Sociology

Study of human society from the perspective of contemporary social science. Particular emphasis on analysis and understanding of modern society and its salient problems. (Available for General Education, D1 Social Sciences.)

Helps the student understand the bases of some of the major social crises of the present day. Topics include alcoholism, delinquency and street crime, ethnic tensions, gambling, international tensions, organized crime, political corruption and terrorism. (Available for General Education, D1 Social Sciences.)

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Discussion of the logic and procedures of scientific analysis of social phenomena. Practice in conceptualizing and operationalizing social variables, and in formulating testable hypotheses. Examination of the role of quantitative techniques and data reduction in current sociological analysis.

Prerequisite: ANTH 150, PSY 150 or SOC 150. Introductory overview of human sexual function and sexual behavior. Emphasis on the historical and religious backgrounds of the prevailing attitudes toward sex in our culture, as well as to current sexual practices from the perspective of contemporary social science. Additional topics include sexual values and ethics, love, legal …

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Family as a social institution on the basis of the data of ethnology, history and contemporary studies. Special attention to contemporary culture patterns.

Preparatory: CJS 102. Deviant behavior in contemporary American society. Various definitions of deviance and social responses to the phenomenon. Theories of structural conditions and personal motivations contributing to different life styles. Analysis of deviant subcultures and individual case studies.

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: ANTH 150, PSY 150 or SOC 150. Cross-cultural study of the development of individual personality in the sociocultural milieu. Special attention is given to child-rearing practices, social personality, social character, mental health and illness, and conforming and deviant behavior in several Western and non-Western societies. Not to …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: SOC 150. This course uses the perspectives and tools of sociology to explore how different cultural and social structures affect Jewish families and communities throughout the Jewish diaspora. (Cross-listed with JS 306.) (Available for General Education, F Comparative Cultural Studies.) (WI)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: SOC 150. Description and analysis of contemporary, changing ethnic cultures and lifestyles in American society. Focused analysis of ethnic cultures/lifestyles by social class, family form, sex role and orientation, age-grouping and influences of social movements and popular culture. (Available for General Education, F Comparative Cultural Studies.) …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: SOC 150. Analysis of contemporary and historical sex roles in major societal institutions, including economic, political, educational, legal and medical systems, and institutions of marriage and family. (Available for General Education, D1 Social Sciences.) (WI)

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Examination of current research on women in the labor force in U.S. and other industrial societies, including the impact of affirmative action programs, changes in structure and function of industrial labor forces, and projections of future roles of women and men in the labor force.

Recommended Preparatory: SOC 150. A sociological analysis of diverse Middle Eastern cultures and social structures. Interdisciplinary in nature, this course examines the role of religion, the modern state, nationalism, ideologies, social classes, industrialization, modernization, and the impact of the West on the Middle Eastern cultures and societies.

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: SOC 150. This course is a social-scientific study of American Jewish religious and ethnic identity. It focuses on the social institutions and processes involved in Jewish identity, and compares the experience of Jews with other religious, ethnic, and cultural groups in the U.S. (Cross-listed with JS 335.) …

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Analysis of the structural context of work in contemporary society, including preparation for access to different positions within the occupational structure. Study of work settings, including formal and informal characteristics, changes in the structure of work and case histories involving work experiences and occupational subcultures.

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Study of the group-setting of the individual, theories, concepts, principles and their application. History of the field as an interdisciplinary specialty. Current research and trends.

Preparatory: CJS 102. Extent and distribution of delinquency, with emphasis on the local area. Meaning, implications and treatment of delinquency. Individual-level and social environmental theoretical explanations.

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Analysis of the nature, causes and consequences of major world population trends as they are related to urban studies, medical sociology and ecology. Studies fertility, mortality and migration; sex ratios; race and ethnic composition; marital, educational and occupational status; and census and vital statistics.

Preparatory: CJS 102. Nature of crime, causal factors of criminal behavior and group control of the crime problem.

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Exploration of social welfare institutions as one of the basic institutions in contemporary society. Examines varied political and social ideologies that contribute to the development of social welfare institutions, programs, and policies.

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Introduction to social work and social justice practice from an anti-oppressive perspective. Application of critical social work theories and anti-oppressive approaches in social work/social justice from micro through macro practice with emphasis placed on intersecting issues of privilege and oppression. Requires 40 volunteer field hours in approved community organization.

Lecture-discussion of the social and cultural bases of political ideologies and processes. Study of power and its varying relationships to decision making at community and national levels. Analyses of the roles, structure and interaction of voluntary and political organizations in the political system, including conflict and its resolution. Sociological interpretations of contemporary American political behavior.

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Selected topics in sociology, with course content to be determined.

Study of contemporary sociological theories of organizational dynamics and behavior. Analysis of the social structural and interactional dynamics of organizational settings. Includes supervised individual or group projects and reports. Available for graduate credit.

Analysis of the distribution of wealth, prestige and power. Study of the causes of poverty, life chances of the poor, lifestyles of the wealthy, upward and downward mobility, and class and group conflict in society. Available for graduate credit.

Worldwide processes of urbanization, both historical and contemporary. Theoretical approaches and research and their implications for urban policy and change. Focuses on social structure, social differentiation and lifestyles found within a metropolitan area and in diverse metropolitan areas and their implications. Available for graduate credit.

Sociological analysis of education as an institution of socialization, including relevant theories, its structure, the challenges of diversity, the complexities of the urban/suburban school setting and current professional issues. Focuses on how issues of diversity impact the institution at the macro level, as well as the experiences of administrators, teachers, students, families and communities. Available …

Prerequisite: MATH 140. Recommended Preparatory: SOC 150. Corequisite: SOC 424L. The application and understanding of statistical techniques used in sociological research, related to univariate and multi-variate descriptions, as well as probability and hypothesis testing in statistical inference. Techniques include tabular and graphical presentations, central tendency and dispersion, cross-tabulation analysis, simple and multiple correlation, and regression …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of the historical, social, and political aspects related to the development of social policies. Learn how to apply a practitioner policy analysis perspective to pertinent social welfare policies, including TANF, managed mental healthcare, Social Security, substance abuse policies, and child welfare policies. Regular written assignments required. Available …

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Discussion and analysis of classical sociological theories and theorists.

Prerequisite: SOC 150. This course examines the sociological study of globalization with a focus on theories and debates about the economic, geopolitical, and cultural processes that have led to increased global connectivity. Topics to be addressed include: the shift from a developmental to global economy, culture and globalization, migration and family structures, global identity formations, …

Preparatory: CJS 102. Introduction to the sociological study of law and legal systems, with emphasis on social analysis of criminal law and courts. Specifically, the course addresses social perspectives on the origins of law and law-making, the application and enforcement of law, the administration of justice through the legal process and application of legal sociology …

Analysis of aging in its social and social-psychological aspects throughout the lifespan. Emphasis on particular social problems of the elderly, including retirement, widowhood, suicide, housing, income maintenance, attitudes toward death and dying and more. Available for graduate credit.

Survey of sociological theory and research techniques related to mortality, illness and medical treatment. Emphasis on the epidemiological aspects of these phenomena in various groups, hospitals, community health settings and more. Available for graduate credit.

Prerequisite: SOC 230. Emphasizes the sociological influences shaping human sexual behavior, with an emphasis on learning social scripts. Available for graduate credit.

Prerequisites: Junior standing. Analysis of cross-cultural and historical treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities. Survey of sociological research on these communities, including an examination of theory and practice. Analysis of homophobia and other attitudes toward these communities. Available for graduate credit.

Trends in the movement toward establishing the rights of the child to protection and care. Emphasis on the child and the law, compulsory education, school social work, child labor legislation, institutional and foster care for the healthy and the sick child, and adoption legislation. Available for graduate credit.

Prerequisite: SOC 150. This course provides a sociological understanding of contemporary migration both globally and with a particular focus on the U.S. Understanding the immigration process from a sociological perspective offers insight into why individuals and groups move, how they are received and incorporated into the host society, how migration is sustained over time, and …

Sociological theories of religious behavior from Max Weber to the present. Comparative study of the relationships between the role, ritual and belief systems of religious institutions and their social contexts. Available for graduate credit.

Prerequisite: SOC 150. Discussion and analysis of contemporary sociological theories and theorists.

Prerequisite: SOC 150. This course is an overview of the core sociological concepts and perspectives in the social movement literature. This course will examine the factors that lead people to participate in social movements and how social movement participation shapes people’s lives. The course will explore theoretical perspectives developed in the study of social movements …

Supervised field experience in counseling and guidance activities, paraprofessional work settings. Community field placements consistent with student career needs. Class size limited to 15 students. An Academic Internship course. (Letter Grade only)

The course examines the history of community organizing in the United States; explores the different theories and approaches to effective grassroots organizing; and emphasizes the organizing skills necessary to empower people so they can improve their communities. The course intends to translate social work values into community level practice, with a focus on self-determination and …

Prerequisites: SOC 357 and overall GPA of 3.0. Corequisites: SOC 490F and SOC 490S are taken concurrently. Pre-enrollment by specific date during the preceding semester is required. This course provides an opportunity for students to apply social work theories to practice, to advocate for social justice, and to gain experience in an agency setting. The …

This course presents students with a range of theories that seek to understand human behavior across the lifespan. It integrates biological, psychological, structural, environmental, political, global, and sociocultural perspectives. This course also explores the relationship between the person and the environment including families, groups, organizations, communities, and institutions. Available for graduate credit.

This course explores diversity, privilege and oppression on individual, social/cultural and institutional levels, based on the intersections of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, (dis)ability status, and social class. Students will examine their own social identities, social group memberships and social roles along the lines of power, privilege, marginalization, and representation. An anti-oppressive …

Special Seminar in selected topics in sociology, with course content to be determined.

Prerequisite: SOC 424/L. Corequisite: SOC 497L. Application of the scientific method to social phenomena, including both quantitative and qualitative methods of collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data, as well as considerations about research design, the role of theory, and ethics. Methods covered may include survey research, experimental research, secondary data analysis, content analysis, focus groups, …

Independent Study

Prerequisite: Graduate class standing. Examination of the foundational and contemporary theories of the sociology of gender. Analysis of the ways in which gender structures individual identities, interpersonal relations, role expectations, and patterns of social inequality within institutions such as the family, education, and work. Topics covered include the social construction of gender, intersectionality, sexual identities, …

Advanced investigation of the dynamics of social interaction. Interdisciplinary research.

Examination and employment of approaches and methods used by professional evaluators in the public, nonprofit, and private sector to evaluate and assess programs and policies. Topics include the design of instruments for primary data collection, the identification of stakeholders, and the creation of logic models, program theories, and management plans.

Prerequisites: Completion of core requirements in undergraduate program or equivalent; 12 units of 400- or 500-level courses in Sociology. Special seminars in selected topics in sociology.

Critical examination of significant theoretical formulations and trends in classical sociology.

Critical examination of significant theoretical formulations and trends in contemporary sociology.

Prerequisite: SOC 364. Selected topics from new and developing fields of quantitative sociological analysis.

The study of research methods sociologists use to gather, analyze and interpret qualitative data. Emphasis is placed on philosophical assumptions, interpretive frameworks and diverse approaches to qualitative inquiry such as interviews, content analysis, participant observation, ethnography and historical-comparative research. Topics covered include research ethics, positionality, reflexivity and validity.

The advanced study of research methods sociologists use to gather, analyze and interpret quantitative data. Topics covered include survey construction, experimental design and secondary data analysis. Emphasis is placed on descriptive and inferential statistical analyses.

Development of graduate research projects providing training in specific research techniques. Course Title SOC 691A Observational Techniques

This course is designed to prepare students for the culminating experience in the master’s degree program in sociology. Students pursuing the thesis option are required to write and defend a thesis proposal and secure IRB approval (if required). Students pursing the comprehensive exam option are required to do an extensive review of the research in …

Prerequisites: SOC 601, SOC 670, SOC 685, SOC 690. Limited to students preparing to take the comprehensive examination for the M.A. degree in Sociology. (Credit/No Credit only)

Prerequisites: Classified graduate status; Instructor consent. Limited to students completing a thesis project for the M.A. degree in Sociology. (Credit/No Credit only)

Independent Study