Download Sample Syllabus - Feather River College

FEATHER RIVER COLLEGE
SOC 102: Introduction to Sociology
Spring 2016
Course Description
The discipline of sociology is about the relationship between the individual and society. In this
class you will study individuals in groups, social institutions, as well as how power and
inequality factor into these relationships. All of this will also help you understand why change
occurs in societies. This survey course introduces a range of topics studied by sociologists. I
hope this introduction will make you want to investigate these topics more deeply in other
classes. During the semester you will look at the formation of “the self” and the individual in
the social context; the individual in groups; constructions of race, class, gender and sexuality;
social structures and institutions; culture; inequality and power; crime and deviance; family;
globalization; work; religion; social change, and much more. Given this list, you will most likely
be able to relate many of these topics to your own life. I hope this introspection will help you
understand the experiences of others in our society. Using sociological perspectives and
theories, will help you think more analytically about the experiences that shape the realities of
groups and individuals. Such analysis will challenge you to think in unique ways about solutions
to social problems.
This course:
 Satisfies the FRC graduation requirement in Area D.
 Satisfies the breadth requirements of CSU transfer (Area D).
 Satisfies major core requirements in Sociology AA-T degree.
 Fulfills IGETC (UC system transfer) Area 4.
 Is transferable to private colleges (consult your education plan and transfer college
catalog). Includes course content equivalent to the rigor demanded of students at
transfer institutions.
Course Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
In addition to promoting the mission of FRC, I hope this class helps you build written
communication and critical thinking skills, and that it makes you more comfortable and
confident in your understanding of the social and behavioral sciences. Ultimately, I hope this
class prepares you for your academic and professional futures.
Upon the completion of this class students will be able to:
1. Explain and apply key sociological concepts.
2. Understand and apply the sociological imagination to examining themselves and current
social issues.
3. Understand various research methods and their uses.
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4. Identify, compare and apply the primary sociological perspectives and the theorists
associated with these perspectives.
5. Evaluate how social forces and structures form and influence individual and group
behavior.
6. Describe and explain the components of social inequality and social change in historical
and contemporary society.
Course Textbook
A textbook is required for this class. It should be available at the FRC bookstore or through an
online book seller.
Giddens, Anthony; Mitchell Duneier; Richard Applebaum; Deborah Carr. 2014.
Introduction to Sociology. New York: Norton.
ISBN#: 978-0-393-92223-3
An e-book version of this book is available at www.NortonEbooks.com. Available online or as a
download.
Technological Requirements
Enrolling and succeeding in a college class requires you to have access to the following
technology:
1. Daily computer and internet access;
2. MS Word or the equivalent for word processing;
3. An email account that you use for your academic correspondences. This will be the
email you’ll use to receive important FRC and course correspondences. If you did not
indicate a preferred email account with the Admissions and Records Office, then the
default account is your frc.edu address;
4. Software to view videos, stream audio, and open files.
Course Policies
The following policies apply to all my courses (also see the FRC Student Rights and
Responsibilities Handbook). Your enrollment means you agree to abide by these policies.
Violation of these policies may result in your dismissal from the class and an administrative
drop.
1. Read the course material and instructor emails.
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2. Come to class on time and prepared: If you will be late or need to leave early let me
know ahead of time. Habitually lateness is considered in your final grade. Being
prepared means reading the assigned material before class.
3. Drop policy: You may be dropped from the class if you stop attending (missing more
than two consecutive weeks of class without a documented explanation submitted to me
and the Office of Student Services). Be aware of enrollment and withdrawal deadlines
indicated on the FRC academic calendar.
4. Late work: Late work is NOT accepted.
5. Writing expectations: See the end of this syllabus for more about writing criteria in this
class. Clear and grammatically-correct writing matters and you should strive to present
yourself as sophisticated, literate, and professional, even in emails (e.g., write in
complete sentences, use correct rules of capitalization, punctuation and spelling). In
your emails to me, please indicate the class in the subject line and sign your full name at
the end. Please address me as “Katie, “Professor” or “Dr. Desmond.” If you lack college
level reading and writing skills please access the learning resources available on campus.
6. Plagiarism and submitting your own work: Cheating is unethical, disrespectful, and a
waste of my time. Presenting the work of others (students, published authors, websites,
etc.) as your own is plagiarism and is unacceptable. If I discover that you have used the
work of another student, author, website, or text and turned this in as an assignment
without proper documentation, you will receive zero (0) points for the assignment. The
College’s policy regarding this and other forms of cheating will be followed.
7. Use of electronic devices: As adults in a professional and in-person environment, you
will not be using your cell phone for personal use in class. If I see you texting or
constantly checking your phone during class you will be marked absent or asked to
leave. Step out of the classroom if you must answer a call, text, etc. Use of laptops for
note taking is subject to my discretion (considering level of disruption and abuse of use).
Laptop users must sit in the front of the classroom.
8. Classroom behavior/decorum: Membership in the academic community includes the
obligation to preserve a safe and positive learning environment. This means that is our
responsibility, students and instructors, to ensure every individual’s right to learn. FRC is
committed to creating a safe campus environment free of discrimination for all
individuals (regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, religion, sexual
orientation, gender expression, appearance, (dis)ability, or veteran status). A safe
learning environment also means that a student should not fear retaliation if they
express concerns of, or report a violation of this policy to a campus employee. This is the
kind of decorum expected in class:
 Respect others when they are talking and refrain from interrupting.
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Stay awake in class!
Don’t use a cell phone in class unless directed.
Eat meals before, not during class.
Use tobacco (e.g., chew) only in designated campus locations.
Avoid coming to class sick.
If disruptive behavior occurs, the student will receive a warning. Continuing or substantial
disruptions may result in immediate removal from the class (decided by me) and will be
reported to the Chief Student Services Officer. Significant and/or continued violations may
result in an administrative withdrawal from the class (see the Standards of Student
Conduct, AP 5500).
9. Students with Disabilities: Please provide official documentation in the first two weeks
of class for to ensure the appropriate accommodations. FRC Disabled Student Programs
and Services Office: (530) 283-0202, ext.318, http://www.frc.edu/dsps/.
10. Grades: An “A” indicates exceptional work. An “A” is not for effort. If you don’t have the
appropriate college level skills, or if you do not achieve the student learning outcomes,
do not expect a satisfactory grade in this class. Missing assignments will significantly
affect your grade also.
11. Completing the Class: “Incompletes” are only considered if you have completed 70% of
the class assignments and have a documented a medical or personal emergency with
FRC’s Office of Student Services. Then you may request an “Incomplete,” though this is
subject to my discretion. If you are unable to complete the class for any other reason
you may take the class another semester.
12. Fairness: These policies and practices apply to all students equally. Exceptions are not
made for individual students if they cannot be made for everyone. For example: if extra
credit is offered, these opportunities will be equal for all students.
Course Format and Assignments
1. Assignments (25% of grade). Chapter quizzes
2. Exams (75 % of grade). There will be three essay exams, noted in the course schedule.
Assessment and Grades
Review the rubric/criteria at the end of this syllabus so you have an idea of what I am looking
for in your written work. I will also be considering your growth and improvement as a learner
over the semester, and take this growth into consideration. Sometimes a grade does not
adequately represent learning and growth, but grades are what colleges use to rate a student’s
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accomplishments. Your percentages and assignment points in the class will be recorded in the
Moodle grade-book. In the grade book area you will see the score/grade you’ve earned.
A = 95-100%
A- = 90-94.9%
B+ = 86-89.9%
B = 83-85.9%
B- = 80-82.9%
C+ = 76-79.9%
C = 70-75.9%
D+ = 66-69.9%
D = 60-65.9%
F = 0-60%
Class Schedule If I change anything on the schedule, I’ll announce it in class and post it on Moodle.
Module One
The Study of Sociology
Module Learning Objectives
• Become familiar with the basic concepts and perspectives in sociology
• Learn the steps of sociological research
• Understand the relevance and the field of sociology to society
Readings
• Chapter 1: What is Sociology
• Chapter 2: Asking & Answering Sociological Questions
Tasks
• Acquire textbook
• Create your semester calendar of assignments, and due dates for all your classes.
Assignments
• Quizzes, Chapters 1 & 2
Module Two
The Individual & Society
Module Learning Objectives
• Understand the basic concepts of culture, socialization, interaction, groups, conformity and
deviance.
• Recognize how the different sociological perspectives look at these concepts.
• Explain debates over these concepts.
Readings
• Chapter 3: Culture & Society
• Chapter 4: Socialization & the Life Cycle
• Chapter 5: Social Interaction & Everyday Life in the Age of the Internet
• Chapter 6: Groups, Networks, & Organizations
• Chapter 7: Conformity, Deviance & Crime
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Assignments
• MC Quizzes, Chapters 3-7
• Exam #1
Module Three
Structures of Power I: Class
Module Learning Objectives
• Understand the sources of inequalities in society.
• Recognize how inequalities affects individuals, groups, and society.
• Analyze approaches and efforts that address inequalities in society.
Readings
• Chapter 8: Stratification, Class & Inequality
• Chapter 9: Global Inequality
Assignments
• Quizzes, Chapters 8 & 9
Module Four:
Structures of Power II: Race, Sex/Gender, Age, Politics
Module Learning Objectives
• Understand how gender and race have been and continue to be explained and socially
constructed.
• Recognize and contrast the explanations for gender inequality.
• Explain feminist approaches to sex/gender.
• Explain prejudice and discrimination and what these look like in contemporary society.
• Understand how society shapes social roles of individuals that emphasize and result in social
stratification.
• Evaluate the experiences of individuals using sociological perspectives that consider race,
ethnicity, gender, age, and class variables.
Readings
• Chapter 10: Gender Inequality
• Chapter 11: Ethnicity & Race
• Chapter 12: Aging
• Chapter 13: Government, Political Power, & Social Movements
Assignments
• Quizzes, Chapters 10-13
• Exam #2
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Module Five
Social Institutions I: Work, Families
Module Learning Objectives
• Assess the social significance of work.
• Understand the development of sociological thinking about families and how this concept and
thinking has changed.
• Understand the structure of modern economies.
• Analyze how modern economies affect groups and individuals in society.
Readings
• Chapter 14: Work & Economic Life
• Chapter 15: Families & Intimate Relationships
Assignments
• Quizzes, Chapters 14 & 15
Module Six
Social Institutions II: Education, Religion
Module Learning Objectives
• Understand the social functions of and sociological perspectives on schooling.
• Explain sociologist’s explanation for achievement gaps between different groups of students.
• Understand the sociological approaches to religion, especially Marx, Weber, and Durkheim.
• Analyze the role of religion in contemporary societies (traditional/modern divide).
Readings
• Chapters 16: Education
• Chapter 17: Religion in Modern Society
Assignments
• Quizzes, Chapters 16 & 17
Module Seven
Social Change in a Modern World
Module Learning Objectives
• Understand how social, cultural, and historical contexts shape attitudes toward health, illness,
and sexual behavior.
• Explain the social and cultural differences in the distribution of disease, and human relationships
with the environments.
• Explain approaches to measuring, tracking, and evaluating demographic changes in the world and
debates over population growth.
• Recognize the significance of urbanism and poverty.
• Evaluate causes of social change by considering multiple factors, actors and power relationships.
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Readings
• Chapter 18: The Sociology of the Body: Health, Illness, & Sexuality
• Chapter 19: Population, Urbanization, & the Environment
• Chapter 20: Globalization in a Changing World
Assignments
• Quizzes, Chapters 18 - 20
• Final Exam 12:00 – 2:00, Thursday, May 19
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SOC 102 rubric used to assess your written work (essays)
Criteria
Response is relevant
& clearly presented.
20% of grade
Excellent
The response/answer is focused, and clearly and
thoroughly addresses the question(s). It effectively
relates to the purpose/topic(s) of the assigned
material.
Good
The response/answer is
understandable and adequately
addresses the question(s). It relates to
the topic of the assigned material.
Shows understanding The work demonstrates an outstanding grasp of
of sociological
sociological concepts; integrates relevant concepts
concepts
and uses them accurately according to the topics and
issues raised in the questions.
~30% of grade
The work shows a good grasp of
sociological concepts, in general, and
uses the concepts and terms
appropriate to the questions asked.
Satisfactory
The response/answer is partially
evident but not very clear or
complete. It doesn’t relate
adequately to the topic conveyed
in the question(s) or simply does
not respond to the question(s)
asked.
The writing shows some relation
to the sociological concepts
relevant to the question topics.
Demonstrates an
analysis of
issues/events
~30% of grade
The different sociological perspectives, theorists,
theories or ideas are discussed, offering insight into
the various ways an issue or problem might be
approached. This means showing how these different
lenses may be applied for understanding the world.
There is also a discussion of why this issue is
important for society and in the study of sociology
The response mentions the sociological
perspectives and what they reveal
about the issue and topic. The work
accurately integrates the work of one
or two theorists, theories, or ideas in
the relevant area. The significance of
the issue is also addressed.
The work attempts to integrate
the sociological ideas and
theories, but doesn’t do so in a
way that offers analysis or
evaluation of an issue or topic.
Organization &
Writing
~20% of grade
The writing is well-developed, appropriate in length,
and clearly organized. This may include a clear
answer or argument, supporting examples, and
rationale. The writing is original (writer uses their
own words) with fewer than three significant
grammatical or spelling errors. Citations accompany
direct quotations and are stylistically accurate.
The writing is organized and includes
examples. It is original, and errors do
not detract from it significantly. The
length is adequate. Citations are
evident with direct quotes but are not
stylistically accurate.
There are organizational and
grammatical problems that
detract from the clarity of the
writing. Citations are missing
when direct quotes are apparent.
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