Course Syllabus

Course Information
Course Number/Section SOC 2319
Course Title Race, Gender, and Class
Term Spring 2007
Days & Times TR 10:00am-11:15am

Professor Contact Information

Professor Melinda D Kane, Ph.D.
Office Phone 972-883-4766
Email Address melinda.kane@utdallas.edu
Office Location GR 2.204
Office Hours T 1:30-2:30pm
W 9:00-10:00am and by appointment

Teaching Assistant Contact Information

TA Thomas Elliott
Email Address thomas.elliott@utdallas.edu
Office Location GR 2.510
Office Hours M 2:00-3:00pm
R 1:30-2:30pm

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

There are no pre-requisites for this course

Course Description

Most people have commonsense understandings of the terms “race,” “gender,” and “class.” The primary
goal of this course is to question the commonsense understandings of these concepts by introducing
students to the sociological study of race, gender, and class. This will involve exploring how sociologists
define each of these key terms as well as investigating what sociologists have discovered about the
influence of these three factors on U.S. society and its members. Second, and I believe more importantly,
this course will enable students to use their newfound sociological understanding of race, gender, and
class to better understand their own lives and the opportunities and constraints that their particular
combinations of race, gender, and class provide. Finally, because this is a lower division course, the third
goal is to provide students with a basic understanding of sociology as an academic discipline and its
unique perspective.

This course will not just illustrate the differences that exist based on race, gender, and class, but will also
use sociological research to explore the inequality generated by these three factors. Because sociology
uses empirical evidence (i.e., evidence gathered scientifically) to document the advantages and
disadvantages people experience based on their race, gender, and class, sociology, as a discipline, is not
“taking sides” for or against particular groups. Instead, sociology documents and explains how sex, race,
and social class affect people’s lives, in both positive and negative ways.

Course Syllabus Page 1

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes
By the end of the semester, students in SOC 2319 should be able to:
*distinguish between the popular and sociological conceptions of race, gender, and class

*explain the ways in which race, gender, and class shape social institutions including the family,
economy, politics, and education

*illustrate the ways in which race, gender, and class intersect to create unique and varying degrees of
privilege and inequality

Required Textbooks and Materials

Required Texts
There are two books and a course packet of readings required for this class. All three are available for
purchase at the University Bookstore and Off Campus Books. (If a store is out of course packets, please
ask a sales associate—they will make more.):

Ore, Tracy E. 2006. The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality: Race, Class, Gender,
and Sexuality, 3rd edition. New York: McGraw Hill.

Lareau, Annette. 2003. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. California:
University of California Press.

Course packet

Assignments & Academic Calendar

Assignments
WEEKLY QUIZZES: Class attendance and participation is extremely important. Absences not only
cause you to miss the material presented and discussed in class, but also cause the entire class to miss out
on your contribution. In addition, students tend to do better in my courses if they attend regularly. In
order to encourage regular attendance and class participation, small "pop" quizzes will be given at the
beginning of one class period every week. The exact day of the quiz will not be announced ahead of
time, but will instead be a "surprise" every week. A total of twelve quizzes will be given and each
student's two lowest scores will be dropped for a total of ten quiz grades. [There are actually fourteen
weeks during the semester. We end up with a total of 12 quizzes because there will not be a quiz the first
week of class and we will skip another week sometime during the semester.] Since two quizzes will be
dropped, quizzes will not be distributed to students who arrive after the quiz has been collected and
no make-ups will be given, no matter why the quiz was missed. In addition, quizzes will not be
counted for students who leave class after taking the quiz. The quizzes will be simple questions based
on the readings due that day. (See the course schedule below for the daily reading assignments.) If a
student has carefully read and thought about the assignments for that day, s/he will have no difficulty
answering the questions.

ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION: To further encourage regular attendance and participation,

attendance will be tracked randomly on non-quiz days. Some days, I will just send around an attendance
sheet, giving credit to those that are physically in class. Other days, you will produce something in class,
such as an individual in-class writing assignment or a small group project, which is turned in as your
attendance and participation for that day. Days in which you hand in something to me will count double.
Again, like quizzes, you can not “make-up” attendance and participation points. Therefore, I will drop
one in-class assignment and one general attendance day per student. If you do not sign the attendance
sheet or hand in the participation activity, you will not receive credit for your attendance, even if
you were there.

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EXAMS: Two examinations will be given during the semester (see dates below). Both exams will cover
both class material and assigned readings (this includes reading material that is not discussed in class).
The first exam will cover the course material from January 11th through February 20th . The final exam
will heavily focus on the new material covered after February 20th , but will also include material from the
first half of the course. (I will provide study guides to help you with both exams.) Exams will include a
combination of multiple choice, true false questions, and essay. Please bring a Parscore score sheet,
form F-1712 to each exam. They are available at the University Bookstore and Off Campus Books.

Calendar
[“Ore” and “Lareau” refer to the authors of the required books.
“Course Packet” refers to readings available in the course packet.]

Date Topic Reading

Jan 9 Introduction to the None
Course
Handout:
Jan 11 What is Sociology? Mills, The Promise, 7 pages
Total Pages: 7
THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF
DIFFERENCE
Ore:
Jan 16 Race & Ethnicity I Chp 1, Omi & Winant, Racial Formations, pp 19-29
Chp 50, Uehara-Carter, On Being Blackanese, pp 597-599
Total Pages: 14
Course Packet:
Jan 18 Race & Ethnicity II McIntosh, White Privilege and Male Privilege, 11 pages
Ore:
Chp 2, Waters, Optional Ethnicities, pp 29-41
Total Pages: 24
Ore:
Jan 23 Sex, Gender, & Sexuality Chp 9, Lorber, The Social Construction of Gender, pp 112-120
I Chp 10, Fausto-Sterling, The Five Sexes, pp 120-127
Total Pages: 16
Ore:
Jan 25 Sex, Gender, & Sexuality Chp 12, Kimmel, Masculinity as Homophobia, pp133-150
II
Course Packet:
Steinem, If Men Could Menstruate, 1 pg
Total Pages: 19
Ore:
Jan 30 Social Class I Chp 6, Mantsios, Media Magic: Making Class Invisible, pp 81-89
Chp 51, Ehrenreich, Nickel-and-Dimed, pp 600-613
Total Pages: 23

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 Course Packet:
Feb 1 Social Class II Fischer et al., How Unequal? America’s Invisible Policy Choices, 28
pages
Ore:
Chp 7, Lui, Doubly Divided: The Racial Wealth Gap, pp 98-104
Total Pages: 35
Ore:
Feb 6 Intersections of Race, Chp 56, Collins, Toward a New Vision, pp 641-649 (not whole
Gender, & Class chapter)
Course Packet:
Harvey, Becoming Entrepreneurs, 20 pages
Total Pages: 29
THE INFLUENCE OF RACE, GENDER,
AND CLASS IN THE U.S.
Feb 8 The Changing Economy I No Reading
The Changing Economy No Reading
Feb 13 II
Ore:
Family: Chp 18, Rubin, Families on the Fault Line, pp 245-255
Feb 15 The Division of Labor Chp 19, Coltrane, Stability and Change in Chicano Men’s Family
Lives, pp 255-276
Total Pages: 32
Family: Lareau:
Feb 20 Childrearing I Chps 1 & 2 and Appendix A
Total Pages: 48
Feb 22 *******Mid-term Exam********
Family: Lareau:
Feb 27 Childrearing II Chps 6 & 7
Total Pages: 53
Family: Lareau:
Mar 1 Childrearing III Chps 8, 10, & 12
Total Pages: 65
Mar 6 No Class ******Spring Break*******
Mar 8
Ore:
Mar 13 The Race/Class Chp 5, Oliver & Shapiro, Race, Wealth, & Equality, p 69-81
Debate:
Primacy of Class
Course Packet:
Conley, From Financial to Social to Human Capital, 26 pages
Total Pages: 40
Ore:
Mar 15 The Race/Class Debate: Chp 26, Kirschenman & Neckerman, We’d Love to Hire Them,
Race Still Matters But..., p 311-320
Total Pages: 10

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 A Model Minority? Course Packet:
March 20 The Case of Asian Woo, The Gap Between Striving and Achieving, 10 pages
Americans Total Pages: 10
Mar 22 Health & Health Care I Ore:
Chp 28, Reuss, Cause of Death: Inequality, p362-366
Total Pages: 5
Course Packet:
Mar 27 Health & Abraham, Gaps in Government Insurance for Mrs. Jackson and
Health Care II Fitful Primary Care fails Mrs. Jackson, 33 pages
Total Pages: 33
Education: Ore:
Mar 29 Funding Chp 21, Kozol, Savage Inequalities, pp 262-268
Total Pages: 7
Education: Ore:
April 3 Teacher Interactions Chp 24, Sadker & Sadker, Missing in Interaction, pp 287-299
Total Pages: 13
Ore:
Apr 5 Education: Chp 42, Boswell & Spade, Fraternities and Collegiate Rape
Student Interactions Culture, pp 470-83
Course Packet:
Rosenbloom et al., Experiences of Discrimination,
Total Pages: 46
Course Packet:
April 10 Government Solutions I? Eden & Lein, Why Don’t Welfare-Reliant Mothers Go to Work? 27
Welfare pages
Ore:
Chp 29, Mink, Violating Women: Rights Abuses in the Welfare
Police State, pp 367-380
Chp 52, Downey, I Am Your Welfare Reform, pp 614-615
Total Pages: 44
April 12 Government Solutions II? Ore:
Affirmative Action Chp 31, Reskin, The Effects of Affirmative Action on Other
Stakeholders, pp 389-401
Total Pages: 13
THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE
Ore:
Apr 17 Challenging Chp 56, Hill Collins, Toward a New Vision, pp 599-605
Disadvantage Chp 60 Lorber, Dismantling Noah’s Ark, pp 631-43
Total Pages: 28
April 19 Review & Conclusion No New Reading
Thursday
April 26 ***CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM***
8:00 am-
10:30 am

Course Syllabus Page 5

Grading Policy
Student Evaluation

Semester grades will be based on the student's performance on:

1. Weekly quizzes (2% each) 20%

2. Attendance & participation 10%
3. Mid-term exam 35%
4. Final exam 35%
100%

Calculating Semester Grades

To calculate your semester grade, just multiply each grade you earned during the semester by the weight
given to that particular assignment and add those weighted scores together. For example, if a student has
an attendance and participation average of 95, a quiz average of 92, earns an 85 on the first exam, and a
75 on the cumulative final, her course grade would be calculated like this:

Attendance & participation 95 * .10 = 9.50

Quiz average 92 * .20 = 18.40
Exam one 85 * .35 = 29.75
Final 75 * .35 = 26.25
Course Grade = 83.90, B

Grading Scale:

The grading scale for the course is as follows:

A= 93-100% = 4.0 B- = 80-82% = 2.67 D+ = 67-69% = 1.33

A- = 90-92% = 3.67 C+ = 77-79% = 2.33 D= 63-66% = 1.0
B+ = 87-89% = 3.33 C= 73-76% = 2.0 D- = 60-62% = 0.67
B= 83-86% = 3.0 C- = 70-72% = 1.67 F= 59% or less = 0.0

Important Dates:

Exam 1 Thursday, February 22nd

Final Exam Thursday, April 26th , 8am-10:30am

Course Policies
Course Organization
I plan to use a variety of teaching methods in this course. These include, but are not limited to, lecture,
class discussion, small group activities, and videos. My ability to make the class period interesting and the
material relevant to your lives is largely based upon your level of preparation and the degree to which you
are willing to participate in class. Therefore, I expect students to come to each class having carefully
read and thought about the material assigned for that day and ready to participate.

I have found over the years that students can be hesitant to ask questions or to request that I repeat
material. My goal, however, is to be as clear as possible so each of you has the opportunity to learn the
course material. Therefore, one of your responsibilities as a student in this course is to stop me during
class to ask questions and to let me know if the speed of my presentation is too fast.

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Make-up exams
My policy is not to give make-up exams; however, on rare occasions circumstances can arise that prevent
students from taking the exam at the assigned time. If you believe you have a valid reason to reschedule
the exam, you must contact me in person or by phone as soon as you know about the conflict and at
least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled exam. In the extreme cases warranting a make-up, the
rescheduled exam time and conditions will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Requests for make-ups after the exam has been given will almost certainly be refused. However, if you
believe you have a valid reason to contact me after the exam, you must contact me as soon as physically
possible (for example, immediately after you have called the tow truck or immediately after waking from
the coma). Requests after the exam has been given will only be granted with written documentation and
will receive a late penalty, regardless of the excuse.

Extra Credit
There will be no extra credit work available.

Classroom Citizenship
Tardiness and leaving early are very disruptive to the class. Class will start on time, so please make sure
you are present at 10:00 am. Also, let me know at the beginning of class if you absolutely must leave
early and make sure your exit distracts others as little as possible. Also, please remember to turn off your
pagers and cell phones when you enter class.

Finally, this course covers sensitive topics; therefore, we must always make sure to respect one another.
Disagreements are allowed and expected, but should focus on ideas rather than the individuals that
express them. Signs of disrespect that will not be tolerated include, but are not limited to, making
derogatory comments about others and/or their ideas, having background conversations when others are
talking, packing up early when others are still talking or asking questions.

“Snow Day” Policy

If a university closure due to inclement weather causes us to miss one of our class meetings, we will cover
the material originally scheduled for that missed class period the very next time we meet. For example, if
campus was closed on January 23rd, you should come to class on January 25th (the next scheduled class)
prepared to discuss (and maybe be quizzed on) the material scheduled for that missed day, Jan 23rd. This
also holds true for examinations. If campus is closed on a day we are scheduled to take an exam, the
exam will be given the very next time we meet. Any further adjustments required due to the closure will
be made in class.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the
orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student
organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to
Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of
Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and
regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

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 A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she
is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such
conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such
conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the
value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that
degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her
scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s
own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism,
collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to
disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for
details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism
and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning
security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official
student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and
staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the
university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the
security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be
used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T.
Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These
dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be
followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other
words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will
not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of
academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter
with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter
called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the
respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written
response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the

Course Syllabus Page 8

 grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean
of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals
Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process
will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where
staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the
semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be
resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to
complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the
incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to
those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office
hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.;
and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to
eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom
prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind.
Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral
presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments
may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special
services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation.
Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student
has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact
the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel
to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property
tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the
absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the
exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of
the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed
exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or
assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

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 If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a
religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a
reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor
may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief
executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student
and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and University
policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules and
regulations may be found at the website address given below. Additional information is available from the
office of the school dean. (http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus Page 10