How your final grade is calculated
15%
15%
40%
30%
Special Note:
Academic accommodations are available for students with disabilities who are registered with the Office of Disability and Support Services. Please schedule an appointment with the instructor early in the semester to discuss any accommodations for this course which have been approved by the Director of Disability and Support Services as indicated in your DSS accommodation letter.
Class attendance and participation
First, regular attendance is a must for this class. Absence in more than two classes will definitely impair your participation grade.
To be successful, this class requires its members to complete the readings by the day they are assigned, participate in discussions frequently, and engage the issue of corporate power seriously. Do not just answer my questions; pose your own, and call attention to other issues or events of relevance. Participation also means employing your interest in corporate power outside of the class. Via the business news I have linked to the scheduled readings, keep abreast of current events or public concerns that relate to the topics we discuss. Think about how corporate power pertains to ideas you have learned in other classes.
I realize that all students are not equally vocal in class, whether by general disposition or an occasional loss for something to say. If you do not speak up in class on a given week, you should compensate by joining in subsequent on-line class discussions that I initiate on Blackboard (e.g., by extending classroom discussion, calling attention to a related news item), or at least attending my office hours to ask substantive questions.
For 10 of the 12 weeks that books have been assigned to read, a pair of students will give a 15-20 minute presentation each on the questions/themes/debate positions shown in the schedule. While the format of presentation is open, each presentation should at least include:
- A minimum of summary. For no more than 5 minutes, present the relevant points, arguments, and/or narrative of the book that supports your particular theme/position. Do not worry about covering the whole reading; instead, assume your fellow students have also read the book and focus on those parts that most effectively frame...
- A clear argument. Analyze the theme or (when presentations are debates) advocate the particular position you have selected, referring to specific arguments or examples in the book. Elaborate the theoretical implications and political stakes of your theme. Incorporate contemporary news, outside data from our research resources, previous readings, or insights from other courses to fortify your argument. Again, do not worry about saying all there is to be said; an insightful analysis of a few key ideas will get a higher grade than a weak and rushed discussion of everything.
- Original questions. Conclude the presentation with 2 or 3 questions to stimulate class discussion. These questions may include concepts or issues that you didn't understand and want further clarification, or more definitive claims that you want the class to tackle.
The two students' presentations need not be scheduled back-to-back; instead, they should be formatted in order to lead class discussion in the direction they believe most valuable. For example, the first student may begin class with an argument that organizes class discussion for 30 minutes; in the second hour, the second student may present a counter-argument that organizes class discussion in a different direction for the rest of class. I strongly encourage students assigned to the same week to coordinate their presentations with each other in advance of class day.
For eight (8) weeks of your choice, you will write a brief of minimum 500-word (1 1/2 pages) length. Plan your reading/writing well over the course of the semester. I expect that these briefs will have a clear analytic progression (thesis, evidence, counter argument, conclusion); stream of consciousness or personal feelings, no matter how potentially fascinating, are inappropriate. These briefs are to be posted onto the corresponding Blackboard discussion board by the appropriate deadline (see below); do not turn in hard copies of your brief in class.
There are two kinds of briefs, for which you will write 4 of each: (a) those written before the class, and (b) those written after the class.
Briefs written before the class will explicitly respond to the reading(s) assigned for that week. They are due at the beginning of class, and no late briefs will be accepted. These can take the form of either (a) a theoretical discussion or (b) an application of the readings to a real-life example you find in the news. In either case you should strive to analyze, synthesize, integrate, or apply the ideas you have found provocative. Do not simply summarize or compare two readings. Think of topics that you would like to discuss in class. Good commentaries often raise more questions, so you may conclude your analysis by listing several additional concerns.
Briefs written after the class will correspond to the readings and debates discussed in this previous lecture and on Blackboard. These are due within 24 hours after each class meeting; for example, one student will submit by March 22nd a statement that pertains the March 21st seminar discussion of Welch's Jack: Straight From the Gut. These after-class statements should reflect and build upon the ideas generated in seminar and the readings; they should demonstrate a more knowledgeable and sophisticated understanding of the materials, after you have resolved confusion over and/or better understood the readings and had some time after class to mull the ideas over.
The final assignment is a term paper in which you select a case study event or problem of corporate power, describe its history, and analyze it in terms of the theory and methods we encounter in the course. You will turn in a proposal after spring break, present your case study during the last two weeks of class, and turn in the final term paper during finals week.
The Case study: Select a corporation, nonprofit business organization, event, trend or problem that is current and relevant to the class.
Data Sources: I expect that you will draw heavily on secondary sources for this case study, primarily journalistic and electronic. I have compiled some additional research resources to help you find a topic of interest; Vassar librarians can help you find articles, books, and other online resources once you have chosen a case study. Corporations produce numerous documents about themselves, so you should request an annual report as well as other legally mandated reports; use written advertisements, promotion brochures, and media communications. You may also gain enough access so that you can obtain internal memos or press releases, or possibly complete interviews with key informants.
Case Description and Analysis: Your challenge will be to consolidate the various sources of information into a 10-12 page case-study description, followed by a 5-6 page case analysis.
The description of your case study should include:
- Context. Relevant contextual elements might be internal and/or external to the organization and issue, taking into account historical, technological, social, legal, cultural, and demographic considerations as appropriate.
- Problem. This should be described in historical constructivist terms, e.g., how did this issue become a problem?
- Solution. The "solution" is likely to be contested, so describe the various stakeholders and the unanticipated consequences thus far.
Remember, you will present your case-study description in class roughly 2-3 weeks before the written term paper is due. In the final paper, this portion will be graded for completeness and clarity of presentation.
The analysis should assess the case as a whole from several sociological perspectives, as covered throughout the course readings, lectures, and additional sources that I refer you to. This section should also include alternative solutions to the issues at hand. This portion will be evaluated for depth and breadth of analysis, use of course concepts, and writing ability.
For an excellent example of a Corporate Power term paper, here is one written by Rob Strauss in Spring 2000. (For some reason, it lost its title page on its way to this site -- don't let that happen to your paper!)
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