Course Outline

Course Name: Sociology: Introduction (SOCI 150)

Academic Period: 2023 - 2024

Faculty:

Faculty Availability:

Associate Dean:
Chris Irwin
chris.irwin@humber.ca

Schedule Type Code:

Land Acknowledgement

Humber College is located within the traditional and treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit. Known as Adoobiigok [A-doe-bee-goke], the “Place of the Alders” in Michi Saagiig [Mi-Chee Saw-Geeg] language, the region is uniquely situated along Humber River Watershed, which historically provided an integral connection for Anishinaabe [Ah-nish-nah-bay], Haudenosaunee [Hoeden-no-shownee], and Wendat [Wine-Dot] peoples between the Ontario Lakeshore and the Lake Simcoe/Georgian Bay regions. Now home to people of numerous nations, Adoobiigok continues to provide a vital source of interconnection for all.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber (Humber) are leaders in providing a learning, working and living environment that recognizes and values equity, diversity and inclusion in all its programs and services. Humber commits to reflect the diversity of the communities the College serves. Students, faculty, support and administrative staff feel a sense of belonging and have opportunities to be their authentic selves.

Faculty or Department	Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Course Name:	Sociology: Introduction (SOCI 150)
Pre-Requisites	none
Co-Requisites	none
Pre-Requisites for	none
Equates	none
Restrictions	Students in the Social Service Worker program CANNOT take this course
Credit Value	3
Total Course Hours	42

	Developed By:	Prepared By:	Approved by:
			Chris Irwin

Humber Learning Outcomes (HLOs) in this course.

The HLOs are a cross-institutional learning outcomes strategy aimed at equipping Humber graduates with the employability skills, mindsets, and values they need to succeed in the future of work. To explore all the HLOs, please consult the Humber Learning Outcomes framework.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
Systems Thinking
Critical Thinking
Collaboration
Communication

Course Description

This course is designed to engage students in major sociological issues, debates, and theoretical perspectives, and to introduce key concepts and sociological research methods. Topics for analysis are wide in scope and are relevant to the everyday lived experiences of students. These include culture, socialization, social interaction, social organizations, social stratification, race and ethnicity, sexualities and genders, health and medicine, and Indigenous social issues. An introduction to these basic concepts, theoretical frameworks and social issues will enable students to understand how social structures and cultures shape personal experience, and, how we as individuals may influence those social structures. As opposed to relying on belief, opinion, or ideology, sociology as a discipline attempts to provide reasoned, well-informed, socially scientific explanations for both our individual and collective human behaviours.

Course Rationale

Sociology offers students the opportunity to actively observe, to critically engage, and to develop the analytic tools necessary to succeed in the complex and changing world in which they live. Sociology illuminates the collective forces, structural changes, social relationships and interpretive conflicts that they encounter in their everyday lives. Students will examine diverse facets of the social world such as race, class, gender, sexuality, family, health, media, popular culture, inequality, crime, urban life, Indigenous realities, activism, corporate and consumer society.

Course Learning Method(s)

Group or Team Work
Lecture

Learning Outcomes

Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics.
Explain how various sociological theories help us to understand and identify social patterns that may lead to inequity by applying each to study class, race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender.
Investigate how sociological theories and research are being used to improve people's lives and deal with major challenges that society faces today.
Describe ways in which culture hinders or helps humans adapt and thrive in their diverse, multicultural and globalized environments.
Analyze the modes and forces of socialization, including culture, education, families and mass media, by discussing the ways in which these shape the development and experiences of social actors.
Compare and contrast competing explanations of income and global inequality and describe how wealth and income inequality within Canada and around the world have changed over recent decades.
Give example(s) of how colonialism and racism in Canada have impacted Indigenous and diverse minority communities by examining discriminatory policies and socio-economic inequalities that have inspired activism and education, and added new dimensions to sociological research.
Analyze the ways in which the social organization of health care systems influences people’s health and recognize how health risks are unevenly distributed by class, gender, race, and country of residence.

Assessment Weighting

Assessment	Weight
Group Project
In-class assignments	25%
Test
Test 1	25%
Research Paper
Written Assignment	25%
Final Exam
Test 2	25%
Total	100%

Modules of Study

Module	Course Learning Outcomes	Resources	Assessments
Introducing Sociology	Explain how various sociological theories help us to understand and identify social patterns that may lead to inequity by applying each to study class, race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. Investigate how sociological theories and research are being used to improve people's lives and deal with major challenges that society faces today.	Chapter 1: Introducing Sociology	Test 1 In-class assignments
Culture	Describe ways in which culture hinders or helps humans adapt and thrive in their diverse, multicultural and globalized environments.	Chapter 2: Culture	Test 1 In-class assignments
Socialization	Analyze the modes and forces of socialization, including culture, education, families and mass media, by discussing the ways in which these shape the development and experiences of social actors.	Chapter 3: Socialization	Test 1 In-class assignments
Social Interaction and Social Organizations	Analyze the modes and forces of socialization, including culture, education, families and mass media, by discussing the ways in which these shape the development and experiences of social actors.	Chapter 4: From Social Interaction to Social Organizations	Test 1 In-class assignments
Deviance and Crime	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Investigate how sociological theories and research are being used to improve people's lives and deal with major challenges that society faces today.	Chapter 5: Deviance and Crime	In-class assignments Test 1
Social Stratification	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Compare and contrast competing explanations of income and global inequality and describe how wealth and income inequality within Canada and around the world have changed over recent decades.	Chapter 6: Social Stratification: Canadian and Global Perspectives	In-class assignments Test 2
Race and Ethnicity	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Explain how various sociological theories help us to understand and identify social patterns that may lead to inequity by applying each to study class, race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. Investigate how sociological theories and research are being used to improve people's lives and deal with major challenges that society faces today. Give example(s) of how colonialism and racism in Canada have impacted Indigenous and diverse minority communities by examining discriminatory policies and socio-economic inequalities that have inspired activism and education, and added new dimensions to sociological research.	Chapter 7: Race and Ethnicity	In-class assignments Test 2
Sexualities and Genders	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Explain how various sociological theories help us to understand and identify social patterns that may lead to inequity by applying each to study class, race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. Investigate how sociological theories and research are being used to improve people's lives and deal with major challenges that society faces today.	Chapter 8: Sexualities and Genders	In-class assignments Test 2
Families	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Explain how various sociological theories help us to understand and identify social patterns that may lead to inequity by applying each to study class, race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. Analyze the modes and forces of socialization, including culture, education, families and mass media, by discussing the ways in which these shape the development and experiences of social actors.	Chapter 9: Families	In-class assignments Test 2
Religion	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Explain how various sociological theories help us to understand and identify social patterns that may lead to inequity by applying each to study class, race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. Describe ways in which culture hinders or helps humans adapt and thrive in their diverse, multicultural and globalized environments.	Chapter 10: Religion	In-class assignments Test 2
Education	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Explain how various sociological theories help us to understand and identify social patterns that may lead to inequity by applying each to study class, race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. Analyze the modes and forces of socialization, including culture, education, families and mass media, by discussing the ways in which these shape the development and experiences of social actors.	Chapter 11: Education	In-class assignments Test 2
Health and Medicine	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Investigate how sociological theories and research are being used to improve people's lives and deal with major challenges that society faces today. Analyze the ways in which the social organization of health care systems influences people’s health and recognize how health risks are unevenly distributed by class, gender, race, and country of residence.	Chapter 12: Health and Medicine	In-class assignments Test 2
Mass Media	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Investigate how sociological theories and research are being used to improve people's lives and deal with major challenges that society faces today. Analyze the modes and forces of socialization, including culture, education, families and mass media, by discussing the ways in which these shape the development and experiences of social actors.	Chapter 13: Mass Media and Mass Communication	In-class assignments Test 2
Social Change	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Explain how various sociological theories help us to understand and identify social patterns that may lead to inequity by applying each to study class, race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. Investigate how sociological theories and research are being used to improve people's lives and deal with major challenges that society faces today. Describe ways in which culture hinders or helps humans adapt and thrive in their diverse, multicultural and globalized environments.	Chapter 14: Social Change - Technology, the Environment, and Social Movements	In-class assignments Test 2
Sociology and Indigenous Peoples	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics. Give example(s) of how colonialism and racism in Canada have impacted Indigenous and diverse minority communities by examining discriminatory policies and socio-economic inequalities that have inspired activism and education, and added new dimensions to sociological research.	Chapter 15: Sociology of Indigenous Peoples in Canada (reading posted to Blackboard and included in Nelson MindTap)	In-class assignments Test 2
Faculty will teach at least 8 of the above chapters and will choose whether to include additional chapters not listed above, and any journal articles from MindTap. The Written Assignment will apply students knowledge of sociological theories and methods, and will align with the learning modules chosen by the instructor. Instructors may also choose to reassign certain chapters/modules to Test 1 and 2. In-class assignments may be assigned differently to each section of the course. Consult your instructor for assignment deadlines and instructions.	Model professional behaviour that is in line with sociological research practices, methods and ethics.		Written Assignment

Required Resources

Name
Brym, R. (2023) SOC+ (5th edition). Toronto: Cengage.

Supplemental Resources

Name
Brym, R. (2023). Mind Tap SOC+ (5th Canadian edition). Retrieved from: https://www.cengage.ca/c/soc-5e-brym/9780176945596/

Essential Skills

Section	Skills	Measurement	Details
Communication	Reading Writing Speaking Listening Presenting Visual Literacy	Reinforce and measure	Reading and visual literacy will be reinforced through assigned readings, lectures, and reviewing statistics in the form of charts and graphs. Writing is reinforced through tests, written assignments, and through written communications. Listening is reinforced through in-class lectures and discussions. Presenting skills are taught through group presentations, in-class assignments and discussions, and modeled by the professor and other students. In-class assignments (including group work), written assignments, tests.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving	Analysing Synthesizing Evaluating Decision-Making Creative and Innovative Thinking	Teach and measure	Analysis of social patterns, data, and of theoretical frameworks through readings, lectures, group discussions and assignments. Synthesis of their observations about society through discussions, group presentation, and research paper. Evaluation of the applicability and veracity of research, statistics, theoretical frameworks and research methods. Decision-making is reinforced through individual assignments, group work and discussion. Creative and Innovative Thinking is reinforced through exploration of diverse research and theories, and consideration of various ways to understand social patterns or address a social problem. Tests, written assignment, in-class Assignments, including group work.
Information Management	Gathering and managing information Selecting and using appropriate tools and technology for a task or project Computer literacy Internet skills	Teach and measure	Gathering and managing information through readings, research, and developing and applying appropriate theoretical frameworks and research methods to explore sociological questions. Selecting and using appropriate tools and technology by directing students to sociological resources online and in the library. Computer literacy by engaging them with Blackboard, MindTap, and submitting tests and written assignments online or completed with a computer. Internet skills are primarily reinforced through research for written and in-class assignments, and engagement with online course resources. Written assignment, tests, in-class assignment and activities.
Interpersonal Skills	Teamwork Relationship management Leadership	Reinforce and measure	Teamwork is reinforced through a number of collaborative activities that place students in groups to complete assignments. It is also taught by having groups create contracts that outline their roles and responsibilities to each other. Relationship management is reinforced through classroom interactions and communication with group members and the professor. Leadership is reinforced by having students collaborate, work with diverse students, assume leadership roles within the group, and learn to mentor and assist each other in completing various tasks. In-class (collaborative assignments and group work), written assignment, in-class discussion.
Personal Skills	Managing self Managing change and being flexible and adaptable Engaging in reflective practice Demonstrating personal responsibility	Reinforce and measure	Managing self will be reinforced through regular attendance in class, personal conduct, and meeting assignment deadlines. Managing change and being flexible and adaptable will be reinforced through collaborative learning, group work and in-class assignments designed to challenge students to participate and engage with new people and new ideas. Engage in reflective practice is reinforced though discussions, reflective questions and smaller assignments, and through larger research assignments. Demonstrating personal responsibility is reinforced through collaborative activities and group work, by meeting assignment deadlines, and by completing assignments that follow ethical standards of the discipline and of Humber College. In-class assignments, written assignment, tests.

Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is the formal evaluation and credit-granting process whereby candidates may obtain credits for prior learning. Prior learning includes the knowledge competencies and skills acquired, in both formal and informal ways, outside of post-secondary education. Candidates may have their knowledge, skills and competencies evaluated against the learning outcomes as defined in the course outline. Please review the Assessment Methods Glossary for more information on the Learning Portfolio assessment methods identified below.

The method(s) that are used to assess prior learning for this course may include:

Challenge Exam (results recorded as a % grade and added to student’s CGPA)

Please contact the Program Coordinator for more details.

Academic Regulations

It is the student's responsibility to be aware of the College Academic Regulations. The Academic Regulations apply to all applicants to Humber and all current students enrolled in any program or course offered by Humber, in any location. Information about academic appeals is found in the Academic Regulations.

Anti-Discrimination Statement

At Humber College, all forms of discrimination and harassment are prohibited. Students and employees have the right to study, live and work in an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. If you need assistance on concerns related to discrimination and harassment, please contact the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion or the Office of Student Conduct.

Accessible Learning Services

Humber strives to create a welcoming environment for all students where equity, diversity and inclusion are paramount. Accessible Learning Services facilitates equal access for students with disabilities by coordinating academic accommodations and services. Staff in Accessible Learning Services are available by appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate accommodations. If you require academic accommodations, contact:

Accessible Learning Services

North Campus: (416) 675-6622 X5090

Lakeshore Campus: (416) 675-6622 X3331

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is essentially honesty in all academic endeavors. Academic integrity requires that students avoid all forms of academic misconduct or dishonesty, including plagiarism, cheating on tests or exams or any misrepresentation of academic accomplishment.

Disclaimer

While every effort is made by the professor/faculty to cover all material listed in the outline, the order, content, and/or evaluation may change in the event of special circumstances (e.g. time constraints due to inclement weather, sickness, college closure, technology/equipment problems or changes, etc.). In any such case, students will be given appropriate notification in writing, with approval from the Senior Dean (or designate) of the Faculty.

Copyright

Copyright is the exclusive legal right given to a creator to reproduce, publish, sell or distribute his/her work. All members of the Humber community are required to comply with Canadian copyright law which governs the reproduction, use and distribution of copyrighted materials. This means that the copying, use and distribution of copyright- protected materials, regardless of format, is subject to certain limits and restrictions. For example, photocopying or scanning an entire textbook is not allowed, nor is distributing a scanned book.

See the Humber Libraries website for additional information regarding copyright and for details on allowable limits.

Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning • 2023/2024.