Sociology

SOC 8010  CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY (3 credits)

This course surveys the nineteenth century writers whose ideas have had a strong influence on the development of contemporary sociology and sociological theories. It examines work in such areas as: structural functionalism; conflict theory; rationalism; and the beginnings of modern symbolic interaction, feminist, and race theory. The course emphasizes a close reading of original texts, as well as seminar-style class discussions.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate; permission of instructor if outside Sociology MA program.

SOC 8020  CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY (3 credits)

This course reviews some of the most important developments in contemporary sociological theory. It examines work in such areas as: symbolic interactionism, phenomenology and ethnomethodology; dramaturgical analysis; functionalism and neo-functionalism; structuralism, post-structuralism and postmodernity; postcolonial and subaltern studies; neo-marxism; critical theory; critical race studies; feminist theory; cultural theory; and world systems and globalization theory. The course emphasizes a close reading of original texts, as well as seminar-style class discussions.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate; permission of instructor if outside Sociology MA program.

SOC 8030  SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY & RESEARCH DESIGN (3 credits)

This course focuses on the research design process from a sociological perspective. It gives broad, intermediate-level coverage to social science research methodology, with an emphasis on the logic of research procedures. Topics covered include the relationship of theory and research, causal analysis, sampling, and quantitative and qualitative design approaches.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate; undergraduate course in research methods; permission of instructor if outside Sociology MA program.

SOC 8040  SOCIOLOGICAL STATISTICS (3 credits)

This course focuses on intermediate statistics and data analysis as applied to social research. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, significance tests, multiple regression, and more advanced topics as time permits. Students will also learn how to utilize computer software packages to perform statistical analyses.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate; undergraduate statistics course; permission of instructor if outside Sociology MA program.

SOC 8050  SEMINAR ON TEACHING: PEDAGOGICAL THEORY AND PRACTICE (3 credits)

A survey of various approaches to teaching at the college level (including critical, feminist, and other pedagogical theories) as well as strategies that can be employed in teaching. Topics include: syllabus and course design, evaluation and assessment strategies, developing a teaching style and philosophy, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Emphasis is on preparing new teachers in sociology, but the course is intended for any graduate student who may already be teaching or anticipates teaching in the future.

Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the graduate program in sociology or permission of the instructor.

SOC 8060  QUALITATIVE METHODS (3 credits)

This course familiarizes students with contemporary qualitative methodologies and techniques by which the social sciences explore social and cultural relations in natural settings. Students will conduct individual and or group field projects.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

SOC 8100  SOCIAL INEQUALITY (3 credits)

This course examines social inequality from a sociological vantage point. Students will review theoretical frameworks for studying social inequality, processes that result in the unequal distributions of individual resources, empirical analyses of inequality, and the consequences of various inequalities for intergenerational social mobility. While the course focuses on inequality in the United States, global and international dimensions of social inequality are also covered.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate; permission of instructor if outside of Sociology MA program

SOC 8136  SOCIOLOGY OF DEVIANCE (3 credits)

This course introduces students to the sociological study of behaviors that have been labeled as "deviant" because they presumably violate social norms. The course takes a constructionist approach, critically analyzing how deviance is socially defined, organized, and managed. Students will be challenged to see the diversity and pervasiveness of deviance in society and to question the labelling of behaviors, individuals, and powerless groups as deviant. We will explore the social processes, powerful actors, and social institutions that create deviance as well as efforts to resist definitions of deviance. (Cross-listed with SOC 4130).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing.

SOC 8146  URBAN SOCIOLOGY (3 credits)

This course examines classical and contemporary sociological theories on city formation, the urbanization process, and the interaction of society and the built environment. Topics covered include suburbanization, gentrification, residential segregation, social networks, crime, housing, city culture, and public policy. The focus is on U.S. cities with selected comparisons to other world regions. Students will also get basic knowledge and exposure to research methods to study urban areas locally. (Cross-listed with SOC 4140).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing, or permission of instructor

SOC 8156  AMERICAN FAMILY PROBLEMS (3 credits)

This course explores the problems and issues faced by contemporary American families, such as racism and sexism; the challenges of childhood and adolescence; divorce and remarriage; work and family conflict; and family violence. The difficulty of defining both "family" and "problems" is addressed throughout the course. (Cross-listed with SOC 4150)

Prerequisite(s): Not open to non-degree graduate students.

SOC 8176  SOCIOLOGY OF FATHERHOOD (3 credits)

This course examines the existing social science research on fatherhood, exploring topics such as the evolution, history, demography, and politics of fatherhood; father involvement and its relationship to both children's and men's well-being; the effects of diversity and family structure on fatherhood; and public policy surrounding fatherhood. (Cross-listed with SOC 4170)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

SOC 8186  OCCUPATIONS & CAREERS: FULFILLMENT AND CHALLENGES AT WORK (3 credits)

This course examines what makes individuals and groups happy and satisfied with their jobs, and the factors that can turn "a dead-end job" into a meaningful pursuit that lasts decades. The course utilizes a life course approach and covers early socialization experiences to retirement transitions. It also employs a sociological lens to explore how individual experiences in the work realm are affected by stratification (such as race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social class, and parental status) and as well as by occupational norms and structures, workplace relationships, and culture and practices at the organizational and societal levels. (Cross-listed with SOC 4180).

Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in sociology graduate program or permission of the instructor.

SOC 8200  HEALTH & SOCIETY (3 credits)

The course provides a critical sociological understanding of health, illness, healing, and medical care within a social context. The focus ranges from examining health and illness behavior and patient-provider interaction to issues addressing the social organization of health care and medicine.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing.

SOC 8216  DISABILITY AND SOCIETY (3 credits)

This course takes a sociologically grounded but interdisciplinary look at the past, present, and potential future of disability. Along the way, competing models and theories of disability are critically explored and substantive issues pertaining to the social experiences and social responses to people with disabilities are discussed. (Cross-listed with SOC 4210)

Prerequisite(s): SOC 1010 and junior or senior standing; or permission of instructor. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

SOC 8246  SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA (3 credits)

The course reviews the main social, economic, and political forces that have shaped Latin American societies, and the sociological theories used to understand Latin American development and underdevelopment. Race, ethnicity, gender and class in Latin America, as well as the region's position in the global economy are examined. (Cross-listed with SOC 4240, LLS 4240, LLS 8246).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

SOC 8256  CRISSCROSSING THE CONTINENT: LATIN AMERICAN MIGRATIONS (3 credits)

In this course we will use an interdisciplinary lens to study the changes and continuities of migration in the Americas. The course starts with an overview of immigration to the Americas during the first era of mass migration (1850-1920) to explore the relevance of European migrations for national and identity constructions in the Southern Cone of America. Students then will be introduced to the impacts of social and political change on emigration flows, both regionally and beyond the region. They will also explore migration related policies at the national and regional level. We will also study the changes and continuities in the migration system of the Americas. Lastly, we will analyze the new North-South migration, as well as immigration to Latin America from Asia (recent and historical), Europe, and Africa. (Cross-listed with SOC 4250, LLS 4250, LLS 8256).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

SOC 8316  SOCIOLOGY OF SEXUALITIES (3 credits)

This class focuses on the social construction of sexualities - especially heterosexual sexualities, bisexual sexualities, and homosexual sexualities. A primary focus of the class will be LGBT/Queer Studies. The class examines how sexual desires/identities/orientations vary or remain the same in different places and times, and how they interact with other social and cultural phenomenon such as government, family, popular culture, scientific inquiry, and race, gender, and class. (Cross-listed with SOC 4310)

Prerequisite(s): Not open to non-degree graduate students.

SOC 8356  WORK & FAMILY (3 credits)

This course examines the contemporary problems that individuals, families and communities in the U.S. have in integrating work and family/personal life. (Cross-listed with SOC 4350)

SOC 8446  HUMAN CONNECTION, LONELINESS, & HEALTH (3 credits)

This course examines the "loneliness epidemic" through a sociological perspective and is based on the premise that loneliness is a public health issue, as research consistently shows it is associated with a vast array of physical and mental health outcomes. After discussing the extent of loneliness and how to define it by distinguishing it from other types of social pain, the course covers: 1) the extent and nature of loneliness and its cultural/social sources; 2) the pathways from loneliness to health outcomes; and 3) possible interventions to reduce loneliness and improve public health. (Cross-listed with SOC 4440).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing.

SOC 8476  SOUTH AFRICA & THE SOCIO POLITICS OF APARTHEID (3 credits)

South Africa and the Socio Politics of Apartheid examines the lived experiences of South African people under the Apartheid system, and their long struggle against European colonial oppression and racial segregation throughout the 20th century. Students will examine the laws, tools, and strategies that developed and sustained Apartheid, and the anti-Apartheid movements and international pressure that led to its repeal and South African democratic elections. (Cross-listed with BLST 8476, BLST 4470, PSCI 8476, PSCI 4470, SOC 4470).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

SOC 8500  COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS (3 credits)

This graduate seminar provides an overview focused on the understanding and analysis of intricate internal and external organizational forces such as organizational bureaucracy, organizational culture, autonomy and control systems, which affect performance of organizational members as well as influence organizational survival. (Cross-listed with CACT 8500)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate enrollment or permission of class instructor.

SOC 8550  ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE (3 credits)

This course will discuss the various dimensions of organizational cultures and their consequences to organizational life. Emphasis will be placed on the significance of culture to human behavioral patterns, and the analysis of how organizational cultures shape the behavior and performance of organizational members. The course will prepare students for leadership success in organizations using advanced knowledge of organizational culture.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

SOC 8556  ORGANIZATIONAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (3 credits)

This course provides advanced-level knowledge of the structural understanding, assessment, analysis, and management of social diversity as well as successful inclusion strategies in the workplace. Concepts and theories dealing with structural basis of the creation of difference, consequences of difference, inclusion, affirmative action, and diversity consulting skills are fully examined in this course. This course will prepare students for successful leadership in diverse organizational environments. (Cross-listed with SOC 4550)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

SOC 8600  SEMINAR IN SOCIAL ORGANIZATION (3 credits)

Graduate seminar on the sociological analysis of organizational fields and an in-depth study of one organizational system, such as decision-making, authority, communication, change, supervision, technology, bureaucracy, and reward system, in one organizational type within one organizational field. As seminar topics change, this course may be repeated twice in a student's program without implying duplication.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing and SOC 4620/8626; or permission of instructor.

SOC 8626  APPLIED FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS (3 credits)

An advanced-level applied organizational sociology course that uses organizational theory, concepts, research, and practice to examine the structural bases of organizational effectiveness, efficiency, survival, and actions of organizational members. The course is designed to prepare students for organizational leadership using advanced knowledge and skills of organizational sociology. (Cross-listed with SOC 4620).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

SOC 8706  WOMEN'S HEALTH AND ISSUES OF DIVERSITY (3 credits)

This course provides a critical understanding of the inter-relationship between socio-cultural, economic, and political factors and women's physical and mental health. The aim is to provide an overview of the experience with the health care system. Emphasis will be on critically examining recent scholarship from a sociological, behavioral, health policy perspective. (Cross-listed with SOC 4700, PHHB 4700, PHHB 8706)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing.

SOC 8746  SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL CHANGE (3 credits)

This course investigates the economic, political and social constraints on equality present in local, national and global arrangements. Students will gain a theoretical understanding of these conditions as well as those that lead to social change, spanning from day-to-day resistance techniques to large scale social movements. Students will participate in a service learning or applied project as they explore contemporary social justice issues and learn both theoretical and practical tools needed to become successful change makers, activists, or community organizers. Examples of social justice movements or campaigns form the basis for understanding injustice at a local, national, and global level. (Cross-listed with SOC 4740)

Prerequisite(s): SOC 1010 and junior standing; or permission of instructor.

SOC 8766  ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY (3 credits)

This course is an introduction to environmental sociology, a field of sociology that explores the interaction between the environment and society. Environmental sociologists consider how political, social, and economic factors have come to shape our patterns of interaction with the natural and built environment. Students will be expected to use the sociological perspective to understand the landscape of environmental problems, focusing on such issues as environment and health, disaster, environmental policy, climate change, environmental risk, human and animal interactions, sustainability, environmental justice and social movements. (Cross-listed with SOC 4760).

SOC 8776  POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY (3 credits)

This course explores political sociology, focusing on political processes and power. Political sociologists investigate relationships between political institutions and various other institutions, including but not limited to the economy, education, media, and religion, and the impacts that these relationships have on society and the individuals that comprise the society. This course will explore the concepts, theories, and knowledge that comprise this field such as power, legitimacy, the state, networks, stratification, and collective action. (Cross-listed with PSCI 4770, PSCI 8776, SOC 4770).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

SOC 8786  URBAN LATIN AMERICA (3 credits)

This course examines the experience of Latin American urbanization, attending to its contributions to urban sociology, social movements, and policymaking. Topics include urban transitions (e.g. pre-Hispanic to colonial, post-colonial to industrial, and the neoliberal turn), socio-spatial configurations (e.g. plazas, squatter settlements), urban marginality debates, urban politics, and planning as well as governance innovations (e.g. bus rapid transit systems, participatory budgeting). Students will compare city case studies across the region and to urban life in the United States. (Cross-listed with SOC 4780, LLS 4780, LLS 8786, CACT 8186).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor

SOC 8806  CONTEMPORARY TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY (3 credits)

This course reviews research and writing in an area of current interest in the field of sociology. The specific topic(s) to be covered will be announced at the time the course is being offered. Since the topics will vary, students may elect to take this course more than once. (Cross-listed with SOC 4800)

Prerequisite(s): Sociology major; or permission of instructor.

SOC 8836  SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL HEALTH & ILLNESS (3 credits)

This course will apply the sociological perspective to various topics regarding mental health and illness. The course will cover topics such as the social construction of mental illness, the social epidemiology of mental illness, labeling and stigma of those with a mental illness, and mental health policy/treatment. (Cross-listed with SOC 4830)

Prerequisite(s): SOC 1010, and junior standing¿ or permission of the instructor.

SOC 8856  SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION (3 credits)

This course looks at religion as a social and cultural phenomenon, examining how religious beliefs, practices, institutions and movements shape and are shaped by their social context. Topics include: sociological theories and explanations of religion and spirituality; definitions of religion and the distinction between religion and other ideologies or worldviews; the measurement of religiosity and the scientific study of religion; trends in religiosity, spirituality, and the religious landscape historically and globally; sociological insights gained from the study of new religions, secularization, fundamentalism, and other issues related to contemporary religious experience. (Cross-listed with SOC 4850)

Prerequisite(s): SOC 1010 and junior standing; or permission of instructor

SOC 8886  CONTEMPORARY TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY (1 credit)

This course reviews research and writing in an area of current interest in the field of sociology. The specific topic(s) to be covered will be announced at the time the course is being offered. Since the topics will vary, students may elect to take this course more than once. (Cross-listed with SOC 4880).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

SOC 8896  CONTEMPORARY TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY (2 credits)

This course reviews research and writing in an area of current interest in the field of sociology. The specific topic(s) to be covered will be announced at the time the course is being offered. Since the topics will vary, students may elect to take this course more than once. (Cross-listed with SOC 4890).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing or permission of instructor.

SOC 8950  PRACTICUM IN APPLIED SOCIOLOGY (3 credits)

A practical work experience under supervision that provides opportunity for applying principles from the student's academic area of concentration.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate sociology major. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

SOC 8960  APPLIED PROJECT (1-6 credits)

This capstone experience in the applied project option is an independent research project conducted in an applied setting under the supervision of a graduate faculty member in the department..

Prerequisite(s): Graduate sociology major; permission of the graduate program chair. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

SOC 8980  INDEPENDENT STUDY IN SOCIOLOGY (1-3 credits)

Guided reading or independent research in special topics in Sociology under the supervision of a member of the Sociology faculty. This course is designed primarily for the student interested in topics not currently available in the departmental offerings and who has demonstrated capability of working independently. May be repeated once for credit.

Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

SOC 8990  THESIS (1-6 credits)

A research project, written under the supervision of a graduate advisor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, in which the student designs, conducts, and completes an original, independent, scholarly investigation at a graduate level. The research topic and the completed project must be approved by the student's departmental committee.

Prerequisite(s): Permission from Graduate Chair. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

SOC 9110  THEORIES OF AGING (3 credits)

An overview of social gerontology with an emphasis on the interplay between social, psychological and physical elements in later life. Restricted to graduate students only; required of gerontology students. (Cross-listed with GERO 9110)

Prerequisite(s): Graduate.