Syllabus

UNE Summer Session

SOC 150: Introduction to Sociology – 6 Weeks

Credits - 3

Description

The main objective of this course is for students to develop what C. Wright Mills called a ‘socio-
logical imagination’. Having a sociological imagination entails connecting ‘personal troubles to

public issues’, and thus this course will focus on the relationship between the individual and soci-
ety. To that end, the course introduces students to a broad range of sociological theory and re-
search to think through the impact of society on individuals (and vice versa) as we consider the

role of social structures, culture, institutions, social relations, social interaction, and so forth. The
course examines key themes addressed by contemporary sociologists, including: social inequality,
poverty, race, gender, globalization, deviance, the media, health care, and more.

The knowledge, critical thinking skills, and the ‘imagination’ gained in this course will aid stu-
dents as they embark in future studies within a variety of disciplines.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Course Goals

Specifically, this course aims:

• To provide the opportunity for students to develop a ‘sociological imagination’.
• To show how sociology differs from other academic disciplines.
• To explore the idea that our ‘reality’ is socially constructed.
• To introduce students to at least four major sociological perspectives (Functionalist, Conflict, Symbolic Interactionist, Feminist thought, etc)
• To explore the consequences of social structures, culture, and multiple forms of social stratification (including race, class, and gender) for individuals and society.
• To explore the relationships between social institutions, socialization, social control, and human behavior.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course students should be able to:

• Recognize the differences and similarities between sociology and other social science perspectives.
• Describe at least four major sociological perspectives.
• Evaluate the impact of various forms of inequality and stratification (including race, class, and gender).
• Describe the features of a social institution and analyze their impact on society and individuals.
• Apply the sociological imagination to their own lives.

SELF PACED DESIGN

On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.

Assignments

Homework/Reading Quizzes:

Each chapter of the textbook, and some other readings or podcasts, will have an associated BrightSpace quiz. Additional ‘homework’ assignments, generally short writing assignments, will be given. The grade of all of these will be averaged for this 20% of your grade. This is to give students a bit of room to take risks and to help understand what areas they have a better or worse understanding of as prep for exams. A few rough assignments will come out in the wash and you’ll have learned what to focus your studies on. A few zeros will cause problems very quickly. Do not get zeros.

Discussion Forum:

In the absence of class discussion, we will be sharing thoughts via a BrightSpace discussion forum. When part of the unit asks you to contribute thoughts and/or respond to someone else’s, my expectation is that you will offer your opinions and responses politely, with appropriate sociological terminology and ways of thinking and that you will be making a good-faith effort to contribute more than a minimum to our discussion. Do this and you will get 100 on this section. If your ef-
forts are minimal, non-sociological in nature, or impolite to others, you will not.

Exams:

Exams will be taken on BrightSpace. The midterm exam has a 80 minute time limit, the final 120 minutes. The midterm exam contains both short written responses and multiple choice questions. The final, for grading expediency, contains only multiple choice questions.

Social Biography/Memoir:

The final paper for the course is a sociological biography, looking at your own life in a broader sociological context. An assignment description will be provided after the midterm exam. The minimum is 5-6 pages double spaced but it is likely you will have much more to say. Creative alternatives to a written paper will be tentatively considered (i.e. a podcast might be fun but I am not qualified to grade a cake based on your relationship with society).

Written work must be referenced in an appropriate style where necessary.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Homework/Reading Quizzes	20%
Discussion Forum	20%
Midterm	20%
Final	20%
Social Biography/Memoir	20%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00