Introduction to Sociology
SOC 1001-004
University of Colorado – Boulder
Fall 2009
~ Course Syllabus ~
Course Instructor:
Office Location(s):
Office Phone:
Office Hours:
Email:



Aaron S. Johnson
KTCH 409
303-735-0591 - don’t leave messages, I don’t check the voicemail
Wednesdays 1:30-3:00 and by appointment
aaron.johnson@colorado.edu
Class meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:00pm to 3:50pm in Hellems 252
CULearn module accessible at https://culearn.colorado.edu/webct/logon/559570766021
SOCY 1001 (3.0) INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY: Examines basic sociological ideas including social relations,
social interaction, social structure, and social change. Examples are drawn from societies around the world.
Meets MAPS requirement for social science: general. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum:
contemporary societies.
Course Overview
Sociology is a perspective. The design of this course is intended to promote your understanding of the sociological
perspective and to provide you with the tools to begin to think sociologically and to enhance your appreciation of
the societal forces that work to mold our lives. This course introduces the sociological perspective by posing 13
fundamental questions. The effort “answer” these questions will include engaged lectures, video presentations, inclass and online, small-group discussions and participation activities and critical thinking exercises.
Since sociology is, broadly speaking, the study of the social world, sociologists study all sorts of phenomena. Some
of these topics are what many would describe as ‘social problems,’ such as gangs, crime, violence, suicide, poverty,
racism, sexism, and homophobia. Sociologists also examine the ways that social institutions shape our lives and our
interactions with others; we will explore the ways that our social worlds are built, the ways they are maintained, and
the ways they change. Many of the issues we will discuss in class are probably already familiar to you, and you’ve
probably already discussed many of them with your family and friends. We will build on and probe beyond
preconceived and popular understandings of these topics, in order to achieve a deeper level of critical analysis.
Over the course of the semester, we will also attempt to understand the kinds of questions sociologists ask, why
they ask the questions they do, and how they go about trying to answer the questions they ask. Lastly,we will also
consider how people create, make sense of, reproduce, and/or challenge the meaning and experience of everyday
life. Ultimately, the goal of this course is to provoke thought about what we take for granted as “natural” about the
social order of everyday life, in order that we may think more critically about the ways our own social interactions
both reinforce and challenge the cultural practices and social institutions which shape those very interactions.
A Word of Caution
In this class, we will be dealing with issues that might make some people uncomfortable. We will read texts and
watch movies which may use explicit and derogatory language and explore important themes that are likely to
include intolerance and inequality, prejudice and privilege, racism, sexism, hate and violence. Some of the ideas
presented in this course are meant to challenge your beliefs. And while I understand that at times you may feel
discomfort, it is expected that you will be able to watch in-class movies, read assigned texts, and discuss them in an
academic manner. Furthermore, the sociological study of society as presented in this class concerns inequality. And
in so much as criticism and self reflection are important parts of this class, you will be asked to think critically about
our society and YOUR role in multiple systems of privilege and oppression. If you are not prepared to critically
examine society and yourself, this class may not be for you.
“The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and
the external career of a variety of individuals.” (C. Wright Mills The Sociological Imagination. 1959, p. 348).
SOCY 1001-004, Fall’09 ~ Course Syllabus
Brief Course Calendar
The “brief course calendar” below is a tentative list of dates, topics and textbook readings. I will announce updates and
additional readings in class and via CULearn. You are responsible for all changes.
The terms Kendall, Benokraitis and Charon specifically refer to the follow required texts:
1. Kendall. 2010. Sociology in Our Times, The Essentials (7th edition)
2. Benokraitis. 2010. SOC (1st edition)
3. Charon. 2010. Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective (7th edition)
 Optional Readings – are marked with an asterisk (required readings are numbered)
 Important Dates – these are tentative and subject to change
Course and Class Introductions
Readings
Week 1
1. Course Syllabus
2. Assignment Guidelines and Scoring Rubrics
 CULearn tutorials
Lesson 1: Thinking Like a Sociologist
Readings
Weeks 2 & 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Kendall Chapter 1 / Benokraitis Chapters 1 and 2
Bauman & May 2001 Introduction: The Discipline of Sociology
Charon Question 1: How do Sociologist Study Society?
Charon Afterword: Should We Generalize about People?
Additional readings TBA
 Monday, September 7 – Labor Day, no class meeting
 Friday, September 11 – Reading Quiz #1
Lesson 2: What it Means to be Human
Readings
Week 4
1. Kendall Chapters 2 and 3 / Benokraitis Chapters 3 and 4
2. Charon Question 2: What does it Mean to be Human?
3. Additional readings TBA

Monday, September 21 – Reading Quiz #2
Lesson 3: Society and Social Control
Readings
Weeks 5 & 6
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1.
2.
3.
4.
Kendall Chapters 4, 5 and 6 / Benokraitis Chapters 5, 6 and 7
Charon Question 3: How is Society is Possible?
Charon Question 5: Are Human Beings Free?
Additional readings TBA

Monday, October 5 – Reading Quiz #3
SOCY 1001-004, Fall’09 ~ Course Syllabus
Lesson 4: The Causes and Consequences of Social Inequality
Readings
1.
2.
Weeks 7, 8 & 9 3.
4.
5.


Kendall Chapters 7, 9 and 10/ Benokraitis Chapters 8, 9 and 10
Charon Question 4 Why are People are Unequal in Society?
Charon Question 7: Why is there Misery in the World?
MacIntosh 1989 Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Additional readings TBA
Kendall Chapter 8
Friday, October 23 – Reading Quiz #4
Lesson 5: Social Institutions
Readings
Weeks 10 & 11
1. Kendall Chapters 11-14/ Benokraitis Chapters 11-15
2. Additional readings TBA

Wednesday, November 4 – Reading Quiz #5
Lesson 6: Social Dynamics and Change
Readings
Weeks 12 & 13
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Kendall Chapters 15 and 16/ Benokraitis Chapters 16 and 17
Charon Question 8: Does the Individual Really Make a Difference?
Charon Question 9: Is Organized Religion Necessary for Society?
Charon Question 10: Is the World becoming One Society?
Additional readings TBA

Wednesday, November 18 – Reading Quiz #6
November
23-27
Fall Break & Thanksgiving
Lesson 7: Why Study Sociology?
Readings
Week 14
1. Bauman & May 2001 Thinking Sociologically
2. Charon Question 11: Why Study Sociology?
3. Additional readings TBA

Week 15
Friday, December 4 – Reading Quiz #7
 Catch up and Review
“Finals Week”
Saturday,
December 12
through
Thursday,
December 17
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Your Final Writing Assignment is due no later than Wednesday, December 16 by 10:00pm
SOCY 1001-004, Fall’09 ~ Course Syllabus
Course Requirements & Polices
Required Texts: Course lectures, readings and assignments will be derived from the material in the following books.
Course Texts
Nijole V. Benokraitis
SOC
1st Edition © 2010
ISBN13: 9780495601418
Associated Websites
~ notes
Publisher's overview

Online supplements
Student companion site


Diana Kendall
Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials
7th Edition © 2010
ISBN13: 9780495598626
Publisher's overview
Student companion site


Joel M. Charon
Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective
Publisher's overview
7th Edition © 2010
ISBN13: 9780495601302


You may use either the Benokraitis or the
Kendall text
Benokraitis is less expensive, but brand new so
few used copies will be available
You may use either the Benokraitis or the
Kendall text
Kendall is more expensive but many used
copies should be available, including previous
editions which will work just fine
An eBook is available for about 1/2 price
An "eBook" is available for about 1/2 price
You may also use the 6th edition and buy the
missing chapter as a single "eChapter" for $5.00
Computers: You are required to have regular access to a computer that has the capability to access the Internet and
CULearn. Additionally, you must have access to a word processing program such as Microsoft’s Word as well as
program capable of opening Adobe Acrobat files (.pdf) such as Adobe’s Reader or Apple’s Preview in order to view
course documents and readings beyond the textbook. Adobe Reader is available for free at www.adobe.com.
You are permitted to take notes in class on a laptop computer so long as its use is not distracting to other students
(because of movie watching, game playing, IMing, etc.) and you MUST bring paper and pen to class, even if you
choose to take notes on a laptops. It is your responsibility to make sure you can use CULearn. If you are unfamiliar
with it, please take time during the first week of the term to practice using it. Not knowing how to use CULearn is
NOT grounds for submitting an assignment late. In addition to personal computers and the campus computer labs,
you should be aware that laptop computers are available for check-out in the UMC and Norlin library.
Communication: I use a combination CULearn and email to communicate important information and distribute course
materials. You are required to check all such means of communication regularly (i.e. per class meeting) throughout
the semester. I will send all emails to your university-established “WebMail” address only.
Names and Class Rosters: CU-Boulder provides me with a class roster comprised of full, legal names only. I will gladly
honor your request to address you by an alternate name and/or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this
preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records.
Attendance and Participation: Regular attendance and participation in class and online is ESSENTIAL! Because I
believe that the “natural consequences” for not participating fully in class are sufficient motivation for most
students, I do not award points for simply showing up in class. Thus, there is no need to provide me with any sort
of official “excuse” for missing class, although emails with simple explanations are appreciated (but not required). I
do however take attendance, and ask that you make an effort to sign in each class period. Your attendance record
may be considered in decisions regarding deadline extensions, alternative assignments and assigning final grades.
Should you miss a class, be sure to remember that you are still responsible for all announcements and material
covered in the class missed. Also, you should keep in mind that Reading Quizzes cannot be made up. Should you
miss a Reading Quiz you must arrange to complete an alternative assignment to be completed out of class. Finally,
please beware that I will only discuss the question “what did I miss?” in office hours and briefly before or after class
(that is, not by email), and encourage you to contact your classmates for such information.
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SOCY 1001-004, Fall’09 ~ Course Syllabus
You should expect to spend at least nine hours per week outside of class reading, preparing for class and contributing to
online discussions. You are strongly encouraged to do so in frequent, short work sessions, rather than infrequent
marathon reading, writing and cram sessions. To do well, you must get involved and stay involved.
Due dates and deadlines are strictly enforced and late assignments are NOT accepted. However, with that being said,
there are obviously some good reasons for missing a deadline. If you believe that, your situation is such we should
discuss it. Should you miss a due date or deadline, contact me with an explanation ASAP, or even better, in advance.
Be aware however, what I consider “good reasons” for granting extensions include those such as a serious illness
(and I’ll ask you for a doctor’s note), the illness of a dependent family member as your child, or a death in your
family. Those situations that I do not consider “good reasons” for granting extensions include computer problems,
inability to negotiate CULearn, airline schedules, and even conflicts with other known commitments such as work
and other classes. In any case, any and all exceptions to this policy (i.e. extensions and alternative assignments) must be
discussed with me preferably before the extension is needed, and also summarized by you in writing.
Classroom and Online Behavior: As I see it appropriate classroom behavior can be easily understood in terms of respect
and responsibility. Most importantly, this classroom is a Hate Free Zone! Intolerant and disrespectful comments or
actions will not be tolerated. Toward such ends, you are asked to criticize ideas - not people. Additional respect and
sensitivity are especially important when dealing with topics involving differences of class, gender, race, culture,
religion, politics, sexual orientation, and nationalities. I also ask that you respect others’ right to learn.
Failure to respect others will be cause for disciplinary action which may include being asked to leave the
classroom, receiving a failing grade for the course, or being reported to department and college authorities
if need be. For more info go to http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code
and http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html.
You and I both have responsibility for ensuring the class is a “worthwhile” experience.. I have the professional
responsibility to treat all of my students with understanding, dignity and respect, to guide classroom discussion and
to set reasonable limits on the manner in which you and your classmates express ideas, opinions and beliefs. You
have the responsibility to make the class “worthwhile”, by completing readings and assignments, seeking additional
assistance and/or bringing challenges to such efforts to my attention.
Academic Integrity:
“On my honor as a University of Colorado at Boulder student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work”
While completing the Discussion Questions assignments require that you collaborate with your classmates, you
MAY NOT collaborate with classmates or consult the text or notes during Reading Quizzes . If I find that
you have received any unauthorized assistance on a Reading Quiz, all parties involved will automatically earn a
“zero” for the assignment and potentially face further disciplinary action. More so, if found in violation of the
Honor Code, you may receive “F” for the course, and may have your case referred for further consideration and
potential penalties per university policy.
Please, let’s make this non-issue. All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing
and adhering to the academic integrity policy. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of
academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct
shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu, 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be
in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and
non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Additional
information on the Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at
http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/.
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SOCY 1001-004, Fall’09 ~ Course Syllabus
Class Activities & Assignments
The course is divided into seven lessons that order and organized the course content and assignments. While the
specific number and order of activities and assignments will vary, in general each lesson is comprised of the
following activities and assignments.
1. Each lesson will include 3 to 8 Class Meetings. Class meetings are used for reviewing readings, “lectures” and
other instructor presentations like videos and guest speakers, student-led Q&A sessions, small group discussions
and in-class participation activities as well as the administration of Reading Quizzes. Class meetings are designed
to be interactive, with considerable emphasis on placed on discussion and activities.
2. Every lesson will include a set of required and optional Readings from one or more of the following sources:
 the required course texts (Kendall / Benokraitis and Charon )
 Adobe Acrobat files (.pdf ) distributed via CULearn
 And links to freely accessible websites
3. Every lesson will also include a set of Discussion Questions. 40% of you final grade will be based upon the
quality and frequency of your participation in a small group, online discussion involving these Discussion
Questions. Your individual score will be a combination of my assessment of the overall quality of the group
discussion and your specific contributions to the discussion. In general, you should expect 2 to 3 open-ended
questions per required reading. Additional details concerning the Discussion Questions assignment can be
found in the assignment guidelines and scoring rubric posted to CULearn.
4. Every lesson will also include a Reading Quiz. 40% of your final grade will be based upon your Reading Quiz
scores. Reading Quizzes must be completed in-class on the assigned dates. Additional details concerning Reading Quizzes
can be found in the assignment guidelines and scoring rubric posted to CULearn.
5. Each lesson will include an online discussion titled “Questions, Comments and Concerns”. While
contribution are optional, you will receive participation points for your contributions that will be scored as a
“bonus” and added onto your final score in the following manner: up to .25% for posting a question, up to 1%
for providing the first response to a posted question, and up to .5% for replies to initial responses. Additional
details concerning class discussions can be found in the assignment guidelines and scoring rubric posted to CULearn.
6. Lastly, you are expected to complete a Final Writing Assignment during the last week of class (“Finals
Week”). 20% of your final grade will be based upon your FWA score. Additional details concerning the Final
Writing Assignment can be found in the assignment guidelines and scoring rubric posted to CULearn.
Scores & Grades
Scoring Summary
Discussion Questions =
Reading Quizzes =
Final Writing Assignment =
Questions, Comments and Concerns =
40%
40%
20%
bonus
Course Total = 100%*
 Final scores are capped at 100%
Tentative Grade Ranges*
A (95-100)
A– (90-94)
B+ (87-89)
B (83-86)
B– (80-82)
C + (77-79)
C (73-76)
C– (70-72)
D+ (67-69)
D (63-66)
D– (60-62)
F (<60%)
* The course instructor reserves the right to adjust the final grade ranges
based upon the distribution of final scores.
Please be sure to keep all your scored quizzes and other assignments in the event of a score dispute. Little, if anything, can be done
to resolve such disputes without referring to the score in dispute. In the case that a disputed quiz or writing
assignment score cannot be confirmed by referring to the original, the score on record will stand.
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SOCY 1001-004, Fall’09 ~ Course Syllabus
Student Accommodations & Resources
Disabilities: If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability
Services no later than Friday, September 4 so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines
accommodations based on documented disabilities. For more information call 303-492-8671, visit Willard 322 or
visit http://www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices.
Religious Observances: CU’s and my personal policy regarding religious observances is to make every effort to
reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled
exams, assignments or attendance. In order that I may do so, please submit to me a letter detailing any foreseen
conflicts no later than Friday, September 4 so that your needs may be addressed. For additional information visit
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html and http://www.interfaithcalendar.org
University-sponsored athletics and activities: My policy regarding athletics and other University-sponsored activities (and in
some cases work schedules) is to make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, due to such,
have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or attendance. In order that I may do so, please submit to me a
letter detailing any foreseen conflicts no later than Friday, September 4 so that your needs may be addressed. For
additional information visit http://www.colorado.edu/FacultyGovernance/MOTRES/bm2-0301.html.
Discrimination and Sexual Harassment; The University of Colorado’s policy on amorous relationships applies to all
students, staff and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of
discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation,
or veteran status should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the
Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH can be obtained at
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/discrimination.html and http://www.colorado.edu/odh
Help with CULearn: If you have difficulties with CULearn, first visit ITS @ http://www.colorado.edu/its/culearn/.
Also remember that CULearn has extensive help files, online tutorials and workshops. If you are unfamiliar with
CULearn, I highly recommend that you take the Student Orientation Tutorial available from the main CULearn
page once you log in. If your problem interferes with submitting assignments by the scheduled deadline, e-mail me
immediately and continue your efforts to remedy the situation. Although you inability to use CULearn is not a valid
excuse for missing a deadline, an e-mail documenting your difficulties should be sent immediately in case the
problem is discovered to be beyond your control.
Selected Critical Thinking & Writing Resources:

Bell, McGrane & Gunderson. 2005. This Book is Not Required (3e). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

from CU-Boulder:
The Writing Center @ http://www.colorado.edu/pwr/links.htmll
Student Academic Service Center @ http://www.colorado.edu/SASC/

from The Foundation for Critical Thinking @ http://www.criticalthinking.org/starting/college_student.cfm

from University of North Carolina @ http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/index.html

from Purdue University @ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index2.html

from Dartmouth University @ http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/toc.shtml

from the ASA @http://asanet.org/page.ww?section=Sociology+Depts&name=Quick+Style+Guide
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