SOC 100 - Introductory Sociology (3 credits)

Sociology is the scientific study of society. More specifically, it is the study of ways in which humans construct meanings and organize social relationships and activities. This discipline seeks to develop students' ability to observe and think critically about their own and other societies and to become more sensitive to behavioral and value differences among people (which powerfully shape attitudes and opinions). Serious students of sociology will learn that sociological concepts, theories, and methods are powerful analytical tools for making connections between personal problems and larger social issues and for understanding how local, regional, national and global communities are intertwined. Such understanding and skills will facilitate decision- making and constructive ethical and responsible action to address the issues we face today.

General education credit: Individual and Society
General education credit: Global Viewpoints

SOC 101 - Global Inequalities (3 credits)

Global Inequality is the study of ways in which humans construct meanings as they relate to similarities and differences and organize social relationships and activities in ways that advantage some groups over others. Special emphasis is paid to inequalities across and within countries, effects of imperialism and colonialism on linguistic or cultural diversity; theories of cultural development, the interconnections between and differences among local, national, and global communities; and the influence of cultural and socioeconomic background in shaping attitudes and opinions (in themselves and others).

General education credit: Cultural Pluralism
General education credit: Global Viewpoints

SOC 110 - Introduction to Race and Gender (3 credits)

This course is no longer available.

Issues of race and gender relations in the U.S. and other societies; basic information on race/gender and their forms and functions in multicultural, multi-ethnic society.

SOC 202 - Juvenile Delinquency (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100.

Definition; investigation of evidence and etiology; judicial change and youth corrections.

SOC 203 - Sociology of Corrections (3 credits)

This course is no longer available.

Survey of correction systems; historical trends, facilities and programs, alternatives to institutionalization such as probation and parole, and relations to society.

SOC 205 - Current Social Issues (3 credits)

Analysis of one or more major current issues, e.g., abortion, nuclear proliferation, poverty, or fundamentalist religious movements; advancement of student comprehension of social issues, using the
perspective and methods of sociology. Topic(s) will change regularly and will be announced at time of offering.

SOC 208 - Police and Society (3 credit)

This course is no longer available.

Roles of police as formal social control agents in stratified society; impact of social change on police work; policing as an occupation; changing community standards; social characteristics of police; styles of policing.

SOC 210 - Analysis of Racism and Sexism in the United States (3 credits)

In-depth analysis of the role of social institutions in perpetuating racism/sexism in American society; religion, science, law, political and economic order, education, and mass media.

SOC 240 - Peoples of Africa (3,0,3)

Prehistory, geography, history, and cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa to the present; culture area concept. Same as ANT 245.

SOC 245 - Peoples of Latin America (3 credits)

PREREQ: sophomore standing

Contemporary cultures of Latin America; problems of contact, colonization, acculturation, development of the area cultural tradition; contemporary urbanization. Same as ANT 245.

SOC 300 - Race and Ethnic Relations (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Dominant-minority intergroup relations; prejudice, discrimination, and other intergroup processes; racial and ethnic minorities in U.S. society.

SOC 301 - World Patterns of Race and Ethnicity (3 credit)

Patterns of intergroup relations in multi-ethnic societies (e.g., South Africa, Brazil, Israel, and Northern Ireland); similarities and differences between these and U.S. Same as ANT 301. PREREQ: SOC 100 or ANT 100.

SOC 303 - Social Psychology (3 credits)

Interactionist approach to study of development of the self; social roles; identity; social relationships; creativity; deviance; social control.

SOC 305 - Criminology (3 credit)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Concepts, theories, and major research findings of crime and criminal behavior; analysis of the criminal justice system, including various forms of corrections and rehabilitation.

SOC 307 - Social Stratification (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Theories of social class; distribution of wealth, prestige, and power in U.S.; patterns of social mobility.

SOC 308 - Social Organization (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Structure and function of organized groups and organizational behavior; formal organization.

SOC 315 - Marriage and the Family (3 credit)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Major theoretical approaches with emphasis on interaction; the family as a social institution, with cultural, social, and emotional implications of dating and mate selection; meeting family crises and problems; marital adjustment; social changes affecting the family.

SOC 318 - Sociology of Work and Occupations (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

An analysis of work and occupations in the global economy as well as the structural forces that impact work in the USA and internationally.

SOC 320 - Social Research (4 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Overview of the research process; principles of research design; major methods of data collection; interviewing techniques; hand-on experience with selected research design and analysis.

SOC 321 - Applied Social Research (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100; SOC 320 strongly recommended

Application of standard social science techniques for analyzing social data; introduction to use of computers, social science software programs, and frequently used statistical routines in processing information generated by research studies.

SOC 322 - Applied Sociology (3 credits)

This course is no longer available.

History of applied sociology; ethical concerns in applied research; program design and implementation; microcomputer applications; need assessments; principles and practice of evaluation research.

SOC 330 - Sociological Theory (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Major classical and contemporary sociological theories and their exponents.

SOC 332 - Collective Behavior (3 credits)

Crowd, mass, and public behavior; relationship to social improvements (especially contemporary); analysis of leadership roles in various types of collective behavior; factors and processes at work in emergence of social order.

SOC 335 - Popular Culture (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Expression and contest of popular culture as it relates to social change and thought in U.S. during the 20th century; social implications of democratic ideals, sexual mores, arts vs. pornography, youth culture,
roles of music and advertising, images of women, and social and ethnic stereotypes.

SOC 340 - Population (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Fertility, mortality, and internal and international migration; population dynamics; interdependence of demographics and social and economic variable.

SOC 342 - Sociology of Aging (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Social and demographic characteristics of the elderly population; sociological theories and methods for studying the elderly; adjustment problems of aging; prejudice and discrimination against the elderly.

SOC 345 - Native American Social Issues (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

This course covers a range of social issues faced by contemporary Native Americans on and off reservations. Issues are presented within diverse social and historical contexts. Activists responses are considered along with the social consequences of past and current initiatives and policies.

SOC 350 - Women and Crime (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Sociological analysis of gender issues for women as victims, offenders, and professionals in law enforcement; power imbalance experienced by women in criminal justice.

SOC 355 - Sociology of the Environment (3 credits)

Analysis of social causes and consequences of environmental degradation; examination of responses to U.S. environmental problems by government, communities, and environmental organizations; assessment of U.S. environmental policies; application of sociological theory and research methods to environmental issues.

SOC 357 -- Guns and Society (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Social and demographic analysis of the characteristics of the ownership, usage, and impact of guns in the U.S.; cross-cultural perspective on the development of gun cultures.

SOC 360 - Technology and Social Change (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Sociological analysis of interaction of technology and society; social issues arising with technological advancement; sociological factors influencing the direction of technological change and the adoption of technology; issues of the role of science in contemporary society.

SOC 364 - Women and Men in Society (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Using major theoretical perspectives, the course provides an analysis of the roles of women and men in American society, as well as cross culturally; provides a greater understanding of the social forces influencing women and men in society.

SOC 369 -- Sex Crimes (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100 or JUS 101

Sociological analysis of patterns of sex crimes and responses to them; primary focus on the United States.

SOC 380 - Elite Deviance (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Sociological examination of corporate and governmental deviance.

SOC 381 - Deviance and Social Control (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Forms of social control used to maintain social order; techniques of control ranging from manners to law.

SOC 391 - Research Practicum I (3 credits)

This course is no longer available.

Placement with agency for supervised experience in developing or applying research skills. Students will also meet with other practicum students and faculty field supervisors. Same as ANT 391.

SOC 394 - Topics: Sociology (3 credit)

A recent development in any phase of sociology. See Schedule of Classes for current topic and prerequisites.

SOC 400 - Urban Society (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Urbanization, industrialization, metropolitanization, and urban ecology; impact of large-scale population aggregations on social institutions; adaptation and adjustment of migrants; developing nations.

SOC 420 - Community Corrections (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100 or JUS 101

Community-based corrections, including court diversion, probation, parole, and prison release; careers in community corrections; halfway houses, work release, home incarceration, and furlough programs.

SOC 425 - Political Sociology (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100, or PSC 100

Theories of power and legitimacy; elites and masses; power structures of U.S. and other societies: social correlates of political ideology; socio-political movements.

SOC 430 - Sociology of Religion (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Religion as a social institution; religious behavior; structure and function of religious institutions; interdependence with other social institution.

SOC 435 - Sociology of Sexualities (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

While 'human sexuality' may seem to be static and biologically determined, in sociology we see sexualities as complex, varied, and shaped by social forces, influencing life changes and quality of life for people of various cultural, social, and historical circumstances. This examines sexualities in these contexts.

SOC 450 - Medical Sociology (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Major sociological theories of sickness and health; social and cultural aspects of disease definition, help seeking, and response to illness; provider-patient roles and relationships; health care delivery systems in various societies.

SOC 455 - Comparative Criminal Justice (3 credits)

This course is no longer available.

Different criminal justice systems throughout the world; different legal traditions and comparison of procedures in the adversarial-accusatorial and inquisitorial models of law.

SOC 460 - Research Practicum Preparation (1 credit)

PREREQ: SOC 322 or ANT 325

Small-group seminar to introduce practicum skills: finding a placement assignment, writing a project proposal, making a contract, working with agency/business personnel, working in teams, scheduling projects, writing reports, managing time, Same as ANT 460.

SOC 488 - Sociology of Law (3 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100

Social and cultural factors influencing emergence and maintenance of law as a social institution and affecting relations between law and deviant behavior; theoretical and methodological issues encountered in study of law.

SOC 491 - Research Practicum II (3 credits)

Continuation of SOC 391. Same as ANT 491.

SOC 494 - Seminar: Sociology Senior Seminar (2 credits)

PREREQ: SOC 100 and at least 21 semester hours in sociology and senior standing

Senior seminar required as a capstone experience for seniors majoring in sociology.

SOC 499 - Readings: Sociology (1-6 credits)

PREREQ: consent of instructor

Specialized topics or research interest.

SOC 520 - Sociology of Education (3 credits)

PREREQ: consent of instructor

Connection of education to the external social system; education as a web of organizations and associations and as a subsystem of other institutions.

SOC 594 - Topics: Sociology (3 credits)

PREREQ: consent of instructor

Selected topics in sociology. May be repeated as topics vary.

SOC 599 - Independent Studies (3 credits)

PREREQ: consent of instructor

Individually supervised readings and study of a selected topic in sociology. May be repeated as topics vary.