Frames social status differences within the context of social structure and culture. Examines how inequalities and privilege play out through social status and are reinforced through both culture and social structure. Includes statuses such as: race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, etc. Includes concepts such as: privilege, social stratification, cultural bias, institutional inequality, and social construction.
This course provides a sweeping sociological overview of diversity in the United States. While covering the specific areas of race, ethnicity, gender, age, social class, and sexual orientations, it also deals with topics generally related to diversity. For example, concepts and topics such as the following are typically included: racism, sexism, stratification, stereotyping and ethnocentrism, hate violence, youth violence, and immigration laws and impacts.
Students successfully completing this course will be able to do the following:
- Apply sociological perspectives and use their sociological imagination in analyzing the causes and consequences of social inequality and evaluating social actions and policies as they reproduce privilege and institutional discrimination.
- Locate themselves within their various social statuses and how those play out social contexts (connect their personal biography and social status with societal history) to reflect on the processes that shape and address the structure and operation of systems of stratification.
- Participate as active citizens in their societies and communities, demonstrating respect for diversity, critical thinking, and collaboration in addressing inequality and privilege as it exists in current social actions and contexts.
Equivalent placement test scores also accepted.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Social Sciences/ASOT-B, Social Sciences/AAS, Social Sciences/AGS, Social Sciences/AAOT, Social Sciences/AS.