Soc 3053 Cultural Ecology

Welcome

Contact Information:
Dr. Frank Elwell 
Office Hours: Daily 8:00 to 11:00 
email: felwell@rsu.edu
Office: 202-B Prep Hall 
Phone: 918.343.7851

Required Texts:
Sanderson, Stephen K. and Arthur Alderson. 2005. World Societies: The Evolution of Human Social Life. Boston: Pearson Education.

Diamond, Jared.  1998.  Guns, Germs, and Steel.  New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Recommended Readings:

Recommended Readings

Cultural Materialism

Web Resources

Evolutionary Sociology

FAQs

Important Notice:
E-mail communications with students will only be through the RSU student e-mail system. Students are responsible for checking their RSU student accounts on a regular basis. To set up your account click on the following link: RSU Student E-Mail Account.

All Students are required to read, sign, and return the following student contract.

Catalog Description:
An examination of how humans have used the various aspects of the social structure to adapt to the physical environment. Current ecological theories will be utilized to examine social evolution from hunting and gathering to industrial societies. Prerequisites: Nine hours of social science credit. This course is an elective in the Sociology Option of the Bachelor of Science in Social Science, as well as  for a Sociology Minor. The course can also be used social science elective credit in any of the BSSS Options, the BALA Liberal Arts Electives Option taken in lieu of a minor, or for straight elective credit in any program.

Purpose:
This course centers on macro-level social theory. Using a comparative historical analysis we will examine the relations of sociocultural systems to their environment; the relations of the various parts of a society to one another; and the stability and evolution of society through time. I hope that students will be struck by the beauty of the sociocultural world.

Course Outline:
The class will be in a presentation/discussion format. While the instructor will make presentations during some class sessions, student discussion will be the focus of most classes. At all times, student questions, comments, and amplifications, are welcome. The course and reading assignments are in three parts, with an examination at the end of each unit:

Unit 1: In the Beginning. 
Guns, Germs, and Steel: Chapters 1 through 10
World Societies: Chapters 1 through 3
Unit 1 Instructor Presentations

Unit 2: Pre-industrial Societies. 
Guns, Germs, and Steel: Chapters 11 through 14 
World Societies: Chapters 4 through 6
Unit 2 Instructor Presentations

Unit 3: Industrial and Hyper-industrial Societies. 
World Societies: Chapters 7 through 11,
Unit 3 Instructor Presentations
Invited Student Presentations

Study Guides:
On the links below I will provide you with possible essay questions for each of the three Unit Exams.  In making up the exams I will draw your essay questions from these pools.  I recommend that you use these questions as the basis for group study. It would be worth your time and energy to fully address these questions in writing well before the examination. 

In answering an essay question for this class, integrate material from Lenski, Diamond, Sanderson, instructor presentations, other readings, class presentations, discussions, and other courses as much as possible. In answering essay questions your goal is to demonstrate that you have read, listened to, dealt with, understood and integrated the material into your own thinking; use quotes sparingly. For further information on essays please see the following: Writing in Response to an Essay Question.  

Unit 1: Possible Essay Questions

Unit 2: Possible Essay Questions

Unit 3: Possible Essay Questions

Americans with Disabilities Act:
Rogers State University is committed to providing students with disabilities equal access to educational programs and services.  Any student who has a disability that he or she believes will require some form of academic accommodation must inform the professor of such need during or immediately following the first class attended.  Before any educational accommodation can be provided, it is the responsibility of each student to prove eligibility for assistance by registering for services through Student Affairs.

Students needing more information about Student Disability Services should contact the Office of Student Development at 343-7707.

Course Objectives:

Course Goals	Program Goals Supported in B.S. in Social Science	How Evaluated
Acquisition of the macro-sociological approach in relating the various parts of the sociocultural system to one another and to the whole.	To develop a level of competence in the core disciplines of the social sciences to allow for further inquiry and study.	Essay exams, class discussions, and book review.
An appreciation for, and ability to apply ecological-evolutionary theory in understanding and explaining sociocultural system stability and change.	To prepare students to function successfully in a society that is heading toward globalization and becoming more culturally diverse	Essay exams, class discussions, and book review.
An understanding of the historical/comparative method as the basis of sociological/anthropological science.	To equip students with the academic skills necessary to successfully address increasingly complex, multidisciplinary problems in the social sciences.	Essay exams, class discussions, and book review.
Demonstrate the ability for inductive and deductive reasoning, that is reasoning from the specific to a general perspective as well as from a general perspective to a specific case.	To equip students with the academic skills necessary to successfully address increasingly complex, multidisciplinary problems in the social sciences.	Essay exams, class discussions, and book review.

 

Grading:

Three Examinations	300
Book Review	100
Total Number of Possible Points	400

Your final course grade will be based on the percentage of the 400 points you earn, 90% to 100% = A, and so on. All exams and written assignments are graded in accordance with the standards explained on the Grading Page.

Attendance Policy:
It is important that you attend both physically and mentally. Studying the texts and the lecture/ presentations are key. Inappropriate classroom behavior will cause you to be dismissed from the class. 

Make-up exams will be administered immediately after the scheduled final exam.

Academic Integrity:
By signing your name to a test or paper you are indicating that the work is yours and yours alone. Any academic cheating will result in failure of the course. "Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one’s own, including: direct quotation without both attribution and indication that the material is being directly quoted, e.g. quotation marks; paraphrase without attribution; paraphrase with or without attribution where the wording of the original remains substantially intact and is represented as the author’s own; expression in one’s own words, but without attribution, of ideas, arguments, lines of reasoning, facts, processes, or other products of the intellect where such material is learned from the work of another and is not part of the general fund of common knowledge" (Office of Academic Affairs, Rogers State University).