SOC 2610 PBC
SOC 2610—Deviant Behavior
Three Semester Hours
JT 10/12
Prerequisites
University Requisite: SOC 1000
Other: This course is designed so students with little background in Sociology can achieve success by focusing closely on the readings, learning objectives, and exercise materials.
Course Overview
Theory and research concerning the social processes through which behaviors and statuses come to be defined as deviant, individuals become identified as deviants, and social control practices are directed toward perceived deviants. Case studies of specific categories of deviant behavior, including criminality, suicide, drug addiction, and mental disorders.
Methods of Course Instruction
All material for this course is print-based. Instructor and students communicate and exchange materials through postal mail.
E-Print Option
In this course, an option exists to use e-mail to submit your lesson assignments. Your assignment will be returned to you either as an e-mail attachment or as a hard copy sent through the postal mail, depending on the preferences of the instructor and/or program.
Textbooks and Supplies
Thio, Alex, Jim D. Taylor, and Martin D. Schuartz. Deviant Behavior. 11th ed. Pearson/Allyn and Beacon, 2012. [ISBN: 9780205693238]
Number of Lessons
The course has 12 lessons, including a midcourse examination, and a final examination. These lessons include:
- Lesson 1: Understanding the Meaning of Deviance: The Conflicting Views of “Positivist” and “Constructionist” Theories
- Lesson 2: Exploring Physical Violence: Myths, Facts and Somewhere in Between
- Lesson 3: Exploring the Violent World of Rape, Child Molestation and Family Violence
- Lesson 4: Suicide: Common Causes, Early Warnings and Prevention Strategies
- Lesson 5: Mental Disorder: Categories, Social Factors, Global Perspectives and Social Responses
- Lesson 6: Midcourse Examination Information
- Lesson 7: Heterosexual Deviance, Gays and Other Victims of Stigma: Categories, Social Factors, Global Perspectives and Social Responses
- Lesson 8: Drug Use: A General Overview
- Lesson 9: Drinking and Alcoholism: The Aftermath of Legal Drugs
- Lesson 10: Privileged Deviance: The Roles of Inequality
- Lesson 11: Underprivileged Deviance: The Roles of Inequality Cont. Part II
- Lesson 12: Final Examination Information
Types of Writing Assignments
Importantly, within each discussion there will be a series of “Pause and Reflect Questions.” These questions are designed to help you think through the material by responding to particular issues as you read along. For each lesson, you must write out answers to four of these questions and submit them along with responses to the “Written Assignment” questions.
A “Written Assignment” section is where you complete the lesson by demonstrating an understanding of its material. Each lesson will conclude with two questions that you are required to answer. These answers should be carefully developed following an essay format: you should begin with a clear thesis statement and substantiate your argument through the logical integration of course readings and discussions, while incorporating your own ideas. Your total submission should range between four and five pages, typed, preferably double-spaced. If you do not have access to a computer or typewriter, handwritten work is acceptable, if legible.
Grading Criteria
Grades for the course will be determined on the basis of your ten written assignments and two exams. The midcourse exam will be worth 25% of your grade and the final exam will also be worth 25%. The ten written assignments will be averaged together at the end of the course and this averaged grade will be used in determining the final 50% of your course grade, making your combined exams and exercises equally weighted.
When calculating grades for the course, fractions of half a percent or higher will be rounded up to the next highest percent. For example, a grade of 79.5% would be rounded up to 80%. However, a grade of 79.4% would be rounded down to 79%.