SOCI - Sociology (SOCI)

An introduction to the sociological perspective, exploring basic concepts and theories relevant to various dimensions of social life. May include discussion of socio-cultural influences on everyday social interaction, collective behavior, social inequalities, deviance, socialization, sexuality and identity, as well as social institutions and organizations, such as bureaucracy, religion, family, education, health, class, race, ethnicity, and gender.

Student and Faculty generated questions about contemporary social issues particularly rich in sociological potential. An applied sociological focus on emerging trends, political behavior, religious and legal questions, race, sexuality, gender relations, and social institutions, etc.

Student and Faculty generated questions about contemporary social issues particularly rich in sociological potential. An applied sociological focus on emerging trends, political behavior, religious and legal questions, race, sexuality, gender relations, and social institutions, etc.

Student and Faculty generated questions about contemporary social issues particularly rich in sociological potential. An applied sociological focus on emerging trends, political behavior, religious and legal questions, race, sexuality, gender relations, and social institutions, etc.

An exploration of the social influences on family life. Examines how social and cultural factors affect our understandings of, experiences with, and opportunities within families. Investigates the diversity of family forms over time, across cultures, and within the U.S. May include topics such as dating, marriage, parenting, housework, balancing work and family, divorce, family violence, and the effects of economics, poverty, social policies, and social status on family life.

Education as a politicized social institution; schools and enculturation; schooling and bureaucratization; educational philosophies across cultures and historically; social functions and dysfunctions of schooling; schooling, the social order and mobility; education and employment; educational trends; de-schooling, alternative schools, charter schools, home-schooling.

Examines legal institutions in their social context and cross-culturally. The relationships between law and social norms, values and beliefs; the formulation and implementation of laws; interdependence between the law and social structure, power and change; the legal profession. The process of law making/breaking; law and power, change and social justice; the practice of law.

Sports as a major social institution and a significant part of popular culture. Examination of reciprocal relations between sports and society. The impact of social forces (urbanization, technology, bureaucracy, changing ideologies) on the nature of sport. Special topics include sports in relation to other institutions, such as family, politics, mass media, education, economy and religion.

Sociological examination of health and illness and the social institutions that affect them. Explores social issues of health and illness and the manner by which medical resources and health hazards are distributed. May cover topics such as HIV/AIDS, health care institutions, medical stigmas, the health effects of environmental toxins, and food safety issues.

A focus on the socio-cultural aspects of sexuality, including social scientific theories for understanding sexuality, the interconnections of gender and sexuality, manners by which we learn about sexuality from childhood through adolescence and adulthood, social institutions and cultural forms that affect individual experiences and conceptualizations of sexuality, and current social issues concerning the sexual.

Examines diverse socio-cultural strategies used by human societies throughout the world. Addresses a broad range of social formations such as those used by tropical hunters and foragers, small scale agriculturists & pastoralists, peasant farmers, and agro-industrial corporations, as they respond to and transform the natural environment. Students will learn to apply an anthropological perspective towards the understanding of topics of great global import such as population, pollution, industrialization, sustainable development, and ecosystems.

Nature of bureaucracy and its effect on personality, social relations, group dynamics and social change. Bureaucratic arrangements and processes in a variety of organizational contexts, such as the corporation, voluntary associations, university, union, professional association, government bureau and church. Special attention to the role of power in bureaucratic settings and exchanges.

This course offers an in-depth analysis of mass media, critically focusing on the political context and uses of film, television and newspapers in a democratic society. Special attention is given to the position of women and minorities in the media industry. Includes comparative analysis with other societies.

A sociological investigation of growing older in American society. Focus is on ageism and life-cycle adjustments for different generations and in different societies. Aging and cultural values across the life-course are emphasized. Theories of aging are examined in relationship to economic variables, occupations, and cultural values. Topics include: intergenerational conflicts, retirement, dying and death, nursing homes, contemporary problems of the young and elderly, institutional and individual responses to the problems of aging.

Work and occupations in today's society. The meaning of labor; work and alienation. Trends in the division of labor; links between occupation and social stratification; professionalization of work; occupational ideologies and associations. Career patterns and the various job markets.

An examination of social inequalities, concentrating on class, national, racial, ethnic and gender inequalities in the U.S. and the globe. Discussion will include such topics as the distribution of influence and wealth in occupations, families, and religious and educational institutions, explanations for wealth and poverty, and sources of mobility and change.

Exploration of social scientific theory and research on women and men, including such topics as: the social construction and interconnectedness of sex, gender, race, class and sexuality; how gender operates in everyday social interaction, affecting love, violence, and friendships; how gender inequalities are institutionalized in work, education, religion, and family; and how gender differences and inequalities are implicated in relations of power and politics.

Sociology of race/ethnic, religious, class, and gender relations. Becoming American-the process of assimilation (anglo-conformity, multiculturalism, melting pot). Social order and social conflict perspectives on American society. Prejudice and discrimination. Religion, race, gender and ethnicity in everyday life, integration and pluralism; Old vs. new immigrations, illegal immigration and the economy. Hispanic and Asian immigration; Strategies of social change; Race vs. class relations in contemporary society.

The course will examine the current situation of Latinas/ Latinos in U.S. society from the perspective of a theory of transformation. Latinas/Latinos are the youngest and the fastest growing ethnic population in the United States. Their growing involvement is having a significant impact on culture and politics but they continue to experience high levels of unemployment, poor education, substandard housing, inadequate social services and political under-representation. Solutions compared and contrasted: assimilation vs. transformation.

Sociological examination of a variety of current social problems and possible solutions, including, for example: privacy issues, poverty; environmental degradation; media issues; national security; racism, sexism, and heterosexism; drugs and the drug war; crime and prison issues; and health care system failures. Assigned to groups based on interest, students focus on particular social problems for more intensive study, and present their work to the class.

A review and critical examination of the transformation of human societies from pre-industrial to industrial, as well as the various forms - capitalist and socialist - that industrialization has taken. An analysis of various theories of "development" and "underdevelopment," colonialism and post-colonialism, post-industrial society, globalization, and civilizational conflict. A consideration of the role of technology in shaping the current world order and how it is likely to shape the future, with particular attention given to communication , information, and bio-technology.

Relationship between, culture, social structures and political ideologies cross culturally. Role and functions of government. Politics and International Law; Police and personal freedom and behavior. Social policy engineering and government; Government, media and elections; Contemporary political issues are discussed.

The culture and social structure of American society. Evolving American national character. Tracing some present problems: wealth and poverty, religion and democratic tensions, crime and policing. Understanding American institutions, consumption patterns, celebrity culture, media and voting, etc. The themes of continuity vs. change, unity vs. diversity, individualism vs. community.

A consideration of various theories of the self and its development through social interaction. Emphasis is given to the stages of the life course as they are shaped by broader institutional and historical forces, as well as to the fit or lack of fit between the needs of the individual and the functioning of collectivities. A critical review of the evolution from pre-modern to modern identity, and from modern to postmodern identity, and how these processes are filtered through the cultural frame of reference of particular groups and societies.

Introduction to social science research. How we collect and generate quantitative and qualitative data, what statistics mean. Problem selection and conceptualization; formulating research hypotheses and propositions; research design; sampling, performing research interviews, working with human research subjects, survey instrument construction; data treatment and analysis procedures such as cleaning, coding, tabulation and cross tabulation of data; proposal preparation. Pre-requisites: SOCI 1101 and MATH 1101 or MATH 1203.

This course is designed for social scientiests who wish to learn how to conduct field research, whether in foreign cultures or with different groups within the United States. Students develop, refine and carry out field research projects using qualitative research methods and techniques including participant observation, structured and unstructured interviewing techniques, non-probability sampling, among others. The course will also address ethical issues in social science research including privacy, institutional oversight, rights of the state, and common strategies and solutions. Final research paper is based on original fieldwork.

A survey of classical and contemporary approaches to collective life and the transformation of human societies. A major objective is to show the philosophical, moral, cultural and historical foundations of the dominant theoretical orientations in sociology over time. Consideration of the nature of social order and change, agency and constraint, and sociology as an objective and interpretive science. Focus given to the conversational chains that have been established between theorists from differing schools and within any given school.

What do we know, how do we "know" it? Examines "knowledge" in society and its relationship to social structure and individual consciousness. Emphasis is on the social construction of reality, the meaning of truth and fact, i. e., scientific, theological and sociological truth compared. How the social attributes of groups as well as individuals affect the production ordering and presentation of "information." The form knowledge will take in a particular society.

This course focuses on the social phenomenon of collective behavior from a multicultural perspective. Revolutions, social protest, fads, trends, social movements and crowd behavior across cultures are examined through comparative analysis.

Advanced exploration of social scientific theory and research on women and men, including such topics as: the social construction and interconnectedness of sex, gender, race, class, and sexuality; how gender operates in everyday social interaction, affecting love, violence, and friendships; how gender inequalities are institutionalized in work, education, religion, and family; and how gender differences and inequalities are implicated in relations of power and politics.

An application of various sociological theories of deviance and conformity to a variety of deviant and conforming attitudes, behaviors, and conditions, including, for example: issues of crime and punishment; legal and illegal drug use; sexual minorities, majorities, and fetishes; body presentation, maintenance, and modification; and public opinion and political dissent. Taught as a seminar, with students responsible for presenting on the assigned readings and assisting in leading discussion.

Topics to be announced by the department. Students should consult the registration handbook for specific titles.

Topics to be announced by the department. Students should consult the registration handbook for specific titles.

Students work in settings where they can apply their theoretical knowledge and research skills to the practical demands of the workplace. Designed to enhance the competencies of students as they prepare for their careers. Supervision is provided both by the site supervisor and a department faculty member. Students must obtain prior approval from their advisers. Seniors and juniors only.

Models of integration and tension between Catholicism and the various sciences of human behavior are examined in their historical contexts. Main controversies--the relationship between facts and values, essentialism vs. anti-essentialism, voluntarism vs. determinism, and relativism vs. objectivism— are examined from a Catholic perspective that emphasizes how theology and the human sciences “implicate” each other. A Catholic theology of the human sciences is applied to modern and postmodern conditions of life, and contrasted with other Christian as well as non-Christian perspectives.

A capstone course for majors, which integrates knowledge and skills acquired in the sociology program. Original research paper required that demonstrates mastery of program goals. Topics and approach to be announced by the department and instructor.