Introduction to Sociology

Course Number:

SOC 204Z

Transcript Title:

Introduction to Sociology

Created:

Aug 16, 2022

Updated:

May 31, 2025

Total Credits:

4

Lecture Hours:

40

Lecture / Lab Hours:

0

Lab Hours:

0

Satisfies Cultural Literacy requirement:

Yes

Satisfies General Education requirement:

Yes

Grading Options

A-F, P/NP, Audit

Default Grading Options

A-F

Repeats available for credit:

0

Alignment with Institutional Learning Outcomes

Major

1. Communicate effectively using appropriate reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. (Communication)

Major

2. Creatively solve problems by using relevant methods of research, personal reflection, reasoning, and evaluation of information. (Critical thinking and Problem-Solving)

Not Addressed

3. Extract, interpret, evaluate, communicate, and apply quantitative information and methods to solve problems, evaluate claims, and support decisions in their academic, professional and private lives. (Quantitative Literacy)

Major

4. Use an understanding of cultural differences to constructively address issues that arise in the workplace and community. (Cultural Awareness)

Major

5. Recognize the consequences of human activity upon our social and natural world. (Community and Environmental Responsibility)

To establish an intentional learning environment, Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) require a clear definition of instructional strategies, evidence of recurrent instruction, and employment of several assessment modes.

Major Designation

1. The outcome is addressed recurrently in the curriculum, regularly enough to establish a thorough understanding.
2. Students can demonstrate and are assessed on a thorough understanding of the outcome.
   • The course includes at least one assignment that can be assessed by applying the appropriate CLO rubric.

Minor Designation

1. The outcome is addressed adequately in the curriculum, establishing fundamental understanding.
2. Students can demonstrate and are assessed on a fundamental understanding of the outcome.
   • The course includes at least one assignment that can be assessed by applying the appropriate CLO rubric.

Suggested Outcome Assessment Strategies

The determination of assessment strategies is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: writings (journals, self-reflections, pre writing exercises, essays), quizzes, tests, midterm and final exams, group projects, presentations (in person, videos, etc), self-assessments, experimentations, lab reports, peer critiques, responses (to texts, podcasts, videos, films, etc), student generated questions, Escape Room, interviews, and/or portfolios.

Department suggestions:

1. Short analytical or application papers on specific concepts, themes, and issues.
2. Term or research papers, using a variety of research strategies.
3. Oral presentations.
4. Group research, analysis, and presentation projects.
5. Class participation in full-class discussions and small groups or teams.
6. Response papers or journals reflecting on life experiences, events, and social phenomena.
7. Service-learning tasks, involving service to community, reflection, and application of sociological perspective.
8. Student-instructor conferences.
9. Portfolios.
10. Video projects.
11. Oral histories and interviews.

Course Activities and Design

The determination of teaching strategies used in the delivery of outcomes is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: lecture, small group/forum discussion, flipped classroom, dyads, oral presentation, role play, simulation scenarios, group projects, service learning projects, hands-on lab, peer review/workshops, cooperative learning (jigsaw, fishbowl), inquiry based instruction, differentiated instruction (learning centers), graphic organizers, etc.

Course Content

Outcome #1: Describe the central concepts, theories, and methods that define sociological approaches to social scientific inquiry.

• The history of sociology

• Theoretical perspectives of sociology

• Approaches to sociological research

• Research methods

• Society and culture

• Groups and group dynamics

• Socialization and it’s impact on individual behavior

Outcome #2: Analyze social life using sociological concepts and theories.

• Culture and it’s impact

• The elements of culture

• The social construction of reality

• Theories of self-development

• Agents of socialization

• Socialization across the life course

• Groups and their impact on the individual

• Deviance and social control

Outcome #3: Explain how the sociological imagination interrelates different levels of analysis such as social structures and individuals.

• Cultural patterns, social forces and other influences on one’s life

• The importance of social facts

• The relationship between the individual and society

• The types of groups, group size and structure and their relationship to the individual

• Formal organizations and bureaucracies and their impact on society

Outcome #4: Identify how social factors contribute to inequalities in society.

• Theoretical explanations for inequalities on a national level and global level

• Theoretical explanations relative to prejudice, discrimination and racism

• Historical and contemporary examples of each type of intergroup relationship

• Socialization and it’s influence on gender roles

• Gender stratification in American institutions

• The rise of feminism

Outcome #5: Explain the role of theory and evidence in building sociological knowledge.

• Theoretical perspectives

• Theoretical levels of analysis

• The scientific method as the basis for analyzing the social world

• Ethical concerns in research

Suggested Texts and Materials

OpenStax College, Introduction to Sociology, 3e. Rice University, Houston, TX 2015.