Skylar Joyner's List: Sociology

"Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Family and Medical Leave Act

Overview

The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. Eligible employees are entitled to:

Twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for:
the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth;
the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement;
to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition;
a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job;
any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty;” or

Twenty-six workweeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness who is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin to the employee (military caregiver leave).

Key News

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that it is taking the first step towards conducting surveys regarding the FMLA. The surveys are designed to update and expand the Department’s knowledge about FMLA leave-taking and close current data gaps remaining from previously conducted surveys. For more information on the survey, please visit the FMLA Survey Web page. (April 1, 2011)

The Wage and Hour Division issued an Administrator Interpretation clarifying the definition of "son and daughter" under the Family and Medical Leave Act to ensure that an employee who assumes the role of caring for a child receives parental rights to family leave regardless of the legal or biological relationship. FMLA AI 2010-3, Press Release (June 22, 2010)
"

"House Rules" by Rachel Sontag or "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls, both memoirs about the authors' dysfunctional childhood family lives; "Smashed" by Koren Zailckas, a memoir about the young author's struggle with alcohol abuse; and "Portrait of An Addict as a Young Man" by Bill Clegg, a memoir about drug abuse.

The Sociology Video Project

"Question Excerpt From Chapter 1 An Introduction to Sociology: Quick Quiz
Q.1) 
Sociology is the study of:
A.
People in a society
B.
Interactions among people
C.
Social institutions
D.
All of the above
Q.2) 
Which theory believes that people in society battle over scarce resources like money, power, and prestige?
A.
Structural functionalism
B.
Conflict
C.
Symbolic interaction
D.
Feminist
Q.3) 
 Which research method utilizes public records such as marriage and divorce certificates, police records, and birth and death certificates?
A.
Survey research
B.
Participant observation
C.
Experiment
D.
Secondary data analysis
Q.4) 
A person who weighs 100 pounds steps onto a scale which indicates that they weigh 200 pounds. He/she gets off the scale, steps back on, and it still reads 200 pounds. That scale is considered:
A.
Reliable but not valid
B.
Valid but not reliable
C.
Both reliable and valid
D.
Neither reliable nor valid
E.
Obviously broken
Q.5) 
Which of the following is NOT an ethic from the American Sociological Association that all researchers must follow?
A.
Monetarily compensate the respondents
B.
Protect the respondent’s mental/physical welfare
C.
Publish all findings
D.
State who funded the research
E.
All of the above are ethics
Q.6) 
The Hawthorne effect explains how human behavior is altered when being watched.
A.
True
B.
False
Q.7) 
 If a researcher wished to collect data from a group such as females in California or men over the age of 30, these groups would be known as:
A.
Sub-grouping
B.
Population
C.
Sample
D.
Random sample
Q.8) 
When conducting research, all biases, prejudices, and assumptions must be suspended.
A.
True
B.
False
Q.9) 
Which theory believes that society is made up of many building blocks that all play a part in maintaining stability?
A.
Structural functionalism
B.
Conflict
C.
Symbolic interaction
D.
Feminist
Q.10) 
Which research method would be likely to yield the most valid results for respondents in their natural setting?
A.
Experiment
B.
Observation
C.
Survey research
D.
Data analysis
"

"Classroom Exercises for Introduction to Sociology
By Erin Schreiner, eHow Contributor

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Classroom Exercises for Introduction to Sociology thumbnail
Groups act based on social norms and ideals.

Human interactions are governed by a complex series of unofficial rules called social norms. In introduction to sociology courses, students explore those norms and consider how human interaction dictates their daily actions. Extensive reflection is necessary to learn and understand sociology. By reflecting upon their lives, or asking others to reflect upon their experiences, sociology students can learn about why we do what we do as a cultural group.
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How to Teach an Introduction to Sociology
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Social Norm Violation

Our everyday actions are controlled by social norms. Those unofficial rules of conduct control everything from how we communicate to what we wear. We follow those norms because it is often uncomfortable not to. In an introductory sociology class, give students an opportunity to experience the discomfort of violating a social norm. Tell students that, for a class grade, they need to come to their next course section dressed oddly. Encourage students to adopt obviously unfashionable or unorthodox styles of dress. When students arrive in class in their atypical outfits, discuss their experiences as social norm violators. Ask each student to write down how he felt walking across campus or through the school building in his unusual outfit. Collect the student responses and read them aloud, not revealing the author. Discuss the feelings of discomfort that the students experienced as they made their way to class. Discuss how a desire to avoid this discomfort keeps people in line with the accepted social practices and norms.
Where Do You Fit?

While there is no requirement that you associate with others like you, people tend to seek out others who share similar interests or are involved in the same activities. Discuss the concept of cliques, and allow students to reflect upon where they fit within society. To begin this activity, ask students to brainstorm a list of common cliques. Write the student suggestions on the board. If students present the name of a group with which you are unfamiliar, ask the student to describe the group and explain what common features the members of the group share. After building your list, provide students with self-stick notes. Ask the students to write their name on these notes. Instruct the students to come to the board one at a time, and allow them to place their notes next to the names of cliques with which they most closely identify. As each student places his note, discuss the student's self-selected placement. Explore what characteristics that student has that makes him fit well with that group.
Race Relations Today

America has a tumultuous history of racial disharmony and lack of acceptance. While some say that this era of prejudice is over, others contend that race relations are still not where they should be and that people are commonly treated inequitably because of their skin color. Explore this topic with your students by asking them to recount events of racial harmony or disharmony that they have observed. To begin this activity, draw a horizontal line on your board. Label the left side of your line as "Discrimination" and the right side of your line as "Racial harmony." Provide each student with a self-stick note. Ask the student to recall an incident that they witnessed that displayed racial harmony or disharmony. Ask the student to describe the incident on his self-stick note. Once the students have written their descriptions, allow them to come up and place their incident on the race relations continuum. If the student believes that his incident shows harmony, he can place it closer to the right. If the student believes that his described incidence shows racism, he can place it closer to the left. After students have placed their notes, move across the line, reading each student-composed account of race relations and discussing whether that incident reflects race relations in current society."

http://quizlet.com/19314737/sociology-with-a-focus-on-diversity-flash-cards/

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