COURSE DESCRIPTION                                                                                          

Welcome to the discipline of sociology. This is a course that I enjoy teaching and one that students tend to be enthusiastic about. While this course serves only as an introduction to the theories and methods of sociological research and practice, nevertheless much of the information discussed will be quite sophisticated. The knowledge that you will gain from this course will provide you with improved skills for informed decision making in both your professional and personal life.

The concepts you will learn may challenge many "common sense" notions of society. For the purposes of class discussions, you should be prepared to compare your own experiences and personal beliefs with those detailed in readings and lecture. Consequently, you may find that such cherished beliefs and values are challenged, politically and empirically, in this course. You should be prepared to question the sources of those beliefs, the vested interests they serve, and whether you can sustain them in the face of arguments and evidence to the contrary.

I expect you to treat the contributions of your classmates (including myself) with respect. You do not have to agree with another’s opinion, and your disagreement may even be impassioned. I expect you to gracefully accept challenges to your own opinions and understandings of the world. You should feel free to say anything you are prepared to defend against reasoned argument. Displays of contempt or bullying, however, will not be tolerated. Given those limits, you are encouraged to take risks in expressing your views, even (or perhaps, especially) if you think they may be controversial.

Before you do anything else, please do the following to help this course proceed smoothly:  

• Immediately update your email information in the MyCF database (i.e., this website). Instructions for doing so can be found under the "Handouts" section to the right.
• Print out the syllabus and all additional course materials. Read this syllabus in its entirety and let me know right away if you have any questions about the course content, assignments, grading, etc. If you ask a question in an email, please do not be offended if you get a reply asking you to refer to the syllabus or whichever part of the course where the answer can be found.  Answering individual questions about course content that has already been clearly explained takes up a lot of your instructor’s time that could be more effectively spent on other course-related tasks.