Introduction to Sociology Syllabus for 2025-2026
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Course Information

AI Statement

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor.

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As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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Course

SOCI-1301-004 Introduction to Sociology

Prerequisites

Course Description

The scientific study of human society, including ways in which groups, social institutions and individuals affect each other. Causes of social stability and social change are explored through the application of various theoretical perspectives, key concepts and related research methods of sociology. Analysis of social issues in their institutional context may include topics such as social stratification, gender, race/ethnicity and deviance.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Students are required to read two popular non-fiction, research-based texts:

            Kristof, Nicholas D. and Sheryl Wudunn. 2020. Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope. NY: Penguin

                        Random House LLC.

            Carney, Timothy P. 2020. Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse. NY:

                        HarperCollins Publishers.

Both books examine social decay and economic dislocation in America’s towns and cities, but from sharply different perspectives and political leanings. Together, they will help illustrate the diversity of sociological viewpoints and give students the chance to apply their sociological imaginations to a relevant and important social topic.

Please note that the assigned readings do not always align with the lecture content. The readings often provide supplemental material, allowing students to explore a topic in greater detail and exposing students to different analytical styles and voices.

Supplies

DISTRACTION FREE CLASSROOM
During class the use of personal cell phones is PROHIBITED (not allowed) unless specified by
the instructor. Laptops may NOT be used during the entirety of class time.
Photo/video/audio recording is NOT allowed at any point throughout the entirety of the
course.

Student Performance

Course Objectives

• Survey the field of sociology, including its sub-fields focused on the family, deviance, stratification, religion, and more.
• Expose students to a variety of competing sociological perspectives, improving their critical thinking skills and developing their sociological imaginations
• Demonstrate how sociologists use theory to generate testable hypotheses
• Demonstrate how sociologists use data to develop and improve theory
• Familiarize students with basic social scientific research methods and the peer review process
• Provide students with rudimentary social scientific research skills
• Improve (or reinforce) students’ academic reading skills
• Provide an environment conducive to class participation and pro-social interaction

Assignments and Exams

Reading Quizzes. Once a week (usually Thursdays), I will assign a short reading quiz on the week’s assigned readings. These quizzes 1) serve as an accountability structure to help students keep pace with the material, 2) provide practice with exam-like questions, and serve as launching points for discussion. Quizzes are low-stakes and will not focus on highly specific details like dates or names. Instead, they will address key themes, examples from the texts, and occasional applications of course concepts. The quiz will consist of five multiple choice questions and one short answer question. For the latter, students can usually choose between two prompts. Reading quizzes are worth 10 points each, and I will drop the lowest scoring quiz (including zeroes). If students receive credit for all assigned reading quizzes, I will increase their final grade by 2 percentage points.

Midterm and Final Exams. Students will complete both a midterm and a final exam during the 8-week term. Please check the course schedule (below) to ensure that you are available on exam dates. If you anticipate a scheduling conflict, notify the instructor in advance to arrange an alternative time. In cases of illness or emergency, contact the instructor as soon as reasonable to request a reschedule. The instructor reserves the right to deny a makeup exam if a student has made little or no effort to engage in the course; in practice, students who keep up with reading quizzes and participate in class activities are more likely to be granted an exception.

Exams will consist of approximately two-thirds multiple-choice and one-third short-answer questions. For the short-answer section, students will choose from multiple prompts (e.g., respond to two out of four). Like the reading quizzes, exams are not intended to sort students by ability or interest in sociology. Instead, they are designed to give practice with exam formats common at four-year institutions and to encourage steady engagement with course material throughout the term.

In-class Writing Activities. Soc 1301 offers many unscheduled writing opportunities for students to reflect on the material, engage with peers, and receive feedback from the instructor. Typically, students are asked to write no more than a paragraph. In-class writing assignments and data activities receive credit if completed with reasonable effort. Students can miss two writing activities with no penalty to their grade. If students complete and receive credit for all writing activities, I will raise their final grade by 2 percentage points. If students complete all but one writing activity, I will raise their final grade by 1 percentage point.  

Paper: Explaining Alienation in American Communities. In this course, students will complete a short analytical paper (approximately 700 words or more) examining why some American communities thrive while others experience social and economic decline. Drawing on course readings, students will develop a clear argument explaining patterns of alienation, cohesion, and opportunity across cities, towns, or regions in the United States.

Students must ground their analysis primarily in either Alienated America or Tightrope. While both books address similar social problems, they offer different diagnoses and emphasize different causal mechanisms. In their thesis statement, students should take a position by arguing that one of these books provides a more compelling explanation for why some places succeed while others struggle. Note that students do not have to agree with all aspects of the authors’ arguments. They just have to make an argument about which set of explanations is more convincing. (Students are invited to argue that neither book provides a compelling argument. In this case, I ask students to explain why the books are unconvincing, using evidence from the texts as well as empirical evidence that students believe contradicts or undermines the authors’ arguments.)

To support their argument, students must reference at least three specific examples, cases, or pieces of evidence from the book they choose. These may include descriptions of particular communities, institutions, social patterns, or mechanisms discussed by the author(s). Students may use any standard citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, ASA), provided it is applied consistently.

Finally, students should extend their argument beyond the specific cases discussed in the book by briefly explaining how their explanation helps make sense of other regions of the United States or comparable communities elsewhere in the world. The goal is not to provide exhaustive comparisons, but to demonstrate sociological reasoning by showing how general arguments about social organization, institutions, and inequality travel across contexts.

A more detailed assignment prompt, grading criteria, and examples will be provided early in the semester.

Use of AI Tools. Students are permitted to use AI-based tools (such as ChatGPT or similar platforms) to support their research and writing process, but not to replace it. Acceptable uses include helping identify relevant themes or questions, brainstorming, organizing ideas, refining arguments, improving clarity and style, strengthening transitions, and locating or thinking through how to use evidence from assigned course readings. AI tools may not be used to generate original arguments, select or invent evidence, summarize readings in place of completing them, or write substantive portions of the paper from scratch.

To ensure transparency and accountability, students are required to maintain a logbook documenting their use of AI tools throughout the research and writing process. This logbook must be included as an appendix to the paper and should list all prompts used, along with brief notes describing how the output was used (e.g., refining a thesis, revising a paragraph, clarifying an argument, identifying relevant sections of a reading). The logbook will not be graded for writing quality, but failure to include it, or evidence of unapproved AI use, may result in a grade penalty.

The goal of this policy is not to prohibit new tools, but to emphasize that students remain responsible for their ideas, arguments, and evidence, and that learning to research, write, and revise is a central part of thinking sociologically

Grade breakdown

Reading Quizzes                                                                                                                          25%

In-Class Writing and Analytical Activities                                                                                      20%

Paper: Explaining Alienation in American Communities                                                               15%

Midterm Exam                                                                                                                              20%

Final Exam                                                                                                                                   20%

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Above all else, students are expected to be respectful and engaged. The instructor will talk more about codes of conduct on the first day of class and throughout the course.

Grading Criteria

Grade breakdown

Reading Quizzes                                                                                                                          25%

In-Class Writing and Analytical Activities                                                                                      20%

Paper: Explaining Alienation in American Communities                                                              15%

Midterm Exam                                                                                                                              20%

Final Exam                                                                                                                                   20%

Attendance

Students are expected to attend each lecture session (Monday - Thursday, except holidays). However, the instructor understands that students have busy lives and unplanned circumstances often come up. Therefore, the instructor encourages students to communicate when they are unable to attend or need to review or make up material.

Please note that Amarillo College instructors are required to track attendance. If you miss classes, you may be contacted by a success coach or receive a message from the college. This does not mean that your grade in my class will be adversely impacted. It is just a way for the college to check in to help ensure your success. Side note: The Amarillo College success coaches are great people who want to help you succeed!

Calendar

Additional Information

Here's my lengthier description of Sociology 1301, for students who want more info: 

Course Description

The American Sociological Association’s (ASA) webpage defines describe as “The study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies and how people interact within these contexts. Since all human behavior is social, the subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to global communities; from deviance to organized crime; from religious traditions to state institutions; and from the divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture.” Sociology is therefore a very substantively broad academic discipline as it covers any topic that is related to the social. This is both a virtue (there is no end to what sociologists can examine) and a limitation (sociologists often disagree on how to analyze and explain social life).

Most importantly, sociology is a social science. Sociologists aspire to use rigorous scientific methods – many shared with the natural sciences – to answer research questions about social life. Sociology is therefore an empirical discipline, as data and analysis are central to what sociologists do. Sociological data can be numerical (quantitative) or text-based (qualitative).

Theory is also central to sociology. It guides deductive research, where scholars test hypotheses about causal relationships, and inductive research, where theory emerges from data. Competing theories lead to different approaches and ways of answering big questions like: Does teen pregnancy cause poverty, or does poverty raise the likelihood of teen pregnancy? Are wage gaps explained by worker skill differences or by discrimination? Do healthier, happier societies result from generous social programs or from strong cultural solidarity? Why does someone become a career criminal – because legitimate opportunities are blocked, or because crime is normalized in their peer groups?

Sociology continues to be popular because it encourages critical thinking and informed analysis. It can be valuable to anyone with intellectual curiosity, regardless of personal background or politics. But sociologists are not purely disinterested, neutral observers – their perspectives motivate the questions they ask and the methods they use. In this class, students will engage with competing perspectives. Considering and critiquing different theoretical traditions and standpoints will help students sharpen their critical thinking and develop their sociological imaginations.