Sociology Course Descriptions

Every semester. Study of human social behavior. Social and cultural aspects of the emergence, maintenance, modification, and adjustment of human groups.

Processes in individuals' acquisition and modification of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and self-concepts as they become functioning members of society.

Effects of social activities on the environment and how these effects interact with social conditions, population change, fertility, mortality, economic growth, quality of life, and more.

Ideologies and selected aspects of the black community. Focus on twentieth-century urban black experience and institutions of America. Provides basic information and a framework for further study of the black diaspora and interrelations in black/white America.

A small class on topics of sociological concern that fosters a highly interactive and a mutually collaborative learning environment, both among students and between the students and the teachers. Examples of seminars include: Making Sense of Globalization, Sociology of Film, Race and Ethnicity in the United States, and Introduction to General Sociology.

This course introduces students to major theories of organization and examines modern organizational settings. Organizations studied include prisons, corporations, religious cults, drug trafficking, the antiabortion movement, right-wing militias, and more.

Origins and structure of metropolitan communities, with special attention to population and economic changes, social class systems, urban institutional forms, and the nature and limitations of metropolitan planning programs.

Organization, functions, and present status of the family, primarily in the United States. Problems of partner selection and marital adjustment treated on the basis of recent and current research in the field.

Nature, causes, and consequences of social stratification focusing on class, race, and gender. Examination of factors facilitating continuity and/or change in systems of stratification.

Social and cultural conditions of stress and tension in a changing society. Evaluation of efforts to solve social problems.

Theories of delinquency causation and treatment.

Introduction to the sociological study of culture. Examines relationships between values, beliefs, and expressive symbols, on the one hand, and the institutional structure of society on the other. Attention to art, media, religion, and ideology.

(Same as Women's Studies 231.) An examination of the nature, causes, and consequences of sex roles in our society, including how male and female roles are learned through socialization, and how they affect work and family.

Social etiology and ecology of disease, sociological factors affecting treatment and rehabilitation, and the organization of medical care and medicine as a social institution.

Conditions and processes of group formation and change, and the effects of these on individual behavior and adaptation.

(Same as African American Studies 247.) Relations between and within groups, and conflict and cooperation in light of a number of models of social interaction. Application of principles to racial, religious, and ethnic minorities.

Antisocial behavior in relation to cultural, social biological, and psychological factors.

Introduction to the study of globalization. Describes and explains development of the modern world system. Provides global perspectives on major institutions and conflicts.

(Same as Educational Studies 307.) The modern school system as part of the functioning of modern communities in the United States. Attention to problems of interrelating school and community in the light of population change, social class differences, and shifting values.

Introduction to major sociological perspectives in the study of politics and on interrelations between society and polity in industrialized democracies.

Prerequisite: Sociology 101 or equivalent. This course examines how literature reflects, influences, and interacts with society. Focus on the social production and consumption of literature from both historical and current perspectives.

Introduction to the social origins and dimensions of the production, distribution, contents, form, and reception of film

Explores the development of conceptions of mental health, both negative (depression) and positive (well-being) forms. Examines the intrapersonal, interpersonal, social and cultural theories, and underpinnings of mental health and well-being.

Origins, structures, and functions of religious institutions and their roles in the maintenance and change of social systems. Emphasis on the religious response to the problems of ultimate meaning in various societies, including the United States.

Examination and analysis of sociopolitical, economic, and cultural movements that wreak social change. Topics include but are not limited to: moblization, power and authority, revolution, civil society, and identity.

Processes and conditions of opinion formation and change, and the function of opinion in group life.

Study of age and the aging process. Social aspects of growing old are examined with attention to the problems of the elderly and to the consequences for society.

An introduction to the sociological study of law, this course deals with the organization, profession, and practice of law and with the relationships between law and social change.

Introduction to research design and data analysis, including logic of research, methods of data collection, elementary statistics, and computer analysis.

Prerequisite: Sociology 355 (or 355WR). Advanced topics in data analysis and research, including measurement, multivariate analysis, inferential statistics, and computer analysis.

(Same as African American Studies 360.) Examines a variety of ethnic groups in terms of strengths as well as weaknesses, lodging these characterizations in historical socioeconomic contexts and focusing on the structure and functioning of family life.

Study of the political, economic, and social causes of underdevelopment in the third world. Focus on the relationships among developed and underdeveloped countries, and the inequalities within and between them.

(Same as Political Science 370A and Community Building and Social Change 370A.) Open only to undergraduate students by permission of the instructor. Additionally, this course is required for all students seeking to apply for the fellowship in Community Building and Social Change.

(Same as Political Science 370BWR and Community Building and Social Change 370BWR.) Open only to students admitted as fellows in the program in Community Building and Social Change.

(Same as Political Science 360.) Alternative concepts for the examination of public policy systems and processes. Representative public policy problems with emphasis on the application of policy categories, criteria, and theories.

(Same as Political Science 378.) Prerequisite: Sociology 214 or 311, or Political Science 321, 324, 326, or 327. Comparative sociology of state social and economic politics in advanced industrial democracies, 1880 to present.

A seminar or lecture series on topics of special sociological concern.

A comparative study of political, economic, and organizational dynamics of health care institutions in the United States and Britain through seminars, site visits, and internship experience in London, England.

This seminar deals with the sociocultural foundations of music, attending to scholarship on the production, content, and reception of various types of music.

Prerequisite: one sociology course or consent of instructor. Analysis of development of sociological theory as tradition of inquiry into organization and change of groups and societies. Covers classical and major contemporary contributions.

Current issues in social interaction and group processes, including such topics as attraction, altruism and aggression, conformity and deviance, attitudes, and group decision making. Research techniques emphasized

We will look at gendered theories of development in the public/private spheres, the family, labor, sexuality, race, population, globalization and the environment, feminism, colonialism, post-colonialism, revolution, and alternatives to development.

Cross-disciplinary study of the economic incentives for social behavior and the social constraints on the market economy. Topics include: organization, bureaucracy, class conflict, crime, and discrimination.

Analysis of economic behavior in low income countries, with attention to factors that promote or inhibit sustainable development, such as local cultural practices, migratory patterns, and foreign investment.

Fall, spring. Credit, four to twelve hours. Application must be approved by the department. Supervised work in a social services agency or other appropriate setting, and participation in a related seminar.

Credit, eight hours for the sequence. Open to departmental majors at the invitation of the director of undergraduate studies.

Credit, eight hours for the sequence. Open to departmental majors at the invitation of the director of undergraduate studies.

Supervised work on a faculty member's research project, normally for students who have demonstrated superior performance in sociology

Credit, one to four hours. Prerequisite: permission of faculty member required and consent of the director of undergraduate studies. Supervised reading, normally for students majoring in sociology.

Credit, one to four hours. Prerequisite: research plan, permission of faculty member required prior to registering, and consent of the director of undergraduate studies. Normally open only to majors. In consultation with a faculty member, students formulate, design, conduct, and write a research project of their own choosing.