Sociology
SOC 1110: Introduction to Sociology (5)
Offerings
This course is a comprehensive introduction to the field of sociology, including analyses of the interaction between society and the individual; major theoretical perspectives; methods for obtaining sociological knowledge; and major problems and issues that confront societies.
Attributes: WK Social Sciences
SOC 2000: Sociology of Gender (5)
Offerings
Explores the nature and effects of gender in society. Looking closely at culture and history, the course also explores the assumptions about the expected roles of men and women in society and how these gender roles are assigned, managed, displayed, and reinforced by individuals and social institutions.
SOC 2252: Marriage and the Family (5)
Offerings
Surveys the family as a social institution focusing on marital adjustment, parent-child relationships, changing family patterns, and family disorganization and reorganization.
Equivalents: FCS 2252
SOC 2351: Living on the Margins: Cities in the Global South (5)
Offerings
This course addresses the issue of urban livability in developing countries. Students are introduced to the different ways to conceptualize and understand how trends of urbanization have impacted the living conditions of people in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. This course explores how shanty towns, ghettos, and slums develop in densely populated cities, including Port-au-Prince, Kingston, Jakarta, and Beirut.
Attributes: Ways of Engaging
SOC 2360: Introduction to Statistics in Social and Behavioral Sciences (5)
Offerings
Presents the conceptual basis and application of statistical analysis in social and behavioral research. Includes descriptive statistics, correlation and regression, hypothesis testing and inferential statistics. An introduction to analysis of variance and non-parametric statistics will also be provided.
Equivalents: CRIM 2360, PSY 2360
Attributes: WK Quantitative Reasoning
Restrictions: Criminal Justice, Psychology, Soc Justice/Cultural Studies, Sociology Majors, Minors, Concentrations only.
Prerequisites: (SOC 1110: C- or better
OR CRIM 1110: C- or better
OR PSY 1180: C- or better)
AND (Math Placement Level: B or better
OR MAT 0145: C- or better)
SOC 2510: Criminology (5)
Offerings
This course focuses on the nature, causes, and distribution of crime in the U.S. The first part of the course deals with definitional, methodological, and measurement issues in the field. The second part of the course focuses on the various social scientific attempts to explain criminal behavior and patterns of criminality. The third part of the course focuses more specifically on understanding particular types of criminal behavior: illegal drug use and crime, criminal homicide, rape, property crime, and white-collar crime. The primary concern will be an understanding of why it is that some people (or groups) are more likely to engage in criminal behavior than others.
Equivalents: CRIM 2510
SOC 2620: Urban Sociology (5)
Offerings
An introduction to the study of cities, communities, and urban life, this course will study historical developments of cities, urban growth and change, and the ongoing processes of life in an urban context. A range of sociological methods, including ethnography, qualitative interviews and quantitative studies will provide perspectives on key urban questions.
Attributes: Cultural Understand&Engagement
SOC 3105: Introduction to Community Development (5)
Offerings
This course introduces the basic theories and frameworks of community development. Topics will include definitions of poverty and development, cross-cultural and cross-class relationships, techniques for community assessment, organizing, and project evaluation. Case studies wil be included from both the United States and the two-thirds world.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Junior, Senior, Sophomore students only.
SOC 3205: Sociology in Medicine: Inequality and Health (5)
Offerings
This course examines the concepts, theories, and methods of sociology as they are applied to the field of medicine. Students planning to take the new MCAT, and those interested in understanding key sociological concepts, will investigate the social determinants of health, health care systems, epidemiology, the effects of health institutions on the individual and society, and other substantive topics in medical health study. Typically offered: Spring.
Attributes: Upper-Division, Ways of Engaging
Prerequisites: PPHS 1800: P or better
SOC 3215: Social Inequality: Power and Privilege (5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. Analyzes societal organization based on residence, occupation, community, class and race, power structure in the community, and social-mobility patterns.
Attributes: Cultural Understand&Engagement, Upper-Division
SOC 3370: Sociology of Deviance (5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. This course explores the social origins of how and why certain behaviors, conditions and ideas are defined as deviant, as well as the enforcement of norms and the sanctioning of deviance. The theoretical foundations of the sociology of deviance will be studied through various topics, including substance abuse, violent and white-collar crime, academic dishonesty, heresy, and more.
Attributes: Upper-Division
SOC 3372: Explaining Evil: Why People Do Bad Things (5)
Offerings
This course focuses on how the social sciences allow us to better understand our dual natures as both created in God’s image and as fallen creatures. In other words, how do the social sciences allow us to better understand good and evil in the social world? Questions that will be addressed in this seminar include: What is human nature? Does egoism trump altruism? Are some people born bad? Are we all capable of extreme forms of evil? How sharp is the line between a hero and a villain? Are groups more evil than the individuals that compose them? These issues will be explored through reading scholarly research and applying that research to examples found in the real world.
Attributes: Upper-Division, Ways of Engaging
Restrictions: Freshman students are excluded.
SOC 3440: Small Group Dynamics (5)
Offerings
Friendship cliques, families, governmental committees, juries, and gangs are all small groups. While these kinds of groups are quite different in many respects, they also display some important common features. This course will explore some of the common features that exist across the range of small groups we all participate in daily. In particular this course will examine: (1) the internal processes and structures of small groups, (2) the impact of small groups on their individual members, and (3) the relationship of small groups to larger social structures.
Attributes: Upper-Division
SOC 3650: Border Crossings: Immigrants, Refugees & Dreamers (5)
Offerings
This course considers the implications of immigration policies in the U.S and other western nations. Students learn to understand migratory streams in historical perspective and think about international migration as the product of various social forces. We attempt to understand why countries enact the immigration policies that they do, and how these policies shape the experiences of immigrant groups before and after reaching their destination. Key modules: migrants in transit, refugees & asylum seekers, cultural assimilation, gender and race in immigration policies, etc. Typically offered: Autumn.
Attributes: Honors Course, Upper-Division
SOC 3750: Latin America (5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. Traces the history of Latin America with particular attention to the development of political, economic, social, and religious institutions. Typically offered: Winter.
Equivalents: HIS 3750
Attributes: Cultural Understand&Engagement, Honors Course, Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman students are excluded.
SOC 3862: Race and Ethnicity (5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. Comparative study of the nature of minority relations, methods and problems of group adjustment, and positions of various minority groups in the United States and other multiracial societies. Typically offered: Winter.
Attributes: Cultural Understand&Engagement, Honors Course, Upper-Division
SOC 4210: Gender in the Global Context (5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. An exploration into the variety of conditions that constrain the material, social and spiritual well-being of women around the world. The course will examine how contemporary global processes of social and economic change impact women and how "development" could better address their needs. Typically offered: Autumn.
Attributes: Cultural Understand&Engagement, Honors Course, Upper-Division
Restrictions: Junior, Post-Baccalaureate, Senior students only.
SOC 4250: Law and Social Change (5)
Offerings
This advanced course examines the relationship between law, justice, and social change, addressing how law and justice intersect to impact social change. The course explores how law shapes and is shaped by individuals, groups, organizations, and various levels of government. The course covers theoretical approaches to the sociology of law, the role of law and justice in society, and the implications for social change. (Formerly called: Law, Injustice, and Social Change.) Typically offered: Alternate Years.
Equivalents: CRIM 4250
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman students are excluded.
SOC 4252: Sociology of Family (5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. This is an advanced course examining the Family from a macro-sociological perspective as a social institution deeply embedded in and integrated through larger economic, historical, and cultural processes. The class focuses on the dynamics of the contemporary institution of the American family, examining how changing social processes cause stresses and generate problems within the family.
Attributes: Upper-Division
SOC 4320: Homelessness in America (5)
Offerings
This course is an introduction to the study of homelessness in an American context. The course explores multiple aspects of homelessness, primarily in an urban environment, and relies on a range of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. Major questions about the causes and consequences of homelessness, socio-demographic factors associated with homelessness, and responses to homelessness are addressed. Through the faces, lives and stories of homeless men and women students will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities around the homeless population. (Formerly offered as SOC 3320 Homelessness in America.) Typically offered: Winter.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman students are excluded.
SOC 4440: Social Psychology (5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. Studies the relationship between the individual and the group. Includes the major theories, methodological approaches, and substantive areas of investigation that figure prominently in social psychology (e.g., aggression, conformity, social perception, attribution processes, interpersonal attraction, altruism). PSY 3438 may be substituted for SOC 4440 in the sociology major, although SOC 4440 is the recommended course. Students may not receive credit for both SOC 4440 and PSY 3438.
Equivalents: PSY 3438
Attributes: Upper-Division
SOC 4620: Sects, Cults, and Violence (5)
Offerings
This course situates sects and cults as New Religious Movements (NRMs) within the social institution of religion. The course examines the diversity of these movements, making sense of them sociologically to understand how sects and cults emerge, how they differ from one another, and why some become violent.
Attributes: Upper-Division
SOC 4702: Classical Sociological Theory (5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. Explores the major theoretical issues raised by classical theorists such as Weber, Simmel, Marx, Durkheim, and Mead, and their influence on contemporary social theory.
Attributes: Upper-Division, Writing "W" Course
SOC 4751: Sociological Research Methods (5)
Offerings
Explores the process of social research, the nature of scientific inquiry, and basic research design including surveys, experiments, field research, and unobtrusive methods. Note: PSY 3588 may be substituted for SOC 4751 in sociology and related majors although SOC 4751 is the preferred course. Students may not receive credit for both SOC 4751 and PSY 3588. (This course was previously offered as SOC 3751 Introduction to Research Methods.) Typically offered: Autumn.
Equivalents: SOC 3751
Attributes: Upper-Division, Writing "W" Course
Restrictions: Freshman, Sophomore students are excluded.
Prerequisites: (SOC 2360: C- or better
OR CRIM 2360: C- or better
OR PSY 2360: C- or better
OR MAT 2360: C- or better)
SOC 4820: Sociology of Religion (5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. An analysis of religion as a social institution, including the rise of Christianity; religious social perspectives; conversion and commitment processes; sect and cult; charisma and its routinization; religion and inequality; secularization; and social change. Typically offered: Spring.
Attributes: Honors Course, Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman, Sophomore students are excluded.
SOC 4870: Advanced Research (3)
Offerings
This course is designed for senior-level sociology majors who are interested in further developing the research skills they acquired in SOC 3751: Introduction to Research Methods. Students will complete an independent research project while learning advanced methodological techniques used in social research. We will theory development, project design, data management, and advanced statistical analysis. Students will complete an independent research project to present at a local and/or regional research conference. Typically offered: Winter.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Prerequisites: SOC 3751: B or better
OR SOC 4751: B or better
SOC 4899: Sociology Capstone Seminar (3)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. Provides an opportunity for students to reflect upon the discipline of sociology, what they have learned in their sociological studies, and the significance of sociology in providing an ongoing perspective for understanding the world. Further, students will be asked to think about how their faith perspective intersects with a sociological approach to understanding human life. Appropriate readings will be assigned to facilitate thought and discussion.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Sociology Majors only. Post-Baccalaureate, Senior students only.
SOC 4900: Independent Study (1-5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. Student works independently with a faculty member on a mutually agreed upon topic. May be repeated for credit up to 6 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division
SOC 4910: Seminar (1-5)
Offerings
Designed primarily for senior-level sociology majors, this course provides a seminar experience (intensive reading, discussion, and/or data analysis) in a variety of topics that reflect the research interests of the instructor. Advanced students in other majors may contact individual instructors to see if they are eligible to register for the class. May be repeated for credit up to 12 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Sociology Majors only.
SOC 4920: Readings in Selected Fields (1-5)
Offerings
Prerequisites: 15 upper-division credits of B work in the discipline; SOC 1110 is also recommended. May be repeated for credit up to 10 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division
SOC 4930: Practicum in Sociology (1-15)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite. Provides field experience for those students seeking opportunities in direct services, particularly in the area of case management. These students will relate sociological methods and social-work skills to an applied setting. A learning contract describing learning objectives must be developed by the student and approved by the faculty sponsor. Additional information and all placement approvals are obtained from the internship coordinator for the Sociology Department. A maximum of 10 credits may apply to the major and no credits may apply to the minor. May be repeated for credit up to 15 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman, Sophomore students are excluded.
SOC 4940: Internship in Sociology (1-5)
Offerings
Provides opportunities for students to integrate course learning in Sociology with applied field experience. The internship program is designed for Junior or Senior Sociology majors in good standing. In addition to field hours, students can choose among three writing assignment options. Internships will be under the direction of the internship coordinator in the Sociology department and must be of clear sociological relevance. A minimum of 5 hours per week of field work is required for all internships. Each credit is roughly equivalent to 4 hours per week. A maximum of 10 credits may be applied to the major and no credits may apply to a Sociology minor. May be repeated for credit up to 15 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman, Sophomore students are excluded.
SOC 4951: Special Topics (5)
Offerings
Topics will vary. May be repeated for credit 1 time.
Attributes: Upper-Division
SOC 4970: Independent Research (1-5)
Offerings
SOC 1110 is a recommended prerequisite for this course. Prerequisite: B work in the discipline. A maximum of 10 credits may apply to the major and no credits may apply to the minor. May be repeated for credit up to 15 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division