SOC 1005 · Intro Sociology (FMWA)
Introductory sociology course covering core concepts, inequality, race and ethnicity, gender, deviance, and social institutions.
Fall 2026 · Baruch College
Course hub
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This page collects course logistics, weekly materials, assignment reminders, and the questions students ask most often. Check here before emailing.
Courses
Current and recent teaching.
Past Teaching
SOC 1005 Intro Sociology, Fall 25 & 23, Spring 26, 25 & 24.
Baruch College
Course Requirements and Grading
This section explains the major course requirements, grading criteria, and exam exemption opportunity.
Course Atmosphere
As a general rule, please be respectful and constructive in all of your contributions to this course, whether spoken or written.
Pre-Class Quizzes
Before each lecture, students are expected to complete a short online quiz based on the assigned lecture materials. Quiz completion is evaluated separately for each half of the semester, with up to 5 points available during the first half and 5 points during the second half.
Students who complete every required pre-class quiz and earn a cumulative quiz score of at least 75% during each half of the semester will be exempt from the corresponding examination (midterm or final) and will receive full credit for that examination.
To be eligible for the exam exemption, all required quizzes must be submitted by the deadline. Late or missed quizzes are not eligible for make-up unless otherwise approved by the instructor.
SocioCraft Project
Students will work in groups of three to create a craft-based project related to sociology. Groups will be assigned randomly by the instructor, and group assignments are mandatory. Students may not form their own groups or switch groups.
Although the project is completed collaboratively, each student will be graded individually based on their preparation, participation, contribution, and overall effort.
Group Leading Discussion
Students will choose one course section that interests them and work with a group to lead a class discussion. For each section, the instructor will provide approximately three additional readings. Students are expected to read and analyze the materials, introduce the key arguments and sociological concepts, and guide the class through presentation and discussion.
Grading Breakdown
| Component | Requirement | Points | Explanations and Grading Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Preparation | Pre-Class Quizzes | 10 |
Evaluated separately for each half of the semester (5 points each): • Completed 75% or more of the required quizzes: 5 points • Completed 50–74%: 3 points • Completed 25–49%: 1 point • Completed less than 25%: 0 points Students may earn up to 5 points during the first half and 5 points during the second half, for a total of 10 points. |
| Group Leading Discussion | Leading Discussion | 10 |
• Students must lead one assigned class discussion. • Formal sign-up: 2 points. • Full credit for the remaining 8 points requires preparation, active facilitation, and meaningful contribution to class learning. |
| Two Exams | Midterm Exam | 25 | Multiple-choice questions. Full credit requires correct responses to the exam questions. |
| Final Exam | 25 | Multiple-choice questions. Full credit requires correct responses to the exam questions. | |
| SocioCraft Project | Idea Consultation | 5 |
• Students must meet with the instructor during the designated consultation period. • Students must come prepared to discuss their project idea. • Full credit requires active participation in the consultation. |
| Project Proposal | 5 |
• Students must submit a project proposal by the deadline. • The proposal must identify a research question and relevant sociological concepts. • Full credit requires a complete and thoughtful proposal. |
|
| Revised Proposal | 5 |
• Students must revise their proposal based on instructor feedback. • The revised proposal must demonstrate meaningful improvement. • Full credit requires timely submission of the revised proposal. |
|
| Showcase Presentation | 15 |
• Students must present their completed SocioCraft project during the showcase. • The presentation must explain the research question, sociological analysis, and project findings. • Full credit requires a clear, organized, and professional presentation. • No separate written assignment is required for the final showcase. |
|
| Total | 100 | ||
Exam Exemption Opportunity
Strong and consistent performance on pre-class quizzes may qualify students for an exam exemption.
During each half of the semester, students who complete every required pre-class quiz and earn a cumulative quiz score of at least 75% will be exempt from the corresponding examination and will receive full credit for that examination.
| Semester Period | Quiz Completion | Class Preparation Credit | Exam Exemption |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Half | 75% or more completed | 5/5 | Complete all required quizzes and earn a cumulative score of 75% or higher → Midterm Exam exempt |
| Second Half | 75% or more completed | 5/5 | Complete all required quizzes and earn a cumulative score of 75% or higher → Final Exam exempt |
Weekly Schedule
Please check this section before emailing questions about readings, class topics, or course pacing.
| Week & Date | Main Concepts / Class Description | Readings (* = optional) |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 Semester starts 08/28 |
NO CLASS THIS WEEK | — |
| Week 2 08/31 (M) |
Introduction to this course and syllabus review |
Click to expandAfter class, please spend some time thinking about the SocioCraft project and sign up for the Group Leading Discussion. |
| Week 2 09/02 (W) |
Lecture 1 - Introduction to Sociology |
Click to expand· C. Wright Mills, “The Promise” (excerpt), in The Sociological Imagination · Textbook Chapters 1.1–1.4 |
| Week 3 09/07 (M) |
NO CLASS | NO CLASS |
| Week 3 09/09 (W) |
Lecture 2 - Research Questions & Ethics |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapters 2.1 & 2.3 · Edwards, M. (2019). “Turning Ideas into Researchable Questions.” In Thinking Broadly About Writing Sociology (Chap. 2, pp. 7–18). Oregon State University. · Get to know the Stanford Prison Experiment. Watch this video clip: Stanford Prison Experiment |
| Week 3 09/13 (Sun.) |
Sign up for Group Leading Discussion, due at midnight | — |
| Week 4 09/16 (W) |
Lecture - Introduction to Power |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapter 17.1 · Massey, Article 24 · Concept of Panopticon. Watch this video clip: Panopticon * Optional: Foucault, Michel. “Panopticism.” In Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, pp. 195–230. |
| SECTION 1: Power and Authority & Culture, Norms, Socialization, and Social Interaction | ||
| Week 4 09/16 (W) |
Lecture - Introduction to Power |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapter 17.1 · Massey, Article 24 · Concept of Panopticon. Watch this video clip: Panopticon * Optional: Foucault, Michel. “Panopticism.” In Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, pp. 195–230. |
| Week 5 09/21 (M) |
NO CLASS | NO CLASS |
| Week 5 09/23 (W) |
Lecture - Power in Action: Shaping Culture and Social Interaction |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapters 3.1 & 3.2 · Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Introduction (pp. 1–9) · Bourdieu’s Four Forms of Capital. Watch this video clip: Bourdieu’s Four Forms of Capital |
| Week 6 09/28 (M) |
Student Group Leading Discussion of Section 1 |
Click to expand· Materials to be distributed. Note: Students who signed up for this activity must take responsibility for the role play and prepare questions for their classmates. Students who are part of the audience must engage in the activity, for example, by praising or criticizing the roles played and decisions made based on our lectures and discussions. |
| Week 6 09/30 (W) |
SocioCraft Project Online Consulting NOTE: NO IN-PERSON MEETING |
Click to expand· Each group must sign up for a 15-minute meeting with the instructor via Zoom. |
| SECTION 2: Social Structures and Inequality: Race, Gender, Relationships, and Family | ||
| Week 7 10/05 (M) |
Lecture - Race, Ethnicity, Current Situation of Different Racial Groups, I |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapters 11.1 & 11.3 · A short video about W.E.B. Du Bois: The Power of Double Consciousness | DigiDocs · Massey, Article 22 * Optional: Massey, Article 25 |
| Week 7 10/07 (W) |
Lecture - Race, Ethnicity, Current Situation of Different Racial Groups, II |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapter 11.5 · Tran, V. C. (2024). “Asian American Diversity and Growth.” Annual Review of Sociology, 50. · Erik Love, “Second-Generation Muslim American Advocates and Strategic Racial Identity,” in Mehdi Bozorgmehr and Philip Kasinitz (eds.), Growing Up Muslim in Europe and the United States. Routledge, 2018. · Chapter 2, “Intergenerational Bequeathal of Dis/Advantage and the Immigrant Bargain: The Impact of Legal Status on the Intrafamily Mechanisms Promoting Upward Mobility,” from Robert Smith’s Dreams Achieved and Denied: Mexican Intergenerational Mobility. |
| Week 8 10/12 (M) |
NO CLASS | NO CLASS |
| Week 8 10/13 (Tu.) |
Lecture - Gender, Sex, Sexuality, and Intersectionality |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapters 12.1 & 12.2 · “Woman as Other,” Introduction to The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir: Read online · Kimberlé Crenshaw, The Urgency of Intersectionality | TED * Optional: Crenshaw, K. W. (2013). “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color.” In The Public Nature of Private Violence (pp. 93–118). Routledge. |
| Week 8 10/14 (W) |
Lecture - Relationships and Family |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapter 14 · Massey, Article 40 * Optional: Vidales, Guadalupe T. (2010). “Arrested Justice: The Multifaceted Plight of Immigrant Latinas Who Faced Domestic Violence.” Journal of Family Violence, 25, 533–544. |
| Week 8 10/18 (Sun.) |
SocioCraft Project Proposal submission, due at midnight | — |
| Week 9 10/19 (M) |
Student Group Leading Discussion of Section 2 |
Click to expand· Materials to be distributed. |
| Week 9 10/21 (W) |
IN-PERSON MIDTERM EXAM | — |
| SECTION 3: Social Control and Resistance: Deviance, Social Control, and Social Movements | ||
| Week 10 10/26 (M) |
Lecture - Deviance, Social Control, and Power Elites |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapters 7.1 & 7.2 · C. Wright Mills, “The Power Elite” (selected excerpts: Sections 2 & 7), from The Power Elite. Read online * Optional: Durkheim, É. (1982). “Rules for the Distinction of the Normal from the Pathological.” In The Rules of Sociological Method (Chap. 3). Free Press. |
| Week 10 10/28 (W) |
Lecture - Social Control and Resistance |
Click to expand· Du Bois, W. E. B. (2013). “The Spawn of Slavery: The Convict-Lease System in the South.” In Race, Crime, and Justice (pp. 3–8). Routledge. · Textbook Chapter 21 · Bayat, A. (2010). “The Art of Presence.” In Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East (selected excerpts, pp. 14–20). Amsterdam University Press. * Optional: Wacquant, L. (2017). “From Slavery to Mass Incarceration: Rethinking the ‘Race Question’ in the US.” In Race, Law and Society (pp. 277–296). Routledge. |
| Week 11 11/02 (M) |
Midterm Review and SocioCraft Project Proposal Diagnosis | No readings assigned |
| Week 11 11/04 (W) |
Student Group Leading Discussion of Section 3 |
Click to expand· Materials to be distributed. |
| SECTION 4: Social Inequality and Stratification: Social Stratification, Poverty, and Inequality | ||
| Week 12 11/09 (M) |
Lecture - Social Stratification |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapter 9 * Optional: Davis, K., & Moore, W. E. (2017). “Some Principles of Stratification.” In Kingsley Davis (pp. 221–231). Routledge. |
| Week 12 11/11 (W) |
Lecture - Poverty and Inequality in the U.S. and at the Global Level |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapter 10 · Massey, Article 30 |
| Week 12 11/15 (Sun.) |
SocioCraft Project Revised Proposal submission, due at midnight | — |
| Week 13 11/16 (M) |
Lecture - Poverty, Race, and Gender |
Click to expand· Massey, Article 42 · Collins, P. H. (2000). “Work, Family, and Black Women’s Oppression.” In Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (Rev. 10th anniversary ed., Chap. 3). Routledge. |
| Week 13 11/18 (W) |
Student Group Leading Discussion of Section 4 |
Click to expand· Materials to be distributed. |
| SECTION 5: Migration, Population, Aging, and Urbanization | ||
| Week 14 11/23 (M) |
Lecture - (Im)Migration |
Click to expand· Massey, D. S. (1999). “Why Does Immigration Occur?: A Theoretical Synthesis” (pp. 34–52). · De Haas, Myths 7 and 8 · Gonzales, R. G. (2011). “Learning to Be Illegal: Undocumented Youth and Shifting Legal Contexts in the Transition to Adulthood.” American Sociological Review, 76(4), 602–619. |
| Week 14 11/25 (W) |
NO CLASS | NO CLASS |
| Week 15 11/30 (M) |
Lecture - Population, Aging, and Urbanization |
Click to expand· Textbook Chapters 13.1, 20.1 & 20.2 · Harvey, D. (2012). “Henri Lefebvre’s Vision” (Preface, selected excerpts) and “The Right to the City” (Chap. 1, pp. 3–4). In Rebel Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution. Verso. · Zukin, S. (2010). “The City That Lost Its Soul.” In Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places (Introduction, selected excerpts, pp. 1–9). Oxford University Press. · Lam, D. (2011). “How the World Survived the Population Bomb: Lessons from 50 Years of Extraordinary Demographic History.” Demography, 48, 1231–1262. * Optional: Mason, A., Lee, R., & NTA Network. (2022). “Six Ways Population Change Will Affect the Global Economy.” Population and Development Review, 48(1), 51–73. |
| Week 15 12/02 (W) |
SocioCraft Showcase: First-Round Presentations | — |
| Week 16 12/07 (M) |
Student Group Leading Discussion of Section 5 |
Click to expand· Materials to be distributed. |
| Week 16 12/09 (W) |
SocioCraft Showcase: Second-Round Presentations | — |
| Week 17 12/14 (M) |
CLASS DOES NOT MEET. Please use this time to prepare for your final exam. |
Final exam schedule: TBD |
| Week 18 12/24 (Th.) |
FINAL GRADE RELEASED | — |
Materials
Syllabus
The full course syllabus is available on Brightspace.
Assignment Instructions
- SocioCraft: You will work with 2 partners on this project (groups will be assigned randomly by the instructor). You submit a proposal, get my feedback, conitune to revise the project, and present at the end of the semester. Instructions for the SocioCraft proposal submission will be attached to the assignment posted on Brightspace.
- SocioCraft: For examples of previous hands-on crafts, please check here.
- Group Leading Discussion: You must first fill out the sign-up sheet. Instructions and relevant materials for the Student-Led Discussion will be uploaded to Brightspace two weeks before the presentation date.
- Exams: A review guide will be provided for both the midterm and the final exam. All assignments that do not meet the submission requirements will not be graded and will receive a score of zero.
Policies
Email Policy
Please do not email questions already answered in the syllabus, on this page, or in the assignment prompt. Please do not email me on weekends.
Late Work Policy
Late submissions are accepted only for the SocioCraft proposal. A late proposal may receive a maximum of 80% of the total points (maximum 4 out of 5).
The Student-Led Discussion sign-up must be completed by the posted deadline. Late sign-ups will not receive credit (0 out of 2 points).
File Format
Unless otherwise stated, submit files in the exact format required in the instructions.
FAQ
This is where you can preempt the repetitive emails.
Do I need to complete all readings before class?
Yes. Readings provide important background for lectures and discussions. Completing the readings before class will help you better understand the material.
Where do I find the slides?
They are all on Brightspace, under Content.
Where do I find the assignment instructions?
They are on Brightspace, either under Content or under Assignments. Read the whole instruction page before emailing.
Where do I find the sign-up sheets?
They are ALL on Brightspace, under Content. Read the whole instruction page before emailing.
Can I submit a PDF if the instructions say Word?
No. Follow the required format exactly unless you have written permission in advance.
How should I know what I am going to prepare for the Student-Led Discussion?
Please check the presentation example shown above. You will receive the materials TWO WEEKS before the presentation day. However, for the role play, students should expect they receive the materials 1-2 HOURS before that day's class starts.
Can I submit work late?
Please refer to the Late Work Policy above.
I missed class. What should I do?
Check the attendance policy first. Then, check the weekly schedule, review the posted materials, and ask a classmate for notes. Email me for any additional requests.
When will grades be posted?
Grades are usually posted within one week after the assignment due date. The midterm may take slightly longer.
Will grades be curved?
Grades in this course are not curved. Your final grade will be based on the total points you earn throughout the semester.
Please focus on completing assignments and preparing for exams rather than relying on a curve.