Pacing

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The Introduction to Sociology course contains eighteen modules. Since many instructors choose not to teach every module, sometimes it works well to cover roughly one module per week for a fifteen or sixteen-week semester. Although the modules are generally similar in size, some of the content is lighter in certain modules or more dense in others, so it may make sense to combine some modules in one week or draw out other modules over several weeks.

Some modules that work well together include:

  • Module 1: Foundations of Sociology and Module 2: Sociological Research
  • Module 3: Culture and Module 4: Socialization OR
  • Module 4: Socialization and Module 5: Society and Groups
  • Module 9: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality and Module 10: Marriage and Family
  • Module 11: Religion and Module 12: Education
  • Module 13: Health and Medicine and Module 14: Aging and the Elderly
  • Module 15: Government and Politics and Module 16: Work and the Economy
  • Module 17: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment and Module 18: Social Movements and Social Change

The “smallest” modules are modules 2, 10, and 13-16:

  • Module 2: Sociological Research
  • Module 10: Marriage and Family
  • Module 13: Health and Medicine
  • Module 14: Aging and the Elderly
  • Module 15: Government and Politics
  • Module 16: Work and the Economy

Module Changes

For those switching over from the earlier version of the course, a comparison of the two versions is included below. In soliciting feedback from instructors, we heard the desire for smaller, more flexible modules. The core content remains similar to the previous version, although some things have shifted to better align with similar concepts. For example, pieces on technology have been added into the culture module and included throughout the course, instead of tacked on at the end. The modules on culture and society were split to help clarify those essential concepts. The religion and education modules were split as they each deserved separate attention. The module on health, aging, and the elderly was split due to its broad scope.

The new, smaller modules also allow more faculty autonomy is choosing specific modules. For example, many have expressed a desire to exclude certain modules which are covered in other courses, such as education, government and politics, work and the economy, or health and medicine. Now that those social institutions each have their own module, picking and choosing is even easier.

New Lumen Course

Old Lumen Course

OpenStax Sociology

Module 1: Foundations of Sociology

Module 1: Foundations of Sociology Chapter 1: Introduction to Sociology

Module 2: Sociological Research

Module 2: Culture and Society Chapter 2: Sociological Research

Module 3: Culture

Module 3: Socialization and Interaction Chapter 3: Culture

Module 4: Socialization

Module 4: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control Chapter 4: Society and Social Interaction

Module 5: Society and Groups

Module 5: Social Stratification and Inequality Chapter 5: Socialization

Module 6: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control

Module 6: Race and Ethnicity Chapter 6: Groups and Organization

Module 7: Stratification and Inequality

Module 7: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality Chapter 7: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control

Module 8: Race and Ethnicity

Module 8: Marriage and Family Chapter 8: Media and Technology

Module 9: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Module 9: Religion and Education Chapter 9: Social Stratification in the United States

Module 10: Marriage and Family

Module 10: Health, Aging, and the Elderly Chapter 10: Global Inequality

Module 11: Religion

Module 11: Government and Politics Chapter 11: Race and Ethnicity

Module 12: Education

Module 12: Work and the Economy Chapter 12: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Module 13: Health and Medicine

Module 13: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment Chapter 13: Aging and the Elderly

Module 14: Aging and the Elderly

Module 14: Social Movements, Media, and Technology Chapter 14: Marriage and Family

Module 15: Government and Politics

Chapter 15: Religion

Module 16: Work and the Economy

Chapter 16: Education

Module 17: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

Chapter 17: Government and Politics

Module 18: Social Movements and Social Change

Chapter 18: Work and the Economy

Chapter 19: Health and Medicine

Chapter 20: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

Chapter 21: Social Movements and Social Change

Here are some sample schedules if teaching the entire course:

Week Sample Schedule 1: 15 weeks Sample Schedule 2: 14 weeks Sample Schedule 3: 12 weeks

Week 1

Module 1: Foundations of Sociology

Module 2: Sociological Research

Module 1: Foundations of Sociology Module 1: Foundations of Sociology

Module 2: Sociological Research

Week 2

Module 3: Culture Module 2: Sociological Research Module 3: Culture

Week 3

Module 4: Socialization Module 3: Culture Module 4: Socialization

Module 5: Society and Groups

Week 4

Module 5: Society and Groups Module 4: Socialization Module 6: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control

Week 5

Module 6: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control Module 5: Society and Groups

 

Module 7: Stratification and Inequality

Week 6

Module 7: Stratification and Inequality Module 6: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control Module 8: Race and Ethnicity

Week 7

Module 8: Race and Ethnicity Module 7: Stratification and Inequality Module 9: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Module 10: Marriage and Family

Week 8

Module 9: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality Module 8: Race and Ethnicity Module 11: Religion

Module 12: Education

 

Week 9

Module 10: Marriage and Family Module 9: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Module 10: Marriage and Family

Module 13: Health and Medicine

Module 14: Aging and the Elderly

Week 10

Module 11: Religion Module 11: Religion

 

Module 15: Government and Politics

Module 16: Work and the Economy

Week 11

Module 12: Education Module 12: Education

 

Module 17: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

 

Week 12

Module 13: Health and Medicine

Module 14: Aging and the Elderly

Module 13: Health and Medicine

Module 14: Aging and the Elderly

Module 18: Social Movements and Social Change

Week 13

Module 15: Government and Politics

Module 16: Work and the Economy

Module 15: Government and Politics

Module 16: Work and the Economy

Week 14

Module 17: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment Module 17: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

Module 18: Social Movements and Social Change

Week 15

Module 18: Social Movements and Social Change Review

If you are transitioning from the old Lumen course and would like to teach the entire course in a similar manner, we recommend combining the modules as shown below. Note that the module numbering is included here, but once inside the LMS, the module numbers are not included, and may be renamed or renumbered to suit your class’ needs.

Old Lumen Course

New Lumen Course

Module 1: Foundations of Sociology

Module 1: Foundations of Sociology

Module 2: Sociological Research

Module 2: Culture and Society

Module 3: Culture

Module 3: Socialization and Interaction

Module 4: Socialization

Module 5: Society and Groups

Module 4: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control

Module 6: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control

Module 5: Social Stratification and Inequality

Module 7: Stratification and Inequality

Module 6: Race and Ethnicity

Module 8: Race and Ethnicity

Module 7: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Module 9: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality

Module 8: Marriage and Family

Module 10: Marriage and Family

Module 9: Religion and Education

Module 11: Religion

Module 12: Education

Module 10: Health, Aging, and the Elderly

Module 13: Health and Medicine

Module 14: Aging and the Elderly

Module 11: Government and Politics

Module 15: Government and Politics

Module 12: Work and the Economy

Module 16: Work and the Economy

Module 13: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

Module 17: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

Module 14: Social Movements, Media, and Technology

Module 18: Social Movements and Social Change