SOC 222-650 Social Problems - College of Lake County

SOC 222-650 Social Problems
Professor John Tenuto
Phone 847-543-2537; jtenuto@clcillinois.edu

"People who like to avoid shocking discoveries, who prefer to believe that society is just what
they were taught in Sunday School, who like the safety of the rules, the maxims of what Alfred
Schutz has called the "world-taken-for-granted," should stay away from sociology"
                                            - Peter Berger, author of "Invitation to Sociology."

“We change. We have to. Or we spend the rest of our lives fighting the same battles.”
                                          - Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek Beyond

Goals
To stress the comprehension of social reality through empirical study
To analyze competing causal theories of social problems
To explore the relationship of social change to social problems
To emphasize the social nature of society's problems
To gain a concern and awareness of various proposed solutions to problems

Texts
Introduction to Sociology 2e Second Edition by OpenStax College of Rice University.
This is a free etext which is available as a pdf file in the “Syllabus” tab of our class Canvas
website. The book may also be read online or downloaded free for computers and mobile devices
at: https://openstax.org/details/introduction-sociology-2e. You do not need to make a donation at
the OpenStax website and may select continue without donating if you wish.

Reflections: A Life in Two Worlds by Ricardo Montalban and Bob Thomas
Thanks to the kindness of Mr. Ricardo Montalban’s family, our class has been given special
permission to use a free, electronic version of Mr. Montalban’s out of print autobiography. A pdf
version of the book is available in the “Syllabus” tab of our class Canvas website. Please help
keep our textbooks free by not distributing or copying this book to any other source or person.
This free pdf book is for CLC students and only for academic purposes.

The Grades
Grades are comprised of three quizzes worth 50 points.

The grade system for our class:
135 - 150 Points is a A
120 - 134 Points is a B
105 - 119 Points is a C
90 - 104 Points is a D
Zero - 89 Points is a F

The Policies
Please reference the CLC student rights and responsibilities.

No quizzes are allowed unless there is a serious, unforeseeable, unavoidable, and verifiable
emergency which is at the discretion of the teacher to agree qualifies. Recognized religious
obligations are acceptable reasons. Quiz dates as scheduled may need to change.

The last day to withdraw with a refund and no grade is February 3, 2022. The last day to
withdraw with a grade is April 13, 2022.

Personal/mental health counseling is available at Counseling and Psychological Services CAPS
link: https://www.clcillinois.edu/student-services/additional-services/caps. For a crisis or
emergency outside of regular business hours, please call (847) 543-2032 and press #1 for
"Crisis" and follow the prompts. When you reach the operator, ask for an after-hours "CYN"
crisis worker to be paged.

The College of Lake County provides services to assist students in making the transition to
college life, get oriented to the college environment, and reach their academic and career goals.
Student Development Counselors and Advisors are available via the Counseling, Advising and
Transfer Center link: https://www.clcillinois.edu/student-services/counseling-advising-transfer

CLC prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in its services, programs,
activities, and employment. The Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides academic
accommodation, information and support to students with disabilities. Individuals with
disabilities may be afforded the following classroom accommodations, including but not limited
to extended time for exams, in-class note-takers, interpreters, and readers. Additional
information may be obtained by calling the OSD office at (847) 543-2474 or email
osd@clcillinois.edu. The OSD link is https://www.clcillinois.edu/student-services/tutoring-and-
academic-support/disability. If you have already contacted the Office for Students with
Disabilities and have completed the Instructor Notification Form, please set a time to meet with
me to discuss your needs.

The College of Lake County rules about academic honesty are located at
http://www.clcillinois.edu/aboutclc/depts/ssd/student-rights-and-responsibilities.
Academic dishonesty results in a failing grade for the assignment and informing the College
administration at the teacher's discretion. If you have any questions as to what constitutes
academic dishonesty, please let me know.

I am happy to help if you have any questions – especially about William Shatner, Star Trek, and
Star Wars. Ha!

Social Problems Schedule

January

18 Tuesday    Introductions

20 Thursday   Module 1: What is a Social Problem?

              Please read:
              C. Wright Mills, “The Promise”
              Chapter 20: Population and the Environment
              Chapter 21: Social Movements and Social Change

25 Tuesday    Continue What is a Social Problem?

27 Thursday   Continue What is a Social Problem?

February

1 Tuesday     Continue What is a Social Problem?

3 Thursday    Continue What is a Social Problem?

8 Tuesday     Continue What is a Social Problem?

10 Thursday   Continue What is a Social Problem?

15 Tuesday    Continue What is a Social Problem?

17 Thursday   Continue What is a Social Problem?

22 Tuesday    Continue What is a Social Problem?

24 Thursday   Continue What is a Social Problem?

March

1 Tuesday     Review Quiz #1

              Continue What is a Social Problem?

3 Thursday    Module 2: Economics and Sociology

              Please read:
              Chapter 1: An Introduction to Sociology
              Chapter 9: Social Stratification in the United States
              Reflections: A Life in Two Worlds

8 Tuesday     Quiz #1 due before 8:30 AM

              Continue Economics and Social Problems

10 Thursday   Continue Economics and Social Problems

15 Tuesday    Continue Economics and Social Problems

17 Thursday   Continue Economics and Social Problems

22 Tuesday    No school

24 Thursday   No school

29 Tuesday    Continue Economics and Social Problems

31 Thursday   Review for Quiz #2

              Continue Economics and Social Problems

April

5 Tuesday     Continue Economics and Social Problems

7 Thursday    Quiz #2 due before 8:30 AM

              Prejudice and Discrimination

              Please read:
              Chapter 11: Race and Ethnicity

12 Tuesday    Continue Prejudice and Discrimination

14 Thursday   Continue Prejudice and Discrimination

19 Tuesday                    Continue Prejudice and Discrimination

21 Thursday                   Continue Prejudice and Discrimination

26 Tuesday                    Continue Prejudice and Discrimination

28 Thursday                   Continue Prejudice and Discrimination

May

3 Tuesday                     Continue Prejudice and Discrimination

5 Thursday                    Review for Quiz #3

                              Continue Prejudice and Discrimination

10 Tuesday                    Quiz #3 due before Noon

                                 How to Access Our Zoom Class

We meet on Zoom every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 AM until 9:45 AM unless otherwise
listed on the schedule. Please log on to the class on time as we will begin promptly at 8:30 AM.
The lectures are very important to successfully completing the class.

Please mute your microphone when not asking questions or making comments.

Please select “Speaker View” in the upper right hand corner so that you get the best visual of the
Zoom lectures.

Please be aware that we may be discussing ideas, sharing examples, featuring video and images,
and using language that is not always child or family friendly. The class and lectures will be
conducted with the presumption that only CLC students who have registered are on the Zoom
meeting.

Please no recording of the class unless an accommodation is granted by the College of Lake
County Office for Students with Disabilities. Illinois law does not permit recording of
individuals without permission unless an OSD accommodation has been granted.

If the instructor loses power or Internet connection, please leave the meeting, wait a few
moments, and then join the meeting again. If your screen freezes or you have any technology
problems, please leave the meeting and then join the meeting again as soon as possible. Please
check your CLC email, Canvas inbox, and Canvas announcements several times per week for
any class news.

To join our class please use this link:

https://clcillinois.zoom.us/j/98114760049?pwd=bTNQSk1haGxVaHJTSW9kVVo3dXV3Zz09

Meeting ID: 981 1476 0049
Passcode: goffman

                                    Technology Considerations

It is recommended that Google Chrome be used as the browser if possible. When taking the
quizzes especially, avoid using the Canvas app and smartphones if possible.

Students with technology problems may contact: https://www.clcillinois.edu/aboutclc/depts/hlp

Print a copy of the syllabus for reference.

The class readings can be downloaded to computers as a PDF file to avoid requiring Internet
access.

                                          Office Hours Options

If you every wish to chat about sociology – or you know, William Shatner, Star Trek, or Star
Wars – there are several options.

First, email is an effective option. Students usually do not have to wait more than a day, and
frequently, not more than a few hours, for email responses. I check my email Mondays to
Saturdays and immediately respond when I read a student email. My email is
jtenuto@clcillinois.edu

The phone number 847-543-2537 is another option. This is my CLC office phone. While I am
not on campus every day because of the virus, if you leave a message, I will get it as an email
and will respond as soon as I get the message.

If you need to chat real time or synchronously, Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 AM until
11:30 AM, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM, and Fridays from 7:00 AM
until 9:00 AM, I am available at the phone number: 224-237-4423. Please do not call this
number at other times as it is not monitored. We can chat by phone or, if you prefer, convert to a
Zoom meeting. If you call that number and I do not answer, I am on the phone or Zoom with
another student. Please leave a message and I will return the call as soon as possible.

I hope you enjoy sociology and I am happy to help with any questions – especially about
sociology, William Shatner, Star Trek, and Star Wars. Ha!