Soc1—Introduction to Sociology
Fall 2025
Sociology is the study of our social surroundings. It involves careful and critical examination of our society and a reconsideration of many of our most basic assumptions about the social lives of people and groups, social institutions, and social dynamics. To examine this exciting field of inquiry, we will be exploring the structure of ideas that come to contextualize our lives, the ways that these ideas become institutionalized, and how these processes of institutionalization form. what sociologists call “social structures” that work to both constrain and enable change.
This course is intended to introduce you to sociological inquiry and analysis. You will learn how to apply sociological concepts and theories to contemporary social issues. We will examine what kinds of questions sociologists ask, what sorts of methods they use to answer them, what kinds of theories structure their inquiries, the variety of topics sociologists study, and more. Doing this will help develop your “sociological imagination.” I want you to be able to see your life and the lives of others as both products and producers of social forces. This skill allows you to have a much more sophisticated understanding of your social world as well as your own place within it.
Required Text/Elements
1. Sociologyexperiment.com
a. You will be purchasing chapters from this book. It costs $1 per chapter!
2. Some additional readings will also be posted in Canvas.
Course Components
1. Two Exams – 25% each
2. Weekly Reading Quizzes – 15%
3. Weekly Section attendance and participation - 10%
4. Iclicker (lecture) – 10%
5. Article Assignment – 15%
Grading Scale:
|
A
|
93-100
|
C
|
73-76
|
|
A-
|
90-92
|
C-
|
70-72
|
|
B+
|
87-89
|
D+
|
67-69
|
|
B
|
83-86
|
D
|
63-66
|
|
B-
|
80-82
|
D-
|
60-62
|
|
C+
|
77-79
|
F
|
<60
|