SOC 331 SVSU

Preface

This is a syllabus for SOC 331 @ SVSU. It may change throughout the semester. It is often considered a contract, although I don’t necessarily support that approach. However, I do base the syllabus on university policies and procedures and adhere to them whether I agree or not (and you should, too). The most common policies that I encounter during the semester are the plagiarism and grade change policies, so please become familiar with those. Here are a few other things to note:

• Important Dates
• Campus Map
• Library
• Cellphone Policy

Essentials

• Semester: 14 May, 2012 through 30 Jun, 2012 [more info here]
  
• Time/Credits: classroom // 3 credits // 16 weeks, including final exam
  
• Location: ES 126 LEC TUES THUR 07:00PM 10:05PM Campus Map

Instructor

• Name: John Girdwood PhD ABD Michigan State University // MSA Central Michigan University // BA Western Michigan University
  
• Office: Home // Phone: 1-77-Girdwood (1-774-473-9663)
  
• Email: jgirdwoo@svsu.edu // Office Hours: by appointment

Description:

Population theory, vital phenomena, changes in populations, size and composition and their social and economic implications, national and international migrations, policies of control, techniques of estimating population projections and related matters. Prerequisite: SOC 111 or permission of instructor.

Required Material:

• Selected articles available on electronic journal sites like JSTOR and accessible through the SVSU Library – http://www.svsu.edu/library/home.html
• PLEASE READ THIS newsletter to understand where Girdwood is coming from for the course

Optional Material (will be discussed in class):

COURSE OBJECTIVES

* Students will be expected to:

There are four major tasks to be accomplished:

• 15% – Preparation of the reading for class presentation and discussion
  • During weekly meetings, each student will be assigned major responsibility for portions of the readings that we will discuss as a class.
  • Every discussion leader should prepare a 20 minutes presentation for the assigned readings, accomplishing two things in their presentation:
    • an overview of the “big questions” and related theories in the reading;
    • key issues related to data, measurement, and methods.
  • For each segment, 20 minutes will be devoted to presentation and 10 minutes to Q&A/discussion.
  • The instructor will be available throughout the week to discuss via email reading strategies and preparing for these presentations.
  • Grades will be based on class participation (handout, presentation, and discussion).
  • After the presentation, the whole class will discuss additional questions of the readings.
  • During the discussion or near the end of it I will present supplementary material to add breadth and depth to coverage of the topic.
• 15% – Three short essays
  • The students need to submit 3 short essays of their critique of the reading/material (2-3 pages) during the whole semester.
  • These essays will be graded.
• 20% – Midterm exam
  • The exam is a “take-home exam” (or online, if appropriate).
  • This midterm will consist of a set of 3-4 essay questions based on the course reading and lecture materials.
  • You will select two questions and write your responses that show your ability to understand and use the material.
  • Instructor reserves the right to change the midterm to include both long and short answer essays OR multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank quizzes.
  • Most often, the midterm consists of 3 separate critical article reviews and is 6 pages long
• 50% – Research proposal and presentation
• Research proposal should follow these general guidelines:
  • research problem is specified,
  • the literature review identifies key knowledge gaps,
  • hypotheses are stated,
  • the data are described, and
  • the analyses are outlined
• Length: 10-12 double spaced pages
• Format: APA style and format; check out – http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
• We will work through the paper process together using the following deadlines:
• Week 4 – Topic & data source, if relevant, due (TBD)
• Week 8 – Introduction and literature review due (TBD)
• Week 12 – Presentation of draft paper/proposal due (TBD)
• Week 16 (Finals) – Full paper/proposal due (TBD)
• NOTE: Dates are usually cut in half if during a summer semester, e.g. “Week 16″ becomes “Week 8″

• Semester: 14 May, 2012 through 30 Jun, 2012 [more info here]

1. DIVERSITY AND INEQUALITY AMONG POPULATIONS
1. By Gender
2. By Income
3. By Age
4. Within populations: (Gottschalk et al., 1997)
5. Between populations: (Firebaugh, 2001; Goesling, 2000)
2. Composition of Neighborhoods and Social Networks
1. Individual choice and structural constraints; exercise: (Cook, 2005)
2. Inequality among American Families with Children; read: (Western, Bloome, & Percheski, 2008)
3. Residential preferences and neighborhood racial segregation: A test of the schelling segregation model; read: (Clark, 1991)
3. NEW DEVELOPMENT IN FAMILY DEMOGRAPHY
1. What is “applied” demography? (Merrick, 1986)
2. Family Demography, Social Theory, and Investment in Social Capital (Astone et al., 1999)
4. Population Processes and Social Policy Considerations
5. [special readings]
1. Field Trip to ES 112 Computer Lab
2. Learn about SPSS Software
6. POPULATION, POLITICS, AND POLICY
7. [special readings]
1. Field Trip to ES 112 Computer Lab
2. Learn about ICPSR
8. Precursors of Poor Adult Health
9. [special readings]
10. Causes and Consequences of Health for Children
11. Low Fertility around the World
12. Dynamics of Fertility Intentions
13. Dynamics of Fertility Behavior
14. Migration Processes
15. [special readings]
16. FINAL PROJECT WEEK

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Other syllabi:

• Notre Dame
• Utah
• UC Berkeley
• University of Maryland

Texts cited: