Intro To Sociology

SYG 2000 Introduction to Sociology

Indian River State College

CONTACT INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Fontley R. Corrodus
Office: A-105(St. Lucie West- Pruitt Campus)
Office Hours: As posted
Phone: (772) 336-6203
Email: fcorrodu@irsc.edu
COURSE INFORMATION
Required Text: Diana Kendall. Sociology in Our Times, The Essentials. Tenth Edition,
Cengage Learning, 2015. ISBN 9781305315051
Course Overview:
The course is designed to promote a better understanding of human behavior as well as the
social environment in which we live. This introductory course will familiarize students with
fundamental sociological theories, important sociological concepts, research methods, and
major research findings. The ultimate goal is to help students develop the ability to make
informed decisions by learning to challenge previously held assumptions and the cultural
biases of our society.
Course Description:
Major topics include: culture, socialization, social inequality, gender inequality, age
stratification, race relations, ethnicity, deviance, religion, education, and the mass media. The
goal is to help students understand the above concepts as well as, master fundamental
sociological skills such as the use of the sociological imagination. Students will be able to
develop their own analytical and critical thinking skills through classroom activities using
data from major research findings.

Learning Outcome

Describe a wide range of global, social and cultural points of view and apply various perspectives to
analyze human behavior.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the sociological

imagination and its relation to individual behavior.
Students will be able to apply the sociological imagination to various cultures and
social structures.
Students will be able to apply the major theoretical perspectives of sociology to
contemporary social issues.
Students will be able to identify the various research methods used to collect data
about contemporary social issues.
FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

Intro To Sociology

5.

Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the impact of

sociological factors such as race, gender, social class, ethnicity, and educational
level on life chances.

Course Learning Objectives

A major objective of this course is to teach you to develop a
Sociological
Imagination, which enables you to understand the larger historical
scene
in terms of its meaning for individuals, their internal lives, as well as
their
external careers. Sociology, in short, focuses on how social forces
influence our lives as individuals and shapes the relationships that we
have
with institutions. There are several learning outcomes for this course 1)
Demonstrate tolerance for a wide range of global, social and cultural
viewpoints; 2) Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of culture
on
ethical perspectives; 3) Apply critical thinking through problem solving;
and
4) Demonstrate an understanding of social customs and social
interactions
within specific groups, and in specific social situations. I encourage you
to
actively participate in this class and dont be afraid to question what is
presented.

Teaching Strategies
This course will use a variety of teaching strategies including the
assignment of required readings and homework, the administration of
exams and quizzes, class notes on important chapter content, and
small group activities. During group activities and out of class
assignments, students will be required to apply their knowledge to
instruction-related issues.
*Warning: This course may expose you to theories, ideas, and viewpoints that may be
different from those with which you agree. If this happens, Don't Get Mad!
Think!
*FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will
be notified in class and through email. It is the students responsibility to
note changes as they occur.
The book and my lectures are intended to stimulate thinking. I do not expect you to agree
with everything. I do expect you to think and to explore the general topics and their
FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

Intro To Sociology

implications. It is my hope that, if you consider yourself a conservative you will use this
opportunity to read books and articles from a liberal perspective, and if you are a liberal,
to read books and articles from a conservative perspective. We seldom learn from
hearing only the viewpoints we already agree with. There is no official line or position in
this class. There are no truths I expect you to learn. I expect you to think, take
positions and be able to defend those positions using theory, research and practice. In
other words, there are no sacred texts. You should draw upon experience, reason, and
perhaps, traditions in the discipline of sociology. Dare to think, analyze, evaluate, and
extrapolate.
Student Contribution to Classroom Discussions

Each student is expected to contribute to the content of the course by sharing articles,
book chapters, etc. that comply with the course objectives.
Active participation is important in the Course Forum. Please share with me and the
class feedback from your Internet and Textbook Reading assignments.
You are expected to use the Internet resources included in the activity section of your
text to improve your understanding of sociology.
Students are expected to make a minimum of one (1) contribution to the discussion
every week. These contributions may be brief but they must be a substantive
contribution to the topic under discussion and reflect the quality of discourse
characteristic of a college student.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Students with disabilities who need academic accommodation should:
(1) register with and provide documentation to Student Disability
Services; (2) speak to the instructor to confirm receipt of SDS email
and indicate the provided accommodations you will use. This should be
done during the first week of class.

Academic Honor Code

Students attending Indian River State College are expected to uphold
the highest standards of academic integrity. These standards are
based on the premise that each student has the responsibility (1) to
uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the students
own work, (2) to refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity in
the college community, and (3) to foster a high sense of integrity and
responsibility on the part of the college community. Reported
infractions will be discussed privately with the student(s). If it is
determined that someone has violated these standards, that person(s)
will earn 0 points for that assignment. Violations may be reported to
the Vice-President of Student Affairs for possible disciplinary action.
http://www.irsc.edu/uploadedFiles/Admissions/DatesandDeadlines/Stu
dent-Handbook(2).pdf (p. 36-8)
FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

Intro To Sociology

Attendance
Class attendance is an integral part of the learning experience. Students
are expected to arrive for class on-time and to participate in class
discussions and activities. You will be responsible for all announcements
made in class including changes to exam and paper due dates. The
instructor may reduce your final grade by 20% if class absences
become excessive (three or more absences). POSITIVE, PRODUCTIVE,
class participation will also be taken into account and may impact your
final grade.
Studying and Preparation Time
The course requires you to spend time preparing and completing
assignments. For every credit hour you should expect to spend at
minimum of three (4) hours working on the course. Therefore, a 3credit course would require approximately 12 hours of time, per week.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Exams (80%)
There will be four (4) units of work (with 3-4 chapters per unit). An exam will follow
each of these units. Each exam will consist of 50 multiple-choice questions and will
be graded on green scantrons. Questions will be drawn from
textbook reading, homework, lectures and class discussion.
Students are required to take all exams. Students must take exams
and quizzes on the dates designated. Any student who is absent on
the designated exam dates must provide the instructor with a medical
or college excuse in order to take the make-up exam. Make-up
exams will be in essay, fill-in-the-blank and short answer format. No
exam score will be dropped from your final grade. There will be

no make-up exam for the final (EXAM # 4). If you missed the final
exam, your grade for that exam will be ZERO, no exceptions.
*You will have the option of taking exams 1, 2, and 3, as part of a small
group of 3 - 5 fellow students
Study questions (posted in Blackboard) are provided to help you get ready
for the exams.
Writing Assignment (20%)
Students will meet this requirement by writing one short (3-4 pages)
ESSAY. The essay must be typed, double-spaced and grammatically
FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

Intro To Sociology

correct. Your writing should reflect critical thinking, that is the ability
to take concepts and ideas learned in the classroom and apply them to real
world problems and experiences. You will be required to make a brief
oral presentation of your paper to the class. At the end of your
presentation, you will hand in your paper to the instructor or you could
ask for a few extra days to make corrections generated from feedback
from your in- class presentation.
Writing Expectations:
It is expected that all students write in a manner representative of
students at this level of their educational journey. Please pay particular
attention to the information listed below.
Essays must be double-spaced, using 12 fonts, and must be completed
in Times New Roman. Your essay will be graded on the basis of
content, quantity, grammar, and adherence to the previously
mentioned guidelines. Any information drawn from works published by
others must be appropriately cited within the body of your work, and
then referenced as part of a bibliography page.

ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS
In accordance with the policy established by the Department
of Social Sciences at Indian River State College, this course,
like all General Education courses in the Social Sciences, has
a writing component. You have the option of completing
Essay Assignment # 1 or Essay Assignment #2 for this
course.
ESSAY ASSIGNMENT # 1: For the first essay, students are
required to complete the following assignment that focuses
on two components of ethnography: Observation and Written
Description.
Observation: First, for 10-15 minutes, listen to (eavesdrop
on) a conversation whose participants you cant see. They
might be sitting behind you on a bus or in a restaurantyoure close enough to hear them but position yourself so
that you cant see them. Then for 10-15 minutes, observe a
conversation you cant hear one taking place, for example,
on the other side of the campus quad. Even though you
cant hear whats being said, you can see the interaction as
it takes place.
FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

Intro To Sociology

Written Description: Second, write an extremely detailed

description of each conversation. Describe the participants
and the setting, and include your ideas about what you think
is going on and what you think you know about the
participants. Try to describe everything you heard or saw to
support any conclusions you draw. (Taken from Ferris, K. & Stein,
J. (2012) The Real World: An introduction to sociology, 3rd ed., pp. 4849, W.W. Norton Company: New York, NY).

Use information from the Methodology section of your

textbook, especially ethnography, to assist in your
responses. Your submission is required to be a minimum of 3
complete pages and you must follow all of the directions to
successfully complete your workshop.
DUE: Week .
ESSAY ASSIGNMENT # 2: Students are required to choose
one of these topics to write about: poverty, racism, sexism,
divorce,
or crime. There are three parts to this essay. The first section
of the essay focuses on the individual. In other words, what
is the role of the individual in causing or perpetuating the
particular topic you chose? The second section of your essay
involves the role of societywhat role does the larger
society play in causing or perpetuating this problem? The
final section of the essay focuses on social changehow do
we bring about social change on an individual or societal
level to lessen this problem? Review the theoretical
perspectives of Structural Functionalism, Conflict Theory,
and Symbolic Interaction as they are used in the textbook
sections of Stratification (income inequality), Race, Gender,
Family, and Deviance/Crime (social control) to help you
organize a response. Your submission must be a minimum of
3-4 complete pages.
DUE: Week of .
Essays must be double space, using 12 fonts, and must be
completed in Times New Roman. Your essay will be graded
on the basis of content, quality, grammar, and adherence to
the previously mentioned guidelines. I expect students to
write ethically. Any information drawn from works published
FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

Intro To Sociology

by others must be appropriately cited within the body of

your work, and then referenced as part of a bibliography
page. Each essay is worth a total of 100 points and must be
submitted on or before the due date. Points will be deducted
for everyday that the essay is submitted late.

Quizzes

Practice quizzes available in the Blackboard online classroom

constitute a significant portion of your learning experience. Use these
quizzes to prepare for your exams.

The quizzes consist of multiple-choice and true/false questions.

GRADING POLICIES

You can accumulate a total of 100 points in the class.

will come from the following assessments:
4 Exams (each exam is worth 20% of
your final grade)

80 pts

1 of 2 Writing Assignments (20% of your

final grade)

20 pts.

TOTAL POINTS

100 pts

The 100 points

Grading Scale:
At the end of the semester, letter grades will be assigned as follows:
A= 90-100
B= 80-89
C= 70-79
D= 60-69
F= 59 and below
CLASS POLICIES
FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

Intro To Sociology

Academic honesty: A student who turns in a plagiarized paper will receive an F for his/her
work. Plagiarism includes purchasing papers written by others, cutting and pasting from
websites, and cutting and pasting while changing a few words. Any student found guilty of
cheating or plagiarism will be referred to the Academic Review Board for disciplinary action that
may result in expulsion, probation or suspension.
Withdrawal & Student Assistance: If you encounter any difficulties, or if you are
considering withdrawing from the course for any reason, please contact your instructor
without delay. The college has many resources to help students succeed, and your
instructor may be able to help you to obtain the assistance that will allow you to complete
the course successfully.
Withdrawal Deadline: The last day for total withdraw is.. Instructor withdrawals
will NOT be given for poor academic performance or poor attendance.
Course Policies
Students are expected to have read the assigned readings and
be prepared to participate in class discussions and activities.
Blackboard: This is a web-assisted course. Students are expected
to check the site regularly and are responsible for all curriculum
information. The instructor will also post any changes to the schedule
or assignments. Please check the announcements frequently.
The use of cell phones is prohibited during class at IRSC. All cell phones must
be set on silent or off during the class period. Any student who uses a cell phone
to make or answer a call, or send and read text messages or emails, other than
IRSC emergency messages, during class time may be asked to leave and may be
considered absent for that class. No student has the right to disturb the teaching
and learning process
If you are having problems

If you are experiencing difficulty in your course, your first

obligation is to work directly with your instructor to resolve
the issue. If you are unable to settle your concerns with the
assistance of your instructor, you may contact the
Department Chair (Dr. Dean Wagstaffe, dwagstaf@irsc.edu),
who will assist you or advise you about contacting the
Academic Dean (Dr. Bruce Fraser, bfraser@irsc.edu) or Vice
President (Dr. Anthony Iacono, aicono@irsc.edu).
FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

Intro To Sociology

Schedule

Reading Assignment and EXAM

TOPIC and TEXTBOOK CHAPTER

______________________________________________________
Unit # 1
The Sociological Perspective
.. Chapter 1
Sociological Research
Methods. Chapter 2
Culture

Chapter 3
EXAM # 1
_____________________________________________________________

UNIT # 2

Socialization
..
Chapter 4

Social Structure and Interaction

Chapter 5
Deviance and Crime
Chapter7

EXAM # 2
_______________________________________________
UNIT 3
Class and Stratification in the United
States...Chapter 8
Global
Stratification..C
hapter 9
Race and
Ethnicity.Cha
pter 10
EXAM # 3
FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

Intro To Sociology

______________________________________________________
UNIT #4
Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
Chapter 11
Families and Intimate Relationships
..Chapter 15
Education
Chapter 16
EXAM # 4 (FINAL)

FYI: This syllabus is subject to change. If changes are made, students will be notified in class and
through email. It is the students responsibility to note changes as they occur.

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