I.     COURSE OVERVIEW

Welcome to the class!  The aim in this course is to acquaint you with different theoretical approaches used in the social sciences for understanding group formation and attachments.  These theories are building blocks for understanding the construction of difference in society and should provide you with tools to examine critically this construction and how it affects our lives.  By the end of the course, you should be conversant in each of these approaches and be able to draw upon them as you develop your own approach to explaining how and why social boundaries are formed and maintained. 

The course is formatted to begin with individual-level explanations of social boundaries that emphasize unconscious mechanisms (sociobiological, primordial, and psychodynamic approaches) and conscious mechanisms (social cognition, symbolic interactionism, socialization and role-based approaches).  In the second part of the course, we move to group level explanations (social-identity theory, social-categorization theory) and theories which emphasize individual motives vis-à-vis the group (motivational theories, rational choice).   In the third part of the course, we explore theories which emphasize the role larger society plays in creating and maintaining social boundaries (structuralism, power and categorization) and examine the specificities of today's world in constructing these boundaries (globalization, new social movements and the politics of identity).  Please note that many of these theories incorporate individual, group and societal-level explanations into their work and thus can be seen as complementary as opposed to contradictory theories.    

II.     COURSE OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of the course are as follows:

v     to increase your knowledge of theories and concepts related to group formation and attachment;

v     to stimulate critical thinking by having you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these theories and explore how they influence our perceptions of the world; and,

v     to encourage creative thinking through application and synthesis of course materials.

III.    COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Participation: While much will be gained from the readings, successful class discussions will broaden our understanding of the materials by exposing us to different interpretations, experiences and critiques. "Successful" class discussions -- for you individually and the class as a whole -- depend on your willingness and desire to be responsible for your own education by being prepared for and participating in class. Class participation will be graded based on your attendance and thoughtful discussion of the materials in class and comprises 30% of your grade.

Reaction papers: To encourage critical thinking and thoughtful class discussions, you will be expected to write reaction papers on the week's readings. Your reaction papers should address: (1) how the readings explain group formation and/or attachments; (2) a brief discussion of their strengths and weaknesses in explaining group formation and attachments; and, (3) a brief discussion of how the readings relate to those discussed in the previous weeks. The papers should be roughly 2 pages in length and conversant in tone. They are due by 5:00pm each Tuesday, starting January 21 should be emailed to me at: lhemp@soc.duke.edu. I will grade the reaction papers based on your thoughtful discussion of the material and not on whether or not I agree with you. Since you will no doubt face time constraints during the semester, one paper may be missed without an excuse and one may be turned in late. No additional late papers will be accepted. Reaction papers comprise 35% of your grade.

Final Exam: A take-home final exam will be distributed on April 22th and is due one week later. The exam will be in essay form and based on material covered throughout the course. The final will be graded on your application and synthesis of the materials and will comprise 35% of your grade. Hold on to copies of your reaction papers because they should be of help to you in completing the final!

IV.     MATERIALS

Attached is a list of readings for the course.  They can be accessed via web site: http://www.soc.duke.edu/courses/soc197/197syls03.htm

V.       CLASS SCHEDULE AND READINGS