SOCI 101S 01 & 02 Introduction to Sociology
4 Credits
Wagner, Brooke
Pre-requisites: None
The discipline of sociology will be introduced as a field of inquiry. We will examine many of the questions that sociologists ask, the theories that help us frame these questions and the methods that help us answer them. We will address questions such as: "Why is there inequality?" and "Can individuals change society?" and "What is the role of religious institutions?" Ultimately, students will learn the sociological principles underlying the development, structure and function of culture, society, human groups, personality information and social change.
SOCI 110C/S 01 & 02 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
4 Credits
Moskowitz, Nona
Pre-requisites: None
What is culture? Where is it located? How does it make meaning in our lives? In this course, we explore the diversity of human society by examining culture and the innumerable ways it permeates all facets of life. In our readings we travel around the world looking at cross-cultural diversity in order to understand what culture is and to engage in the questions that cultural anthropologists ask. From glimpsing into the world of ritual to understanding local, socially constructed meanings of gender and race, we will consider how meaning is constructed in particular, social contexts. Other topics we will examine include kinship, language, emotion, and medicine and healing. Understanding the cultural diversity in our world sheds light on our own practices and systems of meaning. With this in mind, we look abroad in order to understand our own practices here in the United States.
SOCI 201 01 Urban Geography
4 Credits
Medvedkov, Olga
Pre-requisites: Minimum Math Placement 22, Permission of instructor
World urbanization has increased dramatically in the course of the 20th century. More people in the world live in urban areas than in rural setting. Developing countries, with large portion of their population yet in rural areas, face an extremely fast rate of urbanization, and lead the world in number of mega-cities, often surrounded by shanty towns. Is this development sustainable?
Developed countries are facing urban sprawl that drives demand for energy resources further. Is 'smart growth' a solution for addressing this problem? What is the origin of urban growth and decline in general, and how Midwestern cities are affected by de-industrialization? How spatial organization of North American cities is different from European, Latin American or Asian cities? All these questions and many more will be a focus of this course. A lecture/discussion format is anticipated, combined with field and computer lab assignments.
SOCI 201 2W Sport in Culture
4 Credits
Dawson, Steve
Pre-requisites: None
At a time of major political and economic change in the world, this course will examine the nature and role of international sport in the emerging global village. Students will seek to uncover the unique elements of sport in the United States and to explain its appearance in terms of the nation's dominate system of cultural values. Sport will be placed against the broader, sometimes contradictory, backdrop of American culture. As well as the United States, sport will be analyzed in the following cultures: Japan, China, the "New Europe" and former Eastern Bloc, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. A background in sociology and cultural studies would be beneficial, although not a requirement.
SOCI 201S Culture in the Classroom
4 Credits
Moskowitz, Nona
Pre-requisites: None
What is culture and how do we see it in the classroom? How does society shape schools, how do schools shape society? Examining different school systems in cross-cultural contexts, this course explores how schools reflect and embody the culture of the society in which they are found. We will look at schools in different parts of the world, with a particular focus on schools in East Asia. In this exploration, we reflect not only on how schools embody culture, but how they come to institutionalize certain societal values and perspectives. We will further examine the culture of young people, asking what voices and identities young people exhibit in schools. There are no prerequisites for this course.
SOCI 277 C/R 1W & 2W Islam and Islamic Societies
4 Credits
Pankhurst, Jerry
Pre-requisites: None
This course will provide a broad introduction to the religion of Islam, accompanied by an examination of the connections between Islam and the varied life of Muslim societies and of Muslim minority communities in non-Muslim societies. Given the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the West's military reprisals and subsequent reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, the ongoing struggle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the devastation of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and elsewhere in the Indian Ocean basin, and other problem situations, knowledge of these issues has become of highest priority. We will seek to understand the complex sources of conflict in areas in which Islam is implicated in some way; we will also try to become acquainted with the rich cultural life of Muslims. We will consider Muslim societies all over the world, but, in support of the minor in Africana Studies, we will give a special emphasis to Islam in Africa and to African American Islam.
Course format: lecture/seminar, with much group discussion. Graded Requirements: A variety of writing exercises throughout the term, oral presentations, examinations and a term project. Students should expect one or more alternative class meetings during the evening to accommodate guest speakers. This course is Writing Intensive (W) and can be taken for either "C" or "R" credit in General Education.
SOCI 301 Women and Crime
4 Credits
Wagner, Brooke
Pre-requisites: None
This course considers historical and contemporary issues of girls and women involved in crime. We will examine such topics as the gender difference in offending, theoretical explanations for female offending, the social construction of offending women, the social construction of masculinities leading to violence against women, and the sexualization and criminalization of women's bodies.
SOCI 301 1C War, Identity and Justice
4 Credits
Doubt, Keith
Pre-requisites: None
What is the contemporary character of war and its destructive impact on societies? How does social violence confront and ultimately transform social identities at both the individual and the collective level? What is justice and its necessity to social order? Drawing upon sociology, documentaries, and political theory, this course studies war crimes, the construction of identity in multi-ethnic societies, the political character of nationalism, the social context of terrorism, and the idea of justice in our modern era. First, from the study of Bosnia, the course develops a sociology of war, a psychology of identity, and a philosophy of justice. Then, the course applies this set of concepts to the modern wars in Algeria, Chechnya, Iraq, and the Middle East. The objective is develop a perspective on social violence at the collective level that is comparative and historical, one that is objective as well as moral, humanistic as well as empirical.
SOCI 350 01 Race and Ethnicity
4 Credits
Rowell, Kathy
Pre-requisites: None
Race and ethnicity continue to be important markers of identity, stratification, and political action in the world. 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 around the world. Why has racial/ethnic group membership remained a salient factor in social life? What factors perpetuate racial/ethnic stratification? 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 global society.Â
SOCI 360 1W Sociological Theory
4 Credits
Doubt, Keith
Pre-requisites: Soci majors only; non-majors need permission of department chair
This course will survey the history of modern social thought and the establishment of sociology as an empirical science. We will focus on key theorists who have made substantial contributions toward defining the limits and character of sociological inquiry. We will compare and contrast competing conceptual paradigms (functionalism, conflict theory, critical theory, exchange theory, ethnomethodology, symbolic interaction, and phenomenology) and study recent significant developments within the field (rational choice theory, feminism, semiotics, and queer theory). The course will require intensive readings of challenging but rewarding texts. The course will also require clearly written and analytically astute papers. Two to three hours of outside preparation - involving reading, journal writing, and library research - are required for each class. (At least three semester hours in Sociology is a prerequisite. It is advisable that students taking this course have had several courses in sociology at the 200 and 300 level.)
SOCI 498 & 499 1W Senior Thesis & Honor Thesis
4 Credits
Pankhurst, Jerry
Pre-requisites: SOCI 307, Soci majors only
As part of the major in Sociology, Wittenberg students are required to complete a senior thesis under the supervision of the "Senior Thesis Professor" and a "Primary Reader" who has a related scholarly interest. The thesis is seen as a capstone experience for majors in that it allows them both to explore research and analytical skills that they have learned earlier and to develop these skills with direct application. In addition, in the process of research and writing, the student develops new skills for the analysis that grow out of the first-hand research tasks. Finally, the thesis process allows the department to assess how well it is doing in preparing students for critical and creative thinking, and for professional or allied careers using their major.
The topic of thesis research is chosen in consultation between the student and the faculty. Hands-on empirical research is encouraged, using either available data sets or requiring the full initiation and carrying out of data gathering in the form of a survey, participant observation project, content analysis or other research method. Complete drafts of senior theses are due at the end of the fall semester. However, revision tasks normally run into the beginning of spring semester.
All students are required to present their final research papers in a student conference format in late February. The Senior Thesis Presentations is one of the programs in the departmental colloquium series, so an audience made up of students, faculty, and local guests has an opportunity to hear about the studies carried out by the senior majors. In addition, all sociology majors are strongly encouraged to present their thesis work at other undergraduate research conferences either on or off campus. Outstanding and accomplished majors are encouraged to seek to earn department honors in Sociology by preparing a Senior Honors Thesis in place of the regular Senior Thesis. The honors thesis is more extensive and requires completion of a more complex and detailed research paper comparable to those found in journals in the discipline. When appropriate, you will be encouraged to submit your work for possible publication or presentation at a professional meeting such as that of the North Central Sociological Association or the American Sociological Association.
Students interested in completing an Honors Thesis in Sociology should consult with the Department Chairperson and the Senior Thesis Professor when completing enrollment procedures for Fall Semester.
