Instructor:  Dr. John Mihelich                           
Office & Phone: Phinney 312, 885-5046
E-mail:  jmihelic@uidaho.edu 
Office hours: T, TR 7:00-8:00 a.m.
                     T, TR 2:00-4:00 p.m. or by appt.

T.A. Aaron Denham
E-mail: adenham@moscow.com
Office: Phinney 403
Office Hours: Mon. 10:30-11:30
                        T, TR 10:45-12:20 or by appt.

"Just because you live in a society, it doesn't mean that you understand it - fish swim in the ocean, but they're not oceanographers." (unknown)

"The fascination of sociology lies in the fact that its perspective makes us see in a new light the very world in which we have lived all our lives. This also constitutes a transformation of consciousness. It can be said that the first wisdom of sociology is this--things are not what they seem…Social reality turns out to have many layers of meaning. The discovery of each new layer changes the perception of the whole. [Sociology invites] the sudden illumination of new and unsuspected facets of human existence in society. This is the excitement and…the humanistic justification of sociology. People who like to avoid shocking discoveries, who prefer to believe that society is just what they were taught in Sunday School, who like the safety of the rules and maxims of…the 'taken-for-granted,' should stay away from sociology" (Peter Berger, Invitation to Sociology, 21, 23-24)

Course Description:

This is a course about life.  In the process of asking and exploring questions about life, about contemporary social experience in society, this course will introduce students to the field of sociology and help cultivate in them an analytical and critical perspective which will enable the curious student to see her/his life and society in a "new light."  Ultimately this class will help students develop what C. Wright Mills called a “sociological imagination.”  The sociological imagination refers to the ability to understand the relationship between social forces (culture and social structures) and individual biographies, behaviors, beliefs, values, and experiences in historical context.  In developing and applying a sociological imagination to their own lives, their experience, and to the world around them, students are expected to wonder about questions and explore new ways of understanding.

Required Texts: Available at the U of I bookstore

1.       Sociology: A Critical Approach. Kenneth Neubeck and Davita Glasberg. (N&G)

2.      Sociological Footprints: Introductory Readings in Sociology.  Ed. Cargan & Ballantine. (F)