Course Syllabus

Sociology 120T

Sociology of Social Control

Spring 2021

Prof. Michel Estefan

mestefan@ucsd.edu

Class Format: Synchronous lectures via Zoom on T/Th 2-3:20pm

Student Hours: via Zoom on:

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30pm and by appointment
Sign up for student hours here: https://calendly.com/mestefan/undergrad

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Welcome to SOCI 120T, sociology of social justice! This course examines concrete historical attempts to build more free and equal societies and institutions. From the Stonewall Riots to Wikipedia to Black Lives Matter, we will study the challenges and consequences of real efforts to breakdown power, distribute economic resources fairly, and provide everyone with the opportunity to flourish as individuals. By analyzing these efforts through a sociological lens, the course provides a framework for thinking critically and empirically about social justice, the challenges to achieve it and the legacies its projects have left us.

We begin the course by studying power. All social justice projects are an attempt to question, resist, or dismantle the concentration of power in one shape or another, so it’s important to ask ourselves what is power and how does it work. This will be more of a theoretical discussion about the nature of power. Each subsequent unit is organized around one specific form of power and historical attempts to dismantle it and establish a more just society. Specifically, we will look at white supremacy and racial justice, capitalism and socialism, political power and democracy, environmental justice, education and representation, and the gay liberation movement and feminism.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course you should be able to:

Describe how different forms of power work and explain why they are so difficult to upend.
Identify concrete methods of collective action that hold promise for achieving social justice.
Analyze how different forms of power or powerlessness have affected your life experience and trajectory.
Apply the lessons learned in this course about power and justice to imagine how you can contribute to a more just society.

Format of Class Activities

This class will take place through remote synchronous Zoom lectures.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Grade Distribution	Due Date	Percentage
Weekly Reading Notes	Every Tuesday starting April 6	20%
Weekly Quizzes	Every Thursday starting April 8	20%
Participation		10%
Midterm	Sunday, May 2 by 8pm	25%
Final	Thursday, June 10 by 3pm	25%

Grading Scale

A	93-100	B+	86-89	C+	76-79	D	60-69
A-	90-92	B	83-85	C	73-75	F	0-59
		B-	80-82	C-	70-72

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

Weekly Reading Notes (20%)

You have to hand in reading notes every Tuesday by 9am starting April 6. You should upload your reading notes in the corresponding discussion tab on Canvas. More details on what is expected from your readings notes will be distributed soon.

Weekly Quizzes (20%)

There will be short quizzes at the beginning of class every Thursday starting April 8.

Participation (10%)

Your participation will be graded on the basis of the following six criteria:

Filling out the welcome survey
Posting to the “Introduce Yourself” discussion board.
Attending either my office hours or your TA’s office hours at least once during the quarter
Filling out participation self-assessment surveys that I will distribute periodically during the course.
Filling out the mid-quarter evaluation form.
Filling out the end-of-quarter evaluation form.
Having no more than two unexcused absences from lecture.

*Please note I may decide to introduce additional surveys during the quarter that may count toward your participation grade.

Midterm Project (25%)

You will have the option to choose between a visual essay, a research paper or a mini-Ted Talk for your midterm project. The midterm project is due on Sunday, May 2 by 8pm. More details about the midterm project will be provided soon.

Final Project (25%)

You will have the option to choose between a visual essay, a research paper or a mini-Ted Talk for your final project. The final project is due on Thursday, June 10 by 3pm. More details about the final project will be provided soon.

COURSE MATERIALS

All readings for this course are available electronically on Canvas. Each reading will be linked under the day they are due.

COURSE POLICIES

Learning in a Time of Crisis

We are living in a period of tremendous pain and uncertainty. Many of us are facing or may face unexpected intense challenges in the course of this quarter. Please recognize that you, your classmates, and even I or your TA may need to adapt in ways we can’t predict at this point. If you need extra support, we understand. You are welcome to talk to us about what you are going through. That said, you do not need to share personal information about your health or anything else unless you want to. If you do need extra help or time to complete the requirements for this course or any other type of accommodation, please ask. We are here to support you.

Diversity and Inclusion in this Classroom

I am personally committed to making sure this classroom is a safe space where everyone

feels welcome and comfortable expressing their views. Many of you may have deeply

personal experiences regarding the topics we are covering in this class. While I expect us

to have rigorous discussions and even disagreements, I ask that you engage each other

with care and empathy. I also urge you to critically examine and assess your most basic

assumptions and values and contribute your views to our conversation. In exchange for

your courage, I will work to ensure a classroom environment that supports you and the

intellectual and emotional risks your participation may entail.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. It consists in representing the work of others as your own. This includes using Internet resources or copying the ideas, sentences, paragraphs of another without proper acknowledgement. If you are caught plagiarizing you will receive a failing grade on the assignment and further disciplinary action could be taken. For more information on plagiarism and the steps you can take to avoid it, consult this site: https://academicintegrity.ucsd.edu/

The following guidelines are useful for avoiding plagiarism in your written work:[1]

Try to use your own words the majority of the time.
When you do use another person’s words, use quotation marks and give credit to the source.
Don’t make slight variations in the language and then fail to give credit to the source. If the expression is essentially the same, the author still deserves credit.
Even if you aren’t directly quoting the material, you should still document information and ideas which you use in your paper whenever they are new to you (e.g. something that you discovered in your research).

If you’re unsure, add the citation. It is better to be extra cautious than not to give credit when you should.

Asking Questions and Email Policy

Feel free to send me an email if you have substantive questions about the course material, but note that I will likely respond in our next class. This way, your peers can benefit and participate in our conversation as well. If you have a burning doubt, come to student hours. Otherwise, you can generally expect me to respond to your emails within 48 hours.

Student Hours

I encourage you to visit me during my student hours as often as you want or need to. This window of time is an opportunity for us to discuss your particular interests or concerns with the course content in more depth. If you cannot make it to the scheduled office hours, send me an email and we will arrange to meet at an alternative date and time. My student hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30pm and by appointment. You can sign up for a slot here: https://calendly.com/mestefan/undergrad

Extensions and Late Work

If you experience an emergency or situation that prohibits you from completing an assignment on time, please let me know as soon as you are able to. Otherwise, late work will be accepted within 24 hours of its original due date, but will be penalized 25%.

Students with Disabilities

If you anticipate requiring academic accommodations for disability, please contact the Office for Students with DisabilitiesLinks to an external site. In an effort to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible, you are also welcome to privately discuss options with me and the TA as soon as possible to establish mutually-agreeable accommodations in a timely fashion. I am committed to creating a course that is inclusive and every effort will be made to be supportive.

Religious Accommodations

University policy grants students excused absences from class or other organized activities or observance of religious holy days, unless the accommodation would create an undue hardship. Please notify me by the end of the second week of classes if you have any conflicts that may require an absence. It is your responsibility to make arrangements with me in advance to make up any missed work or in-class material.

Food and Housing Insecurity

Up to a third of UCSD students face challenges securing food and/or housing, which can make it difficult to learn. If you are in this situation, please contact the Basic Needs Hub at basicneeds.ucsd.eduLinks to an external site., which includes a food pantry and emergency needs grants. If you feel comfortable, please also let me know and I will do what I can to connect you with the appropriate resources. Most importantly, please know that you are not alone in dealing with these issues.

Title IX / Gender Violence

Gender violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, class, age, appearance, gender identity, or sexual orientation. UCSD is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex or gender, including sexual misconduct, sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking. CARE at the Sexual Assault Resource Center (https://care.ucsd.edu/Links to an external site.) provides programs and resources to help promote healthy relationships, teach non-violence and equality, and foster a respectful and safe environment for all members of the UCSD community. All services are confidential and free of charge. For assistance during business hours, call (858) 534-5793. After hours, please call the On-Call Help Line at 858-534-5793.

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING SCHEDULE

Week 1: Introduction to the Course

Tuesday, March 30: Introduction to the Course

No Reading

Thursday, April 1: Ideals of Justice, Realities of Power

Gorman, Amanda. 2021. “The Hill We Climb.” Los Angeles Times, January 20.

Gorman, Amanda. 2021. The Hill We Climb. Washington, DC. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4)

Leon, Cedric de, and Andy Clarno. 2020. “Power.” Pp. 35–52 in The New Handbook of Political Sociology, edited by T. Janoski, C. de Leon, J. Misra, and I. Martin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Week 2: White Supremacy and Racial Justice

Tuesday, April 6: The Reproduction of Racism

Alexander, Michelle. 2010. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York: The New Press. Ch 1: “The Rebirth of Caste” (Pp.20-57).

Thursday, April 8: How Social Movements Succeed

Ciccariello-Maher, George. 2015. “Riots Work: Wolf Blitzer and the Washington Post Completely Missed the Real Lesson from Baltimore.” Salon. Retrieved March 28, 2021.

Morris, Aldon. 2021. “From Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter.” Scientific American, February 3.

Week 3: White Supremacy (continued) and Capitalism and Socialism

Tuesday, April 13: From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation

Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta. 2016. From #Blacklivesmatter to Black Liberation. 1st ed. Chicago, Illinois: Haymarket Books. Ch.7: “From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation” (Pp.191-219).

Thursday, April 15: The Developmental Tendencies of Capitalism

Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. [1848] 1978. “Preface to the German Edition of 1883” and “Manifesto of the Communist Party.” Pp.472-491 in The Marx-Engels Reader, edited by Robert C. Tucker. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Week 4: Capitalism and Socialism

Tuesday, April 20: Extending Liberty While Intensifying Domination

Marcuse, Herbert. 2012. “One Dimensional Man.” Pp. 478-486 in Classical Sociological Theory, edited by Craig Calhoun et al. 3d ed. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Thursday, April 22: Wikipedia as Post-Capitalist Equality?

Gitlin, Todd. 2013. “Occupy’s Predicament: The Moment and the Prospects for the Movement.” The British Journal of Sociology 64(1):3–25.

Wright, Erik Olin. 2010. “Chapter 7: Real Utopias II: Social Empowerment and the Economy.” Pp. 135–90 in Envisioning Real Utopias. London and New York: Verso. (Only pages 135-144)

Week 5: Democracy, Politics, and Polarization

Tuesday, April 27: The Origins of Polarization

McAdam, Doug. 2015. “Be Careful What You Wish For: The Ironic Connection Between the Civil Rights Struggle and Today’s Divided America.” Sociological Forum 30(S1):485–508.

Thursday, April 29: Class Cancelled to Give Students More Time to Work on Their Midterm Project

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Midterm is Due Sunday, May 1 by 8pm

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Week 6: Democracy, Politics, and Polarization (continued) and Environmental Justice

Tuesday, May 4: Political Identity

Klein, Ezra. 2020. “Chapter 3: Your Brain on Groups.” Pp. 49–79 in Why We’re Polarized. New York: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.

Gong, Neil, and Heath Pearson. 2021. “Can Abolition Work in an Age of Right-Wing Extremism?” The Atlantic, January 22.

Thursday, May 6: Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline

Estes, Nick. 2019. Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance. Illustrated edition. London ; New York: Verso. (Pp.1-3, 8-10, 14-16, 18-20, 25-29, 33-34)

Week 7: Environmental Justice

Tuesday, May 11: Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline

Thursday, May 13: Abolish Oil

Martin, Reinhold. 2020. “Abolish Oil.” Places Journal.

Week 8: Education and Representation

Tuesday, May 18: Revolution at San Francisco State College (Part 1)

Rojas, Fabio. 2010. “Revolution at San Francisco State College.” Pp. 45–92 in From Black Power to Black Studies: How a Radical Social Movement Became an Academic Discipline. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. (Read only Pp. 45-68 for this class)

Thursday, May 20: Revolution at San Francisco State College (Part 2)

Week 9: Education and Representation (continued) and the Gay Liberation Movement and Feminism

Tuesday, May 25: The Life and Death of Black Studies Programs

Rojas, Fabio. 2010. “The Life and Death of Black Studies Programs.” Pp. 93–129 in From Black Power to Black Studies: How a Radical Social Movement Became an Academic Discipline. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Thursday, May 27: The Stonewall Riots

O’Brien, Keegan. 2015. “Tearing Down the Walls.” Jacobin, August 20.

Wolf, Sherry. 2009. “Stonewall: The Birth of Gay Power.” International Socialist Review 63.

Griffin-Gracy, Miss Major. 2019. “Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, from New York City Trans Oral History Project Interview with Abram J. Lewis.” Pp. 175–82 in The Stonewall Reader, edited by N. Y. P. New York Public Library. New York: Penguin Classics.

Week 10: The Gay Liberation Movement and Feminism (continued)

Tuesday, June 1: The Black Feminist Roots of Feminist Movements

Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta. 2017. “Introduction.” in How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective, edited by K.-Y. Taylor. Chicago, Ill: Haymarket Books.

The Combahee River Collective. 2017. “The Combahee River Collective Statement.” in How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective, edited by K.-Y. Taylor. Chicago, Ill: Haymarket Books.

Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta, and Alicia Garza. 2017. “Alicia Garza.” in How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective, edited by K.-Y. Taylor. Chicago, Ill: Haymarket Books.

Thursday, June 3: Constitutional Reform

MacKinnon, Catharine A., and Kimberlé Crenshaw. 2019. “Reconstituting the Future: The Equality Amendment.” The Yale Law Journal Forum.

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Final is Due Thursday, June 10 by 3pm

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[1] Hendrickson, Raymond, The Research Paper (New York: Henry Holt and Company), xiii.