I. Description and Objectives: Soc 420 students analyze the forms, causes, and consequences of social inequality, which is a condition that affects the life chances of every person and divides members of every community in the United States. The focus of readings and in-class activities is on three types of social inequality in the U.S.: economic or class divisions, racial or ethnic inequities, and sex and gender disparities. International conditions also will be addressed in relation to those three areas.

SERVICE LEARNING: Though it is not required, I strongly encourage students in Soc 420 also to enroll in Soc 300, Service Learning Curricular Component. Those who do co-enroll receive one hour of credit for Soc 300 in addition to the three 400-level sociology credit hours for SOC 420, for a total of four credit hours. In addition to learning about the topic from classroom sessions, students with the service learning component will gain active, hands-on experiential knowledge about inequality by volunteering at a local government or public service agency (See Section VIII, "Service Learning Component," below.)

II. Necessary Materials:
(a) Families On The Fault Line, by Lillian Rubin. Published by HarperPerennial, 1994.
(b) Additional readings will be posted on the course webpage, so students should have a Zip Disk to download readings onto.

III. Schedule of Assignments: All readings, quizzes, tests, and assignments will be announced in class and posted on a course home page accessible through computer at least two class periods before they take place. Examinations tentatively will take place on the following weeks (the dates are subject to change, but only with at least one week's prior notice.) First Exam February 12-16 Second Exam March 19-23 Third Exam May 7-9 Final Exam Wednesday, May 16th, 8:45-10:45

IV. Evaluation of Student Performance:

(a) Quizzes Over Assigned Readings: Students will write six, 20-point essay quizzes over selected chapters of Families On The Fault Line and other assigned readings. Discussions over all readings will be conducted through the Socratic method used in seminars. Therefore, it is critical that students study all assigned readings on time. If you miss a class, call a friend or check the home page "Announcements" section for reading assignments made that day.

(b) Examinations: There will be three 80-point tests and a I 00-point, comprehensive final exam. Students with two or fewer unexplained absences may opt not to take the final exam; all students with three or more unexplained absences must take the final exam. Tests will consist of essay questions.

(c) Position Paper: Students not co-enrolled in Service Learning (SOC 300) select one specific form of inequality to research and report upon. They then will write a nine-page paper that answers three questions: What are the major causes of the inequality that you learned about? What are the most important impacts on peoples' life of that form of inequality? and, What policies and programs could best reduce that inequality? Students must consult at least five academic resources (other than assigned readings) when researching their paper. The five sources must total over 100 pages of material. Specific reference format guidelines are provided in the electronic article, Citing Sources, and these must be followed. Position papers are worth 80 points, with an additional 50 points for three related assignments:

1.A typed topic statement is due on Wednesday, January 31st.
2.. A typed bibliography of at least five academic works already read is due on Wednesday, March 7th (10 points).
3. Two copies of a 9-page draft of the paper are due on Wednesday, April 18th. (20 points).; Incomplete drafts and those turned in after 9:00 will receive very limited credit.
4. Two copies of a peer review of another student's paper are due on Friday, April 27th(20 points).
5. Two copies of the revised 9-page paper are due on Friday, May 4th (80 points). Work turned in after 9:00 will receive only partial credit.

(d) Make-up Policy: Make-up quizzes, assignments and tests will be given if you notify me of a compelling reason for your absence prior to or within one class period following the regularly scheduled assignment date. Beyond that one-class-period deadline, you will not be given the opportunity for make-up exercises.

There will be no extra-credit work allowed.

(e) Course Grade: A course letter grade will be assigned primarily on the basis of the points earned on the six quizzes (120), three exams (240), and the paper and related assignments (130). Total points possible = 490 (590 for those who take the final exam). The grading scale is as follows: 90%+ = A; 80%-89% =B; 70%-79% =C; 60%-69% =D; 59% or below =F. I reserve the right to lower the percentage cutoffs when determining final grades. Be sure to keep records of your scores on all graded material until after you have received your course grades from the University.

V. Attendance and Student Conduct

(a) Attendance will be taken in some manner every class period. Students are expected to attend all class periods. I accept explained absences only due to illness, family and/or other compelling circumstances, or participation in an event sponsored by SMSU (see page 57 of the SMSU Undergraduate Catalog). To explain an absence, students must discuss their reasons for missing class with me prior to or within one class period after the absence. No explanations will be accepted after that! Attendance will not directly affect the student's grade with one exception. Students with more than five unexplained absences will be given an "F" for the course. I have two reasons for this policy. First, the taxpayers of Missouri pay about two thirds of the cost of this course, and taxpayers deserve strong educational benefits for their support of public education. Second, I test students on only a small fraction of what I expect them to learn during this course. If a student is absent six or more times, then I feel that she or he has not been exposed to enough information and has not contributed to the class sufficiently to justify a passing grade.

(b) Classroom Conduct: Tardy students disrupt me and disturb their classmates, therefore, you should always be on time and stay until the end of the period. It is your responsibility to inform me if you have a compelling reason for regularly arriving late or leaving class early. I want students to have fun in this course, and, consequently, in-class verbal interaction among students is encouraged if it contributes to the learning process, or to occasional brevity. However, excessive talking or other behavior that distracts me or is disruptive to students will not be tolerated, for example, reading newspapers/books, sleeping, or telling private jokes. (See the section "Class Disruption” on p. 60 of the 2000/2001 SMSU Undergraduate Catalog.)

(c) Academic Integrity: All members of the University community share the responsibility and authority to challenge and make known acts of apparent academic dishonesty. Any student detected participating in any form of academic dishonesty in this course will be subject to sanctions as described in the Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures available at the Reserves Desk (Meyer Library), and in abbreviated form in the SMSU Undergraduate Catalog, pages 54-55. It is your responsibility to read and understand SMSU's Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures. Students who engage in academic dishonesty of any type will be given a grade of "F" for the course.

VI. Disability Accommodation: To request academic accommodations for a disability, contact Disability Services (DS), Plaster Student Union. Students are required to provide documentation of disability to DS prior to receiving accommodations. DS refers some types of accommodation requests to the Learning Diagnostic Clinic (LDC). The LDC also provides diagnostic testing for learning and psychological disabilities. A fee is charged for testing. For information, contact the LDC.

VII. Nondiscrimination Policy: SMSU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution, and maintains a grievance procedure incorporating due process available to any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against. At all times, it is your right to address inquiries or concerns about possible discrimination to Jana Long, Equal Opportunity Officer, Carrington. Concerns about discrimination can also be brought directly to your instructor's attention, and/or to the attention of your instructor s Department Head

VIII. Service Learning Component

The service-learning component gives students an active, hands-on learning experience that compliments in-class assignments, and to help students develop the attitudes and skills to become effective responsible participants in their community. By understanding better the causes and consequences of inequality and by gaining real-world experience in public organizations, students will be more effective in their individual life and in their role of community citizen.

IX. Service Learning Requirements (These apply only to students enrolled in SOC 300.)

(a) By the second week of class, students must select an organization to volunteer with and discuss their desired placement with the instructor. These agencies deal with issues related to and people affected by economic, ethnic, and gender inequality.

(b) Students must complete a training/orientation session before placement. This training is conducted by the University's CASL Office, and is scheduled for Monday, January 25th Tuesday, January 30th and Wednesday, January 31st in the Plaster Student Union.

(c) Students are required to complete a total of 40 hours of work with the community agency by May 10th. (The hours of CASL orientation count toward the 40-hour total.) Students should put in some hours each week, and 3 hours per week is recommended.

(d) Students will be required to meet briefly out of class with the instructor at least once during the weeks of service activity. Students are encouraged to discuss any problems encountered while at the agency with the instructor very soon after they arise.

(e) During class periods, students may be asked to discuss their service learning experiences. Typically, students will be asked to describe their specific on-site activities and relate their experiences to the topic being discussed in class. Students are expected to participate in those discussions.

(f) While volunteering at a local service organization, you will be expected to act in a responsible manner. You must keep scheduled work hours and complete assigned duties. You also are expected to maintain good working relationships with supervisors and peers. Conduct that is deemed unacceptable to the agency supervisor may result in the student being dismissed from that placement and from the one-hour service learning component of the course.

Evaluation of SOC 300 Performance

A separate course grade will be assigned for the one hour of SOC 300 credit. When assigning a grade for SOC 300, 1 will use two criteria. First, I will assess whether students have met the above-stated requirements. Second, I will evaluate their work on directed writing assignments that will total approximately 12 pages.

SOC 300, Citizenship and Service Learning First Writing Assignment Due in class on Monday, March 5th.

There are a number of objectives that I have for students enrolled in service learning, however, there are two fundamental goals. One is that students develop a deeper understanding of the meaning and practice of citizenship, and, the other is that they learn more about social inequality This first assignment deals with the meaning and practice of citizenship in today's society and with you personally. In two, double-spaced typed pages, address the issues that I outline below. Do not read any articles or reference books, just take some time to reflect, then answer the questions honestly and directly. The assignment is worth up to 20 points.

1. Describe what the term "community" means to you.
2. Describe what the term" citizenship "means to you.
3. Tell me what the term "service" means to you.
4. Do you feel that membership (citizenship) in a community necessarily includes an obligation to serve others through volunteer work? If so, why is service a necessary aspect of citizenship, and how much service is appropriately expected of community members? If not, why isn't service a necessary component of membership (citizenship) in a community?
5. Why did you enroll in SOC 300, Service Learning? [Be honest!]
6. What do you personally hope to get out of volunteering with a non-profit agency?
7. Why did you select the agency to volunteer at that you did?
8. What do you hope to learn by working there?
9. Do you see any connections between your personal motives and goals (answers to numbers 5 -7 above) and the general aspects of citizenship and community that you addressed at the beginning of this paper?

Thanks for taking the time to think about these questions. I bet that by the end of this exercise, you will have clarified you own conception of "citizenship," and learned a bit about yourself in the process.

Soc 300, Service Learning Journal Guidelines

As I mentioned earlier, I expect SL students to write a total of 12 pages of materials as part of their grade for SOC 300. Total points earned on SL writing exercises will = 120 points. Assignment One, which is to be two pages, is worth a maximum of 20 points. Another two-page directed writing exercise will be given near the end of the term. It will be worth 20 points also.

A second writing exercise is a reflective journal with a minimum of five separate, 3 -part entries. The five or more entries combined should total at least eight pages. Total points possible for the journal =80points. Please follow the guidelines below to write each of your journal entries.

Each student's journal documents her or his experiences in service learning activities. You have a good deal of latitude in what you write in your journal, but I want you to use a 3-part format for each entry. Journals should be word processed: This allows students to edit their entries. Editing promotes deeper insights, because as we rethink we can rewrite, which stimulates further rethinking.

I require a minimum of five journal entries. Write one at least every other week. Write the date at the beginning of each entry, and space out entries, unless a particularly important event occurs right after you completed an entry. Since I ask that you space out your journal entries, it is a good idea for students to jot down summaries of significant experiences at their service sites, and especially note any insights about social inequality that occur to them as they provide community service on any given day.

Journal entries need to be written at three levels (and in three different computer fonts). The first and easiest level explains your observations. Describe what you actually have seen and done at your site. Write this section of your journal entry in standard default font on your computer. Level Two requires that you reflect upon your reactions to what you saw and did. Think about and describe your mental and emotional reactions to your service experience. Tell me what service experiences have been meaningful to you. Explain what you think about the agency and its clients, and what your feelings are about your service experience? Write this section of your entry in a different font on your word processing system. Level Three is the most difficult part, especially at the beginning of your service period. Here in a third font explain how what you observed at your service site relates to concepts, ideas, theories, or data that you have been exposed to in class or through readings pertaining to SOC 420 class. I'm asking you to apply what you've learned in class to better understand what is going on at the service site, and apply your experiences to better understand classroom material. This will take more thought than the first two sections of your entry. The use of different fonts forces students to be conscious of differences between describing their experiences, reflecting on the meaning and significance of those experiences, and applying scholarly concepts and theories in an analysis of what they have seen and done on site.

If you would like feedback, then give me a copy of your first entry, and I'll give you both written and oral comments.

Turn in your journal when you have eight or more pages of entries completed (no later than December 1st).

REMEMBER, if a problem or concern of any kind arises during the semester, then please let me or Melissa Mace at the CASL office in Plaster Student Union know about it right away. We want this to be a rewarding learning experience for you.

Final Writing Assignment
SOC 300, Service Learning

Write a two page paper in which you thoughtfully, thoroughly address the following questions. The first question is very general, and the next three are more focused. This is an exercise to stimulate your reflection, so take a good deal of time to think about the questions before you begin to type. You also should write a draft of the paper, reflect upon what you have written in total, then revise the paper to represent your deepest thoughts. The deadline for turning in the paper is Wednesday, December 6.

In general, what are the most important things that you have learned through your experiences at the community organization? How did your experiences as a volunteer affect the way you think about the issues and/or clients that the organization deals with? What have you learned about social inequality through your volunteer work? What have you personally learned about yourself from your service this semester?

I thank all of you for participating in service learning. I hope that your experiences have been educational and rewarding.