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| Sociology | |
| SOC 1010 | Introductory Sociology (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Studies the fundamental concepts and principles of sociology with special attention to sociological theory and research methods. Survey of the diverse substantive fields in the discipline with a primary emphasis on the institutions in contemporary American society. |
| SOC 1559 | New Course in Sociology (3.00) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. | |
| SOC 1595 | Special Topics in Social Issues (3.00) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. | |
| SOC 1596 | Special Topics in Social Issues (3.00) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. | |
| SOC 2000 | Gender, Technology, & Education (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | |
| SOC 2052 | Sociology of the Family (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Comparison of family organizations in relation to other social institutions in various societies; an introduction to the theory of kinship and marriage systems. |
| SOC 2055 | Law and Society (3.00) |
| Studies the relationship between society and criminal and civil law. Focuses on the relationship between socio-economic status and access to the legal system, including the areas of education, employment, consumer protection, and environmental concerns. | |
| SOC 2200 | Death and Dying (3.00) |
| This course covers sociological approaches to death and dying. Topics include social theory and theorists as they relate to death, American culture history, and contemporary issues regarding death and dying. | |
| SOC 2220 | Social Problems (3.00) |
| Analyzes the causes and consequences of current social problems in the United States: race and ethnic relations, poverty, crime and delinquency, the environment, drugs, and problems of educational institutions. | |
| SOC 2230 | Criminology (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Studies socio-cultural conditions effecting the definition, recording, and treatment of delinquency and crime. Examines theories of deviant behavior, the role of the police, judicial and corrective systems, and the victim in criminal behavior. |
| SOC 2260 | Sociology of Sport (3.00) |
| SOC 2320 | Gender and Society (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | |
| SOC 2380 | Violence & Gender (3.00) |
| This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to interrogating links between gender and violence. We will focus on representations of violence and theories of subjectivity in response to violence, querying how gender inflects the event and aftermath of violence. | |
| SOC 2442 | Systems of Inequality (3.00) |
| This course will examine various types of inequality (race, class, gender) in the US and abroad. We will discuss sociological theories covering various dimensions of inequality, considering key research findings and their implications. We will examine to what extent ascriptive characteristics impact a person's life chances, how social structures are produced and reproduced, and how individuals are able or unable to negotiate these structures. | |
| SOC 2470 | American Society and Popular Culture (3.00) |
| This course is an early level course, which aims to introduce students to a sociological perspective on popular culture, and to examine the working of selected sociological concepts in several examples of popular culture. A familiarity with introductory level sociology is suggested, but not required. The course has two parts. In the first we will become acquainted with sociological perspectives and theories on culture; in the second we will look at several popular novels and movies and discuss how they might be interpreted sociologically. | |
| SOC 2498 | Prozac Culture (3.00) |
| The pharmacological revolution, symbolized by drugs such as Prozac and Ritalin, is a cultural as well as a medical phenomenon. The course explores the history of the revolution and the confluence of social changes driving it forward. Also considered are its implications for self, the definition of psychic distress, and the norms and values that structure how we live. | |
| SOC 2499 | Globalization and Social Responsibility (3.00) |
| "Think globally, act locally," is a popular slogan that invites critical reflection on, and active engagement with, both the theoretical and empirical realities of globalization. Through lectures, readings, and individual research, this class will consider both the scholarly and the practical implications this maxim raises for local communities and citizenship in the face of global change. Jterm courses require approval for SOC major/minor credit | |
| SOC 2500 | Special Topics in Sociology (J Term Course) (3.00) |
| Topics vary each J-Term session and will be announced. | |
| SOC 2520 | Topics in Death & Dying (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course covers sociological approaches to death and dying. Topics include social theory and theorists as they relate to death, American culture history, and contemporary issues regarding death and dying. |
| SOC 2559 | New Course in Sociology (1.00 - 4.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. |
| SOC 2595 | Special Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. | |
| SOC 2596 | Special Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. | |
| SOC 2600 | Leadership Across the Disciplines (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course for 2nd year students examines leadership from different disciplinary perspectives, including commerce and a variety of liberal arts disciplines. The course will include guest speakers from different departments in the College and the Commerce School, and several outside speakers from the private and public sectors. Topics include, but are not limited to: civic responsibility; social activism; historical perspectives; transformational leadership; followership; problem solving and decision making; cultural factors; personal factors; power and influence; visionary leadership; ethics; and Presidential leadership. Throughout, three questions pertain: 1) Where are the opportunities for leadership? 2) How do leaders think? and 3) What do the best leaders do? This course serves as a stand-alone course and also as a prerequisite to advanced leadership courses. Students interested in taking the leadership curriculum-another three-hour course in the third year, followed by a six-hour, field-based independent study in a leadership role, will submit an application later in the semester. The course is cross-listed as Comm 260 and Soc 260. The course is not a prerequisite for the Commerce School, and does not fulfill any Comm School requirements. Prerequisite: 2nd Year Students Interested in Leadership. |
| SOC 2730 | Computers and Society (3.00) |
| Studies the impact of electronic data processing technologies on social structure, and the social constraints on the development and application of these technologies. Review of how computers are changing¿and failing to change¿fundamental institutions. Provides an understanding of computers in the context of societal needs, organizational imperatives, and human values. | |
| SOC 2790 | Sociology of American Business (3.00) |
| Studies the internal workings of business institutions, especially the modern American corporation, and their relationships to other social institutions. Topics include managerial control over corporate decisions; the determinants of individual success within business; the effect of business policies on family life; the political power of the business sector; and a comparison of Japanese and American business organizations. | |
| SOC 2900 | Economy & Society (3.00) |
| Markets, firms, and money are part of everyday experience. Economists insist that they should work similarly independently of their social context. The central idea of economic sociology is that economic institutions are 'embedded' in social relations. We will study what embeddeness means, and what it implies. We look at how institutions constitute markets; how rationality varies; and how money interacts with social relations in unexpected ways. | |
| SOC 3020 | Introduction to Social Theory (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Introduces the major theoretical issues and traditions in sociology, especially as developed in the writings of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. Sociology majors are expected to take this course in their third year. |
| SOC 3056 | Culture and Power (3.00) |
| This course examines sociological theories of power and their intersections with culture. It focuses on oppression and social change in the 20th and 21st century U.S. through the lens of cultural expression, beliefs and meaning. It includes close reading of social theories of power and empirical studies of social institutions and social identities. Prerequisite: Six credits in Sociology or permission of instructor | |
| SOC 3059 | Sociology of Science & Knowledge (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Ideas refer to anything which is said to exist, from people to planets to God. Sociology of knowledge describes and explains variation in ideas across different social settings. This course will familiarize students with theoretical and empirical work on the behavior of ideas, and convey the major accomplishments, shortcomings, and prospects of the subfield using the history & philosophy of science, and the workings of science as an institution. |
| SOC 3060 | Sociological Perspectives on Whiteness (3.00) |
| This course examines the social construction of race through an exploration of white identity, both theoretically and empirically. Topics include the historical genesis of white identity; its intersection with political movements and organizations; the relation of whiteness to race, ethnicity, class, gender and nation; representations of whiteness in popular culture; the sociological mechanisms by which it is reproduced, negotiated, and contested. | |
| SOC 3120 | Sociology Research Workshop (4.00) |
| Introduces data analysis and data processing, as well as the conceptualization of sociological problems. Emphasizes individual student projects. | |
| SOC 3130 | Introduction to Social Statistics (4.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Studies elementary statistical methods for social science applications. Topics include summarizing data with graphs and descriptive measures, generalizing from a sample to a population as in opinion polls, and determining the relationship between two variables. No special mathematical background is required, and students will be taught basic computer techniques. Three hours of lecture, two hours of laboratory work. Majors are expected to take this course in their third year. Prerequisites: SOC 312 |
| SOC 3180 | Sociology of Emotions (3.00) |
| The course explores the role of emotions in social interaction as well as how societies and cultures shape emotional expression. The objective is to decode the subtle rules of emotional display implicit in many social interactions and excavate the cultural meanings of particular emotions such as love, sympathy, shame, boredom, and sadness. Readings include theoretical and empirical work from sociologists, anthropologists,and social psychologists. | |
| SOC 3200 | Sociology of Violence (3.00) |
| This course explores social processes involved in violence. The course addresses topics such as the social causes and consequences of violence, the subjective experience of violence, and the representation of violence in popular culture. Among others, forms of violence covered include rape, genocide, war, terrorism, domestic homicide, and gang violence. | |
| SOC 3290 | Sociology of Childhood (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | The class introduces the ¿new social studies of childhood¿ and the idea that the experience of childhood is a social construction, not a string of biological facts. Topics include: how caring for children varies across time & space, and considering childhood in the context of Western cultural trends - increasing inequality, unequal distribution of overwork, poverty, war, liberty, decreasing privacy, consumerism, sexualization, networked society. |
| SOC 3310 | Sociology of Self (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | What is the difference between individual and self? Do we carry a fixed, unchangeable self inside, or do we have as many selves as the situations in which we commonly find ourselves? Can we go as far as saying that the self comes from the outside, and if so, when do we internalize it? At birth, once and for all? Or repeatedly and in everyday life? We will explore these questions and more as we venture into an exciting field-sociology of the self. |
| SOC 3370 | Schools and Society (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Analyzes the impact of schools on opportunity and inequality, the many determinants of academic achievement, and the nature of schools as a workplace, with special attention to the role of teachers. The effectiveness of school reforms is also considered. This course is intended to provide useful background information, not professional training, to College students contemplating a career in education or ¿late¿ entrants to the BA/MT program. |
| SOC 3371 | Merit, Privilege & American Higher Education (3.00) |
| This course examines how merit and privilege intersect at one of our most powerful institutions: higher education. How did we get here? What are we doing? And where are we going? We will address these questions at both individual and institutional levels, exploring how notions and realities of meritocracy and inequality shape experiences within and beyond the classroom. | |
| SOC 3400 | Gender and Sexuality (3.00) |
| Focuses on the construction of gender and sexuality, and of the many ways human groups regulate and attach meanings to these categories. Some general themes addressed will be: contemporary and historical definitions of gender, sex, and sexuality; gender socialization; the varieties of sexual identities and relationships; embodiment, childbearing, and families in the contemporary United States. At least 3 credits in Sociology or permission of instructor. | |
| SOC 3410 | Race and Ethnic Relations (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Introduces the study of race and ethnic relations, including the social and economic conditions promoting prejudice, racism, discrimination, and segregation. Examines contemporary American conditions, and historical and international materials. |
| SOC 3450 | Women, Islam and Modernity (3.00) |
| The global Islamic revival is often considered an obstacle to gender equality. So how are we to understand women's involvement in Islamic movements? And what can these phenomena tell us about gender and modernity? This class will read ethnographic accounts of Muslim women in various parts of the world. We will discuss these ethnographies with an eye for how they speak to and challenge sociological theories of gender, identity, and globalization. Prerequisites: Student must have taken at least one course on gender, or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 3470 | Sociology of Development (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This study of the development of human societies explores the five major 'techo-economic bases' that have characterized our species' history (hunting-gathering, horticultural, agrarian, industrial and information/biotech) and examines how contemporary macrolevel trends affect our lives at the microlevel. |
| SOC 3490 | Cities and Cultures (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Explores the ways in which physical environments shape and are shaped by social life. Examines the relationship between urban space and culture in different historical and social settings, though there is a particular focus on the rise and development of modernity as expressed through the experience of particular cities. |
| SOC 3559 | New Course in Sociology (1.00 - 4.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. |
| SOC 3595 | Special Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. | |
| SOC 3596 | Special Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. | |
| SOC 3710 | Organizations, Institutions, Markets (3.00) |
| Introduces the study of complex organizations within their institutional and market environments. Emphasis is placed on business and professional organizations, with some attention to government and nonprofit organizations as well. Examines organizational founding, decision-making, and boundary-setting; organizations¿ internal structures and practices; inter-organizational relationships; and the impact of organizations on society. Prerequisites: Three credits in Sociology or permission of instructor. | |
| SOC 3800 | Social Change (3.00) |
| Analyzes social change in whole societies with a focus on contemporary America. Emphasizes the major theories of social change from Marx and Spencer through contemporary analyzes. | |
| SOC 3820 | Social Movements (3.00) |
| Social movements are an historical and global phenomenon of great complexity and variety. Because the topic can be so broad, the course is organized around case studies of civil rights, the industrial workers' movement, environmentalism, religious fundamentalism, and the counter movements to globalization. These cases will be used to illustrate variety of themes and principles, and you'll learn about specific events, personalities, organizations, and dynamics that shaped these movements. By this method, you will gain specific knowledge about important social movements, as well as an overview and general orientation to the sociology of this dynamic area of social life. Prerequisite: SOC 101 or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4010 | Sociology of Music (3.00) |
| Students will consider ways in which social communities intersect with, respond to, and create musical communities. Musical taste will be interrogated as a point of identification and self-presentation that is neither given nor natural, but contingent and constructed. Students will engage foundational critical texts in the | |
| SOC 4030 | Sociology of Mind (3.00) |
| An introduction to the philosophy and sociology of mind. Reviews Classical Idealism, Phenomenology, existentialism, and the current sociological theories of mind, with an eye toward cognitive science as well. Prerequisite: six credits of sociology of instructor permission | |
| SOC 4050 | American Society (3.00) |
| Studies present and anticipated trends in American institutions and values. Emphasizes contemporary dilemmas such as race relations, poverty, community life, and technological transformations. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4052 | Sociology of Religious Behavior (3.00) |
| Course will focus on established traditions in the United States including evangelical and mainline Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, black Protestantism, and Orthodox Judaism. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4053 | Sociology of Education (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Analyzes education as a social institution and its relationship to other institutions (e.g., the economy, the stratification system, the family). Emphasizes the role of education in the status attainment process. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. |
| SOC 4054 | Political Sociology (3.00) |
| This course studies the relationship between social structure and political institutions. Competing theories about such topics as power structures, political participation, ideology, party affiliation, voting behavior, and social movements are discussed in the context of recent research on national and local politics in the U.S. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4055 | Sociology of Law (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | After a brief history of legal sociology during the past century, the course introduces and elaborates a sociological theory of legal behavior. The primary focus is the case, a specific legal conflict. The theory explains the handling of each case with its social structure, such as the social closeness and social elevation of the parties. Although the course is primarily scientific in emphasis, the practical relevance of the theory is addressed. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. |
| SOC 4057 | Family Policy (3.00) |
| Studies the relationship between family and society as expressed in policy and law. Emphasizes the effects of formal policy on the structure of families and the interactions within families. The American family system is examined as it has responded to laws and policies of government and private industry and to changes in society. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4059 | Conflict (3.00) |
| Theoretical exploration of the social causes of conflict about right and wrong and the social factors that explain the handling of these conflicts in diverse settings across the world. Topics include individual and collective violence, avoidance, third-party intervention such as mediation and adjudication, therapy, and the evolution of conflict and morality across history. | |
| SOC 4070 | Sociology of Art (3.00) |
| A discussion-based seminar covering material from a wide range of perspectives in an attempt to understand the social context and effects of visual and other arts. Students are expected to have introductory level familiarity with sociological thinking. 6 credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4090 | Sociology of Literature (3.00) |
| An upper-level seminar in the sociology of literature. Students should be familiar with general sociological concepts and theory. Covers material from a wide range of perspectives in an attempt to understand the social context of written language and of literature. Student groups will be responsible for leading general class discussion on one or more occasions. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4100 | Sociology of the African-American Community (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Study of a comprehensive contemporary understanding of the history, struggle and diversity of the African-American community. |
| SOC 4140 | Sociology of Consumption (3.00) |
| SOC 4170 | Theoretical Sociology (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course surveys eight major strategies used to explain human behavior in sociology and related social sciences. It also addresses several broader issues pertaining to the nature and goals of sociological science. Prerequisite: one course in sociology or permission of instructor. |
| SOC 4190 | Work and Gender (3.00) |
| Considers major theories of gender-based inequality at work. Explores gender, disparities in key dimensions of work, such as entry into occupations and jobs; promotion, rank, and authority in organizations; earnings; and conflicts between work and family. Emphasizes the contemporary United States, but includes some cross-national comparisons. 6 credits of Sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4220 | Contemporary Social Problems (3.00) |
| Explore the processes by which social problems emerge and are defined by collective social action. Sociological perspective on social problems will be studied through case studies of specific issues including eugenics, physical child abuse, sexual abuse, school misbehavior, drugs, smoking and others. 6 credits of Sociology or instructor permission, SOC 222 recommended. | |
| SOC 4230 | Deviance and Social Control (3.00) |
| Examines a variety of deviant behaviors in American society and the sociological theories explaining societal reactions and attempts at social control. Focuses on enduring conditions such as drug addiction, alcoholism, and mental illness. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4350 | Comparative Gender Stratification (3.00) |
| Examines gender stratification - the relative level of equality of men and women in a given group - in comparative and cross-historical perspective. Several theories are presented to explain the variations, from gender-egalitarian to highly patriarchal groups. 6 credits of Sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4410 | Sociological Phenomenology (3.00) |
| Explores the various ways in which phenomenology has shaped micro-sociological discourse on subjectivity, agency, and the lifeworld. Pre-requisites: Six credits of Sociology or permission of instructor. | |
| SOC 4420 | Sociology of Inequality (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Surveys basic theories and methods used to analyze structures of social inequality. Includes comparative analysis of the inequalities of power and privilege, and their causes and consequences for social conflict and social change. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. |
| SOC 4510 | Topics in Sociology of Work (3.00) |
| Studies the division of labor, occupational classification, labor force trends, career patterns and mobility, occupational cultures and life-styles, and the sociology of the labor market. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4559 | New Course in Sociology (1.00 - 4.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. |
| SOC 4600 | Gender and Culture (3.00) |
| Studies how the social definition of gender affects and is affected by cultural artifacts such as literature, movies, music, and television. Students are expected to be familiar with general sociological concepts and theory and be regularly prepared for participation in a demanding seminar. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4630 | Eastern European Societies (3.00) |
| This course explores Eastern European societies through an examination of the practices of everyday social life. Topics include the changing cultural meanings of work and consumption, the nature of property rights and relations, family and gender, ethnicity and nationalism, religion and ritual. | |
| SOC 4640 | Urban Sociology (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Examines both classic and contemporary debates within urban sociology and relates them to the wider concerns of social theory. Topics include public space and urban culture, social segregation and inequality, the phenomenon of the global city, and the effects of economic change or urban social life. Six credits of Sociology or instructor permission. |
| SOC 4680 | Sociology of Everyday (3.00) |
| This course explores concepts and theories of the everyday developed in sociology and related disciplines. Drawing on concrete examples it examines how societies are created and reproduced by the apparently mundane practices of everyday life. Among the topics to be discussed are the rules and rituals of everyday life; home, work, and leisure; the temporalities and rhythms of the everyday; patterns of mobility, and power and resistance. | |
| SOC 4700 | Medical Sociology (3.00) |
| Sociological orientation to understanding how and why the issues of health and disease have come to occupy such an important role in contemporary American society. Health issues are presented as a consequence of social change with an emphasis on population characteristics, working conditions, education, and mass communication in the United States. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4710 | Sociology of Organizations (3.00) |
| Studies the formal organizations in government, industry, education, health care, religion, the arts, and voluntary associations. Considers such topics as power and authority, communication, 'informal' relations, commitment, and alienation. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4740 | Sociol Persp on Trauma, Atrocity, & Responsibility (3.00) |
| Scholars have characterized the 20th century as an epoch of trauma and atrocity. Previous epochs were brutal also, but the nature of brutality and our vocabularies with which to understand it have been transformed dramatically over the last century. This course explores events (e.g. holocaust, genocide, atomic bombings) and institutional factors (e.g. media,law,philosophy) that have transformed our sense of vulnerability and our responses to it. | |
| SOC 4800 | Undergraduate Internship Program (4.00) |
| Internship placement to be arranged by the supervising faculty. Students work in various agencies in the Charlottesville community such as health care delivery, social services, juvenile justice, etc. Regular class meetings with the supervising faculty to analyze the intern experience and discuss assigned reading. Only three credits can be counted toward sociology major. Prerequisite: Fourth-year sociology major with substantial completion of major requirements. | |
| SOC 4810 | Undergraduate Internship Programs Seminar (4.00) |
| Internship placement to be arranged by the supervising faculty. Students work in various agencies in the Charlottesville community such as health care delivery, social services, juvenile justice, etc. Regular class meetings with the supervising faculty to analyze the intern experience and discuss assigned reading. Only three credits can be counted toward sociology major. Prerequisite: Fourth-year sociology major with substantial completion of major requirements. | |
| SOC 4820 | Undergraduate Internship Program (4.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Internship placement to be arranged by the supervising faculty. Students work in various agencies in the Charlottesville community such as health care delivery, social services, juvenile justice, etc. Regular class meetings with the supervising faculty to analyze the intern experience and discuss assigned reading. Only three credits can be counted toward sociology major. Prerequisite: Fourth-year sociology major with substantial completion of major requirements. |
| SOC 4850 | Media, Culture and Society (3.00) |
| Studies the linkage between mass communications and social life. Particular emphasis will be placed upon how electronic media affect public discourse and how electronic media affect behavior by rearranging social situations. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology courses or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4860 | Sociology of Religion (3.00) |
| This course explores the role of religion in modern societies. It provides a broad comparative cultural and historical perspective, drawing on examples from America, Western Europe, and former communist countries of Eastern Europe. Topics include classic sociological theories of religion, church-state relations, civil religion, and religion and nationalism. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4870 | Immigration (3.00) |
| Examines contemporary immigration into the United States from the point of view of key theoretical debates and historical circumstances that have shaped current American attitudes toward immigration. Six credits of Sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4970 | Special Studies in Sociology (1.00 - 12.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | An independent study project conducted by students under the supervision of an instructor of their choice. Prerequisite: Fourth-year students with a minimum GPA of 3.2 in sociology (or overall GPA of 3.2 for non-majors) and instructor permission. |
| SOC 4980 | Distinguished Majors Thesis Research (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Independent research, under the supervision of a DM faculty adviser, for the DMP thesis. |
| SOC 4981 | Distinguished Majors Thesis Writing (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Writing of the DMP thesis under the supervision of a DM faculty adviser. Prerequisite: SOC 4980 |
| SOC 5030 | Classical Sociological Theory (3.00) |
| A seminar focusing on the writings of Marx, Weber, Durkheim and other social theorists. Open to students in related disciplines. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. | |
| SOC 5056 | Sociology of Culture (3.00) |
| Examines the most recent theoretical and methodological developments in the sociology of culture. Examines the influence of structuralism, phenomenology, critical theory, and cultural anthropology on contemporary sociological theory and practice. Considers the ways cultural analysis can be applied to a variety of pressing empirical problems. | |
| SOC 5057 | Sociology of Family (3.00) |
| This course analyzes the ways in which societies address needs of intimacy, care and provisioning -- the tasks commonly assumed by families -- under varying circumstances and in different contexts, including from historical and comparative perspectives. Prerequisite: Six credits in sociology or permission from the instructor. | |
| SOC 5059 | Sociology of Science (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Topics include science as a major institution in modern society; interrelations of science and society; social organization of science; the scientific career (socialization and professionalization); status, roles, and characteristics of science; science policy studies as an emerging discipline; and technological assessment. Prerequisite: SOC 512 or instructor permission. |
| SOC 5060 | Contemporary Sociological Theory (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Considers the nature and purpose of sociological theory, and a survey of the most important contemporary theories and theorists. Prerequisite: SOC 503, six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. |
| SOC 5080 | Comparative Historical Sociology (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course will focus not so much on methodological as on substantive issues of macro sociological inquiry. Among the topics covered will be: the state, power, revolution, nationalism and class formation. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. |
| SOC 5100 | Research Design and Methods (3.00) |
| Studies the steps necessary to design a research project including searching the literature, formulating the problem, deriving propositions, operationalizing concepts, constructing explanations, and testing hypotheses. Prerequisite: SOC 312, or graduate standing, six credits of sociology; or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 5110 | Survey Research Methods (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Covers the theory and practice of survey research. Topics include surveys as a scientific method; applied sampling of survey populations; the construction, testing, and improvement of survey instruments; interviewer training; the organization of field work; coding and data quality control; data analysis; and the preparation of survey reports. Prerequisite: SOC 312 or graduate standing, six credits of sociology or health evaluation sciences, or instructor permission. |
| SOC 5120 | Intermediate Statistics (4.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Studies the social science applications of analysis of variance, correlation, and regression; and consideration of causal models. Prerequisite: SOC 3130, graduate standing, six credits of sociology or instructor permission. |
| SOC 5140 | Qualitative Methods (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Studies the theory and practice of qualitative, non-statistical methods of sociological inquiry including field work, interviewing, textual analysis, and historical document work. Students practice each method and design larger projects. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. |
| SOC 5150 | Time and Memory (3.00) |
| This course surveys the field of memory studies, and is centered in particular on the concept of "collective memory." What are the varieties of practices¿including commemoration, recollection, collecting, museification, monument building, reminiscence, etc¿through which we represent the past, and what difference do these practices make? Further topics include reputations, public history, transitional justice, and trauma. | |
| SOC 5300 | Sociology of Self (3.00) |
| Over the past few decades the concepts of self and identity have been at the center of considerable intellectual debate in the social sciences and the humanities. In this course, we'll explore classic and contemporary perspectives on the self and society, culture and the category of the person. Among other questions, we will consider human agency, reflexivity, self presentation, identity formation, memory, pathology, emotion, and embodiment. | |
| SOC 5320 | Sociology of Gender (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | This course will explore the social construction and consequences of gender, covering such topics as work, care, sexuality, identity, politics and inequality. Readings will include the classics as well as newer works in the field. |
| SOC 5420 | Social Stratification (3.00) |
| Studies the distribution of rewards and punishments and the resulting social inequalities in cross-cultural and historical perspective. Analyzes negative liabilities such as arrest, imprisonment, unemployment, and stigmatization, and positive assets such as education, occupation, income, and honor. Draws on the literature of both stratification and deviance/criminology. Focuses on the distributive aspects of power and the resulting social formations such as classes, and status groups. Prerequisite: SOC 5030, 7130 or their equivalent, or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 5559 | New Course in Sociology (1.00 - 4.00) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. | |
| SOC 5595 | Special Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Topics are announced and vary each semester. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. | |
| SOC 5596 | Special Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Topics are announced and vary each semester. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. | |
| SOC 5620 | Social Demography (3.00) |
| International study of population structures, emphasizing comparison of developed and developing societies, and the way in which differing rates of population growth effect the patterns of social and economic change in these societies. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. | |
| SOC 5720 | Nations and Nationalism (3.00) |
| A consideration of some of the principal theories and concepts of nationhood and nationalism, with special focus on a number of case studies drawn from Eastern and Western societies. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. | |
| SOC 5900 | Economic Sociology (3.00) |
| This course surveys the classic and contemporary research literature in economic sociology. The course explores this literature's central claims that economic action is embedded in social relationships and shaped by social institutions, and considers the economy in comparative and historical perspective. | |
| SOC 7102 | Qualitative Methods in Media Audience Research (3.00) |
| This course is designed to be a practical introduction to how to do audience research in the field of culturally-oriented communication study. The primary work students will be doing is to prepare research projects illustrating the in-depth application of one (or possibly multiple) methods of research employed in studying the cultural audience. | |
| SOC 7130 | Intro to Social Statistics (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | |
| SOC 7140 | Sociology of Consumption (3.00) |
| The course explores the theories, practices and politics of modern consumption. Among the topics to be discussed are the historical development of modern consumer society, colonialism and consumption, consumption and the creation of difference, the cultural meanings of commodities, and the commodification of social life. | |
| SOC 7360 | European Social Theory (3.00) |
| Presents a survey of recent developments in continental social theory, includeing, but not restricted to, structuration theory (Giddens), actor-network theory (Latour), systems theory (Luhmann), and the theory of communicative action (Habermass). Prerequisite: Two courses in sociological theory, one at the graduate level. | |
| SOC 7400 | Empires (3.00) |
| This course will look at empires in the broadest possible context, historically and geographically. Its main focus will be the modern European empires: Spanish, British, French, Austrian, Russian, and Ottoman. Their form of rule, treatment of subject peoples, self-conceptions of the ruling peoples and their sense of the 'mission¿ of empire will be emphasized. There will be comparisons between empires - past, contemporaneous, and future. | |
| SOC 7559 | New Course in Sociology (1.00 - 4.00) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. | |
| SOC 7810 | Social Change, Devleopment & Globalization (3.00) |
| Focuses, in turn, on (a) an overview of human evolutionary history from hunting-gathering through ararian societies, (b) the rise of capitalism and the subsequent emergence of developed and undeveloped societies, and globalization today. It concludes with special topics based on the specific research interests of the students. Prerequisite: Graduate status or consent of the instructor. | |
| SOC 7980 | Graduate Research Workshop (3.00) |
| This class is part of a two-semester sequence which aims to prepare graduate students to write professional, sociological research papers. In the fall semester, students will select a topic, scholarly literature, research question, theoretical framework, data source, and method of analysis. Students will present several times, draft key sections, and engage our intellectual community in helping others to complete their projects. | |
| SOC 7981 | Graduate Research Workshop (3.00) |
| This class is part of a two-semester sequence which aims to prepare graduate students to write professional, sociological research papers. In the spring semester, students will undertake and complete data analyses, draft results and conclusion sections, revise previously drafted sections, and engage in helping others to complete their projects. | |
| SOC 8000 | Graduate Seminar in Media Studies (3.00) |
| This course surveys key texts in the interdisciplinary field of Media Studies to Ph.D. students in a variety of disciplines and does not presume students will have background in the Media Studies literature. In a reading and discussion-intensive seminar experience, students will examine social sciences and humanities-based theory, research, and criticism that have helped shape the development of the field. | |
| SOC 8010 | Issues in Social Theory (3.00) |
| Changing special topics depending on instructor's interest. | |
| SOC 8020 | Issues in Social Theory (3.00) |
| Changing special topics depending on instructor's interest. | |
| SOC 8030 | Sociological Issues (3.00) |
| Studies contemporary issues effecting sociology as a science, as an academic discipline, and as a profession. Frequent guest lecturers. | |
| SOC 8040 | Sociological Issues (3.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Studies contemporary issues effecting sociology as a science, as an academic discipline, and as a profession. Frequent guest lecturers. |
| SOC 8051 | Sociology of Work (3.00) |
| Studies the division of labor, occupational classification, labor force trends, career patterns and mobility, occupational cultures and life-styles, and the sociology of the labor market. | |
| SOC 8052 | Sociology of Religion (3.00) |
| Classical and contemporary theories and empirical research are examined to illuminate the changing role of religious belief and religious institutions in the Western World. Emphasizes the methodological problems of studying religion. | |
| SOC 8053 | Sociology of Education (3.00) |
| Analyzes education as a social institution and its relationship to other institutions, e.g., the economy, the stratification system, the family. Emphasizes the role of education in the status attainment process. | |
| SOC 8054 | Political Sociology (3.00) |
| Studies the relationships between social structure and political institutions. Discusses competing theories on power structures, political participation, ideology, party affiliation, voting behavior, and social movements in the context of recent research on national and local politics in the United States. | |
| SOC 8055 | Sociology of Law (3.00) |
| This seminar begins with a history of the field, and then narrows to a single theoretical problem: the sociology of the case. In particular, it addresses how the social structure of a legal case predicts and explains the handling of the case, such as the style and quantity of social control it attracts. The readings include theoretical works as well as research reports. | |
| SOC 8057 | Family Research (3.00) |
| Studies the relationship between family and society as expressed in policy and law. Looks at the effects of formal policy on the structure of, and interactions within, families. Examines changes in the American family system in response to laws, policies, and social issues. | |
| SOC 8059 | Conflict (3.00) |
| Theoretical exploration of the social causes of conflict about right and wrong and the social factors that explain the handling of these conflicts in diverse settings across the world. Topics include individual and collective violence, avoidance, third-party intervention such as mediation and adjudication, therapy, and the evolution of conflict and morality across history. | |
| SOC 8100 | Gender Stratification and Feminist Theory (3.00) |
| The course combines a focus on a general theory of gender stratification as a framework for examining gender stratification cross-historically and cross-culturally; and introduction to feminist theory that examines a broad array of contemporary feminist theories, most focused on the U.S., and topics based on the specific interests of the students in the course. Prerequisite: graduate status or instructor permission | |
| SOC 8410 | Race & Ethnicity (3.00) |
| Studies pivotal issues relating to race in contemporary American society from a theoretical and historical point of view. These include such topics as the contested meaning of the term "race", the relationship between race and ethnicity, assimilation, the relationship between race and inequality, and crime. | |
| SOC 8470 | Sociology of Knowledge (3.00) |
| Studies the social foundations of knowledge, including formal systems of knowledge to the realities of everyday life. Includes classical and contemporary literature on the subject. | |
| SOC 8531 | Selected Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Advanced graduate seminars. Offerings are given in a semester determined by faculty and student interest. | |
| SOC 8532 | Selected Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Advanced graduate seminars. Offerings are given in a semester determined by faculty and student interest. | |
| SOC 8542 | Selected Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Advanced graduate seminars. Offerings are given in a semester determined by faculty and student interest. | |
| SOC 8562 | Selected Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Advanced graduate seminars. Offerings are given in a semester determined by faculty and student interest. | |
| SOC 8572 | Selected Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Advanced graduate seminars. Offerings are given in a semester determined by faculty and student interest. | |
| SOC 8581 | Selected Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Advanced graduate seminars. Offerings are given in a semester determined by faculty and student interest. | |
| SOC 8582 | Selected Topics in Sociology (3.00) |
| Advanced graduate seminars. Offerings are given in a semester determined by faculty and student interest. | |
| SOC 8710 | Sociology of Organizations (3.00) |
| Examines formal organizations in government, industry, education, health care, religion, the arts, and voluntary associations. Considers such topics as power and authority, communication, 'informal' relations, commitment, and alienation. | |
| SOC 8998 | Non-Topical Research, Preparation for Research (3.00 - 12.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | For master's research, taken before a thesis director has been selected. |
| SOC 8999 | Non-Topical Research (3.00 - 12.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | For master's thesis, taken under the supervision of a thesis director. |
| SOC 9010 | Directed Reading (1.00 - 12.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Independent study with a faculty member. |
| SOC 9050 | Research Apprenticeship (1.00 - 12.00) |
| Provides practical research experience through close collaboration with a faculty member. (Faculty members propose project and chose apprentices from the pool of applicants.) Student apprentices will be junior colleagues, involved in all phases of the project. This collaborative effort will lead to a distinct scholarly product, usually a co-authored paper suitable for publication. | |
| SOC 9060 | Research Apprenticeship (1.00 - 12.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | Provides practical research experience through close collaboration with a faculty member. (Faculty members propose project and chose apprentices from the pool of applicants.) Student apprentices will be junior colleagues, involved in all phases of the project. This collaborative effort will lead to a distinct scholarly product, usually a co-authored paper suitable for publication. |
| SOC 9998 | Non-Topical Research, Preparation for Doctoral Research (3.00 - 12.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | For doctoral research, taken before a dissertation director has been selected. |
| SOC 9999 | Non-Topical Research (3.00 - 12.00) |
| Offered Spring 2012 | For doctoral dissertation, taken under the supervision of a dissertation director. |