Introduction to Sociology 2e

About the Textbook

Introduction to Sociology 2e

Description:  

Introduction to Sociology adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical introductory sociology course. In addition to comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories, we have incorporated section reviews with engaging questions, discussions that help students apply the sociological imagination, and features that draw learners into the discipline in meaningful ways. Although this text can be modified and reorganized to suit your needs, the standard version is organized so that topics are introduced conceptually, with relevant, everyday experiences.

Contributing Authors:

• Heather Griffiths, Fayetteville State University
• Nathan Keirns, Zane State College
• Eric Strayer, Hartnell College
• Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Georgia Perimeter College
• Gail Scaramuzzo, Lackawanna College
• Tommy Sadler, Union University
• Sally Vyain, Ivy Tech Community College
• Jeff Bry, Minnesota State Community and Technical College at Moorhead
• Faye Jones, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

Formats:  

The book can be read online, downloaded as PDF or Kindle or purchase a print copy for $29.00.

Supplemental Resources:  

OpenStax College has compiled additional resources for students and faculty such as interactive study guides and faculty-only resources such as test banks, slides, and comp versions of iBook format. 

Peer Reviews:  

The first edition of the book has been reviewed by a CCC faculty member, a CSU faculty member, and a UC faculty of the California higher education systems. There is also an Accessibility Evaluation.

Cost savings:  

I previously used Sociology: A Down-To-Earth Approach by James Henslin. The book retails for $183.65 on Amazon. We teach five sections each semester, with 50 students, for a total of 500 students each year. By using the OpenStax book, on an annual basis, we save students $91,825.

Accessibility and diversity statement: 

Not all formats of the textbook have been evaluated yet, but the most recent version is available in a Bookshare which supports DAISY and Braille-Ready-Format (BRF). The text is adaptable for people with visual and/or auditory disabilities while the text is functional with assistive technology.

License:

Except where otherwise noted, Introduction to Sociology by OpenStax College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the work, even commercially, as long as they credit the author for the original creation.  This is the most accommodating of licenses offered.  Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials.

About the Course

Soc 1: Introduction to Sociology

Description: 

Soc 1 is an introduction to the sociological concepts and theoretical perspectives of sociology and their application to the fundamental problems of social life. The course includes an overview of sociological explanations, methods, and findings in social structure, group dynamics, socialization, social stratification culture, social change, and global dynamics.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of English 51A (Introduction to Communication Skills) or the equivalent.

GE credit: 3.0 units

Learning outcomes:

Upon completion of the course the student will be able to meet the following objectives: 

• explain the meanings of sociological concepts and apply them in analyzing sociological situations.
• understand, differentiate between, and utilize sociological perspectives and theoretical paradigms in verbal and written analysis. 
• think critically about scientific research methods and concepts, such as distinguishing between correlation and causation, applying them in spoken and written analysis.

The majority of students who take this class include majors in sociology, social work, psychology, nursing, administrative of justice, biology and chemistry.

Some of the important aspects of the course include:

• curriculum includes contributions and perspectives of different ethnocultural groups 
• content demonstrates a clear sense of ethnic and cultural identities 
• text is aimed at students' meaning and linguistic understanding of content 
• text is academically challenging and includes attention to development of higher-level cognitive skills 
• learning tasks are meaningful

Curricular changes:

I prefer teaching the six theories of sociology, but the three major paradigms are presented in the text. I do not use the chapters in the order presented in the book, but rather, arrange them according to sociological themes including 1) fundamentals, 2) sociological research, 3) cultural sociology, 4) social interactions and socialization, 5) groups, organizations, and institutions, 6) stratification and inequality, 7) deviance and control, and 8) politics, economy, and work.

Teaching and learning impacts:

Collaborate more with other faculty: Yes
Use wider range of teaching materials: Yes
Student learning improved: Yes
Student retention improved: Yes
Any unexpected results: No

After adopting an OER our SOC faculty have engaged in regular communication about teaching strategies, curriculum design including assessments, and student learning outcomes. We compare and share the resources we find and create to accompany the open text.

Using an open e-text encouraged me to learn and use technology in the classroom including Apps and tools such as Nearpod, Socrative, Poll Everywhere, and SmartSeat. I also started creating instructional videos using a webcam and YouTube.

Based on my student learning outcomes and institutional research, student success in my Introduction to Sociology courses increased by 16% (WHCCD 2015). Students reported having access to a free textbook on multiple devices (i.e., smartphone, laptop, or tablet) encouraged reading and use the text as a tool for note taking or point of reference during class.

Student retention in my Introduction to Sociology courses increased by 2% (WHCCD 2015).

Sample assignment and syllabus:

Evaluation Rubric
This is the rubric I use to evaluate written assignments.

Assignment
This is an example of one of the first assignments for the students' reading journal.

Syllabus
This is a syllabus that I used for the fall 2015 class.

Textbook Adoption

OER Adoption Process

The major motivation in adopting this textbook was to save students money, without sacrificing the quality of content. I was introduced to open source textbooks by a biology faculty member at West Hills College who suggested adoption to improve textbook affordability and student engagement. He shared a link to the openspecs pack and I was impressed by OpenStax. I thought I could work with it because the content and quality were equivalent to other published textbooks on the market. I shared the source with other faculty  in my Learning Area and we decided to officially adopt the text. We had to get the approval from our campus Curriculum Committee, as all sociology faculty in our District have to use the same book. We also adopted the use of supplemental materials (i.e. test bank and lecture slides) offered with the text, if desired. 

The text does not contain exercises or applications. I have supplemented the textbook with assignments I created using other primary and secondary sources found elsewhere, either from MERLOT or other creative commons resources. Our sociology faculty have a wiki site where we share assignments and other resources.

I have also created my own lecture slides and exam questions. The slides provided by the publisher are mirror images of the text with too much information and limited visual images, graphs, and tables. Additionally, the test bank has redundant questions and some questions are not worded correctly making it difficult for the test-taker to decipher what is being asked.

Student access:  

We have several options for linking to the book, as we are an Apple campus.  I put the link in our LMS and iTunesU for students to access and/or download it. I have also saved it as PDF and have a link for students to access it in that format as well. With a PDF, students can directly download the text into a notetaking app on a mobile device and make notes directly in the book as well as copy/paste sections of the text including images to create personal note pages. Students typically use Notability or iBooks as their note-taking tools.

Student feedback or participation:

At the beginning of the course, I received a lot of comments from students about appreciating the cost savings of using an open source text. At the course progressed, there were not as many comments about the book being free instead feedback on its content.

Students expressed their discontent with the overuse of discipline jargon in the text and its lack of real world applications or exercises. Additionally, students wanted to be able to download each chapter of the book, rather than the entire text. Though the book is searchable by chapter on any electronic device they felt having access to each chapter could improve its use and functionality. On the positive side, disabled students reported the text was adaptable with their software or assistive device needs.

Some of the other major comments throughout the semester were:

• I didn’t find many difficulties with the book since there are vocabulary words and further examples which make the concepts easy to understand.
• The concepts that really stuck out to me were the three theoretical perspectives on the various subjects of each chapter.
• The most important concepts I learned in this Sociology course was about Cultural Diversity. In module three of our assignments, it covers several chapters (3, 11, 12, and 13) which talk about cultural diversity in depth. Within this section I learned about the difference of culture and society, the role or social control within culture, the differences between stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and racism.
• The concepts that I thought were difficult in this course were about stratification and inequality. In module six of our assignments, it covers chapters (9, 10, 19, and 20) which explain stratification and inequality. I found this section difficult to learn only because of the ideas and concepts discussed like different stratification systems, perspectives or point-of-views on social stratification, and how the applied concepts relate to one another within a stratified society. The book does not focus on the explanation of each concept, but more on spending time with friends and competing in the rodeo.
• I think there should be more hands-on worksheets for us to use within the book so we are more inclined as students to study the material.

Vera Kennedy, Ed.D.

I am a sociology instructor at West Hills Community College Lemoore. I teach Introduction to Sociology, Critical Thinking Social Problems, Cultural Sociology, Drugs and Society, Sociology of Mental Health, and Sociological Practice.

As an instructor, I focus on creating learning experiences that bridge students’ history and biography to new knowledge and skills. This process is realized by having students integrate reflective practice into learning activities or application of course material.   

Students assess their learning throughout the semester including achievements, gaps, barriers or difficulties with course material and thoughts or feelings about concepts, ideas, or perspectives discussed in class. Reflective exercises are designed to help students evaluate their thought processes, relate course material to their own life experiences, and analyze its application in the real world.   

A typical class begins with agenda setting incorporating student suggestions or recommendations linked to their questions about course material or trouble areas. I introduce a list of critical thinking questions guiding students away from basic knowledge development to application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of course material. I use these questions to facilitate discussion and chart feedback and questions. I also use diverse media including presentation slides, online resources including websites and news clips, and segments of films and students work to provide examples or help students relate course material to real world settings.

I develop individual and learning team exercises and assignments that focus on real-world applications. All student assessment and evaluation methods emphasize diverse perspectives using sociological concepts and theories. In addition, throughout the semester, I ask students to analyze their thinking and behavior in real world situations and contexts. This activity helps students get a better understanding about how the social world affects their lives.   My professional career has centered on social justice and advocacy in children’s mental health, foster care, and juvenile justice. These interests fueled my doctoral work on cultural capital development of Hispanics to improve college retention and success. Deficits have traditionally compared student deficiencies to attitude or goals, but few studies have explored social and cultural influences on learning. My ongoing research seeks to create an inventory of social and cultural competencies and deficits to guide future curriculum and instructional approaches to improving the achievement gap of these students.