COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course is designed to give you a basic understanding of the processes of human social life through the theories, methods, and research findings of sociological inquiry. The purpose is to help you to establish a perspective that will enable you to better understand the social world around you. Such a framework will give you insights into your own social experiences as well as aid you in analyzing the social and cultural settings and processes that influence your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Through this course, you should develop what the late sociologist C. Wright Mills referred to as the "sociological imagination." Mills wrote:
 

Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both. What man needs...is a quality of mind that will help him to use information and to develop reason in order to achieve lucid summations of what is going on in the world and of what may be happening within himself. It is that quality of mind, I am going to contend, that...may be called the sociological imagination.
 

The first fruit of this imagination--and the first lesson of the social science that embodies it--is the idea that the individual can understand his own experience and gauge his own fate only by locating himself within his period, that he can know his own chances in life only by becoming aware of all individuals in his circumstances...The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. That is its task and its promise. (C.W. Mills, The Sociological Imagination, New York: Oxford University Press, 1959, pp. 3-6).

I encourage you to keep this statement in mind throughout this course. You should develop a sociological perspective on your own social experience and be able to comprehend how your actions, thoughts, and feelings are shaped by influences in the society and culture in which you live. You will also be able to question how your life may have been different if you had been born fifty years ago, or in a different place. While developing what Mills calls the sociological imagination will certainly help you in this course, it is also a tool which you can use throughout your life. By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

- Describe the sociological perspective and explain why it is an improvement over common sense reasoning.

- Describe the major theoretical perspective in sociology and be able to apply all of them to any particular topic

    under consideration.

- Describe the development of sociology and outline the contributions of the most important theorists.

- Describe the importance of culture and language for the human species.

- Describe the importance of social structure for the organization of human social life.

- Describe the fundamental nature of societies, as well as their historical evolution from hunting and gathering to

     postindustrial societies.

- Describe the importance of groups to the shaping of individuals and societies.

- Describe the basic elements of economic, racial, ethnic, gender, and age stratification in American society.

- Compare systems of inequality globally.

- Describe the basic features and importance of the following institutions: family, education, economics, and politics.

- Describe the threat of overpopulation as it is related to poverty in less-developed societies.

- Describe the importance of social movements for modern society.

- Describe the causes and consequences of social change in the modern world, including threats to the physical environment.

COURSE ORGANIZATION: Classes will consist mainly of lectures and discussions. These will be supplemented by some films. The lectures are designed to clarify and expand upon the required readings, and will not simply repeat what is in the text. I expect that you will come to each class session prepared (that is, that you have read and understood the assigned readings for that particular day). This is the only way that you will get the most out of this class.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: You will be required to do a written assignment for this class. This will involve doing an assignment using the Internet. Internet assignments can also be found on my web page: http://webpages.marshall.edu/~garnett/

There will be two examinations during the course, which will cover the material from the first section of the course. In addition, there will be a final exam during the scheduled time. The emphasis will be on material covered since the second exam. Each of the exams will be based on material in your readings, in the class lectures and discussions, and in any other materials that we use. They will be primarily multiple choice.

EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE: The final evaluation for the course will be based on the following:

    Written Assignments

    15% of the final course grade

    Examinations

    25% First in-class exam

    25% Second in-class exam

    35% Final Examination

If, for any reason, you are unable to attend a class when an examination is being given, you must inform me before the class meeting, if at all possible. In the event that you have an acceptable reason for missing an exam, I will give a make-up, which will consist of several short essay questions.

There will be no opportunity for extra credit work in this course.

READINGS AND REFERENCES

The following text is required and is available for purchase at the bookstore for this course:

James M. Henslin, Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. (Sixth Edition) Allyn & Bacon, 2003.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Date

8/26    Introduction to the course--overview and administration. No assigned readings

Sociology and the Sociological Perspective

8/28    Henslin: Chapter 1, "The Sociological Perspective," pp. 1-22

8/30    Henslin: Chapter 1, pp. 23-35

9/2                    Labor Day -- No Class

The Elements of Culture and Cultural Variation

9/4     Henslin: Chapter 2, "Culture," pp. 37-50

9/6     Henslin: Chapter 2, pp. 50-63

Social Structure and Interaction

9/9     Henslin: Chapter 4, "Social Structure and Social Interaction," pp. 97-110

9/11   Henslin: Chapter 4, pp. 111-126

How We Become Human--Socialization and the Life Course

9/13   Henslin: Chapter 3, "Socialization," pp. 65-78

9/16   Henslin: Chapter 3, pp. 78-95

Deviance and Social Control/Crime

9/18   Henslin: Chapter 8, "Deviance and Social Control," pp. 211-231

9/20   Henslin: Chapter 8, pp. 231- 240

Sociological Research Methods

9/23   Henslin: Chapter 5, "How Sociologists Do Research," pp. 129-145

9/25   Henslin: Chapter 5, pp. 145-152

9/27                                            *** First Examination ***

Social Groups

9/30    Henslin: Chapter 6, "Societies to Social Networks," pp. 158-172

10/2    Henslin, pp. 172-183

Systems of Stratification

10/4    Henslin: Chapter 9, "Social Stratification in Global Perspective," pp. 243-252

10/7    Henslin: Chapter 9, pp. 252-266

10/9    Henslin: Chapter 9, pp. 266-273

10/11                                                Fall Break -- No Class

Social Stratification in the United States

10/14    Henslin: Chapter 10, "Social Class in the United States," pp. 275-288

10/16    Henslin: Chapter 10, pp. 288-304

Race and Ethnic Relations

10/18    Henslin: Chapter 12, "Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity," pp. 341-359

10/21    Henslin: Chapter 12, pp. 359-377

Gender Inequality

10/23    Henslin: Chapter 11, "Inequalities of Gender," pp. 307-326

10/25    Henslin: Chapter 11, pp. 326-339
 
The Family in Theoretical Perspective

10/28    Henslin: Chapter 16, "The Family," pp. 467-481

Marriage and Family in American Society

10/30    Henslin: Chapter 16, pp. 428-501

11/1                                              *** Second Examination ***

Education in American Society

11/4    Henslin: Chapter 17, "Education," all

Economic Systems

11/6    Henslin: Chapter 14, "The Economy," pp. 409-428

11/8    Henslin: Chapter 14, pp. 428-437

Power and the State

11/11    Henslin: Chapter 15, "Politics," pp. 439-448

The Distribution of Power

11/13    Henslin: Chapter 15, pp. 448-456

Population and Urbanization

11/15    Henslin: Chapter 20, "Population and Urbanization," pp. 597-611

Collective Behavior

11/18    Henslin: Chapter 21, "Collective Behavior and Social Movements," pp. 633-648

Social Movements

11/20    Henslin: Chapter 21, pp. 648-656

11/22    Henslin: Chapter 21, pp. 656-662

Social Change

11/25    Henslin: Chapter 22, "Social Change, Technology, and the Environment," pp. 665-680

12/2     Henslin: Chapter 22, pp. 680-688

War and Terrorism

12/4    Henslin: Chapter 15, pp. 456-465

12/6    Summing up the course