Genesee Community College
	Course Syllabus
Course ID:	  SOC101		Course Section:  Periods 2 and 5
Title:	Introductory Sociology
Term:	Fall 2005
	Instructor Name:  Mr. Thomas Cook
Contact Info:  Phone 468-2541 ext 2044; Home Phone 468-5991, Email   tcook@keshequa.org
	Catalog description:
 Studies social patterns affecting the structure and functioning of group life such as cultural  values, deviance, class structure, and social change. Examines methods and perspectives sociologists employ, and the ways group forces influence the individual in society. 

Prerequisite or corequisite: REA101 or having met the College's reading competency.
Course Description:
This is a college level course offered at Keshequa as an elective for juniors and seniors.  Students are encouraged to enroll with GCC to obtain the college credit.
Objectives:
	At the conclusion of the semester, students will be able to:
	
	1.Write a 5  -  7 page paper utilizing a minimum of three correctly cited references (APA) in 
	which the three major theoretical perspectives (functionalism, conflict, and symbolic 
	interaction) are applied to a selected social issue, identifying how each perspective provides
	 a different view of the social issue. *
	
	2.Identify on a test a minimum of four types of research methodologies (survey, experiment, 
	content/secondary analysis, ethnography, etc.) as well as a minimum of eight basic 
	elements contained within the scientific method. *
	
	3.Analyze in extended writing, exam questions, or through classroom activities, a minimum 
	of two ways that at least four of the following six elements of culture impact the daily lives of
	 all members of society (material/nonmaterial culture; social structure, values, norms, and 
	laws; subcultures; cultural diversity; ethnocentrism and cultural relativism; culture change 
	and culture lag). 
	
	4.Apply, in extended writing, exam questions, or through classroom activities, a minimum of
	 three key elements within the process of socialization (for example, agents of socialization, 
	development of self-concept, nature/nurture, socialization across the lifespan, etc.), with 
	particular emphasis on the theories of Mead and Cooley.
	
	5.Analyze in extended writing or exam questions, the nature of role relationships, with 
	emphasis on such concepts as achieved/ascribed statuses, master status, role conflict, role 
	stain, secondary versus primary group relationships, reference groups, and the relationship 
	of roles to the social structure.
	
	6.Apply a minimum of two of the theories of deviance to a current example of deviant 
	behavior in society through extended writing, exam questions, or classroom activities.
	
	7.Identify a social movement within American society and then analyze in extended writing,
	 exam questions, or in group/class discussion a minimum of 3 elements of collective 
	behavior that are (or were) evident in that movement.
	
	8.Identify a minimum of three ideal attributes of the American stratification system, and 
	then compare and contrast in extended writing, exam questions or group/class discussion, 
	those attributes in regard to the reality of the American stratification system, identifying five 
	personal characteristics that are class-linked.
	
	9.Contrast the nature of prejudice and discrimination, and identify in extended writing, 
	exam questions, or through class/group discussion a minimum of two individual-level and 
	two societal outcomes of discrimination against minorities (such as racial/ethnic groups, 
	women, the elderly, differences in sexual orientation, etc.) within American society. 
	
	10.Analyze in extended writing, exam questions, or small group/classroom discussion, a 
	minimum of three manifest or latent functions of one of the following major societal 

	institutions (family, education, religion, economy, polity, media, technology, health and 
	medicine). Given the three functions, identify a minimum of two ways the current structure 
	of that institution supports those functions and a minimum of two ways the current structure 
	undermines those functions.
	
	*This course objective has been identified as a student learning outcome that must be 
	formally assessed as part of the College's Comprehensive Assessment Plan. All faculty 
	teaching this course must collect the required data (see Assessing Student Learning 
	Outcomes form) and submit the required analysis and documentation at the conclusion of 
	the semester to the Office of Assessment and Special Projects.
	Required 
	Materials:  Each student will be required to purchase the required text and maintain a notebook and folder.
	     Required Text:    James M Henslin Essentials of Sociology, A Down to Earth Approach, 5th edition 2004
	Cours e 
	      Requirements:   Each student will be required to :
		Maintain a minimum of a 70 average to remain in the college course
		Successfully complete  a 5-7 page paper (see outcome 1)
Demonstrate competence in the required student performance outcomes through quizzez, tests, classroom     activities and/or extended writing assignments.

	           Grading Criteria:  Your course work will ber based upon the following categories
		Classwork (such as assignments, research activities, paper)  50 %
		Tests and Quizzes 50 %

Individual items in these catefories may be weighed differently. For example, the research paper will be given higher weight in the class average than other work. Specific weights for each assignment will be explained when the assignment is given.  Students will be able to make up low classwork grades by regoing the work.  Extra credit options and remediation for quiz graces may be made available at the discretion of the instructor. There is no remediation for tests.

Since our school gives a numerical grade, here is the conversion for the college grade:

PERCENTAGE RANGE	LETTER GRADE	
90-100	A	
80-89	B	
70-79	C	
60-69	D	
59 and below	F	

Policies:  
 
Attendance – The district policy for attendance will be in effect.  Students will have 5 school days to make up any quizzes or classwork they have missed.  Students are responsible for all content covered in the class. 
 
Test dates will be noted in the class schedule issued at the beginning of each semester. Students are not able to make-up missed tests, unless a unique and unavoidable circumstance has occurred.  The student must contact the instructor immediately to inform the instructor they will not be in attendance for the test.  Decisions regarding a make-up will be made on a case-by-case basis and are done at the discretion of the instructor.
 
All assignments are due at the beginning of the class assigned unless specifically indicated. Students have access to Internet resources at several locations.  Assignments involving the use of the Internet will not be accepted late because of difficulties with personal Internet connections or problems with computer hardware.
 
Students who are legally absent must turn in work at the beginning of the next class period, or will begin to receive penalties based upon the list below.  Work not completed will receive the following penalties:
 
				2 points of if not completed at the beginning of the period
				5 points off per school day
		
No work will be accepted or graded after the close of each ten-week marking period.   Students who are absent for an extended period are required to contact the instructor to make arrangements for work.
 
Students are encouraged to review all emergency procedures for building.  Evacuation procedures will be reviewed the first day of class.
	Schedule 
	            Calendar:     see attached
	Outline:	Each instructor is required to cover the following content areas from the text.  Other areas 
	may be covered at the discretion of the instructor. It is expected that each instructor will 
	integrate the three theoretical paradigms and the appropriate research methodologies into 
	each content area:  culture, socialization, social structure, collective behavior and social 
	movements, deviance, social stratification, social inequality, and social institutions.
	
	1) Sociological Perspective:  historical views, the three major theoretical paradigms 
	(functionalism, conflict, symbolic interaction), and the sociological imagination.
	
	2) Research Methods:  the major steps in the scientific method, positive and negative 
	aspects of various research methodologies, and interpretation of data with identifications of 
	limitations of the data for reliability and validity.
	
	3) Culture:  material/non-material culture, social structure, values, norms, beliefs, laws, 
	subcultures, counterculture, cultural diversity, ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, cultural 
	change, and cultural lag.
	
	4) Socialization:  nature/nurture debate, Cooley, Mead, and other developmental theorists 
	based on instructor preference, socialization process and agents of socialization, and 
	socialization through the life course.
	
	5) Social Structure, Social Institutions, and Formal Organizations:  status, roles, primary and
	 secondary groups, reference groups, bureaucracy (ideal type), social institutions, and social 
	solidarity from the micro and macro perspectives.
	
	6) Deviance:  nature of deviance and social control, a minimum of one theory from each of 
	the three major theoretical paradigms, types of crime and crime statistics, and societal 
	response to deviance.
	
	7) Collective Behavior and Social Movements:  nature and scope of collective behavior and
	 social movements, conditions for and types of collective behavior and social movements, 
	and a minimum of two major explanations for collective behavior and social movements.
	
	8) Social Stratification:  types of stratification systems, class structure and life chances, 
	factors that influence social class, social mobility, and poverty in the United States.
	
	9) Social Inequality and Diversity:  nature of prejudice and discrimination, minority/majority 
	status, types of prejudice and discrimination (racism, sexism, ageism, etc.), and 
	consequences and explanations of discrimination.
	
	10) Social Institutions:  function and structure, interconnectness of social institutions, and 
	transitions and problems from a macro and micro perspective within one of the following 
	institutions: (family, education, religion, economy, polity, media, technology, health and 
	medicine).

Class Cancellation Policy
 
School closings will be carried out as outlined in the KCS student handbook.  Any assignments or reading due on that day will be moved to the next school day.  If the instructor is absent the schedule will not change.

Helpful Hints for Students:
 
Students enrolled in the course are encouraged to use the study aids and extra help opportunities offered. These include special after school classes on difficult topics and web Tutor opportunities .
 
Success in the course is directly related to the level of your efforts.  It is very important to keep up with the reading, complete all assignments on time, and sharpen your study and organizational skills.  

Notes:

PLAGIARISM / CHEATING:  Plagiarism is the dual act of presenting and claiming the words, ideas, data, or 
	creations of others as one’s own.  Plagiarism may be intentional--as in a false claim of authorship--or 
	unintentional--as in a failure to document information sources using MLA, APA, CBE, or other style sheets or 
manuals adopted by instructors in the College.  Presenting ideas in the exact or nearly exact wording as found  in primary or secondary sources constitutes plagiarism, as does patching together paraphrased statements 
	without in-text citation. Each faculty member will determine appropriate responses to plagiarism.  Disciplinary 
	action resulting from confirmed instances of plagiarism and/or cheating may include receipt of a failing grade 
	on an assignment or the course, removal of a student from a class, or expulsion of a student from the College.