Family and Society

Soc 2433 at the College of Saint Scholastica

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    • immigrant workers: doing it all for you
      The New York Times reports that the number of foreign-born workers is on the rise in the U.S. Nearly one in six American workers is foreign-born, the highest proportion since the 1920s, according to a census analysis released Monday. Because of government barriers to immigration, the share of foreign-born workers dipped from a 20th-century high of 21 [...] […]
    • Phone Sex: Real and Imaginary (NSFW)
      In my Power and Sexuality class, I sometimes assign articles from a book called Whores and Other Feminists. All of the essays are written by current and former sex workers who identify as feminist. It’s pretty fascinating. So some of the phone sex operators talk about what they do while having “phone sex,” like chores and booking airline ti […]
    • SocImages Apparently Undermining Itself One Image at a Time
      If you were to view an article about the diversity of Saudi Arabian life, and it included the following images, what would you likely take away from the article? Elisabeth R. drew our attention to a recent study asking about the relationship between images and text. It found that, when images that confirmed a reader’s stereotypes about a place were pai […]
    • Gay marriage in the US by space and time
      What works I cropped what you see above from an infographic that is part of GOOD magazine’s infographic section called Transparency. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend it. This was the strongest part of the graphic. It does a masterful job of elegantly illustrating a relationship both in space and time. [...]
    • Calling out Vile Homophobia
      Big shout to co-Contexts blogger Kari Lerum at Sexuality and Society for bringing attention to a vile piece of legislation in the Ugandan Parliament that would allow the “crime of homosexuality” to be punishable by death.  As academics we are trained to take detached, analytical approaches to events in the social world.  Understandably, we don […]
    • Global Warming Reparations
      Nothing beats a nice clean visual presentation to hammer home a point. Point here…we are some energy hoggin’ you-know-whatters but we’re not alone.  To be fair, it would probably be more appropriate to collapse the global emissions of all the EU nations into one bubble rather than breaking it down by individual country.   Are you as [...] […]
    • Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right—Dude, Where’s My Stimulus?
      Years ago, I once had a conversation with an economist who freely admitted that there was no unified macroeconomic theory.  What works versus what doesn’t work in a particular sociopolitical context is really just so much spitballing.  This never surprised me given the complex realities of global capitalism. I’ve been genuinely perplexed by Barac […]
    • Weekends Are for Porn (Not News)
      Just in case you’ve ever wanted evidence that people do more online searches for porn on weekends (especially Friday nights!): Thanks to Larry. UPDATE: Reader Dangger sent us a comparison of searches for porn and news: (Via.) (View original at http://contexts.org/socimages)
    • Weber’s Monopoly on Violence
      Perry H. sent in this cartoon: The cartoon, of course, reminds us of the power of words.  Calling something “terrorism” is a way to make it seem illegitimate.   And, often, what makes violence illegitimate is not something inherent in the violence itself, but your perspective on it. The cartoon also reminds us of Max Weber’s insight that th […]
    • Finally A Women’s Movement Men Can Get Behind
      Last week Barbara Ehrenreich wrote a scorching critique of the uproar over pushing regular mammography back till 50-years-old, in light of the muted response to the Stupak amendment excluding abortion from both state and public health insurance programs. “So welcome to the Women’s Movement 2.0,” she writes “pink-ribbon culture has replaced […]

Course Policies

Course Policies

My philosophy.

Two principles provide the foundation for all the policies in this course: FAIRNESS to me as your professor, to your fellow students, and to you in the event of unavoidable life occurrences; your PREPARATION for responsible living and meaningful work (as stated in the College Mission). These two principles are grounded in values from the College’s Benedictine Heritage – Community, Hospitality, Respect, Stewardship, and Love of Learning.

Consultation and Problem Solving

If you have questions, need help, are frustrated or anxious, are concerned about someone cheating, are annoyed with me, or want to more detailed discussion than is possible in class, please come see me. I can’t guarantee that I’ll always have a good answer or that I will change my mind if there is a disagreement, but
I certainly can’t be of help if you don’t let me know. Please don’t let problems slide until it is too late. I am here to listen and to try to help.

Student Responsibilities.

In addition to responsible time management, academic honesty, preparation for class, and being mentally and physically present during class, you are also responsible for being aware of the information covered in lectures, discussions, class activities, videos, handouts, and announcements.

Ø             If you must miss class, it is your responsibility to get notes, handouts, and other information (such as announcements) from a reliable classmate.

Ø             This course has many due dates. When you cannot turn in work on time, inform me of this. Papers turned in late decline in value 5% per working day. Late assignments will be graded as time allows, and may not be returned to you for some time.

Ø             Papers must meet certain basic specifications:
· Word-processed and printed in 12-point font
· Margins of 1″ or greater on both sides
· Your name, the paper title, the course and section numbers clearly printed on the first page
· If the paper is 2 pages or longer, the pages must be stapled
Papers that do not meet these specifications will not be accepted.

Ø  Information about the course will be posted regularly in the class blog. It is your responsibility to check the blog regularly. Provision is made for you to subscribe to the blog and receive notification of new posts in by e-mail.

E-mail questions

I provide a lot of help to students via e-mail, often with quick response times. To get help by e-mail:

Ø             Use an informative Subject Line (“Question about Observation Paper”)

Ø             State a specific question (not “I’m stuck” but “What if I can’t determine which group is a family?”)

Ø  Provide as much information as possible, including examples or details

Ø  Sign your name and section number

Although I try for quick turnaround, it may take me a day (Monday through Friday) or until the next work day (on the weekends) to write an answer to your question.

E-mail about missed classes.

It is usually impossible to convey the content of an hour’s class in an e-mail.  If you missed class because of an official college activity, verifiable serious illness or accident, or the death of an immediate family member, please see me so that we can make a plan for you to catch up the missed material.  If you missed class for other reasons, it is your responsibility to get notes and information from other students (see above, Student Responsibilities).

Classroom Deportment

ü  Conversations. The learning environment in the classroom has a big impact on the success of all students.   I welcome your questions, reactions, and examples given to the whole class. On the other hand, some behaviors are distracting to me and to other students, and indicate less than full attention on your part: side conversations, passing notes, or text-messaging during class. To preserve the learning environment, these behaviors will not be accepted in this class.

ü  Cell phones, pagers, and electronic devices. Turn your cell phone or pager to “silent” or “vibrate” mode. If you must answer a call, leave the classroom quietly. Do not listen to MP3 players or other sound systems during class.  No electronic devices will be permitted to be used during quizzes or exams.

ü  Mutual respect. I expect that you and I will treat one another professionally with mutual respect, especially when discussing points that we disagree on or that are causing frustration or anxiety.

ü  Children. Do not bring children to class (this is a College policy)

ü  Attendance. Come to class. Come to class on time. Stay until the end. Do not begin to pack up your books and materials until class is finished.

Lost Homework and Papers.

It is your responsibility to keep an extra printed and/or computer file copy of each item in case it is lost. When I collect printed items, please turn them in to me in person or at the Tower Hall Mail Room with my name and your name (as return addressee) clearly labeled. Do not put them under my door.

CSS disabilities statement.

Any student who needs assistance in gaining equal access to classes or college resources because of a physical, psychological, or learning disability, as well as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or a hearing impairment should request assistance through the Access Center.

CSS academic honesty statement.

Academic honesty directly concerns ethical behaviors which affect both the academic environment and the civic community. Plagiarism and other academic dishonesty, including falsification of data, will result, at a minimum, failure of the assignment or test, and the maximum penalty shall be failure of the course. In addition, a department may deny admission to or dismiss from a program a student who has engaged in academic dishonesty, and the Academic Vice-President or the Dean of Students may exclude such a student from extracurricular activities or expel him or her from the College, even on the first instance of academic dishonesty.

Resolving Student Concerns and Issues.

  1. The first step for resolving problems or concerns about this course is to meet with me, the course professor. Faculty in this department strive to provide an environment in which students can succeed. We find that most problems can be cleared up quickly through open communication and problem-solving techniques.
  2. If your efforts to resolve the problem with me are not successful, a second step is available by contacting the Department Chair, Dr. Jerry Henkel-Johnson (gjohnson@css.edu). You will need to provide him with a description of the problem and the steps you have taken to resolve it with your professor. He will explore the matter, and may moderate a meeting to help you and the professor reach a resolution to the problem. Because problem-solving requires conversation and mutual understanding, it is usually not possible to handle complaints about course procedures and policies anonymously. Student complaints are serious matters that have an impact on the professor and the tone in the class. Professors make every effort to conduct their courses in ways that are fair, to resolve student problems quickly, and to keep such problems separate from the grading process.
  3. Students who are not satisfied with the resolution of their concerns within the Department have recourse to the formal grievance procedures outlined in the Student Handbook.

Snow or emergency days.

When CSS officially closes due to a snowstorm or emergency, an exam scheduled for that day will be given at the next class meeting when CSS is officially open. If CSS closes on the day of the final exam, the exam will be canceled & deleted from the grading scheme, unless CSS announces otherwise.

Posting grades.

Grades will be posted in WebCT.