TY - JOUR AU - Karcher, Barbara PY - 2010/04/26 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Sociology 2105: Online and Service-Learning Section, Sociological Perspectives: Critical Thinking about Social Issues JF - TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology JA - TRAILS VL - IS - SE - DO - UR - https://trails.asanet.org/article/view/sociology-2105-online-and-service-learning-section SP - AB - The purpose of this course is to engage students in the process of thinking critically and logically about social issues from a sociological perspective. Thinking critically and sociologically about social issues involves at least the following elements:•Logic (Apply concepts and theories to make sense of the issue. Draw conclusions logically supported by the data available.)•Objectivity (Don’t take sides while analyzing. Don’t rush to make pronouncements about the way things SHOULD be.)•Understanding (not necessarily agreeing with) the points of view of competing groups, their beliefs, values and norms •Data (Seek data on the issue; note that different measures may lead to different results.)•Skepticism (about one’s own and others’ assumptions, about the reliability of data, about findings that seem absolute.)•Cultural and Structural Emphasis (the effects of the group on the individual, of the individual on the group, of groups in society, of society on groups, in defining, shaping, solving, redefining social issues) ER -