Archived Courses and Undergraduate Course Catalog

Archived Fall Courses [in MS Word format]
Fall 2007
Fall 2006
Fall 2005
Fall 2004
Fall 2003
Fall 2002

Archived Spring Courses [in MS Word format]
Spring 2008
Spring 2007
Spring 2006
Spring 2005
Spring 2004
Spring 2003
Spring 2002

Archived Summer Courses [in MS Word format]
Summer 2007
Summer 2006
Summer 2005
Summer 2004
Summer 2003
Summer 2002

Undergraduate Course Catalog
[skip to 200, 300, 400 level courses]

Soc 101 Introduction to Sociology (3)
Introduction to the fundamental ideas and concepts of sociology; culture; norms; status; role; socialization; stratification; industrialization; urbanization; bureaucratization. LEC

Soc 111 Contemporary Popular Music (3)
LEC.

200 LEVEL COURSES

Soc 201 Structure of American Society (3)
Principal features and modern tendencies of patterned behavior in American society. LEC

Soc 205 Sociology of Art (3)
LEC.

Soc 206 Social Problems (3)
Social problems and their history; theoretical perspectives in the literature; social problems as related to and distinguished from the concepts of deviance and social disorganization. LEC

Soc 211 Sociology of Diversity (3)
A sociological introduction to diversity in American society. The bases and social implications of difference will be explored, with particular reference to issues of race, ethnicity, religion, class, and gender. LEC

Soc 235 Sociology of American Jews (3)
This course is an introduction to the sociology of American Jews. It addresses the social foundations of the Jewish cultural experience, and, specifically, the relationship between the diverse population of Jewish religious adherents in the United States and the larger American society. Particular attention is paid to issues of identity, family, social institutions, educational systems, assimilation, accommodation, and community matters. Additionally, the course will move beyond a strictly sociological perspective to present a survey and overview of the issues pertinent to the Jewish experience in America. LEC.

Soc 238 Women, Work, and Family in the 20th Century (3)
Same as AMS 238. Explores the experience of women of different race, class, and ethnic groups regarding changes in women's responsibilities in the family, participation in the labor force, and the development of new family forms. The course illuminates contemporary issues regarding work, marriage, and family from a historical perspective. LEC

Soc 293 Social Research Methods (3)
Content analysis; unobtrusive measures; participant observation; surveys; field experiments; relationship of methods to the development of social theory; ethical implication of the methods; use of research findings for designing social programs. LEC

Soc 294 Basic Statistics for Social Sciences (3)
A foundation in the mathematics underlying statistical techniques for interpreting quantitative social data. LEC

Soc 304 Sociology of Aging (3)
Social and historical currents in the study of aging; physiological, social, and theoretical perspectives of gerontology; issues of daily living impinging on older persons; the institutional and social structural consequences of demographic trends. LEC

Soc 307 Criminology (3)
Explains patterns in the incidence and frequency of crime and delinquency based on criminological theory and research. LEC

Soc 308 Sociology of the Life Course (3)
Introduction to theories and research on adult life-cycle change. Overview of studies of development and socialization in childhood and adolescence. LEC

Soc 309 Introduction to Social Change (3)
Basic issues and forces of social and cultural changes, both historic and contemporary. LEC

Soc 310 Sociology of Education (3)
Schools and colleges as social institutions in the U.S. and other societies. LEC

Soc 313 Sociology of the Family (3)
The family is examined in terms of its internal structure and its relationships with major social institutions. The analysis is generally cross-cultural, with specific emphasis on the American family. LEC

Soc 314 Sociology of Gender (3)
Makes visible what has been invisible through much of the history of sociology, the social process, and social structure of gender relations. LEC

Soc 315 Sociology of City Life (3)
Cities and metropolitan regions: history, types, institutions, social organizations, ecological structure, and classes; urban problems; city and regional planning. LEC

Soc 317 Criminal Justice Systems (3)
Studies the institutions that administer the criminal law: police, prosecutor, courts, probation service, and prisons and jails. An introduction to the substantive and procedural criminal law as applied by those institutions. LEC

Soc 319 Juvenile Justice (3)
A review of past and current legal reactions to adolescent deviance, delinquency, and crime. LEC

Soc 321 Race and Ethnic Relations (3)
Intergroup relations in the U.S.: racial, religious, nationality groups; factors in the development of intergroup hostility, acculturation, assimilation, pluralism. LEC

Soc 322 Introduction to Medical Sociology (3)
Social epidemiology; influence of social conditions on health status; effect of social milieu on the appearance of chronic degenerative disease and mental disorders. LEC

Soc 325 Friendship and Life Course (3)
Examines theories and research on social networks, small group development, and social support. Focus is on friendship across the life course. LEC

Soc 326 Group Dynamics (3)
Designed to improve the student’s ability to observe, conceptualize, and explain small-group processes by analyzing events that occur in the group. Meetings videotaped or sound-taped to aid analysis. Prerequisite: permission of instructor

Soc 328 Social Stratification (3)
Systems of inequality in society; theories of social stratification from Marx to the functionalists; forms of stratification systems; inequality in the U.S.; class consciousness; class action. LEC

Soc 329 Population Problems (3)
Introduction to the principles and methods in demographic analysis in sociology as they are used to examine population changes and their social, political, and economic implications for human societies. LEC

Soc 332 Sociology of Work (3)
Historical analysis of the meaning, function, and commitment to work of people in industrial societies, with emphasis on the U.S.; extent of job satisfaction and alienation from work. LEC

Soc 334 Introduction to Mass Cultural Studies(3)
Examination of popular culture and mass media through their relation to social processes. Introduction to the tradition of cultural studies, especially the Frankfurt School of Sociology and the Birmingham School, plus further consideration of contemporary approaches including cultural criticism, postmodernism and semiotics. Study of media culture as institutionalized in the film, music, television, advertising and publishing industries. Analysis of the relationship between popular culture and subcultures, especially adolescent subcultures. LEC

Soc 335 Sociology of Adolescence (3)
Social processes and the socialization of children and adolescents; current patterns of generational conflict; generational succession as a social problem; age gradings and the status system. LEC

Soc 336 Sociology of Communication (3)
Patterns of communication implied by senders or inferred by receivers drawn from media; categories and rules for interpreting and creating patterns; genesis of patterns in social science, conventional thought, practical experience, and imagination; and their effects on class, ethnic, sex, and age groupings. LEC

Soc 337 Sociology of Punishment (3)
Accounts for the organizational emergence of legal institutions to treat, isolate, and punish the criminal offender. LEC

Soc 348 Urban Sociology (3)
Urban and metropolitan communities and their problems: housing, transportation, urban renewal, race relations, poverty, suburbanization. LEC

Soc 349 History and Development of Sociological Theory (3)
Development of sociological theory; forerunners of sociological thought; contributions of Saint-Simon and Comte, Spencer, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and others. LEC

Soc 350 Contemporary Sociological Theory (3)
Introduction to contemporary sociological theories; historical background and systematic analysis of sociological perspectives, such as functionalism, symbolic interaction, systems approaches, structuralism, contemporary Marxism. LEC

Soc 351 Sociology of Religion (3)
Religious behavior as it relates to the larger social system; American religious phenomena and its cross-cultural perspective. LEC

Soc 365 Sociology of Developing Countries (3)
Theoretical and cross-societal comparative analysis of the social-structural, cultural, and motivational changes in developing countries. LEC

Soc 370 Special Topics (3)
LEC.

Soc 371 Individual and Society (3)
The relation between the individual and society: major theoretical problems, such as human nature, communication and language, perception, socialization, role-playing, and the interdependence of values, ideologies, and social structures. LEC

Soc 373 Sociology of Law (3)
Introduction to social science materials on the nature of law, legal institutions, the legal profession, and the impact of law on behavior; theories of law and legality; comparative legal systems; police; lawyers; judges; jury; the effect of law on behavior; use of social science in the courts. LEC

Soc 375 Postmodernism and War (3)
This course will exam the sociological aspects of the "limited" wars fought since the 1960's and their effects on American society by explicitly using a postmodern cultural studies perspective. A study of the postmodern approach to social relations will be followed by a detailed examination of the Viet Nam, Bosnia, Gulf War I, Gulf War II (Iraq), and the post 9/11 actions at home and in Afghanistan as they related to the issue of postmodern social effects. LEC

Soc 379 Sociology of Literature (3)
Popular magazine fiction in relation to levels of taste and general values; novels as presenting social strata; selected scientific studies analyzed; individual projects. LEC

Soc 381 Social Movements (3)
Introductory course to theoretical and empirical study of reform movements. LEC

Soc 384 Collective Behavior and Social Movements (3)
The individual’s participation in and the structure, strategies, and developments of organized groups that attempt to change society. LEC

Soc 390 Race, Class and Gender in the U. S. Military (3)
This class examines race, class, and gender relations in the United States armed services. The military is studied as a social institution. With the help of sociological concepts, theories, and methods, students analyze both the internal organization and practices of the armed forces and the relationships between the military and other institutions. Additionally, recent Congressional hearings and military policies on race relations, women in combat, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, and quality of life issues are among the topics discussed. LEC

400 LEVEL COURSES

Soc 405 Sociology of Deviance (3)
Deviant behavior; the sociological determinants of crime and delinquency, mental disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction. LEC

Soc 422 Senior Seminar in Medical Sociology (3)
Social factors play a critical role in health. Social conditions and situations not only promote the possibility of illness and disability, but they also enhance prospects of disease prevention and health maintenance. In this seminar, we examine the social facets of health and disease, the social functions of health organizations, the social behavior of health personnel and the users of health care, and the relationship of health-care systems to other social systems. SEM

Soc 431 Historical Sociology (3)
This course investigates the connection between biography, social structure and history. LEC

Soc 440 Social Gender Theories (3)
Classical thinking about gender in society will be critically evaluated according to various contemporary social theories. By reading personal narratives and theoretical discussions and viewing films, particular attention will be given to insights provided by film theory, discourse theory, and poststructuralism. SEM

Soc 441 Honors Program (3)
A 3.25 GPA in sociology and overall, and completion of 64 credit hours required for eligibility. Permission of the department required to register. TUT

Soc 446 Environmental Sociology (3)
Examines emerging field of environmental sociology in theoretical and substantive ways, focusing on issues of importance in all modern industrial societies. SEM

Soc 456 Special Topics (3) SEM.

Soc 464 Sociology of the Arts (3)
Reflection, social control, influence, and other theories of how the arts function in primitive and modern societies and cultures; audiences and their relation to the roles of artists. LEC

Soc 467 Sociology and Social Policy (3)
LEC.

Soc 468 Special Topics (3)
Special Topics in sociology determined by faculty interest. Topic titles and content vary from semester to semester. Check with the department for current offerings. LEC

Soc 477 Sociology of Health Care (3)
SEM.

Soc 481 Special Topics (3)
Special Topics in sociology determined by faculty interest. Topic titles and content vary from semester to semester. Check with the department for current offerings. SEM.

Soc 482 Senior Seminar Sociology of Law (3)
SEM.

Soc 483 Sociology of Work (3)
SEM.

Soc 485 Social Change (3)
This course examines class interests, agency, social movements, culture and other important issues embedded in historical and contemporary perspectives on the processes of social change. We will consider topics such as class interests, agency, social movements, and culture and their place in understanding how society changes. Our focus will be on change in the United States; however, we will also look at case examples from other parts of the world and discuss how globalization impacts on our understanding of the processes of social change. LEC.

Soc 492 Analysis of Social Data (3)
This course is designed to help students learn the basics of SPSS and how to use SPSS to analyze social data, interpret their results, and describe their findings. It is the aim of this course to introduce statistical methods and a wealth of social data examples that are interesting and relevant to social sciences in order to construct the foundations of data analysis as well as its application as a tool in social research methods. SEM

Soc 498 Internship (var)
Internships typically conducted in a community agency, government office, or private setting. Students are given the opportunity to observe and participate in a variety of work experiences related to sociology. Open to sociology majors with junior- or senior-class standing only. TUT

Soc 499 Independent Study (var)
A program of work agreed upon by the student and a faculty sponsor. A faculty sponsor in the department before registering required. TUT