Department of History and Philosophy, North South University

SOC101 Introduction of Sociology(Section 3)

Spring 2019

Instructor: Dr. Md. Mahmudur Rahman Bhuiyan (MMB3)

Office: NAC 1016
Class Times: ST 9:40 p.m.-11:10 a.m.
NAC 209
Office hours: Tuesday 2:40 p.m.-4:40 p.m. (or by appointment)
Email: mahmudur.bhuiyan@northsouth.edu

Required Textbook: Macionis, John J., S. Mikael Jansson, Cecilia M Benoit and Jakub
Burkowicz. (2017). Society: The Basics, Sixth Edition. Toronto:
Pearson Education.

Course Description
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to Sociology as a distinctive social science
discipline. Students will learn about the basic sociological concepts such as culture, socialization,
social stratification, gender, race and ethnicity, family, religion, population, and education and
understand how they relate to our everyday life. Students will also learn about the theoretical
perspectives which will enable them to begin thinking sociologically and connect sociological
theories to everyday life experiences.

Course Objectives
Through successful completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:
 Define basic concepts in Sociology
 Describe major theoretical perspectives in Sociology
 Demonstrate some abilities to apply sociological theoretical perspectives in understanding
personal and social experiences
 Demonstrate basic knowledge about important sociological issues in the Bangladesh society

Evaluation
Students’ performance will be assessed based on class attendance and class participation, two
quizzes, one mid-term tests, two take home assignments, field investigation and one final
examination. The quizzes will be based on multiple choice questions and the mid-term tests and
the final examination will involve a combination of multiple choice items, short questions, and
essay questions. Take home assignments will be given at different stages of the course.

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Breakdown of Grades

1) Class Attendance and Participation 15% of grade

2) Two Quizzes (February 24, April 2) 5% of grade (averages of two quizzes will be
counted)
3) One Mid-Term Tests (March 3) 25% of grade
4) Field Investigation(Report due April 10) 15% of grade
4) Two Take Home Assignments 10% of grade (5% each)
5) Final Exam 30% of grade

The following letter/percentage scale will be used for all tests and assignments:
A= 93 and above excellentA - = 90-92B+ = 87-89B = 83-86 good B- =80-82
C+ = 77-79 satisfactory C = 73-76 AverageC- = 70-72 D+ = 67-69 D = 60-66 Poor
Below 60= Failure

Course Policy, Student Responsibility and Academic Integrity

Classroom Practice and Behavior

 Students must be in class on time (manual attendance will be collected at the beginning of
classes for allocating points for attendance)
 Lectures will not be repeated for those students who have missed a class
 Students are strongly encouraged to participate in class discussions and share their ideas
(there will be rewards for participating in in-class assignments).

Tests and Assignments

 Quizzes will take place during the first 20 minutes of the class on the scheduled date.
 The schedule for tests and assignment will be strictly followed and no provisions have been
made for make-up tests or time extension.
 Travel is not a legitimate reason for missed class or missed tests/exams.
 Only under special circumstances (such as ill health or reasons of compassion) make-up tests
may be approved. However, such requests must be supported by appropriate documentation.
 If a make-up test is approved, students must attend at the time scheduled by the instructor. It
is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor to report a missed test within two days
or a grade of zero will be assigned.
 Acts of academic dishonesty (cheating) or plagiarism are serious offenses and are subject to
academic discipline. Students must refrain from cheating during quizzes, tests, or exams and
copying from others’ works to avoid disciplinary actions.

Disruptions
Disruptions due to excessive talking, early departures from the classroom, or cell phones can be
distracting to students and the instructor.

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 Please be considerate and respectful of the needs and rights of others in the classroom.
 If you need to go to washroom, please do it before entering the classroom.
 Do not leave the classroom without permission of the instructor
 Keep cell phones turned off.

COURSE SCHEDULE
PART I. THE BASICS OF SOCIOLOGY

Sociological Perspectives and Methods, Culture, Socialization, Social Interaction, Organizations

DATES TOPIC READINGS

JANUARY27 Course Introduction/Overview, Chapter 1: pp 4-12

The Sociological Perspective; Applying the
Sociological Perspective
Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define sociology as a discipline
 Define and describe the sociological perspective
 Describe three kinds of social changes leading to
the development of Sociology

JANUARY 29 Sociological Theory Chapter 1: pp 14-21

Lesson objectives: Students are able to
 Describe major sociological theoretical
perspectives
- The Functionalist Perspective
- The Conflict Perspective
- The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

FEBRUARY 3 Sociological Inquiry Chapter 1: pp 22-27

Lesson objectives:Students are able to:
 Explain the approaches to doing sociology
- Positivist sociology
- Interpretative sociology
- Critical sociology
FEBRUARY 5 Ethics in Sociological Inquiry Chapter 1: pp 27-38
 Lesson objective: Students are able to:
- Identify the ethical issues in doing research
with human subjects
- Identify the steps in doing sociology
ethically

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 - Create tools such as invitation to
participate, inform consent, interview
schedule and survey questionnaire.
FEBRUAY10, 12 Culture Chapter 2
Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define sociological concepts related to culture
 List and define elements of culture
 Demonstrate their understanding of how culture
varies across time and space
 Identify major cultural values in Bangladesh
 Describe how sociological theories bring different
explanations to the role of culture

FEBRUARY17, Socialization Chapter 3

19 Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define socialization
 Describe the claims of the major theories of human
development as a process of socialization
 Identify the major agents of socialization in our
society
 Describe the role of the agencies of socialization.

FEBRUARY24, Social Interaction Chapter 4

26 Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define basic sociological concepts related to social
interaction (e.g. social structure, status, role)
 Describe the concept of the construction of reality
 Describe the basic ideas around the dramaturgical
analysis of social interaction
 Demonstrate their understanding of how the
patterns of social interaction vary across culture

February 24, Quiz 1.

MARCH 3 MID -TERM TEST

PART II. SOCIAL INEQUALITY

Deviance, Social Stratification, Global Stratification, and Gender Inequality

MARCH 5, 10 Deviance Chapter 7

Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define basic sociological concepts related to
deviance (such as crime, deviance, social control,
criminal justice system
 Describe the basic assertions of major deviance
theories (such as social strain theory, labelling
theory, social control theory)

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MARCH 12, 19 Social Stratification Chapter 8
Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define social stratification
 Distinguish between the closed and open systems of
social stratifications
 Demonstrate how sociological theories bring
different explanations to social stratification
 Identify the common indicators of social
stratification
 Demonstrate their basic knowledge of social
inequality in Bangladesh in terms of income,
wealth, and poverty

MARCH 24, 31 Global Stratification Chapter 9

Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Differentiate between the national and global
contexts of social stratification
 Define the income-based categories of countries in
the world
 Identify nations in terms of income-based
classifications
 Demonstrate some factual knowledge about the
dimensions of global poverty (such as hunger, child
poverty, gender differences in poverty, and slavery)
 Describe the basic assertions of the major theories
of global stratification, such as modernization
theory and dependency theory

APRIL 2, 7 Gender and Social Inequality Chapter 10

Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define basic sociological concepts related to gender
inequality, such as gender, gender stratification,
patriarchy, matriarchy, sexism, feminism
 Identify the sociological dimensions of gender
inequality such as income, education, occupation,
health, housework, violence
 Demonstrate some factual knowledge about gender
inequality in the Bangladesh society
 Describe how sociological theories provide
different explanations to gender inequality
 Differentiate among the types of feminism

April 2, Quiz 2

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 PART III. SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND CHANGE

Family, Religion, Social Change & Modernity

APRIL9, 16 Family Chapter 13: pp 417-441

Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define sociological concepts related to family, such
as family, kinship, marriage
 Describe different patterns of families based on
marriage, residence, and descent
 Describe how family life varies across class, race,
and gender in the Canadian society
 Describe how sociological theories offer different
explanations about family
 Describe major issues of family life in Bangladesh,
such as divorce, and family violence

APRIL 17 Social Change Chapter 16: pp 550-562

Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define social change
 Identify and describe the major factors accounting
for social change

APRIL 20 Modernity Chapter 16: pp 562-576

Lesson objectives: Students are able to:
 Define concepts such as modernity and
modernization
 Describe how sociological theories bring different
explanation to modernization.
APRIL 22 Course Review& Wrap Up