Sociology 101 | spring 2012

How to make an "A" in this course

Making an "A," and learning a great deal in the process, is a simple matter of following a well-proven set of guidelines. Try it. I think you'll like the results!

E-mail support: Please contact our class Graduate Teaching Assistant Sarah Simon (sarahsimon820@yahoo.com.

Sarah also keeps office hours that she will announce.

My office is in the Bowe House (917 W. Franklin St. room 207), and you’ll predictably find me there on Mondays and Wednesdays between 12:00 and 2:00.

11:00 LECTURE CLASS

exam 1 answers
exam 2 answers

4:00 LECTURE CLASS

exam 1 answers
exam 2 answers

Now, about that A . . .

1. Read the textbook chapters by the due dates:

Mar. 2 – chap. 7
Mar. 7 – chap. 8 (then, spring break)
Mar.21 – chap. 9
Mar. 28 – chap. 10
Apr. 4 - chaps. 11 and 12

APR. 11 – exam 2

Apr. 11 – chaps. 13 and 14 .. ..LEC 10 NOTES
Apr. 18 – chap. 15 .. ..LEC 11 NOTES; .LEC 12 NOTES

Apr. 25 – chap. 16.. . ..LEC 13 NOTES
Apr. 30 – chap. 17 .. ..LEC 14 NOTES

Final exam, 11:00 MW class – May 7, 8:00 a.m.

Final exam,2:00 MW class – May 7, 4:00 p.m.

2. Study the end-of chapter questions and the quiz review items (see below) only AFTER you have carefully read each chapter. This "guide to a good grade" will not work if you short-circuit the process and try to learn the quiz review answers without studying a chapter. You'll find the quiz review questions here:

Quiz review questions for exams - textbook: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |10 |11 |12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17

3.Pay close attention to the class lectures and take good notes. Review your notes periodically. Don’t expect “cramming” the night before an exam to get you far.

4. Ace the final exam, and have a party to celebrate your well-earned "A" and the new perspectives you have acquired in the course!

Quick start guide

You can choose two paths for earning your grade in SOCY 101.

Exams and grading: Option 1

If you follow the first path, three exams with multiple-choice and true-false questions will account for 100 percent of your course grade. These exams will include material from the lectures and the textbook, in about equal proportions.

Be sure and study the quiz review questions at this web site (above). Most questions from the textbook will come from those questions. Similarly, all questions from the lectures will be based on items that are included in the lecture outlines that I'll create for you.

Make-up exams, for those who miss the in-class exams, will include definitions of terms and short-answer essay questions. Curve points will not be added to make-up exam scores, even if there is a curve on the corresponding multiple-choice exam. If you need to take a makeup exam, you must take it within two days, at the latest, of the date the exam is given in class. You'll need to work out arrangements with Sarah or me for taking make-up exams.

If you need to take an exam elsewhere, it must be taken at the same time as the regularly scheduled exam. The exam answers must be given to me within 24 hours after the regularly scheduled exam is taken in class.

Extra Credit Course Work: Option 2

If you choose this second option, your overall course grade will be a combination of exam performance and independent analysis projects based on public presentations – subjects that are related to themes in SOCY 101. You can earn between 1 and 4 points, added to your final course grade, for participating in out-of-class presentations that we will highlight. More on this later.

Objectives for the course

I've developed a structure for this course that aims to give you a useful and intriguing introduction to the study of sociology that will build skills that you can use throughout life. Because your time is valuable, if you put work into a class, it's obvious that you should enjoy clear and useful results. Here are the most important benefits that I expect you to gain from the course:

1) You will develop a better understanding of how key institutions within society work -- knowledge that will help you in almost any career. If you're going to be a biologist, you'll need to know something about the structure of cells, right? And if you're going to work with people, groups, and organizations, you'll need to know something about the structure of society and social groups. Right.

2) Studying the textbook and lecture material will give you a better sense of what globalization is all about and how it may affect you and those you know. What you learn on this subject will be useful for you in becoming a better informed and thus more effective citizen. It will also help you to survive in our rapidly changing world.

3) The course will give you experience in "learning how to learn" more effectively. You'll enhance your ability to find information that has a wide range of applications -- information that will serve you well in both your career and private life. A great deal of this information is newly available and is frequently updated. Much of it is on the Web, and even many specialists are just now becoming familiar with some of these gold mines. Knowing how to locate new information is a must, if you're to keep up with the rapid pace of change in today's world.

4) You will strengthen your skill in thinking analytically. Refining your proficiency in analytical thinking requires both a great deal of practice and a substantial amount of effort. It's worth it, and fortunately it's often intriguing, too. This is one of those key skills that will stand you in good stead in just about any career that you enter -- from business to teaching to lawyering to government service.

At the end of the course, I'll ask you how effective I've been in helping you to realize these benefits.