SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 1 Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to: 1. Analyze the ideas of sociological theorists in terms of their historical, economic, and social contexts. 1.1 Examine the three primary perspectives of sociology: functionalist, conflict, and interactionist. 2. Analyze the relationship between one’s beliefs and one’s group memberships. 2.1 Use the steps of scientific research to examine beliefs about a current event. 2.2 Predict how membership to certain groups affects belief 4. Evaluate patterns of behavior through sociological skills and theory. 4.1 Apply sociological imagination to determine how group membership shapes how we perceive world events. Reading Assignment Chapter 1: The Sociological Imagination Chapter 2: Sociological Research Unit Lesson On the one hand, sociology is a noun: it is defined as a body of knowledge about society that is based on rigorous, scientific research. On the other hand, sociology is a verb: “a way of engaging with the world around us and understanding its complexity and interconnections in new ways” (Witt, 2015, p. 20). In this unit, you will learn about and practice the sociological imagination that is needed to study, recognize, and understand the relationship between individuals and society. C. Wright Mills (1959) used the concept of sociological imagination to explain the relationship between the larger society and ourselves. Here, imagination does NOT mean make-believe. When Mills coined the term sociological imagination, he encouraged us to look outside ourselves and to recognize that society shapes who we are, what we think, and how we feel. Ask yourself about your beliefs in the afterlife. If you grew up in a Hindu household, you might believe that the afterlife includes reincarnation into another person. If you grew up in a Christian household, you might believe the afterlife is in heaven. Using this same way of thinking, if you grew up in a Chinese American household, you may be likely to speak Mandarin or Cantonese in addition to English. However, if you grew up in a French American household, you are less likely to speak Mandarin or Cantonese. Rather, you are likely to speak French and English. If we stretch our imaginations even further, we can see that a person raised in a U.S. city is less likely to be able to grow his/her own food or drive a tractor than someone raised on a farm. Moreover, a person raised in the U.S. is more likely to believe women are equal to men than someone raised in a more patriarchal society. Finally, you are more likely to be friends with people from the same social class, race, and age group as you. Therefore, you are more likely to marry someone who is from the same social class, race, and age group as you. This is not to say you must do this. Rather, you are encouraged to do this by social institutions such as ...

1. SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Analyze the ideas of sociological theorists in terms of their
historical, economic, and social contexts.
1.1 Examine the three primary perspectives of sociology:
functionalist, conflict, and interactionist.
2. Analyze the relationship between one’s beliefs and one’s
group memberships.
2.1 Use the steps of scientific research to examine beliefs about
a current event.
2.2 Predict how membership to certain groups affects belief
4. Evaluate patterns of behavior through sociological skills and
theory.
4.1 Apply sociological imagination to determine how group
membership shapes how we
perceive world events.
Reading Assignment

2. Chapter 1:
The Sociological Imagination
Chapter 2:
Sociological Research
Unit Lesson
On the one hand, sociology is a noun: it is defined as a body of
knowledge about society that is based on
rigorous, scientific research. On the other hand, sociology is a
verb: “a way of engaging with the world around
us and understanding its complexity and interconnections in
new ways” (Witt, 2015, p. 20). In this unit, you
will learn about and practice the sociological imagination that is
needed to study, recognize, and understand
the relationship between individuals and society.
C. Wright Mills (1959) used the concept of sociological
imagination to explain the relationship between the
larger society and ourselves. Here, imagination does NOT mean
make-believe. When Mills coined the term
sociological imagination, he encouraged us to look outside
ourselves and to recognize that society shapes
who we are, what we think, and how we feel. Ask yourself
about your beliefs in the afterlife. If you grew up in
a Hindu household, you might believe that the afterlife includes
reincarnation into another person. If you grew
up in a Christian household, you might believe the afterlife is in
heaven.
Using this same way of thinking, if you grew up in a Chinese
American household, you may be likely to speak

3. Mandarin or Cantonese in addition to English. However, if you
grew up in a French American household, you
are less likely to speak Mandarin or Cantonese. Rather, you are
likely to speak French and English.
If we stretch our imaginations even further, we can see that a
person raised in a U.S. city is less likely to be
able to grow his/her own food or drive a tractor than someone
raised on a farm. Moreover, a person raised in
the U.S. is more likely to believe women are equal to men than
someone raised in a more patriarchal society.
Finally, you are more likely to be friends with people from the
same social class, race, and age group as you.
Therefore, you are more likely to marry someone who is from
the same social class, race, and age group as
you. This is not to say you must do this. Rather, you are
encouraged to do this by social institutions such as
the family, education system, and religion. These are just some
of the ways in which society tends to shape
individual lives and choices.
UNIT I STUDY GUIDE
The Science of Sociology
SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

4. Three perspectives dominate sociological thought and practice:
structural-functionalism (SF), conflict
approach (C), and symbolic interactionism (SI). Two of these
perspectives, SF and C, study society and the
individual in macro terms. When we study macro interactions,
we study broad patterns of behavior, such as
unemployment rates, immigration patterns, and even purchasing
behaviors.
SI, on the other hand, studies the micro aspects of self and
society. When we study micro interactions, we
study behavior on a smaller scale, such as the effects of losing
one’s job or self-identity, or the significance of
the goodbye kiss to one’s relationship.
Theories and theoretical perspectives help us understand our
behaviors. Theory should not seem abstract to
you; you use theory every day. For example, if you are on the
third floor of a building, and need to get out of it
fast, the quickest way to the ground floor is to jump out of the
window. However, you theorize that doing this
would hurt—a lot. You “know” this, not from personal
experience, but from theory.
Theories are not simply opinions. Sociologists use hypotheses
to create theory. They test these hypotheses
to find support. Sociologists test and retest hypotheses so that
we might use theory to explain the social
world.
Early Sociological Thinkers
As with all theoretical sociologists, the early thinkers were
motivated to study conditions of their time. For
example, Emile Durkheim, one of the most prominent

5. sociologists of the 19th century, and arguably the father
of structural functionalism, noticed that suicide rates in
Denmark were twice that of England. To better
understand this difference in suicide rates, Durkheim performed
a review of the literature. He knew
psychologists explained suicide in micro psychological terms,
such as depressive disorder or other
psychoses. However, given the facts on Denmark and England,
Durkheim did not think psychology explained
much about the rate (macro) of suicide.
For Durkheim, a better answer had to do with group life rather
than individual psychology. What he
discovered was that Protestants had higher rates of suicide than
Catholics, and unmarried people had higher
rates than married people did. He concluded that Catholic
families lived in close proximity to their relatives
(often in the same domicile), while Protestants lived in
individual nuclear homes. Thus, Catholics had more
loved ones at the ready to rely upon. This makes for a handy
tight-knit support group for life’s difficulties.
Another important sociologist during the late 19th century and
early 20th century was Max Weber. Unlike
Durkheim, who studied patterns of behavior, Weber was more
interested in the subjective meanings people
attach to their behavior. In this way, symbolic interactionism
attaches itself to Weber’s ideas.
One of Weber’s contributions to sociology is the concept of
Verstehen—understanding or insight. Rather than
a sociologist using his/her own society as a measuring tool,
Weber taught us to understand social
phenomena within the context of the society under
investigation. For example, in America, cricket eating
might seem revolting. However, in many cultures, eating
crickets is as “normal” as Americans eating

6. hamburger on the Fourth of July.
Another key concept attributed to Weber is ideal type. Ideal
type is a model we use as a measuring rod
against which actual cases are measured. For example, if you
think of the construct mother, chances are
murderer does not come to mind. That is because the American
mother ideal type includes traits such as
caring and nurturing. Keep in mind, ideal does not mean
positive. For example, we have an ideal type for
serial killer too (cloaked, dark, and introverted). This should
also point out that the ideal type does not always
describe the reality (for example, Ted Bundy was handsome and
sociable). Nonetheless, an ideal type is
important because it suggests what we collectively think of
when we think of a social construct.
Finally, Karl Marx, a social philosopher of the 19th century,
lived during a time of turmoil when people were
either very wealthy or very poor. He noticed that among the
poor, many groups competed for the few
resources that trickled down from the wealthy. Marx witnessed
the tension between these groups and worked
toward a theory to explain why the wealthy rule and the poor
fight among themselves. By controlling the
means of production in a society, the wealthy controlled the
society. The poor only controlled their own labor
and were unable to leverage this labor in a way that gained
control of other things beyond a paycheck
dictated by the wealthy. Marx’s work led to what we now know
as the conflict-perspective.

7. SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 3
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
As with any science, sociologists use the scientific steps to
research (see page 26 of the textbook).
Sociologists begin by defining the problem that they wish to
investigate. For example, suppose that we wish
to know if there is a relationship between poverty and mental
health. We will need to check the literature for
past research on the relationship. The literature informs us of
the common measures used for the various
variables in our study.
Operationalizing poverty could be a simple income amount or a
more complex measure of family wealth over
time. To operationalize mental health, we might use the criteria
found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders for depression or generalized anxiety
disorder. In addition to our primary variables,
sociologists also include a number of demographic questions
such as race, class, and gender in order to
investigate group differences in belief and behavior.
Quantitative sociologists primarily use surveys to answer the
questions they have about the social world.
Surveys use a series of self-report questions with predetermined
answers on a Likert scale to gather data
from many respondents. Perhaps our hypothesis is that race or
gender moderates the relationship. To
determine this, we will need to ask our respondents their gender
and race. By measuring these, we can then

8. test and see if one’s gender or race changes the strength of the
relationship between poverty and mental
health.
Qualitative sociologists are interested in describing and
understanding social phenomena. These sociologists
tend to use methods such as participant observation and long in-
depth interviews to tease out information
otherwise overlooked. For example, we may want to understand
the day-to-day lives of Walmart employees.
We could choose to get a job at Walmart and observe those
around us. Alternatively, we may want to
understand how Walmart employees manage to survive on the
paychecks they receive. We could continue
with the observations, or we could choose to interview people
and even follow them as they manage their
survival during a typical week. Think about the different types
of data each of these methods would bring.
Chapters 1 and 2 in Witt’s SOC 2014 set the stage for future
units. Remember, you will revisit both the
theories and methods learned here. Unit II uses theory and
method to understand the importance of culture in
our everyday lives, beliefs, and behaviors.
References
Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. New York,
NY: Oxford Press.
Witt, J. (2015). SOC 2014 (3rd ed. update). New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill Education.

9. Suggested Reading
Find out more about this week’s topics by researching, both in
the CSU Online Library and elsewhere. For
example, the following book was published a while ago, but it
will provides valuable information today:
Mills, C. W. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. New York,
NY: Oxford Press.
While the following article is a bit dated, it provides a good
example of the sociological perspective in action. It
can be found in the General OneFile database of the CSU
Online Library:
Misztal, B. A. (1993). Understanding political change in
Eastern Europe: A sociological perspective.
Sociology, 27(3), 451-551.
SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

10. Learning Activities (Non-Graded)
SocThink
Your textbook provides several opportunities for you to explore
relevant topics, from personal self-exploration
to challenging questions concerning topics being studied in this
unit. Taking the time to read and respond to
these opportunities will help you learn and apply the
information being studied. These opportunities can be
found on the following pages:
o Page 5
o Page 12
o Page 17
o Page 19
o Page 20
o Page 31
o Page 32
o Page 36
o Page 42
Check Your Learning
Quizzes are a way to self-test to see if you understand what you
are studying. The textbook provides a brief
“Pop Quiz” for each chapter. Take advantage of this learning
tool to enrich your learning experience! The
answers are provided, so you can check and see how well you
did. For this unit, the quizzes are available on

11. the following pages:
Capitalism Crises Video
Go to the website Sociological Images and search for “David
Harvey’s Marxist Analysis of the Global
Recession.” Watch “Crises of Capitalism,” an engaging 11-
minute animated video that is embedded in the
article. It provides a Marxist understanding of capitalism,
creatively illustrated as the speaker presents the
information. Harvey gives a brilliant conflict explanation for
the economic crisis of 2010, 2011, 2012…(Video
courtesy of RSA Events, www.theRSA.org, in accordance with
Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND
2.0 UK)
These are non-graded activities, so you do not have to submit
them. However, if you have difficulty with any
concepts, contact your instructor for additional discussion
and/or explanation.
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/?s=david+harvey+%26+cri
sis+of+capitalism
SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 1

12. Course Learning Outcomes for Unit II
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
3. Interpret the transmission of cultures through socialization.
3.1 Differentiate between the different types of norms.
3.2 Identify agents of socialization involved in teaching norms.
3.3 Explain the foundations of culture and the importance of
culture to society.
4. Evaluate patterns of behavior through sociological skills and
theory.
4.1 Compare elements of one culture to elements of another one.
4.2 Discuss the effects of culture on self-development.
Reading Assignment
Chapter 3:
Culture
Chapter 4:
Socialization
Unit Lesson
Culture
In this unit, you will learn about culture and socialization. To
begin with, what is culture? According to your
textbook, culture is “everything humans create in establishing

13. our relationships to nature and with each other”
(Witt, 2015, p.48). More simply put, culture pertains to all of
the ideas and tangibles within a society. Culture is
a complex concept that includes norms, values, behavior
patterns, ideologies, artifacts, and even customs.
Culture can be nonmaterial in terms of concepts, such as
ideologies, or of memes or patterns of behavior,
such as walking down an aisle when getting married or saying
please and thank you. Alternatively, it can be
material in terms of things, such as buildings, religious art, and
even your computer.
Sociologists define norms as agreed-upon patterns of behavior.
For example, teachers expect that students
will raise their hands in school if they wish to contribute to a
discussion. All societies have mechanisms in
place to encourage what they view as appropriate behavior and
to discourage inappropriate behavior. These
mechanisms, called sanctions, can be informal, such as laughter
or elbowing, or they can be formal, as in the
case of speeding tickets, or religious shunning. If a student
answers without raising his/her hand, a teacher
might remind the student of the rules. Future infractions may
include shushing, keeping the child in at recess
or after school, or a visit to the principal’s office.
When in movie theaters, most people agree that talking and
making loud noises are inappropriate behavior. In
this case, appropriateness is situational. For example, in a
serious art film, quiet is mandatory. However, in
movies like the Rocky Horror Picture Show, laughter and
swearing, singing and dancing, and partial nudity is
highly encouraged. We expect to hear loud laughter in movies
such as Anchorman II and Ride Along, but not
in movies like The Green Mile. Notice that each situation

14. requires different normative behavior.
In addition to the formal/informal dichotomy, sociologists also
categorize norms into mores (pronounced like
“morays”) and folkways. Societies view mores as highly
important to the maintenance of society. Sanctions
UNIT II STUDY GUIDE
Society: Content and Process
SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
for more violations are usually severe. For example, our society
strongly prohibits treason and sanctions it by
putting those who commit treason to death.
On the other hand, folkways are norms that govern everyday
behavior and involve less severe sanctions. For
example, walking down the “up” escalator will not usually land
you in jail. Similarly, eating with the “wrong”
fork will only result in negative looks from other diners.
So why are folkways important? They make us feel as if we
belong. Wearing the “right” clothes and using
“proper” language reminds us that we are part of society.
Sometimes folkways reinforce values we hold in

15. society. For example, being polite supports the value of respect
for others that we share. As your author
points out, in Southeast Asia, folkways also support patriarchal
forms of dominance by reaffirming that women
should be below men. Examples of this include:
a sleeping car above a man.
women to the second floor, regardless of
medical condition.
than men’s clothes.
Can you think of some examples of our own folkways that
reaffirm patriarchy? For example, stay-at-home
fathers are increasing in the U.S. However, late-night
comedians still make fun of them, which encourages
men to work outside the home. This double standard reinforces
the notion that only women should nurture
and care for children. In restaurants, servers are still more
likely to hand the check to a man in a heterosexual
seating situation.
We have just discussed how norms operate in society. How do
new members learn about culture? They
obtain this information through verbal and nonverbal
communication. Language is an important component of
culture, in both establishing culture and transferring culture.
Children and new immigrants quickly learn the
customs of their surroundings when people tell them they are
doing something wrong, or when they ask why
we do something a certain way.

16. Language influences our thoughts in several ways. If you have
ever watched a cable “news” channel, you are
aware of the attention writers give to phrasing in order to
influence viewer opinion. For example, one could
use the phrase “out of wedlock” or “born to a single parent” to
describe the same situation. The former term is
morally charged while the latter seems less so. A clearer
example might be the use of baby or fetus when
discussing the unborn—those opposing abortion use the term
baby, while those who are pro-choice use the
term fetus for a reason. The connotation of words is very
important in communication.
Nonverbal communication is equally important in the
transmission of culture. For example, the distance
between people when they speak to one another is culturally
determined. In the United States, we like to
stand 18 to 36 inches apart when speaking with someone.
However, in Arab countries, they tend to speak
close enough to feel the breath of the other upon their face. In
Asian countries, people stand much further
apart.
Hand gestures also communicate culture. For example, holding
up a pointer (index) and middle finger means
peace in the United States, whereas in an English pub, those
same two fingers mean something else entirely.
See if you can guess what this is: the French do it twice,
Belgians do it three times. The Japanese and
Chinese only do it in private, and Nigerians do not do it at all.
In some regions of Cambodia, the groom does it
by placing his nose against the bride’s cheek. What is it?
Do you give up? It is kissing!

17. Even touching is culturally determined. High-status people are
more likely to invade the space of lower-status
people rather than the other way round. Thus, a professor may
pat the shoulder of a student, but students
rarely pat professors on the back. Likewise, men tend to rest
their hands on a woman’s shoulder, but women
rarely rest their hands on a man’s shoulder. Doctors touch
nurses more than nurses touch doctors. You get
the picture.
SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 3
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Socialization
What is socialization? Primarily, it is a process. By interacting
with others, we learn how to think, feel, and
behave in ways that are necessary for productive participation
within society. We become social beings
through this process.
Social scientists view the process as a series of stages. In
psychology, people often learn about Piaget’s five
stages of childhood. However, in sociology, we concentrate
more on socialization as a life-long process. Your
textbook covers Erik Erikson’s stages. Notice that unlike

18. Piaget, Erikson allows that not everyone hits the next
stage at exactly the same time. For example, somewhere
between the ages of one and a half and three
years, a child will enter the second stage, autonomy vs. shame
and doubt. Although not every child will enter
this stage by a year and a half, by age three, the vast majority of
children will have begun the second stage.
Sociologists also concentrate on the agents of socialization,
such as family, school, religion, peer groups, and
mass media. Agents of socialization are important in our
development of self. Each agent is responsible for
teaching certain things. For instance, in addition to the three
R’s, schools are responsible for teaching
competition, an important element in a capitalist country. How
do schools teach competition? They teach it
through grades, evaluations, and through sports. How does
learning about competition affect our sense of
self?
Peer groups also play an important societal role. They
encourage independence from parental control while
offering a support network. Who are your significant others, and
what do they teach you about self?
As you work through the material this week, think about your
own agents of socialization, and contemplate
how they have affected your self-view and worldview.
Reference
Witt, J. (2015). SOC 2014 (3rd ed. update). New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill Education.

19. Suggested Reading
Learn more about this week’s topics by researching in the
databases of the CSU Online Library. The following
are available in the General OneFile database:
Bass, K., Gribble, A., & Tomkiewicz, J. (2011). Potential
pitfalls of ethnocentrism in a globalizing world.
College Student Journal, 45(2), 369-375.
Brewer, L. (2001). Gender socialization and the cultural
construction of elder caregivers. Journal of Aging
Studies, 15(3), 217-236.
Forstater, M. (2000). Adolph Lowe on freedom, education and
socialization. Review of Social Economy,
58(2), 225-242.
Kuperman, J., & Lumb, R. (2012). Ethnocentrism in the U.S.:
An examination of CETSCALE stability from
1994 to 2008. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 16(1),
99-110.
Pellerin, L. A. (2005). Student disengagement and the
socialization styles of high schools. Social Forces,
84(2), 1159-1180.

20. SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Online Resources
If you cannot find the following articles in the CSU Online
Library, you can find PDF versions of them online:
day in ritual activity centered on the
body. Some rituals are painful, some abhorrent. Why do they do
them? Find out in Horace Miner’s
“Body Ritual Among the Nacirema.”
Miner, H. (1956). Body ritual among the Nacirema. American
Anthropologist, 58(3), 503-507.
their moral values? Did you sleep in your
parents’ room after the age of one year? What would that mean?
Explore the possibilities by reading
“Who Sleeps by Whom Revisited.”
Shweder, R., Balle-Jensen, L., & Goldstein, W. (2003). Who
sleeps by whom revisited. In R. A.

21. Shweder, Why do men barbecue? Recipes for cultural
psychology (pp. 46-73). Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press.
Learning Activities (Non-Graded)
Free Hugs Video Project
In this non-graded activity, you are encouraged to click on the
following hyperlink and watch the video about
Juan Mann whose parents divorced. He then dropped out of
college, and was abandoned by his fiancée: Free
Hugs Campaign – Official Page. What Juan did was both non-
normative and amazing. What did you think as
you watched this video? Read some of the comments to get a
sense of what others think.
What Would You Do?
Imagine you just won a multi-million-dollar lottery. Think
about one normative and one non-normative
behavior in which you might engage. Be sure to think about why
you would choose to do these things.
SocThink
Your textbook provides several opportunities for you to explore
relevant topics, from personal self-exploration
to challenging questions concerning topics being studied in this
unit. Taking the time to read and respond to
these opportunities will help you learn and apply the
information being studied. These opportunities can be
found on the following pages:

22. o Page 48
o Page 49
o Page 51
o Page 53
o Page 57
o Page 60
o Page 63
apter 4
o Page 72
o Page 76
o Page 78
o Page 85
o Page 88
o Page 89
o Page 90
o Page 93
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4
SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 5
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Check Your Learning

23. Quizzes are a way to self-test to see if you understand what you
are studying. The textbook provides a brief
“Pop Quiz” for each chapter. Take advantage of this learning
tool to enrich your learning experience! The
answers are provided, so you can check and see how well you
did. For this unit, the quizzes are available on
the following pages:
These are non-graded activities, so you do not have to submit
them. However, if you have difficulty with any
concepts, contact your instructor for additional discussion
and/or explanation.