Course Catalog • Sociology

The study of social life, including how human groups are organized, how they change, and how they influence individuals. Consideration is given to a variety of human organizations and social institutions and how these groups and institutions both determine, and are determined by, human beings. This course may not be taken for credit by those who have taken SOC 304. Six written assignments; midcourse and final examinations. Instructor: Eric Hanley.

Textbooks (separate purchase):

• Henslin. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach, 8th ed., Allyn and Bacon, 2007.
• Finsterbusch. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Social Issues, 14th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2007.

Description and analysis of the culture, structure, and development of societies that are historically unrelated to the traditions of Western civilization. Six written assignments; midcourse and final examinations. Instructor: Eve Clark.

Textbooks (separate purchase):

• Loewen. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Teacher Got Wrong, Simon & Schuster, 1996.
• Mead. Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilization, William Morrow, 1988.
• Schneider and Silverman. Global Sociology: Introducing Five Contemporary Societies, 5th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2009.

This course is designed to explore competing explanations for the causes of, and cures for, the enduring problems of American society. The course critically analyzes dominant definitions of social problems, the political and economic roots of these problems, and the public policies aimed at reducing them. May not be taken by anyone who has already completed SOC 306 or its equivalent. Five written assignments; paper; three examinations. Instructor: Eve Clark.

Textbooks and e-readings (separate purchase):

• Kendall, Social Problems in a Diverse Society, 4th ed., Allyn and Bacon, 2007.
• Ehrenreich. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, Henry Holt and Company, 2001.

Analysis of the family as a social institution primarily in the U.S. context. Topics considered are: current and historical changes in how the family is constituted, contrasting sociological theories of family relationships, sexuality in relation to family life, the coexistence of love and hate in families, family dissolution and reformation, and the care of children. A key theme is diversity: social class, gender, race/ethnicity, and age. May not be taken by anyone who has already taken SOC 308 or its equivalent. Seven written assignments; midcourse and final examinations. Instructor: Carrie Wendel-Hummell.

Textbooks (separate purchase):

• Seccombe. Families and Their Social Worlds, 1st ed., Allyn and Bacon, 2008. ISBN: 0-205-51645-9/978-0-205-51645-2.

The social structure and organization of American society with special reference to long-term and recent social changes. (Same as AMS 330.) Not open to students with credit for SOC 132. Prerequisite: A principal course in sociology. Six written assignments; paper; midcourse and final examinations. Instructor: Ada Van Roekel.

Textbooks and e-readings (separate purchase):

• McNamee. The Meritocracy Myth, 2nd ed., Rowman and Littlefield, 2009. ISBN: 9780742561687.
• Lopes. Demanding Respect: The Evolution of the American Comic Book, Temple University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9781592134434.
• Sugrue. The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit (Rev. ed.), Princeton University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780691121864.

An examination of sex roles, sex stereotypes, and major issues involved in sex-role research. Emphasizes explanations of inequality between American males and females in the family and at work. Six written assignments; midcourse and final examinations. Instructor: Sandra Albrecht.

Textbooks (separate purchase):

• Kimmel. The Gendered Society , 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2004.

Analysis of the basic sociological concepts that apply to majority/minority relations with special emphasis on racial and ethnic interaction in the United States. (Same as AMS 522.) Prerequisite: A principal course in sociology. Three written assignments; one book report; two examinations. Instructor: Rosalind Fisher.

Only available for undergraduate credit.

Textbooks and e-readings (separate purchase):

• Parrillo. Understanding Race And Ethnic Relations, 3rd ed. Allyn and Bacon, 2008.
• Takaki. A Larger Memory: A History of Our Diversity, With Voices, Little, Brown and Company, 1998.

Film

• Crash, 2005. Available in DVD to rent or buy.