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Course Description
Course Description
This elective includes the study of sociology, which reveals and clarifies the structure of groups, group phenomena, and the role of the individual in various kinds of groups. Sociologists endeavor to predict social behavior by use of the scientific method and social research.
Quarter 1
Unit 1: Definition of the Science/Introduction
Time Allocation: 1 week
I can explain what Sociology is.
I can explain what sociologists do.
I can explain who the major Sociologists were and what did they research.
Unit 2: Culture:
Time Allocation: 1 week
I can explain what American culture is like.
I can explain what subcultures and countercultures are.
I can explain what norms, folkways, and mores are.
I can explain what cultures around the world are similar or different in all regards.
Unit 3: Socialization:
Time Allocation: 2 weeks
I can explain what our values are.
I can explain what factors influence how we act.
I can explain what American values are.
I can explain isolation, nature vs. nurture, personality development, birth order, gender, parental characteristics, genetics, and cultural environment.
Unit 4: Social Structure, Groups, and Society:
Time Allocation: 1 week
I can explain how society is formed.
I can explain why people join groups.
I can explain what collective behavior is.
Unit 5: Family
Time Allocation: 2 weeks
I can explain what a typical American family is like.
Topics include: marriage, divorce, abuse, death, and alternatives to traditional marriage/family.
Unit 6: Pressures on teenagers and adults:
Time Allocation: 1 week
I can explain what worries each age group.
Topics include: drugs, alcohol, sexuality, eating disorders, suicide, depression, abuse, peer pressure, the work world, and the elderly.
Unit 7: Deviance and Crime:
Time Allocation: 2 weeks
I can explain what are the nature and the social functions of deviance.
I can explain why people break the law.
I can explain what constitutes a crime.
I can explain who the criminals are and why.
I can explain how our criminal justice system works. Discussion of the death penalty, the police, and the prison system.
Quarter 2
Unit 8: Social Structure, Organization, and Stratification:
Time Allocation: 3 weeks
I can explain what a social class is.
I can explain what is occupational prestige.
I can explain what is class consciousness.
I can explain why income inequality is affecting the American social structure.
I can explain what groups have been affected by poverty and what has been done to lessen the effects of poverty.
I can explain how gender and ethnicity affect social status.
Unit 9: Inequalities/Discrimination:
Time Allocation: 3 weeks
I can explain how racism, heterosexism, classism, ageism, ableism, and sexism manifest itself in this society.
I can explain what constitutes a hate crime.
Unit 10: Institutions: Government, Economics, Education and Religion:
Time Allocation: 1 week
I can explain what purpose they serve in a society.
I can explain what are the characteristics of the capitalist and the socialist economic systems.
I can explain what developments have transformed the American economic system.
I can explain why the exercise of power varies by type of government.
I can explain how the views of functionalist, conflict, and interactionist sociologists differ concerning education.
I can explain what are some of the current issues in American education.
I can explain what basic societal needs does religion serve.
I can explain what are the distinctive features of religion in American society.
Unit 11: Mass Media: (This unit may be intertwined throughout the course as it relates to the units above)
Time Allocation: 1/2 weeks
I can explain how the media influence the public and society.
I can explain the sociological perspectives of mass media.
I can explain what are some contemporary mass media issues.
READING, WRITING, SPEAKING & LISTENING STANDARDS (Integrated Throughout)
I can cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
I can determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships between the key details and ideas.
I can evaluate authors' differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors' claims, reasoning, and evidence.
I can integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, and in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
I can write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
I can write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
I can conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question or solve a problem.
I can gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively.
I can initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on historical topics, texts, and issues building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
I can present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, and alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed.
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