Our shared reading for this seminar is an excerpt from Annette Lareau’s Unequal Childhoods, Class, Race, and Family Life
Discussants, this seminar will serve as your Socratic 1 and is worth 10% of your course grade. You must submit a write-up and reply to a fellow discussant. If you don’t include a reply your assignment is incomplete and the highest grade an incomplete assignment can earn is a D.
Observers, you may comment on a discussant’s write-up in this topic, or the other ones this week. Whenever you are an observer, you only need to submit one comment even if there are several topics.
In staying true to the Socratic seminar method, I will not be leading the discussion. Rather, it is up to the discussants to initiate dialogue and offer evidence-based opinions on the required reading(s) (and/or videos/podcasts). Read the grading rubric to help with your first write-up. An example of an “A” write-up is also available below.
Seminar Rules
Consider these questions as you compose your write-up (these questions serve as categories for the grading rubric).
– Is the information accurate?
– Is your post relevant to the topic under discussion?
– Does your post answer the guiding questions?
– Does your post teach something new or apply a concept in a new way?
– Have you added to the academic atmosphere of this course?
2. Reminders from the Socratic Seminar Directions and FAQs:
a. State your claim and support it with evidence or examples from the shared reading, video, or podcast.
b. Raise critical questions.
c. Explain your answers–a simple yes or no is not acceptable. You must explain.
d. You must raise at least 1 point and reply to at least 1 other student on the same topic.
e. When replying to a classmate address them by their name and use “I” phrases. (i.e. I agree with Vanessa because . . . . OR I disagree with Vanessa because . . . )
f. Your comment to a classmate is graded. Include substantive content and apply the same rigor in your comment to a classmate as you would in your initial write-up.
g. Support your statements with textual evidence (include quotes and specific page numbers).
3. Keep in mind that I’ll be using this grading rubric to assess your participation in the Socratic Seminar.
Guiding Questions (Please answer all):
1. What is the main idea or underlying value in the text?
2. Which sociological theory (Structural Functionalism, Conflict Theory, or Symbolic Interaction-ism) is the reading framed in? Explain.
3. What concept from Opens-tax Chapter 5: Socialization does the article help you understand better? Explain.
4. What is the most important sentence/paragraph? Explain.
5. How might poor and working-class families be impacted differently by the COVID-19 pandemic compared to middle, upper-middle, and wealthy families? Provide examples and explain.
*Think of how the article helps you understand sociological ideas and concepts. Your write-up and feedback should demonstrate your understanding of sociology through using the article. It should not be an analysis of the article itself
