SOC258 Making Sociology Speak

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2012
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 12 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Karina Hoření (assistant)
Mgr. Ali Türünz, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Ing. Radim Marada, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Tue 14:00–15:40 U34
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/40, only registered: 0/40, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/40
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 19 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives (in Czech)
At some point in their academic life, students of sociology must develop their own voices to express their thoughts and knowledge ? to convey the products of their sociological imagination. Two of the primary ways in which they do so are through their verbal and writing skills. This course is intended to help students improve their academic skills and to practice presenting their work to their peers. First and foremost, this is a writing-intensive course that provides training in writing sociological essays in several different styles. Special attention is given to learning effective methods of research and norms for proper citation of sources. Students also gain experience in organizing the writing process, making oral presentations, offering and receiving constructive criticism and revising first drafts of their work. The ultimate goal is to boost students? confidence in their academic skills and prepare them for future endeavors both inside and out of the university.
Syllabus
  • Week 1 - Introduction to course
  • Week 2 - What is sociology and what can we do with it?
  • Week 3 - What is bad writing and how can we recognize it?
  • Week 4 - How do we write a good great expository or opinion essay?
  • Week 5 - How do we help one another constructively?
  • Week 6 - How do we review a book or an article?
  • Week 7 - NO CLASS (Reading Week)
  • Week 8 - How do we begin sociological research?
  • Week 9 - How do we finish sociological research and begin writing?
  • Week 10 - How do we finish writing a research essay?
  • How do we talk about our work to others?
  • Week 11 - NO CLASS (Holiday)
  • Week 12 - NO CLASS (Holiday)
  • Week 13 - How do we get published?
Literature
    required literature
  • American Sociological Association. 2010. American Sociological Association Style Guide. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
  • BECKER, Howard. Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish your Thesis, Book, or Article. University of Chicago Press. Chicago, 1986. info
  • The sociology student writer's manual. Edited by William A. Johnson. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2006, xii, 260. ISBN 0131928511. URL info
  • Sociology Writing Group. 2008. A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers. 6th ed. New York: Worth Publishers.
  • TURABIAN, Kate L. Student's guide to writing college papers. Edited by Gregory G. Colomb - Joseph M. Williams. 4th ed. London: The University of Chicago Press, 2010, xiv 281. ISBN 9780226816319. info
Teaching methods
Teaching methods:

The teaching methods used in this course involve weekly seminar meetings, reading of literature, homework exercises and several writing assignments.
Assessment methods
Students receive a final letter grade (A-F) based on the following criteria:

30% - Essay assignments (social issue essay, book/article review)
35% - Class participation
10% - Final Essay draft
25% - Final Essay
Language of instruction
English
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2012/SOC258