Unit+1+-+Intro+to+Sociology

//Much of the basic information can be found in Ch. 1-4.//

= INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY: Unit I Essential Questions =
 * //**Day I:(Jan 24-25...a few things from Unit I covered prior to these dates)**//
 * Objectives
 * Evaluate the statement “Culture becomes the lens through which we perceive and evaluate what is going on around us.” (p. 37)
 * Evaluate ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, and cultural universals.
 * How are symbols (gestures, language, norms, sanctions, folkways, and mores) used in different societies?
 * (Not objectives, but related quotes)
 * "Our own imagination is limited by the culture we have grown up in."[]
 * "The last thing a fish would ever notice is water."
 * At Home:
 * Read p. 23-29 (preview the significance of these) and http://kduncan.phoenix.wikispaces.net/3+Major+Theoretical+Perspectives to help understand 3 major perspectives
 * Feel free to make any edits to the wikis that would help others learn the 3 perspectives better
 * //**Day II: 3 Theoretical Perspectives (Jan 26-27)**//
 * Objectives
 * How can symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, and class conflict be used to explain a variety of scenarios?
 * Explain the difference between micro-level analysis and macro-level analysis and explain how the three theoretical perspectives and nonverbal interactions relate to those concepts (micro/macro).
 * At Home:
 * None (unless not finished w/class activity)
 * //**Day III: Various (Jan 28, Feb 7)**//
 * Objectives
 * Analyze the accuracy of the “core values” in U.S. society listed on p. 52-54 and the “emerging values” on p. 54-55. (Be sure to consider “ideal culture” and “real culture” (p. 56)
 * What place do subcultures and countercultures fit in (and not fit in) in various societies? Be specific, including an awareness how you belong to certain groups.
 * Subcultures
 * Be able to apply the controversy between sociobiologists and sociologists to multiple situations (e.g. homosexuality).
 * At Home:
 * Read p. 64-68, 73-86, 87-91 (including boxes on p. 65 & 77): consider nature v. nurture, where we learn our gender roles, and how people are trained to behave in certain ways based on their age
 * //**Day IV: Socialization (Feb 8-9)**//
 * Objectives
 * How has socialization from families, peers, and mass media affected our perceptions of proper gender roles?
 * How much of a person’s characteristics come from “nature” and from “nurture?” (a key theme of Ch. 3)
 * How do agents of socialization work?
 * Are we prisoners of socialization?
 * In Class
 * After class discussion, write an essay (in pairs) based on the following:
 * **Analyze the concept of nature versus nurture in the development of humans. Be sure to include socialization, feral and isolated children, and experiments on monkeys in your answer. Feel free to bring in any other knowledge previously learned or researched during the class. Conclude the essay by answering the question “Are we prisoners of socialization?”**
 * __When writing:__ Collaborate on content, wording, asking each other questions about how to write, ideas, etc
 * __After writing:__ Share with other pairs/break down other arguments (kudos, corrections, and questions)
 * At Home: None (Unless not finished with class activity)
 * //**Day V: Wrap Up Unit I (Feb 9-10)**//
 * Objectives:
 * How do self-fulfilling stereotypes work in different scenarios?
 * What are all the features of “dramaturgy” and how do they apply in your life?
 * Analyze the phrase “to understand human behavior, then, we must know how people define reality.”
 * At Home: Complete Unit I Wrap-Up/Grade Proposal (See below for instructions)
 * In 1.5-4 pages (double-spaced, 1" margins, 12 pt font, Times New Roman), assess your own effort, mastery of content, curiosity, preparation, and quality/efforts/improvement in (a) writing, (b) analyzing, (c) communicating, and (d) collaboration. Also, be sure to consider the "expectations" from the course syllabus. In addition to your self-evaluation, respond to/reflect on one or more lessons learned (content) from the unit.
 * The "mastery of content" should address **all** essential questions (see the link posted above), not just the ones learned in class.
 * This is due printed out at the beginning of the next class. The suggested grade should ONLY be in one place: handwritten on the __back__ of the last page. Before giving your own grade, read through your essay and check it against the criteria mentioned above.
 * Each student will meet with Mr. Duncan for a few minutes in one of the following classes to discuss the proposal and Unit I.