Sociological Social Psychology Seminar
Syllabus
SOCI-7751/8751
Carol
Rambo
Meeting times: Tuesdays 2:00-5:00 email: crambo@midsouth.rr.com
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:20-1:20 and by appointment
Phone, leave message only: 678-2611
Required Texts:
Goffman,
Erving. 1963. Stigma: Notes on
the Management of Spoiled Identity. NY:
Simon and Schuster.
James
Hollis. 1993. The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife.
Toronto: Inner City Books.
Judith
Herman. 1997. Trauma and
Recovery. NY:
BasicBooks.
Arlie
Hochschild. 1983. The
Managed Heart. Berkeley, C.A.: University of California Press.
Michel
Foucault. 1990.
The Use of Pleasure. NY:
Vintage Books, Random House.
Herbert
Blumer. 1969. Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method.
C.A.: Prentice Hall.
On Line Resources:
http://spartan.ac.brocku.ca/~lward/
The Mead Project.
http://spartan.ac.brocku.ca/%7Elward/cooley/default.html
Selected readings from Charles Horton Cooley.
http://www.socialpsychology.org/
Social Psychology Network.
http://spartan.ac.brocku.ca/~lward/mead/pubs/Mead_1909a.html
Selections from George Herbert Mead.
http://www.trauma-pages.com/
David Baldwin’s Trauma Information Pages.
http://www.childtrauma.org/ctamaterials/vio_child.asp
Violence and Childhood: How Persisting Fear Can Alter the Developing Child’s
Brain. Bruce Perry, M.D. Ph.D. To
be found on David Baldwin’s Trauma Information Pages, under articles.
Handouts from Carol:
“Dancing with Identity: Narrative Resistance Strategies
of Male and Female Strip-teasers.” Carol
Rambo (Ronai) and Rabecca Cross
“The Historical Background of Modern Social
Psychology.” Gordon Allport
Sociological Social Psychology is a construct used by
Sociologists to frame social psychology into a sociological perspective.
The term is political and the territories are aggressively defended.
Unlike the psychological model of social psychology, sociological social
psychology emphasizes the social and cultural aspects of identity and social
interaction. This course is
organized around a dialectical model of Social Psychology which takes into
consideration three spheres of everyday life: The Body, Identity, and Society.
These are not the only three realms that exist, but your instructor
considers this conceptualization to be broadly inclusive for the purposes of
providing the seminar participant with an overview of Social Psychology from a
Sociological perspective.
The readings will serve as a spring board for discussion,
and we will be mindful at all times to consider how we might go about applying
the concepts in our readings to a data set or to everyday life.
This awareness will come into play when we consider the assignments this
semester.
Skills
Development Goals:
1. Develop an overview of the field of Sociological Social Psychology.
2. Develop the ability to efficiently review the existing literature in a given area of research.
3. Develop the ability to apply theory to a data set.
4. Develop the ability to write an integrative proposal with a clear, logical, cohesive argument, start to finish.
5. Develop the ability to constructively guide and critique the work of others.
Grading:
Unfortunately, we exist in a structure that requires
evaluation. To that end, there will
be 12 opportunities to write response papers and/or hand in assignments.
Students must be present to hand in these assignments.
Twenty percent of the grade will be based on the written assignments.
10 total assignments must be handed in, when they are due, to be counted
for credit. By the end of the
semester, each missing assignment will count two percentage points off the top
of your grade. For example, if at
the end of the semester, you have only handed in seven of the ten assignments,
six percentage points will be deducted from your grade.
Assignments marked REQUIRED must be handed in on the day
they are due. They are movement towards your larger project.
No exceptions without documentation, and even then, I may choose not to
waive the requirement.
Eighty percent of the grade will be based on a project
proposal the student will write and present to the class.
The project proposal will be 15-30 pages in length and will include a
statement of the problem to be investigated, a literature review, a theory
section, and a methods section. The
proposal will be an integrated document that would ideally be proposing original
research, the kind of research one might do for a thesis project.
Much more will be discussed regarding this during class.
In summary, at the end of the semester you will have handed in:
(3) REQUIRED assignments, statement of problem, lit review, theory/methods section.
(7) other assignments, you choose which ones and you must attend the class they are due. This allows you two absences if you need them. Or do all (10) and have your best 8 count towards your grade.
(1) Project proposal.
Disclaimer-
Due to the nature of the content of this course, (specifically I cover topics
like trauma, stigma, life course development, and emotions) I advise you to be
responsible for and to consider your own well being in regards to these
materials. Some people can be
“triggered” or upset by these topics, the readings, and the discussions we
will have in class. It is my hope
that we will conduct the class in a manner which will construct a
“container” safe enough to explore the material so that we all walk away
with an in depth understanding of the general topics and concepts.
This course is not, however, therapy.
Your professor is not a licensed psychologist.
If you have recently been involved in a major emotional upheaval in your life I would ask you to strongly consider whether or not taking this course is right for you this semester. Psychological services are available for you over at Scates Hall; it is something you pay for every semester. Therapy is wonderful, with the right person, and I strongly encourage you to seek support when you need it. It is also a great learning experience!
Tentative
Schedule:
August 26. First
class Meeting. Introduction to
organization of course, outline of assignments, discussion about writing,
opening theory session.
September 2. More theory review with your
instructor, a methods discussion, an exercise, and a one to two page reaction
paper regarding the first day of class. (1)
Sept 9. History of Social Psychology.
Please read the Gordon Allport article.
One to two page reaction paper regarding last week’s exercise due. (1)
Sept 16. DIALECTICS
OF EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE: The Body and Society. Read Judith Herman, Trauma and Recovery.
One to two page reaction paper due. (1)
Sept 23. Neuro-biology. Please read “Violence and Childhood: How Persisting Fear
Can Alter the Developing Child’s Brain. Bruce Perry, M.D. Ph.D. To
be found online on David Baldwin’s Trauma Information Pages.
Please roam around the rest of the web site to get a sense of it.
Guest Speaker Dr. Cliff Heegel, Licensed Psychologist.
No paper due. (0)
Sept 30. Write a reaction paper (1-2 pages) to last
week’s presentation. Also have a REQUIRED
one page presentation of your general topic for the thesis proposal ready to
share with the class. (2)
October 7. DIALECTICS OF EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE: Identity
and Society. Please read
Herbert Blumer, Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method, and
write an application paper or a reaction paper. (1)
Oct 14. No
Class, Fall Break
Oct 21. Please read Goffman’s Stigma: Notes on
the Management of Spoiled Identity, and write a paper which applies the
theory to an everyday experience you have had or know about. Also have your REQUIRED first draft of your
Literature Review and Statement of Problem. Bring two copies. (2)
Oct 28. Please
read Arlie Hochschild, The Managed Heart, and write a one to two page
reaction or application paper. (1)
November 4. DIALECTICS
OF EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE: Society
and the Body. Please read
Michel Foucault, The Use of Pleasure and write a one to two page
application or reaction paper. (1)
Nov 11. DIALECTICS
OF EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE: Identity
and the Body. Please read
“Dancing with Identity: Narrative Resistance Strategies of Male and Female
Strip-teasers,” by Carol Rambo (Ronai) and Rabecca Cross, which I will hand
out, and write a one to two page application or reaction paper.
Also have your REQUIRED first draft of your theory and methods
section ready to turn in. It would be helpful to also have your lit review and
statement of the problem ready, but I will not require this.
Please bring two copies. (2)
Nov 18. DIALECTICS OF EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE: Society
and Identity. Please read
James Hollis, The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife. Write a 1-2 page reaction paper.
(1)
Nov 25. Present
and critique proposals.
December 2. Present and critique proposals. Final Draft of project proposal due.