Sociology Courses

New Social Science Requirements

Every student must successfully complete 6 credits in a single department: African-American and African Studies, Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work, or Sociology. The following courses fulfill the social sciences requirement:

21&62:920:201. INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY, I (3)

Study of society: social structure, culture, and social interaction; the nature and historical developments of modern forms of social organization and social relationships.

and one of the following:

21&62:920:316. RACE AND ETHNICITY IN MULTICULTURAL SOCIETIES (3)

Comparative view of ethnic relations; origins in migration and mixture of populations; social-psychological consequences of stratification along racial and ethnic lines; prejudice; special emphasis on black Americans.

21&62:920:321. SUBURBS, CITIES, AND INNER CITIES (3)

The city as a mosaic of communities; persistence and change in the structure of urban neighborhoods; city life and the urban personality; the sociology of community planning; the future of neighborhood, suburb, and city.

21&62:920:326. AMERICAN SOCIETY/AMERICAN COMMUNITIES - STRUCTURES and CHANGE.

All Anthropology Courses:

21&62:920:201. INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY, I (3)

Study of society: social structure, culture, and social interaction; the nature and historical developments of modern forms of social organization and social relationships.

21&62:920:202. INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY, II (3)

Critical themes in modern sociology. Emphasis on communities, minorities, education, religion, leisure, the family, and the economy.

21&62:920:209. CRIME AND JUSTICE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY (3)

Analysis of major criminal justice institutions in American society; the function of courts, police, and judicial systems in helping or impairing the fair administration of criminal law.

21&62:920:301-302. SOCIAL RESEARCH I, II (4,4)

Lec. 3 hrs., lab. 3 hrs. Prerequisites: 21&62:920:201, 202, or equivalent. The art and the science of doing research; how to develop a researchable question (hypothesis construction and causal modeling); how to collect (observation, surveys, experiments, and secondary analysis) and analyze data (statistics); and how to write a scientific report. Independent research project required.

21&62:920:303. SOCIAL CHANGE AND GLOBALIZATION (3)

Causes and consequences of change, as it touches individuals, small groups, communities, organizations, and societies; analyzes intended and unforeseen changes in both current social relations and the history of social structures.

21&62:920:304. SOCIAL PROBLEMS (3)

Social problems facing Americans today; causes and processes underlying these problems; evaluation of proposed solutions.

21&62:920:306. MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY (3)

The institution of the family; emphasis on the modern American family and the current search for alternatives to the traditional monogamous family.

21&62:920:307. SOCIAL PROTEST AND REVOLUTION (3)

Problem of order in social groups and entire societies; the production and enforcement of norms; the role of authority in social life; institutional integration and disintegration; oppression, revolution, and normative reconstruction.

21&62:920:308. SOCIAL PROTEST AND REVOLUTION (SOCIAL MOVEMENTS) (3)

The manifestations of social change as they appear in diffuse collective behavior and subsequent reintegrative social movements.

21&62:920:310. OCCUPATIONS AND PROFESSIONS (3)

Variations in cultural definitions of work, attitudes toward careers, and the social environment of work; the development of professions; occupational and professional recruitment.

21&62:920:311. SOCIOLOGY OF THE ECONOMY AND INDUSTRY (3)

Development and significance of modern industry and bureaucracy; division of labor; growth of corporations; interplay of formal and informal organization; sources of labor supply; the role of labor unions in industrial conflict; economic classes and status positions in large-scale organizations.

21&62:920:313. CRIMINOLOGY (3)

Crime and criminals in modern society, including causes of crime; machinery of justice; penal and correctional institutions; probation and parole; theories of crime and punishment.

21&62:920:314. BUREAUCRACY AND SOCIETY (3)

Causes and consequences of organizations; internal arrangements; effects of environment; organizational performances and effects on people.

21&62:920:315. THE PERSON IN SOCIETY (3)

The interaction between the development of the self and the social environment in which it occurs.

21&62:920:316. RACE AND ETHNICITY IN MULTICULTURAL SOCIETIES (3)

21&62:920:318. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH CARE (3)

The health care system in the U.S.; social behavior of patients and providers within the system; the role of the patient in the delivery of health care; the health professions; health service organizations.

21&62:920:327. PUBLIC OPINION AND COMMUNICATION (3)

Content and transmission of popular culture from a sociological perspective; evaluation of selected forms of popular art and their place in American culture; theories on the social evolution of popular forms from folk and elite cultures; methods employed in analysis of mass culture.

21&62:920:332. CLASS, STATUS, AND POWER (3)

Theories of inequality, social ranking, and the distribution of resources and opportunity as they affect individuals and groups in terms of crime, health, family life, and value systems.

21&62:920:333. JUNIOR READINGS IN SOCIOLOGY (3)

Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing, and permission of instructor. Critical readings and discussions of a group of classic works in the field of sociology and social research.

21&62:920:336. PUNISHMENT AND PRISONS (3)

Examines and analyzes major types of custodial and community-based criminal corrections in contemporary America. Discusses purposes of corrections, correctional organization, impact of corrections, and contemporary issues facing the field.

21&62:920:337. SOCIOLOGY OF SEX AND GENDER (3)

Relative statuses and roles of men and women in American society, including socialization; historical overview of sex statuses; differentials between males and females in educational and occupational sectors; personal relationships; sexuality.

21&62:920:338. SOCIOLOGY OF DEATH AND DYING (3)

Social factors that influence death and dying in the U.S.; characteristics of patients, professional staff, and institutions as these relate to the dying process and the definition of death; the routinization of death; the impact of technology on dying; current issues in the field.

21&62:920:340. SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION (3)

Social influences on religious organizations and religious beliefs; aims and methods in the study of churches, sects, cults, and civil religions.

21&62:920:344. SOCIOLOGY OF DEVIANCE (3)

Forms of social deviance; theories of deviant behavior; the amount and distribution of deviance in society; societal reaction to deviants and deviant behavior.

21&62:920:345. SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION (3)

The interaction between schools and society; basic social concepts such as stratification, social role, and bureaucratic organization as they relate to the educational system; the system in relation to the larger institutions in the society, with emphasis on both stated objectives and actual social functions.

21&62:920:346. POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY (3)

Perspectives on the nature, organization, and historical development of power in society; social dimensions of the state, democratic politics, and political change; consequences of the social organization of power for other elements of society.

21&62:920:349. LAW AND SOCIETY (3)

Law as a social institution; social processes in the creation and enforcement of law; the professions of law; law as product and producer of social change; ancient and modern legal institutions; modern societies and their legal systems.

21&62:920:354. APPLYING SOCIOLOGY (3)

Sociological practicum; the sociological meaning of the practical experiences in work, internships, volunteer programs, and other "real world" organizational settings.

21&62:920:375. POVERTY AND GROWTH IN AFRICA, ASIA, & LATIN AMERICA (3)

Comparative study of the developed and the less-developed nations, and of what separates the two; the growth of nationalism; the emergence of new elites; the roles of higher education and the military in development; the sociological determinants of economic growth; modernity as an individual and societal characteristic.

21&62:920:380. CIVIL CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE (3)

Analyzes conflict as a normal process in social life; the emergence and dynamics of conflict; the effects of conflict on individual values and social structures; the processes of conflict resolution; individual, group, and inter-social conflicts.

21&62:920:386. SOCIOLOGY OF SCIENCE (3)

Social organization of scientific knowledge; organization of scientific communities; inequalities among scientists; effects of scientific knowledge on modern ways of life.

62:920:393,394. TOPICAL ISSUES IN SOCIOLOGY (3,3)

Topics vary each term. Consult department for current information.

21&62:920:395. FIELD RESEARCH METHODS (3)

Non-quantitative observational and participant-observational research techniques.

21&62:920:408. SENIOR READING IN SOCIOLOGY (3)

Prerequisites: Senior standing and permission of instructor. Critical reading and discussion of monographs and journal literature dealing with selected issues in the field of sociology.

21&62:920:409. CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY (3)

Foundations of social theory; Comte, Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and other contributors to major orientations in the nature and historical development of modern society in the Western world.

21&62:920:415. CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY (3)

Prerequisite: 21&62:920:409 or permission of instructor. Current modes of theoretical analysis, and contemporary perspectives on the nature and historical development of modern forms of social organization and social relationships.

21&62:920:454. TOPICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE (3)

In-depth exploration of selected issues in criminal justice of general relevance and specific interest to course participants.

21&62:920:491,492. RESEARCH IN SOCIOLOGY (3,3)

Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing, and permission of instructor.

21&62:920:493. SEMINAR IN SOCIOLOGY (3)

Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing, and permission of instructor. Individualized study of a sociological topic.

21&62:920:494. CONFERENCE IN SOCIOLOGY (3)

Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing, and permission of instructor. Intensive study of one topic of sociology.

21&62:920:495,496. HONORS SEMINAR IN SOCIOLOGY (3,3)

Prerequisites: Completion of 24 credits in sociology and selection by the department as an outstanding student. For seniors who intend to pursue graduate training in sociology. Intensive review of general sociology and a practicum in conceptualizing and teaching it.

21&62:920:499. INDEPENDENT STUDY IN SOCIOLOGY (BA)

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor and department chairperson