SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology (4)
Introduces the sociological perspective in understanding the everyday lives of members of a society. Emphasizes the influence of socialization, culture, inequality, institutionalization, conflict and collective behavior. Focuses primarily on the United States. Meets new General Education Social Science requirement or 2023 General Education Social Sciences. Senior Sociology majors may not register for this course
SOC 110 Social Problems (4)
Examines social problems in industrial society, and how social institutions can lead to their creation, perpetuation, and solution. Focuses on particular social issues, such as poverty, power, race, ethnicity, gender roles, work, health, education, and war. Explores similarities and differences between sociological and other social science approaches to the study of social problems. Emphasis placed on the United States. Meets new General Education Social Science requirement.
SOC 200 Distinction: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation (4)
Examines the nature of social and cultural systems of distinction. Investigates cultural practices relevant to the constitution of such social constructs as race, class, gender, and sexuality. Emphasizes the processes through which such ideas, products of culturally and historically constructed social worlds, become parts of a taken-for-granted social universe. Integrates the relationship between conceptions of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and sociological and anthropological practice. Meets 2023 General Education Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice.
SOC 210 Sociology of the Family (4)
Analyzes the nature of gender roles in the family, a basic social institution. Examines various patterns of family organization and problems confronting the family. Emphasizes the family in the United States. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 220 Sociology of Gender (4)
Explores contemporary theories, understandings and performances of gender, with attention to the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality. Also examines the relationships of gender to life opportunities and experiences, social structures and societal reproduction. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 230 Sociology of Racial and Ethnic Relations (4)
Explores the complex and dynamic nature of race and ethnicity in American society, with a combined focus on historic and ethnographic approaches. Topics covered include the patterns of racial and ethnic inequality, the evolving social construction of race and ethnicity, the changing perceptions of and explanations for race relations, the intersection of race and ethnicity with other forces (such as social class and gender), and the social pressure for and against assimilation and acculturation. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 240 Class Inequality: Poverty and Wealth in the United States (4)
Focuses on income inequality in the United States, as defined as by an unequal distribution of wealth, power, and status. Addresses how inequality has become institutionalized, thereby becoming an important part of the everyday, taken-for-granted operation of society. Acknowledges how changes in these arrangements are resisted and how those groups at the bottom of the power hierarchy may acquiesce in their own exploitation. Examines the influence of economic systems, the race and gender systems, belief systems, political systems and state systems on inequality structures. Assesses the utility of qualitative research in providing a subjectivist understanding of poverty. Requires an experiential activity that may be off-campus. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or SOC 110 or equivalent.
SOC 250 Sociology Through Film (4)
Popular culture both reflects and influences larger trends in society. Feature-length film, as a pervasive form of media, will be used to illustrate sociological concepts and issues, with a particular focus on how films reinforce and reproduce dominant cultural themes. Possible topics include social class and the American Dream, race relations and institutional violence, corporate crime, and love, connection, and alienation in modern life. Through lecture and class discussion, students will become acquainted with the social forces and dynamics related to these and other concepts and examine how these themes are depicted in popular movies. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 251 Sociology of Crime (4)
Introduces the study of crime and the criminal justice system. Examines the causes of crime, including violent crime, crimes against property, substance abuse, sexual offenses, white collar, and organized crime. Considers the efforts of the police, courts, penal system, and community to deal with the various types of crime, as well as the social policy implications of our understanding of and approaches to the problem of crime. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or SOC 110 or an introductory sociology course.
SOC 260 Cults and New Religious Movements (4)
This course serves as an introduction to the social-scientific study of NRMs within North America. Its main goal is to provide you with a critical understanding of major concepts and controversies surrounding NRMs. In a more practical sense it will expose you to a survey of the relevant social-scientific research, while simultaneously introducing you to prominent examples of different types of NRMs (e.g., Heaven’s Gate, The People’s Temple, the Branch Davidians, the Unification Church, The Children of God, Aum Shinrykyo, Scientology). Prerequisties: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 290 Special Topics in Sociology (1-4)
Treatment of a special topic in Sociology. Provides student with the opportunity to investigate sociological subject matter. Students may receive credit in future semester for different topic area. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 310 History of Sociological Theory (4)
Presents a historical overview of the emergence and development of sociological theory, with emphasis on theorists such as Comte, Spencer, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Mead, and post‑WWII theorists. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 314 Sociology of Deviance (4)
Presents major sociological theories of deviance. Examines specific forms of deviance, such as drug abuse, crime, sexual deviance, and mental illness. Prerequisite: ANT 301 or SOC 110 or an introductory anthropology or sociology course. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 320 Social Policy (4)
Examines various attempts to apply social science knowledge to address social problems and bring about appropriate change in human behavior. Explores the process by which social policy is developed and implemented. Examples are taken from both the United States and other cultures. Among possible topics are social service, needs assessment, health and healing, work, education, and technological change. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 332 Methods of Inquiry (4)
Provides experience in the design and implementation of social science research. Topics covered include philosophies of social science, development of theories and hypotheses, modes of observation, methods of sampling and techniques of analysis. Students will design and implement several research projects during the semester. Use of computers is required, though no prior experience is assumed. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and STA 100 or their equivalents.
SOC 350 Chemical Dependencies and Human Behavior (4)
Explores sociological perspectives on the acquisition, continuation, and elimination of human dependency on chemical substances like drugs and alcohol. Aims to bridge the gap between professional and academic skills and information. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 362 The Sociology of Terrorism (4)
The Sociology of Terrorism is a course that examines the social scientific phenomenon of terrorism, which has re-emerged as a major focus of Western political and social study in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The course will begin by taking an evolutionary approach to defining terrorism by grounding it in its historical roots and tracing its growth to contemporary forms of terrorism. The middle section of the course is devoted to examining the “how” and the “why” behind terrorism and political violence, paying particular attention to issues surrounding the media, radicalization, and suicide terrorism. It then concludes with an examination of how governments combat terrorist groups, how terrorist groups eventually disengage from violence and a consideration of the future of terrorism. This course relies primarily on sociological approaches to understanding terrorism, but will at times focus on material from other disciplines, such as social psychology and political science. The aim of the course is to introduce the student to key issues, while teaching how to cogently and critically analyze contemporary issues surrounding terrorism and political violence. Prerequisites: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 367 American Protest Movements (4)
An interdisciplinary course that examines the phenomenon of protest movements in America historically and social scientifically, especially sociologically. Protest movements have been studied by scholars for decades. We will explore the history of protest, up to and including the growth of contemporary forms of protest movements. We will examine why people protest, and how they protest, paying particular attention to issues surrounding strategy and tactics, the media, civil disobedience, the relationship between protest movements and the authorities, protest and coalition building, and the institutionalization of protest. Finally, we will analyze whether protest actually matters- why do some movements succeed while others fail, and what is the meaning of success and failure, and for whom. In very general terms, by the end of the course, we will be able to determine whether protest in an inherent part of American society and of the identity of America. This course relies primarily on historical and social scientific approaches to understanding protest movements, but in recognition of the complexity of the phenomenon of dissent, will at times also focus on materials from other disciplines, such as social psychology and the arts. The aim of the course is to introduce the student to key issues, while teaching how to cogently and critically analyze contemporary issues surrounding dissent and protest movements. Students who have completed SOC 367 for credit cannot also take IDS 367 or HIS 367.
SOC 370 Sociology of Health and Illness (4)
Integrates varied sociological perspectives with the study of health and illness. Investigates the relationship between social structure and the experience of health or illness. Examines the organization and delivery of medical services in the United States. Focuses on the individual’s experience of illness. Links sociological theory and sociological practice in the healthcare arena. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 380 Returning From War (4)
The problems facing veterans, as well as their families and communities, as individuals return from wart are explored here, including the experience of war, the physical and emotional consequences of war, as well as the social context in which war is waged and individuals attempt to return to their non-combat lives. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent.
SOC 410 Power and Violence in the Family (4)
Issues of power and control are part of every relationship and can lead to emotional, physical, and sexual violence. Through lectures and class discussion the student will gain an understanding of the fundamental dynamics of abusive situations, the consequences for all concerned, and the policy implications. (Designed specifically to meet the needs of students interested in the human services field.) Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 411 Sociology of Community (4)
Explores a range of communities, including urban, rural, suburban, and virtual. Takes an active approach to examining problems facing communities, including poverty, crime, growth and economic revitalization, and explores ways of addressing these problems. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 424 Social Welfare Policy (4)
Investigates the history, concepts, programs, and practices of social welfare policies in the United States. Promotes an appreciation for the interrelatedness of practice and policy analysis in the field of social welfare scholarship. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 440 Fundamentals of Grant Writing (4)
Provides an overview of the fundamentals of grant writing, including locating funding sources, program design and program evaluation. Prerequisites: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 446 The Individual and Society (4)
Presents various ways to conceptualize the mutual influences of individual‑level and social‑structural processes. Addresses specific topics within social psychology, “human nature,” communication and language, perception, socialization, and the acquisition of roles, ideologies, and values. Embraces the symbolic interactionist perspective. Focuses on understanding alcoholism. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 450 Sociology of Corrections (4)
Introduces students to correctional institutions by examining the history and philosophy of corrections; the social organization of prison societies as total institutions; the management of prisons; prison violence and court‑mandated attempts to restore civility; jails and community corrections; and critiques of traditional approaches to corrections. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 452 White Collar Crime (4)
Focuses upon crime that occurs within organizational and occupational contexts. Applies the major theories of crime causation to such illegality whether committed for the benefit of an employing organization, by individuals through the exercise of State authority, by individuals in their particular professional capacity, or for other types of individual gain. Explores legal and social strategies for controlling these practices. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 453 Comparative Criminal Justice Systems (4)
Compares the American Criminal Justice System to Criminal Justice Systems of a number of other advanced industrial societies, especially in Western Europe. Focal areas include overall policy/philosophy and social organization. Special emphasis upon the alternatives to American approaches, referred to broadly as harm reduction, including decriminalization, diversion before entering the CJS, diversion after entering the CJS, effective rehabilitation, and successful re-entry. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 455 Sociology of Law and the Courts (4)
Examines the social origins of law and the institutions by which it is administered; the effect of law on the reproduction of social arrangements; the history of legal ideas and their influence on legislation and court precedents; and the relation of law to the problem of social order and control. Primary emphasis is on criminal law and courts. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 465 Sociology of Occupations and Professions (4)
Presents previous and current sociological approaches to the structure of labor markets, both occupational and professional. Analyzes changes in these markets. Examines the relations between labor markets and other social institutions, such as the family, the school, race/ethnicity, gender, and class. Analyzes professions as particular types of occupation, the social consequences of professionalization, and the implications of current patterns of labor market recruitment, mobility, segregation, and segmentation. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 480 Social Network Analysis (4)
This seminar will provide you with an introduction to the theories and methods related to the social-scientific study of networks, as well as familiarity with the most commonly used social network analysis software: UCInet. As a result, there will be a balance between lecture classes, where core theoretical and methodological concepts related to SNA will be presented and discussed, and lab classes where you will learn hands on skills related to gathering, analyzing, and interpreting relational data. While you will undoubtedly encounter formulae and mathematical equations throughout the duration of this course, there will be a particular emphasis on applied knowledge of social network methods. Prerequisites: SOC 100 or equivalent, SOC 332, STA 100.
SOC 490 Selected Topics in Sociology (4)
An in-depth treatment of a selected topic in Sociology. Provides students with the opportunity to investigate sociological subject matter. Students may receive credit in a future semester for different topic areas. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course.
SOC 491 Independent Study (Variable 1‑4)
Provides a structure for extensive study and/or directed research (under faculty supervision) on a topic. Application form must include a description of the project, its duration, its educational goals, method for its evaluation, and a suggested number of credits. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent and one 200 level or one 300 level Sociology course. Sociology majors or minors only; permission of instructor and program coordinator required.
SOC 493 Senior Seminar in Sociology (4)
Explores in depth a particular sociological topic chosen by the instructor. Emphasizes critical analysis of current sociological literature and the development of independent projects by students. Topic varies. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or equivalent, 310 and SOC 332. Permission of instructor required.
SOC 495 Practicum in Sociology (4)
Integrates academic and practical experience during one semester placement in an appropriate social service, criminal justice, or work‑related community setting. Involves execution of a social practice project, negotiated among student, staff, and placement supervisor. Students must apply for admission to the course. Prerequisites: SOC 100 or equivalent, 3.0 GPA, completion of at least 2 sociology classes on this campus prior to the start of this class and permission of instructor.