 Course Objectives [Revised: May 25, 2008] After successful completion of this course the student should ... |
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| A. | be able to employ the appropriate methods, technologies, and data that social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition including the case study, surveys, existing data, and the experiment. * (Del Mar EEO # 1) |
| B. | be able to use and critique alternative explanatory systems of theories used in sociology (conflict, functionalist, interactionist). *(Del Mar EEO # 3) |
| C. | To develop and communicate
alternative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues. * (Del Mar EEO # 4) |
| D. | be familiar with the concepts of culture and its components (e.g., norms, values) and to identify and understand differences and commonalties within diverse cultures. |
| E. | be able to recognize and apply reasonable criteria for the acceptability of historical evidence and social research. |
| F. | be able to examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods, social structures, and cultures. |
| G. | Be familiar with various approaches to understanding social problems (e.g., problems as norm violations vs. problems as social conditions). |
| H | Be aware of the power structure in America. |
| I. | Be familiar with problems pertaining to race and ethnicity. |
| J. | Be aware of gender stratification in the united States including issues such as wage discrimination, blocked opportunities, and "old-Boy" networks. |
| K. | Be familiar with various issues regarding drug and alcohol abuse including whether the behavior should be criminalized., medicalized, or legalized. |
| L. | Be familiar with bias in the criminal justice system. Does the system prosecute crimes committed by the poor and ignore crimes committed by the rich? |
| M. | Be familiar with various problems confronting the family and children in U.S. society. |
| N. | Be familiar with issues regarding the educational system including the trend toward school vouchers and the decline of public education. |
| O. | Be aware of what the political economy is and how it impacts various social groups in the U.S. There is a special focus on women in industrial production. |
| P. | Be familiar with how industrialization impacts the ecosystem and how changes in the ecology, in turn, influence human cultures. |
| Q. | Be familiar with problems confronting the cities. Be able to explain my people are homeless and why the homeless population is growing in the U.S. |
| R. | Be aware of various global social problems including exploitative relationships between rich and poor countries. Know about Maquiladoras. |
| "*" denotes exemplary program objectives as defined by the Texas Coordinating Board. | |