SOCIETY AND CULTURE Sample Learning Contract
A. PURPOSE
This comparative introduction to sociology and anthropology gives students the opportunity to improve their understanding, thinking, and communication skills in the concepts, models, and methods of two closely related social science disciplines as they converge in examining social and cultural phenomena. Students will employ both perspectives while building competencies in group discussion, library research, critical thinking, oral presentation, and essay and college paper writing. This study is only offered at the introductory level.
This contract is designed for a coordinated group study. Some students may have different activities as individual studies.
B. LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Students should obtain the following textbooks:
Lassiter, Luke Eric. 2002. Invitation to Anthropology. Alta Mira Press.
Bryjak, George J. Sociology: Changing Societies in a Diverse World. 4th edition.
All students should have completed reading Lassiter Chapter 1 and Bryjak Chapter 6 by the first meeting. The following calendar will shape group meetings and the submission of written or orally presented work. Meetings will begin either Mondays or Thursdays at the Rochester Public Library and will be 1 ½ hour long unless otherwise specified on the schedule. Note that in later in the term our meetings may move to a different venue. Check the schedule and mark your calendar ahead of time.
MEETING 1.
Readings due to be completed by this meeting: Chapter 1 of Lassiter and Chapter 6 of Bryjak. We will get acquainted and discuss the background roots of anthropology and compare its approach to race with that of current sociology.
MEETING 2.
Readings due to be completed are Chapter 2 of Lassiter and Chapter 2 of Bryjak. Bring a written essay comparing how the two authors deal with the concept of culture. How are they similar, and how are they different? Give and cite at least one quote from each book to support your own interpretation. Use this Web site for help with doing citations:
http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citation.htm
MEETING 3.
Readings due to be completed are Chapters 3 and 4 of Lassiter and Chapter 13 of Bryjak. Bring another written essay based on Lassiter Ch. 4 and Bryjak Ch. 13 that compares how these authors deal with the rise of civilizations, urbanism, and industrialism and their impacts on societies and cultures around the world. Also bring your reading notes and questions on ethnography for our group discussion at this meeting.
MEETING 4 *****(2 hour meeting)*****
Readings to be completed by this date are Chapters 5, 6, and 7 of Lassiter. Be sure to bring in your reading notes on these chapters, because we will be viewing a short videotape and writing a short reaction essay related to ethnography in this meeting. You will use the video and your notes to craft this essay, raising questions that an anthropologist or sociologist might investigate. At this meeting you will also receive a handout guide about the final paper assignment.
MEETING 5.
You should have completed Chapters 1 and 3 in Bryjak by this meeting. We will now get better acquainted with the roots and research emphases of sociology and compare them to anthropology. Be prepared to describe one or more of the groups, organizations, and institutions of which you are a member, in terms of its structure and processes. Students who started in September should bring two bibliography sources from their outside library research and a short statement indicating the topic they have chosen for a final paper on a contemporary issue of society and culture.
MEETING 6.
Chapters 4, 5, and 12 in Bryjak should now have been read. Bring an essay that relates the issue of social stratification or inequality to some aspect of population, health care, or environment issues (for your essay pick one of these areas, not all three). September start students should be using citations through data, quotes, or paraphrases of specific information from the readings in your book, and the citations or references should be prepared in APA, MLA, or Chicago college paper style. Be prepared to discuss all of the chapters read but chose just one of the issue topics for your essay write-up.
MEETING 7.
Chapters 7-11 in Bryjak should be completed. Come prepared to turn in a report in one of the college paper styles and to give a five minute oral presentation (but do not read your report) on the topic of the final paper. Explain how you arrived at your conclusions and how you might further research it as either an anthropologist or a sociologist. Where would you go with it next?
C. METHOD AND CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
Student work will be evaluated according to several criteria: (1) mastery of the subject matter--demonstrating that they understand and can apply the content of the readings, presentations, and discussions at an introductory college level; (2) clarity, organization, and fluency of communications both written and oral; (3) use of standard English and accepted college paper format in the library research paper; (4)demonstration of academic integrity standards, including using standard citations and reference documentation when paraphrasing, quoting, or using the ideas of others in papers, presentations, and essays; (5) effort and engagement in group participation to enhance their own and others' learning; (6) development of the ability to reason from evidence and critically appraise the quality of material studied as well as the resources used for drawing conclusions.