SOC 475 Syllabus Spring 2016
SOC 475 Syllabus Spring 2016
You should expect me, as the instructor, to come prepared to class, share
information in a clear manner, ensure the classroom is an open setting for all of us
to be free to respectfully acknowledge and express our experiences, provide you
with opportunities to meet outside of class, stimulate creative thought, facilitate
discussions, evaluate your progress, provide useful feedback, and return your work
in a timely manner.
As a student in this course, you have the responsibility to come prepared to class,
ask questions, participate in discussions, think critically, be respectful of others in
the classroom, complete your assignments on time, and to contact me if you have
any concerns about class meetings or materials. If you encounter difficulties during
the semester, please be proactive in contacting me. It is easier to handle issues
earlier rather than later.
Exam (20%)
This is a take-home essay exam.
It will be due Thursday, May 5th by noon.
This exam will be submitted online via D2L and will be check for
plagiarism through TurnItIn.
Grade Distribution
The final grade calculation will be translated into the 4.0 grade point scale:
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.0
Submitting Assignments
Unless otherwise specified, assignments should be typed, stapled and submitted in
class on the day they are due. Assignments handed in without a staple will be
deducted 2%. For every day a written assignment is late, there will be a 10%
deduction from the grade of that assignment (i.e., 1 day late = -10%; 2 days late =
-20%; 3 days late = -30%). Assignments more than three days late will not be
accepted and will be recorded as a grade of 0.
Academic Integrity
Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that [t]he student shares with
the faculty the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and
professional standards. In addition, the Department of Sociology adheres to the
policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0,
Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of
Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations. Therefore, unless
authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all course assignments
without assistance from any source and without plagiarism from any source. You
are expected to develop original work for this course; therefore, you may not submit
course work you completed for another course to satisfy the requirements for this
course. You are not authorized to use the www.allmsu.com website to complete any
work in this course. Students who violate MSU academic integrity rules may receive
a penalty to their grade, including a failing grade on the assignment or in the
course. Contact the instructor if you are unsure about the appropriateness of your
work. Additionally, commercialization of lecture notes and university-provided
course materials is not permitted in this course.
Technology
No technology (cell phones, head phone, tablets, laptops, etc.) will be allowed
during quizzes, discussion, or lectures without special permission. Students with
disabilities may request an exception by contacting the Resource Center for Persons
with Disabilities and providing a Verified Individual Services Accommodation
(VISA) form. Cell phones and head phones may never be used in class.
Students with Disabilities
Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for
participation in all programs, services, and activities. Requests for accommodations
by persons with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for
o
o
Submit the paper through D2L for review via TurnItIn by 10:20 am Thursday,
March 17th.
3. Environmental Health in Michigan Due April 28th
Choose an environmental health topic to research in Michigan. Examples of
possible topics could be lead exposures in Flint, the Dow Chemical superfund
site on the Tittabawassee and Saginaw Rivers, air quality in the Delray
neighborhood in Detroit and the Marathon Oil Refinery, air quality and the
Detroit Waste Incinerator, air and water contamination around the Detroit
Wastewater Treatment Plant, mercury contamination and coal fired power
plants in Michigan, hydraulic fracturing in Michigan, endocrine disruptors and
cancer in Michigan, among many others.
Identify the problem you are studying, the source and extent of the source of
the problem in the state, and what populations are impacted (specific groups,
numbers, geographic distribution).
o What are the specific chemicals/contaminants of concern (mercury,
arsenic, lead, benzene, e. coli, helminths, etc.)?
o How do those contaminants move through the environment (soil,
water, air, via vectors (e.g. mosquitos, snails))?
o What are routes of exposure for humans (e.g. ingestion, dermal,
lungs)?
Describe the associated known or suspected health impacts of this problem
for different life course stages (adults, children, pregnant women, immune
compromised, etc).
How does the impacted geographic region you are focusing on compare
(neighborhood vs rest of Detroit, Detroit or Flint vs other cities in the state,
Michigan vs nationally)?
Using course materials and supplementary readings analyze the processes
that have led to the development of this problem in Michigan.
o What public policies have facilitated the development of this problem?
o What efforts can be made to reduce exposures?
Submit this paper through D2L for review via TurnItIn by 10:20 am Thursday,
April 28th.
Course Schedule
Note: Readings are tentative and subject to change by the instructor, with
appropriate notice.
Week 1: Introduction and Overview of the Social Determinants of Health
Tuesday, January 12th
Syllabus
What is health? How is health social?
Readings: None
Thursday, January 14th
Readings:
1. Phelan, Jo C., Bruce G. Link, and Parisa Tehranifar. 2010. Social Conditions
as Fundamental Causes of Health Inequalities: Theory, Evidence, and Policy
Implications. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 51(S): S28-S40.
2. Braveman, Paula A., Susan A. Egerter, and Robin E. Mockenhaupt. 2011.
Broadening the Focus: The Need to Address the Social Determinants of
Health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 40(1S1):S4-S18.
Week 2: Social Theory
Tuesday, January 19th
Readings:
1. Cockerham, William. 2001. Medical Sociology and Sociological Theory. Ch.
1 (pp. 3-22) in The Blackwell Companion to Medical Sociology. Malden, MA:
Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Thursday, January 21st
Readings: Cockerham continued
Week 3: Social Inequalities - Race
Tuesday, January 26th
Readings:
1. Haney-Lopez, Social Construction of Race. Pg 191-203.
2. Feagin, Joe and Zinobia Bennefield. 2014. Systematic racism and U.S. health
care. Social Science & Medicine 103:7-14.
3. Smedley, Brian D. 2012. The Lived Experience of Race and Its Health
Consequences. American Journal of Public Health 102: 933-935.
Thursday, January 28th
Readings:
1. Murray, Christopher J.L., Sandeep C. Kulkarni, Catherine Michaud, Niels
Tomijima, Maria T. Bulzacchelli, Terrell J. Iandiorio, and Majid Ezzati. 2006.
Eight Americas: Investigating Mortality Disparities across Races, Counties,
and Race-Counties in the United States. PLOS Medicine 3(9): 1513-1524.
2. Goyal, Monika, Nathan Kupperman, Sean D. Cleary, Stephen J. Teach, and
James M. Chamberlain. 2015. Racial Disparities in Pain Management of
2. Berg, Marc and Geoffrey Bowker. 1997. The Multiple Bodies of the Medical
Record: Toward a Sociology of an Artifact. The Sociological Quarterly
38(3):513-537.
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