Learning Goals

1. To foster a sociological imagination

• Understand the reciprocal relationship between the individual and society
• Describe similarities and differences between sociology and other social sciences

2. To gain knowledge of sociological theory and its contributions to knowledge

• Compare and contrast major theoretical orientations
• Apply these theoretical approaches to one area of social reality
• Situate these theories in their proper historical contexts

3. To gain knowledge of the methodological approaches in sociology

• Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different methodological approaches
• Construct and implement a research design utilizing one or more of these approaches

4. To gain knowledge of the core concepts of a sociological perspective

• Identity – how the self is socially constructed
• Culture – how norms, values, and shared meanings emerge and change
• Social structures – how the structure and function of social institutions affect life chances
• Social stratification – how patterned inequalities persist, change, and affect social life
• Power – how dynamics of coercion and constraint take shape
• Social change – how societies change through shifts in resources, power, and protest