Fall, 2009
Dr. H. Mark EllisRaubinger Hall, #459; 973-720-3411; ellism@wpunj.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
In Fall, 2009, The Social Organization of Work, ([SOC] 220-80), will be offered for at least the 20th time online. I have all students’ papers, work and comments archived for the online version of this course along with the students’ work for an in-class version of this course for Fall, 2003. Be very careful of academic integrity issues as this shell is designed to recognize previous submissions. This course is listed as (a) a Sociology major elective; and (b) a required course for Sociology majors in the Sociological Practice Concentration. If you are not a Sociology major or minor, you must have taken and passed, Principles of Sociology in order to register for this course. If not, contact the department chair, Dr. Wang, for special permission at 973-720-2274.
You must use your WPU student email account for this course. When emailing me you must always use your WPU student email account. All other emails to me will be deleted. It is your responsibility to maintain your WPU student email account as important messages, grades, and comments come to you via your wpunj student email account. I will not resend comments and grades. If I get an undeliverable error message this means something is wrong with your email/registration status. This is one class and not twenty independent studies for me. Again, if you have problems with your email, see the IRT team on campus immediately. They can be reached at, 973-720-2659. The required course syllabus, all announcements and other pertinent information will be available starting Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 by late evening through Blackboard. The course will be fully loaded by then. When you get into the course, see Announcements and then go to Discussion Board. See all other tabs as well.
Remember, this is a sociology course and not computer science. While frustration may run high (from technological issues) at times in this course for both the professor and student, remember to read your announcements on the course announcement page often and hang in there. I will not be able to assist you with technological questions. Direct all technological questions to the IRT team on campus. Again, your wpunj student email account is your responsibility. See the Blackboard (bb) student help page and learn how to maintain your wpunj student email account so it works at all times. I am not responsible for messages and information that you do not get that I send to your wpunj student email account. Again, I send information only to your WPU student email account. All exams and work will be done online. I highly recommend students to take exams on a campus computer during hours where students can get technological assistance and documentation in case of technological mishaps. If you get zapped off the computer or technologically interrupted while taking the exams and need technological assistance when it is not available, you are on your own and will not be allowed to retake or restart your exam. You must consider taking the exams on reliable computers during hours of assistance. No exams will be restarted/reset. All make up exams will be done in my office at my convenience. No make up exams will be done online. I am also not suggesting that I will automatically allow for make up exams. In order for me to even consider doing this, the situation must be a documented unavoidable emergency. All make up exams are different than the original exam. Again, if you do not know how to use the technology, seek help and get training. Don’t press the wrong button and fail an exam. Also, there is a group paper for this class. If you do not like working in groups under tight deadlines, I would reconsider this course. Wush!! That’s a lot!!! Let’s now have fun in this course. Smiles.
No Required In-class Orientation Session:
There is no required in-class bb orientation session for this course. No one has shown up for these sessions in the past except for the professor. If you have never taken a course online through Blackboard, you must arrange to figure out Blackboard on your own. The IRT team in the Atrium runs workshops regularly. Keep me aware of your computer-related technical questions, but all of your questions must be directed to the IRT team as I too direct my technical questions to them. With this said, I assume if you stay in this course you already know BB and have great dexterity with it and if not, you are willing to seek help on your own and keep pace with the course requirements.
Course Description:
The American labor force is complex and fascinating. It is also of great practical interest because most of us plan to be in the labor force for at least part of our lives. As individuals we might ask: What kinds of work can I do to become (or remain) a respected member of this society? One’s place in a hierarchy: one’s social class, race, and sex often direct or limit the kinds of answers that are suitable or possible. The answers not only tell us about the possibilities for placement, they also tell us about the moral order in society. Work provides a clue to a person’s worth in society – how others judge and regard that person. In modern, industrialized societies, to work – and earn money – is also to gain status as an adult. Thus working is an important way to develop a sense of identity and a sense of self-esteem. The value we place on this process, and our commitment to it, show how we choose and are forced to participate in the social order.
In this course we will consider the place of work for the organization of society, but our focus will be on the meaning of work for individuals. How do they distinguish work from other activities? What is the nature of their commitment to work and how does it develop? What are the consequences of choosing one line of work rather than another? And at what stage in the life course are fateful decisions made about work?
The structure and function of the American labor force is analyzed. We will consider the structure of the paid and non-paid labor market, reviewing conflicting theories of how workers get placed in jobs and how jobs are related to one another. We will also examine principal actors within organizations themselves; the managers, professionals, and workers whose job conditions and organizational power vary dramatically. We will conclude by looking at technological change and the future of the work force.
There will be three required books for this course.
Required Text:
1) Gig. 2001. John Bowe, Marisa Bowe, and Sabin Streeter.
2) Nickel and Dimed. 2001. Barbara Ehrenreich.
3) The Social Organization of Work. (4th edition 2008).
(I am no longer using the 3rd edition). Randy Hodson and Teresa Sullivan.
The Professor for this course uses a MAC:
You must send me all work in Word in Rich Text Format (rtf) for me to read. If you send your work to me in other formats I will not be able to read your work. Seek help from IRT if you are unfamiliar with how to do this. You will not have to worry about this in discussion board. Just type and enter regular text in discussion board and emails. Attachments must be in (rtf).
Online Courses:
An online course is neither more difficult nor easier than the same course taught in a conventional classroom. Online courses often require more hours of work than normal classroom courses. The main advantage is that you can work on your own hours, though not at your own pace. Blackboard keeps track (as do I) of your participation; you cannot just decide to skip a week or two, then log on, and submit assignments. Please note that you cannot participate in the Discussion Boards once that week's thread ends. You cannot participate week one, miss several weeks and then show up in week five and ask to make up work and expect to pass this course. On-going, consistent, and high quality participation in discussion board will account for a large percentage of your overall final course grade. A group paper is also required in this course. This technology is highly conductive to producing a group paper without having students meet outside of this course and in person.
What Equipment/Software Do You Need?
1. a Pentium or MAC comparable with a connection speed of 28.8 kbps, or 56kbps would be even better
2. a Windows 95/98, NT or MAC operating system
3. a 256 color (16+ bit) display
4. an account with your own Internet service provider (ISP), with a browser and e-mail
5. MS Office (Word) or Corel WordPerfect (6 or higher)
What Should You Know How To Do Before Taking This Course:
1. you should be able to use one of the following word processing software: Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect
2. you should be able to web browse and use e-mail
3. All assignments must be sent to Assignments for this course. The Assignments tab filters out viruses. I do not open up email attachments. Also, do not send assignments as cut and pastes into my email. I do not have the email space. Emails with attachments and cut and pastes are automatically deleted.
How Do You Get to the Online Course?:
I look forward to this class. As you take this course and experience online learning/instruction ask yourself a work-related question, does technology increase and improve the routinization and efficiency of the finished product and service called learning and instruction? Does the technology of online instruction enhance, diminish, or impede the finished product called learning in a social science/behavioral science such as sociology?
[See] you soon,
Dr. H. Mark Ellis
Department of Sociology
PS Please see the note below if you have trouble opening some documents once you are in the course.
.docx is the file extension for Word 2007 regardless of the operating system you are using. Instructors and students who have Office 2007 or 2008 on their computer will be able to open a file with a .docx extension. Instructors and students who don't have Office 2007 can download free compatibility software at:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101686761033.aspx
You must have capacity to upload this compatibility software or have it on your computer to open documents in this course. Really think about this as you decide to stay in this course. You can open these documents for this course on campus.