Course | Madison College Outline of Instruction

10-809-174Social Problems

Course Information

Description

Explores the causes of and possible solutions to selected social problems, such as inequality, crime and deviance, and poverty. Students will examine the interrelationship of social problems and their roots in fundamental societal institutions.

Total Credits

Course Competencies

Analyze social problems from a sociological perspective.

Assessment Strategies

in an oral, visual, and/or written activity.

Criteria

you use sociological terms in context.

you distinguish sociological perspectives from non-sociological perspectives.

you give concrete examples of how issues are seen from sociological perspectives.

you give concrete examples of how issues are seen from other perspectives.

you compare and contrast sociological perspectives and other perspectives.
Explain and identify how social problems are socially constructed.

Assessment Strategies

in an oral, visual, and/or written activity.

Criteria

you use sociological terms in context.

you communicate the meaning of the social construction of reality.

you give a valid example of a socially constructed problem.

you provide evidence of the validity of your example.
Analyze the interrelationship between social problems and the major social institutions in society.

Assessment Strategies

in an oral, visual, and/or written activity.

Criteria

you use sociological terms in context.

you identify the major social institutions.

you identify social problems related to social institutions.

you identify the impact social institutions have upon the socialization process.
Analyze how social problems are reinforced and preserved by social groups who maintain wealth and power.

Assessment Strategies

in an oral, visual, and/or written activity.

Criteria

you use sociological terms in context.

you identify who the power elite are.

you explain how the power elite influence the economic and political systems.

you explain how individual and collective behavior initiate change in society.
Formulate potential solutions for social problems using a systematic and empirical approach.

Assessment Strategies

in an oral, visual, and/or written activity.

Criteria

you use sociological terms in context.

you identify an issue as a social problem.

you employ a formal systematic approach to problem solving.

you critically analyze potential solutions for such problem.

you decide on a feasible solution using empirical evidence as support.

you develop a solution to a given social problem.
Analyze how attitudes towards human differences (e.g, race/ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, age, and disabilities) are interrelated to the problems of inequality.

Assessment Strategies

in an oral, visual, and/or written activity.

Criteria

you use sociological terms in context.

you differentiate between the concepts of race and ethnicity

you differentiate between the concepts of sex and gender.

you identify what is meant by the concept of class.

you explain how societal attitudes and practices promote social inequality.
Analyze how crime and deviance are socially constructed.

Assessment Strategies

in an oral, visual, and/or written activity.

Criteria

you use sociological terms in context.

you differentiate between crime and other forms of deviance.

you give examples of how deviance is relative to social context (e.g., time, place, and culture).

you distinguish between the various crime typologies (e.g., violent, white collar, and corporate).

you explain how social institutions promote deviance.
Examine the impact of poverty on life chances.

Assessment Strategies

in an oral, visual, and/or written activity.

Criteria

you use sociological terms in context.

you identify the strategy that is used to calculate poverty.

you give evidence of the correlation between poverty and specific life chances (e.g., access to education, health care, housing, etc.).