Course Description
This course encourages students to develop a sociological perspective of aspects of life. Concepts and ideas are discussed that contribute to the understanding of human behavior. It addresses fundamental sociological principles and tools that will help students to better understand their own lives and world they live in.
Credits: 5
Course Content
An Introduction to Sociology
- Explain the sociological perspective and discuss the contribution that it makes to our understanding of human behavior.
- Explain why common sense is an inadequate source of knowledge.
- Discuss the emergence of sociology as a science in mid 19th century Europe.
- Identify and explain the contributions of the early sociologists.
- Explain the chief differences in the three major theoretical perspectives.
- Differentiate macro- from micro-sociology and indicate which level of analysis is most likely to be used by each of the major theoretical perspectives.
- Describe the steps in the scientific method and the four major research methods.
- Describe the basic process and the importance of simple random sampling.
- Describe the major ethical issues involved in sociological research.
- State the key issues in the debate about the proper role of values in sociology.
- Define culture, including its material and nonmaterial components, and distinguish it from the concept of society.
- Discuss symbolic components of culture, including language and gestures.
- Be aware of the significance, diversity, and constraining aspect of norms.
- Differentiate an ethnocentric view from a cultural relativist view.
- Discuss similarities and differences (universals and diversity) in cultures.
- Describe three sources of cultural change and their relationship to cultural leveling.
Social Psychology
- Define the special perspective of the social psychologist and explain that perspective to another person.
- Explain the characteristics of a well-designed experiment in social psychology, including the experimental group, the control group, and the randomized assignment of subjects to groups
- Identify and explain two perspectives on socialization: the developmental perspective and the social learning perspective
- Describe, explain, and give examples of modeling and direct instruction as processes of socialization
- List several agents of socialization, such as family, the work setting, and the mass media, and explain the importance of these
- Describe and explain three different aspects of social influence: conformity, compliance, and obedience. You will be able to give examples and explain how each of the processes works in your everyday life
- Define cognitive dissonance and use cognitive dissonance theory to explain the relationship between attitudes and behavior. You will be able to give examples and explain how this process works in your own daily experience
Social Institutions
- Explain the nature and tasks of basic social institutions
- Describe the impact of social change on institutions
- Explain the nature of economic and business as social institutions
- Describe the transition from a pre-market to a market society
- Understand the effects of globalization
- Understand how sociologists study sports as an institution
- Describe how social values influence sport in American society.
Social Inequality
- Understand three major types of inequality: social class, race and ethnicity, and sex and gender
- Identify and evaluate the three factors making up social class: wealth, power, and prestige
- Understand differences between race and ethnicity
- Describe different types of intergroup relationships
- Comprehend the differences between African Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, and Asian Americans
- Understand the difference between sex and gender
- Describe two theories on how gender inequities began
- Recognize how socialization helps determine and perpetuate perceptions of gender inequality
- Understand gender inequality and how it influences our everyday lives
- Realize through participation in activities that you can influence the future of society.
Social Change
- Describe and explain the role of the physical environment in social change
- Describe and explain the role of population factors and migration in social change
- Describe and explain the role of discoveries, inventions, and diffusion in social change
- Describe and explain the role of ideas and ideologies in social change
- Describe and explain the role of fads and fashions in social change
- Describe and explain the role of mobs and riots in social change
- Describe and explain the role of social and political movements in social change
- Describe and explain the roles of industrialization and urbanization as major forces of social change in the United States and in developing countries
- Describe and understand how social change might affect you personally
