SOCI 102 Social Problems

The general objective of this course is to give students a broad overview of contemporary problems both in America and around the world. This course will analyze social problems, both internationally and here in the United States, using various sociological perspectives. Students will use the tools of sociology - its analytical insights, its theoretical frameworks, and its methods - to ask questions about what constitutes a social problem, when does a social condition become problematic, who are advocating which strategies for solutions or social change. The course will focus on three general classes of social problems: problems of social inequality and conflict, problems arising within specific social institutions (family life, education, crime, and health care), and problems arising from social change (environmental crises, population growth, and social upheaval). In each case, students will study what is known: (1) about the problem and recent trends therein, (2) its causes and consequences, and (3) individual and societal responses to the phenomenon.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Eligible to enroll in ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3 hours weekly

Course Objectives

1. Identify and organize information and ideas about a variety of social problems.
2. Generate and explore ideas about the causes and consequences of a social problem, and consider alternative approaches to solving a social problem.
3. Analyze and evaluate ideas about the causes and consequences of social problems.
4. Apply sociological perspective to a critical analysis of a variety of social problems.
5. Apply appropriate strategies of inquiry and exploration in order to find, evaluate, and use information ethically in the study of a social problem.
6. Identify key concepts and theoretical perspectives essential to the development of a sociological analysis of the social problems underlying individual experience.
7. Differentiate the major sociological research methods and correctly identify key components of the scientific model as it is used by sociologists to reason and evaluate with scientific evidence.
8. Understand and explain how the social problems of the modern world arise from the social structural, cultural, and historical contexts of contemporary social life.
9. Write clearly and effectively using appropriate, relevant, and properly attributed content that demonstrates the writer’s understanding of a social problem.

Course Objectives

1. Identify and organize information and ideas about a variety of social problems.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Research paper/project

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT1
2. Generate and explore ideas about the causes and consequences of a social problem, and consider alternative approaches to solving a social problem.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Research paper/project

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT2
3. Analyze and evaluate ideas about the causes and consequences of social problems.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Research paper/project

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT3
4. Apply sociological perspective to a critical analysis of a variety of social problems.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Research paper/project

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT4
5. Apply appropriate strategies of inquiry and exploration in order to find, evaluate, and use information ethically in the study of a social problem.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Quizzes/Writing assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Rubric

   Information Literacy

   • IL1
   • IL2
   • IL3
6. Identify key concepts and theoretical perspectives essential to the development of a sociological analysis of the social problems underlying individual experience.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Writing Assignments
   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Quizzes/Writing assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Rubric
7. Differentiate the major sociological research methods and correctly identify key components of the scientific model as it is used by sociologists to reason and evaluate with scientific evidence.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Writing Assignments
   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Quizzes/Writing assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • rubric
8. Understand and explain how the social problems of the modern world arise from the social structural, cultural, and historical contexts of contemporary social life.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Quizzes/Writing assignment

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Rubric
9. Write clearly and effectively using appropriate, relevant, and properly attributed content that demonstrates the writer’s understanding of a social problem.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Quizzes/Writing assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Rubric