REBECCA G. ADAMS
SOCIOLOGY 230-WI: SOCIOLOGY OF FRIENDSHIP
| Instructor: Dr. Rebecca G. Adams | Class Time: T Th 9:30-10:45 pm |
| Office: 333 Graham | Class Room: 310 |
| Office Hours: T Th 9:00-9:30 a.m., 1:15 - 1:45 p.m., and MWF by appointment | Phone: 334-3578 |
| E-mail: Rebecca_Adams@UNCG.edu | Web Page: http://www.uncg.edu/~r_adams |
In this course, students will read, write, and talk about friendship. Topics include definition of friendship, history of friendship research, friendship processes and structure, and placing friendship in context. Students will read studies of friendship conducted by survey researchers, ethnographers, and social historians. They will have an opportunity to write, both traditionally and electronically, about their own friendship experiences as well as about friendship research and theory.
Learning Goals: During the semester, the students will learn to:
1. Define and apply basic sociological concepts derived from micro and macro theories of friendship;
2. Explain and illustrate the differences among personal opinions, facts, and theories;
3. Evaluate the appropriateness of various theories and types of research methods for answering different types of empirical questions about friendship;
4. Structure and compose a response to an essay question; and
5. Communicate online, effectively, politely, and regardless of whether software supports synchronous or asynchronous exchanges.
Required Book: Blieszner, R., & Adams, R.G. Adult Friendship. Sage, 1992.
Supplies: At least two computer diskettes, formatted for a PC.
Reserve Readings: All readings for the course, including the required book, will be on reserve in the library. Many of them will be on electronic reserve as well. Electronic reserve items can be accessed by visiting http://library.uncg.edu. They should be read before the day on which they are assigned.
Resource Books: The following books are also on reserve and will be useful to you as you work to improve your writing and skills using the MOO: Johnson, W. A., Rettig, R. P., Scott, G. M., & Garrison, S. M., The Sociology Student Writer's Manual; Shertzer, M., The Elements of Grammar; Strunk, W., & White, E. B., The Elements of Style; Kirszner & Mandell, Brief Holt Handbook; Holmevick & Haynes, 2000, MOOniveristy, Allyn & Bacon.
Schedule:
| Date | Topic | Readings | Assignments |
| August 17 | Overview of Course | ||
| August 19 | Definition of Friendship: Opinion, Theory, and Fact | Matthews, 1996, "Friendships in Old Age", Pp. 406-430 in Vanzetti and Duck, A Lifetime of Relationships, Brooks/Cole; Adams, Blieszner, & DeVries, 2000, "Definitions of Friendship in the Third Age: Age, Gender, and Study Location Effects," Journal of Aging Studies, 14(1):117-133. | |
| August 24 | How to Use Blackboard (http://blackboard.uncg.edu) | Before coming to class, make sure your student computer account is activated. Meet in Graham 202. During class, respond to the Practice Writing Prompt and as per instructions given in class. | |
| August 26 | Writing Clinic #1 | ||
| August 31 | History of Research on Friendship | Blieszner & Adams, 1992, Chapter 2 in Adult Friendship, Sage. | Post a response to Writing Prompt #1. |
| September 2 | Integrative Conceptual Framework for the Study of Friendship | Blieszner & Adams, Chapter 1 | Post at least two Peer Reviews of responses to Writing Prompt #1. |
| September 7 | How to MOO | Optional Reading: Holmevick & Haynes, 2000, MOOniversity, Allyn & Bacon. | We will meet in Graham 202 and learn to MOO. Submit revised response to Writing Prompt #1. |
| September 9 | Theory Clinic/Review for Test #1 | ||
| September 14 | TEST #1 | ||
| September 16 | Writing Clinic #2 | We will MOO in Graham 202. | |
| September 21 | Friendship Process (Dyadic Studies) | Blieszner & Adams, review pp. 12-15, and read Chapter 4. | Rewritten Test #1 essay due. |
| September 23 | Friendship Structure (Network Studies): Introduction | Blieszner & Adams, review pp. 6-12, Chapter 3 | Post a response to Writing Prompt #2. |
| September 28 | Structural Characteristic: Size of Network | ||
| September 30 | Structural Characteristic: Network Density | Post at least two Peer Reviews of responses to Writing Prompt #2. | |
| October 5 | Process and Structure of Cross-Sex Friendships | Monsour, 2002, Women & Men as Friends, Lawrence Erlbaum, Chapters 4 & 5, pp. 94-165. | We will MOO in Graham 202. |
| October 7 | Review for Test #2 | We will MOO from wherever we happen to be, including Graham 202. Hand in a revised response to Writing Prompt #2. | |
| October 14 | TEST #2 | ||
| October 19 | Placing Friendship in Context: Introduction | Blieszner & Adams, Chapter
6
Adams & Allan, 1998, Contextualising Friendship, from Placing Friendship in Context, Cambridge. |
|
| October 21 | Placing Friendship in Context: Evaluation of UNCG as place to make friends | We will MOO from wherever we happen to be, including Graham 202. | |
| October 26 | Placing Friendship in Context (Ethnographic Studies): Overviews of Duneier and Liebow | Rewritten test # 2 essay due. Presentations by group representatives. | |
| October 28 | Placing Friendship in Context (Ethnographic Studies): Friendship Structure and Process at Slim's Table and on Talley's Corner | Questions posed to groups
who read each of these
books. We will MOO from
wherever we happen to be.
(No reservation for a lab). |
|
| November 2 | Placing Friendship in Context (Ethnographic Studies): Overviews of Hochschild and W. F. Whyte | Presentations by group representatives. | |
| November 4 | Placing Friendship in Context (Ethnographic Studies): Friendship Structure and Process on Street Corner Society and at Merrill Court. | Questions posed to groups who read each of these books. We will MOO from wherever we happen to be, including Graham 202. | |
| November 9 | Placing Friendship in Context (Historical Studies) | Adams & Allan, review pp. 9-12; Oliker , 1998, "The Modernization of Friendship", Pp. 18-42 in Adams & Allan; Litwak, 1989, "Forms of Friendship among Older People in an Industrial Society," Pp. 65-88 in Adams & Blieszner | Post a response to Writing Prompt #3. |
| November 11 | Placing Friendship in Context (Comparative Studies) | Shlapentokh, V., 1989, Pp. 170-77 in Public and Private Life of the Soviet People. Oxford University Press; Baumgarte, Kulich, & Lee, 1998, "Friendship Patterns among College Students in Four Cultures," unpublished paper; Spain, 1992, "The Spatial Foundations of Men's Friendships and Men's Power", Pp. 59-73 in P. Nardi (Ed.) Men's Friendships, Sage. | Post at least two Peer Reviews of responses to Writing Prompt #3. |
| November 16 | Placing Friendship in Context: Evaluation of current era in United States as time and place for friendship | Hand in a revised response to Writing Prompt #3. We will MOO from wherever we happen to be, including Graham 202. | |
| November 18 | Placing Friendship in the Online Context (Processes) | Parks, 1996, "Making Friends in Cyberspace," Journal of Communication 46(1):80-97; Adams, "The Demise of Territorial Determinism: Online Friendships", pp. 153-182 in Allan & Adams; Parks & Roberts, 1998, "Making MOOsic: The Development of Personal Relationships On Line," Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 15(4): 517-535. | We will MOO from
wherever we happen to be.
(No reservation for a lab). |
| November 23 | Placing Friendship in the Online Context (Structure) | We will MOO from wherever we happen to be, including Graham 202. | |
| November 30 | Placing Friendship in the Subcultural Context (Deadhead Friendships) | Students complete course evaluation while in class. | |
| December 2 | Review for Final | We will MOO from wherever we happen to be, including Graham 202. | |
| December 9 | FINAL (8 a.m.-11 a.m.) | Questions will be posted on the MOO at eight in the morning. Responses must be emailed as MS-Word attachment to instructor by 10:30 a.m. Do not logoff until instructor has confirmed that test file was readable. |
Other Information:
Class Grade:| MOO Participation: |
10% |
| Class Attendance and Participation: | 5% |
| Group Presentation: | 15% |
| Writing Prompt Responses: | 15% |
| Peer Reviews of Writing Prompts: | 15% |
| 3 Essay Exams | 45% |
| Total | 100% |
| A 94-100% | C+ 76-79½% | D- 60-63½% |
| A- 90-93½% | C 74-75½% | F Below 60% |
| B+ 86-89½% | C- 70-73½% | |
| B 84-85½% | D+ 66-69½% | |
| B- 80-83½% | D 64-65½% |
Class Attendance and Participation (5%): Class attendance is very important. Lectures will not always cover the same material that is in the text and readings. If a student wishes to be excused from class, he or she must make this request in writing. You are required to come to class prepared and to participate in discussions and ask questions once you are there. This applies to face-to-face meetings as well as virtual ones.
MOO Discussion (10%): During some class times, instead of meeting face-to-face in Graham 310, we will meet in a virtual classroom on the UNCG MOO (umoo.uncg.edu). In response to a presentation by the instructor, which will appear on the right side of the screen, students will participate in synchronous discussions of the topic in a window on the left side of the screen. Up through October 21, students may choose to logon to a computer in Graham 202 during virtual class periods so that a teacher or assistant will be available to assist them. Beginning in November, students will logon from wherever they happen to be at class time. At the end of the semester, students will be graded on the quantity and quality of their postings as well as on their netiquette and MOO communication skills.
Group Presentation (10%): At some point early in the semester, each student will sign up to read a long excerpt from a selection of books about friendship. The students who read an excerpt from the same book will work together on a presentation, to be given during a face-to-face class meeting, describing the setting and social group discussed in the book. During the following class period, to be held in the MOO, the group members will be responsible for asking questions posed by the teacher and classmates. Each group will be required to sign a statement indicating who did what and estimating the percentage of effort exerted by each member of the group.
Writing Prompts Responses (15%): Three times during the semester, you will be expected to post a response to a Writing Prompt on Blackboard (blackboard.uncg.edu). After you do this, two members of the class will post a Peer Review of your response. You will then revise your response and submit it for a grade. Your submission will be graded on quality of content (4%) and of writing (1%).
Peer Reviews (15%): Each time the students in the class post their responses to a Writing Prompt, you will be expected to post a Peer Review of at least two of them on Blackboard. Each pair of Peer Reviews will be graded on quality and tone.
Tests: Three essay exams will be given in class during the semester. The first two exams will be graded on content (10%), writing (2 ½%), and on improvement in the writing of one of the essays (2 ½%). The final exam will be graded only on content (12 ½ %) and writing (2 ½ %). Although the first two tests will be given in the regular classroom, the final will be administered via the MOO so that students can prepare their response with MS-Word.
Missed Tests: Under extreme circumstances (illness, death in the family, severe stress) students may arrange to take a test on an alternative date. Except in very unusual circumstances (being run over by a truck on the way to class), a student who does not show up to take the examination without making prior arrangements will receive a 0. Also except in very unusual circumstances, tests must be made up before the class during which the graded ones are returned to the students taken. Each student who misses a test must explain, in writing, why they missed the test.
Cheating and Plagiarism: All students must abide by the Academic Honor Code. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated.