The Sociology of Social Change Sociology 325 Fall 2016

Instructor: Alexander Bryan Classroom: Lubar S250 Office: 718 Bolton Hall Office Hours: Monday, 12:30 – 2:00 PM Email: [email protected] Tuesday, 2:00 – 3:30 PM

Course Description Our society seems to always be in a constant state of change, but what forces are responsible for social changes ranging from the industrial to the digital revolution? How do these changes play out on the individual and national levels? This course uses the tools of sociology to help explain how we got to where we are now and where we may be headed.

The first portion of the course will explore influential types of sociological explanations of social change, including functionalist, conflict and interpretive perspectives. The second part of the course will apply these theoretical lenses to historical and contemporary instances of social change, such as the recent national legalization of same-sex marriage, and spread of information and communication technology. The third part of the course will look at processes of social change, from political reform to social revolution to technological innovation. The last unit will cover social change on a global scale in our increasingly interconnected world, looking at globalization processes, environmental change and its social implications, and diagnoses of our future.

Class meetings will include many small group and full class discussions of readings and assignments. Active participation in discussions and in-class assignments is essential for students’ individual success and for the success of the class as a whole.

Course Objectives Over the semester, students will

• Develop an understanding of different sociological perspectives and theories of societal change • Apply these theoretical perspectives to specific historical and contemporary phenomena • Examine patterns across instances of historical change, and connect them to larger theoretical ideas • Critically assess sociological explanations of social change

Expected time commitment UWM credit hour policy states:

Study leading to one semester credit represents an investment of time by the average student of not fewer than 48 hours for class contact in lectures, for laboratories, examinations, tutorials and recitations, and for preparation and study; or a demonstration by the student of learning equivalent to that established as the expected product of such a period of study.

So a 3-credit course such as this one requires a minimum of 144 hours of your time. • Classroom time: 37.5 hours ≈ 2.5 hours/week • Outside Preparation and Reading: 75 hours ≈ 5 hours/week • Major Papers/Exams Prep: 31.5 hours ≈ 2 hours/week

Course Texts

Harper, C.L. & Leicht, K.T., Exploring social change: America and the World, 6th edition

Supplementary readings will be provided on the course D2L site

Class Format Class will be comprised of discussion and lecture portions, as well as in-class assignments. Class lecture and discussion will draw from and expand on the material read for the day. The last portion of lecture will cover the readings for the next session by going over the reading prompts and highlighting certain aspects of the reading students should focus on.

For discussion, students will be given reading guide questions each week which will then be used to guide both small group and class discussion during the next class meeting. Additionally, in class assignments will further assess students’ understanding of the material, and inform in-class discussions.

Course Requirements

In-Class assignments Over the semester, you will be given a number of in-class assignments to assess your understanding of the material or address questions or issues which may arise in class discussions. The format of these assignments will vary, but may include pop quizzes on assigned readings, or written reflections on class discussions/activities. There will be 12 - 16 in-class assignments collected over the course of the semester, and the assignments with the three lowest scores will be dropped

Reading Response Papers There will be two short papers (3-4 pages, double spaced, 12 pt. font) based on readings or films from class. Each paper will draw connections between a textbook chapter and one of the assigned articles or documentaries from class. The first paper should connect any chapter and article or film from units one and two, and a hard copy will be due, in class, on October 12th. The second paper should follow the same format, drawing from materials in units three and four, and a hard copy will be due in class on December 7th. Late work will be penalized one full letter grade for every 24-hour window past the deadline. No exception to these policies will be granted without documentation of a legitimate verifiable reason, such as an illness or family emergency.

Exams The class will have to exams, a midterm and final. The midterm will be in-class on Wednesday, October 26, and will comprise multiple choice, short answer and essay questions drawn from all of the material up to that point. The final exam will be held during exam week, on Tuesday, December 20th at 10:00 AM in the same room the class usually meets, Lubar S250. It will be cumulative, touching on some of the material from the first half of the course, concentrating more on the later readings, and follow a similar format to the midterm. Make-up exams will be given only for documented emergencies or required university activities, and should be discussed and scheduled ahead of time.

Grading In-class assignments: 20% Papers: 20% Midterm: 30% Final: 30%

Academic Integrity & Plagiarism You may not copy other authors’ words or ideas without giving them credit. Plagiarism includes directly quoting or paraphrasing another author without providing proper citation. We will touch on how to avoid plagiarism and how to appropriately use citations early in the semester. Failure to properly cite your work can result in receiving a failing grade in this course and may be reported to the Dean of the College of Letters and Science for further action.

Reading Schedule Date Topic Readings Assignments due Wed., Syllabus and course Sept. 7 overview

Unit 1: Explanations of Social Change Mon., Introduction to Chapter 1 in Harper and Leicht; Sept. 12 sociology of social The Cheapest Generation, Thompson & change Weissmann, The Atlantic (D2L) Wed., The causes and Chapter 2 in Harper and Leicht Sept. 14 patterns of social change Mon., Social theory and Chapter 3 in Harper and Leicht Sept 19 social change Wed., Marxist and Classes in Capitalism and Pre-capitalism, Sept, 21 Materialist Marx (D2L) explanations of social change Mon., Cultural and The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Sept. 26 interpretive Capitalism, Swedberg, The Montréal explanations of social Review (D2L); change Why Work?, Kolbert, The New Yorker (D2L) Wed., Functionalist Durkheim’s Evolutionary Conception of Sept 28 explanations of social Social Change, Hinkle (D2L) change Unit 2: Social change in the United States Mon., American social Chapter 4 in Harper and Leicht Oct. 3 trends Wed., American culture and Culture and Character: The Historical Oct. 5 individualism Conversation, from Habits of the Heart, Bellah et al. (D2L) Mon., Change in Chapter 5 in Harper and Leicht, Oct. 10 populations, families and work Wed., Change in A World Without Work, Thompson, The 1st Response Oct. 12 populations, families Atlantic (D2L) Paper Due and work Why Are So Many Millennials Having Children Out of Wedlock?, Fernandez- Campbell, the Atlantic (D2L) Mon., Trends in economics Chapter 6 in Harper & Leicht Oct. 17 and politics Wed., Trends in economics The Class Inversion of American Politics Oct. 19 and politics Accelerates, Brownstein, The Atlantic (D2L)

Mon., Economics and How Trump and Sanders Tapped into Oct. 24 politics; America’s Economic Rage, Collinson, Review for midterm CNN (D2L) Wed., Midterm Oct. 26 Unit 3: Processes of Social Change Mon., Social Movements Chapter 7 in Harper and Leicht Oct. 31 Wed., Reform Movements Chapter 8 in Harper and Leicht; Nov. 2 The Next Civil Rights Movement?, Harris (D2L) Mon., Reform Movements The Gender Revolution: Uneven and Nov. 7 Stalled, England (D2L) Little Labor: How Union Decline is Changing the American Landscape, Rosenfeld (D2L)

Wed., Revolutions Chapter 9 in Harper and Leicht Nov. 9 Mon., Revolutions How Erdogan Made Turkey Authoritarian Nov. 14 Again, Cook, The Atlantic (D2L) Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted, Gladwell, The New Yorker (D2L) Wed., Technology, Chapter 10 in Harper and Leicht Nov. 16 innovation and networks Mon., Technology, Research in the Crowdsourcing Age, a Nov. 21 innovation and Case Study. Hitlin, Pew (D2L) networks Shared, Collaborative and On Demand: The New Digital Economy, Pew (D2L) Thanksgiving Break Mon., Activism and creating Chapter 11 in Harper and Leicht Nov. 28 change The Renaissance of Student Activism, Wong, The Atlantic; (D2L) Hashtag Activism Isn't a Cop-Out, Berlatsky, The Atlantic (D2L) Unit 4: Global Social Change Wed., Development and Chapter 12 in Harper and Leicht; Nov. 30 Globalization Mon., Globalization, the Globalism’s Discontents, Stiglitz; Dec. 5 environment and Why Britain Left, Frum, The Atlantic change (D2L) Wed., Globalization and the Chapter 13 in Harper and Leicht; 2nd Response Dec. 7 environment Global Concern about Climate Change, Paper Due Broad Support for Limiting Emissions, Pew (D2L) Mon., Projecting future Chapter 14 in Harper and Leicht Dec. 12 change Wed., Review for final Dec. 14 exam Teus., Final Exam, at 10:00 AM in Lubar S250 Dec. 20

UNIVERSITY AND SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT POLICIES

The Secretary of the University maintains a web page that contains university policies that affect the instructor and the students in this course, as well as essential information specific to conduct of the course. The link to that page is: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/news_events/upload/Syllabus-Links.pdf

Students with Disabilities. Verification of disability, class standards, the policy on the use of alternate material and test accommodations can be found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/arc Religious Observances. Policies regarding accommodations for absences due to religious observance are found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S1.5.htm Students called to active Military Duty. Accommodations for absences due to call-up of reserves to active military duty are found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/academics/military.cfm Incompletes. You may be given an incomplete if you have carried a course successfully until near the end of the semester but, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond your control, have been unable to take or complete the final examination or to complete some limited amount of course work. An incomplete is not given unless you prove to the instructor that you were prevented from completing the course for just cause as indicated above. The conditions for awarding an incomplete to graduate and undergraduate students can be found at the following: https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S_31_INCOMPLETE_GRADES.pdf Discriminatory Conduct (such as sexual harassment). Discriminatory conduct will not be tolerated by the University. It poisons the work and learning environment of the University and threatens the careers, educational experience and well-being of students, faculty and staff. Policies regarding discriminatory conduct can be found at: https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S_47_Discrimina_duct_Policy.pdf Academic Misconduct. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others' academic endeavors. Policies for addressing students cheating on exams or plagiarism can be found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/dos/conduct/ Complaint Procedures. Students may direct complaints to the Sociology Department Chair or the Associate Dean for Social Sciences in the College of Letters & Sciences. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may be directed to the Sociology Department Chair, the Associate Dean for Social Sciences in the College of Letters & Sciences, or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy. Policies may be found at: https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S_47_Discrimina_duct_Policy.pdf Grade Appeal Procedures. A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a capricious or arbitrary decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the established procedures adopted by the department, college, or school in which the course resides or in the case of graduate students, the Graduate School. These procedures are available in writing from the sociology department chairperson or the Academic Dean of the College of Letters & Science. Procedures for undergraduate student grade appeal can be found at http://www4.uwm.edu/letsci/upload/grievance_procedure.pdf Procedures for graduate student grade appeal can be found at http://uwm.edu/graduateschool/academic-appeals-procedure/ Final Examination Policy. Policies regarding final examinations can be found at the following: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/docs/other/S22.htm Book Royalties. In accord with Department of Sociology policy, the royalties from the sale of faculty- authored books to students in their classes are donated to a UWM Foundation/Sociology Account to support future awards and activities for UWM students in Sociology.

Update 08/2016