Chabot College
Fall 2004
Course Outline for Sociology 1
PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY
Catalog Description:
1 – Principles of Sociology
3 units
Designed to illuminate the way students see their social world. Uses a sociological
perspective: scientific study of human interaction and society, with emphasis on impact of
groups on social behavior. Includes the systematic examination of culture, socialization,
social organization, social class, race, gender, deviance, social change and empirical
methodology. These content areas are woven throughout the fabric of the course,
particularly as they affect the lives of at least three of the following groups: African
Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and/or women.
3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None.
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
1.
2.
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use the sociological perspective as an analytical tool when interpreting social
phenomena;
apply sociological concepts and delineate how society shapes people and people
shape society;
discuss with clarity the sociological concepts through which social processes may
be viewed in an objective fashion;
identify the major research methods utilized by sociologists;
delineate the major substantive areas in sociology (e.g., race and ethnic relations,
social stratification, socialization) and address the major issues of concern for
each area;
discuss the contributions made by a broad spectrum of sociologists including
African American, Latino American, Asian American, Native American and
women;
analyze the major institutions in U.S. society and how social forces impact upon
one’s experience with these institutions dependent upon race, class or gender;
distinguish between the study of the individual, i.e., psychology, and the study of
sociology, i.e., the study of the group or groups.
Course Content:
1.
Introduction to Sociology
a. Historical roots and early sociologists
b. DuBois, E. Franklin Frazier, Harriet Martineau
Chabot College
Course Outline for Sociology 1, Page 2
Fall 2004
2.
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c. Scientific method
Culture
a. Components of Culture
b. Cultural patterns/variations
c. The symbolic nature of Culture
d. Cultural competence i.e. cultural relativity
e. Culture and the development of social systems
f. Culture and individualism
Individual in Society
a. Socialization, Norms and Roles
b. Individual in interaction
c. Roles and their internal structure
d. Role impact and the social situation
e. Social integration and social change
f. Status and master status with attention to black males and women
g. Social integration and social change
h. Aging and the elderly, Jose Cuellar, Fernando Torres-Gil
Groups
a. Properties and purposes
b. Types of groups
c. The group as an element of social organization and social control
d. Social Stratification
e. William Julius Wilson and the underclass
f. Gender stratification
Social Organizations
a. The Urban Community
b. The Rural Community
Social Institutions
a. Definition
b. Function
c. Health Care and the medical industrial complex
Race and Minorities
a. Definitions
b. Problems
c. Social Change
d. Harry Kitano, William Julius Wilson, Derrick Bell, Paul Robeson
e. Japanese Internment
Population and Social System
a. Problems of over and under population
b. Population and social control and organization
c. Ecology and population
Methods of Presentation:
1.
2.
Lecture
Guided discussion about text and videos
Chabot College
Course Outline for Sociology 1, Page 3
Fall 2004
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Group projects
Small group activities and presentations
Audio-visual material selected from a variety of racial and ethnic videos on hand
e.g. Children of the Camps, Eyes on the Prize, Biography W.E.B. DuBois,
Tuskeegee Study, Joy Luck Club, etc.
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
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2.
Typical Assignments may include, but are not limited to:
a. Write a two-page paper on breaking a norm
b. Watch and analyze video clips using instructor prepared worksheets on topics
including research, feral children, deviance, crime, race and social class
c. Write a two page on gender socialization in pre-adolescence through
adolescence
d. Write a four-page paper autobiography on your “looking glass self” as Coolely
describes the concept and process of developing the self
e. Group presentations on different theories of deviance and their implications
for social policy
f. Group assignment students are to develop and create a social class board game
that incorporates concepts from the text on social inequality and upward social
mobility
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a.
Quizzes, midterm, final
b.
Group presentations
c.
Written assignments
d.
Oral presentations
e.
In-class demonstration of critical thinking in analyzing social processes
Textbook(s) (Typical):
Introduction to Sociology, H. L. Tischler, Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2002, or
latest edition.
Sociology: The Essentials, Margaret L. Anderson and Howard F. Taylor, Thompson
Publishing Company, 2002, or latest edition.
Special Student Materials:
None.
tf:/Word/Soc1.doc
Revised: 12-10-03