Time Schedule:
Jonathan M Wender
BIS 275
Bothell Campus
Explores how challenges to society; such as crime, violence, injustice, poverty, and disease; are framed as social problems and then related to solutions. Examines the role of major institutions in problem identification, the power of language and media, and how social agendas are determined.
Class description
The human condition is perpetually fraught with crises: crime, violence, injustice, poverty, disease, disaster and other such urgent issues are never far from our attention, and often preoccupy it. How might we understand the nature of these crises and issues, and how do they become framed as “social problems?” With this question in mind, our key objectives in this course are first, to develop a sociological understanding of some of the major predicaments facing contemporary society, and second, to reflect critically on the ideas and processes that transform some predicaments into urgent problems, while treating others as far less important. Following an introductory overview of the discipline of sociology, we will contrast the responses to the 9/11 attacks and to Hurricane Katrina; and we will ask whether our current fixation on terrorism distracts us from more urgent crises of injustice, poverty, and violence. After considering the rapid growth of surveillance and other widespread social effects of the “war on terror,” we will turn our attention to several key issues of crime, and then to the crisis of anxiety and alienation among American teens. Throughout the quarter, we will continually explore and reflect on the inseparable relation between sociology and everyday life. Simply put, sociology is not just an academic discipline, but also a fundamental part of the sociopolitical and cultural structure of the modern world. As such, sociology does not merely study social phenomena, practices, and institutions; rather, it helps to create and change them. For this reason, many of our everyday individual and collective self-reflections are inseparable from sociology and sociological thinking. Whether the issue at hand is crime, poverty, or personal fear and anxiety, sociology influences how we think; and we, in turn, influence sociology.
Student learning goals
To understand the broader role of sociological thinking in the modern world.
To understand the role of sociological thinking in your own self-reflections and self-identity.
To appreciate the complex, controversial nature of social problems.
To improve your ability to be a critical, deliberative reader of different kinds of texts.
To improve your ability to write well.
To improve your ability to engage in civic dialogue on urgent social issues.
General method of instruction
The class will consist of a combination of lectures, small group activities, films, and other exercises.
Recommended preparation
There are no prerequisites for this course. Students are expected to be reasonably familiar with major social issues, whether local, national, or global.
Class assignments and grading
Media critique (2 pages/~500 words) 10% Midterm exam #1 20% Term paper (6 pages/~1500 words) 30% Participation 10% Midterm exam #2 30% (**Subject to revision.**)
Please see above. All course requirements add up to 100 points.
