SOC 101 – Section 15585 Ace Plus
Introduction to Sociology
Instructor:
Kyla Morrissey, M.S., M.Ed.
Course credit:
3 semester credits
Time and location:
Saturdays, 1/16/16 – 5/7/16, 9:00 – 11:45 a.m.
GCC Spring, 2016
The systematic study of social behavior and human groups, particularly the influence of culture, socialization, social
structure, stratification, social institutions, differentiation by region, race, ethnicity, sex/gender, age, class, and
socio/cultural change upon people's attitudes and behaviors. Prerequisites: None.
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SOC 101 – Section 15585 Ace Plus
Introduction to Sociology
GCC Spring, 2016
Instructor:
Kyla Morrissey, M.S., M.Ed.
Course credit:
3 semester credits
Time:
Saturdays, 1/16/16 – 5/7/16, 9:00 – 11:45 a.m.
Office Hours:
I am available before or after class in the classroom or by email.
Email:
kyla.morrissey@gccaz.edu
Required textbook:
Sociology, 15th Edition, John J. Macionis, ISBN: 9780205985609
Course Description:
The purpose of this course is to acquaint the student with the discipline of Sociology to
help the student develop an appreciation for its usefulness in understanding their culture. Upon completion of
this course, students should be able to apply the Sociological Perspective in the analysis of everyday life and
problems which confront them including fundamental concepts of social organization, culture, socialization,
social institutions and social change.
Prerequisites:
None
Course Format:
Lecture – direction instruction, Discussion – cooperative learning
Audio Taping Policy: Students may record lectures if they desire.
Course Requirements:
1. Weekly reading quizzes over chapters due each week – multiple choice, T/F
2. Weekly writing assignments
3. Final exam – multiple choice, T/F, multiple choice essay questions (cumulative, questions taken from
weekly reading quizzes)
Course Objectives:
1. To develop a sociological perspective on social behavior that is based on the scientific method
rather than common sense.
2. To identify fundamental patterns of conflict that is present in our society as well as social order and
integration.
3. To understand some of the underlying causes of what we call social problems and to see how
sociological data enter into policy decisions.
4. To become a more informed consume of social science data.
5. To gain insight into the social behavior of other people in other cultures and adopt a position of
cultural relativism.
6. To become aware of the impact of Social Institutions.
7. To understand the process of socialization and how we become social beings.
Course Calendar
Class 1: 1/16/16
Class Topics: Introduction – What is Sociology? Why is Sociology important? What is the Sociological
Perspective?
Homework:
A.
Read: Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective AND Chapter 2: Sociological Investigation
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz 1/23/16**
B. Writing Assignment #1 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten answer
in a minimum of 20 sentences for next class, due 1/23/16:
I.
List the benefits of the sociological perspective. Provide specific examples of how
applying the sociological perspective to your daily life benefits you.
II.
How have sociologists helped shape public policy and law?
III.
What is the link between the three methodological approaches to sociology and the
three theoretical approaches?
Class 2:
1/23/16
Class Topics: Sociological Investigation; Quiz on Chapters 1 and 2
Homework:
A.
Read: Chapter 3: Culture AND Chapter 4: Society
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 1/30/16**
B.
Writing Assignment #2 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten answer
in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next week, due 1/30/16:
I.
Provide examples of mores and folkways that you learned when growing up.
II.
How are core American values other than achievement and success reflected in
childhood games?
III.
How has the virtual culture impacted you?
IV.
How can modern societies reduce the level of anomie? Can this be done without
limiting people’s individual freedom?
Class 3: 1/30/16
Class Topics: Culture and Society, Quiz on Chapters 3 and 4
Homework:
A.
Read: Chapter 5: Socialization AND Chapter 6: Social Interaction in Everyday Life
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 2/6/16**
B. Writing Assignment #3 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten answer
in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next week, due 2/6/16:
I.
Identify and describe Erikson’s stages of development as each applies to your own personality
formation. How did success at one stage prepare you for meeting the next challenge?
II.
How does one’s preference for a nature or nurture explanation of human behavior influence the
type of social policy that one factors to reduce such problems as crime, poverty, or violence?
III.
Critics often charge that television’s portrayal of violent and sexual themes powerfully affect its
viewers, especially children. How much of a role do you think TV plays in the socialization
process? Does it affect everyone to the same extent? Defend your positions.
Class 4: 2/6/16
Class Topics: Socialization and Social Interaction; Quiz on Chapters 5 and 6
Homework:
A.
Read: Chapter 7: Groups and Organizations AND Chapter 8: Sexuality and Society
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 2/13/16**
B. Writing Assignment #4 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten answer
in a minimum of 20 sentences for next class, due 2/13/16:
I.
Which of Etzioni’s three types of formal organizations is generally most efficient in
pursuit of its goals? Which is least efficient? Why?
II.
Although sociologists usually explain the pervasiveness of bureaucracies in
contemporary society as a result of their efficiency, many people think of bureaucracy as
synonymous with inefficiency. Why do you think this view is widely held? How much truth is
there in it?
III.
What are some examples of groupthink in American history? Have you ever found
yourself seeking to conform in a group situation that resulted in a narrow view of some issue?
IV.
Explain how sexuality is a cultural issue.
Class 5: 2/13/16
Class Topics: Groups and Organizations, Sexuality and Society; Quiz on Chapters 7 and 8
Homework:
A.
Read: Chapter 9: Deviance
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 2/20/16**
B.
Writing Assignment #5 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten
answer in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next week, due 2/20/16:
I.
Clarify your understanding of Durkheim’s four functions of deviance by considering how rockn-roll in the 1950s and marijuana smoking today provide each of the functions.
II.
What social policies would be likely to be recommended by a sociologist who favored Merton’s
strain theory in order to reduce property crime by the poor?
III.
Americans have historically been more willing to accept biological and psychological
explanations of criminality than sociological ones. Why do you think this has been the case?
Class 6: 2/20/16
Class Topic: Deviance; Quiz on Chapter 9
Homework:
A. Read: Chapter 10: Social Stratification AND Chapter 11: Social Class in the United States
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 2/27/16**
B. Writing Assignment #6 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten answer
in a minimum of 20 sentences for next class, due 2/27/16:
I.
Do you feel that it would be either desirable or possible to establish a truly classless society?
Why or why not?
II.
Do you agree with Herbert Spencer’s assertion that getting rich is all about “the survival of the
fittest”? Why or why not?
III.
Do you believe that Marx’s predictions that advanced capitalist societies would eventually
experience revolutions were simply wrong, or has the revolution merely been postponed?
Discuss your position.
Even though these questions state “do you feel” or “do you believe” or “do you agree with”
you need to state factual details from the textbook that exemplifies your understanding of
the concepts.
IV.
How is your social standing linked to your health, values, politics, and family life?
Class 7: 2/27/16
Class Topics: Social Stratification and Social Class; Quiz on Chapters 10 and 11
Homework:
A.
Read: Chapter 12: Global Stratification AND Chapter 13: Gender Stratification
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 3/5/16**
B. Writing Assignment #7 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten answer
in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next week, due 3/5/16:
I.
What accounts for severe and extensive poverty throughout much of the world?
II.
What role can U.S. citizens play in attempting to ease the problems of global poverty? How
would the answer of a modernization theorist to this question differ from the answer that might
be given by a dependency theorist?
III.
Analyze how your own gender role has been shaped by your family, peers, school, and the mass
media. Which seems to have had the most impact on you?
IV.
Do you find the structural-functional or the social-conflict analysis of gender-role inequality
more convincing? Why?
Class 8: 3/5/16
Class Topics: Global Stratification and Gender Stratification; Quiz on Chapters 12 and 13
Homework:
A. Read: Chapter 14: Race and Ethnicity AND Chapter 15: Aging and the Elderly
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 3/12/16**
B.
Writing Assignment #8 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten answer
in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next week, due 3/12/16:
I.
Develop two parallel arguments, one in favor or affirmative action for minorities and one in
opposition to this practice. Take a position yourself.
II.
Go to Harvard University’s Assimilation Project at http://www.pluralism.org/ and navigate
through the site. Identify three (3) specific resources available through this site that you think
are particularly interesting. Submit your list along with a rationale as to why you selected each
resource.
III.
Go to http://www.realage.com/ralong/entry4.aspx?cbr=GGLE138 Read and fill out the “Real Age
Test.” How did you do? What is your analysis of the questions included in this measurement
device? Discuss your results and the suggestions the results provide to improve your health.
IV.
What do members of minority groups gain and lose as they undergo a process of assimilation?
Class 9: 3/12/16
Class Topics: Race, Aging; Quiz on Chapters 14 and 15
Homework:
A.
Read: Chapter 16: The Economy and Work AND Chapter 17: Politics and Government
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 3/26/16**
B. Writing Assignment #9 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten
answer in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next week, due 3/26/16:
I.
Given the collapse of the majority of the world’s socialist societies, is there still any purpose in
learning about non-capitalist economic systems? Defend your position.
II.
Given the discussion of the comparative advantages of capitalism and socialism, consider what
the U.S. might gain and lose by moving toward a democratic socialist system.
III.
Do you think that the union movement will continue to decline or can this current trend be
reversed? Do workers still need union? What would happen if there were no unions?
IV.
Do you think that the power of special-interest groups and PACs improves or corrupts the U.S.
political system? How, if at all, would you control or restrict their power?
V.
In what way is the Information Revolution changing politics?
NO CLASS 3/19/16 Spring Break
Class 10: 3/26/16
Class Topics: The Economy and Work; Politics and Government; Quiz on Chapter 16 and 17
Homework:
A.
Read: Chapter 18: Families AND Chapter 20: Education
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 4/2/16**
B.
Writing Assignment #10 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten
answer in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next week, due 4/2/16:
I.
What are some of the ways in which society might respond to help reduce the problems that
arise when both parents work? Should these responses be the responsibility of the parents, the
employer, or the government?
II.
Is divorce best viewed as a problem, a solution, or a symptom?
III.
Some people argue that schools ought to teach students how to think critically as well as
passing on important skills and knowledge. How well do you feel that U.S. schools presently
provide this function? Is this ever likely to be a major function of schooling? Should it be?
IV.
How would you develop a program designed to counter student passivity in high school and
college?
Class 11: 4/2/16
Class Topics: Families and Education, quiz on Chapters 18 and 20
Homework:
A.
Read: Chapter 21: Health and Medicine AND Chapter 22: Population, Urbanization, and
Environment
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 4/9/16**
B. Writing Assignment #11 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten answer
in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next week, due 4/9/16:
I.
Do you believe that the U.S. needs a system of national health care? How would you structure
such a program?
II.
What role, if any, do you think that the economically developed countries should play in
attempting to improve health in the poorer nations?
III.
Google the term “core based statistical areas” (CBSA) and locate the one that your family lives in
today. What are the most significant demographic characteristics you see in the data?
IV.
What do Simmel and Wirth see as the principal advantages and disadvantages of living in cities?
Do their analyses correspond with your own observations and experiences with urban life?
Class 12: 4/9/16
Class Topics: Health and Medicine and Population, Urbanization, and Environment; quiz on Chapters 21
and 22
Homework:
A. Read: Chapter 23: Collective Behavior and Social Movements
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 4/16/16**
B.
Writing Assignment #12 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your
handwritten answer in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next class, due 4/16/16:
I.
Research one social movement and describe the stages in the life of that movement.
II. Why do fads appeal especially strongly to adolescents?
III. Interview your parents and ask them what the most significant fads were when they were in their
late teens. Do the same with your grandparents.
Class 13: 4/16/16
Class Topics: Collective Behavior and Social Movements; quiz on Chapters 23
Homework
A. Read Chapter 24: Social Change: Traditional, Modern, and Postmodern Societies
**take handwritten notes while you read, which you may use on the quiz on 4/23/16**
B. Writing Assignment #13 Pick one of the following questions and prepare your handwritten
answer in a minimum of 20 sentences for class next class, due 4/23/16:
I.
What do you see as the most positive social change in your lifetime? The most negative?
II. Do you think the changes that have resulted from modernization have improved or
degraded human life? Defend your position.
III. Do you think life in the U.S. is getting better or worse? Defend your position.
Class 14: 4/23/16
Class Topics: Social Change: Traditional, Modern, and Postmodern Societies; quiz on Chapter 24
Homework: Study for Final Exam
Class 15: 4/30/16
Class Topics: Review for Final Exam
Homework: Study for Final Exam
Class 16: 5/7/16:
Final Exam during regular class time
Attendance and Make-up work:
Your three (3) lowest quiz grades will be dropped. There are no makeup
dates for the quizzes. Thus, you may miss up to three quizzes and the zeroes will be dropped as your three
lowest grades. Plan your attendance accordingly. Students are expected to attend all classes. Students are
expected to take the quizzes and final exam when scheduled. Under no circumstances will quizzes be given
early. The quizzes are given at the end of the class. If you must leave early, you will not be able to take the
quiz. Remember, you may miss 3 quizzes without penalty.
Attendance is taken every week. Any student who misses 4 consecutive classes without contacting the
instructor will be withdrawn from the class and will not be reinstated. If a medical, professional, occupational,
or personal emergency cause you to miss a class, or if you have an unexcused, excused, or official absence, get
the notes of the class from a classmate, and consult your syllabus for past, present, and future assignments.
Every due date is delineated in the syllabus so you are responsible for writing assignment and quizzes on the
assigned dates regardless of absences.
Quizzes cannot be made up due to an absence. Writing assignments may be turned in late. Each week
the assignment is late, a letter grade is deducted. No assignments will be accepted without a proper
heading which includes: Name, Due Date, Writing Assignment #______, Prompt #_____.
Coming to class late: Life happens to all of us. Hopefully it only happens once a semester. If you are more
than 10 minutes late, you will lose 10% quiz points for that day (first, second, third tardy). If you are late more
than three times, the instructor will talk to you about dropping the course and rescheduling it for a time more
productive for you. The fourth and each subsequent tardy, your quiz points will be zero for the class.
GCC withdrawal policy: Students are responsible for knowing and following all GCC handbook policies
including course withdrawal deadlines. Students should follow GCC withdrawal deadlines to avoid failing a
course.
Class environment: It is important to have a productive, positive class environment for all students. It will be
necessary for all students to be courteous, listen, and pay attention while the instructor or other students are
talking. An important component of the course is class discussions. You are strongly encouraged to
participate and share your thoughts and ideas about the content for the day. Incorporating examples from
your life, the readings, and other research will add value to the course and aid other students’ learning. We will
all learn from each other throughout this semester. Please put away your cell phones and laptops as they are
not necessary for class and may become a distraction to you, me, and others around you. Thank you!