Sociology
Students of sociology examine the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. The broad scope of sociology ensures relevance for a liberal arts education. Students learn how to think critically about the modern world and the factors that underpin social order and spur social change. At the core of sociology is the study of inequality in its various forms, including interaction in small groups like families and work groups, institutions pertaining to health, education, media, and law, and societal divisions by race, gender, and social class. In addressing the most challenging issues of social life, sociologists use an array of research techniques to uncover evidence of patterns and to shape social policies. Sociology students learn by doing in courses and other opportunities designed to engage students actively in research. The department also supports students’ experiential learning through our internship program and our summer study abroad program on comparative healthcare systems.
Concentrations
Faculty
- Chair
- Timothy Dowd
- Director of Undergraduate Studies
- Jeffery Mullis
- Core
Courses
SOC 100-Level Courses
Study of human social behavior. Social and cultural aspects of the emergence, maintenance, modification, and adjustment of human groups.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Processes in individuals' acquisition and modification of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and self-concepts as they become functioning members of society.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Examines many great works to reflect on major questions about social life. Topics include freedom and equality, role of religion and market, status of women, and change in modern society. Authors range from Calvin to Marx, Spinoza to Durkheim and Weber. Materials include paintings, music, movies.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
A small class on topics of sociological concern that fosters a highly interactive and mutually collaborative learning environment among students and between students and teachers.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- FS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
SOC 200-Level Courses
Introduction to sociology of organizations. Provides an overview of classic and contemporary literature. Covers a range of topics, including social networks, power and leadership, innovation and diffusion, equality and diversity, etc. Examines selected cases to connect theories with practices.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Social and cultural conditions of stress and tension in a changing society. Evaluation of efforts to solve social problems.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Theories of delinquency causation and treatment.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- SSW
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- WGS 231
Social etiology and ecology of disease, sociological factors affecting treatment and rehabilitation, and the organization of medical care and medicine as a social institution.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
This course aims to provide students with an empirical portrait of Black America. Together we will explore the economic, political, and social conditions of Black Americans, with attention to the variety of social science methods used to study them.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- AAS 240
Conditions and processes of group formation and change, and the effects of these on individual behavior and adaptation.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SSE
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- AAS 247
This course provides an introduction to sociological thinking and concepts using various television shows (and sometimes films) as a springboard. Topics covered include race, class, gender, sexuality, social structure, immigration, intersectionality and political economy.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSCE
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- AAS 248
Antisocial behavior in relation to cultural, social biological, and psychological factors.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
An introduction to the overall field of global health, its history, methods, and key principles, with case studies illustrating the burden of disease in nations with strikingly different political-economic contexts.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- ANT 205
- HLTH 250
Introduction to the study of globalization. Describes and explains development of the modern world system. Provides global perspectives on major institutions and conflicts.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- SS
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
This course explores the historical dynamics of political change in Korea since the establishment of the First Republic up to the current period, the many factors that shaped its political trajectory and democratization, and the key issues that have defined South Korean politics to this day.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- KRN 271
- EAS 277
Introduces students to statistical methods used in social research. Topics include scales of measurement, graphical displays, sampling distributions, interval estimation, and hypothesis testing.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- QR
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
A seminar or lecture series on topics of special sociological concern.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 4
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
A seminar or lecture series on topics of special sociological concern.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 5
- GER
- CW
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
SOC 300-Level Courses
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Introduction to major sociological perspectives in the study of politics and on interrelations between society and polity in industrialized democracies.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
This course examines how crime and justice are framed in the news media and in popular culture. Topics include media depictions and public perceptions of criminals, punishment, and safety, and the influence of social constructions on policy agendas.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
How do we understand the events that recently erupted with different degrees of violence in North African and Middle Eastern countries? Why were experts including diplomats, pundits, and politicians taken by surprise? How do media outlets like CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera cover this "social uprising"?
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- FILM 102 and (FILM 201 or FILM 202 or FILM 203 or FILM 204) or equivalent transfer credit as prerequisite.
- Cross-Listed
- AFS 319
- FILM 319
- MESAS 319
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- Any SOC or SOC_OX or equivalent transfer credit as prerequisite.
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- CW
- Requisites
- Any SOC or SOC_OX or equivalent transfer credit as prerequisite.
- Cross-Listed
- None
Introduction to the social origins and dimensions of the production, distribution, contents, form, and reception of film.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Introduction to the mass media in modern societies, including the political economy of the media and media representations of gender, race, class, and nation state.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- LING 327
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
This course uses a sociology of culture approach to explore "work" as a social construction, in three ways: 1) societal narratives of work meaning: The American Dream (Money); 2) social realities of work meaning: Gender, Race, and Class (Power); 3) agency in creating work meaning (Purpose).
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Introduction to contemporary Chinese society and culture. Various aspects of Chinese life are examined, such as social stratification, communities, cultural objects and industry, gender, interpersonal relations, civil society, and collective memory.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Processes and conditions of opinion formation and change, and the function of opinion in group life.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Overview of theories, case studies, and social policies related to men and women's health in resource-poor countries.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- WGS 347
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Examines the new science of happiness by integrating findings from positive psychology, behavioral genetics, neuroscience, economics, sociology, and other fields.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Introduction to research design and data analysis, including logic of research, methods of data collection, elementary statistics, and computer analysis.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- Any SOC or SOC_OX or equivalent transfer credit as prerequisite.
- Cross-Listed
- None
Introduction to research design and data analysis, including logic of research, methods of data collection, elementary statistics, and computer analysis.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- CW
- Requisites
- Any SOC or SOC_OX or equivalent transfer credit as prerequisite.
- Cross-Listed
- None
Overview of the social-psychological, social structural, and cultural factors that shape the individual's experience of old age, as well as the consequences that an aging population has for social institutions.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Community-based volunteer work limited to students enrolled in SOC 358 Social Gerontology.
- Credit Hours
- 1
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- SOC 358 or equivalent transfer course as corequisite.
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- AAS 360
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- POLS 370A
- CBSC 370A
- ENVS 370A
Open only to students admitted as fellows in the program in Community Building and Social Change.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- POLS 370B
- CBSC 370B
- ENVS 370B
Open only to students admitted as fellows in the program in Community Building and Social Change.
- Credit Hours
- 5
- GER
- HSCW
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- POLS 370BW
- CBSC 370BW
- ENVS 370BW
Open only to students admitted as fellows in the program in Community Building and Social Change.
- Credit Hours
- 1
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- POLS 370L
- ENVS 370L
- CBSC 370L
This course examines social movements in the East and West from a comparative perspective. The goal is to better understand the varying cultural, historical and institutional contexts and dynamics through which social movements emerge, evolve and leave traces.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- KRN 372
- EAS 380
This course examines social movements in the East and West from a comparative perspective. The goal is to better understand the varying cultural, historical and institutional contexts and dynamics through which social movements emerge, evolve and leave traces.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- HSCW
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- KRN 372W
- EAS 380W
How national public policies develop. Focus on who American governing actors and elites are, what they control, how they work together, and how issues thereby develop, recur, and evolve into policy.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- POLS 360
An exploration of advertising, including its historical development, its role in consumer society, and its rhetorical and linguistic aspects.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- LING 383
A seminar or lecture series on topics of special sociological concern.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 4
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
A seminar or lecture series on topics of special sociological concern.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 5
- GER
- CW
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
A comparative study of political, economic, and organizational dynamics of health care institutions in the United States and Britain through seminars, site visits, and a survey research project in London, England.
- Credit Hours
- 8
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
SOC 400-Level Courses
This seminar deals with the sociocultural foundations of music, attending to scholarship on the production, content, and reception of various types of music.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Analysis of errors in the criminal justice system that contribute to wrongful arrest, conviction, incarceration, and other outcomes.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
An interdisciplinary exploration of digital tools for analyzing and visualizing data in the humanities and social sciences.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- LING 446
- QTM 446
An interdisciplinary exploration of digital tools for analyzing and visualizing data in the humanities and social sciences.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- HSCW
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- LING 446W
- QTM 446W
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- Any SOC or SOC_OX or equivalent transfer credit as prerequisite.
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- CW
- Requisites
- Any SOC or SOC_OX or equivalent transfer credit as prerequisite.
- Cross-Listed
- None
Seminar on sociological aspects of Apollo space era (1961-1972), including political (Cold War), technological (early digital) and cultural (media; astronaut families; work culture). Students use primary source material from Apollo 15 Learning Hub and Stuart A. Rose Library to create final projects.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- HSC
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- HSCW
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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.
- Credit Hours
- 3
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- AFS 468
A seminar or lecture series on topics of special sociological concern.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 4
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
A seminar or lecture series on topics of special sociological concern.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 5
- GER
- CW
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Open only to students admitted as fellows in the program in Community Building and Social Change.
- Credit Hours
- 2
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- POLS 492R
- CBSC 492R
- ENVS 492R
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 Hours
- 1 - 12
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
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 Hours
- 1 - 12
- GER
- XAW
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Credit, eight hours for the sequence. Open to departmental majors at the invitation of the director of undergraduate studies.
- Credit Hours
- 4
- GER
- XA
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Credit, eight hours for the sequence. Open to departmental majors at the invitation of the director of undergraduate studies.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 8
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Supervised work on a faculty member's research project, normally for students who have demonstrated superior performance in sociology.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 12
- GER
- XA
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Prerequisite: permission of faculty member required and consent of the director of undergraduate studies. Supervised reading, normally for students majoring in sociology.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 12
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None
Prerequisite: research plan, permission of a faculty member, and consent of the undergraduate director. In consultation with a faculty member, the student designs and conducts a research project.
- Credit Hours
- 1 - 12
- GER
- None
- Requisites
- None
- Cross-Listed
- None