A Few Hints for Surviving Soc 304

1. Come to class.  An hour and 50 minutes is a long time, but coming to class means a) you have the opportunity to earn all of the in class points for group assignments, quizzes, etc., a significant part of the total course grade; b) you have complete notes to study for the exams; c) you have heard and seen my explanations, examples, videos, songs, etc. that can help you to understand, learn and apply the material on the exams and writing assignments; and d) you have had the opportunity to think about, discuss, ask questions about, and hear others ask questions about the material, all of which should help you understand and learn the material.

2. Do the readings.  Some of the readings are difficult, and there will be a lot of them by the end of the semester, but the readings give you a different way to learn about much of the material, rather than relying solely on my lectures.  Many people learn more effectively from reading than from hearing, and the combination of reading, listening to lectures, discussing examples, watching videos, doing group assignments, etc. helps to understand and learn the material.

3. Use the study guides for the readings posted on the course website to study for the exams.  The readings contain a great deal of information that is not discussed in class, and I provide these study guides to focus your studying on the most important of these points and to prevent the information overload that would result from trying to learn every single thing in the readings and from class.  I will only ask questions drawn only from the readings that are on the list provided on the study guide.

4. Use the sample exam questions posted on the course website to help you prepare for the exams.  These are exam questions taken from old exams and will give you a good idea of the types of questions I will ask on the actual exam.  You should use these questions as practice exams; once you think you know the material fairly well, take part of the sample questions as if you were taking the real exam.  You should get a clear idea of what material you understand and what parts are still a problem for you from your results on this practice exam, and you can then focus more of your study time on those parts of the material (e.g. if you keep missing questions about the system of global stratification on the sample exam, then spend more time on this section of the notes).  The other thing the sample questions can do is to give you a clear idea of what kinds of questions I will ask on the actual exam: definitions of terms, main characteristics of a concept, region, period in history, etc., questions in which there are three things that are true and one that is false (what I call EXCEPT questions, as you will see on in class quizzes and the sample questions) and the correct answer is the one thing that is NOT true, examples that require you to apply concepts to a situation I describe in the question, and questions drawn solely from the list on the readings' study guide.  If you are having trouble with a particular type of question (such as these example questions), you have the opportunity to figure out how to read, understand and then answer these questions more effectively (including writing brief definitions for each term used as an answer choice, underlining the facts in the story that fit with each term, noting if a question is an EXCEPT question, etc.).  

5. DO NOT only study the sample exam questions, rather than your notes and the study guide for the readings.  Your chances of passing the exam by only studying the sample questions are VERY small.  This is not a math class, where I could post a set of sample problems, then change the numbers on the actual exam, and have a brand new exam.  There will be some overlap between the sample questions and the actual exam questions (I may ask for the definition of social location in both places, or have a similar example about how to classify people using the criteria for the American class structure by income, education and occupation), but do not assume that everything on the actual exam is included on the sample exam questions.  I incorporate new examples, concepts, etc. in the lectures, change the readings covered periodically, and write new exams every semester instead of just recycling the same questions over and over, so the sample exam questions are an aid to studying, but not a replacement for studying the notes and readings.

6. Find someone to study with before the exam.  One of the best ways to ensure that you have learned, understand and can apply the material is to talk about it with one or a few other people.  If you can define a concept to someone else, identify the three main characteristics of plants in the rainforest, come up with your own example of the role of peer groups in the process of socialization, etc., then your chances of being able to answer exam questions correctly are good.

7. Read carefully when you are taking the exam.  Understanding the example questions can be difficult when there is a lot of information to consider, and many people simply do not notice the word EXCEPT in those types of questions, for example, ensuring that they will not answer these questions correctly.

8. Ask questions when something is confusing in class or in the readings.  You can ask questions in class, during office hours, and via email.  We will talk about many things that many of you have never thought about or studied previously, and many things we discuss will contradict stereotypes and common misconceptions in our society about other parts of the world and the often incomplete and inaccurate coverage provided by media outlets.  This often raises questions and creates confusions about the material, and the only way that I and your TA's can help is if you ask us about them.  As I've said several times, if one person has a question about something, the chances are good that many other people do, too.

9. Do not be overwhelmed by the amount of material covered on each exam.  The number of pages of notes and readings, the number of countries we will discuss, and the unfamiliarity of much of this material will make preparing for exams a daunting task.  If you are attending class, doing the readings, asking questions, reading through your notes periodically to keep everything we have discussed a little fresher in your mind, and following the other suggestions here, you will be able to survive the exams.

10. Do a good job on the homework assignments and the two major writing assignments.  These are other opportunities to show what you have learned, rather than relying solely on multiple choice tests that are very difficult for many people simply because of the multiple choice format.  Answer the questions asked on the assignment, do the required research, and take the time to edit your writing to ensure that it is clear and demonstrates what you know.

11. Take advantage of any extra credit opportunities that you can.  Attending lectures is difficult for many people with busy schedules of work, family and other responsibilities, but there will be other opportunities that you can do on your own time, rather than attending lectures and events.  The extra credit opportunities are additional chances to learn something related to class, hear other points of view about important topics, and allow you to get the best grade that you can.  These points are added to your point total for the semester and often are the difference between getting a B instead of a C or between passing instead of failing the course.  Every semester, a few students earn 50+ extra credit points (equivalent to 10%+ of the 500 total points possible for the course), raising their grade significantly.  If you have trouble with the exams, taking advantage of the extra credit opportunities will be critical to surviving the course.

Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these suggestions.  Good luck!