Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,
Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year! My name is Mrs. Julie Humble and I will
be your child’s Sociology teacher for the year. I have a B.A. in Sociology from The
Ohio State University and a Masters of Art in Teaching from Kent State
University.
Attached is our class information packet for the year. I ask that you read this
over with your child to ensure success in this class. I have included important
information regarding class topics, grades, and expectations. Communication
and working together will be a key to your child’s success in Sociology. You can
reach me by email jhumble@twinsburg.k12.oh.us or by phone (330) 486-2422.
Please do not hesitate to email or call with any questions or concerns. My class
website will be updated weekly with daily assignments and due dates. You can
check this regularly for important information.
This year I will be working with the Ohio Department of Education to assess my
teaching performance. To do this, I will be videotaping myself teaching
throughout the year. If you would NOT like your child to be filmed for this
purpose, please complete the sheet attached to the back of this packet and return
it to me. Thank you for your understanding!
Thank you for your time. I am looking forward to a GREAT year!
Mrs. Julie Humble
Twinsburg High School
Introduction to Sociology – Social Problems
Mrs. Humble- C109
Welcome to Sociology. Sociology is fascinating because it holds the key to so much
understanding of social life. If you like to watch people and try to figure out why they do what
they do, then you will enjoy sociology. Sociology pries open the doors of society so that you can
see what goes on behind them. This course stresses how profoundly our society and the groups
to which we belong influence us.1 There are several objectives to this class, but #1; I want you to
walk away with an understanding of the fundamental basics of Sociology. In order to
accomplish this goal, we must look at sociology thematically and ask the “big” questions.
Learning about sociology is more than just names and dates (although we WILL be doing this),
it is the ability to see the connections and the reasons behind why things happened the way
they do. Our society is dynamic and full of complexities. Through this course, you will be able
to examine these complexities, interpret and write about them at a college level.
FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION:
Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and
consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups,
organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. Since human
behavior is shaped by social factors, the subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate
family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious cults; from the divisions of race,
gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture; and from the sociology of
work to the sociology of sports. In fact, few fields have such broad scope and relevance for
research, theory, and application of knowledge.
Sociology provides many distinctive perspectives on the world, generating new ideas
and critiquing the old. The field also offers a range of research techniques that can be applied
to virtually any aspect of social life: street crime and delinquency, corporate downsizing, how
people express emotions, welfare or education reform, how families differ and flourish, or
problems of peace and war. Because sociology addresses the most challenging issues of our
time, it is a rapidly expanding field whose potential is increasingly tapped by those who craft
policies and create programs. Sociologists understand social inequality, patterns of behavior,
forces for social change and resistance, and how social systems work.
Grading Policy- quarter grades will be based on the following:
 Tests: tests will be given at the end of each unit (roughly 3-4 chapters) and will include
multiple choice questions, free response questions, matching, identifications, and true and
false questions.
 Quizzes: quizzes will be given roughly after every chapter and will deal with material NOT
covered in class notes (i.e. from your reading of the textbook and supplemental materials), and
material covered in class.
 Homework/In Class Work: since this is a college preparatory course (and because of the
amount of material to be covered), you will be responsible for all of the chapter readings plus
analysis of supplemental material.
 Research Paper/Projects: papers and projects will be assigned throughout the year.
 Bellwork: a question at the start of everyday covering yesterday’s lesson to be answered
and turned in with the binder on test days (all on one sheet).
 Notebook: will be collected throughout the year on test days and checked for completion.
 Participation: we will be accomplishing many of our goals through discussions, Socratic
seminars and quad work. In order to facilitate active learning, it is imperative that you come
prepared and participate to your fullest during these activities. This is also the time to learn
from each other and see new points of view that you may have overlooked on your own- don’t
take your classmates as a resource for granted. Each student will be given the
opportunity to earn 30 discussion points each quarter. You will earn all 30
points if you are on task and participating in class. You will lose 5 points each
time you are talking while a lesson is taking place, off task, or have your cell
phone out. Please check Progress Book to monitor your points.
 Final Exam: a comprehensive final examination will be administered.
Important Things to Remember It is YOUR responsibility to check the blue crate if you have been absent from class. I WILL
NOT hunt you down to give you your assignments. If you do not take the initiative, you will
simply receive 0’s for any assignments missed. This includes tests, which must be made up
outside of class.
 Any out of class essays should be typed and checked for grammatical and spelling errors
prior to turning it in.
 Anything that requires you to write (both in class and out of class work) must be written in
COMPLETE SENTENCES (unless otherwise stated). If you turn something in that is not
written in complete sentences, you will receive points off.
 Late Work: May be turned in for some credit, not necessarily half credit.
 Absent Work: For every day that you are absent from class (excused), you will have 1 day to
make up the work missed. If you go over this limit, it will be considered late.
 It is VERY important that you try to make it to class every day. We will be covering a lot of
material and even one day gone can hurt your grasp on what we are doing in class.
Sociology
Text Book Outline:
Textbook: Sociology and You
Authors: Jon M. Shepard Ph.D., Robert W. Greene
Unit 1:
Sociological Perspective
Chapter 1: An invitation to Sociology
-The sociological, perspective, the origins of sociology famous sociologists, three
main perspectives
Chapter 2: Sociological Research Methods
-Research methods, procedures and ethics in research
Unit 2:
Culture and Social Structures:
Chapter 3: Culture
-the basis of culture, language, norms and values, beliefs vs. material culture,
cultural diversity
Chapter 4: Socialization
- Importance of socialization, agents of socialization, personality: nature vs.
nurture, feral children, institutionalization
________________________________________________________________
Chapter 5: Social Structure and Society
- Social structure and status, roles, preindustrial & postindustrial societies
Chapter 6: Groups and Organizations
- Primary and secondary groups, social interaction, formal organizations
Chapter 7: Deviance and Social Control
- Social control, crime and punishment
Unit 3:
Social Inequality
Chapter 8: Social Stratification
- Dimensions of stratification, social class in America, poverty, types of social
mobility
Chapter 9: Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity
- Minority, race, ethnicity, prejudice and discrimination, minority groups in the
United States
Chapter 10: Inequalities of Gender and Age
-Sex and gender identity, gender inequality, Ageism, baby boom, politics of age,
social security
Unit 4:
Social Institutions
Chapter 11: The Family
-Family and marriages, different types of families, marriage customs, residential patterns,
sexual customs American family (types), violence, divorce, family trends
Chapter 12: Education
- Structure of education in society, education, culture/assimilation, social
control, socioeconomic status, educational reforms and alternatives, violence, bilingual
education
*****Chapter 13: Political and Economic Institutions
- Power and authority, economic systems, political power, economic
institutions, capitalism/socialism, globalism/protectionism, American economy******
Chapter 14: Religion
- Religion and sociology, religion in the United States
Chapter 15: Sport
- The nature of sport, competition, and social issues in sport
*****Unit 5:
Social Change
Chapter 16: Population and Urbanization
-Dynamics of demography, world population, urban ecology, population
changes- birth rate, death rate, life expectancy
Chapter 17: Social Change and Collective Behavior
- collective behavior, crowds/mob/riot, panic, fashion, rumors/urban legends, public
opinion, propaganda, explaining collective behavior
SOCIOLOGY AT THS:
This class will fulfill progress, along with other Social Studies courses, toward your
graduation requirement in this content area. By taking this class, you’ll understand some of
the social mechanisms at work in society, which—in turn—will make you a more competent,
less naïve, adult. This class will also give those of you who take Sociology in college a basic
foundation of knowledge prior to such a post-secondary class.
WHY SO MUCH CONTROVERY?
Since the majority of you are upper classmen, I am assuming that you are a mature
young adult willing to discuss a wide range of topics. These will include controversial/sensitive
ones including, but not limited to, homosexuality, divorce, racism and prejudice, gender roles,
poverty, suicide, politics, abortion, genetic engineering etc. If you don’t feel that you can
comfortably discuss these topics (or sit through a class discussion involving these items),
please see your counselor and request a different course to take. If one of these areas troubles
you (i.e., you or someone you know has had an abortion and it is too painful to talk about the
pros and cons), see me, let me know your situation, and we can come up with alternate
assignments.
SOCIOLOGY EXPECTATIONS:
• Develop an understanding of social systems
• Expand your ability to recognize the important differences in the social, cultural, and
economic backgrounds of people
•Increase your capacity for thinking critically and abstractly about social issues and problems
that confront our society today
As a sociologist, I am constantly reminded of the power of the past. Although each of us comes
into the world, de nova, we are not really new creatures. We arrive into a social slot, born not
only to a family but also a religion, a community, and, of course, a nation and a culture.
Sociologists understand the power of social structure and culture to not only shape our path
through the world but also our understanding of that path and that world. Yet we often have to
expend much energy trying to get students to see the influence on their lives of the social
structure and culture they inherit. Not understanding their past renders many Americans
incapable of effectively thinking about our present and future – James W. Loewen
Henslin, J.M. Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach. 2009, p. xxiii-xxv1