SOCI 101 Introduction to Sociology

Through this introduction to sociology, students will develop an understanding of the basic concepts of sociology including culture, socialization, social stratification, and social change and be able to apply these concepts to social problems and everyday life experiences. Students will be exposed to sociological information and ideas which will help them understand and clarify their own norms, values, and attitudes.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Eligible to enroll in ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3

Course Objectives

1. Identify and organize information and ideas about the intersection of private troubles and social issues.
2. Generate ideas, explore possibilities, and consider alternative theories and explanations for a variety of social issues.
3. Analyze and evaluate ideas about causes and consequences of developments in society.
4. Apply sociological imagination to a critical analysis of a variety of social issues and/or problems.
5. Identify the core concepts of culture, especially the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, and apply them to an analysis of ethical reasoning across diverse cultures.
6. Identify the components of social structure, especially the concepts of status and role, and explain how social structure shapes human belief and behavior.
7. Identify key structural agents of socialization, and analyze the process by which humans become socialized by these agents throughout the life cycle.
8. Identify and/or describe the major dimensions of social stratification—including social class, racial and ethnic, as well as gender inequalities—and be able to critically evaluate structured inequalities on people's life chances in American society.
9. Examine key social institutions (i.e. economy, polity, family, religion, etc.) from a sociological perspective.
10. Explain social change from both micro and macro theoretical perspectives.
11. 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 the intersection of private troubles and social issues.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Application/paper assignment

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT1
2. Generate ideas, explore possibilities, and consider alternative theories and explanations for a variety of social issues.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Application/paper assignment

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT2
3. Analyze and evaluate ideas about causes and consequences of developments in society.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Application/paper assignment

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT3
4. Apply sociological imagination to a critical analysis of a variety of social issues and/or problems.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Application/Paper assignment

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT4
5. Identify the core concepts of culture, especially the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, and apply them to an analysis of ethical reasoning across diverse cultures.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Writing Assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Ethics Rubric

   Ethics Goals

   • ET1
   • ET2
   • ET3
6. Identify the components of social structure, especially the concepts of status and role, and explain how social structure shapes human belief and behavior.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Course assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Course assignment rubric.
7. Identify key structural agents of socialization, and analyze the process by which humans become socialized by these agents throughout the life cycle.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Course assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Course assignment rubric
8. Identify and/or describe the major dimensions of social stratification—including social class, racial and ethnic, as well as gender inequalities—and be able to critically evaluate structured inequalities on people's life chances in American society.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Course assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Course assignment rubric
9. Examine key social institutions (i.e. economy, polity, family, religion, etc.) from a sociological perspective.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Course assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Course assignment rubric.
10. Explain social change from both micro and macro theoretical perspectives.

    This objective is a course Goal Only

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Course assignments

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Course assignment rubric.
11. 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

    • Writing Assignments

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Other (please fill out box below)
    • Course Writing Rubric