College of Southern Idaho
Social Science
Sociology 101
Introduction to Sociology
Spring 2009
Ryan Torngren MSW, LMSW
torngrer@dhw.idaho.gov
Office Hours: By Appointment
Office Phone: (208) 436-9494
The CSI Mission Statement
The College of Southern Idaho, a comprehensive community college, provides educational, social and
cultural opportunities for the diverse population of South Central Idaho. In this rapidly changing world,
CSI encourages our students to lead enriched, productive and responsible lives.
General Education Criteria: This course satisfies all eight criteria for general education. It is designed
to:
1. provide a broad-based survey of a discipline and show the interconnectedness of knowledge.
2. develop a discerning individual.
3. practice critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4. promote awareness of social and cultural diversity in order to appreciate the commonality of
mankind.
5. foster the balance between individual needs and the demands of society.
6. reinforce reading, writing, speaking, and/or quantitative skills.
7. encourage and inspire life-long learning.
8. encourage creativity.
Social Science Department Mission Statement
The mission of the Social Science Department is to provide educational, social, and cultural opportunities
which encourage enriched, productive and responsible lives primarily by instructing students to
understand, interpret, and apply Social Science discipline coursework.
Social Science Department Goals: This course addresses the following Social Science Department
goals, which are to:
1. help students understand important facts, concepts and theories of Social Science subjects.
2. help students acquire techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in the disciplines.
3. help students learn to distinguish between fact and opinion.
4. teach students to use evaluation, analysis and synthesis to interpret and solve problems.
5. teach students to use different perspectives from the social sciences to make better-informed decisions
6. help students acquire an informed understanding of various cultures.
7. prepare students to transfer to a university.
Sociology Program Mission Statement
The Sociology Program provides an understanding of the social forces which help shape our lives and the
interconnectedness of all peoples. It also prepares students for transfer to upper division sociology
programs at the college or university of their choice, and helps them to form rational and constructive
relationships with their fellow human beings.
Sociology Program Objectives:
1.
To introduce students to major sociological theories and sociologists.
2.
To provide insights into the relationship between the social organization of group life and its
subsequent impacts
on the thinking, acting, and interaction patterns of individuals.
3.
To offer a General Education choice for the Social Sciences.
4.
To contribute to the knowledge base for Criminal Justice Administration, Social Work and other
related careers.
5.
To furnish quality courses for the first two years of a Sociology major.
6.
To prepare students to excel in their upper division programs.
Pre-requisites and Prerequisite Skills
Catalog Course Description
The basic concepts, principles, and processes in sociology. An introduction to material relating to culture,
social interaction, institutions, and social change.
Required Textbook: Macionis, John J., SOCIOLOGY 11th ED., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 2005
Course Outcomes:
1. Define sociology, identify the basic components of the
sociological
perspective and understand the major sociological theories.
2. Become familiar with the historical development of sociology.
3. Understand normative systems and the impact of culture upon
human
behavior.
4. Identify the importance of a global perspective and the
interdependence of
our world’s nations and peoples.
5. Understand the major features of social stratification systems.
6. Define various forms of social organizations and understand
the relationship
between social structure and human behavior.
GE
1,2,6
SS
1,2,3,4,7
SOCY
1,2,3,4,5,6
1,2,6
4,6,8
1,3,47
1,2,3,4,7
1,2,3,4,5,6
3,5,6
4,5,6
1,6,7
3,5,6
1,2
3,7,8
1,3,7
1,2,4,7
3,5,6
2,5,6
Course Outcomes Aligned with Course Assessment Activities:
Quizzes
Papers
Presentation/Final
1
X
2
X
X
X
3
X
X
X
4
X
5
X
6
X
X
X
Class Participation
X
X
X
X
X
X
Grading System: Based on percentages. (approximations)
Quizzes
40%
Papers
30 %
Presentation/ Final
20%
Class Participation
10%
Quizzes (100 Points)
There will be weekly quizzes at the beginning of each class to assess each student’s
comprehension of the material. Each quiz will have twenty questions reviewing the previous
week’s lecture and reading. The quiz will consist of multiple choice questions. The lowest test
score will be dropped and 10 points will be awarded for that quiz.
Papers (82 Points)
Culture Paper: (62 Points) “What type of culture were you raised in and how does it affect your
socialization in society today?” The paper is an I paper and is about YOU. The paper is intended
to introduce you to the APA writing format used within Sociology. Also, the paper is intended to
assist students with applying concepts from class to their own lives in an attempt to better
understand their cultural influences. Two weeks before the papers are due a draft of the paper
will be brought to class for peer review, and questioning of the teacher. 10 Points will be
awarded for bringing a draft and engaging in the review. (A sample paper will be distributed to
demonstrate what an A paper looks like.) Papers are to be APA formatted: 12 point font, double
spaced, 1 inch margins, title page, and references page. The paper must also include at least
three sources, two of which must be journal articles.
Journal Article Response: (20 Points) There will be two journal Article responses to be
completed by students on blackboard. Using the discussion board, students will post a response
to a specific journal article (they must also include the source of the journal article). The student
must then respond to at least two other posts from fellow students. The posts must be at least
two paragraphs of 3-4 sentences each, summarizing how the article relates to sociology, and
what they felt was interesting about the article. No original post may have more than three
responses. These journal articles are meant to be a way for students to discover sources for their
culture paper.
Final Exam (50 Points)
The class period before the final will be a review period. The test will be 100 comprehensive
questions covering all chapters discussed in class. One half of all the final exam questions will
be directly from previous quizzes. This test will be taken in a testing center and will require a
password to begin the exam.
Class Participation (28 Points)
Students will receive these points for attendance and participation in classroom discussions.
Without these points an A grade cannot be obtained. The breakdown for points is roughly two
points per day; therefore a role will be called at the beginning of class.
Course Evaluation: (5 extra credit points)
Two weeks before the end of the course a class evaluation is put online for students to evaluate
the course. Those students completing the evaluation and then bringing in the printout of the
completed evaluation will receive 5 extra credit points. This is the only extra credit offered.
Grading Breakdown By Percentages (Based on a Total of 260 points)
100%-90%
89%-80%
79%-70%
69%-60%
59%-0%
260-233
232-207
206-180
179-154
153-0
A
B
C
D
F
Makeup/Late Work
If students miss one of the quizzes, the quiz missed automatically becomes the lowest quiz and is
thrown out. As the student will have access to quizzes on-line no make up quizzes will be
allowed. If due to computer/electronic malfunctions you begin a quiz and you are disconnected
from the internet, the quiz will not let you back in to finish the quiz. You will need to contact me
PRIOR TO THE QUIZ CLOSING so that I can clear out your quiz so that you may finish you
quiz. Absences are the student’s responsibility, meaning it is the student’s responsibility to
contact fellow students and read the text chapter for the material covered in class as I will not
forward lecture slides.
Papers not turned in on time automatically will be docked 30%. They may be turned in before
the due date, but those coming in after will receive the penalty plus remain subject to paper
grading criteria. Therefore, a late paper could only potentially receive a 70% if everything else
in the paper is perfect. However, if an assignment is late it is still in the best interest of the
student to turn in the assignment as the final overall grade will be influenced dramatically
without the points from the missing assignment.
Plagiarism/Cheating Policy
Cheating and Plagiarism is very serious. Anyone caught plagiarizing or cheating will
automatically fail the project which the offence occurred upon. To assist in prevention of
cheating, no electronic devices will be allowed during quizzes.
CSI E-mail
E-mail is the primary source of written communication with all CSI students. Students automatically get
a CSI e-mail account when they register for courses. Messages from instructors and various offices such
as Admission and Records, Advising, Financial Aid, Scholarships, etc. will be sent to the students’ CSI
accounts (NOT their personal e-mail accounts). It is the students’ responsibility to check their CSI email accounts regularly. Failing to do so will result in missing important messages and deadlines.
Students can check their CSI e-mail online at http://students.csi.edu. Student e-mail addresses have the
following format: username@students.csi.edu. At the beginning of each semester free training sessions
will be offered to students who need help using their CSI e-mail accounts.
Outline for the Course:
Dates
Topics and Reading Assignments
January 20
Introductions
Review of Blackboard; Overview of Syllabus
Writing Discussion instruction/Resource Gathering
January 27
Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective
Chapter 2: Sociological Investigation
Quiz 1- Chapters 1 & 2 opens
February 3
Chapters 3 & 4: Culture; Society
Quiz 1- Closes
Quiz 2-Chapter 3 &4 Opens
February 10
Chapters 5 & 6: Socialization; Social Interaction
in Everyday Life
Quiz 2-Closes
Quiz 3- Chapters 5 & 6 Opens
1st Discussion Board Opens
February 17
Chapter 8: Sexuality
Quiz 3-closes
Quiz 4- Chapter 8 Opens
1st Discussion Board Closes
February 24
Chapter 9: Deviance
Quiz 4-Closes
Quiz 5-Chapter 9 Opens
March 3
Video
Quiz 5-Closes
March 10
Culture Paper Draft Peer Review
Video Discussion
2nd Discussion Board Opens
March 17
**Spring Break**
March 24
Chapter 10: Social Stratification;
Chapter 11: Social Class in the United States
Quiz 6-Chapter 10&11 Opens
2nd Discussion Board Closes
March 31
Chapter 14: Race and Ethnicity
Quiz 6-Closes
Quiz-7 chapter 14 Opens
April 7
Chapter 16 & 20: The Economy and Work, Education
Quiz 7-Chapter 14 Closes
Quiz 8 –Chapter 16 & 20 Opens
April 14
Chapter 18 & 19: Family; Religion
Quiz 8-Chapter 16 & 20 Closes
Quiz 9- Chapter 18 & 19 Opens
**Culture Paper Due**
April 21
Chapter 22 & 24: Population; Social Change: Traditional,
Modern, and Postmodern Societies
Quiz 9-Chapter 18 & 19 closes
Quiz 10-Chapter 22 & 24 opens
April 28
Final Review
May 5
“Last Test” Opens – No class
On-line course evaluation
Students are strongly encouraged to complete evaluations at the end of the course. Evaluations are very
important to assist the teaching staff to continually improve the course. Evaluations are available online at:
http://evaluations.csi.edu. Evaluations open up two weeks prior to the end of the course. The last day to complete
an evaluation is the last day of the course. During the time the evaluations are open, students can complete the
course evaluations at their convenience from any computer with Internet access, including in the open lab in the
Library and in the SUB. When students log in they should see the evaluations for the courses in which they are
enrolled. Evaluations are anonymous. Filling out the evaluations should only take a few minutes. Your honest
feedback is greatly appreciated.
Disability Policy
Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for related accommodations. To determine eligibility and
secure services, students should contact the coordinator of Disability Services at their first opportunity after
registration for a class. Student Disability Services is located on the second floor of the Taylor Building on the Twin
Falls Campus, (208)732-6260.
**Syllabus Disclaimer** This Syllabus is subject to change, pending changes are deemed necessary.