This course provides an introduction to the field of collective behavior. It will examine contemporary and historical social movements, particularly those used to address social injustices. Theoretical perspectives used to explain and predict movements will be examined. Topics may include movements of the 1960s (e.g., Civil Rights, Black Power, American Indian, Women, Gays and Lesbians, etc.), as well as more contemporary movements (e.g., Environmental, the New American Right, Global Justice, etc.)
This course will introduce the major theoretical approaches to the study of criminology and the sociology of deviance. These perspectives are explored through a discussion of contemporary issues such as trends in offending and victimization, research on violent crime, property crime, public order crime, organized crime, and white-collar and corporate crime. Issues of unequal power, social division, and exclusion are also examined (e.g., age, gender, and social class etc.). (Equivalent to CRMJ 351.)
This volunteer experience requires a minimum of 30 hours in the community. The human service agency setting is selected by the instructor and the students in the course. Prerequisites: 149, 249. May be repeated for credit. Graded CR/NC.
Marriage-family complex as a social institution: variations, interrelationship of family to other social institutions, dating, marriage, childraising, divorce, death, and remarriage, contemporary issues in marriage and family life, and future of marriage and family. This course will empower the student to make more informed decisions about marriage and family life choices. SS
This course will provide an overview of research in the social sciences. In this course you will learn how to read and evaluate research methods and design your own research study. The course follows the basic steps in social science research: problem identification, research design, subject selection, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. In learning these steps, you will also be introduced to the dominant methods used in social science research: surveys, experiments, qualitative interviews, ethnography, program evaluation, and mixed methods. Prerequisite: 125.
Culture of pre-literate and contemporary societies. Concept of culture; elements of culture, including technology, economic and political organization, family and kinship, associations, ideology, arts, and language; dynamics of culture stability and change. SS
This course will examine, from a sociological perspective, the ways race and ethnicity matters in society and the consequence of how we organize these concepts for peoples lives.
This course is designed to provide students with a sociological framework for analyzing gender arrangements in contemporary American society. It will examine the significance of social forces in shaping differences between men and women as well as the social problems created by rigid gender expectations. It will also explore gender inequality within major social institutions, focusing on mensand womens different experiences of and opportunities within work, family, sexuality, and medicine. Prerequisite: 125. SS
This course takes a sociological perspective on the subject of death. This means that the course is not designed to be therapeutic (e.g., it does not teach students how to grieve "properly" nor does it offer a systematic method for coping with death). Instead, we will adopt an analytical approach and examine the social aspects of death and dying. We will focus specifically on the variations in the ways that human beings interpret, react to, and deal with the biological phenomenon of death.
Independent reading and/or research under the supervision of a faculty member. Refer to the academic policy section for independent study policy. Independent study contract is required. Prerequisite: 125. May be repeated for credit.