Programs

Course Descriptions

SOC 100
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
3, 3/0; Y
An introduction to the study of human society, its culture, institutions, processes, and change; examination of socialization, relationships between and among individuals and groups in society. A prerequisite for all other undergraduate courses in sociology (except SOC 240, SOC 310, SOC 312, and SOC 320), and is required of all sociology majors. Useful for students planning careers in which they must interact with people of varying social and economic statuses.

SOC 199/GEG 199
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER USE IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
3, 3/0
Hands-on introduction to the application of computers to applied social research problems; review of past practices, current uses, and future trends; computer analysis of data.

SOC 240
ANALYZING SOCIAL PROBLEMS
3, 3/0; Y, 8
Analysis of several major social problems selected according to faculty and student needs and interests; a variety of approaches, techniques, and theories.

SOC 300
METHODS IN SOCIAL RESEARCH
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100.
The nature of scientific evidence, induction, and deduction; the application of scientific methods to sociological data; the use of statistics and other means of data collection; case histories, narrative and descriptive methods; methods of writing for publication; use of social materials from journals and books as illustrative material.

SOC 301
SOCIAL STATISTICS
4, 4/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100.
Statistical methods and reasoning will be used to analyze and clarify sociological information; Also, operationalizing variables; database management; probability; descriptive statistics; inferential statistics; and data presentation. Software applications, specifically SPSS and SAS, familiarize students with recent and powerful technology in the field.

SOC 302
APPLIED SOCIAL RESEARCH
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100.
Explores the relationship between applied social research and policy/decision making in organizations, agencies, and with individuals; applied research techniques will be presented and analyzed according to their utility in a variety of settings.

SOC 310
SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER AND SEX ROLES
3, 3/0; 8
Critical examination of the roles women and men play in society; social statuses of women and men will be analyzed historically, comparatively,
demographically, theoretically, and biologically; sociological implications of sex inequality in the economy and political systems, marriage, family relationships, and other social roles.

SOC 312
WOMEN IN SOCIETY
3, 3/0; 8
Multifaceted analysis of women in society; women's issues in relation to the social and natural sciences; critical examination of modern societies in light of women's perspectives.

SOC 320
SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100.  The family as a social institution, its historical development, function and structure, and interaction with other institutions; cross cultural comparisons, The current status of the family, diversity in contemporary American families, as well as stability and change in the life course of families.

SOC 321/AAS 321
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY
3, 3/0; 8
Prerequisite: SOC 100. The relationship of American social institutions and the African American family; familial relations within the African American family. Useful for students who will interact with a diverse population in their careers, e.g., education and service occupations.

SOC 322
SOCIOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. The social construction of childhood and adolescence; interactive nature of the socialization process; children's production of peer culture; global social problems faced by children and youth.

SOC/SSE 323
SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. The social organization of education in the U.S. and elsewhere, and schools as social institutions reflecting and influencing society; roles and behaviors of participants in the educational system; educational goals, theories, philosophies, and methods; educational achievements, historical developments, and future trends.

SOC 324/HPR 319
SOCIOLOGY OF SPORT
3, 3/0
Presents a coherent and integrated application of the sociological perspective to sport; the social organization of sports-related activities; the norms, goals, and values of sport using theoretical frameworks and empirical tools of the social sciences.

SOC 330
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Human motivation and the nature of attitudes; attitude change and stability; social phenomena such as interpersonal perception and behavior, role prescriptions and role conflict, prejudice, and conflict resolution.

SOC 331
SOCIOLOGY OF GROUP DYNAMICS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. The social structure and social dynamics of social groups; the division of labor, types of leadership, communication and authority structures, social conflict, and social control mechanisms; the relationship of the individual to the group; comparisons of different types of "natural" groups such as family, peers, work groups, and the use of "experimental" groups to investigate aspects of group life.

SOC 333
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Social movements, their character, development, dynamics, and consequences; the relationship between discontent at the individual and wider social levels. Selected social movements and sociological theories.

SOC 340
SOCIOLOGY OF THE CITY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. The social organization of urban life in the U.S. and elsewhere, with emphasis on the growth and development of cities and metropolitan areas; lifestyle in the city and suburbs; the relationship of power and social control to urban stratification and the distribution of wealth; racial and ethnic distribution and relationships in urban settings; such urban problems as poverty, blight, crime and violence; and urban planning and redevelopment.

SOC 341
SOCIOLOGY OF HUMAN ECOLOGY
3, 3/0
The interaction of people and the environment and its effect on the quality of living; social problems such as poverty, crime, physical and mental illness, and various types of pollution.

SOC 350
POWER, CLASS, AND INEQUALITY
3, 3/0; 8
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Historical and contemporary dimensions of social inequality and power differentials in the United States and globally; contrasting theoretical interpretations of the origins and significance of social inequality; the intersectional relationship between inequality on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, and class; current trends and projected transformations in social inequality.

SOC 351
SOCIOLOGY OF RACE AND ETHNICITY
3, 3/0; 8
Prerequisite: SOC 100. The status of racial and ethnic groups in American and other societies; forms, causes, and effects of prejudice, and ethnic conflicts and the changing relationships of these groups to the larger society. Possible solutions to social problems involving issues of race and ethnicity are also explored.

SOC 352
SOCIOLOGY OF AGING
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. How society structures the experience of aging; major transitions and role changes experienced by the elderly within social institutions such as family, the economy, and religion; understanding the way these same institutions adapt to an aging population. Includes investigation of programs and policies aimed at assisting individuals at varying levels of independence throughout the aging process.

SOC 353
ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 6 credit hours of sociology.
Analyzes the crisis of the environment (global, national, and local levels) using empirical and theoretical methods; the "toxics crisis;" Central America; work; environmental racism. Interprets societal structures and processes that lead to ecological crises and responses to them.

SOC 360
SOCIOLOGY OF WORK
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. The social relations surrounding the world of work as the contours of modern urban-industrial society emerge, mature, and begin to decline; typical forms of work in industry; the functions of work organizations; changing of structures of social class; patterns of labor relations; the transfer of these forms to non-industrial and government contexts; how these factors influence the interest and meaning workers find in their work; the consequences for social action and social change.

SOC 361
INDUSTRIAL SOCIOLOGY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Presents major theories on group process within the workplace; issues that affect workers' attitudes, behavior, and productivity; the social organization of the workplace; the impact of technology; the meaningfulness of work; reactions to change; the balance of internal and external factors. The internal dynamics of the workplace within the context of larger issues, such as the capitalist organization of production and the tendency toward globalization.

SOC 362
SOCIOLOGY OF ORGANIZATIONS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Characteristics of, and relations among, multilevel organizational structures (formal and informal), behavior within organizations, and the behavior of organizations; the effects of organizational environments and networks within organizations.

SOC 370
SOCIOLOGY OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Deviant behavior in American society; its nature, theoretical perspectives, and societal reactions; deviance as both an interactive and political process; specific behaviors may include substance abuse, sexual deviance, crime and delinquency, mental illness, and social protest.

SOC 380
SOCIOLOGY OF CRIME
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Crime, its nature, variation, and causation; social responses to crime; methods of crime prevention, punishment, and treatment of offenders. Theoretical perspectives and controversies are presented in social and historical context.

SOC 381
SOCIOLOGY OF VIOLENCE
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. An analysis of various manifestations of violence. Theories of violence will be presented, as well as investigation into such specific topics as child abuse, battered spouses, rape, violence in schools, and collective violence; programs which deal with violence.

SOC 382
SOCIOLOGY OF LAW
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. The numerous ways in which law permeates all forms of social behavior; the law itself and the social context within which it has been created and exists; dominant theoretical perspectives and sociological methods used to explain the interrelationships between law and society. Types and purposes of law, major legal organizations, the lawmaking process, law and social control, law and dispute resolution, law and social change, and the legal profession.

SOC 383
SOCIOLOGY OF PUNISHMENT AND CORRECTIONS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Recent theories and research findings regarding correctional practice; offender typologies, the nature and forms of treatment, and obstacles to treatment.

SOC 384
SOCIOLOGY OF MURDER
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100.
Sociological findings and theory concerning various manifestations of murder; homicide, genocide, serial killing, and simultaneous killing; profiles of murderers and discussion and analysis of social factors conducive to murder.

SOC 390
SOCIOLOGY OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Juvenile delinquency; description, extent, and sociological theories of explanation; institutions and agencies dealing with and/or attempting to prevent delinquency, including courts, law enforcement
agencies, social service agencies, and educational institutions; development of data.

SOC 391
SOCIOLOGY OF ADDICTION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Alcohol and drug abuse as a social problem and a sociological phenomenon; nature of drug and alcohol abuse, the situations in which this behavior occurs, and the characteristics of users; legal, medical, and other efforts made to influence addicts.

SOC 392
SOCIOLOGY OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Recent sociological findings concerning sexual behavior as a social process; the nature of various sexual practices, such as homosexuality and sadomasochism in light of sociological theory; sociological literature concerning sexual behavior with special emphasis on the interactionist approach.

SOC 393
SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL ILLNESS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Sociological perspectives on mental health and illness, including their social histories; evaluation of social factors and processes involved in modern approaches to the causes and treatment of mental illness; problems of definition and diagnosis; recent research findings in areas of epidemiology, institutional care and control of the mentally ill, the care of mental patients, and social issues.

SOC 400
FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHT
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: SOC 100 and 6 additional credit hours in sociology.
Ideas developed by the early founders of sociology, including Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and their contemporaries.

SOC 408
CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: SOC 100 and 6 additional credit hours of sociology.
The significance and uses of sociological theory; major current approaches to understanding society and social life; contemporary Marxism, conflict theory, functionalism, and other social order theories; the interpretive theories such as symbolic interactionism, phenomenological sociology, and ethnomethodology; and theories of rational choice such as behavioral sociology and exchange theory. Newly developing perspectives such as feminist theory and postmodernism.

SOC 415
POPULATION ANALYSIS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Applied formal, social, and economic demography. Includes the study of treatment of birth, death, and migration. Methods of population measurement and projection, and sources of demographic data; hands-on experience in computer analysis of population data using general statistical packages and/or programs customized for use in population analysis.

SOC 420
SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Theories in the sociology of religion; Religion and social change; religion in society; church and sect; social class and religion; the role of minister, priest and rabbi.

SOC 430
SOCIOLOGY OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND UNDERDEVELOPMENT
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: SOC 100 and upper-division status. Societal development and change on an international level with particular emphasis on the third world; the major sociological theoretical models, conceptual frameworks and assumptions of development; the emergence and dynamics of the world system; the international division of labor; the interplay of development with gender, race, and ethnicity; social policy alternatives and strategies of social change and liberation.

SOC 486
PRACTICUM IN APPLIED SOCIOLOGY
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: SOC 100. The study of field research techniques in the classroom, subsequently applied during the completion of 75 hours of field experience working with an agency or organization in the community.

SOC 488
INTERNSHIP IN SOCIOLOGY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: SOC 486; Faculty intern supervisor
permission. Supervised fieldwork in appropriate agencies where students expand their knowledge of sociology and establish interactive ties in the job market. Academic components include orientation, training sessions, ongoing conferences with faculty/agency supervisor, log/journal of the field
experiences, and final report.

SOC 490
SEMINAR IN SOCIOLOGY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: SOC 100 and SOC 300.
Research in selected area(s) of sociology. Required for B.A. sociology majors with senior status.

SOC 491
TOPICAL SEMINAR IN SOCIOLOGY
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: SOC 100, 6 credit hours of sociology in a related field, and instructor permission.
In-depth special problems in sociology. Interested students should contact a member of the sociology faculty, who will secure approval from the Sociology Department. The course is then listed in the master schedule with a subtitle indicating the area of special concentration.

SOC 495
SPECIAL PROJECT

SOC 499
INDEPENDENT STUDY

Graduate Courses

SOC 501
CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL
PROBLEMS
3, 3/0; Offered by contract only.
Prerequisite: SOC 100.
Problem areas of American society; sources of information; techniques for discovering and analyzing social problems; analysis of several major problems, selected in accordance with student needs and interests.

SOC 505
TECHNOLOGY, SOCIETY, AND
SELF
3, 3/0; Offered by contract only.
Prerequisite: SOC 100.
Interplay between society, technology, and science; social organization of research; social factors fostering research and development; consequences of science and technology for society, various institutions, subgroups within society, and individuals in society.

SOC 506
MINORITY GROUPS IN AMERICAN
CULTURE
3, 3/0; Offered by contract only.
Prerequisite: SOC 100.
Current and historical sociocultural characteristics, experiences, and development of major religious, racial, and ethnic minorities; social conflict, current trends, and recent issues in minority-majority social relationships.

SOC 590
INDEPENDENT STUDY
3, 0/0

SOC 690
MASTER’S PROJECT
3, 0/0

SOC 695
MASTER’S THESIS
3, 0/0