Heartland Community College
Social and Business Sciences
Course Syllabus for Students
Course Prefix and Number: SOC 101-02
Course Title: Sociology
Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory Hours: 0
SPRING 2011
Days and times the course meets: 8:00-9:15 a.m. TR
Room: ICB 2708
Introduction:
This course will familiarize students with the basic problems, methods, concepts, and theories of sociological
analysis. It is important that students come away from an introductory course in sociology with knowledge of
how a sociological perspective differs from or agrees with other perspectives (e.g., psychological, theological,
philosophical, or biological) as well as an appreciation of how sociology compares with various “ common
sense” interpretations of the social world. In order to see these differences, it is crucial to recognize that
sociology has a scientific basis. Among the topics to be covered are the family, religion, education, politics, the
environment, deviance, gender, race, and social change. Particular attention will be paid to the inequality
within and between societies.
Catalog Description:
This course provides an introduction to the scientific study of society. Topics include power and inequality,
change, deviance, education, occupations, organizations, family/gender, religion, and racial/ethnic groups.
Students will develop a critical understanding of social forces. Prerequisite(s): None.
Instructor Information:
Instructor name: Liz Hoisington
Phone number to contact instructor: 268-8579
Instructor e-mail address: liz.hoisington@heartland.edu
Location of instructor’s office: ICB 2119 (inside Suite 2100, take a left past the Secretary’s desk and
immediately turn left again)
Hours and days of instructor’s office hours: Monday & Wednesday: 9:30-11:00; Tuesday & Thursday:
11:00-12:00; and by appointment.
8:00-9:30
9:30-10:45
M
Class
Office Hour: 9:30-11:00
11:00-12:15
12:30-1:45
Textbook:
Required:
T
Class
Class
W
Class
Office Hour: 9:30-11:00
Office Hour: 11:00-12:00
Class
R
Class
Class
F
Office Hour: 11:00-12:00
Class
Hughes and Kroehler. (2007) inside Sociology. New York, NY: McGraw Hill
Relationship to Academic Development Programs and Transfer:
(Indicate if course is General Education/IAI)
This course fulfills 3 of the 9 semester hours of credit in Social Sciences required for the A.A. or A.S. degree.
This course should transfer as part of the General Education Core Curriculum described in the Illinois
Articulation Initiative to other Illinois colleges and universities participating in the IAI. However, students
should consult an academic advisor for transfer information regarding particular institutions. Refer to the IAI
web page at www.itransfer.org for more information.
General Education Program and Course Learning Outcomes:
SOC 101 is a course within the General Education Program at Heartland, and as such, contains learning
outcomes that help students develop proficiency in Communication, Diversity, Problem Solving, and Critical
Thinking. Specifically, upon completion of this course, students will develop an increased proficiency in the
following areas:
Communication:
1.
Apply the basic sociological paradigms – structural functional, social conflict and symbolic
interaction.
Diversity:
1.
Define, give examples and demonstrate the relevance of the following sociological notions:
culture, socialization, deviance, stratification, social structure and social change.
Problem Solving:
1.
Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the science and research methods developed in
sociology.
Critical Thinking:
1.
Analyze the major social institutions such as family, government, economy, religion, education
and medicine.
Course Specific:
1.
Identify and offer explanations of social inequality while considering the relationship to social
process, social interaction and institutions.
2.
Examine and explain the impact of human relations on patterns of urbanization and the physical
environment.
3.
Analyze and demonstrate awareness of the impact of cultural diversity in our society.
COURSE/LAB OUTLINE:
1. Developing a Sociological Consciousness
2.
Culture and Socialization
3.
Social Structure, Groups and organizations
4.
Deviance and Crime
5.
Social stratification
6.
Inequalities of Race, Ethnicity and Gender
7.
The Family
8. Social Institutions
9.
Population and Environments
10. Social Change
Methods of Instruction:
Classes will include discussion and application of textbook content, in-class activities, and exams. Outlines of
textbook material will be available in Blackboard.
Course Policies:
Method of Evaluation (Tests/Exams, Grading System):
There are 8 in-class activities which require you to apply specific concepts and/or theories from the textbook to
local information (provided in class). The first activity is required and is worth 15 points. The remaining 7
activities are worth 10 points each. You will receive full credit for five of these 7 activities and may earn 2
bonus points for any additional activities that you complete. THERE IS NO CHANCE TO MAKE-UP
ACTIVITIES IF YOU MISS CLASS.
There will be four “regular” exams and the final exam. Each regular exam will cover two textbook chapters and
will be worth 50 points. The final exam will cover the last two textbook chapters and will also include an essay
question. The final is worth 65 points. The exams will include a variety of types of questions: matching, fill-inthe-blank, multiple-choice, and true/false. The outlines of textbook material in Blackboard will be helpful in
preparing for the exams.
Assessments:
First in-class activity
In-Class Activities
Exam 1 – Chapters 1 & 2
Exam 2 – Chapters 3 & 4
Exam 3 – Chapters 5 & 6
Exam 4 – Chapters 7 & 8
Final Exam – Chapters 9 & 10 & essay
Points:
15 points
10 points each for five
50 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
60 points
Total =
Total Points Possible:
15 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
65 points
330 points (not including bonus points)
Grading Scale:
296 -330 (90-100%) = A
263 - 295(80-89%) = B
230 – 262 (70-79%) = C
197 – 229 (60-69%) = D
less than 197 (below 60%) = F
Writing Expectations:
For in-class activities and the final exam essay, you will earn points based on the extent to which you do each of
the following:
*accurately answer the question in your own words
*provide examples where requested
*use proper grammar and punctuation (points will be deducted for unconventional abbreviations such as
“w/o”, for wrong word usage such as using “there” instead of “their”, for not capitalizing the first word in a
sentence, and for missing or misused apostrophes)
Participation and Attendance:
You made the commitment to come to this class when you registered. Thus, I expect you to attend class every
time except for extreme circumstances. If something comes up that will cause you to miss class on a fairly
regular basis, you need to consider withdrawing from the class. Participation while in class is expected. Please
do not come to class late except on rare occasions when circumstances beyond your control cause you to be
late. Also, do not walk out and come back into the classroom during class, unless you experience some kind of
health emergency that requires you to leave the room.
Incompletes: See the official College policy in the catalog.
Extra Credit/Bonus Points: There are a few chances to earn bonus points in this class. You may earn up to
2 bonus points for each in-class activity you do beyond the five required activities. You may also earn bonus
points for providing evidence that you are making connections between information in this course and other
courses that you are taking this semester. Forms for providing this evidence will be provided. You may earn 2
bonus points for each successfully documented example, up to a total of five examples (10 points). All bonus
points are added to your point total but do not affect the total points for the course.
Policies regarding missed tests and assignments:
There is no chance to make up in-class activities.
If you miss ONE exam due to circumstances beyond your control, your remaining exams (except for the essay
portion of the final exam) will count more to accommodate that missed exam. For example, if you miss Exam 1,
the 50 points for that exam would be divided among Exams 2, 3, 4, and the non-essay portion of the Final
Exam (adding 12.5 points to each exam, or making each of the 50 questions on the exam worth 1.25 points
instead of 1 point).
Any exams that you miss beyond one exam will be worth zero points. No exceptions. If you run
into major problems that cause you to miss a lot of classes near the end of the semester, please consider taking
an Incomplete.
Class Cancellation: If class is cancelled on a day when an exam is scheduled, we will have the exam during
the next class meeting. If class is cancelled on a day when there is an in-class activity scheduled, we will
probably do it during the next class meeting in addition to covering new text material.
Policy regarding an early final exam:
If you have a situation that you know about ahead of time that will conflict with the final exam, you may make
arrangements to take the final exam during the last week of class if the situation justifies taking the exam
early. You need to discuss this with me before Thanksgiving break.
Midterm Grade:
Your midterm grade will be based on all the points you have earned through Exam 3.
WITHDRAWAL: The last date to withdraw from a 16-week class and receive a “W” is November 9.
Required Writing and Reading:
We will usually cover only a portion of each chapter in class. The pages covered each day are specified on the
calendar. You are expected to have read the specified pages from the text before coming to class. Writing in the
class will be required for in-class activities and the final exam essay. PLEASE USE FORMAL WRITING FOR
THIS COURSE.
Student Conduct:
ANYONE CONTINUING TO ENGAGE IN DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR DURING CLASS WILL BE
ASKED TO LEAVE. If you truly do not want to be in class or you have other things to do such as textmessage or catch up on sleep, please do not come to class.
Food and beverage in the classroom: There is an official policy of no food or beverages other
than water in HCC classrooms.
Cell Phones: Please TURN THEM OFF. Reduce your stress and let your phone rest for a while.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES: Please refrain from using electronic devices during class. Electronic devices of
any type (laptop computer, cell phone, iPod nano, PDA, mini-computer, CD player, AM transistor radio,
Playstation 3 with Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City, Nintendo Wii playing Zelda connected to a Sony 40"
widescreen LCD TV, Roboraptor, Viewmaster Incredibles Telescope, etc.) tend to distract from learning.
If you absolutely insist on taking notes on a laptop during class, you must sit in the front row.
Electronic devices are also not allowed during exams.
CHILDREN:
Heartland Community College has a policy which restricts all children from attending any class at Heartland. If
you have a conflict between family and academic responsibilities, other arrangements will need to be made.
COMMUNICATION:
You may call my office number at any time and leave a message: (309) 268-8579. Please be sure to include
your name and which class you are in (SOC 101-02) in your message.
You may also send e-mails to: liz.hoisington@heartland.edu. Please use your Heartland e-mail account to send
e-mail and identify your class (SOC 101-02) in the subject line of the e-mail message. Please do not ask for
copies of documents via e-mail.
HCC Portal
Just a reminder that to access Blackboard, IRIS, and your Heartland Student Email, you will need to log into
myHeartland, at https://my.heartland.edu.
BLACKBOARD
The class syllabus, chapter study guides, and your personal gradebook are available in Blackboard. If you are
not familiar with Blackboard, please let me know and I can walk you through it.
Syllabus Disclaimers:
Any of the information contained in this syllabus is subject to change and any changes will be communicated to
students in class.
Some of the statements in this syllabus have been adopted, with permission, from other sources.
SOC 101-02
FA11
DATE
AUG
TOPIC/IN-CLASS ACTIVITY/EXAM
23
Introductions
25
Overview of Sociology
30
ACTIVITY #1: Theoretical Perspectives & the Pledge
SEPT 1
OCT
CALENDAR
Methods
pages covered
--pp. 1-22
pp. 22-30
6
ACTIVITY #2: Survey Research & CORE Data
8
Culture and Socialization
13
ACTIVITY #3: Values & Cultural Artifacts
15
EXAM #1 -- Chapters 1 & 2
20
Social Structure
22
ACTIVITY #4: Bureaucracy & Your Job
27
Deviance
29
EXAM #2 – Chapters 3 & 4
4
Stratification
pp. 122-151
6
Inequality by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex
pp. 152-181
11
EXAM #3 – Chapters 5 & 6
13
Family
pp. 183-212
18
Government
pp. 214-221
20
Economy
pp. 221-227
25
Religion
pp. 227-234
27
ACTIVITY #5: Religion & Belief in Life After Death
pp. 33-60
pp. 62-91
pp. 93-121
CLASS DATE
TOPIC/IN-CLASS ACTIVITY/EXAM
pages covered
NOV
1
Education
pp. 234-240
3
Medicine
pp. 241-245
8
EXAM #4 – Chapters 7 & 8
10
Population
15
ACTIVITY #6: Demographic & Census Data
17
Urbanization
22
ACTIVITY #7: Urbanization & Zoning Maps
24
THANKSGIVING BREAK – NO CLASS
29
Environment
1
ACTIVITY #8: Spaceship Earth & Community Action Plan
DEC
6
8
pp. 247-261
pp. 261-268
pp. 268-275
Social Change and Collective Behavior
pp. 277-291
Collective Behavior and Social Movements
pp. 291-304
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, December 13, 8:00 a.m.
Please bring a pencil for the Scantron portion of the exam but you
may use a pen for the essay portion.