FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL PUNJAB

Course: Introduction to Sociology (3 CHs)

Course Objectives (CO)

The course objectives are:
1. To become familiar with the definitions of different sociological concepts.
2. To develop the ability among students to see the social world from a sociological perspective.
3. To see how sociological theories, explain the core concepts and ideas in sociology
4. To introduce students to the basic social research methods that can be useful in solving social
issues, shaping a law-abiding society, and formulating laws
5. To develop the ability among students to articulate and evaluate how individual biographies are
shaped by social structures, social institutions, cultural routines, and multiple elements of social
difference and/or inequality.
6. To provide awareness to the students regarding the concept of diversity and how people of
different cultural, religious, and political belief systems interpret the world around them
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO)
At the end of the semester,
1. Students will become familiar with the definitions of different sociological concepts.
2. Students will be able to analyze and evaluate multiple and competing social, political, and/or
cultural debates and organize social facts.
3. Students will be able to use social scientific research methods to address sociological questions
and to understand the reality behind social actions
4. Students will be able to address sociological questions and understand the reality behind social
actions.
5. Students will be able to recognize the practical and ethical issues involved with the study of
human behavior and how cultural norms and values shape society and its laws.
6. Students will be able to understand cultural diversity and how to better adjust within those
cultures as a member of society
Introduction to Sociology: Defining Sociology, Sociological Imagination, Nature, scope and importance
of Sociology, Origin and development of sociology, Sociological Perspectives, Sociology and other
Social Sciences, Careers in Sociology
Social Research Methods: Defining research, Basic and Applied Research, Purposes of research, Time
dimensions in research, Ethics in research, Steps in the research process, Research methods, Quantitative
and Qualitative research
Culture: Defining Culture, Characteristics of Culture, Types of Culture, Components of Culture, Cultural
diversity, Understanding of Cultural Concepts, Culture, Race, and Ethnicity
Social Interaction: Social interaction, Social status, Role, Types of Social Interaction, Dramaturgical
Analysis, Social Construction of Reality, Ethnomethodology
Socialization: Understanding socialization, Significance of Socialization, Social Isolation, Personality
development, Nature vs Nurture debate, Agents of socialization, Theories of socialization: Sigmund
Freud, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan, Eric Erickson, C.H Cooley, George Herbert
Mead
Groups and Organizations: Defining Groups, Types of Groups, Group Leadership, Social Network,
Group Influence, Group Think, Formal Organization, McDonaldization of Society, Bureaucracy
Deviance and Crime: Defining Deviance and crime, Social Control and forms of Social Control,
Explanations of deviance, Causes of deviance and crime, Theories of Deviance
Social Stratification: Defining stratification, Characteristics, and Dimensions of stratification, Systems
of Stratification, Classical explanations of Stratification, Sociological perspectives on stratification, Social
mobility, and its types
Family as an institution: Definitions of family and marriage, Types of family and marriages,
Sociological perspectives on marriage and family, Changes in the institution of family
Education as an institution: Defining education, Formal and informal education, Sociological
perspectives on education
Health and Medicine as an Institution: Defining Health and Medicine, Lifestyle disease, Health
disparities, Health and Social support, Medicalization and Pharmaceuticalization, Key Beliefs about Health
and Medicine, Sociological perspectives on Health and Medicine.

Religion as an institution: Defining religion, Practices of religion, Typology of the religious organization,
Classification of religion, World’s major religion, Sociological perspectives on religion

Work and Economy as a Social Institution: Defining Economy, Sectors of Economy, Types of Economic
System, Corporations, Conglomerate, Sociological Perspectives on Work and Economy,
Politics as an institution: Defining Power and Authority, Types of Authority, Forms of Government,
Functions of Government, Sociological perspectives on politics and government
Social Change: Defining social change, Classical view on social change, Characteristics of social change,
Factors responsible for social change, Theories of social change, Tools of social change, Social movement,
Types of social movement, Stages of social movement Theories of social movement, Modernism,
Postmodernism

Course Books
Sr Publicatio
No. Book type Book Title Authors Edition Publisher n Year
1 Text Book Understanding Sociology: Muhammad Farooq 1st Ferozsons 2023
Exploring the Social World

2 Reference Sociology John J Macionis 17th Pearson 2019

Book
3 Reference Sociology: Your compass for a Brym, R., & Lie, J. Cengage Learning 2006
Book new world.
4 Reference Sociology: the basics. Albrow, M Routledge 2013
Book