SOCI 110 - Introduction to Sociology

The course introduces students to the sociological imagination, or “the quality of mind essential to grasp the interplay of individual and society, of biography and history, of self and the world,” as C. Wright Mills dscribed it. The enduring value of a sociological imagination is to help students situate peoples’ lives and important events in broader social contexts by understanding how political, economic, and cultural forces constitute social life. Sociology explores minute aspects of social life (microsociology) as well as global social processes and structures (macrosociology). Topics covered vary from semester to semester, but may include: socialization, suburbanization and housing, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class stratification, deviance and crime, economic and global inequality, families and intimate relationships, education, religion, and globalization. Every year. (4 Credits)