Sociology - TCC OER Subject Guide: OER starting points

Tip: Log into your TCC Canvas faculty account *before* clicking on this link! OER course created by Katie Cali, LCTCS, 2019, that uses the "Social Problems: Continuity and Change" OER textbook, linked below. Ancillary course materials include quizzes, assignments, and discussion forums. CC BY SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - ShareAlike) license.

Tip: Log into your TCC Canvas faculty account *before* clicking on this link! Online Canvas course shared by Antoniette Aizon-Hubbell, State Center Community College District, 2018. Uses the OER textbook Social Problems: Continuity and Change, linked below, plus two more OER textbooks. "This course will discuss contemporary social problems in society. The course reviews various explanations of causes, consequences, and possible solutions for contemporary sociological issues using theoretical perspectives. The course applies critical thinking skills using inductive and deductive reasoning to analyze and discuss the issues while strengthening social awareness. " Organized into chapter modules, with readings, powerpoints, and assignments. CC BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) license.

Tip: Log into your TCC Canvas faculty account *before* clicking on this link! Canvas course shared by Gregory Lowell Kennedy, Fresno State, 2019. Uses a critical thinking OER textbook for its primary text. "This course explores theory and practice in basic skills of critical thinking and sociological analysis. The course is a survey of major social problems experienced by society, with an exploration of the most important theoretical perspectives used to explain the problems." Organized into modules, with readings, discussions, and assignments. CC BY NC (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial) license.

Published by University of Minnesota Libraries, 2016. “[A] realistic but motivating look at the many issues that are facing our society today… You will find several pedagogical features help to convey the “continuity and change” theme of this text and the service sociology vision in which it is grounded: Each chapter begins with a “Social Problems in the News” story related to the social problem discussed in that chapter. These stories provide an interesting starting point for the chapter's discussion and show its relevance for real-life issues. Three types of boxes in each chapter [Applying Social Research, Lessons from Other Nations, People Making a Difference] provide examples of how social problems have been changed and can be changed.” Organized into16 chapters, from “Ch. 1 Understanding Social Problems” to chapters specific to issues, such as “Ch. 10 The Changing Family.” Each chapter also includes end-of-chapter materials, such as summaries and key points.
Faculty peer reviews of this text available ont his site. Online, EPUB, Digital PDF, print PDF, and editable OpenDocument formats. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

Leonard A. Jason, Olya Glantsman, Jack F. O'Brien, Kaitlyn N. Ramian, 2019. "This textbook tells the story of community psychologists, who view social problems as being due to the unequal distribution of resources, which causes poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and crime [...] This textbook will show students how to comprehensively analyze, investigate, and address escalating problems of economic inequality, violence, substance abuse, homelessness, poverty, and racism. It will provide students with perspectives and tools to partner with community members and organizations to promote a fair and equitable allocation of resources and opportunities." Online, PDF, EBPUB, and editable HTML and OpenDocument formats. CC BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) license.

OER textbook by Elizabeth B. Pearce, a Linn-Benton Community College instructor in Oregon, 2021. "This openly licensed text, created with students, approaches contemporary families from an equity lens." Organized into 9 chapters, each with preview questions that can be used for student discussion questions. Online, print PDF, and editable OpenDocument format. CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) license.

Compiled by Columbus State Community Library College, 2019, "a repository of links to freely available texts." Although originally compiled for a Rhet & Comp reader, the tabs correlate to social issues in this course, including tabs for Politics, Identity, Education, etc. Online format. Most articles are not openly licensed but are freely available online.

Published in 2019, "This book is a free and open resource for composition instructors and students, full of essays that could supplement OER rhetoric and writing texts that lack readings. All of the essays in this reader are versatile rhetorically and thematically. It is arranged alphabetically by author name. Each essay has a series of hashtags that apply to the essay in some way. You can search for essays thematically for topics like education, the environment, politics, or health. You can also search for essays based on composition concepts like analysis, synthesis, and research. You can search for essays that are based on shared values, essays that rely heavily on ethos, logos, or pathos, essays that are very kairos-dependent, and essays that are scholarly." Although originally compiled for Composition courses, the topics included correlate to social issues and themes for this course. Google Doc format, downloadable in multiple formats, including Word or PDF. The collection overall has a CC BY SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - ShareAlike), and all of the essays included are openly licensed in some way but may have different individual licenses.

TED Talk video by Sendhil Mullainathan | TEDIndia 2009. “MacArthur winner Sendhil Mullainathan uses the lens of behavioral economics to study a tricky set of social problems -- those we know how to solve, but don't. We know how to reduce child deaths due to diarrhea, how to prevent diabetes-related blindness and how to implement solar-cell technology ... yet somehow, we don't or can't. Why?” Video format, embeddable within Canvas, includes transcripts in multiple languages. All TED talks are openly licensed with a CC BY NC ND (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivatives) license.

Learn Liberty, 2017. “What if the government can’t solve our problems because the government doesn’t really exist? Prof. Mike Munger explains his “unicorn” theory of the state.” YouTube video + lesson. CC BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) license.

Tip: Log into your TCC Canvas faculty account *before* clicking on this link! OER Canvas course shared by College of Marin instructor, 2019. Includes readings, assignments, and discussions, particularly focusing on anti-racism and white privilege. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

Tip: Log into your TCC Canvas faculty account *before* clicking on this link! OER Canvas course shared by Pitt State instructor, 2019. Includes modules with readings, assignments, quizzes, and discussions. Thematic modules include Reproductive Rights, Defining a Family, Violence Against Women, LGBTQ Rights, and Justice. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

Published by College of the Canyons, 2017. Organized into 11 chapters. Google Drive, PDF format. CC BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) format.

OER textbook published by by University of Massachusetts, 2017. “This textbook introduces key feminist concepts and analytical frameworks used in the interdisciplinary Women, Gender, Sexualities field. It unpacks the social construction of knowledge and categories of difference, processes and structures of power and inequality, with a focus on gendered labor in the global economy, and the historical development of feminist social movements. The book emphasizes feminist sociological approaches to analyzing structures of power, drawing heavily from empirical feminist research.” Organized into 5 units. This site includes faculty peer reviews. Online, PDF, and EPUB formats. CC BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) open license

OER textbook created by University of Victoria instructors, first created 2012, last updated 2019. "This extended version of Global Women's Issues: Women in the World Today includes, for each chapter, a summary, key words, multiple choice questions, discussion questions, essay questions, and a list of additional resources. Copies of the original book are also available in Arabic, Portuguese, and Spanish." Organized into 12 chapters. Faculty peer reviews of this text available on this site. Online, PDF, and editable OpenDocument formats. CC BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) license.

Developed by Portland State University instructors, 2014. PDF format for textbook. Ancillary video and audio files for individual chapters. CC BY NC (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial) license.

Site includes several OER courses, including: Introduction to Women's Studies; Queer Studies; Intercultural Women's Studies; and Women, Social Change, and Activism. All course materials developed by Jimena Alvarado, instructor at Portland Community College. Each course has lessons, each with preparation materials, worksheets, etc. Each course integrates intersectionality and social justice themes. All course materials on this site are openly licensed with a CC BY NC (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial) license.

UCL Press, 2018. "[A]n innovative and critical exploration of perceived commonalities and conflicts between women and children and, more broadly, between various forms of feminism and the politics of childhood. This unique collection brings into dialogue authors from a range of social science disciplines, activist organisations, and theoretical perspectives. They address topics such as gender, generation and intergeneration, relationality, power, exploitation, solidarity, and emancipation in a variety of situations, including refugee camps, care labour, domestic violence, and childcare and education." PDF format. CC BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) license.

Stock photo library featuring trans and non-binary models. Licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivatives) license.

Published by Univ. of Minnesota, 2018, this open access book "brings together the life and work of a foundational feminist scholar and tireless social activist. This collection combines reprints of Dr. Hacker’s writing from the 1950s through the 1990s, including several unpublished manuscripts, as well as biographical reflections that showcase her intellectual curiosity, personal grit, and commitment to marginalized groups. Moreover, Hacker’s continuous push for the study of new topics and for innovative ways of measuring social phenomena and understanding gender across institutions and intersecting identities helped lay the foundation for the work that followed over the next half century. Engaging Helen Hacker provides experts and non-experts alike the opportunity to revisit early writings on sex and gender, providing a renewed appreciation of the origins, evolution, and potential of feminist scholarship." Organized into 5 main sections. Online, PDF, and EPUB formats. Open access.

"The Archives of Lesbian Oral Testimony collects and makes available the oral histories of people who presently or at one time identified as same-sex and same-gender attracted women." Materials in the Archives include oral history audio and video recordings, radio and television programs, and associated materials. Click the Browse link in the menu to explore the collections. CC BY NC (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial) license.

Published by University of Maine, 2012. "Principles of Sociological Inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods emphasizes the relevance of research methods for the everyday lives of its readers, undergraduate students. Principles of Sociological Inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods also provides balanced coverage of qualitative and quantitative approaches by integrating a variety of examples from recent and classic sociological research. The text challenges students to debate and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches." Organized into 15 chapters. PDF and online formats. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

OER textbook developed by instructor at University of South Florida, 2012. Written for upper-level and graduate students, but parts may be useful for community college students. Organized into Introduction to Research; Basics of Empirical Research; Data Collection; Data Analysis sections. PDF format. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

College of the Canyons, created 2017, last updated 2019. "This text emphasizes the relevance of research methods for the everyday lives of its readers: undergraduate
students. [...] Using a variety of examples from published sociological research, this text also aims to provide balanced coverage of qualitative and quantitative approaches." Organized into 15 chapters, each with learning objectives and key takeaways. PDF format in Google Drive. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

Peer-reviewed textbook, 2018. "As an introductory textbook for social work students studying research methods, this book guides students through the process of creating a research project." Multiple formats available, including online, PDF, and print. Ancillary materials, including PowerPoints and assignments, also linked off this page. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

Rebecca L. Mauldin and Matthew DeCarlo, 2020. "This short guidebook provides information about selecting a research topic and research questions, searching for literature, reading and understanding scholarly writing, and writing a literature review to synthesize what is known and what remains to be learned about a social problem. For students who appreciate the availability of resources on the internet, it also provides links to additional materials. It can be used with its companion textbook, Foundations of Social Work Research by Rebecca L. Mauldin and Matthew DeCarlo, or as a stand-alone guide." Organized into 4 chapters. Online, PDF, and EPUB formats. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike) license.

Rebecca L. Mauldin, University of Texas at Arlington, 2020. "It provides an introduction to social work students to help evaluate research for evidence-based practice and design social work research projects. It can be used with its companion, A Guidebook for Social Work Literature Reviews and Research Questions by Rebecca L. Mauldin and Matthew DeCarlo, or as a stand-alone textbook." Organized into 12 chapters. Online, PDF, and EPUB formats. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike) license.

Peer-reviewed textbook intended to be comprehensive in research methods, updated in 2019. Each chapter includes learning outcomes, key takeaways, and exercises. Online and PDF formats available. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

Collection of case studies in sociological research methods, published by Wits University Press, 2019. "A comprehensive collation of original essays and cutting-edge research that demonstrates the variety of novel techniques and research method... innovative ways in order to respond to contexts characterised by diversity, racial and political tensions, socioeconomic disparities and gender inequalities." Organized into quantitative and qualitative sections. Online and PDF formats for each chapter. Open access.

Tip: Log into your TCC Canvas faculty account *before* clicking on this link! OER Canvas course shared by College of Marin instructor, 2019. Includes readings, assignments, and discussions, particularly focusing on anti-racism and white privilege. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

OER textbook developed by Vera Kennedy, West Hills College Lemoore, 2018. "The book is supported by discussion of relevant theory and research in cultural sociology" and takes a learner-centered approach. Organized into 5 modules. PDF format. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

OER textbook created by Houston Community College instructor, 2020, "includes discussion of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, aging, and disability." Online, PDF, or LMS course files (click the "Downloads" button along the top). CC BY (Creative Commons - Attribution) license.

OER textbook published by University of Minnesota Libraries, created 2016 and updated 2019. "offers an interdisciplinary perspective on immigrant and refugee families' challenges and resilience across multiple domains, including economic, political, health, and human rights." Organized into 10 chapters. PDF, EPUB, and digital OpenDocument formats. CC BY NC (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial) license.

Google doc of potential OER, open access, and TCC Library resources compiled by OER librarian Jennifer Snoek-Brown, 2020. Document organized into sections for Open access ebooks, TCC Library ebooks, Primary sources, Films on Demand videos, and potential articles via TCC Library databases; resources are linked throughout.

Repository of Chicana primary sources. Created under the supervision of professor María Cotera and Linda Garcia Merchant in collaboration with The Institute for Computing in Humanities Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Browsable sections include Mujeres, Chicana Diasporic, Historias, Visualizations, and Recent Uploads. Educational use permitted.

Created and compiled by Anna Carroll and Eleanor Wakefield, published by Open Oregon. "[A] collection of texts and materials that team together students’ familiarity with sports and critical inquiry skills." Unit 1 is a reading list of texts and articles. Includes sample assignments and discussion prompts. Online, PDF, and EPUB formats. CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike) license.

OER textbook created by West Hills College Lemoore instructor, 2020, "provides sociological terms, concepts, and theories in the study of sociological practice." Online, PDF, or LMS course files (click the "Downloads" button along the top). CC BY NC SA (Creative Commons - Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike) license.

Tip: Log into your TCC Canvas account *before* clicking on this link! Online course developed by Katie Cali, Louisiana Community and Technical College System, 2019. “This is a complete Deviance/Criminology course containing PowerPoints, quizzes, assignments, etc." Organized into 9 unit modules, each with readings, resources, and assignments. CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) license.

OpenStax OER textbook, created 2015 and updated 2020. Chapter 7, Deviance, Crime, and Social Control includes three main topics: Deviance and Control; Theoretical Perspectives on Deviance, and Crime and the Law. CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) license.

Univ. of Minnesota OER textbook, 2016. Chapter 7: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control includes four main sections: 7.1 Social Control and the Relativity of Deviance, 7.2 Explaining Deviance, 7.3 Crime and Criminals, 7.4 The Get-Tough Approach: Boon or Bust?. Online and editable OpenDocument format (compatible with Word). Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY NC SA) license.

Mark Whitman, Alfred State College (CUNY), 2018. Written from a criminal justice perspective, but some chapters may be useful for supplemental readings/perspectives, including: Chapter 3 Laws/Crime/Deviance & Ethics ; Chapter 6 Criminal v. Racial Profiling & Surveillance ; Chapter 9 Social Policy in Criminal Justice Systems. Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

Domenic Martelli, 2018. “This lesson deals with the nature of deviance through documentaries done through the PBS series Frontline or the documentary series Real Stories. Students will need to review the nature of deviance and crime, apply key concepts and terms that deal with deviance and crime, and apply those concepts to a film clip that is school appropriate and exemplifies those concepts. Students will be the facilitators of a film study of that clip and will lead discussions about the aspects of the film clip and analysis.” Online, includes links to “Crash Course Sociology: Deviance” video + project PDF. Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial (CC BY NC) 4.0 license.

Khan Academy video. “When a norm is violated, it's referred to as deviance. And though the word, deviance, seems negative, it's not. It simply means that an individual's behaving differently from what society feels is normal behavior. If a person is deviant from norms, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are doing something bad or immoral.” Captions plus a transcript for accessibility. Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike (CC BY NC SA) license.

This form is for TCC faculty and staff. Use this form to add suggestions, improvements, and personal recommendations or tips for specific resources. Thank you for adding to this OER subject guide!