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Christians Doing Sociology: An Approach to Change the World
Edited by Cynthia Tweedell, Ph.D.

View The Instructor's Manual       View Chapter One

Preliminary Outline

Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective (Cynthia Tweedell)

1. What is sociology?
2. Where did sociology come from?
3. Where does sociology fit in the world of knowledge?
4. Why study sociology?
5. The assumptions of a sociological perspective

Chapter 2: Theory and Methods of Research (Donald Gray and Cynthia Tweedell)

1. Three theoretical perspectives in sociology
1. Structural functional
2. Social conflict
3. Interactionist
2. Doing Sociology
1. Selecting a researchable problem
2. Formulating testable hypotheses
3. Choosing a data collection method
4. Collecting data
5. Preparing and analyzing data
6. Interpreting results
3. A Christian perspective on social research

Chapter 3: Human Culture (Murl Dirksen)

1. Culture as an abstract concept
1. Cultural universals
2. Symbolic qualities of culture
2. Elements of culture
1. Language
2. Cognitive components
3. Normative components
4. Cultural material
3. Theoretical perspectives for understanding culture
1. Structural-functional theory
2. Conflict theory
3. Interactionist theory
4. Subcultures and counter cultures
5. Cultural diversity
1. Ethnocentrism
2. Stereotyping
3. Cultural relativism
6. Christians challenging culture

Chapter 4: Social Structure, Groups, and Organizations (Don Ratliff)

1. Social structure
1. Definition
2. Structural-functional theory
3. Conflict theory
4. Interactionist theory
2. Primary and secondary groups
3. Status
4. Role
5. The rise and decline of groups
6. Formal organization and bureaucracy
7. McDonaldization

Chapter 5: Socialization (Sarah Anders and Barb Matchette)

1. Being and becoming human
1. “Social” vs. “cultural” in becoming human
2. Situational isolation
3. Deviation and social survival
2. Formation of the self: the process of socialization
1. Cooley and the looking-glass self
2. Mead and the development of self
1. Significant others
2. Generalized other
3. Play and games
4. Emergence of self
3. Goffman and the presentation of self
4. Other views of self-development
1. Freud
2. Erikson
3. Piaget
4. Kohlberg
3. Socialization across cultures and the life course
1. Agents of socialization
   
   1. Family
   2. School
   3. Peer group
   4. Mass media
   5. Religion and the church
2. Anticipatory socialization and resocialization

Chapter 6: Deviance (Brenda King)

1. What is deviance?
2. Structure-functional perspective
3. Conflict perspective
4. Theories of deviance
1. Subcultural theories
2. Strain theory
3. Social control theory
4. Labeling theory
5. Crime
1. Statistics
2. Who commits crime?
3. Who are victims?
4. Social control of crime
6. Elite deviance
7. Is all deviance bad?
8. Christian response to deviance

Chapter 7: Social Stratification (Harold Osborne, Cynthia Tweedell and Boyd Johnson)

1. From social differentiation to social stratification
2. Why inequality?
1. Structural-functional perspective
2. Social conflict perspective
3. Synthesis
3. Social class in America
1. Occupation
1. Occupational prestige
2. Income
3. Education
4. Subjective nature of social class
5. The impact of class
1. Vertical vs horizontal mobility
2. Global inequality
6. Theories of poverty
7. A Christian response

Chapter 8: Race and Ethnic Stratification (William Smith-Hinds with Cynthia Tweedell)

1. Definitions
1. Race
2. Ethnicity
3. Social Minority
2. Why racial/ethnic stratification?
1. Structural-functional perspective
2. Conflict perspective
3. Why prejudice?
3. Social dynamics of race and ethnic relations
1. Assimilation
2. Pluralism
3. Segregation
4. Extermination or genocide
4. How Christians can change the world

Chapter 9: Gender Stratification (Sarah Anders, Lori Anderson, Pati Hendrickson, Cynthia Tweedell)

1. Definitions
1. Sex
2. Gender
2. Why gender stratification?
1. structural-functional perspective
2. conflict perspective
3. The process of gender stratification – interactionist perspective
1. family
2. school
3. peers
4. media
5. religion
4. Masculine and feminine roles today
5. How Christians can change the world

Chapter 10: Aging (Kenneth Ferrarro)

1. Age Structure
1. Age norms
2. Age stratification
2. Changing age structures: Demographic processes
1. An aging world
2. An aging America
3. Normal aging
1. Sociological theories of aging
2. What does aging cause?
4. Adaptation to life events
5. Illness and long-term care
1. Chronic illness
2. Institutionalization and long-term care
6. Death and dying

Chapter 11: Marriage and Family (Michael Jessup with Charles DeSanto)

1. What is the family?
1. Basic concepts
2. Theoretical analysis of the family
1. Structural-functionalist perspective
2. Conflict perspective
3. Symbolic interactionist perspective
3. A Christian perspective
4. Families in multicultural perspective
1. Ethnicity and race
1. African Americans
2. Latinos
3. Asian Americans
2. Gay and lesbian families
5. How the American family has changed
1. Trends in marriage
2. Trends in cohabitation
3. Trends in divorce
4. Trends in family structure
6. Is the American family declining?
7. Social change and the future of the family
8. A Christian response to contemporary family problems

Chapter 12: Religion (Larry Ingram and Aubrey Keller)

1. Defining religion
1. Structural-functionalist definition
2. Substantive definition
1. The sacred
2. A set of beliefs
3. Ritual behavior
4. Community of worshipers
3. Functions and dysfunctions of religion
2. Functions of religion
1. Support, consolation, and reconciliation
2. Means to identity
3. Norms and values
4. Prophetic activity
5. Growth and maturation
3. Dysfunctions of religion
1. Religion and change
2. Religion as conflict
4. Religious commitment
1. Sect and church
5. The growth of churches
6. The future of religion

Chapter 13: Education (Steven Bird with Charles DeSanto)

1. Why education?
2. A comparison of educational systems
1. Brazil
2. China
3. Germany
4. India
5. Japan
6. United Kingdom
7. United States
3. Structure and culture in education
4. Theoretical perspectives
1. Functionlism
2. Conflict
3. Symbolic Interactionist
5. How Christians can change their world

Chapter 14: Health and Society (Jerome Koch)

1. Health care as a social institution
2. Basic definitions
1. Concepts that relate to individuals
2. Concepts that relate to cultures or societies
3. Quality of life indicators
3. Theoretical perspectives
1. Functionalist
2. Social conflict
3. Symbolic interactionist
4. Epidemiology
1. Leading causes of death
2. Life expectancy and mortality
3. Social class
4. Race
5. Gender and race
6. Infant mortality and quality of life
7. Morbidity and gender
5. AIDS
6. Religion and health
7. How Christians can change their world

Chapter 15: Economic Life (Michael Yoder)

1. Christian economic challenges
2. Barter vs. money economies
3. Three economic sectors
4. Premodern economies
1. hunting and gathering societies
2. pastoral societies
3. horticultural societies
4. agricultural societies
5. Modern economies
1. industrial societies
2. post-industrial societies
6. Features of modern economies
1. separation of home and workplace
2. separation of ownership and control
3. women’s entry into the labor force
4. globalization
7. Capitalism vs. socialism
1. classic free market capitalism
2. socialism and the Marxian critique of capitalism
3. democratic socialism and the welfare state
4. underdevelopment, overdevelopment and misdevelopment
8. How Christians can change the world

Chapter 16: Politics and Government (John Eby with Julian Bridges)

1. Introduction: Does One Vote Count?
1. The presidential election of 2000
2. The common good
2. Authority and power
1. Traditional authority
2. Charismatic authority
3. Legal rational authority
3. Theoretical perspectives
1. functionalism
1. functions of politics and government
2. conflict perspective
1. power elite
2. pluralist model
4. Religion and politics
5. How Christians can change the world
1. extending representation
2. peacemaking

Chapter 17: Collective Behavior and Social Movements (Thomas Hood)

1. Collective behavior and social movements defined
2. Types of collective behavior
1. Four dimensions of collective behavior
2. Panic
3. Publics and public opinion
4. Expressive crowds and issueless riots
5. Acting crowds and unorganized protests
6. Crazes
7. Protests and social movements
3. Causes of collective behavior and social movements
4. Structure and process
5. A Christian perspective on collective behavior and social movements

Chapter 18: Social Change (Cynthia Tweedell)

1. Change is inevitable
1. Change must be managed
2. Sources of change
2. Theories of change
3. Making a difference
4. A personal example