Courses
in Sociology (Division 482)
Introductory Courses
100. Principles of Sociology.
Open to first- and second-year students. Juniors
are strongly encouraged to enroll in Soc. 400. Seniors must elect
Soc. 400. No credit granted to those who have completed or are
enrolled in 195 or 400. No credit for seniors. (4). (SS).
Section 001. This course is intended to familiarize students
with the sociological perspective. The first unit introduces the
contending schools of inequality, power, and social change in
modern societies. In the second and third units of the course, these clashing perspectives are employed to understand many of the basic processes and institutional features of the United States, including the general character of social stratification, the
persistence of poverty, the nature of race relations, the impact
of schooling on equality, the extent and type of political democracy, and the distribution of economic resources. While focusing on the contemporary United States, comparative and historical perspectives
are also utilized. Grades are based largely on three in-class
exams. WL:4 (Kimeldorf)
Section 024. Sociology is the systematic study of human
behavior, social relationships, and societies. This course focuses
on various theoretical explanations for social inequality in the
United States and empirical research about such inequality. Specifically, how do class, race-ethnicity, gender, and/or sexual orientation
shape our lives and our social institutions? How does one use
a "sociological imagination" to study families, schools, religions, and workplaces? These are some of the issues we will
be addressing in this course. Course requirements include five
quizzes, a take-home midterm examination, and an in-class final
examination. WL:4 (Hasso)
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101. Person and Society:
An Introduction to Sociology Through Social Psychology. Open
to first- and second-year students. Juniors are strongly encouraged
and seniors must take Soc. 400 or 401. No credit for seniors.
(4). (SS).
This course introduces students to the field of sociology
by focusing on the subfield of social psychology. Social psychology
spans the disciplines of sociology and psychology; this course
will emphasize the sociological approach. Four major themes within
social psychology will be examined: (1) the impact that one individual
has on another individual; (2) the impact that a group has on
its individual members, (3) the impact that individuals have on the group; and (4) the impact that one group has on another group.
The themes, concepts, theoretical approaches, and research methods
within social psychology will be presented. Specific topics to
be covered include socialization, the self, perception and cognition, attitudes, interpersonal relationships, small group behavior, altruism and aggression, deviance and conformity, and collective
action. WL:4 (Carr)
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Times, Location, and Availability
102. Contemporary Social
Issues: An Introduction to Sociology. Open to first-
and second-year students. Juniors are strongly encouraged and seniors must take Soc. 400 or 401. No credit for seniors. (4).
(SS). Credit is granted for a combined total of eight credits
elected through Soc. 102, 202, 203, and 401, provided that the
course topics are different.
Section 001 – Images and Realities: An Introduction to Sociology through the Mass Media. In this course we will examine several
social issues using both mass media and sociological sources.
We will explore some of the major topics in sociology (e.g.,
social stratification, race relations, gender, deviance, etc.) through creative use of various forms of mass media: excerpts
from popular books, newspaper articles, magazine pieces, TV shows, and videos. We will focus on how images we receive through the
mass media differ from sociological "realities." For
example, how do media portrayals of women and racial minorities
reinforce stereotypes? How "true" is the picture of
welfare mothers that we get from the news media? Are crime rates
really skyrocketing or just our perceptions of crime (and if the
latter, how is such an image created and reproduced)? In short, how do mass media sources reproduce dominant ideologies and reinforce
sources of power? Rather than using a traditional textbook, we
will primarily use a course pack of articles from sociological
journals and mass media publications so students can get an understanding
of the very different approaches and methods used. This course
will meet for one two-hour lecture and one two-hour section per
week. Course requirements include attendance and participation
(20%), three exams (20% each), and three short papers (20% total).
WL:4 (Honeycutt)
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Times, Location, and Availability
Primarily for First- and Second-year Students
105. First Year Seminar
in Sociology. Freshmen; sophomores with permission
of instructor. (3). (SS).
Section 001 – Social Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships.
You are undoubtedly aware of the importance in your own life of
relationships, whether it be parenthood, friendship, business
associations, kinship, or love and marriage. Perhaps you only
take notice of the importance of these relationships when you
have experienced a loss (a parent dies, a friend moves away, you
break up with a love), or when you lack social or emotional ties
to others (loneliness). In this class, we will focus on research
conducted on the topic of the social psychology of interpersonal
relationships. We will concentrate on how scholars have attempted
to investigate relational phenomena; how relationships develop, are maintained, and dissolve; how these relationships affect individuals;
relational or couple processes; and how these relationships are
influenced by factors such as social networks, societal norms, gender, ethnicity, and social structure. Active participation
and considerable writing will be required. WL:4 (Orbuch)
Section
002 – People and Global Environmental Changes. Changes in the natural and human-made environment are occurring on the scale
of continents or larger, and over time spans of decades to centuries.
These changes include the emissions of greenhouse gases, depletion
of the ozone layer, acid precipitation and deposition, and loss
of biodiversity. Human action to satisfy human needs and wants
is the prime cause of almost all theses changes. The changes are
incontestably real, and some of them began several centuries ago.
What is uncertain is the magnitude of the changes, their future
course, and their affects on human beings, and what, if anything, humans can do to avert them or to mitigate their affects. This
seminar will explore a variety of environmental changes, the human
role in causing them, and the possible impact of these changes
on humans and their societies. Students will read from a number
of sources. At midterm students will submit a brief factual report
on a selected environmental change and its human dimensions. At the end of the term students will submit a research article, probably
on the same topic. There will be few or no lectures, and no examinations;
class discussion of reading material will be the primary mode
of instruction. Attendance is mandatory, and effective participation
in class discussion is strongly encouraged. WL:4 (Rockwell)
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Times, Location, and Availability
111/UC 111/AOSS 172/NR&E
111. Introduction to Global Change II. No credit
for seniors. (4). (SS).
See University
Courses 111. (Killeen/Abreu)
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Times, Location, and Availability
122/Psych. 122. Intergroup
Dialogues. Permission of instructor. Intended primarily
for first and second year students. (2). (Excl). May not be included
in a concentration in Psychology or Sociology. May be repeated
for a total of four credits.
See Psychology 122.
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Times, Location, and Availability
231. Investigating Social
and Demographic Change in America. Restricted to
first- and second-year students. (4). (SS). (QR/2).
This computer-based course is for first- and second-year
students. It will allow participants to investigate how major
social, economic, and political changes have affected the demographic
structure of the national population in the last four decades.
How greatly have Black-white income differences become reduced
since the 1960s? To what extent has the traditional family disintegrated?
Do service industries continue to dominate the nation's labor
force? Through readings, lectures, and exercises on the Apple
Macintosh computer you will learn how to examine such questions
using U.S. census data and simple statistical analyses. In the
process you will come to understand how major dimensions of the
nation's social and demographic structure have changed from 1950
to the present. WL:4 (Frey)
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Times, Location, and Availability
For Undergraduates Only
210. Elementary Statistics.
Sociology Honors students should elect this course
prior to beginning the Honors Seminar sequence. Sociology concentrators
should elect this course prior to their last term. No credit granted
to those who have completed or are enrolled in Stat. 100, 402, 311, or 412, or Econ. 404 or 405. (4). (MSA). (BS). (QR/1).
This course introduces to the student three important aspects
of statistics. (1) Data collection: the methods through which
researchers gather data, such as opinion polls, surveys, experiments, and sampling. (2) Data description: graphical and numerical procedures
for summarizing and describing a data set. (3) Data analysis:
ways in which data can be used to make decisions, to make predictions, and to draw inferences. Problem sets emphasize hands on experience
in working with data, and provide opportunities to apply and interpret
statistical procedures and results. Microcomputers will be used
for some assignments, but no prior experience with microcomputers
is necessary. No prior exposure to statistics or mathematics (aside
from arithmetic and basic algebra) is assumed. Grading will be
based on three exams (including the final) and problem sets. Class
time includes lectures as well as discussion/laboratory sessions.
WL:4 (Takata)
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302/Amer. Cult. 302. Introduction
to American Society. (3). (Excl).
This course offers a broad overview of American society aimed
at identifying the possible connections between domestic and foreign
policy arenas. The first half of the course examines the social
structure of the United States, using a political economy perspective
to map out the changing relationship over time between the upper
class, the state, and large corporations. With this domestic "map"
as a guide, we then look overseas, exploring how these same social
forces have shaped our nation's foreign policy since World War
II. The course, while focusing on the United States, is broadly
comparative, historical as well as contemporary in approach. Grades
are based on three exams. WL:4 (Kimeldorf)
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Times, Location, and Availability
303/CAAS 303. Race and Ethnic
Relations. An introductory course in Sociology or
CAAS. (4). (SS). (This course meets the Race and Ethnicity Requirement).
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the social
history (past and present) of racial minorities in the United
States. We will begin by defining the principal concepts that
sociologists use in their analysis of race relations. Central
to this discussion will be the understanding of "racism"
NOT as "prejudice," "ignorance," an "attitude,"
or a "set of beliefs" but rather as a comprehensive
historical system that changes over time. After this theoretical
discussion, we will survey the historical experiences of five
racial minorities, namely, African Americans, Chicanos/Mexican
Americans, American Indians, Puerto Ricans, and Asian Americans.
The course will conclude with a discussion of possible solutions
to the racial dilemmas faced by the U.S. WL:4 (Bonilla-Silva)
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310. Introduction to Research
Methods. One introductory course in sociology; or
completion of one social science course in economics, anthropology, political science, psychology or other sociology course. Sociology
Honors students should elect this course concurrently with Soc.
397. (4). (Excl). (BS). (QR/1).
The objective of this course is to introduce you to sociology
of knowledge issues and the basic research methods used by social
scientists – observation, survey, experimentation, interviews, and archival research. We will cover a great deal of material
in a relatively short period and students will be required to
complete a number of "hands-on" research assignments.
WL:4 (Hasso)
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321/Psych. 311. Practicum
in Facilitating Intergroup Dialogues. Sociology 320
and permission of instructor. (3). (Excl). A combined total of
8 credits of Sociology 321, 389, and 395 may be counted toward
a concentration in Sociology. (EXPERIENTIAL).
See Psychology 311. (Beale)
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389. Practicum in Sociology.
Permission of instructor. (2-4). (Excl). Offered
mandatory credit/no credit. Up to four credits of 389 may be included
in a concentration plan in Sociology. A combined total of eight
credits of Sociology 321, 389, and 395 may be counted toward a
concentration in Sociology. Laboratory fee ($22) required. (EXPERIENTIAL).
May be repeated for a total of eight credits.
This course provides for sociological analysis of designated
practical experiences working in social institutions and with the examination of social theory in the light of these experiences.
Permission of Instructor required; Contact Project Community (1024
Hill Street, 763-3548) for information, section descriptions, and overrides. WL:4 (Chesler)
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Times, Location, and Availability
393/Hist. 333/Pol. Sci.
396/Slavic 396/REES 396. Survey of East Central Europe. (4).
(SS). Laboratory fee ($10) required.
See Russian and East European
Studies 396. (Eagle)
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397. Junior Honors in Sociology.
Soc. 210; prior or concurrent enrollment in Soc.
310 or 512; and Honors standing in sociology. (3). (Excl).
A seminar devoted to the study of significant theoretical
positions and issues through the reading and discussion of original
sources. WL:4 (Martin)
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Times, Location, and Availability
399. Senior Honors in Sociology.
Honors standing in sociology. Soc. 210 and 310, and permission of instructor. (3). (Excl).
Prerequisite: Sociology 398. The objective is preparation
of a significant research paper. Possible projects are canvassed
in fall seminar meetings; students then do research under a faculty
member until March; papers are presented to the seminar for criticism
in the Spring. WL:4 (Martin)
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Times, Location, and Availability
For Undergraduates and Graduates
404/Am. Cult. 404. Hispanic-Americans:
Social Problems and Social Issues. Junior or senior
standing. (3). (Excl).
Latinos – or Hispanics – are the second largest minority
group in the U.S. Comprised of those whose origins, however near
or far, come from the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America, Latinos share a basic culture. At the same time, Latinos comprise
very variegated experiences in the U.S. Both the reasons for migration
from their countries and their processes of incorporation in American
society vary widely. Together we will seek to understand both
what they share and what is unique. This course explores the experiences
of the major groups of Latinos in the U.S. – Chicanos, Mexican
immigrants, Puerto Ricans, Cubans – both for what it tells us
about them and for the social problems and social issues they
serve to exemplify, such as issues of political vs. economic migration;
poverty and its impact on the family; immigration law and its
consequences; the changing nature of work; and the unfolding drama
of revolution. In addition, we will utilize different theoretical
perspectives to help us explain the contrasting experiences. Among the theoretical models we will examine will be the "push-pull" theory of migration; assimilation vs. internal colonialism as
models; the impact of state assistance and immigration laws; middleman
minority vs. the ethnic enclave vs. the ethnic economy as models
of immigrant adaptation; social movements vs. revolution as major
transformations that have shaped the histories of Latinos in the
United States. The requirements for this class consist of two
exams that will be written tests in class, and one book review
of a social science book written on the experience of Latinos
in the United States. WL:4 (Pedraza)
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Times, Location, and Availability
412. Ethnic Identity and Intergroup Relations. Permission of instructor. Students
are required to have taken courses in ethnic studies or intergroup
relations. (3). (Excl).
This term the course will look at multiracial, multiethnic, and interfaith identities and relationships as a focal point for the exploration of a wide range of questions on racial, ethnic, and religious identity and intergroup relations. It will consider
frameworks for community building, taking into account issues
of conflict, power and competing social interests. Students will
be encouraged to bring personal experience and perspective to
enrich the discussion of theoretical readings. Active participation
and considerable writing will be required. WL:4 (Schoem)
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Times, Location, and Availability
434/CAAS 434. Social Organization
of Black Communities. (3). (Excl).
This course offers a critical examination of a series of ethnographic
studies of African-American urban life in the twentieth century.
The ethnographies will be assessed within the context of the development
of American social scientific research, and the historical developments that affected the social and cultural spheres of African American
urban life throughout the twentieth century. The format for the
course will be a combination of lectures and class discussions.
Some of the analytical questions that will shape our interrogation
of the ethnographies are: (1) What kinds of social organizational
patterns exist in the urban communities within which Black Americans
reside?; (2) Does a distinctive Black American culture also exist
in these communities?; (3) In what ways may Black American social
organizational and cultural patterns be perceived as healthy or
deleterious, and by what standards?; (4) In what ways, and to
what extent, are developments in Black American social organization
and culture autonomous from, or dependent upon, developments in
American social organization and culture?; (5) What implications
for social policy are elucidated in each of the studies?; and (6) What kind of specific methodology or approach to ethnography
is articulated by each of the authors? WL:4 (Young)
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Times, Location, and Availability
435. Urban Inequality and Conflict. Credit is granted for only one course from
Soc. 435 and 535. (3). (Excl).
An examination of the social and spatial factors affecting the location, social organization, structure, and functioning
of American cities. Although both the internal arrangements and external connections of cities are analyzed, heaviest emphasis
is placed on the examination of the internal arrangements and external connections of cities within the context of contemporary
urban problems found in the American city will be utilized as
example and the basis for discussion. WL:4 (Deskins)
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Times, Location, and Availability
450. Political Sociology.
(3). (SS).
Political sociology is a vast area. Sociology 450 aims to give
students a taste of that breadth by exploring a variety of topics, beginning with basic concepts and theories of power, state, and nation. We then use these tools to survey key debates and issues, including the workings of capitalist democracies; changing power
dynamics in today's United States; the rise of the modern state;
war and revolution; the modalities of political experience, subjectivity, and resistance. We stand at the cusp of the century's end, at
a thoroughly unsettled time of epochal political change, so the
course concludes on an open note, with the topic of utopias and the political imaginary. Sociology 450 is mainly a lecture class, supplemented by some small-group discussions and occasional films.
Students will be evaluated on the basis of two exams and two papers.
Can we define the nature of politics? How is the business of rule
organized? Why do patterns of political power vary historically
and in different social settings? How do ways of structuring power
shape routine and extraordinary political action, including war
and people's experience of war? What are the implications of social theory for social movements, revolution and other forms of radical
political change? These are just some of the issues that we'll
explore in this class. WL:4 (Adams)
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Times, Location, and Availability
454. Law and Social Organization.
(3). (SS).
This course is based on research which examines the law and the legal system from a social science perspective. It seeks to
understand the nature of the laws and the role that law plays
in political and social life. WL:4 (Somers)
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Times, Location, and Availability
455/Rel. 455. Religion and Society. (3). (Excl).
Ultimate reality (the focus of religion) becomes understood
quite differently as people pursue religious quests within different
social contexts. This course uses sociological methods of inquiry
to explore the emergence of new religious movements, the ways that organizations respond to extraordinary experiences like mysticism
and the ecstatic, the kinds of impact social forces have on organized
religion, and the ways that religion, in turn, affects other areas
of social life. WL:4 (McGinn)
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460. Social Change. (3).
(Excl).
The study of social change includes assessing structural and cultural transformations that occur in institutions, organizations, communities, nation-states, and larger societal contexts. In this
course we will consider issues of social and cultural change with
respect to one theme (race relations), within the context of one
nation-state (the United States), as affected by a specific period
of social action (the Civil Rights Movement and its aftermath).
This course will explore the events comprising the Civil Rights
Movement and its aftermath in order to elucidate how social change
emerges and what kinds of enduring effects such change may have.
This effort will include a consideration of implicit assumptions
about change as they concerned the collective goals and strategies
of the Civil Rights Movement, and how mobilization for change
was pursued. Specific points of emphasis will be on the levels
of social change, the target(s) of social change, and the process
of social change. An additional objective of the course will be
to create a basis for critical understanding of the changes in
Black-white relations in the United States from the 1960s until the present. WL:4 (Young)
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Times, Location, and Availability
465/Psych. 488. Sociological
Analysis of Deviant Behavior. Introductory sociology
or introductory psychology as a social science. (3). (SS).
The course will examine how people become social deviants and how relevant social institutions contribute to this process. Early
portions will examine the legal enforcement, judicial, and corrections
systems which together determine who will be designated deviant
and with what consequences. Later portions will focus on particular
forms of deviance (e.g., delinquency, theft, fraud, rape)
with a view to understanding and evaluating the several theoretical
perspectives that have been proposed to explain their genesis
and perpetuation. WL:1 (Modigliani)
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Times, Location, and Availability
467. Juvenile Delinquency.
(3). (Excl).
This course presents an introduction to juvenile delinquency.
It explores the historical development of crime and deviance among
youth as a social concern. We then examine theoretical explanations
of the causes of delinquency (with emphasis on relation to the
life course), societal response to delinquency through the juvenile
courts, and the dilemmas of treatment. Primary focus is on youth
violence, street crime, gangs, graffiti, and drugs. Contours of the troubled lives frequently associated with delinquency are
explored through film and biography. Issues examined include:
balancing individual rights and community interests; cultural
and historical variation in criminal and deviant behavior; processes through which delinquent behavior arises; the role of state power
and the limits of the criminal sanction; proposals to try juveniles
as adults; and recent challenges to liberal approaches to justice.
WL:4 (Vogel)
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468. Criminology. (3).
(SS).
This course is an introduction to crime, social control, and the American system of criminal justice. It explores the social
construction of crime, problems of measurement, patterns of criminal
activity, the contours of criminal careers, the problem of violence, theoretical explanations of the causes of crime, and the state
project of crime control and punishment. Thematically, the course
will highlight youths, gang activity, and the problem of violence.
Major issues to be examined include: the balancing of freedom
and security, racial inequality, controversy over the origins
of crime, decriminalization, hate speech, mandatory sentencing, the death penalty, and the alleged failure of rehabilitation.
Particular attention will focus on the challenges presented by the historically changing social context in which the justice
system operates. WL:4 (Vogel)
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Times, Location, and Availability
472/Psych. 381. Advanced
Laboratory in Social Psychology. Stat. 402 and Psych.
380. (3). (Excl).
See Psychology
381.
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Times, Location, and Availability
475/MCO 475 (Public Health).
Introduction to Medical Sociology. (3). (SS).
This course will explore social aspects of health, aging, and the health care system in American society. We will examine such
issues as the social causation of disease, relationships between
doctors and patients, the health professions, health care among
women and the poor, current health care crisis in a national and cross-cultural perspective. WL:4 (Anspach)
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Times, Location, and Availability
495. Special Course. One
introductory course in sociology. (3). (Excl). May be repeated
for credit, provided that the course topics are different.
Section 001 – Social Change and Popular Culture in Korea.
This course maps out political, economic, and social and cultural
changes, in understanding what Korea has undergone in recent decades
and the nature of the society that has emerged as a consequence
of this structural change. Given the current literature's fascination
with South Korea's economic success and its strong state, this
course pays special attention to other important dimensions of
modernity as well, including the colonialism and nationalism.
It also explores North Korea and the Korean diaspora in understanding the Korean nation, its past and present. WL:4 (Park)
Section 002 – Women, Body, and Work. This course seeks
to understand the systematic but variable ways in which women's
identity and their work are shaped by bio-cultural determinism.
By juxtaposing different racial and class communities, we will
discuss such basic issues as the universality/difference of women's
identity embodied in their sexualized and maternalized body, the
private/public divide, and the category of women. The understanding
of relations of women, body, and work in this course will center
on motherhood. After decades of development of gender theory, motherhood still remains a contentious issue. Often deployed as
a amorphous category within a polemic framework, motherhood holds
contradictory implications of the politics of women. Being at the heart of feminism, as the understanding of motherhood shifts, its impact extends to the meaning of women and women's power.
In exploring difference and universality of motherhood with readings
on women of different class and race, readings and films will
be combined for class discussion. WL:4 (Park)
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Times, Location, and Availability
496. Special Course. One
introductory course in sociology. (3). (Excl). May be repeated
for credit, provided that the course topics are different.
Section 001 – Contemporary Japanese Society. This course
examines major social institutions of postwar Japan. Possible
topics include education, socialization, family, crime and law
enforcement, social welfare, minorities, gender roles, popular
culture, work and occupation, social stratification and mobility, social movements, and industrial organization. Special attention
will be paid to how social institutions compare to their pre-war
counterparts and to institutions in the United States and other
countries with which students are familiar. The course will be
conducted as a seminar. Students will be required to participate
in the weekly seminar meetings, write short analyses of readings, present on two topics, and research and write a term paper. (Kinney)
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Times, Location, and Availability
497. Special Course. One
introductory course in sociology. (3). (Excl). May be repeated
for credit, provided that the course topics are different.
Section 001 – Sociology of Human Sexuality. This course will
examine human sexuality from a societal and interpersonal context.
The course will cover the following major topics: (1) Methods
and conceptual issues in the study of human sexuality; (2) Cultural
influences on human sexuality; (3) Sexual development, interaction, and relationships; (4) Social aspects of biological issues; and (5) Issues and concerns about sexual patterns. A lecture/demonstration/discussion
format will be followed for the most part in this class. WL:4 (Orbuch)
Section 002 – Sociology of the Self. In this course
we consider the questions of the social and cultural constitution
of the person, with particular emphasis on gender, sexuality, and race/ethnicity, through the study of the contrasting psychoanalytic, sociological, and historical approaches found in the works of
writers such as Freud, Foucault, Goffmann, Garfinkel, Fanon, Marcel
Mauss, George Chauncey, and Stuart Hall. This is a discussion-based
seminar based on reading original texts. Students will write three
short papers. Open to third- and fourth-year students. WL:4 (Steinmetz)
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