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Syllabus for
L
363 Global Village: Personality & Culture Fall
2001: Mon / Wed / Fri Barbara
Kimmelman, Ph.D. Phone O: 215-951-2612
& H: 610-622-0778 kimmelmanb@philau.edu Prerequisites:
At least sophomore status Texts: Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents. New York: W.W. Norton, 1961, paper. Barbara D. Miller, Cultural Anthropology. 2nd. Edition, Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2002, paper. Colin
M. Turnbull, The Mountain People. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1972, paper. Course
Description: This course will introduce students to the social sciences as
a distinct form of inquiry through the focused study of personality and culture.
Material in this course will illustrate quantitative and qualitative methods of
social science research, and will address both selected personality traits and
characteristics, and the social and
cultural contexts in which they develop. Together we will explore concepts,
theories and research representing psychological and anthropological approaches.
Students will gain an appreciation of cross-cultural variability in personality
formation and configuration. Introduction: The concept of the Global Village assumes that we share not only an ecological environment and a mutual relationship to the same earth but that we live in a world in which groups and individuals with different assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, values, communicative styles, economic systems, and political systems live in contact with each other. It recognizes that discrete events in the world today have global ramifications and seeks to examine relations between causes and consequences. The course is a systematic study of theories, concepts, and methods of the social sciences, focusing on the inter-relationship of individual personality and culture in the U.S. and societies in other parts of the world. The course is designed to enable us to understand and to be able to use social science categories, concepts, theories and methods to analyze and influence social situations and environments.
In the course we will make some theoretical assumptions:
(1) the context of our study is the
world, (2) reality (including
social facts, knowledge and individuals) is
historical and social, and (3) social
existence precedes human personal
experience. Organization: The course will be structured around the assigned reading, lectures by the instructors, student written work and class discussions. We will read and study the assigned material and bring to class comments and questions (written and footnoted in your journals) on issues and categories on which we wish to elaborate, expound, raise questions and/or disagree. Thus a good deal of responsibility for what happens in the class periods rests with the students. We will spend much of our class time in discussion; examining the assumptions, concepts and conclusions of the reading, and we will evaluate the reading in terms of issues which it addresses and the world view which it presupposes and/or projects. We will try to probe the presuppositions and implications of what we read, and in so doing we will also probe the presuppositions from which we read. NB:
Students are expected to take notes on class discussions, films and speakers
as well as on the textbook and lectures.
NB =
nota bene (note well) Etiquette request: We
request that students not chew gum or wear hats in class, unless for religious
reasons. Requirements: (a) Class attendance and contribution to class discussion. (20% of grade) (b) First exam (15% of grade) (c) Second exam will be cumulative: (15% of grade) (d) Final exam will be cumulative: (20% of grade) (e)
Research essay:
(30% of grade) Exams
must be taken and the paper turned in the day they are scheduled, except in
cases of prior arrangement or personal emergency.
An unexcused make-up exam or late paper may be penalized 1/2 letter grade
each day it is postponed. Late
exams will be made up at the convenience of the instructors! In class discussion, papers, and
exams students should (a) demonstrate knowledge
of the data of the subject, i.e., the available information, theories,
problems and questions related to the subject, (b) demonstrate the student’s
ability to be theoretical, i.e., to
address the subjects in terms of the related abstract propositions and theories,
(c) demonstrate the student’s ability to discuss the subject critically
and reflectively, and (d) demonstrate
the student’s ability to organize
material coherently with a good balance of specificity, generalization and
opinion. Exams
will include short answer and essay questions, as well as some T/F and multiple
choice, and will cover material in the readings, films, material contributed to
the class by the students and the instructors, and possibly questions on this
syllabus. Contribution to class meetings will be evaluated in terms of the following: (a) the student’s critical evaluation and questioning of, and responses to the readings and comments of other students and the instructor, (b) the student’s contribution to the learning of fellow students and the instructor; this includes listening to and responding to others in such a way that all involved are encouraged to listen, to learn and to express our questions and views during class, and (c) the student’s demonstrated knowledge of the material. Attending w/o active participation is the same as coming to take an exam and not writing anything except your name. Course
Journal. A course journal will be kept by all students and both instructors.
You should bring it with you to the second class session and to all subsequent
class sessions. You may keep the
course journal separate from your class notebook, or you may keep the journal in
your class notebook but we wish you to distinguish between your class notes and
your journal work in some significant way, e.g., front and back of the notebook,
right page v. left page, etc. We will not be collecting and grading your
journals routinely but we will use your ability to respond in class while
referring to your own written journal work as part of the criteria for
evaluating class participation. So
students should be prepared at each class session to respond immediately to
requests from the instructors to refer to their journal notes for that class
session. Work
in the journal should be done routinely as the readings are done, so that you
may prepare well for class discussions. It
is in your journal that you should write down key concepts or questions that you
would like to bring up in class (with reference page numbers!), where you should
write your own reactions to the readings so that you may raise them in the class
(again accompanied by page references), and where you should respond to any
specific questions or assignments that the professors have presented for your
consideration. This work should be done prior to the class for which the
readings are due. Also,
because we will be asking you to develop a research essay topic based on
concepts and issues raised in course readings, your should do your class
readings and your journal work with your research essay in mind.
Record ideas for paper topics in your journal as you read, highlight
those parts of your own journal work that refer to your research essay topic,
note the page numbers in the required texts that you will want to refer to in
your research essay, and perhaps “try out” paragraphs, intros, conclusions,
summaries of outside readings, in your journal as well.
In other words, do not consider your journal as “extra work” bur
rather use it as an ally in your effort to succeed in the course! Research
Essay: We are requiring one “term paper,” a research-based essay on a
topic that especially interests you that has been raised in course readings and
class discussions. The final paper should be 6-8 pages in length.
The usual criteria that apply to written work apply to these papers -
they should be clear, shows signs of some logical development, be free of
logical contradictions, have a consistent theme, be readable and intelligible,
and they should not be burdened by mechanical errors.
Papers should have introductory and summary paragraphs. Be careful to use plural pronouns with plural nouns and
singular pronouns with singular nouns. Papers
that do not complete the assignment or do not receive a grade of “C” or
better will be rewritten. Papers
should be typed, preferably on a word processor, follow good essay form, have
page numbers and be properly footnoted. Students
should always keep a copy of the paper. Please,
no plastic covers or blank pages. [See
detailed assignment sheet for more detailed information.] “Properly
footnoted” means that whenever you
use a resource to gain information or ideas which are not general knowledge,
you must provide documentation in
order to give credit to the authors of the information and to allow anyone
reading your paper to either check your research or read more of the work from
which you are drawing. Footnotes
are required when items of information or ideas are drawn from a source, when material is paraphrased,
and when material is quoted
directly. For information
concerning proper documentation see any textbook on college writing or your
expository writing text. Incomplete documentation is
called plagiarism. Plagiarism is
theft, and partially or totally stolen papers will not be accepted. Communication skills: It is school policy that in all disciplines, and at all course levels, in the School of General Studies, instructors incorporate into their courses the opportunity for students to develop their ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. In particular, essay exams or some form of written assignment (i.e., short analytic papers or a research paper) should be included in all courses offered in the School. In this course these requirements will be met through the extended class discussions, the research essay, and essay examinations. Information literacy skills: It is crucial to keep in mind at all times, in your academic life and in your professional life, that sources of information are NOT all equal. It is University policy that all graduates leave the institution with the skills required to find information as you need it in your professional lives, and the skills to evaluate the sources of information you use and the soundness of the information you collect. We will therefore be providing structured assignments that will build your research and evaluative skills with regard to information databases, search engines, and web sites. Academic
integrity and honesty is expected in all forms of course work.
Any dishonesty or cheating may result in the student failing the course,
or being brought before the Student Conduct Committee, which could lead to
dismissal from the University. The
primary forms of academic dishonesty to be avoided are Fall 2001: Monday / Wednesday / FridayTentative Schedule and Reading Assignments
RESEARCH
ESSAY ASSIGNMENT We are requiring one “term paper” this semester, a research essay that explores a topic raised in course readings and class discussions in which you find yourself especially interested The
assignment and its goals. Each student will examine and
compare, in a well-researched and coherently organized essay, various ways in
which social scientists have identified, researched, and drawn conclusions about
a particular topic. There are two primary goals of this assignment.
The first goal is to help students understand how social scientists apply
theory, concepts and methods in their study of specific problems.
The second goal is help students understand how to access, evaluate, and
compare scholarly and popular writing on a specific topic in the social
sciences. The assignment also offers students the opportunity to explore topics
of special interest to them. To do this assignment
effectively, you should: choose a topic that especially interests you and is
based on our required course readings, class discussions, and your understanding
of social science problems. The topic should be narrowly defined but with broad
implications within the social sciences. You
should read and analyze articles written by social scientists and published in
scholarly journals. You should use both paper-based and electronic sources of
information (for example, access to many scholarly journals in the social
sciences is provided through our Gutman Library databases). You may also seek
additional information about the topic from our required texts and from
news-based and web-based sources. Your final submission should present to
the reader a clear exposition of the topic and specific problems under
discussion, provide a comparative analysis of the different assumptions,
concepts, theories, methods, and conclusions of the social scientists whose work
you have read, and convey awareness of how differing assumptions, concepts,
theories, and methods shape conclusions drawn by researchers. Thus, your own conclusions should focus not only on your
topic but also on the ways public awareness of your topic is shaped by social
science research. Organizing
your paper. Your paper should be structured
strictly in terms of the modes of analysis we apply throughout our readings and
class discussions where we will give special attention to the assumptions,
theories, concepts and methods applied by social scientists in their analysis of
social problems, Thus, although topics may differ widely, the organization of
essays should be quite similar, and follow the following model: I.
Introductory paragraph(s) presenting the topic and its general
significance, the kinds of questions social
scientists have asked about the topic, and some detailed factual discussion. Organizing
your time. Although
we are requiring only one “outside” paper, you should consider this a
semester-long project. In order to help you organize your time effectively, we
will routinely prompt you, either informally or through formal journal
assignments, to explore our texts with your research essay in mind. Begin
thinking about it immediately, and keep track of the due dates and specific
requirements of each required submission. Use
your journal to note down page numbers of topics that particularly interest you.
If at any point in the semester you have questions about what is required
for this essay, or about the instructions presented here, IMMEDIATELY ask one of
the instructors. We
have also divided the work into three separate but related submissions that
progress from exploration and selection of themes and topics, to conducting
research and summarizing some of your sources of information, to preparing and
submitting the final essay. Monday October 1: Preliminary presentation of
topic//concepts/problems. In this submission your should provide:
an introductory paragraph explaining to the reader the topic you hope to
research and any specific problems or issues within that topic that you hope to
address. Explain both why this
topic interests you and why you feel it is an important topic/problem within the
social sciences. Make it as polished as possible; more work now means less work
later! Subsequent paragraphs should explain
why this topic interests you and should also present discussion of specific
places in our required course texts relevant to this topic/problem that
contributed to your interest in this topic.
Summarize the information provided in the texts and how you feel it
relates to your topic. Select 3-4
such places, in whatever texts we have read, for this purpose. Citations are
required, you must provide the name of the author and the page numbers where the
reader can find the sections you are discussing. Specifications:
1-2 pages typed or word-processed, 10-12 pt. readable font. Citations and
bibliographic references required. Sources may
include course readings, class discussions, outside readings that have come to
your attention (such as newspaper articles, work for other courses, radio or
television reporting. Friday October 26: Presentation of research
sources. Specifications: 2-3 pages typed or word-processed, 10-12 pt. readable
font; at least four (4) “outside” sources based on research in university
databases. At least two sources must be
from scholarly journals in either psychology, anthropology, or both, depending
on your topic; one must be a news-based source, also accessed through the
university databases; one may be, but needn’t be, a website relevant to the
topic you have chosen. Wednesday November 21: Final research essay submissionThis submission should be a well organized and polished essay that provides both introduction and concluding reflections, and not only summarizes but links effectively the information gained from the sources and the insights they provide with reference to your topic. Your essay should convey your understanding of the goals and methods of the social sciences, how your topic relates to those goals, and how your sources contribute to your understanding of BOTH your topic and of goals and methods of the social sciences. Specifications: 6-8 pages typed or word-proce |