This course provides you with a basic introduction to this discipline. Toward this end, we will focus on theoretical and conceptual frameworks developed by sociologists as well as the empirical strategies sociologists use to conduct their research. Along the way, you will gain an understanding of the sociological concepts and terminology that form the basis of the discipline. That is, you will possess a clearer understanding of the linkages between individual behavior and society. Additionally, this course fulfills a general education requirement in the field of social analysis.
Social analysis is the systematic study of individual and social human behavior.
This field of study involves a systematic theoretical and empirical examination of the patterns of human behavior within or across various societies and cultures. Courses satisfying this requirement focus on human behavior. They teach students to analyze individual and group behavior by utilizing a variety of theoretical and empirical frameworks. All courses in this field of study must include the reading of or involve students in research on patterns of human behavior. Courses that employ social contextual analysis for purposes of providing a frame of reference for the study of other phenomena, such as literary texts, works of art, etc., do not fulfill this requirement.