Course Syllabus

Course Information SOC 4V97 Independent Study in Sociology (Professional Writing for Sociology) Fall 2011 Section 001

Professor Contact Information Bobby C. Alexander, Ph.D. Office Phone: 972-883-6898 E-mail: bcalex@utdallas.edu. Please use Regular UTD E-mail instead of e-Learning to reach me. Thank you. Office Room Number: GR 2.532 Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2:15-3:30 p.m. and by appointment

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions This course has been designated to satisfy the Advanced Writing Requirement for the undergraduate sociology major and to serve as a capstone course in sociology. Since it is difficult to write competently about sociological issues without knowledge of sociological concepts, methods, and empirical findings, students should have completed in most cases several sociology courses, including SOC 1301, 3303, and 3304, before enrolling in this class. Please ask the instructor if you have questions.

Course Description The course teaches professional writing and analytic skills used by sociologists by reviewing models of writing in sociology a literature review, research design, data analysis, and policy memorandum and by practice writing following the models. Students will develop writing skills for each model, which they then will apply to the assignments.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes The learning objective for the course is to develop writing and analytic skills used by sociologists and to be able to apply professional norms for writing to a variety of writing types. This will be accomplished through an iterative series of assignments, including a literature review of peerreviewed articles published in professional sociology journals; a research proposal that builds on existing published work; a data analysis; and a policy memorandum that analyzes the policy implications of the literature review and proposed research. The instructor will provide sample student assignments from previous courses as guides.

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Required Textbooks and Materials The one required text is: A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers, by Roseann Giarrusso, Judith Richlin-Klonsky, William G. Roy, and Ellen Strenski, 6th edition, New York: Worth Publishers, 2008 (referred to below as Guide). The text is available both at the UTD Bookstore and Off Campus Books. Students will be responsible for selecting further readings from peer-reviewed journals in association with the literature review.

Assignments & Academic Calendar Students will select a sociological topic that is of interest to sociology and/or important to society and then write and revise a series of assignments on their chosen topics. These are: a literature review of key published peer-reviewed articles from professional sociology journals or other sources related to sociology that incorporate the theories and methodologies used by sociologists or scholars in related fields; a research design proposal building on the literature review; a data analysis; and a policy memorandum examining a policy issue related to the topic. Ideally the topic selected will relate to students career interests, the population with which students will work in their future jobs, and social institutions or agencies that provide this population services and/or resources. At the end of the semester, students will make informal class presentations on their chosen topics. The presentations will review the literature on students topics and suggest a policy recommendation. Instructions for all course assignments will be made available in printed form at the beginning of the semester. Student sample assignments completed by Sociology majors who took the course previously also will be provided. Students will bring the appropriate items to meetings with the instructor. Assignments will average 6-8 pages in length. Drafts of each of the major assignments will be critiqued by the instructor as well as by students writing partners. For each of the major assignments, students will then revise the draft based on the critiques, and resubmit it for a final evaluation by the instructor. Students will submit drafts by e-mail both to their writing partners and the instructor. He will leave his comments on students draft and revised assignments for them to stop by and collect. Students will meet with the instructor seven times during the semester. Meeting dates are found in the course calendar, along with dates when assignments are due in order to help students organize and submit their work. Meetings with the instructor will be devoted basically to discussing instructions for the different course assignments.

August 25 (Meet with Instructor) Orientation to the Course August 30 Sociological Perspectives and Library Research Strategies Read A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers: Part One: "Essentials" Ch. l: "Getting Started" (read carefully "What Is Sociology?", pages 4-10
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And "Framing a Question", pages10-12) Part Two: "Writing from Various Data Sources" Ch. 4: "The General Research Paper Based on Library or Internet Data" (including "Before You Start: Choosing a Topic" and Using the Library to Review the Sociological Literature) Note: Class on August 30th will be devoted to library research strategies and searching electronic databases for peer-reviewed journal articles needed to complete course assignments. Susan Kutchi, UTD Reference Librarian, will provide a demonstration. STUDENTS WILL MEET THE INSTRUCTOR AT THE REFERENCE DESK IN THE UTD LIBRARY. September 6 Choosing a Topic and Literature Review Meet with the instructor, who will approve students topics and discuss instructions for the Literature Review assignment. Assignment topic due September 6th Read Guide: Ch. 2: "The Writing Process", including the section on "Outlining" Ch. 3: "Working with Sources", pages 52-58 only Ch. 6: "The Quantitative Research Paper", pages 144-top 146 only ("Reviewing the Literature": Stating the Problem and Choosing a Question and Stating Your Hypothesis) Handout on the main sociological theories September 13 Literature Review continued Read Guide: Ch. 6: "The Quantitative Research Paper" (including Developing a Methods and Analysis Plan), pages 142-top 157 only (reread pages 144-top 146) Ch. 3: "Working with Sources", reread pages 52-58 Part Three: "Finishing Up" Draft Literature Review due September 13th September 20 Literature Review continued Read Guide: Ch. 7: "The Ethnographic Field Research Paper" Critique of Writing Partners draft Literature Review due September 20th

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Draft Literature Review returned by instructor September 27 Literature Review continued Meet with the instructor to discuss instructions for the Research Design assignment. Read Guide: Ch. 5: "The Textual (or Article Critique) Analysis Paper" (skim) Ch. 6: "The Quantitative Research Paper", review pages 145-first half 151 (hypothesis) and bottom 153-first half 155 (methods), and second half 151-153 (data analysis). Also read pages 158-157 (student paper in textbook). Revised Literature Review due September 27th October 4 Research Design continued Draft Research Design due October 4th October 11 Research Design continued Critique of Writing Partners draft Research Design due October 11th Draft Research Design returned by instructor October 18 Data Analysis Meet with instructor to discuss Data Analysis assignment. Revised Research Design due October 18th Read Guide: Ch. 6: "The Quantitative Research Paper", review pages second half 151-153 (on quantitative data), and pages 158-179 (student paper in textbook) October 25 Data Analysis continued Draft Data Analysis due October 25th November 1
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Data Analysis continued Critique of Writing Partners draft Data Analysis due November 1st Draft Data Analysis returned by instructor November 8 Policy Recommendation Meet with the instructor to discuss instructions for Policy Recommendation assignment, and Class Presentation. Revised Data Analysis due November 8th November 15 Policy Recommendation continued Draft Policy Recommendation due November 15th November 22 Policy Recommendation continued Critique of Writing Partners draft Policy Recommendation due November 22nd Draft Policy Recommendation returned November 29 Policy Recommendation continued Revised Policy Recommendation due December 1st. Note: Due date in December. E-mail assignment to instructor on December 1st. December 6 Class Presentations Meet with the instructor and other students to hear class presentations.

Grading Policy The percentage distribution (total equals 100%) for the course grade follows. 65%: the four main writing assignments combined
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20%: the four critiques of each students writing partner combined 5%: in-class presentation 10%: attendance Note: Students automatically will be excused from two classes. Students who miss more than two classes will be excused if they have a legitimate reason (for example, being out sick) and provide proper documentation. The grading scale follows. A+ A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D DF = 97-100 = 94-96 = 90-93 = 87-89 = 84-86 = 80-83 = 77-79 = 74-76 = 70-73 = 67-69 = 64-66 = 60-63 = 59 and below

Course & Instructor Policies

Students must submit hard copies of all assignments in class on the due dates; late papers will not be accepted without the prior approval of the instructor. No electronic submissions will be accepted, unless the student is absent from class and has a legitimate reason for being absent. This requirement is intended to help students turn in their work on time and to promote fairness, since students work hard to submit work on time. Class attendance is required. The intent of this policy is to help students perform well on assignments by keeping up with lectures and discussion.

University Policies To view university policies on Student Conduct, Grade Appeals, Disability Services, Religious Holy Days, and others, please go to the link that follows. http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies

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