Sociology

Students are introduced to the sociological perspective as a way of analyzing and understanding society and human behavior. Basic areas in sociology are covered, including the group context of individual behavior, social institutions, social inequality, and social change.

An examination of selected social problems of corporate power, crime, the physical environment, physical and mental illness, an racial, ethnic, and sexual inequalities. These problems are discussed in the wider context of institutional and cultural conflict and social change.

The introductory course in criminal justice. Students are introduced to the administration and objectives of law enforcement, the courts, corrections, probation, and parole. Students cannot get credit for both SOC 111 and CRM 111.

An examination of deviant behavior from various perspectives in sociology. The course focuses on the social functions of deviant behavior, the social organization of deviance, who becomes deviant, and the connections between deviance and the major forms of social control found in society.

An introductory economics course (cross-listed with History and Economics) that prepares students with the concepts, tools, and methods of analysis that economists employ to address historical and contemporary  social issues and problems facing the U.S. Topics included are: economics of crime, poverty, discrimination, income inequality, pollution problems, inflation and unemployment, deficit and the national debt, Social Security, and globalization.

This course provides social, historical, and cross-cultural analysis of the social institution of family. It examines the reciprocal relationship between society and families and explores social facts and social myths that surround our understandings of families. The course addresses several issues including, but not limited to: gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, social class, age, work, and social policy in relation to families.

This course provides an examination of race and ethnic relation in the Americas. Through the use of critical sociological frameworks, students will study theories, history, and research on the social, political, and economic production of racial and ethnic hierarchies.

This course examines sex, gender, and sexuality from sociological perspectives and feminist theoretical frameworks. It explores how categories of gender and sexuality are socially constructed and shaped by social institutions. Particular attention is given to feminist theories and social movements. (Cross-listed with WST 209)

This examination of juvenile delinquency in the United States includes the nature of delinquency, factors associated with delinquency, and the major theoretical perspectives. Characteristics of the juvenile justice system are also explored.

This course provides students with a foundation for making sense of the production and distribution of class, power, and privilege in the United States. The course will focus on the institutional and ideological organization of economic hierarchies and social mobility. Students will be introduced to: classical and contemporary theories of class, power, and mobility; current sociological research in these areas; and the implications of a global economy.  (Formerly called Class, Power and Privilege)

This course is an introduction to the study of sex, gender, and sexuality. We will use both a psychological and sociological lens to examine differences between sex, gender, and sexuality. We will explore how gender and sexuality exist today, how they have changed over time and place, and their centrality in how we experience the world around us. We will focus on the social processes, structures, and institutions that influence, and are influenced by, gender across cultures. That is, we will examine how gender and beliefs about gender affect: parenting and home life; educational experiences and achievements; friendships and romantic relationships; experiences in the workplace, military, and sports; media; and political and economic systems. To this end, we will critically examine the interconnections between gender, sexuality, power and inequality. (Cross listed with WST 211)

In this course students will learn about the US legal system, including the civil, criminal, and juvenile systems. Legal professions will also be discussed. What law is and how laws are created are studied. Students conduct court observations. 

A sociological perspective of issues pertinent to women, health and the body will be addressed. This course is designed to familiarize students with how social institutions, industries, and social group membership influence women's experiences with health and the body. Topics include, but are not limited to, reproductive health, women as consumers and providers of health care, women and aging, breast cancer, eating disorders, and body image.

Students in this course will gain a better understanding of the challenges we face from the explosion of scientific and technological advances and how the law should respond to them. Discussion of this subject invites debate with elements of politics, culture, religion, morality, philosophy, sociology, and the proper role of governmental authority.  Students will explore the influence of culture, context, and morality on scientific advancement and the legal issues they create.  The class will consider the transnational nature of scientific progress and responses thereto

This course presents a conceptual and topical overview of Medical Sociology. It will examine the social contexts of health and illness, as well as organized medical care. It will focus on the theories, research and debates of medical sociology, including new perspectives and research. The field is so large that no single course could cover it in it entirety. We will instead discuss the foundations of the field, and the topics that have emerged most recently.

Worldwide, over 100 million people are forcibly displaced, and almost 35 million of them are refugees or asylum-seekers. In this course, students will learn about forced displacement, migration, and the refugee resettlement process. The course includes a service learning component, through which students will have the opportunity to work directly with local organizations and people involved in refugee resettlement.

This course explores geographical perspectives on the past, present, and future development of societies at local, regional and global scales. This course applies geographical concepts to sociological phenomena, examining the interrelationships between people and places. Topics include but are not limited to  population, food systems, urbanization, migration, language, religion, race, ethnicity, and gender.

A specialized topic will be selected on the basis of the interests of the instructor and students.

This comparative study of the development of cultural life emphasizes both the similarities and differences in systems of kinship, technology, religion and values.

In order to be critical evaluators of research studies about human behavior, students must be exposed to a variety of primary sources of social sciences research. Students will be introduced to a variety of theoretical and empirical studies in psychology and other behavioral sciences. They will learn how to find studies published in refereed journals on line. Students will learn to distinguish reports of research studies from the actual journal articles describing the scientific research. Practicing brief summaries of research articles using APA style will complete the requirements of this course.

This introductory course on social service programs for children includes foster, adoptive and institutional care, homemaker, day care, and family and preventive and protective services.

This course provides students with an introduction to the theoretical debates organizing the development of sociology in the west.  Students will be introduced to those pivotal works which serve as the historical foundation of the discipline, selected non-dominant theories, and contemporary theoretical debates.

In this study of the social and cultural aspects of mental illness, topics include the history of mental illness and its treatment; incidence and prevalence of mental illness by social categories such as class, ethnic, and racial groups; and, public policy aspects of mental illness.  Some cross-culture materials are included.

This course examines the nature, extent, and consequences of criminal victimization. Specific attention is paid to victims of domestic violence, victims of rape and sexual assault, child victims of abuse and neglect, and elderly victims.

This is an advanced course on crime, theory of crime, and criminal behavior. Students will empirically explore the measurement of crime, crime distribution, and crime theory. Reading of primary research required. (Equivalent to CRM 315).

The relationship of women to the law is explored from many vantage points, including: how law has been used to limit/expand women's place in society; the differential enforcement of law by sex; and, women's role in the legal system. (Also: CRM-319, WST-319, POL-319)

New laws and social programs are being created in the U.S. even as you read this course description.  Was the law or program even necessary? Was sufficient effort put into analyzing the problem before a solution was determined? Was adequate input solicited from all stakeholders? Was the best choice picked from among many or was there only one “choice?” How do we know if the law or program works, and works well? And if it doesn’t work, do we know why not? Were there unintended consequences that need to be addressed? Can it be salvaged or reworked, or does it need to be scrapped and a new law or program put in its place? These and many questions like these are at the heart of program evaluation and policy analysis. When done correctly, we can increase accountability and effectiveness. If done poorly or not at all, we waste valuable resources. The purpose of this course is for students to learn the tools that are frequently used to determine whether public policies and programs are achieving their intended goals.

This course uses a multidisciplinary approach to examine the complexities of power, conflict, and violence in families. A main goal of the course is to improve students' analytic ability in consuming scholarly and popular knowledge about power and violence within the context of family relationships, including intimate partner and parent-child relationships. To achieve this goal, students critically evaluate how violence and abuse in families has been conceptualized over time and how researchers, service providers, policy makers, the criminal justice system, and the general public have responded to this social problem.

This course addresses the issue of conflict from two positions:1. through an examination of the causes, processes, cost and benefits of social conflict; and 2. by offering methods for conflict resolution. From a management perspective, the role of conflict in organizations will be approached by studying management structures and organizational hierarchies for the ways they produce various types of conflict. Using sociological theory and research, this course will address the relationship of social issue - e.g. difference and inequality, power and corruption - to organizational and institutional conflict. Understanding that conflict can signal either a disruption in the operation of an organization or an opportunity for change and growth, this course will provide students with a broad-based perspective for making conflict an asset organizationally and interpersonally. The latter part of the semester will be devoted to methods for conflict resolution, including 25 hours of coursework needed for conflict mediation certification through a variety of certification options. Students will have the foundation to pursue an apprenticeship with a conflict mediation or dispute resolution center.

This course examines the processes by which social movements emerge, develop, and decline. Particular focus will be on social change theory; the history of selected movements; political strategies for change; individual versus collective approaches; and the relationship of institutions and ideologies to the success and failure of social change. (Equivalent to POL 335, HST 335, and WST 335).

The nature of the scientific method and basic research techniques are applied to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of social data.  Students develop a research proposal.  Students who take this course cannot also receive credit for SOC 350 or SCL 360.

The department occasionally offers special courses covering areas and topics not otherwise included in the curriculum.

Students learn about the research process. Topics include surveys, experiments, interviews, observations and research ethics. Course includes a computer lab using SPSS. Students read and analyze research articles. Students who take this course cannot also receive credit for SOC 337 or SCL 360.

This course is an introduction to research methods in the social sciences. The emphasis will be on the quantification of social behavior and practices for the purposes of description and prediction, and for the inference of cause and effect relationships. Students will learn about the importance of empirical research and enhance their skills in understanding and applying it. Students will develop an ability to read and evaluate scientific literature, plan, design, and conduct a scientific study, and effectively communicate research findings. Students will also be introduced to SPSS statistical analysis software.  Students who take this course cannot receive credit for SOC 350 or SOC 337.

Senior Seminar is the capstone experience for students majoring in sociology.  Senior Seminar serves to help students integrate core courses in their major with substantive courses.  It is the overall objective of Senior Seminar to show how the core c oure relate to one another as part of the scientific enterprise.  Students will conduct indivudual research using the research proposal developed in SOC 337: Research Methods for Sociology.  Advising Note: this course replaced the former SOC 405-406 Senior Seminar requirement for Sociology majors beginning in 2013.

Senior Seminar I is the first of a two course sequence which together provide the capstone experience for students majoring in sociology. Senior Seminar I is offered each Fall semester and serves to help students integrate core courses in their majors with substantive courses. It is the overall objective of Senior Seminar I to show how the core courses are related to one another as part of the scientific enterprise through the researching of a topic in the student's discipline.

Students initiate and complete and independent research project using either primary or secondary data.  A variety of research designs and methodologies may be used as appropriate for the subject of study.  Each student works with a faculty mentor on this project. A written report is required.

Students will participate in a professionally supervised field work experience. A minimum of 120 work hours is required to earn 3 credits. The internship site will be selected by students with advisement from the faculty supervisor. The internship must be relevant to the student's specializations and career interests. The duties and responsibilities of the intern will need to be agreed upon by the faculty supervisor, the student, and the site supervisor. Students may complete internships that exceed 3 credits; an additional 40 hours of supervised work is required for each additional 1 credit hour.