.)
Christopher Bates Doob, Racism: An American Cauldron 2nd. ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1996
Elaine Bell Kaplan, Not Our Kind of Girl, Unraveling The Myths of Black Teenage Motherhood, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.
Harry H. L. Kitano and Roger Daniels, Asian Americans, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall, 1995
Joan Moore and Harry Pachon, Hispanics in the US Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1985
Xerox Reader (available at USC bookstore)
1. "The Prison of Race and Gender: Stereotypes, Ideology, Language, and Social Control: (Paula S. Rothenberg, Racism and Sexism, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988.)
2. "How Serious is the Problem of Racism?" (William Dudley, ed. Racism in America: Opposing Viewpoints, San Diego, CA.: Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1991.
3. "The Problem: Discrimination, United States Commission on Civil Rights"
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
For another SOCI 142gm section, see the next entry.
SOCIOLOGY 142gm
Diversity and Racial Conflict
Ransford
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50
In a multiracial society, race relations are at the center of public concern and public policy. This course emphasizes the past and present relations between the white majority and the "colonized minorities" (African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans). Asian Americans and white ethnic immigrants are also discussed. Throughout the course there will be an emphasis on the historical origins of racism and discrimination, updated to include current policy issues. Los Angeles will be discussed as one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country (and the world). The current Los Angeles Riots will be considered in a number of places in this course. This course will also explore:
1. The dual trends in black mobility - the rising black middle class vs. increased unemployment, poverty and despair in the inner city
2. two views on immigration - symbiosis vs. zero sum
3. Racial intermarriage, trends and the 'mixed race' classification debate
Required Readings
1. Course Reader for Sociology 142 (Bookstore)
2. Ransford, Race and Class in Am. Soc. 2nd ed.
3. Duneier, Slim's Table
4. Kotlowitz, There are No Children Here
Course Grading:
10% quiz, 25% midterm, 25% empirical paper, 25% final, 10% reaction paper to There Are No Children, 5% Brief reaction paper to Color of Fear video.
The midterm and final are primarily essay exams with a preview set of questions handed out one week before the exam. For example, I will pass out 7 or 8 questions one week before the exam. On the day of the exam, I might call out 3 essays. Attendance and participation in class discussions will be used as "swing factors" if you're on the borderline between two grades.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
SOCIOLOGY 150gm
Social Problems
Binder
TTh, 9:30-10:50
In Sociology 150 we examine some of the major social problems confronting American society today: crime, violence, drugs, discrimination, environmental pollution, terrorism, the prospect of nuclear war. What can we do about these problems? What does sociological research suggest about their causes and their solution?
In this course we analyze these and other problems using the tools of sociological data and theory. We assess the public policies - laws- that have been passed in order to "solve" these problems, and explore why many of these have failed. We focus on two specific issues that may directly affect your experience as adults in the 21st Century: (1) Urban violence (will there be a repeat of the Los Angeles "riots" of 1992; (2) Population aging (will Social Security and medical care benefits be available for you when you retire?)
Sociology 150 explores contemporary social problems in three categories: (1) Issues involving individual deviance (crime, gangs, rape, sexual deviance, mental illness); (2) Problems of social inequalities (discrimination and prejudice reflected in racism, sexism, and ageism); (3) Crises reflecting societal changes during the 20th Century (the worldwide population explosion, population aging, environmental pollution, family and health problems, war and terrorism.)
Readings and Assignments:
The basic texts include Henslin's Social Problems in Modern Society; a volume edited by Los Angeles Time reporters, Understanding the Riots; and two Opposing viewpoints collections: (1) Should abortion rights be restricted? (2) How will an aging population affect America?
The grade for the course is based on : (1) Three exams; (2) Four quizzes; (3) Discussion section participation and assignments throughout the semester; (4) JEP (Joint Educational Project) involvement; (5) Short in-class assignments accompanying each lecture. Extra credit can be earned through participation in class debates, analysis of movies and videos reflecting social problems, or a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
SOCIOLOGY 155g
Immigrant America
Hondagneu-Sotelo
MW, 2:00 - 3:20
MW, 3:30 - 4:50
Pundits and commentators have noted that the twentieth century is ending much as for the United States. One of the ways in which it resembles the earlier part of the is the high level of immigration. Contemporary immigration, however, unlike immigration in the early 20th century, stems primarily from Asia and Latin America, and a major point of destination is Los Angeles. These developments have led to the creation of a new type of multiethnic and multiracial society, and have also given rise to vitriolic anti-immigration politics.
This course will examine the diversity of contemporary U.S. immigration and it will also scrutinize the controversial debates spawned by immigration and anti-immigrant reactions. Immigration has once again surfaced as a major social issue, and students will seek to understand the terms of these debates by preparing for and conducting in-class debates. Although we will cover diverse immigrant groups, including Hindu Indian and Middle Eastern immigrants, the course will focus on Mexican, Asian and Central American immigrants.
Required Reading:
Portes and Rumbaut, Immigrant America: A Portrait
Hondagneu-Sotelo, Gendered Transitions: Mexican Experiences of Immigration
Ong, Bonacich, & Cheng, The New Asian Immigration in LA & Global Restructuring
Waldinger and Bozorgmehr, Ethnic Los Angeles, Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
SOCIOLOGY 169g
Changing Family Forms
Biblarz
TTh, 11:00 - 12:20
Most of us grew up in, enjoyed, and/or survived family life, so we all bring some first hand experience to this class. Few of us, however, understand our families as socially and historically constructed institutions. Why and how do families change over time? This course will explore linkages between family life and society, examining, for example, how families are shaped by social and economic factors, and how internal family dynamics reflect and respond to societal pressures. This course is not intended as a prescriptive "how to create successful families" (although the material may help you in this endeavor). We will explore a number of contemporary issues, such as how employment and gender ideologies shape inequality in families, changing notions of parenthood and childhood, how economic recessions affect family life, the challenges facing working parents and their children and changing expectations of marriage. We will cover historical variations in families, as well as a plurality of contemporary family forms such as lesbian and gay families, single parenthood, divorce, remarriage, and blended families. As an ongoing theme we will consider how gender, race, and economic inequality shape our experiences in families.
Readings
Hochschild, The Second Shift: Working Parents and the Revolution at Home
Skolnick and Skolnick, Family in Transition (ninth edition)
Weston, Families We Choose
Hondagneu-Sotelo, Gendered Transitions: Mexican Experiences of Immigration
Stacey, In the Name of the Family
Recommended Readings:
See, Good Times and Hard Luck
Kaplan, Not Our Kind of Girl
Rubin, Intimate Strangers
Zavella, Women's Work and Chicano Families
Zelizer, Pricing the Priceless Child
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.