Sociology

The Sociology curriculum is designed to present fundamental sociological concepts in a clear, meaningful, and interactive way. The objectives for this course are threefold. First, this course is meant to help students understand how sociologists think. The curriculum has been carefully designed to help students develop the ability examine the social world around them more objectively and see the connections between the larger world and their personal lives. In sociological terms this means fostering students’ sociological perspective and sociological imagination. Second, this course is meant to get students to learn, and mimic, how sociologists work. Through a combination of labs, research projects, and other resources, students will be expected to utilize the methods sociologists use in the field to collect reliable data and the tools they use to analyze said data. Finally, this course has been constructed in such a way as to make students more aware of the active role they play in society and how it influences their own personal lives. Through engagement with course materials, students will become aware of the factors involved in finding an acceptable balance between their own personal desires and the demands made on them by society. They will also develop a better understanding of how their lives are influenced by social institutions and how they, in turn, might influence society and its institutions.

The curriculum design for this course has been developed to add flexibility for the teacher. Five units of study are presented along with individual chapter plans that provide essential questions, objectives, key terms, resources, general instructional activities, modifications, and suggested lessons for differentiated learning. In addition, special literacy lessons have been created for each chapter to align the course with required common core standards in history/social studies. An additional unit of independent research has been added for teachers who wish to give their students a final research project instead of a final exam. A pacing guide with a recommended time line in weeks is available to help teachers navigate their way through the units of the course within the time allotted for a high school semester.

The “R/S” textbook Sociology: The Study of Human Relationships (Holt McDougal, 1st edition, 2010) and its supplemental materials complement the objectives of this curriculum guide.  However, an appendix is featured at the end of this guide offering a host of film, Internet, and periodical resources to be used by teachers who wish to go beyond the textbook to engage their students.