Sociology Course Descriptions

SO 101 Introduction to Sociology I: Foundations (3)
Introduces the study of society and acquaints the student with principles and major areas of sociological inquiry. Examines topics related to the individual, culture, deviance and social inequalities.

SO 210 Community Service (3)
Focuses on what “Community” means in contemporary democratic culture. The promises and challenges of civic life in the United States are examined honestly and critically. Community issues and how they affect public policy are addressed. Community service is a requirement of the course.

SO 212 The World of Work (3)
Examines the concept of work from a variety of perspectives. Students will study the literature on work from ancient to modern times. They will become acquainted with the seminal social science research on work. The viewpoints will come from the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, economics, history, and psychology. The second aspect of this course is more practical. It focuses directly on work experience. Students will look at how jobs are organized and administered, how work affects the quality of people’s lives, and how people affect the workplace.

SO 224 Social Change (3)
Reviews and critiques classical and contemporary perspectives and research with an interest in a critical examination of theories and mechanisms related to collective behavior, mass movements, modernization and social revolution.

AN 225 Cultural Anthropology (3)
Investigates the varieties and similarities in different societies and cultures.

SO 231 Sociology of Poverty (3)
Investigates poverty as a product of a complex social system and theories and strategies for its alleviation.

SO 236 Sociological Theory (3)
Examines the development and continuity of social thought concerning the nature of society and the individual within it. Major 19th and 20th century theorists are covered.

SO/CO 312 Media and Society (3)
Examines the powerful role played by the media in American and world societies. Topics include TV and politics, stereotypes and role models in movies and violence in TV programming.

SO/PS 314 Social Psychology (3)
Examines socio-cultural, group and interpersonal influences on behavior. Topics include attitudes, communication, persuasion, mind control, social learning, psychic trauma, aggression, altruism, attraction, prejudice and applications of psychology to the courts.

SO 323 Sociology of Racial and Cultural Groups (3)
Involves the study of the history of ethnic, cultural and religious subgroups in present day societies; inter-group relations as they are influenced by competition, conflict and prejudice; the significance of these relationships to the structure of society.

SO 326 Social Inequality (3)
Examines theories of inequality, social ranking, and the distribution of resources and opportunity as they affect individuals and groups in social institutions, lifestyles, value systems, and quality of life. Variables of power, power elites, class consciousness, alienation, class mobility, and stratification criteria will be explored.

SO 330 Sociology of Marriage and the Family (3)
Examines American dating, marriage, and family patterns with emphasis on the family life cycle, parenting and family disorganization.

SO 334 Sociology of Medicine (3)
Examines major topics in the sociology of medicine including socio-cultural concepts of health and disease; consequences of illness; the social context of health care; and problem areas such as mental illness, ethical issues and the high costs of health care.

SO 335 Criminology (3)
Investigates crime as a social phenomenon; incidence, distribution, cause, the criminal as a social type, the criminal justice system and programs of treatment.

SO 339 Sociology of Aging (3)
Details the non-physical aspects of aging; the developmental and group behavior of adults following maturation.

SO 343 Sociology of Education (3)
Explores education as a social institution, a transmitter of culture, an agent of socialization and a vehicle for social mobility and change.

SO 344 Methods of Social Research I (3)
Surveys quantitative and qualitative research methods, introduces students to statistical applications in the social sciences, and teaches data file creation and management skills using SPSS. Students will draft an original social science research proposal.

SO 346 Methods of Social Research II (3)
Enables students to execute an ethical study based on their own social science research proposal. Hypothesis testing, data analysis using SPSS, and presentation of findings are stressed. Skills for critically interpreting data and the methodologies used in scholarly journals will be emphasized.

SO 348 Sociology of Deviance (3)
Examines the various theoretical perspectives of deviance and social control. Definitions of deviance are examined with reference to those who are labeled as deviant and those who apply the deviant labels. Specific deviant groups such as delinquents, criminals, drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, and the mentally ill will be looked at. The voluntary or involuntary institutionalization of those labeled as deviant will also be examined.

SO 360 Sociology of Sport (3)
Examines the structure and organization of sport as an American institution and as a microcosm of the larger society.

AN/CJ/SO 410a Seminar: Topics in Anthropology, Sociology, and Criminal Justice (3)
Involves intensive study and exploration of rotating topics in the fields of anthropology, sociology, and/or criminal justice. These topics will focus on timely social issues, specialized content areas, and/or methods of social research. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required.

SO 425 Sociology of Gender (3)
Examines contemporary issues of gender in the United States, focusing on socialization to gender identity, implications of gender in the family and at work, and current changes in gender roles.

SO 452 Sociology of Religion (3)
Examines the sources and functions of religion in society, the effects of religion on behavior and attitudes and the social organization of religion. Emphasis is on religion in the United States.

SO 474 Contemporary Social Problems (3)
Focuses on selected problems of social disorganization, including problems related to poverty, drug abuse, racism, sexism and crime, through the application of sociological principles.

SO 476 Urban Sociology (3)
Analyzes impact of urbanism on American society and Western civilization; examines changing structure of the city and associated suburban/inner city problems.

SO 479 Cooperative Education (3)
Provides for the integration of classroom study with a specific, planned period of supervised learning through paid work experience related to a student’s career goals.

SO 489 Field Internship (3)
Offers qualified students the opportunity to do off-campus field work by individual arrangement.

SO 499 Independent Study (3)
Offers qualified students the opportunity to pursue independent study in selected areas under the guidance of department faculty. By permission.

AN/EN 140 Current Topics in American Culture (3)
Enhances academic language skills and imparts knowledge of American culture with the cultural relativistic perspective. For non-native speakers by permission only.