SOC 110 11 – INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Fall 2014
MWF 1:25-2:20pm, Room 2169
Syllabus
Dr. Brian Newby
Consultation Hours – By appointment (in person or skype)
Email address – bnewby@dccc.edu (I will check my email 7 days a week between 8am-6pm)
Skype - drbriannewby
Required Reading:
1. Henslin, James M. 2014. Mastering Sociology. Pearson: New York, NY.
2. Hironimus-Wendt, Robert. J. and Lora Ebert Wallace. “The Sociological Imagination and
Social Responsibility.” Teaching Sociology 37:1, 76-88. (digital copy will be provided by
Dr. Newby)
3. Kaplan, Martha. 2011. “Lonely Drinking Fountains and Comforting Coolers: Paradoxes
of Water Values and Ironies of Water Use.” Cultural Anthropology 26:4, 514-41. (digital
copy will be provided by Dr. Newby)
Course Description:
Sociology is the study of people and how they interact. Interactions form the basis of
societies and cultures, not to mention everything within them. This course will allow you to
explore the foundations of Sociology, focusing on how people collaborate to “socially construct”
their lives and the world around them.
Course Goals:
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Apply the sociological perspective to their own lives
Further personal development through knowledge and in the socialization process
Describe the impact of the five major social institutions on social and themselves
Assess the present and possible future effects of social change on their culture’s and their
own basic values
5. Depict the effects of living in a modern complex society
6. Use the three major sociological theoretical perspectives to analyze a major concept
within sociology
Students with Disabilities:
Delaware County Community College policy complies with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students requesting
academic accommodations must register with the Office of Disability Services and are
responsible for picking up their accommodation letters at the beginning of each semester and
presenting them to their instructors. I am available to discuss the approved accommodations that
you may require in this course. If you have any questions, contact Ann Binder, Director of
Disability Services, at 610-325-2748 or by email at abinder@dccc.edu. Students on Chester
County Campuses can contact Shammah Bermudez, Coordinator of Disability Services for
Branch Campus Operations at 484-237-6251 or by email at sbermudez@dccc.edu.
Readings:
Every student is responsible for having read each assigned section of reading BEFORE
the corresponding lecture. My lecture style involves a lot of open discussion and dialogue with
students. If you haven’t completed the readings prior to a lecture, you will be lost and unable to
participate in the discussion. This does not mean that doing the reading prior to a class means
you can skip that lecture. I will be teaching from my own lecture notes, which will sometimes
coincide with the information provided in the book. Put simply – you will need to have read the
book as well as attended every lecture to obtain the necessary information to pass this class.
Absences:
Please advise me in advance or as soon as possible if you are aware that you will miss a
quiz, exam, or the due date for an assignment. Quizzes will only be available to students who
show up to that particular lecture. If you miss a quiz, make-ups will not be available. Tests must
be made up within ONE WEEK of the original test date or your grade will be recorded as a
zero. Extension of this one week time limit will only occur if you are prevented from attending
class for more than one week by extreme illness (your own, not someone else’s) or a death of an
immediate family member. Any long-term absence that includes missing a test or assignment’s
due date must be conveyed to me IN ADVANCE of the date in question. Some circumstances
will require that you get a permission for absence from the Registrar’s office before I allow you
to make up that work.
Absences from general lectures are at your own risk. I will not provide lecture notes to
students and I will not give private repeats of lectures outside of the classroom. If you miss the
lecture, you missed it. Please ask a fellow student to help you catch up.
Grades:
Grades will be based on the student’s performance on weekly quizzes and four exams.
Quizzes will be given every Friday at the beginning of class (11:15am precisely) and will be
comprised of five multiple choice questions each, touching on important concepts from the
readings and lectures of that week. Use quizzes as gauges to determine how much you
understand the information being discussed. You will have a maximum of 10 minutes in which
to take a quiz (therefore, all quizzes will be done by 11:25am). If you are late to class, you do not
get to take the quiz.
There will be 4 exams throughout the semester. These are not cumulative, but you may
be required to remember some information throughout the entire course. Tests will consist of 40
multiple choice questions. The final exam (exam #4) will be given in class rather than during the
Final Exam Schedule. You will have the entire class period to take exams.
In addition to tests and quizzes, I provide 6 opportunities for extra credit. These
assignments will be handed out 1 week before their due date. I do not accept late submissions,
nor will I read drafts. Doing an extra credit does not guarantee you will receive the extra credit
points (between 0-5 points will be awarded based on the work provided). Each assignment will
include the requirements to achieve full credit (5 points). If you are performing poorly on quizzes
and exams, I highly encourage you to seek me out as soon as possible to discuss improving your
grade.
10 quizzes (5 points each) = 50 points total
4 exams (40 points each) = 160 points total
-----------------------------------------------------Grand Total = 210 points
Point Spread:
A = 189-210 points
B = 168-188
C = 147-167
D = 126-146
F = 125 and below
Plagiarism Policy
 Plagiarism is using – on tests and in written form – someone else’s answers, words, or ideas,
and pretending that they are your own. It can be like copying someone else’s words or
answers. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. It is stealing and may result in disciplinary action
against you. If you are wondering whether something is plagiarism, ask your professor,
instructor, or tutor.
 Similar to plagiarism, cheating is using another person’s effort and talent for your own
personal gain – with or without that person’s permission – as if his or her efforts were yours.
Cheating is also stealing and may result in disciplinary action against you.
Outline of Course (subject to change):
Below is a tentative schedule of Chapters required for class. This schedule may change due to
any videos and other resources, which might be utilized by this instructor in this course. A verbal
and/or written notice of any changes will be given the students in a timely manner.
Sept. 3-5: Introduction; The Sociological Imagination (Hironimus-Wendt and Ebert Wallace
article due by Friday) (No Quiz this week)
Sept. 8-12: Social Constructionism (Kaplan article)
Sociological Theory, part 1 (Henslin book (MS), Chapter 1 (only pages 1-8)
(Quiz 1 on 9/12) (Extra Credit #1 due 9/12)
Sept. 15-19: Sociological Theory, part 2 (MS, Chapter 2 (only pages 31-41) (Quiz 2 on 9/19)
Sept. 22-26: Culture (MS, Chapter 3) (Exam 1 on 9/26)
Sept. 29-Oct.3: Socialization (MS, Chapter 4) (Quiz 3 on 10/3) (Extra Credit #2 due on 10/3)
Oct. 6-10: Social Structure and Interaction (MS, Chapter 5) (Quiz 4 on 10/10)
Oct. 13-17: Deviance and Social Control (MS, Chapter 6) (Quiz 5 on 10/17)
October 20: Faculty In-service NO CLASS
Oct. 22-24: Social Stratification (MS, Chapter 7) (Exam 2 on 10/24) (Extra Credit #3 due on
10/24)
Oct. 27-31: Race and Ethnicity (MS, Chapter 8) (Quiz 6 on 10/31)
Nov. 3-7: Sex and Gender (MS, Chapter 9) (Quiz 7 on 11/7)
Nov. 10-14: Politics and Economy (MS, Chapter 10) (Quiz 8 on 11/14) (Extra Credit #4 due on
11/10)
Nov. 17-21: Marriage and Family (MS, Chapter 11) (Exam 3 on 11/21)
Nov. 24-28: Education and Religion (MS, Chapter 12) (Quiz 9 on 11/26) (NO CLASS on 11/28)
Dec. 1-5: Population and Urbanization (MS, Chapter 13) (Quiz 10 on 12/5) (Extra Credit #5 due
on 12/5)
Dec. 8-12: Social Change (MS, Chapter 14 (only pages 466-478)
TBA: Final Exam (Exam #4)
Other Important Dates:
No-show withdrawal dates: September 22-26 (please consult DCCC’s policy)
Mid-Term Grade Warning: October 31
Deadline for withdrawal: November 7
Last day of classes: December 12