SOCL 102 - Introduction to Sociology

Credit(s): 3-6
3-6 hours lecture, 3-6 hours contact
This seminar provides a general understanding of the structures of society and the nature and evolution of social relationships and groups. The seminar covers such general topics as the history of sociology, the major theorists and the principle methods of inquiry. Basic concepts (e.g., norms, values, institutions, socialization, social stratification, and power) and categories (e.g., the family, class, caste, race, and group) are introduced and examined critically. The social structures and social relations of capitalist, socialist and communist societies are compared. Special emphasis is given to how society as a whole shapes our daily lives, i.e. our ways of thinking, acting, and feeling, and how our individual problems are often the product of larger social issues. A Life Arts Project is required.

Only open to students in the B.A. Liberal Arts and Sciences program only.