Course Descriptions for Sociology

To view the current course schedule go to Cardinal Station.

SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology
3 Credits

The major objective of this course is to introduce students to sociology – the scientific study of human society and social behavior. All areas of social life will be examined including work, community, religion, schools, family, gender, race, class, stratification/inequality, and crime/deviance.  Both the theories and methods of sociology will be reviewed.  Primary concerns of the course will include the ways in which our behavior is influenced by groups; the nature and functions of the social institutions which we have created; and the relationship that exists between the individual and society.

SOC 102: Global Social Problems and Social Justice
3 Credits

Sociological analysis of selected social problems. Discussion of the causes of social problems, the processes by which they are brought to public attention, and evaluation of attempts to solve them. Most Recent SOC 102 Syllabus

SOC 177: Freshman Seminar
3 Credits

This course will take a sociological perspective in examining and understanding the wide range of groups, subcultures, and social patterns experienced by students at U.S. colleges and universities. All aspects of student life will be examined. Some topics for consideration will include: Fraternity and sport subcultures; gender issues on campuses; what it takes to get ahead; race and class differences in college experiences; variations across types of colleges (e.g. public vs. private, single sex vs. co-ed); degrees as credentials; the relation between college majors and eventual occupations; and political correctness in campus life. The topics will be explored through lectures, discussions, small group projects, and first-hand observations of campus life.

SOC 201: The Human Condition: Culture, Society, and Personality
3 Credits

Introduction to the social sciences. Exposes students to the notion of culture, its key concepts and propositions. Discusses various aspects of societal institutions, social interaction, and social life, and examines major theories of personality formation and development. Provides an overall view of the interrelations between culture, society, personality, and organism. Faculty.

SOC 202: Research Methods
3 Credits

Introduction to the logic and strategy of the scientific method in the social sciences. Students follow the research process from the formation of hypotheses, through study design, data collection and analysis, to report writing, and gain sufficient familiarity with observation and experimental techniques, field surveys, and documentary evidence to conduct research or evaluate that of others.

SOC 205: Sociology of Crime
3 Credits

Analysis of causes and consequences of criminal behavior. Exploration of the racial, socioeconomic, and other factors influencing the definition, treatment, and amelioration of criminal behavior.

SOC 206: Marriage and the Family
3 Credits

The structure and functions of families in contemporary America and in other settings. Selecting partners, rearing children; old people, nuclear families, extended families, alternative forms, one-parent families, and childless families.

SOC 208: Sociology of Delinquency
3 Credits

Presentation and evaluation of theories of delinquency. Comprehensive coverage of empirical research on diverse forms of delinquent activity. Special focus on the effects of religiosity on delinquent behavior.

SOC 225: Manners, Morals, and Music, The Sociology of Culture
3 Credits

Surveys the way sociologists have studied the homo sapiens' capacity to create language, beliefs, values, norms, practices, and material objects, all of which become symbolic tools. Analyzes the different concepts of human culture with discussion of the relationship between culture and social structure. Studies include focusing on the "fine" arts, popular culture, political culture, media culture, and religious culture. Faculty.

SOC 226: Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution
3 Credits

The sociological perspective on the interdisciplinary field of peace studies and conflict resolution, which has emerged in the last twenty years. The study of contemporary global and regional wars, local conflicts and violence, and the most recent theories pertaining to these phenomena. The study of nonviolent social movements and their strategies. A required introductory course in the Peace and World Order Studies concentration.

SOC 230: Jackie Robinson:Race, Sports, and the American Dream
3 Credits

Based on the premise that Jackie Robinson transcended sports, and that his arrival was a defining moment in the history of the United States, this course examines how he transformed the American and political scene as an athlete, civil rights leader, and American hero. The course will explore how Robinson's struggles and accomplishments help us understand current events related to race, sports, and American society. It is, in essence, a study of the remarkable transformations that America has experiences in the last half century. It is also an assessment of where we are now and how far we still need to go to make the "American dream" universally attainable.

SOC 241: Religion in the Modern World
3 Credits

In a time of heightened societal interest in religion, covers new forms of social organizations of religious beliefs and practices (e.g., televangelism) and of social movements of clearly religious character (Pentecostal), as well as religious cults, which have taken hold in a variety of countries. Study of various forms of religious activity. The role of contemporary Catholicism in light of the intellectual activity of Pope John Paul.

SOC 301: Statistics of Analysis for Social Science I
3 Credits

Introduction to social statistics and computer use. Descriptive statistics, univariate inference, bivariate descriptions, and table analysis. Computer training on SPSS and Harvard Graphics. Data entry and dataset management.

SOC 312: Minority Relations
3 Credits

Introduction to minority-majority relations, especially in America. Nature of prejudice and discrimination. Social change in race relations. Emphasis on historical development of blacks, white ethnic groups, and religious groups. Faculty.

SOC 321: Adolescence in America
3 Credits

The history of adolescence as a distinct stage of life. Physical development and sexual development. Effects of family life and school experiences. Problems of alienation, deviance, delinquency. Development of self-concept and self-esteem. Patterns of matchmaking and marriage.

SOC 324: Succeeding in America
3 Credits

Explores the sociological theories about achieving educational and occupational success in the United States society. Basic theories about social mobility and social stratification applied to the everyday experiences of "getting an education" and "getting a job." Attempts to explain how certain groups of people attain credentials, which in turn help them to attain positions in the American society. Faculty.

SOC 328: Death and Dying
3 Credits

Examines death and dying from the point of view of the dying person and in the context of medical, legal, family, and religious institutions. Examines attitudes about death and how these vary historically, cross-culturally, and across race, gender, age, and social class groups. A special focus will be on the role of technology in affecting the dying experience.

SOC 331: Globalization & Social Movement
3 Credits

This course deals with the most prominent and persistent of all factors of social change: revolutions and social movements around the world, and the changes in society which precipitated them. It presents a study of how dramatic events in the twentieth century resulted in concerted efforts of large groups of people to bring about change. Theoretical and empirical aspects of social movements research are evaluated.

 

SOC 332: Org of Contemp Wrld Society
3 Credits

Various types of social organization in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Democratic and authoritarian types of society; open and closed systems. Treatment of major theories of social diffusion, innovation, and dependency. Meets the Peace and World Order Studies requirement.

SOC 333: Human Population
3 Credits

An introduction to basic demographic concepts, measures, and research. Studies of population problems, including population growth, composition, distribution, fertility, and migration. Environmental factors in population growth. Evaluation of present-day population policies.

SOC 334: Capitalism, Globalization and Consumption
3 Credits

This course presents students with a systematic analysis of the origins, emergence and transformations of modern capitalism. It examines the role of the money, open markets, mass consumption, and the logics of globalization. It introduces most recent critiques of global capitalism. Students will learn about the interfaces and discontinuities between the economy and society, and in particular about economic market integration and its impact on states and societies. Material includes works of Gilpin, Greenfeld, Lindblom, de Soto, Soros, and Weber.

SOC 342: Occupations and Professions
3 Credits

The structure of the labor force and differentiation of work rules in modern society, with emphasis on the United States. Occupational ideology, careers, and commitment. Occupational organizations and professionalization. Offered in alternate years.

SOC 345: Sociology of Sports
3 Credits

Sports as a social institution, including professionalization, labor relations, the Olympics, and other issues from a sociological perspective. Interactions with other institutions such as the economy, politics, and religion. Socialization, gender, race, and deviance within sports. The historical significance of sports as an American and international institution. Faculty.

SOC 350: Sociology and Cyberspace
3 Credits

How modern culture and institutions have been changed by access to the Internet; new forms of communications; the World Wide Web; effects of instant access, anonymity, and new concepts of gender, race, and class, on human thinking, learning, and norms. Taught in computer-equipped classroom. Faculty.

SOC 351: Critical Issues in Cyberspace Media
3 Credits

Using postmodern, modern, and traditional media theory, examines critical and contested issues in the emerging world of online media and computer-mediated communication known collectively as "cybermedia". Topics include privacy and encryption, regulation and free speech, authentication and censorship, jurisdiction and liability, copyright and ownership of content, story cycle issues, access, criminal speech/behavior, and the interaction of cybermedia with traditional media. Faculty.

SOC 352: Contemporary Sociological Theory
3 Credits

Sociological theory consists of a variegated spectrum of perspectives, approaches and ways of seeing that attempt to interpret social phenomena and to explain them against the backdrop of somewhat systematized body of knowledge. The objective of this course is to familiarize students with various theoretical perspectives, with different sociological approaches and to provide them with analytical skills that can be applied to a variety of social problems. We shall therefore examine various sociological theories from the perspective of their explanatory capacity as far as good society is concerned. Students will learn about the deficiencies of theories and the weaknesses of essential concepts. Subsequently, it deals with classical, modern, and post- modern interpretations of society.

SOC 373: Cross Cultural Gender Studies
3 Credits

This course undertakes a survey of gender systems across societies. An examination of gender in the United States, Latin America, Africa, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and other countries reveals the extent to which gender is a result of social shaping. Diversity across countries in the way that gender is structured into economic, religious, family, and political institutions is a major focus.

SOC 413: Sex and Society
3 Credits

Examines the different roles prescribed to individuals on the basis of gender. Socialization experiences at different stages in the life cycle. Consequences of gender roles for home and family life, work roles, achievement, mental health, and physical health.

SOC 423: Social Change
3 Credits

How various components of society are rearranged, reorganized, and reconfigured in a variety of cultures, incuding the United States, the former U.S.S.R., Germany, and Iran. Topics include breakdown of rural life and growth of cities; the undermining of authority systems, moral codes, and established values; the stimulation of discontent; cultivation of new tastes and aspirations; formation of new standards of living; changes in family structure, class structure, religion, education, and industry.

SOC 424: Conflict and Conflict Resolution
3 Credits

A proseminar treating conflict at various levels of social life as inherent in the social process, but also as increasingly hazardous in a pluralistic yet interdependent world in the nonviolent management and resolution of conflict, and related issues of justice. Some applied projects (field work, role-playing exercises, etc.). Final course in the Peace and World Order Studies subconcentration. Faculty.

SOC 430: The Cities of Europe
3 Credits

Examination of cities of Europe as a cradle of the processes of modernity, transition to capitalism, centralization of modern social structures and institutions. Examination of the city as scene and product of complex struggles for domination, and as a laboratory for balancing spontaneous and uncontrollable processes of growth against attempts to control the environment through planning.

SOC 450: Race Relations in Feature Film
3 Credits

no description available

SOC 451: Senior Coordinating Seminar - Fall Semester
3 Credits

Religion, modernity, and social action. This seminar ties together previous sociological education and identifies areas worthy of further study by sociology professionals. For those students who opt to write a thesis rather than take the department's comprehensive exam, guidance is provided during the semester.

SOC 452: Senior Coordinating Seminar - Spring Semester
3 Credits

This seminar draws on the students' prior learning in sociology and other fields in the liberal arts curriculum, and coordinates various approaches to the understanding of reality. Critical analysis in classroom discussions of insights gained from other disciplines which, in turn, serve as a basis for analyzing other approaches.

SOC 460: Political Sociology
3 Credits

Examination of political cultures and institutions of contemporary societies, including the United States, Europe, and Asia. The role of the state, and of political elite groups. Evaluation of autonomy versus infrastructural power. Examination of the role of political dissent.

SOC 473: Gender Across Societies
3 Credits

no description available

SOC 480: Sociology Internship
3 Credits

Students who wish to undertake academically supervised field work may register for an internship. The student identifies an internship opportunity through the faculty, personal contact, or notices posted in the Sociology department or Career Services. After negotiating duties with the sponsor and obtaining written approval of the department chair, the student is eligible for credit. The student's progress is monitored by a faculty member of the department. The grade is assigned based on the sponsor's assessment, review of the intern's work on the job, assignment of written reports, short papers and/or an examination. Undergraduate students may take up to two internships for credit.

SOC 495: Independent Research
3 Credits

Independent research under the guidance of a faculty member. The student is expected to complete a paper in an area of special interest. Prerequisite: Permission of adviser. Faculty.

SOC 496: Independent Research
3 Credits

Independent research under the guidance of a faculty member. The student is expected to complete a paper in an area of special interest. Prerequisite: Permission of adviser. Faculty.

SOC 499: Selected Topics in Sociology
3 Credits

From time to time special topics of interest to faculty and students are offered. Consult the department or course schedule to determine offerings in a given semester. Faculty.

SOC 501: Research Design and Methods
3 Credits

Development and testing of sociological hypotheses. Classroom and field study of research designs, data gathering, measurement, and analysis.

SOC 502: Social Science Data Analysis
3 Credits

Multivariate analysis of categorical data of the kind encountered in social science research. Log-linear models for multiway contingency tables are used for testing hypothesis and constructing theories. Exercises using computer programs and discussion of research processes.

SOC 503: Social Statistics
3 Credits

Logic of statistics. Description and the single variable: central tendency, variation. Univariate inference. Bivariate description: metric and nonmetric association, correlation. Bivariate inference: significance. Elementary probability.

SOC 505: Sociology of Deviance
3 Credits

no description available

SOC 512: Theories of Comparative Societies
3 Credits

An examination of major, current theoretical developments: symbolic interaction, exchange theory, structural-functionalism, conflict theory, ethnomethodology, and radical sociology, with special emphasis on points of convergence and divergence.

SOC 513: Data Handling in Social Science
3 Credits

Training in computer hardware and software used by social scientists in creating and manipulating data sets. Includes exposure to SPSS, SAS, data entry and standard word processing packages.

SOC 514: Sex and Society
3 Credits

Analysis and theoretical understanding of gender stratification and inequalities. Examination of why gender inequalities develop, why they are greater in some societies than in others, and how they are perpetuated across generations. Special focus on the occupational and family spheres.

SOC 524: Minority Relations
3 Credits

Introduction to minority-majority relations, especially in North America. The nature of prejudice, d