Lecture 1 FNET 2024

Summary

Professor Matthew Trackman introduces the online Sociology 101 course, emphasizing the importance of challenging societal common sense assumptions. He outlines the syllabus, covering topics like social structure, culture, gender norms, economic stratification, and race. The course includes three exams (each worth 25%) and weekly homework assignments (also 25%), with no required textbook. Trackman encourages students to engage with the material through repeated viewings and note-taking.

Takeaways

• 👨‍🏫 The course is an online Introduction to Sociology (Sociology 101) led by Professor Matthew Trackman.
• 📚 The lecture aims to introduce students to sociological thinking and review the syllabus, including class requirements and assignments.
• 🧠 Sociology challenges common sense assumptions and encourages critical thinking about societal norms and human behavior.
• 🌐 Sociologists assert that individuals are products of groups, contrary to the common belief in American society of being free and independent.
• 👥 The course will cover crucial sociological concepts like social structure, culture, and the influence of gender norms and economic stratification on behavior.
• 👩‍🏫 Professor Trackman will introduce students to major sociological thinkers, including de der kind, Carl Marx, and Max Weber.
• 📈 The class will explore how gender norms and economic stratification shape our lives and behaviors within society.
• 📝 There is no required textbook; all readings will be provided digitally through the course document folder on Brightspace.
• 📋 The final grade is determined by three exams (each worth 25%) and weekly homework assignments (also totaling 25% of the grade).
• ⏰ Exams are open-book and will be taken on Brightspace, with a recommended study method of watching lectures multiple times and taking detailed notes.

Q & A

What is the main goal of the first lecture in Introduction to Sociology?

The main goal of the first lecture is to provide a brief introduction to sociology, explaining how sociologists think about the world and human behavior, and to review the syllabus, discussing class requirements, weekly homework assignments, and exams.

What does sociological thinking involve according to the transcript?

Sociological thinking involves challenging common sense assumptions subscribed to by members of any given society.

What is an example of a common sense belief in American culture mentioned in the lecture?

An example of a common sense belief in American culture is the belief in individualism, which suggests that people are free and independent individuals making decisions separate from society.

How does the professor suggest human beings are influenced by groups?

The professor suggests that human beings are at all moments and in all places the products of groups, implying that our behaviors and decisions are influenced by the societies and groups we are part of.

What are some of the major concepts that will be covered in the Introduction to Sociology class?

Some of the major concepts to be covered include social structure, culture, gender norms, economic stratification, race and ethnicity, conformity, human sexuality, and the mass media.

Who are some of the sociologists that will be discussed in the class?

Some of the sociologists to be discussed include Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber.

What is the professor's method for delivering lectures in the class?

The professor delivers lectures through YouTube, and the links to these lectures are posted on a weekly basis.

How will the final grade in the Introduction to Sociology class be determined?

The final grade will be based on three exams worth 25% each and weekly homework assignments also worth 25% in total.

What is the policy on late homework assignments in the class?

The professor does not accept late homework assignments and will drop the lowest grades received on two of the assignments based on the class average.

How can students get in touch with Professor Matthew Trakman?

Students can contact Professor Matthew Trakman via email at [email protected] or during his office hours on Monday and Wednesday as specified in the syllabus.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Sociology and Course Overview

Professor Matthew Trackman welcomes students to the online Introduction to Sociology class (Sociology 101). He outlines two main goals for the first lecture: to introduce students to sociological thinking and to review the course syllabus. Sociological thinking involves challenging common sense assumptions and recognizing that these are learned behaviors. The syllabus is available on the course's Bright Space site, and the professor emphasizes the importance of understanding that human behavior is a product of group influences, contrary to the common belief in individualism. The lecture introduces the concept of common sense beliefs and how they are ingrained in society, using American culture as an example.

05:00

👥 Societal Influences on Behavior and Class Content

The professor continues by discussing how humans are social beings, always part of groups, and how this contradicts the common sense belief in individualism. He explains that sociologists view humans as products of groups, influenced by societal norms and structures. The course will cover crucial sociological concepts such as social structure, culture, and the works of major sociological thinkers like de der kind, Carl Marx, and Max Weber. It will also explore gender norms, economic stratification, and their impact on behavior. The class will examine race, ethnicity, conformity, human sexuality, and the influence of mass media. The syllabus details the course content, including the introduction to sociological thinking and the examination of various societal structures and their effects on individuals.

10:02

📝 Course Requirements and Assessment

Professor Trackman discusses the course requirements and how students will be assessed. The final grade is based on three exams, each worth 25%, and weekly homework assignments, also totaling 25%. The exams will be open-book and include multiple-choice and true-false questions, accessed through the Bright Space site. The professor advises students to watch the lectures multiple times and take detailed notes, focusing on definitions and key points. Homework assignments, consisting of fill-in-the-blank and short answer questions, are designed to ensure students engage with the lecture content. These are to be submitted on time, as late submissions are not accepted. The professor provides his contact information for questions and clarifies that he will drop the two lowest homework grades based on the class average. Letter grades will follow the grading policy of Queensboro.

Keywords

💡Sociology

Sociology is the scientific study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture. In the context of the video, it is the main discipline being taught, with an emphasis on how sociologists think about the world and human behavior. The script introduces the audience to sociological thinking by challenging common sense assumptions and considering how society influences individuals.

💡Common Sense Assumptions

Common sense assumptions refer to the shared beliefs and understandings that are taken for granted within a society. The script discusses how these assumptions are often so deeply ingrained that they are seen as natural or inevitable. The professor encourages students to challenge these assumptions to gain a sociological perspective.

💡Individualism

Individualism is a cultural belief that emphasizes the importance of the individual over the group. The script uses American culture as an example where the belief in individualism is so strong that it is considered common sense. The professor suggests that this belief is actually a product of societal training rather than an inherent human trait.

💡Social Structure

Social structure refers to the organization of a society, including its institutions, relationships, and roles. The script mentions that the class will cover the concept of social structure, indicating that students will learn how societal arrangements influence behavior and interactions.

💡Culture

Culture encompasses the beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors shared by a group of people. The script indicates that the class will explore the concept of culture, suggesting that students will examine how cultural norms and values shape human behavior and societal expectations.

💡Gender Norms

Gender norms are the expectations and rules that a society has about how men and women should behave. The script discusses how these norms are learned and internalized, and how they are an example of common sense assumptions that sociologists challenge. The class will investigate the influence of gender norms on behavior.

💡Economic Stratification

Economic stratification refers to the division of a society into different social classes based on wealth, income, or social status. The script mentions that the class will examine how being born into a particular social class can influence an individual's life and behavior, highlighting the importance of understanding social class in sociology.

💡Race and Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity are social constructs that categorize individuals based on physical characteristics and cultural heritage, respectively. The script notes that the class will sociologically examine race and ethnicity, suggesting that students will explore how these constructs impact identity, social interactions, and societal power dynamics.

💡Conformity

Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms or societal expectations. The script implies that the class will discuss conformity, likely in the context of how individuals adapt to social pressures and the influence of groups on individual behavior.

💡Human Sexuality

Human sexuality refers to the way people experience and express themselves sexually. The script mentions that the class will cover this topic, suggesting that students will learn about the social and cultural factors that influence sexual behavior, identity, and attitudes.

💡Mass Media

Mass media refers to the means of communication that reach large audiences, such as television, newspapers, and the internet. The script indicates that the class will examine the role of mass media, likely discussing how it shapes public opinion, influences social norms, and contributes to cultural understanding.

Highlights

Introduction to Sociology course aims to teach how sociologists think about the world and human behavior.

Sociological thinking challenges common sense assumptions of society.

Sociologists assert that humans are products of groups, contrary to the American belief in individualism.

The course will cover crucial sociological concepts such as social structure and culture.

Major sociological thinkers like de Saussure, Karl Marx, and Max Weber will be introduced.

Gender norms and their influence on behavior will be discussed.

Economic stratification and its impact on life and behavior will be examined.

The course will also explore race, ethnicity, conformity, human sexuality, and mass media.

There is no required textbook; all readings will be provided digitally.

Final grade is based on three exams and weekly homework assignments, each worth 25%.

Exams will be open-book and include multiple choice and true/false questions.

Homework assignments are meant to demonstrate engagement with the lectures.

Late homework assignments will not be accepted.

The professor encourages students to watch lectures multiple times for better understanding.

Contact information for the professor, including email and office hours, is provided.

The professor will announce the date of the first exam as it approaches.

Students will have 60 minutes to complete each exam.

The syllabus and course materials can be found on the Bright Space site.

Transcripts

I'd like to welcome you to Introduction

to Sociology that's so

101 and uh my name is Matthew trackman

and I'm going to be your professor for

this online class this

semester good so in this first lecture

I'd like to do two things with you first

what I would like to do is I want to

provide you with a very brief

Introduction to Sociology that is I want

to introduce you to how sociologists

think about the world and human behavior

and in the second part of this first

lecture I'd like to review the syllabus

with you and talk to you about some of

the requirements for the class some of

the information with regard to your

weekly homework assignments and some of

the information with regards to the

exams in the

class so let me begin to introduce you

to the discipline of sociology and the

way I would like to do that is I'd like

to read through with you some sections

from the syllabus from our class now

you're going to be able to find a copy

of the syllabus in the course outline

folder of our bright space site but for

the moment I'm going to reproduce the

paragraphs I'd like to discuss with you

digitally good so let me begin to

introduce sociology by once again

reading through some of the paragraphs

you'll find on page two of the syllabus

so when you go to see the syllabus

you'll see it begins by saying

sociological thinking is a risky

business to think

sociologically is to be willing to

challenge the common sense

assumptions subscribed to by members of

Any Given

Society good so let me just talk to you

a little bit about that uh paragraph so

very early on in the class in the first

several lectures you're going to hear me

uh invoking this idea of common sense

that is I'm going to be suggesting to

you that human beings are born into

groups we're born into for instance

societies uh and these societies have

common sense assumptions about the world

that is they have ideas about uh how we

should behave they have ideas about

what's it means to be a good

person um and these Common Sense

assumptions are shared by the members of

the group and in fact what I'm going to

suggest to you is that we're trained so

well in the common sense assumptions of

our society that we often times forget

that we've learned them in the first

place and one of the things that

sociology is going to ask you to do is

it's going to ask you to be willing to

challenge some of these common sense

assumptions so in the next sentence I

try to give you an example of a common

sense belief that's found in American

culture or in American society and what

I'm going to suggest to you is that

we're so deeply trained in this Common

Sense belief that we forget that we've

learned it in the first place and this

belief comes to just seem to us to be

simply something that's natural

something that's normal or

inevitable good so let's talk a little

bit about what that might belief might

be you'll see in the syllabus it reads

for example while Americans often like

to think of themselves as free and

independent

individuals

sociologists begin with the assertion

that human beings are at all moments and

in all places the products of groups so

let's talk a little bit about that so

I'm going to suggest to you that one of

the Common Sense beliefs that's found in

American culture in American society is

that is the belief in what we might call

individualism that is the belief that

we're all free and independent

individuals that for instance we all

make decisions that are separated from

the society we're found in and and I'm

going to suggest to you in fact that

this belief is sort of one of the Common

Sense beliefs in American culture and

that we're trained in it so deeply it's

almost like we're indoctrinated into

this belief and we come to think of

individualism as simply something that

once again is just natural or normal or

inevitable and what I'm going to ask you

to do is to break free from this Common

Sense belief why am I going to ask you

to do that

because what I'm going to suggest is

that human beings are at all moments and

in all places the products of groups

good so let me just talk about what that

might mean I'll just remind you that for

instance human beings are mammals and

one of the characteristics of all

mammals is that mammals are born

desperately in need of the care of

others um and so as a result human

beings are never found in isolation uh

uh uh uh you could think about other uh

other animals other species uh where

they're born uh instantly ready to

survive humans are not and we need

others and as a result we're always

found in the midst of

groups with that very brief Introduction

to Sociology what I'd like to do now is

to talk to you a little bit about the

content of the class and the way I'll do

that is once again I'll read to you from

the syllabus where you'll see it reads

this class will provide an introduction

to sociological thinking introducing

some of sociology's crucial Notions so

for instance we're going to talk about

the concept of social structure and

we're going to talk about the concept of

culture and I'm going to introduce you

to some of sociology's major thinkers so

we'll be talking about a man named de

der kind we'll be talking about Carl

Marx and we'll be talking about a man

whose name is Max

vber we will then consider the degree to

which our Behavior as men and women is

influenced by our cultures conception of

appropriate gendered behavior and we

will investigate the degree to which

economic

stratification influences Our Lives so

let me talk to you a little bit about

that so in the second section of the

class we're going to be talking about

gender and I'm going to in fact suggest

to you that every society has its own

gender Norms that is they have their own

belief about uh what is appropriate

masculine behavior and appropriate

gender uh appropriate feminine behavior

and that we're born into our societies

and that we learn what our society

thinks of as a appropriate for men to do

and what it our society thinks of as

appropriate for women to do in a sense

I'm going to suggest that gender and

gender Norms are an example of a a

common sense of our society we're then

going to talk to talk about the degree

to which economic

stratification influences Our Lives what

do I mean there well when sociologists

use this term economic

stratification we use it to refer to

what often times gets called social

classes and so you're familiar with the

concept of the upper class and the

middle class and the working class and

the lower class and we're going to talk

about uh how being born into a social

class uh influences our Behavior so just

for the moment you can think about how

uh uh it might be different to be born

into an upper class family than to be

born into a working class

family finally we will sociologically

examine race and ethnicity groups and

Conformity human

sexuality and the mass media good so

that gives you some sense of the topics

that we're going to be talking about

throughout this

semester so now let me talk to you about

about uh the syllabus

itself and the requirements for the

course and the outline for the

course good so once again you're going

to be able to find a copy of the

syllabus for our class in the course

outlined folder on the bright space site

I'm just going to run through some of

the important details that you'll find

in the

syllabus the easiest way to get in

contact with with me is by email my

email address is M trakman

qcc.edu and I'm going to be doing my

best to respond to emails sent Monday to

Friday within 24 hours emails sent over

the weekend will be be replied to on

Monday while I encourage you to use

email to contact me and I will be able

to answer almost all of your Tech

techical questions in that format

questions about the content of the class

will be addressed in office

hours I will be holding my officially

scheduled office hours on Monday from 8:

to 9: a.m. and from 12: to

12:30 and on Wednesday from 7:30 to 9:00

a.m. during these times I will be

available to answer any questions you

might have concerning the content of to

the class and about sociology more

generally if you're on campus during

those times please feel free to stop by

my office I'm in the Medical Arts

Building and my room number is

113 but you can also call me on the

phone during these times my campus phone

number is

718

631

6038 let me just be clear that if you're

unavailable during these officially

scheduled times please let me know and I

will do my best to arrange a time to

speak with

you as you have already discovered the

lectures in this class will be delivered

through YouTube and I will be posting

the links for the YouTube lectures on a

weekly

basis there is no required textbook for

this intro to Sociology class all the

readings that you will need for this

class will be distributed to you

digitally and you will find the readings

in the course document folder of our

bright space

site good so let's talk then about how

your grades will be determined your

final grade in this class will be based

on three exams Each of which is worth

25% of your final grade and then there

will also be weekly homework assignments

that in total will all also be worth

25% of your final grade so there will be

three exams in this class and each of

the exams will be worth 25% of your

final grade the exams will include

multiple choice and some true false

questions and they will be taken on the

bright space site the exams will be open

book exams that is you will be allowed

to use whatever materials you would like

to answer the

questions as the exams in our class will

be open book exams the most important

thing you can do to study is to prepare

a strong set of notes in order to

prepare strong notes I would recommend

that you watch the lectures more than

once the first time watch the lecture

straight through and then the second

time watch the lecture and pause it to

take notes

it is especially important that you take

notes on the definitions of the concepts

and the ideas that sociologists use many

of the multiple choice questions on your

exam will test whether you understand

the

definitions the exam of course will test

more than the definitions so it's also

important to write down what you think

are the most important points throughout

the lectures including examp examples

that I

use I will be announcing the date of the

first exam as the day approaches you

will have 60 minutes to do the exam and

the first exam will have 30 to 35

multiple choice and true false

questions in addition to the exams in

this class there will also be homework

assignments your homework assignments

will be distributed on a weekly basis

and they will consist mostly of fill-in

the blank questions and short answer

questions the homework assignments are

intended to show that you are watching

and taking notes on the lectures that

have been posted to YouTube your

homework assignments will be submitted

through the bright space

site you will have ample time to do your

homework assignments but I need to warn

you that you will not be able to submit

your homework assignments late I do not

accept late assignments I will drop the

lowest grades you receive on two of your

homework

assignments based on your class average

letter grades will be given following

Queens boro's grading

policy if you have any questions about

the course please feel free to get in

contact with me