SOC6811 PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY
3 Credit Hours
Student Level:
This course is open to students on the college level in either Freshman or Sophomore year.
Catalog Description:
SOC6811 - Principles of Sociology (3 hrs.)
[KRSN SOC1010]
An introductory study to acquaint students with the influence on human social behavior. Sociology studies the processes and patterns of individuals and group interaction by acquainting students with the development, characteristics, and functioning of human groups, the relationships between groups, and group influences on individual behavior. It includes the study of how social relationships are created, maintained, and changed.
Course Classification:
Lecture
Prerequisites:
None
Controlling Purpose:
This course is designed to help the student increase their knowledge as Sociology attempts to develop a sociological perspective in students to help them make more sense of their daily lives and be more useful and productive citizens. In addition, one study is concerned with social problems and issues with the focus on keys to alleviating social pressures.
Learner Outcomes:
Upon completion of the course, the student should become familiar with the way behavior of the individual is influenced by membership in social groups. Sociology uses the scientific method to study society and social behavior. The discipline consists of three perspectives; the structural-functionalist perspective, the social-conflict perspective, and the symbolic-interaction perspective. By utilizing different methods of viewing society, the student will increase his/her knowledge of the reasons people act the way they do.
Core Outcomes:
The learning outcomes and competencies detailed in this course outline or syllabus meet or exceed the learning outcomes and competencies specified by the Kansas Core Outcomes Groups project for this course as approved by the Kansas Board of Regents.
Units Outcomes and Criterion Based Evaluation Key for Core Content:
The following outline defines the minimum core content, not including the final examination period. Instructors may add other material as time allows.
UNIT 1: Personal Management Skills
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Attends class on a regular and timely basis
- Written work displays material discussed in class in a clear, concise manner with few grammatical errors
- Oral participation in class reflects clear, concise, thought out views
- Completion of assignment is on or before the due date
- Interpersonal skills reflect the ability to work with large and small groups to reach a common goal
UNIT 2: Sociology: Theory and Method
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Understand the sociological perspective
- Be familiar with the origins and history of sociology
- Be able to identify the distinctive characteristics of functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism
- Distinguish how the scientific method is applied to the study of human society
- In general, be familiar with the four major methods by which sociologists conduct research and with the primary strengths and weaknesses of each method
UNIT 3: Culture
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Know how sociologists use the term culture
- Recognize the major components of culture: symbols, language, values and beliefs, norms, material, and non-material culture
- Be able to compare and contrast different types of cultures, including the effect of technology
- Be aware of the diversity that exists in human cultures
- Be able to apply each of the sociological theories to the study of culture
Unit 4: Socialization: From Infancy to Old Age
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Define the concept of socialization
- Understand different theories as applied to the socialization process and the development of personality
- Recognize the major agents of socialization and know their impact on the individual
- Be generally familiar with how socialization varies at different stages along the life course
UNIT 5: Social Interaction in Everyday Life
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Explain the concept of social interaction
- Understand the concepts of status and role and how the interactions between them affect personal life
- Recognize how reality is a social construction and the processes engaged in by humans in its construction
- Define dramaturgical analysis and discuss its key components
- Be able to apply the principle of social interaction to the concepts of language and humor
UNIT 6: Groups and Organizations
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Understand the distinctions between groups, aggregates, and categories
- Recognize the different styles of leadership discussed in the chapter: instrumental/expressive and democratic/authoritarian/laissez-faire
- Be familiar with the characteristics of formal organizations
- Compare and contrast the functions of groups and organizations from a global perspective
UNIT 7: Sexuality and Society
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Understand the distinctions between groups, aggregates, and categories
- Be familiar with sexual attitudes in the United States
- Know the basis of sexual orientation, the extent of homosexuality, and the effect of the gay rights movement
- Recognize the major sexual controversies
- Be able to apply three sociological paradigms to the study of sexuality
UNIT 8: Deviance
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Define the sociological concept of deviance
- Be able to discuss varying theories concerning deviance, including the biological, personality, and social foundations
- Apply the major sociological theories to the study of deviance
- Understand the effect of social diversity on deviance
- Be aware of the major types of crimes
- Identify the three key elements of the criminal justice system
UNIT 9: Social Stratification
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Be able to discuss the concept of social stratification and its four underlying fundamental principles
- Compare and contrast class and caste systems
- Apply the major sociological theories to stratification
- Understand stratification from a global perspective
- Be familiar with the class system in the U.S., including existing inequalities, the six social classes, and the impact that class has on the individual’s life and chances for mobility
- Know the extent of and effects of poverty in the United States
UNIT 10: Global Stratification
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Recognize why it is important to develop a global rather than merely a societal perspective
- Be familiar with the income distinctions between countries and understand the seriousness of global poverty
- Apply modernization and dependency theories to global inequality
UNIT 11: Gender Stratification
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Understand the fundamental distinction between sex and gender
- Discuss the socialization process as it applies to gender and gender roles
- Be aware of the influence of gender on social stratification
- Apply the structural, functional and conflict theories to the study of gender
- Define feminism and be able to identify the basic ideas of, the variations in, and the opposition to feminism
UNIT 12: Race and Ethnicity
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Understand how sociologists define the terms race, ethnicity, and minority
- Be able to discuss prejudice and discrimination and know how they relate to one another
- Define the concepts of stereotypes and racism
- Be familiar with the four patterns of minority-majority interaction outlined in the text
- Compare and contrast the experiences of the social histories of the major U.S. minority groups
- Be aware of the arguments for and against affirmative action
UNIT 13: Economics and Politics
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Give a historical overview of the economy
- Compare and contrast the major economic systems
- Understand employment in a post-industrial economic system
- Be able to explain the idea of corporations
- Compare and contrast the major types of political systems
- Be generally familiar with the U.S. political spectrum
- Apply the structural-functionalist and conflict theories to the study of politics
- Be familiar with the five factors which commonly promote war
UNIT 14: Family and Religion
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Define family from the sociological perspective and know the global variations that exist
- Apply the three major theoretical perspectives to the family
- Identify the stages of family life
- Understand the effects that race, class, and gender have on families in the United States
- Be able to discuss the transitions and problems common to family life, including divorce, remarriage, and violence
- Recognize alternative family forms
- Define religion from the sociological perspective and be aware of the basic concepts involved
- Recognize how each of the three sociological paradigms directs us toward different social aspects of religion
- Be aware of how religion changes as a society undergo industrialization
- Compare and contrast churches, cults, and sects
- Give a historical account of both religion in general and religion in the U.S
UNIT 15: Education and Medicine
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Define education and understand it from a global perspective
- List the major functions of schooling
- Recognize in general the various ways in which schooling tends to benefit children of the powerful more than children of the poor
- Understand the major social problems which affect schools today
- Be able to identify recent issues in U.S. education, including school choice, disabilities, and adult education
- Understand the concepts of medicine and health from a global perspective
- Know the major health-related issues in the United States
- Be able to discuss the medical establishment, including its history and present situation
- Apply the major theoretical perspectives to the study of medicine
UNIT 16: Population Urbanization and Environment
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Be familiar with the scope of the discipline of demography, including the basic elements of demographic analysis
- Understand the history of and the major theories which have been applied to population growth
- Compare and contrast population growth in the north and the south
- Know how sociologists define the term urbanization and how urbanism affects lifestyle
- Understand why the condition of the natural environment is a social issue
- Be familiar with the concepts of ecology, the natural environment, the ecosystem, and the environmental deficit
- Know the major threats to our environment and their potential impact
- Provide a sociological theoretical analysis involving society and the environment
UNIT 17: Social Change: Modern and Postmodern Societies
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Know how sociologists use the term social change and be aware of the four general characteristics of social change
- Be generally familiar with the five broad causes of social change
- Define modernity and understand the various viewpoints relevant to the concept
- Apply structural functionalism and conflict theory to modern life
- Understand the effect that modernity has on individual behavior
- Identify the major elements of the postmodern critique of modernity
UNIT 18: Service Learning
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to successfully…
- Participate in the community as a productive citizen through service learning
- Develop a deeper understanding of the ways that society and group membership affects individual lives
- Explain, through reflection, how service learning is related to concepts learned in the classroom; reflection logs, questions developed by the instructor or the service learning office, a written paper or class presentation
- Students must complete no less than 5 hours of service in the semester
- Hours must be approved through ACES. Instructors will work with ACES to track student hours
- Service learning will count for no less than 15% of the final course grade
Projects Required:
Textbook:
Contact Bookstore for current textbook.
Materials/Equipment Required:
Attendance Policy:
Students should adhere to the attendance policy outlined by the instructor in the course syllabus.
Grading Policy:
The grading policy will be outlined by the instructor in the course syllabus.
Maximum class size:
Based on classroom occupancy
Course Time Frame:
The U.S. Department of Education, Higher Learning Commission, and the Kansas Board of Regents define credit hour and have specific regulations that the college must follow when developing, teaching, and assessing the educational aspects of the college. A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally-established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester hour of credit or an equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time. The number of semester hours of credit allowed for each distance education or blended hybrid courses shall be assigned by the college based on the amount of time needed to achieve the same course outcomes in a purely face-to-face format.
Refer to the following policies:
402.00 Academic Code of Conduct
263.00 Student Appeal of Course Grades
403.00 Student Code of Conduct
Disability Services Program:
Cowley College, in recognition of state and federal laws, will accommodate a student with a documented disability. If a student has a disability which may impact work in this class, which requires accommodations, contact the Disability Services Coordinator.
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