Professor: Dr. Karen Conner
128 Howard Hall
271-2167
karen.conner@ drake.edu
Fax: 515.271.2055
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 1:00 to 2:00 Wednesday, 3:30 to 4:30
At other times by appointment.
Required Text:
Novak, Mark. Issues in Aging: An Introduction to Gerontology . New York: Longman, 1997.
Objectives for Aging and the Life Course:
This course is part of a package of courses covering the field of gerontology or "Aging
Studies". Gerontology is a multidisciplinary, scientific study of the aging process.
Gerontologists recognize that aging is a combination of physical, psychological, and social
processes. Consequently, the study of gerontology includes three primary disciplines:
Biology, Psychology, and Sociology.
Drake University offers students the opportunity to pursue the "Aging Studies
Concentration". The Concentration may be added to any major field of study.
Requirements for the Concentration include the following courses:
Bio 158 Biomedical Aspects of Aging
Psy 147 Psychology of Adult Development and Aging
Soc 90 Aging and the Life Course
Soc 164 Aging and Society
AS 199 Field Placement
When sociologists study the aging process, their field of study is often referred to as "Social Gerontology". In The Aging Experience , Russell Ward says that social gerontology is the study of the social aspects of the aging process. As an area of study and research, social gerontology has three primary and complementary tasks: (1) to understand the aging process as an individual experience; (2) to understand the social, political, and econornic positions of older people in society; and (3) to understand the social consequences that result from an aging population.
The objective of "Aging and the Life Course" (Soc 90) is to focus on what Russell Ward defines as tasks 1 and 2. Specifically, course materials are designed to help us understand what happens to the individual as he or she ages and to discern the social experiences that come with aging and the political and economic positions of America's current cohorts of older people.
Course Requirements and Final Course Grade: Final course grades in Sociology
90 will be based on the student's performance on three short-answer essay exams, a "Final
Course Paper", attendance, and several in-class writing assignments or exercises.
Short-Answer Essay Exams: Exam questions will be drawn from the assigned reading, class discussion, and lecture. Exam dates are listed on your syllabus. Sample exam questions include the following: (1) Describe the differences between intrinsic and reactive aging effects. What would be the best approach to measuring the intrinsic effects of the aging process? Why? (2) Modernization theory suggests that generational differences emerge as nations modernize. Why does this happen? (3) Describe the practical application of the Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ).
Important Note Regarding Exam Policy: Exams are given at the scheduled time only. In no case is an exam given early. In cases of illness or personal emergency a special makeup examination may be written. In order to qualify for a makeup examination, the student must inform the professor of his or her need to miss a scheduled exam by leaving a phone-mail message at 271-2167. Makeup exams must be taken during office hours. All students missing the scheduled exam must take the examination together.
Final Course Paper: Students are required to begin daily reading of a newspaper of their choice on January 18. Several newspapers are avallable for sale on campus including the Des Moines Register, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Chicago Tribune. Clip and save in a "clipping file" articles that focus on older people, on issues of particular interest to older people (i.e. social policy and programs), and on topics related to the aging process (i.e. scientific research, demographic analysis).
Keep your clipping file up to date. You will be asked to bring your file to class with you on several occasions for use during class discussions. Your clipping file will also be a major source of materials for your "Final Course Paper".
The pumose of the "Final Course Paper" is to draw the course to a conclusion by exploring how course materials apply to your own personal, family, and professional lives. Your paper will have three parts addressing three central questions: (1) Personal: What are the most important issues that concern you as you consider your own aging process? (2) Family: What are the central concerns currently faced by your parents and other older members of your family as they age? (3) Professional: What are the applications of course materials to your professional plans and projected career?
In answering the questions, you will need to project ahead into your 60s, 70s, and 80s. What are your goals for the future? What do you need to be considering now in order to achieve later life goals? You will also need to consider the lives of people in older generations. What are the concerns of your parents and grandparents? What is your role (both now and in the future) in helping them address these concerns? In addition, you need to consider your own plans for work and a career. You will be working in a society that is significantly older than it has been in the past. How will this affect your work?
This is your opportunity to drawn course materials to bear on your own life. Clearly, you will be speculating about the future and what it may bring for you and others. However, this is not simply "speculation" or "opinion". It is "speculation" and "opinion" informed by "fact". What you write in your paper should be distinctly different than what you might have written on the first day of class. You now have the benefit of having considered what is known about the aging process. Your paper must be grounded in the "facts" generated by the concentrated study of gerontology along with knowledge of current events and public affairs as they relate to the aging process. Your sources include assigned reading and class discussion materials and your clipping file.
Specific Guidelines That Must Be Followed:
1. Your paper should be 5 to 6 pages long.
2. It must be typed and double spaced.
3. Make 2 copies of your paper. One copy is turned in for grading and the other is kept for
class discussion purposes. Papers will be discussed in class during the Final Exam period
on May 9.
4. Do not use a plastic folder. Simply attach a cover sheet to your paper that contains your
name and the title of this course.
5. Your final course paper is due at the beginning of class on
Tuesday, May 2.
Your grade on the "Final Course Paper" will be based on the substantive content of the paper. Style, spelling, and grammar are important and will be considered. Note that no credit is given for papers turned in after class on the date the paper is due.
There is no exception to this rule. You are encouraged to turn your paper in early to avoid last minute problems that would have a negative effect on your grade.
Attendance: Participation in class is an important part of the leaming process. Since participation is important, attendance is required. A record of attendance will be kept. As a guideline, remember that missing 1 class is the eqivalent of one week of class participation. Consequently an accumulation of more than 2 absences will result in the loss of all attendance points and a score of zero will be given for attendance. The only excused absences are those for athletes who are required to travel for team games or for students who are required to participate in a university sponsored event. Athletes must present a written excuse from their coach and other students must present a written excuse from the professor sponsoring the event. It is also important to be on time for class. Late arrivals will be noted and excessive tardiness will result in the loss of all attendance points.
In-Class Assignments: On several occasions students will be asked to complete in-class written assignments or exercises. These assignments are designed to facilitate the leaming process and apply what we are learning to practical problems. These assignments will include some independent thinking as well as group work. Points will be accumulated from these assignments. In-class assignments may not be "made up" at a later date.
In addition, in order to establish and maintain a high quality leaming environment in the classroom students are responsible for meeting the following obligations:
1. Be on time for class. Class begins promptly at 5:00.
2. Have the assigned reading completed by the specified date.
3. Be prepared to contribute to class discussions in a meaningful way.
4. Attend class regularly.
Final Course Grade: Each of the grade components described in the above paragraphs will comprise the following proportion of your final course grade:
Exam 1 25 percent
Exam 2 25 percent
Exam 3 25 percent
Paper 10 percent
In-Class Exercises 10 percent
Attendance 5 percent
Final Course Grade 100 percent
TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Topic One: "Aging Defined"
January 18 No Reading Assignment
"Pop Quiz" FAQ
Topic Two: Aging America
January 25 Novak, Chapters 1 and 4
Topic Three: Theory and Methods in Gerontology
February 1 Novak, Chapter 2
Topic Four: The History of Old Age in America and Other Places
February 8 Novak, Chapter 3
Bring Clipping File: "What are the important public is sues in the field of gerontology as reflected in the press?"
EXAM 1: FEBRUARY 15
Topic Five: Successful Aging: Physical Health and Well-Being in Old Age
February 15 Novak, Chapter 5
Topic Six: Psychological Change and the Life Course
February 22 Novak, Chapter 6
Topic Seven: Race. Ethnicity. and Aging
February 29 Novak, Chapter 7
Topic Eight: Retirement and the 21st Century
March 7 Novak, Chapters 10 and 12
Bring clipping file articles that describe what older people do in retirement.
Topic Nine: Aging and Finances
March 14 Novak, Chapter 9
Budget Exercise: Bring a calculator to class
March21 NO CLASS - SPRING BREAK
EXAM 2: MARCH 28
Topic Ten: Health Care and an Aging Population
March 28 Novak, Chapter 8
Topic Eleven: Housing for Older People
April 4 Novak, Chapter 11
Topic Twelve: Aging American Families
April11 Novak, Chapter 13
April 18 No Reading Assignment
Topic Thirteen: The Politics of Aging
April 25 Novak, Chapter 14
EXAM 3: MAY 2
FINAL COURSE PAPER DUE: MAY 2
FINAL EXAM PERIOD: MAY 9 - Class Begins at 6:00 PM
This period will be used to discuss final course papers. Attendance is required.