Degrees

SS 141 Introduction to Sociology Course Objectives

An SS 141 student should be able to:

1. Recognize society as a human adaptation to the environment and as a means of solving problems.
2. Know the difference between symbolic and non-symbolic communication.
3. Understand why human cultures develop values and why values are difficult to change after they have been internalized.
4. Discuss the connection between socialization and social control.
5. Compare and contrast sociological and psychological explanations of human interaction.
6. Understand why sociology is considered a science and how it differs from other sciences.
7. Discuss the major precepts of structural-functionalism, conflict theory, and interactionism.
8. Name the stages of social science research.
9. Identify the elements of an experiment and name advantages and disadvantages of the experimental method in sociology.
10. Identify advantages and disadvantages of observation and survey research.
11. Analyze the relationship between variables and distinguish causes from correlations.
12. Identify the major components of culture.
13. Discuss how material and nonmaterial culture are connected.
14. Discuss how norms shape behavior.
15. Define ethnocentrism, identify the functions it serves for society, and note the benefits of cultural relativity in analyzing culture.
16. Identify how sub cultural influences and shared values and beliefs influence our lives.
17. Identify elements of social status and distinguish between achieved and ascribed status.
18. Identify various roles that accompany a social status.
19. Discuss how language may influence our social reality.
20. Discuss the roles of individuals and institutions as agents of socialization.
21. Understand the impact of socialization on the survival and development of the individual and on the survival and operation of society.
22. Be aware of some of the strengths and weaknesses of each side of the "nature vs. nurture" issue.
23. Name and discuss the stages and ideas of the major personal development theorists.
24. Identify and evaluate the agents of socialization that are challenging the family's role in the socialization process.
25. Discuss why we internalize certain values and not others.
26. Discuss how gender roles are learned through the process of socialization.
27. Discuss the importance of age as a social category and identify several "myths" regarding aging.
28. Identify various types of deviance and discuss problems with defining deviance as behavior that violates the norms of society.
29. Be aware of current crime statistics from the UCR, victimization surveys, and other sources and identify some potential problems with these statistics.
30. Form an opinion regarding ways to decrease repeat offenses of juvenile delinquents.
31. Discuss deviant-centered theories and society-centered theories of deviance and objections to these theories.
32. Discuss the process of social control.
33. Discuss the role of various institutions that are involved in controlling crime in the U.S.
34. Analyze different types of stratification systems.
35. Note the methods used by sociologists for determining the class membership of individuals in a class system.
36. Distinguish among the various types of social mobility and discuss the differences in opportunities for social mobility for various groups in American society.
37. Distinguish between the various social classes in the U.S. and know ways in which social class impacts on one's "life chances".
38. Note the different definitions of poverty and their implications.
39. Discuss several explanations for the existence of poverty in the U.S.
40. Contrast the ways in which structural-functionalist and conflict theorists view poverty.
41. Explain what sociologists mean by minority, ethnic, and racial groups.
42. Discuss the relationship between prejudice and discrimination.
43. Discuss how some people use race and ethnicity to form opinions about intelligence and character.
44. Distinguish between the various patterns of relationships that occur between racial and ethnic groups.
45. Discuss why systems of ethnic stratification always contain discrimination and exploitation.
46. Discuss the responses of the dominant groups in a society to the presence of minority groups.
47. Discuss the functions the family performs for the individual and society.
48. Discuss the various types of family structure.
49. Discuss patterns of marriage and mate selection.
50. Identify changing roles in the American family.
51. Identify reasons for the high divorce rate in the U.S.
52. Identify and discuss various forms of family violence.
53. Name and discuss the goals and functions of education.
54. Discuss how teacher stereotypes and expectations, tracking, and inequalities in school funding may impact on educational attainment.
55. Identify and discuss problems that exist in American educational institutions.
56. Distinguish between polytheism and monotheism.
57. Discuss the function, both religious and social, of religious rituals.
58. Contrast the views of Marx and Durkheim regarding the role of religion in society.
59. Discuss the role of religion in everyday American life and how that role may be changing.