Cover image above: Christina Kekka on Flickr (cc)

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the discipline of Sociology. At its most basic, sociology is the study of society and social life: how societies are organized, the social institutions, cultures, and norms that structure our social worlds and daily lives, and often interact with in a taken for granted fashion. Sociology encourages us to re-think “common sense,” and to see the familiar through new eyes as something strange and different. Together we will explore the social structures that provide the context for our lives, and critically examine the social institutions and systems of power that shape our worlds. In the process, we will develop what has been called “sociological imagination” or, more recently, “sociological curiosity,” a way of asking questions about the world around us that can lead to new insights and understands.

Societies are very complex, and so, unsurprisingly, sociology is a very broad discipline. It is not possible to cover all aspects of sociology in one course. We will focus on a few specific elements of sociology that provide a basis for understanding the discipline and enable you to think critically about the world around them: 1) sociological imagination and asking questions, 2) power and structural inequality, and 3) selected social institutions. Within each area of focus, we will explore key sociological perspectives and analysis, apply these perspectives to our lives and worlds, and develop the ability to think critically about power and the institutions that shape our lives.

Course Learning Outcomes

In this class, you will learn to

1. Examine social life beyond your own experience, recognize social and cultural patterns and processes, and ask new questions about the contexts that shape daily life: i.e. develop a “sociology imagination”
2. Understand basic sociological concepts and theories, and apply them to real world lived experiences
3. Strengthen critical thinking and analytical skills through reading, writing, and integrating concepts from the course materials into analyses of your own life and surrounding world