What are the characteristics of the three major Sociological Paradigms?
What are research methods?
How do sociologists use research methods?
How is Research involved in Social Policy and Community learning?
CONTENT TOPICS
Key concepts of sociology
Sociological perspective
Origins of sociology
Theories
History
Key individuals
Methods of sociological research
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will . . .
compare and contrast the sociological perspective and how it differs from other social sciences.
evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the major methods of sociological research.
identify, differentiate among, and apply a variety of sociological theories.
be able to understand the sociological perspective and apply that perspective to their own reality.
Culture and Social Structure (week 2)
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What is culture?
How is the American Value System reflected in the mass media?
How did primitive cultures differ?
How are behavioral norms taught?
What is American Culture?
How does ethnocentrism and cultural relativism effect interpretation of other cultures?
What is your personal ethnocentrism?
How do the components of social structure affect human interaction?
Why are formal and informal groups both important for the development of society?
How does a bureaucracy work?
How do we group people in society?
How does the US system of government compare to other political systems?
What preconditions are necessary for collective behavior to occur?
What are the characteristics of a successful leader?
CONTENT TOPICS
Culture
Components of Culture
values
symbols
normal
language
Cultural Integration
relativism/ethnocentrism
pluralism
counterculture/subculture
cultural diversity
cultural change
Groups
Group dynamics
status
roles
interaction
leadership
Types of Groups
social groups
formal organizations
Collective behavior and social movements
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will . . .
investigate the impact of culture on group behavior.
analyze how culture influences individuals, including themselves.
assess how social institutions and cultures change and evolve.
be able to evaluate what group is in terms of origin of groups, development of group behavior and interaction of groups.
be able to analyze the ways in which groups influence social institutions, teach individuals what is appropriate and inappropriate, facilitate change and hinder it, indicate status, class and power level and show prejudice and discrimination.
be able to understand how cultures pass values, beliefs, and traditions to the next generation and sanction behaviors.
The Individual and Society (week 5)
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
How does the family impact the socialization process of a child?
How do agents of socialization impact society?
What factors affect the development of personality?
What are the results of children who are isolated?
How does a person’s sense of self emerge?
How did the concept of adolescence develop and change in our society?
What are statistics regarding challenges faced by teens today?
How has dating evolved from courtship?
How does puberty and adolescence differ?
How do adults adapt to changes in their status?
What is the nature and function of deviance?
How do sociological theories explain deviant behavior?
What are the types of crime in the US and what is the function of our criminal justice system?
CONTENT TOPICS
Socialization
Nature vs. nurture
Agents of socialization
Stages of individual development and life course
Re-socialization
Deviance
Components of deviance
Perceptions of deviance
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will . . .
investigate why people have different personalities.
analyze the origin of personality as in nature vs. nurture.
differentiate life processes such as adolescence, puberty, aging, etc.
Inequality and Power (week 9)
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What challenges do we face due to our aging population?
How are economic theory and society intertwined?
How do sociologists view race and how they differ in society?
What is the difference between racism and discrimination?
How do the experiences of minority groups differ in America?
How have people adapted to new lands and new situations through history?
How is gender defined in our society?
How do gender roles affect opportunities for some groups in America?
CONTENT TOPICS
Class and Stratification
Class identity/membership
Mobility
facilitators
barriers
Race and Ethnicity
Social meaning of race and ethnicity
Prejudice and discrimination
Group Interaction
assimilation
integration
segregation
pluralism
Patterns of acceptance and rejection
Gender
Sex versus gender
Roles and stereotypes
Gender socialization
Gender stratification
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will . . .
investigate common patterns of social inequality.
analyze/debate the effects of social inequality on groups and individuals.
Social Institutions (week 12)
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What effect is the aging of America having on our society?
What is the status of health care in the US?
How are families structured around the world?
What are challenges faced by American families today?
What are the views of the differing sociological theories concerning education?
How does religion affect society?
CONTENT TOPICS
Family
Functions
Global patterns
Challenges of the modern family
Education
Functions
Issues in education
Religion
Functions
Issues in education
Health
Functions
Issues in health
Economics
Functions
Issues in government
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will . . .
understand how societies perpetuate themselves
explore how societies pass on information.
explore how societies support and govern themselves.
Selected Social Problems (week 15)
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What are issues that are addressed by the mass media and how are we persuaded by their reports?
What are the causes for social inequality?
What impact does social inequality have on group behavior?
What impact does immigration have on American institutions?
CONTENT TOPICS
Crime
Age
Urban crisis
Environment
Drugs and alcohol
Science and technology
Welfare
Immigration
LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will . . .
probe how societies respond to crime and deviance.
investigate demography and how societies deal with growing numbers of its population.