Exploring Society is an introductory, college-level Sociology course produced by Dallas TeleLearning.
This course integrates video, interactive online activities, textbook, student course guide and faculty guide specifically designed for distance learning students seeking a course in sociology. This course may also be used in a dual-credit program.
The lively and engaging programs utilize the unique qualities of video to help students understand how sociology can provide them with a new way of looking at the world. Stories and situations are used to dramatize the human conflicts at the core of all sociological issues. Each program features interviews with sociologists and other experts who have been chosen for their individual expertise, as well as for the diverse backgrounds, approaches and viewpoints they bring to this production.
Specific voiceover narration is used throughout each lesson to reinforce key points. Each video lesson/program is divided into segments that may be used as stand-alone modules on specific topics.
Throughout the course, students explore unique sociological ideas through the use of short, intense visual vignettes. These vignettes, referred to as "Visual Sociology" or "Then and Now," act as transitions between segments for many of the lessons.
Course Objectives
- Know how sociology developed as a discipline and have an appreciation for the sociological way of looking at things.
- Explain how the process by which sociologists study group behavior differs from casual observations and common sense conclusions.
- Comprehend the role of social interaction and the effects of social structure in establishing and maintaining relationships.
- Discuss the interdependence among, and within, communities, societies, and nations.
- Discuss how society’s expectations influence the definitions and behaviors associated with gender.
- Explain how race and ethnicity influence social patterns of human interaction.
- Discuss the functions of the social institutions of religion, family, and economics in terms of meeting society’s needs.
- Explain how social action is related to collective behavior and social change.
|
Lesson Titles/Descriptions
- Why Sociology? - Examines and describes the development of sociology as a discipline, increasing awareness of self and society.
- Sociological Perspectives - Describes and distinguishes among the major sociological perspectives in sociology, interpreting events from those perspectives and appreciating how the three sociological perspectives contribute to a critical understanding of society.
- Sociological Inquiry - Examines the processes by which sociologists study group behavior and how the processes differ from everyday observations and conclusions.
- Culture - Interprets the dimensions and significance of culture to society and relates attitude to cultural understanding and sharing within and between cultures.
- Socialization - Explains the significance of the socialization process to social development.
- Social Interactions, Relationships, and Structure - Discusses the role of social interaction in establishing and maintaining relationships, noting effects of social structure on the lives of individuals.
- Social Groups - Interprets the complexities of social groups and their significance to society.
- Formal Organizations and Bureaucracy - Identifies, interprets and differentiates between the complexities of formal organizations and bureaucracies and their functions in society.
- Communities, Societies and Nations - Describes the inter-dependencies among and within communities, societies, and nations.
- Social Stratification - Explains social stratification and discusses the resources that determine life chances.
- Social Class - Explains social class in the U.S. and discusses how wealth, power, and prestige are related.
- Gender - Discusses how society's expectations influence the definitions and behaviors associated with gender.
- Race and Ethnicity - Explains and gives examples of how race and ethnicity influence social patterns of human interaction.
- Age - Examines the sociological definition of age and the social implications of an aging population.
- Deviance and Social Control - Explains how society defines and controls deviance.
- Social Institutions: Religion, Family, and Economics - Discusses the functions of social institutions in terms of meeting society's needs.
- Social Institutions: Politics and Education - Discusses the functions of social institutions in terms of meeting society's needs.
- Health and Medicine - Interprets the sociological significance of medicine and health care.
- Communications Media and Technology - Explains how communications media and technology impact society.
- Population and Urbanization - Explains why sociologists study urbanization and population.
- Social Change - Discusses and gives examples of the social dynamics of social change.
- Social Action - Interprets the relationship of social action and social movements to conflicting interests, change, and power.
|
About the Producers
Veteran television professionals developed Exploring Society in concert with a content specialist and members of a professional faculty advisory committee. Educators, producers, videographers, video and print editors, a musicologist, production assistants, scriptwriters, multimedia specialists and an instructional designer comprised the production team for the series.
Content Specialist - Jane Penney, an educator who has spent her professional career in the classroom, has a specialized interest in instructional design and learning styles. Through her active learning methods approach, she believes the primary challenge for education is to make content real for students by establishing a learning community where both students and educators share in the teaching process. Her philosophy is summarized by a quote of Yeats, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
Project Director - Craig Mayes, an award-winning film and television director, brings with more than 30 years of production experience and 10 years of experience as a freelance editor. This includes the PBS series, "Wishbone," winner of the George Foster Peabody Award of Excellence in Broadcasting and the Television Critics' Award for Best Children's Program two years straight. He also created, designed and produced the award-winning audiobook series "Personal Courier," a unique concept in travel media for independent travelers.
Producer - Ken Harrison has written, produced and directed feature films and network television documentaries, as well as several instructional video projects. His work has been seen by international audiences and has been awarded top recognition at film festivals throughout the country. He teaches a graduate class in Screenwriting at the University of North Texas.
Instructional Designer - Suzanne Dunn, PhD contributes to this production her experience in research and teaching at the University of North Texas. She also has held management positions in instructional program development, public relations, marketing and broadcast satellite production.
Executive-in-Charge - Pamela K. Quinn, Assistant Chancellor for DCCCD's LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications, holds a BS from the University of Kansas and a MS from Texas A&M University-Commerce. She has over 25 years of experience in education and television, teaching, public broadcasting, and administration, and has served and consulted on numerous national organizations promoting educational telecommunications.
Local Advisors Committee
- Kay Coder, Richland College
- Tim Sullivan, Cedar Valley College
- Glenn Currier, El Centro College
- Paul Magee, North Lake College
|
National Advisors Committee
- Victor Ayala, New York City Technical College
- Carole Carroll, Middle Tennessee State University
- Jerome Crane, Rock Valley College
- Terry Dean, Rose State College
- Mitchell Duneier, University of Wisconsin at Madison
- Paul Geisel, University of Texas at Arlington
- William Kornblum, City University of New York
- Tracey McKenzie-Elliott, Collin County Community Colleges
- Rowan Wolf, Portland Community College
|