STANDARD COMPETENCIES

 

 1. Utilize the sociological perspective to examine the social world

 2. Demonstrate critical thinking about the interaction between the individual and society, and how each affects the other

 3. Analyze types of families, family dynamics, and types of relationships

 4. Recognize the various forms of social stratification and their consequences

 5. Explore racial, sexual, and gender diversity

 6. Identify how social change occurs including the role of deviance in society

 

 

 TOPICAL OUTLINE

 

 I. Develop a Sociological Perspective

      a. Develop a solid understanding of the socialization process and how it occurs

      b. Utilize the sociological imagination to explain and describe events and circumstances in the social world

 II. The Significance of Social Systems and Social Structure

      a. Identify various social systems in which all participate and the consequences of participation

      b. Acknowledge the role of social structure in society and the opportunities and roadblocks it can create

 III. The Development of “Self”

      a. Describe Cooley’s three-part theory of the looking-glass self

      b. Demonstrate an understanding of Mead’s concepts of the “I” and “Me” and how they develop

 IV. Families, Relationships, and Parenting Strategies

      a. Discuss various family type

      b. Explore strategies for maintaining healthy interactions

      c. Recognize signs and symptoms of abusive relationships

      d. Introduce basic parenting theories and skills

 V. Social Stratification Systems

      a. Discuss open and closed stratification systems

      b. Demonstrate an understanding of social mobility in the US

      c. Describe how sociologists use socioeconomic status (SES) as a measurement of social position and the long-term effects produced by a social class system

 VI. Social Change and Social Norms

      a. Discuss social norms and their societal significance

      b. Explore why social norms vary historically and cross-culturally

      c. Consider the role of deviance in society as a mechanism of social change

 VII. Explore Human Diversity

      a. Recognize that race, gender, and sex assignment at birth (i.e., boy or girl) are social constructs

      b. Demonstrate an understanding of how gender, sex assignment, and race are socially constructed

      c. Compare how other cultures construct and think about race, gender, gender roles, and sex

      d. Consider who benefits (and who does not) from the various ways that these categories are constructed