Part 1. Overview of Reconfigured Sociology Program

The reconfigured sociology curriculum maintains the general outline of the current sociology program while strengthening the curriculum with the following changes:

1. Conversion of SO 226/Social Research Analysis from 3 to 4 credit hours.

This conversion allows addition of a weekly statistical workshop, held in a computer cluster, in which students apply statistical concepts and procedures in data analyses. Expansion of SO 226 to 4 credit hours also allows students to carry out data analysis projects in greater depth and sophistication.

2. Conversion of SO 375/Senior Seminar in Sociology from 3 to 4 credit hours.

This conversion recognizes both the time and effort required in this capstone course and the extensive one-on-one consultations with faculty, especially the seminar director, outside of class. Expansion of SO 375 from 3 to 4 credit hours is accompanied by increased expectations concerning the depth and theoretical and methodological sophistication of students' seminar research projects.

3. Conversion of SA 355/Language in Society from 3 to 4 credit hours.

SA 355/Language in Society is taught each spring by Joanne Devine. The course may be taken for either sociology or anthropology credit (but not both). Professor Devine will propose changing course credit for SA 355 from 3 to 4 credit hours.

4. Conversion of sociology electives, in some semesters, from 3 to 4 credit hours through integration of "Explorations in Sociology."

Selected sociology offerings that are "normally" 3 credit hour courses will be expanded in given semesters to 4 credit hours by integrating "Explorations in Sociology." We propose four kinds of Explorations in Sociology at the 200- and 300-levels, each Exploration enhancing a course by developing particular student skills and offering a distinctive approach to learning.

R Exploring Sociology through Research
Students explore sociology and improve research skills by developing and carrying out empirical research projects on course-related topics.

W Exploring Sociology through Writing
Students explore sociology and improve communication skills by writing essays on course-related issues. (Fulfills expository writing requirement.)

C Exploring Sociology through Collaborative Learning
Students explore sociology and develop critical thinking skills by collaborating on course-related projects.

S Exploring Sociology through Service Learning
Students explore sociology and contribute to the Skidmore and larger communities by applying sociological principles in service to campus and local groups or organizations.

General Information about Explorations in Sociology

Expansions of selected electives from 3 to 4 credit hours allows students in these courses to develop their research or writing skills, work on group projects, or carry sociological concepts, theories, and research from books and classrooms into applied settings. Sociology courses enhanced by Exploring Sociology through Writing will conform to standards for the College's writing intensive courses and thus satisfy the College's expository writing requirement.

300-level courses that integrate Explorations in Sociology will be distinguished from 200-level counterparts both by greater theoretical sophistication and by students' assumption of additional responsibility for their learning. With but one exception (SO 222R/Political Sociology) during the first two years of reconfiguration, each 4 credit hour elective at the 200-level incorporates collaborative learning, while each 4 credit hour elective at the 300-level is enhanced with a significant research component. Students in 300-level courses are likely to have had courses in statistics and/or research methods, and thus to bring appropriate skills to apply and develop with Explorations in Sociology through Research in advanced courses.

Some courses are better served by Explorations in Sociology than are other courses. Exactly which courses integrate Explorations in Sociology depends primarily upon the contributions that such enhancements make to students' learning in a given course. Secondary considerations include the interests and expertise of the instructor, student interests, and the need to balance sociology course offerings. As described on the attached plan, Sociology: Reconfigured Course Offerings for 2000-01 and 2001-02, the sociology program will offer varying but appropriate balances of 3 and 4 credit hour courses. Although our plan for the first two years of reconfiguration includes no courses in Exploring Sociology through Writing (W) or Exploring Sociology through Service Learning (S), we anticipate adding such courses in subsequent years and thus include them in this proposal.

We anticipate that courses integrating Explorations in Sociology will be designated with a letter following the course number (e.g., SO 306R for Sociology of Religion that incorporates an Exploring Sociology through Research component). Registrar Ann Henderson reports that this method of designating courses as Explorations in Sociology is workable. Administrative details, of course, will be worked out with the Office of the Registrar.

Reconfiguration of the sociology curriculum requires corresponding revision of the sociology major, the sociology minor, the sociology-anthropology major, and interdepartmental majors with economics, government, and psychology. A catalogue description of the reconfigured sociology curriculum and interdepartmental majors is attached to this plan. The new requirements for interdisciplinary and interdepartmental majors have been discussed with the other majors, although these requirements are still being "negotiated" and are subject to change as the other majors develop their own reconfiguration plans. Thus, the descriptions of interdisciplinary and interdepartmental majors submitted with this sociology reconfiguration plan should be regarded as tentative. Likewise, requirements for honors in interdisciplinary and interdepartmental majors are also tentative.

As the attachment, Sociology: Reconfigured Course Offerings for 2000-01 and 2001-02, indicates, the reconfigured sociology program meets collegewide goals for faculty teaching loads (i.e., numbers of courses and credit hours) except for John Brueggemann's schedule. Because of the particular required courses that Professor Brueggemann offers, he teaches 17 rather than 18 credit hours in 2000-01 and 37 rather than 38 credit hours during the first two years of reconfiguration. Frankly, we just cannot figure out a way to reconfigure John any other way. Never a slacker, however, John assures us that he'll make himself useful in a host of ways not measured in credit hours. He surely will.

Rationales for Selections of Courses for Enhancement with Explorations in Sociology

a. SO 202C/The Individual in Society

Although this course functions very well in its current 3 credit hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement with collaborative learning. Much of the material in this social psychology course deals with the impact of individuals on each other. The act of working with a small group of students will provide illustrative fodder for course material related to group performance and decision-making. The focus of the course on social processes and interaction will be enhanced by students having the opportunity to deepen their study of the intersections between individual and social experiences through hands-on observational projects and collaborations.

These collaborative learning experiences will happen in two ways. The first is that students will regularly meet together in small groups to discuss the course material and perform exercises designed to illustrate some of the social psychological concepts in the course. These meetings will take place absent of, but with guidance from, the instructor. The second kind of collaborative learning experience will be students working together on a group project that will involve observation and reporting of interactional processes. Throughout the semester, these small groups will examine the possibilities and tensions associated with being individuals embedded in societies.

b. SO 208C/Social Inequality

Although this course functions very well in its current 3 credit hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement with collaborative learning. Discussions linked to social inequality are often volatile, which becomes counter-productive in terms of the goals of the course. Differing interests and ideologies provide the foundation of social conflict and inequality. However, so much public discourse lacks constructive disagreement. In the public sphere as well as in scholarship, conversations about inequality often slip into comfortable agreement or mutually exclusive, hostile points of view. With this in mind in the new manifestation of this course, extra time will be devoted to learning in small groups.

Students will be divided into learning groups at the beginning of the semester. They will meet regularly outside of class to discuss the course material and will meet several times before each exam. In addition, students will give group presentations on a predetermined topic, for which they will prepare outside of class during the regular meetings. The instructor will be present for some (but not all) of the meetings. Throughout this class, students will be reminded of the goals of learning together, of teaching one another, and of the accountability of community.

c. SO 218C/Ethnicity and Inequality

Although this course functions very well in its current 3 credit hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement with collaborative learning. Discussions linked to racial conflict are often volatile, which becomes counter-productive in terms of the goals of the course. In attempting to address our most difficult social problems linked to race, earnest consideration of different points of view is crucial. Disagreement and even tension are healthy in this pursuit, as long as the discourse remains constructive and inclusive. But, understanding different points of view and developing a sophisticated understanding of racial issues are inhibited by excessive conflict. With that in mind in this new manifestation of this course, extra time will be devoted to learning in small groups.

Students will be divided into learning groups at the beginning of the semester. They will meet regularly outside of class to discuss the course material and will meet several times before each exam. In addition, students will give group presentations on a predetermined topic, for which they will prepare outside of class during the regular meetings. The instructor will be present for some (but not all) of the meetings. Throughout this class, students will be reminded of the goals of learning together, of teaching one another, and of the accountability of community.

d. SO 222R/Political Sociology

This course functions well in its current form. The course is particularly well suited for the research module add-on, however. To many of our students, learning political sociology is like learning a foreign language. Students tend to have little advance knowledge of the issues that are discussed. In addition, much of the reading material and class discussion revolves around seemingly abstract theories. For example, several weeks are spent considering the merits of competing theoretical perspectives concerning the role of the state in democratic societies. Students are better equipped to understand these theories when they are grounded in empirical observations.

Students will make empirical observations through secondary analyses of pre-existing data sets. For example, they may use Rory McVeigh's data on the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s, or the General Social Survey, or other data sets that I will make available to them. They will identify relationships between variables and interpret those relationships in light of the theoretical perspectives that we have discussed in the course.

e. SO 304R/Sociology of Emotions

Although this course functions very well in its current 3 credit hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement with research by students. This is an upper-level seminar that deals with theoretical and methodological issues associated with the relatively new sociological study of emotions. There are a number of debates that students confront in the course (such as whether and how emotion should be studied) that will be enlivened by the opportunity to perform their own empirical study.

Following an overview of theoretical and methodological issues associated with the study of emotions, students will choose an emotion to investigate. Their projects will consist of a number of steps, each of which will be guided by the instructor but performed independently by the students. These steps include reviewing relevant social science literature, framing a research question, choosing and describing a method through which to collect data, going through the institutional review of human participation in research (when appropriate), gathering and analyzing data, and reporting on findings in both written and verbal forms.

f. SO 306R/Sociology of Religion

While this course functions very well in its current 3 credit hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement with research by students. The sub-field of sociology of religion is notorious for being uninformed by rigorous empirical analyses. In addition, religious activity is so inherently subjective that studying it first-hand offers invaluable insight. For these reasons, students in SO 306R will be required to do a limited "field research project."

After an introduction to the techniques and ethical considerations of ethnographic research, students will locate a religious collective that maintains traditions largely unfamiliar to them. They will then attend a series of religious activities (including formal rituals). If possible, students will meet and interact with clergy and lay people for extended conversations, during which they will discuss the belief system, myths, rituals, and symbols of the tradition. Then, students will write a substantial paper linking their field observations to larger questions in the sociology of religion. Each student will then give a 10 minute presentation in class about his/her experiences.

Ideally, the topic of this field study will later tie into students' term papers. The instructor will assist students in finding appropriate settings for ethnography and will meet with each student to discuss the process of field work in a particular context. Otherwise, students will be encouraged to pursue this experience individually.

g. SO 328R/Social Movements

This course functions well in its current form. The course is particularly well-suited for the research module add-on, however. Many of our students are interested in studying social movements, but they have limited experience with or knowledge of social movements. In addition, much of the reading material and class discussion revolve around seemingly abstract theories. For example, in the course we consider the merits of competing theoretical perspectives such as resource mobilization theory, political opportunity theory, and the power devaluation model. Students are better equipped to understand these theories when they are grounded in empirical observations.

Students will carry on independent research on a social movement of their choosing (under close supervision of the instructor). They will produce a paper that is essentially a case study of the social movement, interpreting what they have learned about the movement in light of the theoretical perspectives that have been discussed in class.

h. SO 314R/Deviance

Although this course functions very well in its current 3 credit hour form, it is particularly appropriate for enhancement with collaborative learning. Students will carry out two major research projects involving issues in the sociology of deviance.

i. SO 3XXR/Criminal Justice

This course is particularly appropriate for enhancement with research by students. Students will carry out two major research projects on issues of criminal justice.

5. Total credit hours for sociology major.

The sociology major will increase slightly from 30 to 32 credit hours, reflecting the increase of SO 226/Social Research Analysis and SO 375/Senior Seminar in Sociology from 3 to 4 credit hours.

6. Conversion of selected Liberal Studies 2 courses from 3 to 4 credit hours.

Sociology faculty teaching the following Liberal Studies 2 courses will propose conversion of their courses from 3 to 4 credit hours:

LS 2-117/Class, Race, and Labor History (John Brueggemann)
LS 2-140/Changes in Families (Susan Walzer)
LS 2-179/The KKK in American Society (Rory McVeigh)

Professors Brueggemann, Walzer, and McVeigh will work with Joanna Zangrando, Director of Liberal Studies, to convert these LS 2 courses from 3 to 4 credit hours.

(Note that LS 2-174/Society and Social Responsibility, taught by David Karp, is already approved for 4 credit hours.)