Rhodes University Department of Sociology 
Sociology 1 Handout Number 3
Lecturer: Michael Drewett

			

Introduction to Sociology

  Term 1 2013 

Welcome to the Sociology Department!

This first term course is an introduction to sociology. As such it will cover a number of crucial areas, providing you with a firm grounding in sociology, including what sociology is, how it arose and what it means to think sociologically. It will also introduce you to the ways in which sociologists explain different phenomena within society.
You will discover that sociology is the study of society and that our central focus is on how society operates, how it affects the way individuals think and behave, and how our lifestyle and life chances are more a product of society than something of our own choosing. It will also become clear that sociology is not simply a discipline concerned with social phenomena, but that it is a way of thinking about the world which challenges our commonly accepted beliefs and assumptions. In short, sociology is a form of consciousness which will change the way you think about yourself, your social networks and your world. Ultimately it should provide you with an important framework within which to situate your life and surroundings.

Course structure
The course is divided into a number of areas which are all crucial to gaining an understanding of what sociology is and what it entails. The sub-sections of the course are as follows: 

•	Introduction to sociology as the study of society; the relation between the individual and society.
•	Society, control and resistance.
•	The origins of sociology as a discipline and the central theoretical divides within sociology.

How to prepare for this course
A lecture structure is provided below. Each lecture has a title and accompanying reading. It is in your interests to read the relevant reading prior to each lecture so that you come to the lecture prepared and with some idea as to what the lecture will be about. It is useful to make a note of any questions you would like to have answered, and ask these at the lecture, or alternatively, to look out for answers during the lecture. After each lecture you might want to go over the reading again to clarify any remaining areas of confusion. A list of additional readings is provided at the end of this course outline; you could consult these for further information or if a particular topic especially interests you. There are also many general sociology library books relevant to the course. You are encouraged to browse the shelves and dip into books when necessary.

Not only is reading prior to a lecture an important means of preparation, but it also allows you to concentrate more on what the lecturer has to say, and less on taking notes. If you read prior to the lecture you will realise that a lot of the things covered in the lectures are not new to you, so you won’t have to write everything down. Rather, you will be able to jot down important points, the structure of the lecture, examples and so on. Lectures are not to be used entirely for taking down notes. Try to participate in the lecture as much as possible - not only through asking questions, but by thinking about what is being said and jotting down areas which interest and confuse you. You can then do further reading around these sections of the work.

Given that lectures are based on a wide variety of readings, no single reading is able to capture a lecture in its entirety: recommended readings do not mirror lectures. Sometimes the recommended readings will include a lot of the lecture material, other times not.  On occasion additional readings will be referred to in lectures, while some general readings are included later in this course outline. You are advised to consult these when necessary. 
SECTION ONE: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY 	
LECTURE	TOPIC	READING	
1	Introduction to the course	No reading	
2	Sociology as the study of society	Giddens, A. 2006. Sociology (5th ed.) (p. 4-7; 26-27). Cambridge: Polity.	
3	Sociology as a debunking      discipline 	Berger, P. 1963. Invitation to sociology. (Ch. 2). London: Penguin.	
4	Sociology as a form of consciousness: Berger and Mills	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.)(p.xxv). London: Collins.	
SECTION TWO: THE INDIVIDUAL IN SOCIETY	
5	Socialization and culture 
	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.)(p.vi-xi). London: Collins.	
6	Culture and cultural relativity
	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.)(p.vi-xi). London: Collins.	
7	Socialization	Berger, P. 1976. Sociology: A biographical approach. (Ch. 3).
Harmondsworth: Penguin.	
8	Socialization: Video – Secrets of the wild child	Transcript available at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2112gchild.html 	
9	Socialization	Berger, P. 1976. Sociology: A biographical approach. (Ch. 3).
Harmondsworth: Penguin.	
10	Sex and gender; Gender socialisation 	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.) (p. 92-102). London: Collins.	
11	Gender socialisation and sexism	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.) (pp. 92-102). London: Collins.	
12	Gender socialisation: video – Sex: unknown	Transcript available at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2813gender.html 	
SECTION THREE: SOCIETY, CONTROL AND RESISTANCE	
13	Foucault: The docile body
(The body as cultural text and locus of social control)	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and  perspectives. (6th ed.)(p.581-585). London: Collins.	
14	Surveillance society	Van Zoonen, L. 1994. “Spectatorship and the gaze” in Feminist Media Studies. London: Sage.	
15	Cultural assimilation and cultural struggle	Kammeyer, K. et al. 1994. Sociology: experiencing changing societies. (6th ed.) (Ch. 3). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.	
16	Cultural assimilation and cultural struggle (in Africa)	Cabral, A. 1972. “Culture, colonization, and national liberation” in de Bragança, A. and Wallerstein, I. (eds.) The African liberation reader 1. London: Zed Press.	
SECTION 4: THE ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL THEORY	
17	The rise of industrial            capitalism	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2000. Sociology: themes and  perspectives. (6th ed.)(p.6-9). London:  Collins	
18	The emergence of sociology	Giddens, A. 2006. Sociology (5th ed.) (p. 8-25). Cambridge: Polity.
Open University. 1971. The sociological perspective. (Unit 2).
Bletchley: Open University Press.	
19	Functionalism: Durkheim 	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.)(p.xiv-xv; 934-939). London: Collins.	
20	Interactionism: Weber and Mead 	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.)(p. xviii-xx; 953-958). London: Collins.	
21	Interactionism: Mead	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.)(p. 961-963). London: Collins.	
22
	Historical materialism: Marx
	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.) .)(p.xvi- xviii; 944-950). London: Collins.	
23
	Historical materialism: Marx
	Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.) .)(p.xvi- xviii; 944-950). London: Collins.	

Course evaluation
During the course you will be expected to complete one assignment which will contribute towards your overall year mark. You MUST complete this as part of your DP requirements for Sociology I. It constitutes 7, 5% of your overall Sociology 1 mark (25% of your year mark), so must be taken seriously. 

Assignment: Test
A 45-minute test will be written at 19h00 on Tuesday March 12 in the two Barratt Lecture Theatres (Students with surnames A-M in Lectures Theatre 1 and N-Z in Lecture Theatre 2). You must be seated ten minutes before the test begins (at 18h50). You will need to write one essay during this time (out of a choice of three questions). All work covered in the course up to and including Lecture Topic 16 must to be included in your test preparation. 
Your June examination will include at least two 45-minute essay answers in the same format as this test. This test will thus provide you with a clear indication as to how well you cope with an examination-type situation. Put a lot of effort into preparing for the test so that you can learn as much as possible from the experience. 
 
Tutorials
There will be three tutorials this term. These are compulsory. For each tutorial you need to read a prescribed reading, write a 300 word tutorial assignment in response to a set question and attend the tutorial meeting. You need to ensure that you are allocated to a tutorial group and must always attend the tutorial meeting (venue and time) assigned to you. The tutorials take place on a Thursday or a Friday. A list of tutorial groups, venues and times will be placed on the Sociology I notice board at the beginning of the second week of term. The first tutorial meeting will take place in the week of the 18th February. At least one of the tutorial questions will appear in the June examination, so it is in your interest to take each tutorial seriously:  read the reading carefully, think about the central issue(s) and write a structured response to the question. Actively take part in the tutorial discussions and jot down points made by others. When you get your assignment back take note of your tutor’s comments and ensure that you know how to improve your answer. Make an effort to rewrite your answer, introducing changes based on your tutor’s comments, your tutorial notes and additional reading. This is an excellent means of preparing for the June examination.

Tutorial assignment requirements: For all tutorials you are required to type a 300 word assignment in response to the tutorial question. Your assignment must be properly referenced (see Handout Number 1 for instructions on how to reference). You need to submit this to your tutor at the beginning of your tutorial. If you fail to comply with this requirement your tutor has been instructed to ask you to leave the tutorial and to mark you as absent.

Tutorial No 1: 21 & 22 February

Topic: Introducing sociology

Questions: What is sociological thinking? Use sociological reasoning to explain why we mostly behave in conventional ways rather than behaving very differently to everyone else.

Reading: Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: themes and perspectives. (6th ed.)(p.xxv). London: Collins.

Tutorial No 2: 28 February & 1 March

Topic: Feral children and socialization

Question: What are feral and isolated children and why are they important to sociologists?

Reading: Explore cases of feral children on the internet. Below are two helpful sites to begin with, but you can also find information in many introductory sociology text books and elsewhere on the internet.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Nature-Vs-Nurture---A-Sociological-Approach-to-Feral,-Isolated,-and-Institutionalized-Children&id=2405260

http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/mskinner/Sociology/Socialization/feral_children.htm

Tutorial No 3: 7 & 8 March
 
Topic: Gender socialization

Questions: What is the difference between ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ in the process of gender socialization? What are the most important lessons that sociologists can learn from the case of Bruce (who became Brenda)?

Reading: Watch the film Sex: Unknown (in lectures) and read the transcript at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2813gender.html. You can also do additional research and reading in introductory sociology books in the library and articles on the internet.

Course outcomes
By the end of the course you need to:
1.	Know what sociology is;
2.	Distinguish between common sense understandings of the social world and those based on sociological explanations;
3.	Realize that sociological explanations require an approach which goes beyond surface appearances and explores deeper dynamics involved in social processes;
4.	Have a critical understanding of the relationship between the individual and society;
5.	Understand that individuals are shaped by society but that they are not powerless in determining their behaviour;
6.	Have a general understanding of the origins of Sociology as a discipline;
7.	Understand what social theory is and how (in general) sociologists attempt to explain human society.

Strongly recommended readings

Haralambos. M. and Holborn, M. 2004. Sociology: Themes and Perspectives. (6th edition). London: Collins. 

Supplementary textbooks

Bilton, 1987. Introductory sociology. (2nd ed) London: Macmillan.

Giddens, A. 2006. Sociology (5th ed.). Cambridge: Polity.

Henslin, J.H. 1993. Down to earth sociology. (Seventh edition) New York: The Free Press.

References for additional reading

Sociology as the study of society/the effect of society on the individual/culture.

Abrahamson, M. 1981. Sociological theory: an introduction to concepts, issues and research. (Chapter 1) London: Prentice-Hall.

Berger, P.L. and Berger, B. 1976. Sociology: a biographical approach. (Chapters 1-3)
Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Cabral, A. 1972. “Culture, colonization, and national liberation” in de Bragança, A. and     Wallerstein, I. (eds) The African liberation reader Volume 1. London: Zed Press.

Fanon, F. 1970. Toward the African revolution. Harmondsworth: Penguin. 

Hansen, D. 1976. An invitation to critical sociology. (Chapters 2-4) New York: Free  Press.

Mills, C.W. 1959. The sociological imagination. (Chapter 1) Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Odetola, T. and Ademola, A. 1985. Sociology: an introductory African text. (Chapters 1, 4 & 5). London: Macmillan.

Open University Press. 1971. The sociological perspective. (Chapter 1) Bletchley: Open     University Press.

Surveillance society

Bordo, S. 1997. “The body and the reproduction of femininity” in Conboy, K. et. al. (Eds.) Writing on the body. New York: Columbia University Press.

Gill, R. 2007. Gender and the Media. Chapter 8. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Van Zoonen, L. 1994. “Spectatorship and the gaze” in Feminist Media Studies. London: Sage.

The origins of sociology

Hunt, E.K. 1978. Property and prophets. (Chapters 1-4) New York: Harper and Row.

Sherman, H. and Wood, J. 1989. Sociology: traditional and radical perspectives.  (Chapter 21) New York: Harper and Row.

Theory

Open University Press. 1971. The sociological perspective.(Chapter 3) Bletchley: Open
	University Press.

Works of fiction/biography
Given that sociology is interested in society and the way in which society influences individuals, works of fiction and biographical accounts of people's lives can be of interest and benefit to you as a sociology student. Listed below are some books from which you might like to select a few to read if you have the time. You can use these as examples to illustrate points you make in the test and June exam. If you are a student for whom English is a second or third language it is a good idea to read as much as possible as a means to improving your fluency in English. 

Camus, A. 1983. The outsider. London: Penguin.

Capote, T. 1976. In cold blood. London: Penguin.

Head, B. 1987. When rain clouds gather. Oxford: Heinemann.

Malan, R. 1990. My traitor's heart. London: Vintage.

McEwan, I. 1978. The cement garden. London: Picador.

Modisane, B. 1986. Blame me on history. Parklands: A.D. Donker.

Orwell, G. 1966. Down and out in Paris and London. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Orwell, G. 1962. The road to Wigan Pier. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Walker, A. 1982. You can’t keep a good woman down. London: Women’s Press.