Sociology 101: Course Introduction, The Sociological Imagination, and Course Logistics

Attendance and Brightspace Orientation
The instructor begins the course by taking attendance, noting that Brightspace will send a message if a student is marked absent. If a student was marked absent but was present (e.g., late or attendance timing issues), they should email or speak with the instructor to correct it. Names are taken in a running list, and there is a reminder that attendance corrections can be made after class.

Instructor Background and Course Vision
Professor David Reef (Reef) has been teaching sociology at Farmingdale State College for about eight to nine years, with approximately twenty-five years of experience teaching at both the high school and college levels. The course welcomes mostly freshmen, and the instructor frames the class as an introduction to sociology, emphasizing the study of behavior, social groups, intergroup interactions, and the effects of groups on individuals and vice versa. The course is designed to connect sociology to related social sciences and to show how insights from psychology, anthropology, economics, and history inform sociological thinking. The department at Farmingdale houses sociology and anthropology together, reflecting the interdisciplinary roots of sociological study.

Hybrid Class Structure and Weekly Format
This course is a hybrid class: students meet in person once a week (Mondays from 04:30 to 05:45) and complete the remaining work asynchronously online. In-person meetings will include a mix of lectures, discussions, and short videos or activities, with limited room size (roughly 30 students) affecting the amount of group work. The online component uses Brightspace (LMS) for readings, videos, quizzes, reflections, and assignments. The instructor emphasizes engagement, respectful dialogue, and exposure to topics that can be controversial, while prioritizing a respectful, evidence-based exploration of different perspectives.

Brightspace Orientation and Tools
Brightspace features a welcome/Start Here module with a welcome message, an instructor introduction, and Brightspace orientation modules (not graded) to familiarize students with the LMS. There are technical help resources and an Ask a Question discussion area. Discussion boards exist but are not required weekly; they’re available for broader class interaction. The course is designed to balance the benefits of online flexibility with the benefits of in-person interaction.

Course Structure and Designated DEI Component
All Farmingdale State College courses include a designated DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice) component, and this sociology course is no exception. The instructor emphasizes that students may disagree with presented material or interpretations and that the goal is to expose students to multiple perspectives and help them understand different viewpoints. Students are encouraged to engage thoughtfully and respectfully with one another on sensitive topics.

Course Information, Policies, and Syllabus
The syllabus and course policies (provided under Course Information) outline the introductory nature of the course, focusing on sociology as the study of human behavior, social groups, and social life, with particular emphasis on the sociological imagination. There is an academic integrity pledge that students must sign to acknowledge adherence to the institution’s integrity standards. Icebreaker activities (not graded) are included to help students become acquainted with Brightspace and the class.

A Note on Course Dates and Updates
The course uses Brightspace dates, which can be carried over from semester to semester. If dates appear outdated (e.g., icebreaker due dates from a previous term), students should inform the instructor to have them updated. The instructor notes that when course content is updated for a new term, some dates may be inconsistent and students should alert him if they notice any issues.

Syllabus, Deadlines, and Communication
Key sections include the course information, policies, and DEI designation. There is a weekly rhythm: readings, video content, lectures, and a weekly module reflection plus a quiz. All work due dates are set so that assignments are completed before the next in-person class. The instructor encourages students to email him with questions and notes that he often responds promptly.

What Sociology Is and How It Connects to Other Disciplines
Sociology is framed as the study of social structures and processes—groups, organizations, culture, and the interaction between individuals and larger social institutions (family, education, government, economy). The course uses insights from social psychology, economics, and history to understand how social life operates and how individuals shape, and are shaped by, social forces.

Sociological Imagination: The Core Foundation
A central concept is the sociological imagination, described as the connection between personal troubles and public issues. The course will foreground the Millsian idea that personal experiences are shaped by larger social and historical forces, and vice versa. This involves looking at how macro-level forces (economic trends, policy, culture) influence micro-level experiences (individual debt, job prospects, health, identity).

Key Concepts: Social Science Relationships and Institutions

• Sociology studies society: social structures, processes, groups, organizations, and culture.
• Social institutions (family, education, government, economy) shape behavior and are themselves shaped by individual actions.
• Interdisciplinary links: psychology (behavior and mental processes), anthropology (cultures and human variation), economics (resource allocation and social behavior), and history (historical context and lessons).
• The course draws on research from social scientists to analyze how societies function and to explore social issues from multiple angles.

Hybrid Class Logistics and Time Management
Because the course is hybrid, students must manage asynchronous work and attend the weekly in-person session. The instructor emphasizes the importance of time management and consistency, noting that online formats require ongoing self-discipline, but the weekly meeting provides a consistent checkpoint and opportunity for questions and discussion.

Discussions, Controversy, and Respectful Engagement
The course includes topics that can be controversial and invites student voices and perspectives. Students are expected to speak respectfully, listen to others, and engage intellectually with differing viewpoints. The aim is to broaden understanding and develop the ability to consider issues from multiple perspectives.

Brightspace Details: Orientation, Help, and Communications
Brightspace includes a Welcome Start Here module, a Brightspace orientation, and links to technical help. There is an option to ask questions publicly for classwide visibility; private inquiries should be sent via Farmingdale email. The instructor highlights that emails are typically answered quickly when received via the student’s Farmingdale email address.

Course Requirements and Assessment Overview
This section outlines the major graded components: reflections, quizzes, a midterm, a final, a research paper, and class participation. The exact weights given in the transcript for reflections and quizzes are not explicitly stated as fixed percentages; however, explicit weights are given for some components: Class participation (10%), Midterm (10%), Final (15%), and a Research Paper (15%). The course is designed so that there are 15 modules total, with a midterm in module $6$ and a final in module $15$. There are $13$ module reflections offered; students are required to complete at least $8$ of them, and these reflections are scored on a scale from $1$ to $10$. There are also $13$ quizzes, with only the top $6$ counted toward the grade. A short research paper due in November counts for 15 ext{%} of the grade.

Module Structure and Weekly Rhythm
Each module includes an overview, learning objectives, suggested readings, lecture notes, and an assignment along with a quiz. Module 1 specifically introduces sociological imagination and basics of sociology, and it requires reading from the Mills text, The Promise, plus a short module reflection and a quiz on that reading. The module indicates that readings may include pages from the textbook (e.g., pages 343–346 in the Mills text) and that the reading assignment includes a prompt related to the sociological imagination. The weekly tasks for module 1 include completing the reflection prompt, taking the quiz, and engaging with the reading. The module structure is designed to open up new content each week while keeping a consistent set of tasks.

Reflection Papers: Purpose, Format, and Scoring
Reflections are a recurring weekly assignment requiring about a page, double-spaced, in response to a prompt tied to the module’s topic. The prompts are designed to connect course material to students’ own experiences and to encourage critical thinking about sociological concepts. Each reflection is graded on a 1–10 scale, and students are encouraged to write thoughtfully rather than focusing solely on length. Students may submit additional reflections beyond the required eight to potentially improve their grade, but only the top eight reflections will count toward the course grade.

Quizzes: Scope, Timing, and Policies
Quizzes are aligned with the module readings (and sometimes other assigned materials). There are $13$ quizzes in total, each typically consisting of short answer or multiple-choice questions. The quizzes are not timed and are open-book, given the course’s asynchronous design. Only the top $6$ quiz grades will count toward the final grade, which means students can improve their overall quiz score by performing well on additional quizzes.

Midterm and Final Exams: Structure and Accessibility
The midterm occurs in module $6$ and consists of $30$ multiple-choice questions plus a free-response component. The final exam occurs in module $15$ and consists of $50$ multiple-choice questions plus two free-response items. Both exams are asynchronous, open-book, and not time-limited. This design accommodates the online/hybrid format and helps minimize technical issues during testing. The exams pull from the textbook and assigned readings.

The Research Paper: Topic, Requirements, and Citations
A significant research paper (due in November, specifically around $November 27$) requires selecting a social issue to investigate, presenting an in-depth explanation, identifying a critical event that motivated engagement with the issue, describing activist tactics used to address the issue (e.g., protests, online activism, media outreach), and applying a sociological perspective (functional, conflict, or symbolic interactionist). The paper should be about $750-1000$ words and rely on at least four sources formatted in ASA, MLA, or APA style. Students may use citation tools like NoodleTools, but must ensure accuracy and include in-text citations. The Writing Center and Library staff can provide support for citations and writing.

Participation and Engagement
Class participation is worth 10 ext{%} and is expected to reflect consistent engagement, attentive presence, and constructive contribution to discussions. Being physically present helps participation, but active engagement is also possible in a hybrid format through online modules and in-class activities. Phones and other devices should not distract excessively; students should use devices for course-related activities, while note-taking can be done with pen and paper or digitally as preferred. The instructor emphasizes that he will not grade attendance per se, but participation will be evaluated based on engagement and contributions.

Academic Integrity, AI Policy, and Plagiarism
Students are reminded not to rely on AI for writing coursework. The instructor values original thought and even imperfect human writing over AI-generated work. Turnitin is used to check for plagiarism and AI-generated content. If AI is used, students must demonstrate that the work is their own or provide supporting materials (e.g., notes or a conversation) to verify authorship. Grammarly should be used with caution, as it should not rewrite an entire paper. Replacing one’s own ideas with machine-generated content risks serious academic consequences, including potential failure, course failure, or expulsion if a student consistently submits non-original work.

Religious Absences and Flexibility
Religious observances are acknowledged as legitimate reasons to miss class without penalty. The instructor notes the possibility of other religious holidays and emphasizes clear communication when missing class. He also explains a policy around attendance and participation: while there is no punitive deduction for a single absence, excessive absences will reduce participation grades since participation depends on consistent presence and engagement.

Late Work Policy and Course Pacing
The course is intentionally designed so that students can spread workload across two halves of the term. Modules 1–6 form the first half, and modules 7–15 form the second half. Late work can be accepted with caveats: for modules 1–5, late work is accepted up to the midterm; after the midterm, late work from modules 1–5 is no longer accepted. Late submissions from modules 7–15 may still be accepted up to the final. The instructor emphasizes that the goal is to provide flexibility, but students should strive to stay up to date to avoid a heavy last-minute workload.

Week-by-Week Schedule and Labor Day Reminder
Module 2 (sociological theories) will be handled asynchronously on Labor Day, as there is no in-person class that week. The module will include a video lecture, reading (Textbook Appendix pages $A1-A10$), a reading on James/Mills (“The Promise”), and a module reflection plus a quiz focused on the Mills reading. The instructor notes that the next in-person meeting will occur two weeks later, and students should complete the module’s tasks before the next in-person class.

Sociology Core: History-Biography Link and Pandemic Context
The sociological imagination is presented as a link between private experience and public history. Students discuss personal troubles that may be shaped by social forces, and they explore macro factors such as inflation, interest rates, advertising, consumer culture, and labor markets. Examples include debt (including student debt), inflation and stagflation in the 1970s, and the influence of advertising and consumer culture on spending.

Macro-Level Forces Shaping Personal Troubles
Debt and financial strain are used as a running example of how a personal problem can reflect broader social forces. Macro factors include inflation, interest rates controlled by institutions like the Federal Reserve, advertising and marketing pressures, consumer credit practices, and cultural norms around consumption. The discussion covers how credit cards, “buy now, pay later” schemes, and marketing slogans contribute to debt, along with the macroeconomic context that can make debt more or less likely for individuals.

Group Work and Peer Discussion
Students are encouraged to discuss personal troubles with neighbors to connect individual experiences to broader social issues. The class engages in short neighbor-to-neighbor discussions about debt, job prospects after graduation, social media pressures, family dynamics, and other personal issues. Sharing different perspectives helps illuminate how social forces shape individual experiences and helps students apply the sociological imagination to real-world concerns.

Sociological Imagination in Practice: History and Pandemic Context
The instructor notes that the pandemic significantly altered education and work habits, accelerating a shift toward hybrid and online formats. He argues that understanding history helps explain present structures—such as the increased prevalence of online learning and telework—while acknowledging that human interaction remains essential in education. This historical lens helps students appreciate changes in social institutions and everyday life.

Reading for Module One: Mills and the Promise
Module One requires reading C. Wright Mills, The Promise, focusing on the sociological imagination and its foundational ideas. The assignment includes reading Mills’ The Promise and a few pages from the textbook (pages 343–346) that discuss sociological imagination. Students will complete a module reflection, a quiz on The Promise, and a related reading assignment. The weekly reflection prompt asks how Mills describes people feeling trapped, how linking history and biography can help escape that trap, and how students personally relate to these concepts.

Sociological Imagination: Summary and Takeaways
In short, the sociological imagination asks students to see the connection between private troubles and public issues and to analyze how history and social structures intersect with individual lives. This framework helps students explain why personal experiences (like debt or unemployment) may reflect broader social patterns and policy contexts rather than solely personal fault or choice. The course positions Mills as a foundational figure in modern sociology, while also acknowledging the historical shifts that shape contemporary social life, such as the pandemic and the rise of online education.

Next Steps and Support
Students should read Mills’ The Promise and the related textbook pages, complete the module reflection and the quiz, and prepare for module-based discussions in the subsequent class. If questions arise, students are encouraged to reach out via Farmingdale email. The instructor will be available to answer questions and provide guidance, especially about module content, writing expectations, and the use of Brightspace.

Sociological Imagination Example: History-Biography Link in Action
Consider debt as a personal trouble: a student may feel responsible for their debt and worry about repayment. Yet the macro context—rising tuition, student loan terms, inflation, wage stagnation, and the broader loan environment—shapes the likelihood of incurring and maintaining debt. By applying the sociological imagination, students can connect their personal debt experiences to systemic economic factors, policy decisions, and cultural expectations around consumption and success. This approach helps explain why debt persists across generations and how policy or economic shifts can alleviate or exacerbate these pressures.

Ethical, Philosophical, and Practical Implications

• Ethically, the course emphasizes respectful dialogue and the protection of diverse viewpoints while encouraging students to articulate their own positions clearly.
• Philosophically, the sociological imagination invites humility about one’s own circumstances and prompts critical reflection on the ways society structures opportunities and constraints.
• Practically, students learn to use evidence from multiple sources, cite sources appropriately, and develop writing and analytical skills essential for academic and professional success.

Key References and Resources

• The foundational concept: The Promise by C. Wright Mills (the sociological imagination).
• Textbook readings, including pages 343–346 and related sections that discuss sociological theories and the sociological imagination.
• Brightspace modules, including orientation modules, the icebreaker activities, and the module-specific readings and assignments.
• Library and Writing Center resources for citation, writing support, and Turnitin checks to ensure academic integrity.

Conclusion and Readiness for Week One
The first week lays the groundwork for the course—defining sociology, introducing the sociological imagination, outlining the hybrid course structure, and setting up Brightspace as the primary LMS. Students are encouraged to engage with the Mills reading, complete the module reflection and quiz, and prepare to participate in upcoming discussions. The instructor emphasizes that the goal is to foster critical thinking, perspective-taking, and an understanding of how individual experiences intersect with larger social patterns and historical forces.

If you have questions about module one tasks, Brightspace navigation, or the assignments, please email the instructor at your Farmingdale email address. And remember: the next in-person meeting will occur two weeks from the first session due to Labor Day, with module two content designed for asynchronous study that week.