Fundamentals of Sociology
Fall 2023
SOC 166-H31F (3 credit course)
Lehman College of the City University of New York
Sociology Department
Mondays & Wednesdays
10:30am-11:45am
Carman Hall Room 329
Course Description (from catalogue): Introduction to sociological concepts and perspectives and their applications to societies in the modern world.
Course Overview: In this course, you will explore what sociology is as a discipline and as a practice. Employing the sociological imagination, you will navigate the world as burgeoning sociologists. Together we will explore the ways in which our lives are enacted and animated by broader social structures and institutions, and in turn how we as individuals shape those structures.
There is no pre-requisite required to take this course.
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What do I expect from you?
This course is predicated on the understanding that our class space is a perpetual learning community. You should try be open, engaged, attentive, and willing to see the world in new and unconventional ways.
What should you expect from me?
I will remain supportive, understanding, and communicative throughout the semester. If you need help with something, are struggling with the course material, or are having difficulty, please reach out. I will also make the material as accessible as possible—we all learn differently. If there’s a preferred way for you to learn, let me know about that too, and I’ll do my best to meet your need.
What are our goals ?
- Core Knowledge: Identify, define, distinguish and illustrate core sociological concepts (society; social structure; culture; religion; social institutions, e.g., family, economy; social change; social class; status; race; ethnicity; gender; social conflict; deviance; etc.)
- Self-Determination: Critically situate ourselves, our personal narratives, and our accumulated experiences within a broader sociological apparatus.
- Critical Digital Literacy: Develop the ability to critically interrogate online spaces including content creation. Our course will bring the digital sphere into the classroom and bring the classroom into the digital sphere to better understand our social world.
- Research Methods: Become familiar on an introductory level with qualitative and quantitative research methods deployed by sociologists.
What are our learning objectives?
- To have a clear understanding of what sociology is and how it is used
- To develop a sociological perspective—an objective way of observing and understanding society
- To be exposed to the range of topics that interest sociologists
- To become sensitive to the sociological aspects of everyday life
- To develop critical thinking skills
- To improve written communication skills
- To improve quantitative and/or qualitative reasoning skills
