SOC 2610—Deviant Behavior
Three Semester Hours
JT 9/22
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 email 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
Conyers, A., & Calhoun, T. C., editors (2021). Deviance Today , Second Edition. Routledge.
Number of Lessons
The course has 12 lessons, including a midcourse examination, and a final examination. These lessons include:
- Lesson 1: What is Deviance and How is it Socially Produced?
- Lesson 2: Deviance Theory
- Lesson 3: Choosing to be Deviant
- Lesson 4: Midcourse Examination Information
- Lesson 5: Deviance and Social Control
- Lesson 6: Managing Stigma
- Lesson 7: Social Movements and Deviance Resistance
- Lesson 8: 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
Your final grade will be determined by your performance on the four writing assignments, two quizzes, and two exams detailed above. Each writing assignment is worth 20 points, each quiz is worth 10 points, and each exam is worth 50 points. There are 200 possible points for the course, and the total breaks down like this:
- 4 writing assignments x 20 = 80
- 2 quizzes x 10 = 20
- midcourse exam = 50
- final exam = 50
Your final course grade will be calculated using the following scale:
- A 180–200 points
- B 160–179 points
- C 140–159 points
- D 120–139 points
- F 179 points and below