Course Descriptions
Spring 2007
SOCI 101S 01&02 Introduction to Sociology
4 Credits
Houseknecht, Sharon
Pre-requisites: None
This course will serve as a foundation for the development of the sociological perspective. Our goal is to understand society, and, in doing this, we will apply sociological concepts, theories, and methodologies to a broad array of important social issues. Sociology is a discipline that promotes a broad understanding and appreciation of the structures and processes that constitute social order and contribute to social change. It informs us about the forces that impinge on our private experiences while also providing insight into how those experiences are linked to the existence and maintenance of social institutions and society as a whole. Institutions and the issues of race, ethnicity, and other dimensions of inequality within social structures are analyzed in the context of multicultural societies and increasing global interaction. Basic sociological principles and research findings are used to support the analyses of social issues. Throughout this course, the development of analytical thinking skills will be emphasized as we explore systematically and critically how individuals, institutions, culture, and social structure interact to shape society and human behavior. These sections of Sociology 101 will have a lecture and discussion format.
SOCI 110C/SW 01 Cultural Anthropology
4 Credits
Smith, Stephen
Pre-requisites : None
This course is an introduction to the perspective of cultural anthropology. The course pays particular attention to the concept of culture and to the tremendous diversity of cultural patterns around the world. Topics include fieldwork as method and experience, institutions of society, and symbol and meaning. Students will read descriptions of societies from several different ethnographic areas, including the United States. We will end the term with a consideration of the role of anthropology and anthropologists in the world today.
SOCI 201 01 Topic: Social Movements
2 Credits (first half semester)
Pankhurst, Jerry
Pre-requisites: None
Exploration of major social movements using sociological approaches. Special attention will be given to patterns of mobilization and techniques for success. We will also examine differences in social movements connected with change from the industrial to post-industrial and post-modern conditions.
SOCI 210S 01 Sociology of the Family
4 Credits
Broh, Beckett
Pre-requisites: None
This course explores the ways in which social, economic, political and cultural forces shape the family. During the semester we will review sociological literature on the family, reflect on our own experiences, analyze the social problems families face, investigate social policies surrounding the family, and seek to understand the interconnection between the family and the other institutions that constitute society.
The class is designed to address the wide diversity in family forms, practices and experiences, and to acknowledge the link between societal changes and changes in family patterns. With this emphasis on diversity and change, course materials will continuously address the intersection of race and ethnicity, class, and gender on experiences in the family and family structure.
SOCI 245C 01 Gender and Society
4 Credits
Rowell, Katherine
Pre-requisites: None
This course introduces the student to the construction of gender categories, roles, and inequalities across cultures. Men and women are biological organisms embedded in complex cultural and personal histories that vary from society to society. We will begin with a discussion of whether or not gender is biologically or culturally constructed. We will then consider the ways in which sexuality (homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality) is culturally and/or biologically constructed. We will look at the way that gender is constructed in societies which are egalitarian, move on to more complex hierarchical societies and end with a discussion of how gender is constructed in societies such as our own. We will utilize ethnographic, archaeological, linguistic, biographic, and biological data to explain the different worlds in which men and women must learn culturally specific gender behavior. One of the aims of the course will be to dissolve some of the stereotypes about other cultures' constructions of gender and sexuality and develop a more rich and sophisticated understanding of them and ourselves. Some of the topics of the course will include definitions of femininity and masculinity, marriage, kinship systems and how these shape men’s and women’s roles and relationships. Comparative cross-cultural methodologies will be employed to examine particular human traits across diverse societies in the world today and in the recent past.
SOCI 250S 01 Sociology of Deviance
4 Credits
McEvoy, Alan
Pre-requisites: Pre-requisites: Sociology 101 or 110 or permission of the instructor
Sex, violence, insanity, fear and loathing! This course focuses on public perceptions and responses to behavior that is considered a violation of societal rules. Sociological theory, research, and case examples will be employed to help the student understand the causes and consequences of a variety of behaviors labeled as deviant. The emphasis will be on examining the patterns of interaction within which deviant behavior emerges, the impact of certain types of deviance on others, as well as attempts to prevent or reduce these behaviors by agents of social control. Of paramount concern will be our effort to understand the meaning of deviant behavior from the perspective of both the deviant actors and the audience that expresses disapproval.
SOCI 270S 01&02 Sociology of Minority Groups
4 Credits
Nibert, David
Pre-requisites: None
Since humanity developed the capacity to produce an economic surplus, countless masses of earthlings have been oppressed, and many have had their labor appropriated, by relatively small groups of privileged humans. This course will examine the historical and contemporary causes for the continued oppression of entire groups, including various ethnic groups, women, the impoverished and other species of animals. Special attention will be given to the roots of oppression with an in depth look at the entanglement of oppression of humans and other animals. This analysis will be woven into an examination of the treatment of devalued humans in the United States. The course will include class discussions, videotape presentations, and assignments outside of class. Students are expected to respond actively to assigned readings by discussing key ideas and by using examples to support or question these ideas.
SOCI 301 01 Topics: Eastern Orthodox
2 Credits (first half semester)
Pankhurst, Jerry
Pre-requisites: One course (min. 3 hrs.) in SOCI or RAST or RELI Major/Minor
Introduction to the history and modern social characteristics of the Eastern Orthodox churches. Over 250 million people are part of the community of Eastern Orthodox believers, but most Americans know very little about this major branch of Christianity. Greece, Russia, Romania, Serbia, and many other countries have majority populations who are Orthodox, and groups of Orthodox faithful are found in most countries around the globe. There are more than 4 million Orthodox Christians in the United States.
SOCI 301 01 Topics: East Asian Medical Systems
4 Credits
Smith, Stephen
Pre-requisites: One course (min. 3 hrs.) in SOCI or Permission of Instructor
This course is a survey of the medical concepts, practices and problems of East Asia. After introducing traditional East Asian medical concepts, the course will deal with the interaction of plural medical systems and social institutions in the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, overseas Chinese communities, Japan and Korea. Consideration will be given to such issues as shamanism and magical healing, culture bound syndromes and therapies, native nutrition, alcoholism and drug dependency, and systems of health care delivery.
SOCI 301S 1W Topics: Race & Ethnicity
4 Credits
Broh, Beckett
Pre-requisites: None
Race and ethnicity continue to be important markers of identity, stratification, and political action. This course will expose you to concepts and theories that can promote an understanding of the roles of race and ethnicity in contemporary society and guide new ways of thinking about these issues. Specifically, the course will introduce you to the sociocultural analysis of race and ethnic group membership in its various historical and geographical contexts, especially that of the contemporary United States. Why has racial/ethnic group membership remained a salient factor in social life? What factors perpetuate racial/ethnic stratification in our society? When does racial/ethnic group membership form the basis of social and political mobilization? Key concepts will be critically evaluated, with attention drawn to their ideological basis, explanatory power, and policy implications. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the social issues under study and their relevance to their own lives as members of a multi-ethic society.
SOCI 307 1Z Research Methods
5 Credits
Broh, Beckett
Pre-requisites: SOCI 101S or SOCI 110C/S and minimum math placement 23 and
a stats class. Note: Stats may be taken concurrently with SOCI 307.
Additional one hour meeting time for lab work to be determined by instructor and students on the first day of class.
This course will introduce students to the design and implementation of various social science research methods. The course examines every phase of the research process including the development of testable research questions, integration of theory into the empirical process, choosing effective methods for study, and various techniques for collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting data. Students will construct and implement research designs using various quantitative and qualitative methods, primarily in preparation for the completion of their independent senior thesis project. This is a required course for sociology majors.
SOCI 330 01 Social Stratification
4 Credits
Nibert, David
Pre-requisites: None
This course will examine the causes and consequences of social inequality with emphasis on the institutionalization and ideological legitimization of oppression. Special attention will be given to the role of the state. While historical and cross-cultural examples will be examined, primary attention will be given to the existence of inequality in the U.S. Oppression by class, gender and race will be among the forms of inequality discussed. Current economic and political conditions will be examined for their bearing on social inequality.
SOCI 370 01 Criminology
4 Credits
McEvoy, Alan
Pre-requisites: 1 course (min. 3 hours) in SOCI
This course will emphasize explanations of criminal behavior, consequences of crime for victims and for society, types of juvenile and adult crime, and societal responses to crime. The strengths and limitations of the criminal justice system will be examined, and various approaches to corrections and to crime prevention will be considered.
