CHILDHOOD
SOCIOLOGY - SOC 385
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE
THIS COURSE PRESENTS A SOCIOLOGICAL
AND HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF
CHILDHOOD, THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN
RAISING CHILDREN, AND AN
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT CONSTITUTES
HEALTHY PARENTING.
EACH WEEK WE WILL DISCUSS THE MAJOR
CONCEPTS WITHIN CHILDHOOD
SOCIOLOGY AND LEARN HOW OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF CHILDHOOD TAKES
PLACE IN MACRO WAYS LIKE
KINTERGARDEN AND IN MICRO WAYS
SUCH AS BULLYING OR PARENTING
TODDLERS.
WE WILL ALSO FOCUS ON
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN
RELATION TO RETELLING OUR OWN
CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES SO WE CAN
DEVELOP SELF-UNDERSTANDING AND
COMPASSION AS WE DEVELOP WHAT KIND
OF PARENT WE WOULD LIKE TO BE. WE
WILL ALSO FOCUS ON ISSUES OF
INEQUALITY AND DIFFERENCE (RACE,
CLASS, GENDER, SEXUALITY) SO THAT WE
CAN BE SUPPORTIVE OF A DIVERSITY OF
CHILDREN AND CHILDHOOD
EXPERIENCES.
SPRING 2022
M(SYNCH) -W
4- 5:40 PM
MI 2106
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Donny (Dr. Ceaser)
(Donny Janet Donnique)
Office: MI 3088
Phone: 510.885.4272
Office Hours: Mon 3-4
and by appt.
donovon.ceaser@csueastbay.edu
(please put CHILD SOC in all your email headings)
THIS COURSE FITS THE
FOLLOWING SOCIOLOGY
STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES
• ENGAGE (ORALLY AND IN
WRITING) IN EDUCATED,
OPEN-MINDED DISCUSSIONS
OF DIVERSE SOCIOCULTURAL
BELIEFS, PERSPECTIVES, AND
NORMS.
• UNDERSTAND AND EMBRACE
SOCIAL DIVERSITY, AND
CRITICALLY ANALYZE
CULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS
OF OPPRESSED POPULATIONS,
WHILE WORKING TOWARD
EQUITY AND EMPOWERMENT.
• CRITICALLY READ, INTERPRET,
INTEGRATE AND SYNTHESIZE
ABSTRACT SOCIOLOGICAL
ARGUMENTS AND THEORIES.
 ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS Required Text:

• AS THE INSTRUCTOR, IT IS MY Handel, G., Cahill, S., and Elkin, F.

ROLE TO GUIDE CONVERSATION, NOT (2007). Children and Society: the
YOURS. I WOULD LOVE YOUR HELP, sociology of children and
BUT UNDER MY GUIDANCE ONLY. childhood socialization. Oxford,
Oxford University Press.
• THIS SPACE IS FOR DISCUSSION (ISBN-13: 9780195330786)
SO PLEASE SPEAK IN CLASS. ALSO
REMEMBER TO GIVE SPACE FOR
(All other excerpts will be on Blackboard)
OTHERS TO SPEAK AS WELL. ONLY A
FEW COMMENTS PER CLASS ARE Donny, 2021. The Book of You.
NEEDED FOR A GREAT DISCUSSION. (unpublished manuscript)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NhN7QGzfgupgsIS
o1MUI_0eiyDHdG0_cRCEpsaSHNMs/edit?usp=sharing
• THERE WILL BE A WIDE RANGE OF
PEOPLE HERE OF DIFFERENT BELIEFS,
WHICH MAY BE TOLERANT OR
INTOLERANT TOWARD YOUR BELIEFS.

• YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR

FEELINGS. IT IS YOUR CHOICE TO BE Other guidelines/rules:
OPEN OR NOT, TO ANSWER A Come to class on time
QUESTION OR NOT, AND TO CHANGE
Participate
YOUR MIND SO THAT YOU ARE
COMFORTABLE.
Bring notebook/tissues for meditation
• WE ARE ALL HERE TO EDUCATE Self-Care Items: stuffed animals,
EACH OTHER, SO FOCUS ON
UNDERSTANDING OTHERS AND Blankets, fidget toys
OPENING UP CONVERSATION WHEN WE Notify me when things go wrong
DISAGREE, NOT JUDGING OR Don’t cheat or plagiarize
DISMISSING ANYONE OR ONLY
FOCUSING ON YOUR STORY/ISSUE.

• FOCUS ON YOUR OWN PERSONAL

GROWTH, CONSCIOUSNESS, AND OPEN-
MINDEDNESS.

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 TEACHING APPROACH

IN GRADUATE SCHOOL I FOCUSED MY STUDIES ON CRITICAL, FEMINIST, AND

ENVIRONMENTAL PEDAGOGY. IN SHORT THIS MEANS THAT I VIEW EDUCATION
AS THE SPACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO QUESTION THE STATUS QUO,
EXPRESS THEIR POINT OF VIEW, AND VALUE THE EMBODIED EXPERIENCES
THAT HAVE SHAPED THEIR LIVES.

I FEEL THAT PEOPLE LEARN BEST WHEN THEY LEARN INFORMATION THAT IS
PERSONALLY MEANINGFUL TO THEM. SO I FOCUS ON HAVING CRITICAL AND
NUTURING CONVERSATIONS THAT LET US DISCUSS OUR EXPERIENCES AND
RELATE TO CLASS MATERIAL. I’M ALSO MOSTLY LAID BACK AND FUN BUT I DO
GET STRESSED OUT A LOT.

ALSO, I AM VERY INFLUENCED BY SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND

BUDDHISM. SO, IN ADDITION TO LEARNING ACADEMIC SKILLS, I ALSO INCLUDE
TRAUMA INFORMED EXERCISES ON EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, MEDITATION,
AND UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIPS FOR DEVELOPING YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL
AND SPIRITUAL SELF.

GRADE BREAKDOWN
DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS
PARTICIPATION
- HYBRID- SYNCH (MON)/ASYNCH (WED) 10 % 20
THIS CLASS WILL MEET IN PERSON ON
MONDAYS. THERE WILL BE ASSIGMENTS TO POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
DO ON YOUR OWN ON WEDENDSDAY. THERE 20 PTS
WILL ALSO BE A DEDICATED ZOOM LINK FOR
10% 20
CLASS AS WELL.
SELF-CARE ASSIGNMENTS-
- SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING (8) 10 PTS EACH
EXERCISE 40% 80
IN THIS SECTION WE WORK ON OUR
SENSE OF SELF. WE DO SELF-HELP, MIDTERM MEDITATION
MEDITATION, OR SOCIAL ACTIVITIES. 5 % 10
WE WILL ALSO HAVE “DISCUSSION
DAYS”AS FREE TIME FOR OPEN FINAL MEDITATION
DISCUSSION ABOUT THESE ISSUES. 10 % 20

FINAL PROJECT
- PRESENTATIONS
25 % 50
ONCE A SEMESTER STUDENTS WILL
PRESENT A POWERPOINT OF A PIECE OF
COURSE MATERIAL. THIS IS NOT
TOTAL 100% 200 PTS
FORMAL, I WILL INTERRUPT YOU AND
OPEN UP CONVERSATION.
PRESENTATIONS HAPPEN UNTIL THE
END OF CLASS.

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 IMPORTANT INFORMATION

- ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE UPLOADED TO BLACKBOARD (DO NOT SEND TO MY

EMAIL UNLESS I SPECIFICALLY ASK YOU TO). YOU CAN CLICK ON THE
ASSIGNMENT AND UPLOAD THE FILE. PRESENTATION FILES ARE
SUBMITTED BY LINKING/UPLOADING YOUR WORK TO THE GOOGLE DOC.

- ASSIGNMENTS AND PRESENTATION CAN BE SUBMITTED AS A WORD, PDF,

OR JPEG FILE. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE YOU HAVE
SUMMITTED ASSIGMENTS CORRECTLY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A GRADE.
FAILURE TO DO SO MAY MEAN RECEIVING A ZERO.

- ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE TWO WEEKS FROM THE DAY THEY ARE GIVEN.
PRESENTATIONS ARE DUE ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE. CHECK THE CALENDAR
TO FIND THE DUE DATE (I WILL SEND NOTIFICATIONS, BUT IT’S
ULTIMATELY YOUR JOB) AFTER THE DUE DATE, YOU GET 2 MORE WEEKS,
AND I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE UP TO 50% OFF IN LATE PENALTIES.
THE LAST DAY OF CLASS (NOT THE FINAL) IS THE LAST DAY TO SUBMIT
EVERYTHING.

- PRESENTATIONS ARE 20 POINTS: 1/2 FOR TURNING IT IN ON TIME AND 1/2

FOR THE PRESENTATION ITSELF (YOUR ABILITY TO READ AND EXPLAIN,
NO TYPOS, ETC). PRESENTATIONS NEED TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING: (1) AN
EXPLANATION OF THE MAIN CONCEPTS, (2) HOW DOES THIS RELATED TO
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS (IF POSSIBLE), (3) EXAMPLES THAT DEMONSTRATE
THOSE CONCEPTS- (YOUTUBE, PICTURES, OR DISCUSS PERSONAL
EXPERIENCES).NO EXACT LENGTH BUT EXPECT AROUND 5-6 SLIDES. PUT
YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ON THE TITLE PAGE.

- ALL OTHER ASSIGNMENTS, IN THIS COVID YEAR, WILL BE BASED ON

DEVELOPING YOUR SELF-CARE. THERE WILL BE NO FORMAL ESSAYS
EXCEPT FOR THE FINAL PROJECT (IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO THAT). PLEASE
USE THESE ASSIGNMENTS TO REALLY GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR
THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AS WE DEAL WITH THIS DIFFICULT TIME.

- IF YOU CAN’T PRESENT YOU MUST TELL ME WITH 24 HOUR NOTICE FOR
CREDIT. IF POSSIBLE, YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO PRESENT THE
FOLLOWING CLASS. THIS MAY NOT ALWAYS BE POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IF
YOUR SECTION IS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAPTER. IF IT IS NOT
POSSIBLE, YOU CAN ONLY RECEIVE 3/4 CREDIT FOR YOUR PRESENTATION
(ASSUMING YOU TURNED IT IN ON TIME).

- GRADES WILL BE GENERALLY POSTED WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF THE DUE DATE

(UNLESS YOU TURNED IT IN LATE). PRESENTATIONS AND PARTICIPATION
GRADES ARE OFTEN POSTED AT THE VERY END OF THE SEMESTER. AFTER
GRADES ARE POSTED YOU MAY SEND ME ONE EMAIL EXPLAINING
ANYTHING, WHICH I WILL RESPOND TO AFTER A WEEK. I RESERVE THE
RIGHT TO REVISE AND LOWER YOUR PARTICIPATION GRADE IF YOU SEND
ME ANY RUDE OR AGGRESSIVE LANUGAGE ABOUT YOUR GRADE.

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 TOPICS TO DISCUSS
Handel: Textbook/ reading/excerpt numbers
Everything else on Blackboard (BB
1. Topic 1 Introduction 6. Childhood Socialization II
Handel: intro P.2-10, ch 1 studying children p.11-33, Handel: , Ch 6 School
Gabriel 2017: Ch 1 p1-10, ch 2 p13-31 (including , Ch 7 Peers
Foucault discourse and power (p 8-10, Sociology of Holden : 9 middle childhood
Childhood 20-29 , Ch 10 adolescents
(Sternheimer) Intro p. vi-vii, Gabriel: ch 6 civilizing young children. (focus on ideas,
Holden : , ch 2 theoretical perspectives, not all these names)
Holden : ch 3 approaches to parenting research Sternheimer , reading 25 Outside Class: hist analysis of
Turner: 1-22 Parenting: concepts challenges children’s competitive activities
Ingolsby and Smith CH 1 Global Families , 14 popularity

2. Topic 2 History 7. Effective Parenting II

Handel: ch 3: cultural and historical constructions 57-65 Turner ch 3 middle childhood and adolescence
Handel: history of western childhood 65-76, (skip Japan) , ch 4 parenting later life
Sternheimer reading 1 : Economic world of children Holden ch 11 parenting in nontraditional families
Holden : Ch 1 Introduction 2-15, 15-27 Stiffleman Ch 11 tools and tips
Ingolsby CH 3 The history of the Euro-Western family
8. Sex, Gender, Sexuality
3. Childhood Socialization I Handel: ch 11 Sex, gender and socialization
Handel: Ch 4 , basic processes , Sternheimer 2 Minors censorship sex and history,
Ch 5 family 22 Constructing opposite sides,
Ch 8 Media 23 barbie girls vs sea monsters
Gabriel (great material but hard AF to read) CH 3 Ingolsby and Smith 18 Women in the two-thirds world
relational soc of early childhood . 19 Household division of labor in industrial societies.
ch 4 social habitus in early childhood Meyer (gender/sex ed book) ch 16 heteronormative
ch 5 young childrens play harassment
Sternheimer : 5 In search of the child 18 that’s so gay.
6 Kidnapped: Childhood stolen Trans article.
Bell Understanding Adultism Williams: ch 4 dating, 5 love, 6 communication,
7 sexuality, 8 marriage
4. Effective Parenting I
Holden CH 5 determinants of parenting 9. Class and Poverty
6 becoming parent Handel : ch 9 social class
ch 7 parenting infants Sternheimer reading 18 concerted cultivation
8 parenting preschoolers , 33 children of incarcerated
Stiffelman (Tolle book) Ch 1 , 34 working children,
and 2
Turner: ch 5 effective strategies for contemporary parents 10. Problems in Parenting I
Turner: ch 7 single parent and stepfamilies
5. Race , ch 8 parenting and work
Handel : ch 10 ethnic groups minorities Williams ch 14 uncoupling
McAdoo ch 4 the village talks ch 15 remarriage
5 Racial Socialization of young black children, Turner ch 9 high risk families
8 psychological perspective on black parenting Williams 13 crises managing stress violence and abuse
Mattias Mommy is being brown bad? Holden ch 12 parents at risk
Sternheimer reading 19 using race concepts , ch 14 child maltreatment.,
20 racial identity in school Stiffleman ch 5 modeling self love and awareness
Frankenburg ch 5 interracial couples and parenting Sternheimer 31 children power and sexual abuse
Ingolsby: ch 12 Asian and Latino families
Ch 13 families in the middle east
Ch 14 Sub-Saharan Africa
Ch 17 American Indian families

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 COURSE SCHEDULE

NOTE: Though I will try to remain as faithful as possible to this syllabus, sometimes it might be necessary to make changes. In the
event that changes must be made, I will announce them in class or on the class email list.

Spring 2023 Childhood Sociology SOC 385

#= Book of You worksheet

JANUARY MONDAY (SYNCH-IN WEDNESDAY

CLASS)
Week Three 16. MLK DAY 17. Classes Start 18.

Week Four 23. First day of class. 25. Self- Care 1,

Explain syllabus Learning Style #4
Week Five 30. Topic 1 Introduction ,
#3

FEBRUARY
Week One 1. Movie/Read 1
Week Two 6. Topic 2 History#5 8. Self Care 2, #9
Week Three 13. Topic 3: Childhood 15. Movie/Read 2
Soc I #6
Week Four 20. Topic 4: Effective 22. Self-Care 3, #8
Parenting I #7
Week Five 27. Topic 5 Race #10

MARCH
Week One 1. Movie/Read 3
Week Two 6. Finish Topic 5 (or previous) 8. Self Care 4, #12
BoringSelfCare
Week Three 13 Midterm!!! 15. Movie/Read 4
Week Four 20. Topic 6 Childhood Soc II 22. Self-care 5, #13
#12 ACES Survey
Week Five 27. SPRING BREAK 29. SPRING BREAK

APRIL
Week One
Week Two 3. Topic 7 Effective Parenting#14 5. Movie/Read 5
Week Three 10. Topic 8 Sex Gender 12. Self care 6, #16
Sexuality#15
Week Four 17. Finish Topic 8 (or previous) 19. Movie/Read 6
#16
Week Five 24. Topic 9 Class and Poverty 26. Self-care 7, #17
#17

MAY
Week One 1. Topic 10 Problems in 3. Last Day of Class
Parenting#18 Self care 8, #18 Love
Languages
Week Two 8. Final Exam 5:30- 7:30 10.
Week Three 15. 16. Grades Due 17.
Week Four 22. 24.