Introductory Sociology's Role as a Service Course: The Place of Quantitative Methods

Abstract

While social facts in the principles course would improve the level of the course for sociology majors, including quantitative methodology in the introductory course is also desired by other departments using sociology as a service course. We propose that principles courses ought to have a laboratory where students can see how data can aid in decision making and testing hypotheses. Recent developments in microcomputers make such a laboratory cost-effective. A sample program for a sociological laboratory is presented. The weekly sociological laboratory in theprinciples courses at North Carolina Central University is described. Making the course more rigorous led to increased enrollment because departments served by the course responded to the increased level of difficulty by making the introductory course required. Because many other majors require more work and time of their students than do sociology departments, a good service course is likely to be substantially more difficult than most current principles courses. Raising standards was the key to rising enrollments at North Carolina Central University.