St. Cloud State University
General Education Goal Area 5 Designation
History and the Social & Behavioral Sciences
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date: ______________________
Effective Date: ______________________
1.
Proposal Number: _________________
Prepared by: Tracy E. Ore
Phone: 308-5570
Email: teore@stcloudstate.edu
2.
Requesting Unit: Sociology & Anthropology
3.
Department, Course Number, Title: Sociology & Anthropology, SOC 160: Principles of Sociology
4.
New Course
5.
Will this course be flagged as a diversity course?
Already Designated as Diversity
6.
Will this course also satisfy another General Education Goal Area?
If “Yes” specify which goal area.
7.
Course bulletin description, including credits and semesters to be offered:
Human social interaction, including culture, groups, group and personality, group interaction, community,
social institutions, cultural change, social disorganization. 3 Cr. F, S, SUM
Existing Course
No
Diversity Proposal Accompanying This Form
No
Yes
8.
Indicate the clientele for whom this course is designed. Is the course for general education only, or
does it fulfill general education and other program needs for this or another department? Obtain
signatures from any affected departments.
Students who wish to major or minor in sociology as well as general education students. It also fulfills
requirement for several other majors; however, there are no changes impacting other departments.
9.
Indicate any changes that must be made in offerings or resources in your department or other
departments by offering this course.
None.
10.
For new courses or courses not yet approved for General Education, indicate any other SCSU departments
or units offering instruction that relates to the content of the proposed course.
N/A
11.
Courses designated as General Education are included in the assessment plan for the Goal Area(s)
10/15/2009
for which they are approved. Courses for which assessment is not included in the annual GE
assessment report for two years will be removed from the General Education Program.
The Requesting Unit understands and recognizes the above conditions.
12.
Provide a concise explanation of how the following goal is a “significant focus” of the proposed course.
Goal Area 5: History and the Social & Behavioral Sciences
Develop understanding of human societies and behaviors, and of the concepts, theories, and methods of
history and the social sciences.
Principles of sociology is the study of groups within society and uses sociological tools to analyze and
critique social phenomena. Students will be introduced to introductory concepts, general social science
research methods, and foundational theories of Sociology.
13. In order for a course to be designated as fulfilling Goal Area 5, it must address at least 4 of the 5 student learning
outcomes (SLOs) below. Check the SLOs below that are focused on in the proposed general education course.
1. Describe or use the methods and data by which historians, social scientists, or behavioral scientists investigate
human conditions.
2. Analyze human behavior, cultures, and social institutions and processes from the perspectives of history or the
social and behavioral sciences.
3. Develop explanations for and explore solutions to historical or contemporary social problems.
4. Reflect upon themselves in relation to family, communities, society, culture, and/or their histories.
5. Apply and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories about human societies and behaviors.
14.
Discuss how each Student Learning Outcome checked above is achieved in this course. (Note: Although
descriptions of typical assignments or types of assignments may be part of this discussion, it is not
appropriate to submit copies of actual assignments.)
SLO 1 - Describe or use the methods and data by which historians, social scientists, or behavioral
scientists investigate human conditions.
Students in this class are introduced to the methods of sociology through lecture and reading material in
the course. Students are provided with a brief introductory overview to the methods of sociology and how
they can be utilized to bring about sociological knowledge.
SLO 2 - Analyze human behavior, cultures, and social institutions and processes from the perspectives of
history or the social and behavioral sciences.
Through the introduction of sociological theoretical frameworks, students are provided with tools to
analyze human behavior and the impact of social institutions, such as the state, the economy, the family,
education, the media, and the like.
SLO 3 - Develop explanations for and explore solutions to historical or contemporary social problems.
through the use of the sociological frameworks introduced in this class, students are provided with the
opportunity to explore solutions to social problems. Through the exploration of forms of inequality based
10/15/2009
on race, class, gender, age, disability, etc., students will develop explanations of these forms of inequality
as well as explore solutions. This will be done through assignments as well as examinations.
SLO 4 - Reflect upon themselves in relation to family, communities, society, culture, and/or their
histories.
As students explore various forms of inequality and the role of social institutions in constructing and
mainating them, they will be required to reflect on their own experiences. This is done specifically trough
introducing them to the concept of the sociological imagination, a frame of mind that helps students to
connect their personal experiences to larger social forces.
SLO 5 - Apply and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories about human societies and
behaviors.
As stated earlier, an essential part of this course is to introduce students to sociological frameworks and
apply them to varous elements of society. As students are introduced to these theories in lectures and
course readings, they are made aware of the benefits and drawbacksof each framework and how they can
be applied to a multitude of social factors.
15.
List or attach the Course Outline (adequately described and including percentage of time to be allocated
to each topic). Curriculum Committees may request additional information. Topics larger than 20% need
to be broken down further. Indicate in your course outline where the Student Learning Outcomes
checked above are being met.
Sociology 160: Principles of Sociology Course Outline
I. Introduction to the Field of Sociology: A basic overview of the field of sociology and how it differs
from other social sciences. (8%) (Outcomes 5.2, 5.4)
II. Theories & Concepts of Sociology: Students will be introduced to foundational theories of sociology,
including the theory of social construction, and their application at the micro, meso, and macro level of
analysis. (16%) (Outcomes 5.2, 5.4, 5.5)
III. Methods of Sociology: Students will be introduced to a variety of methods utilized in the field of
sociology and their application to the study of social phenomena. (16%) (Outcomes 5.1, 5.2)
IV. The Operation of Culture and Social Structure: This section of the course introduces students to the
role of institutions in creating and maintaining a socially stratified system. (8%) (Outcomes 5.2, 5.3,
5.4, 5.5)
V. The variation of social structure across time and place: Students will explore how social relations and
social structure vary across time and place, and the effects of such variations. (16%) (Outcomes 5.3,
5.4, 5.5)
VI. Social Structure and Institutional Inequality: Utilizing the theories and methods introduced earlier in
the course, students will gain an inderstanding of the forms and effects of institutional oppression
locally and/or globally. (20%) (Outcomes 5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5)
VII. Social Movements & Social Change: The theories and methods of sociology will be applied to
understanding how efforts of social movements and social change are working to alter forms of
inequality both locally and globally and how students can participate in social change at micro, meso
and macro levels of intervention. (16%) (Outcomes 5.3, 5.4)
10/15/2009
10/15/2009