SECTION 113.46. Sociology (One-Half Credit), Beginning with School Year 2011-2012

(a) General requirements. Students shall be awarded one-half unit of credit for successful completion of this course.

(b) Introduction.

(1) Sociology, an elective course, is an introductory study in social behavior and organization of human society. This course will describe the development of the field as a social science by identifying methods and strategies of research leading to an understanding of how the individual relates to society and the ever changing world. Students will also learn the importance and role of culture, social structure, socialization, and social change in today's society.

(2) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

(3) Students identify the role of the free enterprise system within the parameters of this course and understand that this system may also be referenced as capitalism or the free market system.

(4) Students understand that a constitutional republic is a representative form of government whose representatives derive their authority from the consent of the governed, serve for an established tenure, and are sworn to uphold the constitution.

(5) State and federal laws mandate a variety of celebrations and observances, including Celebrate Freedom Week.

(A) Each social studies class shall include, during Celebrate Freedom Week as provided under the Texas Education Code, §29.907, or during another full school week as determined by the board of trustees of a school district, appropriate instruction concerning the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, in their historical contexts. The study of the Declaration of Independence must include the study of the relationship of the ideas expressed in that document to subsequent American history, including the relationship of its ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of immigrants, the American Revolution, the formulation of the U.S. Constitution, and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation and the women's suffrage movement.

(B) Each school district shall require that, during Celebrate Freedom Week or other week of instruction prescribed under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, students in Grades 3-12 study and recite the following text: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."

(6) Students identify and discuss how the actions of U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal governments have either met or failed to meet the ideals espoused in the founding documents.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Foundations of sociology. The student understands the theoretical perspectives of the historical interpretations of human social development. The student is expected to:

(A) describe the development of the field of sociology;

(B) identify leading sociologists in the field of social science, including Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, Herbert Spencer, Max Weber, and Karl Marx, and interpret their contributions to the foundation of sociology; and

(C) identify sociologists such as W. E. B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Robert E. Park, Harriet Martineau, Jane Addams, Robert Nisbet, and Julian Samora and interpret their contributions to the field.

(2) Foundations of sociology. The student understands how society evolves and cause and effect of social and institutional change. The student is expected to:

(A) differentiate types of societies such as hunting and gathering, agrarian, pastoral, industrial, and post-industrial;

(B) identify and describe the types of societies that exist in the world today;

(C) examine changes in U.S. institutions and society resulting from industrialization, urbanization, and immigrant assimilation; and

(D) analyze information about cultural life in the United States and other countries over time.

(3) Culture and social structure. The student examines world cultures. The student is expected to:

(A) identify the elements of culture to include language, symbols, norms, and values;

(B) explain how the elements of culture form a whole culture; and

(C) give examples of subcultures and describe what makes them unique.

(4) Culture and social structure. The student understands types of groups and their functions. The student is expected to:

(A) describe models of primary, secondary, formal, informal, and reference groups and e-communities; and

(B) analyze groups in terms of membership roles, status, values, mores, role conflicts, and methods of resolution.

(5) Culture and social structure. The student differentiates and recognizes examples of subculture and counterculture. The student is expected to:

(A) compare cultural norms such as ethnicity, national origin, age, socioeconomic status, and gender among various U.S. subculture groups;

(B) describe stereotypes of various U.S. subcultures;

(C) analyze social problems in selected U.S. subcultures; and

(D) examine counterculture movements and analyze their impact on society as a whole.

(6) Individual and society. The student understands the process of socialization. The student is expected to:

(A) define socialization and describe how the process of socialization is culturally determined;

(B) differentiate the agents of socialization and evaluate their functions and roles; and

(C) trace socialization as a lifelong process.

(7) Individual and society. The student understands the concept of adolescence and its characteristics. The student is expected to:

(A) explain how education, exclusion from the labor force, and the juvenile justice system led to the development of adolescence as a distinct stage of the life cycle;

(B) identify and interpret the five characteristics of adolescence: biological growth and development, an undefined status, increased decision making, increased pressures, and the search for self;

(C) identify issues and concerns facing contemporary adolescents such as dating, dating violence, sexuality, teen parenting, drug use, suicide, and eating disorders; and

(D) identify and discuss the skills adolescents need to make responsible life choices.

(8) Individual and society. The student understands the life stage of adulthood and its characteristics. The student is expected to:

(A) identify the stages of adult development and compare the differences between male and female development;

(B) analyze the traditional roles of work and how the composition of the labor force has changed in the United States; and

(C) analyze the characteristics of late adulthood and changes on the individual and society such as retirement, physical and mental functioning, dependency on others, and death.

(9) Individual and society. The student will explain the nature and social function of deviance. The student is expected to:

(A) compare theories of deviance such as the functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives;

(B) interpret differences in crime and arrest rates by social categories such as ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and age, including cross-reference with the National Crime Victimization Survey; and

(C) analyze the criminal justice system in the United States in relation to deviant behavior.

(10) Social inequality. The student understands the nature of social stratification in society. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze the characteristics and components of caste and class systems and social mobility and how motivation affects each;

(B) define poverty and its components and analyze poverty's impact on the individual and society;

(C) contrast theories of social stratification; and

(D) recognize and examine global stratification and inequality.

(11) Social inequality. The student understands the impact of race and ethnicity on society. The student is expected to:

(A) define race and ethnicity and differentiate among the distinguishing characteristics of minority groups;

(B) contrast the terms discrimination, prejudice, and bias;

(C) discuss the ramifications of stereotyping;

(D) analyze the varying treatment patterns of minority groups such as African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and American Indian; and

(E) explain instances of institutional racism in American society.

(12) Social inequality. The student understands changing societal views on gender, age, and health. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze how gender roles affect the opportunities available to men and women in society;

(B) analyze the effects of an aging society;

(C) compare the nature of health care in a global society; and

(D) evaluate the nature of health care in different segments of American society.

(13) Social institutions. The student identifies the basic social institution of the family and explains its influences on society. The student is expected to:

(A) define the functions and rituals of the family and how the family has changed over time;

(B) define family systems and patterns;

(C) analyze the trends in American society regarding family life and the needs that the institution of family satisfies; and

(D) analyze ways in which family life can be disrupted.

(14) Social institutions. The student identifies the basic social institutions of economics and politics and explains their influence on society. The student is expected to:

(A) define and differentiate between the economic models of free enterprise and socialism and how they impact society;

(B) define and differentiate among different types of government and discuss the legitimacy of those in power and the impact of each on its citizens; and

(C) trace the changes in ideas about citizenship and participation of different groups through time.

(15) Social institutions. The student identifies the basic social institutions of education and religion and explains their influence on society. The student is expected to:

(A) explain functionalist, conflict, and interactionist theories of education;

(B) argue and defend some current issues in American education;

(C) examine religion from the sociological point of view;

(D) analyze the functions of society and the basic societal needs that religion serves; and

(E) compare and contrast distinctive features of religion in the United States with religion in other societies.

(16) Social institutions. The student understands the basic social institutions of science and the mass media and their influence on society. The student is expected to:

(A) identify factors that have contributed to the institutionalization of science, explain the norms of scientific research, and explain how these norms differ from the realities of scientific research;

(B) trace major developments in the history of mass media and identify the types of mass media in the United States;

(C) explain the differences between the functionalist and conflict perspectives of mass media; and

(D) examine contemporary mass media issues.

(17) Changing world. The student understands how population and urbanization contribute to a changing social world. The student is expected to:

(A) describe the study of demography, the basic demographic concepts, and changes in settlement patterns on society; and

(B) explain and critique various theories of population growth and its impact on society.

(18) Changing world. The student understands how collective behavior, social movements, and modernization contribute to a changing social world. The student is expected to:

(A) compare and contrast various types of collective behavior and social movements and how they affect society;

(B) discuss theories that have been developed to explain collective behavior and social movements; and

(C) illustrate three social processes that contribute to social change and discuss and evaluate how technology, population, natural environment, revolution, and war cause cultures to change.

(19) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:

(A) create a product on a contemporary sociological issue or topic using critical methods of inquiry;

(B) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions; and

(C) use appropriate mathematical skills to interpret sociological information.

(20) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:

(A) use sociology-related terminology correctly;

(B) use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation;

(C) transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and written or visual to statistical, using computer software as appropriate; and

(D) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information.

(21) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:

(A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution;

(B) use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision; and

(C) participate in conflict resolution using persuasion, compromise, debate, and negotiation.

Source Note: The provisions of this §113.46 adopted to be effective August 23, 2010, 35 TexReg 7232