There is one required book for this class, Joel Charon’s Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective, available at the University bookstore.  While not exactly a textbook (intro textbooks usually bore me, so I’m sure you would be even more alienated by them), it will, I hope, provide us with some of the things we expect from a textbook.  In particular, chapters in this book should give us a fairly simple and broad overview of the basic outlines of a topic.  We will supplement readings from this text with other sources, some difficult and some not so hard.  Often, for especially difficult texts, I will post notes on the course web page.  Like these notes, all the readings not in Charon’s book will be on the web.  The URL for each web reading is listed in the course outline below.  In addition, these URL's are also hyperlinks on the course web page..  Just go to the course outline on the web and click to get to the reading.  Accessing some of these readings requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.  This is installed on all university computers.  It is also available free at http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html. Getting to some of these readings will require a password.  Please see me to get this password, or refer to your paper syllabus.  I recommend printing these readings out early in case the web site is down when you need it.  In addition, all of the web readings will be on reserve in my office at the Learning Center.  Those who think getting the readings off the Web is too much of a hassle may check out the entire packet of readings for two hours and make copies.