INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Spring 2015 Instructor: Wan-Ning Bao
Sociology R100 Office: CA 303H
Section 11090 Office Hours: T/R 1:30 - 2:30 PM
Tuesday 12:00 - 1:15 PM Telephone: (317) 274-2665
Thursday 12:00 - 1:15 PM E-mail: wbao@iupui.edu Location: CA 225

This syllabus can be found on the web page (https://oncourse.iu.edu/portal).

Required Textbook and Reader:

John J. Macionis. 2014. Sociology, Fifteenth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

John J. Macionis & Nijole V. Benokraitis. 2010. Seeing Ourselves: Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Readings in Sociology, Eighth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Principles of Undergraduate Learning (adopted by the IUPUI Faculty Council in 2007 and demonstrate what graduates of IUPUI will know and what they will be able to do upon completion of their degree. The definitions and explanations can be found at http://www.iport.iupui.edu/selfstudy/tl/puls/).

Core Communication and Quantitative Skills
Critical Thinking
Integration and Application of Knowledge
Intellectual Depth, Breadth, and Adaptiveness
Understanding Society and Culture
Values and Ethics

Course Description:

Sociology is the discipline that attempts to help people understand how social structures and societal environment affect human behaviors and shape human experiences. This course is designed as an introduction to the discipline of sociology. Introductory sociology is a “concepts” and “perspectives” course. While sociological perspectives offer a new and more rational way of viewing human society, fundamental concepts represent tools for analyzing social life in more systematic ways. The overall goals of the course are to help students develop critical thinking and cultural awareness when they apply these concepts and perspectives to the social phenomena of everyday life. These goals are in accordance with the IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning (PULs), particularly, critical thinking (PUL 2) and understanding society and culture (PUL 5). Through lectures, class discussions, readings and assignments, students will develop the ability in disciplined thinking, which includes remaining open-minded to new information, challenging previous bias, assumptions and actions, and adjusting his or her thinking, beliefs and actions based on new information. By incorporating information about other groups and cultures into teaching materials and lectures, students will not only recognize and understand their own cultural traditions, but also realize and appreciate different human experiences in other cultures. Course Objectives:

As a result of participating in this course, students will:

1. be familiar with the key concepts, perspectives, and major concerns in sociology
2. be able to take a sociological perspective to understand a social phenomenon
3. be sensitive to social and cultural influences upon human attitudes and behavior
4. be appreciative of differences in diverse cultural, social, environmental and personal settings
5. be cautious about over-generalizing from individual experience and common sense
6. be aware of the complex nature of public issues and social problems
7. be able to develop and use critical thinking in reading

Course Requirements:

1. Reading assignments and class attendance: Students are expected to have completed the assigned readings before attending lecture (see general reading schedules in the syllabus and the specific assignment for each class in Oncourse). The instructor assumes students are familiar with the assigned materials. All the readings are in the