SOCI 1301-61973 Introduction of Sociology
Spring 2011
TR 12:30-2/ 3 Credit Hours
Instructor:
Dominique Fariza, LMSW
Phone Number: 713-847-4809
Email:
dfariza@houstonisd.org
Office Hours: After class or by appointment
Course Description
This course is an introduction to sociology as a way of understanding the world. Sociology is a
field of study that explains social, political, and economic phenomena in terms of social
structures, social forces, and group relations. I will introduce you to the field by focusing on
several important sociological topics, including socialization, culture, the social construction of
knowledge, inequality, race and ethnic relations, poverty, and political sociology. You will leave
this course with:
Course Objectives
1. An understanding of the three main sociological perspectives
2. An understanding of several important sociological theories
3. The ability to apply these perspectives and theories to contemporary social problems
4. Insight into the critical link between social structures, social forces and individual
circumstances
5. Insight into how you shape society and how society shapes you.
Required Text:
Sociology, Macionis, J., Cutom Edition for Houston Community College System.
Evidence of Basic Intellectual Competencies in the HCCS Core Curriculum
The following aspects of this course meet the Basic Intellectual Competencies in the HCCS Core
Curriculum:
Reading: Reading the textbook and other assigned materials
Writing: Completing the discussion questions, daily work, and all written assignments
Listening: Listening to the instructor and classmates
Speaking: Participation in classroom discussions and activities
Critical Thinking: Engaging the instructor and classmates in discussion and all assignments
Computer Literacy: Typed written assignments and email correspondence
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Regular class attendance and regular class participation
are important factors for success in college. In the event of an absence you should contact me as
soon as possible to indicate the reason for the absence. Tardiness is disruptive to your classmates.
If you come into class after roll has been taken, you are considered absent and it is your
responsibility to speak to me and have your attendance recorded.
Classroom Policies:
 You are responsible for obtaining information about the lesson or notes that you missed
due to absence or tardiness.
 Politeness and respect to all members of the class and the instructor are required.
Disruptions in the classroom will not be tolerated
 Coming on time, being prepared, and participating in the class work and discussions is an
expectation of all students.
 All cell phones and electronic devices should be turned off while in class.
 All homework assignments must be turned in on time to receive full credit.



All written homework assignments must be typed.
Reading assignments are to be completed before coming to class.
Plagiarism or cheating can result in an F for the assignment and disciplinary action will
be taken.
Disability Policy: "Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric,
vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable
accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at the respective college at the
beginning of each semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations
requested by the Disability Support Services Office. If you have any questions, please contact the
disability counselor at your college.
HCCS Attendance Policy: According to official HCCS policy, if you miss more than 12.5% of
instruction (6 hours in a 48-hour course), you may be dropped from the course.
Academic Honesty: All Houston Community College System students are required to exercise
academic honesty in completion of all tests and assignments. Penalties for academic dishonesty
(cheating on a test, plagiarism, collusion on an assignment, etc.) may include, but are not limited
to a reduced grade or a "0" on that test or assignment, a "W" in the course, or an "F" in that
course.
Policy Regarding “W,” “F,” “I,” and Student Course Reinstatement Policy: Withdrawal
from a Course (“W”)
It is your responsibility to officially withdraw from a class and prevent an “F” from appearing
on your transcript. When considering withdrawal from a course, remember the following
information:
 If you withdraw before the Official Date of Record, no grade is given and your transcript
reflects no record of the course.
 A “W” (indicating withdrawal) appears on your transcript if you drop a course after the
Official Date of Record and before the final deadline.
 College policy requires instructors to write “never attended” on the official roll sheet next
to the names of those students who do not attend class by the Official Date of Record. If
you do not attend class before the Official Date of Record, the college may automatically
drop you from the course.
 To “attend class” in online distance education classes, you must log onto the course in
WebCT before the Official Date of Record. If you do not do so, “never attended” will be
marked on the official roll sheet. The college may automatically drop you from the
course, and you will be denied access to your course in WebCT.
 A “W” (withdrawal) may negatively impact your ability to receive financial aid or your
visa status if you are an international student.
 Students who take a course three or more times face additional tuition/fee increases at
HCC and other Texas public colleges and universities. If you are considering course
withdrawal because you are not earning passing grades, confer with your
instructor/counselor as early as possible about your study habits, reading and writing
homework, test-taking skills, attendance, course participation, and opportunities for
tutoring or other assistance that might be available.
 The Texas Legislature passed a law limiting first time entering freshmen to no more than
SIX total course withdrawals throughout their educational career in obtaining a
baccalaureate degree. This policy is effective beginning with the Fall 2007 semester.
There may be future penalties imposed.
 If you MUST withdraw, visit with your instructor, a counselor or online student services
associate prior to withdrawing (dropping) the class BEFORE the “Last Day for
Administrative/Student Withdrawls” posted in the HCC Schedule of Classes. Instructors
are no longer allowed to process a “W” on their final grades—YOU are responsible for
processing the paperwork in a timely manner.
Failure of a Course (“F”)
You will receive an “F” in this class if your grade is less than 60%. Receiving an “F” (failure)
may negatively impact your ability to receive financial aid. It is YOUR responsibility to
submit college-level quality work in a timely fashion or to withdraw yourself from the course
by the deadline if you cannot complete your work satisfactorily.
Incomplete (“I”)
You will receive an “I” (incomplete) only in the event of a documented emergency situation
that prevents you from completing the last assignment, such as the final exam. You must
speak with your instructor as soon as possible in the event of such an emergency to arrange a
course completion schedule. If you receive an “I,” you must arrange with the instructor to
complete the course work before the end of the next long semester. After that deadline, the
“I” becomes an “I/F.” All ”I” designations must be changed to grades prior to graduation.
The changed grade will appear on your record as “I/Grade” (ex: “I/B”).
Student Code of Conduct:
All students are expected to read and have an understanding of the student code of conduct as
stated in the Student Handbook. The student handbook can be found on the official
HCC/HISD website for students.
HCCS/EECHS Holidays/Crucial Dates:
Monday, March 14- Friday, March 20 Spring Break
Friday, April 22 Spring Holiday
Grading and Evaluation: <No late assignments accepted>
5% Class Participation
10% In Class/ Homework Assignments
15% Movie Review
15% Norms Paper
15% Midterm
15% Final
25% Culture Project
Grading:
A (90-100%): Excellent work that shows clear understanding of the course content.
B (80-89%): Above average work that shows understanding of the course content.
C (70-79%): Average work that shows understanding of the course content.
D (60-69%): Below average work that fails to respond adequately to course content
F (0-59%): Work that fails.
Schedule of Assignments/Calendar:
(Note: Minor date changes may be made as needed during the semester. Check with instructor)
See attached pages.
Sociology Course Outline
Week
Reading Assignment
Wk 1
January 18-21
Chapter 1
Wk 2
January 24-27
Chapter 3
Wk 3
January 31- Feb 3
Chapter 5
Wk 4
February 7-10
Chapter 6, 7
Wk 5
February 14-18
Chapter 8
Watch “Crash” (Tuesday)
Wk 6
February 21-25
Chapter 9
Movie Review- Crash (Due
Thursday, February 25)
Wk 7
February 28- March 3
Chapter 10
Wk 8
March 14-March-March 18
Chapter 11, 13
Wk 9
March 28-31
Chapter 14
Wk 10
April 4-7
Chapter 15
Wk 11
April 11-14
Chapter 16
Wk 12
April 18-21
Chapter 17, 18
Wk 13
April 25-28
Chapter 20
Wk 15
May 9-12
Read Ch 2 on own
Spring Break
Wk 9
March 21-24
Wk 14
May 2-5
Major Assignements
Midterm Review (Tuesday)
Midterm (Thursday March
31)
Norms Paper Due
(Tuesday, April 14)
Final (Thursday, May 5)
Culture Paper Due/
Presentations Begin
(Tuesday, May 9)
Presentations Cont.,
Culture Food due
(Thursday, May 12)
SOCI Assignment Explanations
Movie Review- Crash:
Be sure this paper is in MLA format. Paper must be 2 pages, minimum. It is not
necessary to address all of the above issues, only those that are relevant to the video. You
are to show your understanding of sociological issues and their underlying or obvious
affects on humanity:
 Identify sociological perspectives - symbolic interactionism, functionalism,
conflict theory
 Socialization - identify behaviors and/or techniques that are learned and how they
serve the individuals or society - who are the agents of socialization?
 Social control - how are characters subjected to social control? Who is doing the
controlling and how; how effective is it? Would stronger or more lenient control
effect the desired change?
 Deviance - consider the definition of deviance - which characters do you identify
as deviant and why? Would they be labeled deviant in another environment? Are
there characters identified as "normal" who are actually "deviant"? How do you
arrive at that conclusion?
 Social Groups - to what social groups do characters belong? Is it chosen or
forced?
 Social Class - to what social classes do characters belong? Are efforts made to
change to another class? How do others perceive those methods in the story? Is
there support or resistance?
 Inequality - identify the prejudice or bigotry exhibited; is it consistent or situation
dependent? How does society condone or dispute the inequalities?
 Family - identify the family dynamics; are characters behaving in manners that
comply with family expectations or requirements? Are the dynamics normal or
deviant? How do roles vary in different situations?
 Religion - identify any religious issues or the obvious lack thereof. Is religion
used as a positive support to the characters or is it a method of social control?
Norms Paper:
All papers must be in MLA format. It is recommended to use outside books or journal
articles when researching this paper. Be sure to include a bibliography at the end of your
paper. Papers should be 3- 4 pages long.
The Power of Norms
Explore the power of norms. Conduct a short experiment where you break a norm (one in
which doing so does not put you or others in any physical danger or break any laws either in the school or the general community) and analyze people's reaction to you. For
example, wear pajamas to classes one day (after receiving permission from your
professors to do so) or visibly eat an awkward food combination (such as peanut butter
and tomato sandwiches) in the presence of others. In writing your paper: 1) Write a brief
introduction discussing the importance of norms, their place in society and how their
perception relates to concepts such as ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, etc. 2) Describe
your experiment -- what norm did you break? How did you do it? When did you do it?
Where? Who was around? 3) Record people's reactions to you - Did others look at you
oddly? Did they behave in any specific way (shy away, make comments, etc.) 4) Analyze
their reaction - What was the meaning behind their reaction? How did you feel about
their reaction? Did their reaction affect YOUR behavior (or would it have if you honestly
broke this norm, instead of for a class experiment)? 5) Conclusion - tie the results of this
experiment to what you learned about norms and sanctions. Were the results as you
expected? Why or why not do you think this is the case?
Final Culture Research Project:
Final papers must be in MLA format. It is required to use at least 4 outside books or
journal articles when researching this paper. Be sure to include a bibliography at the end
of your paper and include internal citations. Papers should be 5-6 pages long. See
attached page for more information.
Final Project
All papers due May 9th no matter what day you present
Final papers must be in MLA format. It is required to use a minimum of4 outside
books or journal articles in addition to your textbook, when researching this
paper. Be sure to include a bibliography at the end of your paper. Papers should
be 5-6 pages long.
Culture Research
Students will choose a culture of your choice to research. Students will be required
to conduct a presentation of culture of choice. This PowerPoint presentation must
be 5-7 minutes long, no longer, and inform the class of your selected culture. In
addition to your presentation, be sure to bring 1 visual aid (whether pictures or
other tangibles- ex. Authentic dress, flag, videos) as well as a sample of traditional
food from your culture of choice. In addition to the 1 required visual aid, it is
highly recommended to use pictures throughout your PowerPoint presentation.
Remember to bring enough for each class member to taste it. All food will be
brought in the final day of class, no matter what day you present.
Research paper and presentation must include information regarding the
following topics on your culture of choice:
o You culture of choice, location of this culture (can they all be found in one
area, or are they spread out?) Where this culture is commonly found.
o Family traditions
o Religious traditions
o Holiday traditions
o Languages spoken
o Traditional foods eaten
o Death ritual/traditions
o Marriage ritual/traditions
o Medical system
o Other interesting information regarding your culture of choice