This is archival data. This system was retired as of August 21, 2023 and the information on this page has not been updated since then. For current information, visit catalogs.umn.edu.
Program Type: Undergraduate minor related to major
Requirements for this program are current for
Fall 2024
Required credits in this minor: 16
to 17
Sociologists study human social behavior. More specifically, sociology examines how we group ourselves (families, social groups, formal organizations, societies); how we behave in groups (collective action, social change, crime and delinquency); and how characteristics like age, race, social class, and gender affect our relationships with each other and with organizations and institutions.
Students who graduate from our Sociology program enjoy a wide range of employment opportunities - business, non-profit, government, and non-governmental organizations. The concepts and skills students learn in our Sociology programs equip you to critically analyze the evolving world and the place within and help you complete effectively in today and tomorrow’s job market.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Admission Requirements
Students who are interested in this minor are encouraged to schedule a meeting with the departmental advisor to discuss the minor and its requirements.
For more information, visit the sociology website for undergraduates at http://cla.umn.edu/sociology/undergraduate
At least 3 upper division credits in the minor must be taken at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
A given course may only count towards one minor requirement.
Students may earn no more than one undergraduate degree from the Department of Sociology: a BA or BS or minor in sociology; or a BA or BS or minor in sociology of law, criminology, and justice.
Core Courses
Take exactly 2 course(s) totaling exactly 7 credit(s) from the following:
Take 3 or more course(s) totaling 9 or more credit(s) from the following:
General Sociology Electives
Take 1 or more course(s) totaling 3 or more credit(s) from the following:
Lower-Division
No more than one 1xxx-level may count towards the minor. If a 1xxx course was taken to fulfill a Core Course, students may not use one of the following courses to fulfill the Electives requirement.
One Stop for tuition, course registration, financial aid, academic calendars, and more
SOC 1101 - Law, Crime, & Punishment
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introductory course designed to provide students with a general understanding of the main theoretical perspectives and empirical findings that dominate socio-legal studies and contemporary criminology. We examine the connections and relationships between law, crime, and punishment using an interdisciplinary social science approach.
SOC 3101 - Sociological Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System
(CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3101/Soc 3101H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
This course introduces students to a sociological account of the U.S. criminal justice system. We will critically examine the components, dynamics, and effects of policing, criminal courts, community supervision, jails, and prisons. Throughout the course, we focus on sociological understandings of these processes, with particular attention to ethnic, racial, class, and gender inequalities as well as long-term problems associated with the high rate of criminal justice supervision in the U.S.
prereq: [SOC 1001] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3101H - Honors: Sociological Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System
(CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3101/Soc 3101H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
This course introduces students to a sociological account of the U.S. criminal justice system. We will critically examine the components, dynamics, and effects of policing, criminal courts, community supervision, jails, and prisons. Throughout the course, we focus on sociological understandings of these processes, with particular attention to ethnic, racial, class, and gender inequalities as well as long-term problems associated with the high rate of criminal justice supervision in the U.S.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Honor students will be expected to interview a current Sociology graduate student working on a LCD topic. Following this, each student will individually be expected to do an in-class power-point presentation explaining how the interviewees? research relates with themes presented in the course. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2 page maximum reflective paper.
prereq: [SOC 1001] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F, honors
SOC 3102 - Criminal Behavior and Social Control
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will address the social and legal origins of crime and crime control with a focus on general theories of deviance/crime and present an overview of forms of social control. We will critically examine criminological, sociological and legal theories that explain the causes of crime and other misdeeds.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3701 - Social Theory
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course provides an introductory overview of major social theories ranging from the foundational sociological theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim to contemporary theories of postmodernism and globalization. We will examine a range of theories with particular attention to their treatments of core sociological questions and concerns.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 1001 - Introduction to Sociology
(SOCS, DSJ)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 1001/Soc 1011V/Soc 1012W
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
This course is designed to introduce you to the study of society and what sociologists call the "sociological imagination:" a way of viewing the events, relationships and social phenomena that shape our individual lives and much of our collective experience. Through the course we will examine some of the central concepts and problems that have preoccupied both classical and contemporary sociologists and gain a sense of how the sociological imagination can illuminate the social forces that have a concrete impact on our everyday lives. Throughout the course you will be asked to consider the ways in which society affects your life, and how you, in turn, affect society.
prereq: Soc Majors/Minors must register A-F
SOC 1011V - Honors: Introduction to Sociology
(SOCS, DSJ, WI)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 1001/Soc 1011V/Soc 1012W
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course is designed to introduce you to the study of society and what sociologists call the "sociological imagination:" a way of viewing the events, relationships, and social phenomena that shape our individual lives and much of our collective experience. Through the course we will examine some of the central concepts and problems that have preoccupied both classical and contemporary sociologists and gain a sense of how the sociological imagination can illuminate the social forces that have a concrete impact on our everyday lives. Throughout the course you will be asked to consider the ways in which society affects your life and how you, in turn, affect society.
SOC 1101 - Law, Crime, & Punishment
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introductory course designed to provide students with a general understanding of the main theoretical perspectives and empirical findings that dominate socio-legal studies and contemporary criminology. We examine the connections and relationships between law, crime, and punishment using an interdisciplinary social science approach.
GCC 3014 - The Future of Work and Life in the 21st Century
(TS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GCC 3014/GCC 5014
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
This course seeks solutions to the technological, demographic, and economic forces that challenge taken-for-granted mindsets and existing policies around work, careers, and life. Students will consider positive and negative impacts of the forces that render the conventional education/work/retirement lockstep obsolete. What do these changes mean for men and women of different ages and backgrounds? What are alternative, sustainable ways of working and living in the 21st century? These questions reflect global challenges that touch the lives of people everywhere. Students will work in teams to begin to address these realities and formulate innovative solutions to better transform learning, working, caring, and community-building in the 21st century.
This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course.
GCC 3018 - What American Dream? Children of the Social Class Divide
(DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
As a result of the increasing and widening social class divide present in the early 21st century, American families and their children are facing more challenges than ever before. In this course, students will identify and confront the barriers to opportunities created by the divide and seek solutions that can be pursued with families, schools, and communities, and public policy to redress these inequities. Because of the complexity of this grand challenge, an interdisciplinary approach to intervention and policy is required. From course instructors' respective vantage points in prevention science, developmental and educational psychology, and family social science, and with the perspectives provided by faculty contributors from economics, law, and pediatrics, students engage with diverse modes of inquiry, epistemologies, and critical lenses by which possible solutions can be generated and implemented.
This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course.
SOC 3003 - Social Problems
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
In this course, we will engage in a sociological examination of major social problems facing the contemporary US and abroad. We explore the origins and causes of different social problems, seek to understand how they impact individuals, groups, and the society as a whole, and evaluate solutions. We ask how an issue becomes defined as a "social problem," discuss the social construction of reality and deviance, and consider the primary frameworks under which societies have organized their responses to different social problems.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3005 - Social Science Fiction
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course applies theories, concepts, and principles from social science disciplines such as sociology, political science, and anthropology, to social science fiction novels, stories, and films, to understand how soc-sci-fi contributes to knowledge about current societal conditions. Soc majors/minors must register A-F.
SOC 3090 - Topics in Sociology
Credits:
3.0
[max 6.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Topics specified in Class Schedule.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors must register A-F; cr will not be granted if cr has been received for the same topics title
SOC 3201 - Inequality: Introduction to Stratification
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Why does inequality exist? How does it work? These are the essential questions examined in this class. Topics range from welfare and poverty to the role of race and gender in getting ahead. We will pay particular attention to social inequities – why some people live longer and happier lives while others are burdened by worry, poverty, and ill health.
prereq: soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3221 - Sociology of Gender
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3221/Soc 5221
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Gender is something so fundamental to our lives, to our identities, and how we interact with others that we often take it for granted. However, understandings of gender vary across time and place, and even within cultures, making it clear that our understandings of gender are not universal or timeless. In this class, we will examine how gender intersects with race and sexuality, as well as how it impacts areas of our lives such as child socialization, family structure, the media, intimate relationships, and the workplace
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3241 - Sociology of Women's Health: Experiences from Around the World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Health care is a fundamental right, but access to it is not shared evenly by all. This course considers women's and men's health needs, and how health systems assign priority to those needs. The course also covers how differences in health policy, national medical systems, levels of wealth, and cultural contexts around the world affect women's health and treatment and their experiences of wellness and illness. Women are taking an active role in shaping healthy societies. The final portion of this course looks at the goals and successes of women's movements in the health sphere. Throughout the course, there will be an emphasis on how sociological approaches to health differ from medical or epidemiological approaches, the advantages of the sociological approaches, and the respective advantages and disadvantages of qualitative versus quantitative approaches to studying women's health.
Pre-req: Soc majors and minors must register A-F; Soc 1001 recommended.
SOC 3243W - On Drugs: Pleasures, Panics & Punishments
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
In this course we are going to study and reflect on the immense popularity of mood-enhancing drugs, legal and illegal, around the world today. Why do we want to modify our moods, and how do we set about it? Why do some people throw themselves into drug use while others fearfully avoid it? And why do many more of us feel worried about "addiction" to shopping, sex, or gambling?
Together we will build a comparative analysis of drug cultures and practices ? understanding the place of ?journey? and ?possession? inebriation across time, and how the temporal and ritual boundaries delimiting substance use get broken down by the mass commoditization of alcohol and other drugs by 19th century capitalism. From there we trace the amazingly confused development of addiction and changing forms of intervention, from alarmist educational campaigns and the militarized maneuvers of the drug war to the drug court movement , and from the twelve-step cure to alternative harm reduction approaches. This class will offer you a mixture of accessible and detailed material, together with some theoretical work which will help you grasp the subject on a deeper level. As a writing intensive class you will develop a three-stage paper with feedback at each stage, producing a strong writing sample.
Pre-req: Soc 1001 recommended; Soc majors/minors must register A-F.
SOC 3246 - Diseases, Disasters & Other Killers
(HIS, ENV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3246/Soc 5246
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course studies the social pattern of mortality, beginning with demographic transition theory. Students will study specific causes of death or theories of etiology, including theories about suicide, fundamental cause theory, and the role of early life conditions in mortality. Students learn tools for studying mortality, including cause of death classifications and life tables.
Soc majors/minors must register A-F.
SOC 3301W - Politics and Society
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Political sociology is concerned with the social bases of power and the social consequences of the organization of power, especially how power operates in relationship to various forms of inequality and different institutions. We will explore political socialization, electoral politics and voting, social movements, the media and framing, and politics of inequality, poverty, and welfare.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3322W - Social Movements, Protests, and Change
(CIV, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3322W/Soc 3322W
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Focusing on the origins, dynamics, and consequences of social movements, this course explores debates about the dilemmas and challenges facing movement organizations, the relationship between social movements and various institutions, and the role of social movements and protest in bringing about change. The course is organized around general theoretical issues concerning why people join movements, why they leave or remain in movements, how movements are organized, the strategies and tactics they use, and their long-term and short-run impact.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3411W - Organizations and Society
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces undergraduates to contemporary theories and debates about formal organizations in an international context, including such forms as large corporations, small businesses, public bureaucracies, nonprofits, voluntary associations, social movement organizations, terrorist networks and counterterror organizations.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3415 - Consume This! The Sociology and Politics of Consumption
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
How symbols are created, acquired, diffused, and used for organizing personal identity and maintaining group boundaries. Fashion. Socialization. Structure of retail trade. Role of mass media, advertising, marketing/production strategies. Implications of worldwide markets.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3421W - Sociology of Work: Good Jobs, Bad Jobs, No Jobs?
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Work is central to individuals, economy, and society. This course introduces students to sociological perspectives and analyses of work. We will look at what makes a good job good, a bad job bad, and impacts of joblessness on society.
prereq: 1001 recommended, Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3446 - Comparing Healthcare Systems
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3446/Soc 5446
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Examination of national health systems from an international comparative perspective, emphasizing social, organizational, political, economic, cultural, and ethical dimensions of healthcare policies and programs to deliver services and their impacts on the health of population groups. The comparative approach will enable students to acquire a better understanding of the problems and potential for reforming and improving US healthcare delivery.
Pre-req: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3451W - Cities & Social Change
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3451W/Soc 3451V
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
The core themes of this class will provide an essential toolkit for approaching broad questions about social justice, culture, work, housing and service provision on multiple levels and across the globe. This course will have units on economic development, inequality, the interaction between design and human action, inclusive and exclusive cultural formations, crime and cultures of fear, social control and surveillance.
prereq: 1001 recommended, Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3452 - Education and Society
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Everyone thinks they know what "education" is. We've all been in schools, and we think we know how they work. We all have opinions about why some people go farther in school than others and why some people learn more than others. We all think we know what role education plays in shaping who gets good jobs, who has a good life, and who has more knowledge.
This course is designed to challenge and expand what we think we know about all of these things. Students (and instructor) will critically engage scientific research in sociology, education, economics, public policy, and elsewhere. The goal will be to educate everyone about the current state of knowledge about how "education" works: what shapes educational achievement; where sex and racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities in educational achievements come from; what role education plays in economic development; how and why educational accomplishments result in better social and economic outcomes; and how educational institutions might be improved.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F.
SOC 3501 - Sociology of Families
(SOCS, DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Family has long been a significant experience in human societies; much of what we understand ourselves to be, arises in family life. But family also varies widely in composition across time and place. We will learn how sociologists study and understand families theoretically, as social institutions, as well as sites and sources of social problems.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3671 - Chinese Society: Culture, Networks, & Inequality
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Introduces students to sociological perspectives and analyses of cultures, social networks, and socioeconomic inequalities in post-1980 China. In addition to lectures, the instructor will show video clips about various backgrounds of China and group discussions will be organized to exchange opinions about issues of common interest. Students will gain a basic understanding of how Chinese society operates today.
prereq: 1001 recommended, soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3721 - Principles of Social Psychology
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Social psychology is at the intersection of macro and micro sociology, linking social structures, interpersonal relationships and interactions, attitudes, values and the self-concept. Principles of social psychology are drawn from multiple theoretical perspectives, including symbolic interactionism, expectation states theory, social structure and personality, and the life course. This course covers a broad range of topics as well as the diverse methods that social psychologists use to study them (for example, experiments, surveys, ethnographic observation).
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3801 - Sociological Research Methods
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course provides an introduction to the materials and methods of social science research in a comprehensive and critical way. The course begins by introducing social science research, including philosophical and theoretical foundations. The course then covers the primary components of research design, including conceptualization, operationalization and measurement, primary and secondary data collection and sources, sampling, and the logic of comparison(s).
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors must register A-F
SOC 4090 - Topics in Sociology
Credits:
3.0
[max 6.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Topics specified in Class Schedule.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F; cr will not be granted if cr has been received for the same topics title
SOC 4243W - Brewing Society: Alcohol & Social Life
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
What does our relationship with drink have to tell us about contemporary society and our own lives? The history of alcoholic drink is entwined with the history of human society itself. We use drinking as a window through which we can better understand roles, relationships, social boundaries, and cultural change. We bring sociological perspectives to bear on alcohol advertising, campus drinking, and more. There are reasons why alcoholic beverages have played a role in almost all human societies. Social barriers can be lowered, new friendships made, and old relationships reestablished when people get together over a drink. Cultural and political battles about alcohol can also be a way to see social divisions, power struggles, and hierarchies. And of course, drinking can be a route to all sorts of bad behavior and social problems too. We look at all of this, first in historical and cross-cultural perspective and then focusing on our own contemporary society.
Pre-req: Soc 1001 recommended, Soc majors must register A-F
SOC 4246 - Sociology of Health and Illness
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course is an introduction to the importance of health and illness in people’s lives, how social structures impact who gets sick, how they are treated, and how the delivery of health care is organized. By the end of the course you will be familiar with the major issues in the sociology of health and illness, and understand that health and illness are not just biological processes, but profoundly shaped by the organization of society.
prereq: One sociology course recommended; soph or above; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4305 - Environment & Society: An Enduring Conflict
(ENV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4305/Soc 4305
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Examines the interaction between human society and the natural environment, focusing on the contemporary and global situation. Takes the perspective of environmental sociology concerning the short-range profit-driven and ideological causes of ecological destruction. Investigates how society is reacting to that increasing destruction
prereq: 1001 recommended or a course on the environment, soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4461 - Sociology of Ethnic and Racial Conflict
(DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4461/Soc 4461
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
"I can't breathe." The last words of George Floyd. Words that traumatized a nation, and the world. While the death of George Floyd galvanized peoples worldwide to speak out against discrimination and inequality, well before his death studies suggested that ethnic and racial discrimination and conflict re-occur on an ongoing basis. From the events of the Holocaust - to the genocide against the Rohingya in Myanmar - to the torture of Uighurs in China - to the Atlantic slave trade - we explore how identities are formed - and thereafter - how those same identities are deployed - to exclude and marginalize - with targeted precision. Across the world, we examine how racial bias and racial animus contribute to slavery, torture, mass displacement, economic destitution, and genocide.
prereq: 1001 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4511 - Sociology of Children & Youth
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course examines the lives of youth in today's society. It explores the influence of social contexts, institutions, social structures, and social location (e.g. social class, race, gender) on youth experiences and differential opportunities and outcomes. The course also considers how youth act as agents in their own lives and shape their social worlds and society. Additionally, the course looks at some of the problems or challenges that contemporary children, adolescents, and young adults encounter, and considers social policies and interventions aimed to address these and support young people.
prereq: 1001 recommended, soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4821 - Measuring the Social World: Concepts and Analysis
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Prerequisites:
SOC 3801 or equiv, and SOC 3811 or equivalent
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
In this course, you will develop practical social science data analysis skills for use in the non-profit or corporate workplace or in a graduate program of research. You will assess the measurement of important social concepts, like race, health, or education, in large social surveys, and the strengths and weaknesses of those different measurement techniques. You will conduct data analysis on large datasets (see, e.g., www.ipums.org) using a statistical software program, such as STATA. You will develop a substantive, empirical final project (poster and paper) based on your analysis.
prereq: SOC 3801 or equiv, and SOC 3811 or equivalent
SOC 4881 - Population Studies Research Practicum
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Students enrolled in this course will gain hands-on experience with population studies research by (1) working under the mentorship of an individual researcher or a research team at the Minnesota Population Center (MPC) and (2) attending and reflecting in writing on MPC's weekly research seminar. In addition, students in the course will meet weekly with the instructor to discuss their research experiences and to develop and present a final research poster.
SOC 3207 - Global Islamophobia
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3407/Soc 3207
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Throughout the world, anti-Muslim activists and politicians have been increasingly attacking Muslims and Islam. And, international organizations have reported human rights violations against Muslims worldwide. Recently, in the United States, there have been calls to ban Muslims, as well as register American Muslims. In France, Muslim women are prohibited to wear a headscarf in high school. And in Myanmar, a genocide against Muslim minorities is currently underway. While anti-Islamic discourses have a long history in many societies worldwide (including Muslim-majority countries), the course seeks to explore the global rise of these discourses since September 11, 2001. The course examines the cultural, political, and historical origins of Islamophobic discourses that cast Muslims as "violent," "hateful," and "uncivilized." Class sessions will include some lecture but will be largely discussion based. Assignments will ask students to think and write critically about course concepts, debate and participate in simulation exercises, and reflect on personal thoughts and feelings about course content.
GLOS 3407 - Global Islamophobia
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3407/Soc 3207
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Throughout the world, anti-Muslim activists and politicians have been increasingly attacking Muslims and Islam. And, international organizations have reported human rights violations against Muslims worldwide. Recently, in the United States, there have been calls to ban Muslims, as well as register American Muslims. In France, Muslim women are prohibited to wear a headscarf in high school. And in Myanmar, a genocide against Muslim minorities is currently underway. While anti-Islamic discourses have a long history in many societies worldwide (including Muslim-majority countries), the course seeks to explore the global rise of these discourses since September 11, 2001. The course examines the cultural, political, and historical origins of Islamophobic discourses that cast Muslims as "violent," "hateful," and "uncivilized." Class sessions will include some lecture but will be largely discussion based. Assignments will ask students to think and write critically about course concepts, debate and participate in simulation exercises, and reflect on personal thoughts and feelings about course content.
SOC 3211W - Race and Racism in the US
(DSJ, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
AAS 3211W/Soc 3211W
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
We live in a society steeped in racial understandings that are often invisible?some that are hard to see, and others that we work hard not to see. This course will focus on race relations in today's society with a historical overview of the experiences of various racial and ethnic groups in order to help explain their present-day social status. This course is designed to help students begin to develop their own informed perspectives on American racial ?problems? by introducing them to the ways that sociologists deal with race, ethnicity, race relations and racism. We will expand our understanding of racial and ethnic dynamics by exploring the experiences of specific groups in the U.S. and how race/ethnicity intersects with sources of stratification such as class, nationality, and gender. The course will conclude by re-considering ideas about assimilation, pluralism, and multiculturalism. Throughout, our goal will be to consider race both as a source of identity and social differentiation as well as a system of privilege, power, and inequality affecting everyone in the society albeit in different ways.
AAS 3211W - Race & Racism in the U.S.
(DSJ, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
AAS 3211W/Soc 3211W
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
We live in a society steeped in racial understandings that are often invisible?some that are hard to see, and others that we work hard not to see. This course will focus on race relations in today's society with a historical overview of the experiences of various racial and ethnic groups in order to help explain their present-day social status. This course is designed to help students begin to develop their own informed perspectives on American racial ?problems? by introducing them to the ways that sociologists deal with race, ethnicity, race relations and racism. We will expand our understanding of racial and ethnic dynamics by exploring the experiences of specific groups in the U.S. and how race/ethnicity intersects with sources of stratification such as class, nationality, and gender. The course will conclude by re-considering ideas about assimilation, pluralism, and multiculturalism. Throughout, our goal will be to consider race both as a source of identity and social differentiation as well as a system of privilege, power and inequality affecting everyone in the society albeit in different ways.
SOC 3215 - Supercapitalism: Labor, Consumption & the Environment in the New Global Economy
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3215/Soc 3215
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Every Fall
From the jeans you buy online to the place mats you purchase at Target, most of the items we consume are made somewhere else. Global production networks link consumers of fresh green beans in Britain with growers, pickers, and packers in Zambia. And it isn't only products that move around the globe; so do people. Thanks to immense economic inequalities, wealthy families in the global North enjoy the cheap labor of Eastern European, Filipino, and Honduran nannies, house cleaners, and gardeners. How did this global economy come to be, how has it impacted workers, consumers, and ecosystems, and what are its ethical and political implications? This course focuses on the changes that have occurred over the last 70 years in the realms of labor, consumption, and the environment. We'll examine the movement away from regulated national economies to an integrated global economy; changing patterns and organization of production, distribution, consumption, and waste disposal; and new forms of capital-labor-state relations. Some of the topics we explore include the global trade in body parts; the rise of shareholder capitalism; the new "platform" economy; the growing insecurity of work; and the environmental changes global capitalism has wrought. We end by considering alternatives to the "business-as-usual" (BAU) economy.
GLOS 3215 - Supercapitalism: Labor, Consumption & the Environment in the New Global Economy
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3215/Soc 3215
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Every Fall
From the jeans you buy online to the place mats you purchase at Target, most of the items we consume are made somewhere else. Global production networks link consumers of fresh green beans in Britain with growers, pickers, and packers in Zambia. And it isn't only products that move around the globe; so do people. Thanks to immense economic inequalities, wealthy families in the global North enjoy the cheap labor of Eastern European, Filipino, and Honduran nannies, house cleaners, and gardeners. How did this global economy come to be, how has it impacted workers, consumers, and ecosystems, and what are its ethical and political implications? This course focuses on the changes that have occurred over the last 70 years in the realms of labor, consumption, and the environment. We'll examine the movement away from regulated national economies to an integrated global economy; changing patterns and organization of production, distribution, consumption, and waste disposal; and new forms of capital-labor-state relations. Some of the topics we explore include the global trade in body parts; the rise of shareholder capitalism; the new "platform" economy; the growing insecurity of work; and the environmental changes global capitalism has wrought. We end by considering alternatives to the "business-as-usual" (BAU) economy.
GLOS 3225 - The Power of the 1%: Global Philanthropy and the Making of a New World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3225/ Soc 3225
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Philanthropy has come to play an increasingly important role in the economy and society, on both a national and global level. Americans gave away $450 billion in 2019, or a little over 2 percent of our country's GDP (Giving USA 2020). A few mega-philanthropists, such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg and others donated mind-boggling sums of money. These individuals and their foundations are having a significant impact around the world, changing the way public education is carried out in many countries, how global health priorities are defined, how public policies are made, and how African agricultural systems are organized.
Forbes magazine reports that there are 1,645 billionaires in the world today, 80% more than a decade ago. While some observers look positively on this philanthropic outpouring, others suggest it may be eroding democracy. In this course, we study philanthropy from a variety of perspectives, exploring who gives away money and why, how this "gift" impacts givers, receivers, and taxpayers, and what the relationship is between global philanthropy and power. Specific topics include the history of foundations; religion and charity; philanthropy and politics; consumption-based giving (or "brand aid"), and philanthropy and social policy. We'll examine case studies such as the Gates Foundation's role in African agriculture. Students will do "participant observation" in a local charity, and a research project on the philanthropic foundation or giving practice of their choice.
SOC 3225 - The Power of the 1%: Global Philanthropy and the Making of a New World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3225/ Soc 3225
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Philanthropy has come to play an increasingly important role in the economy and society, on both a national and global level. Americans gave away $450 billion in 2019, or a little over 2 percent of our country's GDP (Giving USA 2020). A few mega-philanthropists, such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, and others donated mind-boggling sums of money. These individuals and their foundations are having a significant impact around the world, changing the way public education is carried out in many countries, how global health priorities are defined, how public policies are made, and how African agricultural systems are organized. Forbes magazine reports that there are 1,645 billionaires in the world today, 80% more than a decade ago. While some observers look positively on this philanthropic outpouring, others suggest it may be eroding democracy. In this course, we study philanthropy from a variety of perspectives, exploring who gives away money and why, how this "gift" impacts givers, receivers, and taxpayers, and what the relationship is between global philanthropy and power. Specific topics include the history of foundations; religion and charity; philanthropy and politics; consumption-based giving (or "brand aid"), and philanthropy and social policy. We'll examine case studies such as the Gates Foundation's role in African agriculture. Students will do "participant observation" in a local charity, and a research project on the philanthropic foundation or giving practice of their choice.
Pre-req: Soc Majors must register A-F.
SOC 3251W - Sociological Perspectives on Race, Class, and Gender
(SOCS, DSJ, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
AAS 3251W/Afro 3251W/Soc 3251W
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
In the midst of social unrest, it is important for us to understand social inequality. In this course we will analyze the impact of three major forms of inequality in the United States: race, class, and gender. Through taking an intersectional approach at these topics, we will examine the ways these social forces work institutionally, conceptually, and in terms of our everyday realities. We will focus on these inequalities as intertwined and deeply embedded in the history of the country. Along with race, class, and gender we will focus on other axes of inequality including sexuality, citizenship, and dis/ability. We will analyze the meanings and values attached to these social categories, and the ways in which these social constructions help rationalize, justify, and reproduce social inequality.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
AAS 3251W - Sociological Perspectives on Race, Class, and Gender
(SOCS, DSJ, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
AAS 3251W/Afro 3251W/Soc 3251W
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
In the midst of social unrest, it is important for us to understand social inequality. In this course we will analyze the impact of three major forms of inequality in the United States: race, class, and gender. Through taking an intersectional approach at these topics, we will examine the ways these social forces work institutionally, conceptually, and in terms of our everyday realities. We will focus on these inequalities as intertwined and deeply embedded in the history of the country. Along with race, class, and gender we will focus on other axes of inequality including sexuality, citizenship, and dis/ability. We will analyze the meanings and values attached to these social categories, and the ways in which these social constructions help rationalize, justify, and reproduce social inequality.
SOC 3309 - Atheists as ?Other?: Religious & Nonreligious Outsiders in the US
(DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3309/RelS 3624
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
What does it mean to be an atheist in the United States today? Atheists comprise a small percentage of the American population, but one with an increasingly visible presence in popular culture, political discourse, & everyday life. How do atheists organize into groups oriented toward identity-formation, social connection, and political action?
prereq: 1001 recommended
RELS 3624 - Atheists as ?Other?: Religious and Nonreligious Outsiders in the US
(DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3309/RelS 3624
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
What does it mean to be an atheist in the United States today? Atheists comprise a small percentage of the American population, but one with an increasingly visible presence in popular culture, political discourse, & everyday life. How do atheists organize into groups oriented toward identity-formation, social connection, and political action?
prereq: 1001 recommended
SOC 3412 - Social Networking: Theories and Methods
(TS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3412/Soc 3412H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Network analysis spans a diverse range of phenomena from ego-centric ties, to small work-team sociograms, to organizational relations, to trade and military alliances among nation states. This course introduces undergraduate students to theories and methods for studying social networks, the ties connecting people, groups, and organizations. Topics include friendship, communication, small group, health, sexual and romantic, corporate, social movement, public policy, innovation diffusion, criminal and terrorist, and Internet networks.'
prereq: [SOC 1001] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3412H - Honors: Social Networking: Theories and Methods
(TS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3412/Soc 3412H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Network analysis spans a diverse range of phenomena from ego-centric ties, to small work-team sociograms, to organizational relations, to trade and military alliances among nation states. This course introduces undergraduate students to theories and methods for studying social networks, the ties connecting people, groups, and organizations. Topics include friendship, communication, small group, health, sexual and romantic, corporate, social movement, public policy, innovation diffusion, criminal and terrorist, and Internet networks. Honors students are expected to demonstrate greater depth of discussion, depth and to a degree length of writing assignments, presentations, and leadership of the students.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper
exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a
class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2
page maximum reflective paper.
· Interview a current Sociology graduate student and present briefly in class or write a
reflective piece, not more than 2 pages in length, to be submitted to the Professor.
prereq: [SOC 1001] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F, honors
SOC 3417W - Global Institutions of Power: World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization
(GP, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3415W/ Soc 3417W
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
This course will introduce students to some of the world's most powerful global institutions -- such as the World Bank (IBRD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations, and affiliated agencies such as UNHCR (for refugee support). We will follow their efforts to promote a style of global development practices -- large-scale capital lending and global expertise building -- that has crystallized into a common understanding of how global north-south dynamics should progress. Cases pursued in class may include their lending and debt policies, dam building and energy projects, climate resilience and water loans, and the ways they mediate free trade agreements among competing countries. We will also hear from the multitude of voices, theories, and practices that offer alternative visions as to how people strive to produce a more just, socially equitable, and climate-safe world. We will use books, articles, films, in-class debates, case study exploration, small-group projects, and guest speakers to create a lively discussion-based classroom environment.
GLOS 3415W - Global Institutions of Power: World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization
(GP, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3415W/ Soc 3417W
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
This course will introduce students to some of the world's most powerful global institutions -- such as the World Bank (IBRD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations, and affiliated agencies such as UNHCR (for refugee support). We will follow their efforts to promote a style of global development practices -- large-scale capital lending and global expertise building -- that has crystallized into a common understanding of how global north-south dynamics should progress. Cases pursued in class may include their lending and debt policies, dam building and energy projects, climate resilience and water loans, and the ways they mediate free trade agreements among competing countries. We will also hear from the multitude of voices, theories, and practices that offer alternative visions as to how peoples strive to produce a more just, socially equitable, and climate-safe world. We will use books, articles, films, in-class debates, case study exploration, small-group projects, and guest speakers to create a lively discussion-based classroom environment.
SOC 3503 - Asian American Identities, Families & Communities
(SOCS, DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
AAS 3503/Soc 3503/Soc 3503H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course provides a sociological overview of Asian American identities, families and communities. To place these experiences within a broader historical, structural, and cultural context the course will begin with a brief introduction to the history of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States and sociological theories about incorporation and racial stratification. We will then examine the diversity of Asian American communities and families, highlighting ethnic, gender, and class variations. Other topics of focus include racialization and discrimination, education, ethnic enclaves, family and intergenerational relationships, identity, media, culture, and politics and social action. Throughout the course we will consider the ways in which society affects individuals, and how in turn, individuals affect society. Students will have an option to do community-engaged learning or another course project.
prereq: SOC 1001 recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A/F
SOC 3503H - Honors: Asian American Identities, Families & Communities
(SOCS, DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
AAS 3503/Soc 3503/Soc 3503H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course provides a sociological overview of Asian American identities, families, and communities. To place these experiences within a broader historical, structural, and cultural context the course will begin with a brief introduction to the history of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States and sociological theories about incorporation and racial stratification. We will then examine the diversity of Asian American communities and families, highlighting ethnic, gender, and class variations. Other topics of focus include racialization and discrimination, education, ethnic enclaves, family and intergenerational relationships, identity, media, culture, and politics and social action. Throughout the course, we will consider the ways in which society affects individuals, and how in turn, individuals affect society. Students will have an option to do community-engaged learning or another course project.
Honors students are expected to demonstrate a greater depth of discussion, depth and to a degree length of writing assignments, presentations, and leadership of the students.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
Examples of additional requirements may include:
- Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
- Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
- Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
- Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2-page maximum reflective paper.
- Interview a current Sociology graduate student and present briefly in class or write a reflective piece, not more than 2 pages in length, to be submitted to the Professor.
prereq: [SOC 1001] recommended, honors
AAS 3503 - Asian American Identities, Families, & Communities
(SOCS, DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
AAS 3503/Soc 3503/Soc 3503H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course provides a sociological overview of Asian American identities, families and communities. To place these experiences within a broader historical, structural, and cultural context the course will begin with a brief introduction to the history of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States and sociological theories about incorporation and racial stratification. We will then examine the diversity of Asian American communities and families, highlighting ethnic, gender, and class variations. Other topics of focus include racialization and discrimination, education, ethnic enclaves, family and intergenerational relationships, identity, media, culture, and politics and social action. Throughout the course we will consider the ways in which society affects individuals, and how in turn, individuals affect society. Students will have an option to do community-engaged learning or another course project.
SOC 3505 - Migrations: People in Motion
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3705/Soc 3505
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Students in this course will tackle debates related to migration from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and will compare and connect diverse migration trends around the world (Asia, Africa, Latin America, and North America). Students will critically engage with various paradigms on the geopolitical, racial, and gender power dynamics that anchor migration processes and outcomes. Why would the movement of individuals from some parts of the world (often from the least developed regions to the highly developed Western nations) create such strong and highly charged debates? How are cross border social and economic relations of individuals and households maintained and perpetuated? What are particular governments doing to either encourage or hinder these movements? How are current migrations different from earlier eras? Is this gendered, and if so, how and why? The objective of this course is to explore the above questions through academic and policy published literature.
prereq: Soph, jr, or sr
GLOS 3705 - Migrations: People in Motion
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3705/Soc 3505
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Students in this course will tackle debates related to migration from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and will compare and connect diverse migration trends around the world (Asia, Africa, Latin America, and North America). Students will critically engage with various paradigms on the geopolitical, racial, and gender power dynamics that anchor migration processes and outcomes. Why would the movement of individuals from some parts of the world (often from the least developed regions to the highly developed Western nations) create such strong and highly charged debates? How are cross border social and economic relations of individuals and households maintained and perpetuated? What are particular governments doing to either encourage or hinder these movements? How are current migrations different from earlier eras? Is this gendered, and if so, how and why? The objective of this course is to explore the above questions through academic and policy published literature.
prereq: soph, jr, or sr
SOC 3511 - World Population Problems
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3511/Soc 3511H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This class is an introduction to the contemporary issues that accompany such dramatic population change, including fertility change, disease experiences, migration as opportunity and challenge and human-environment conflict. Further, we will examine the roles of global organizations, national governments, and culture in shaping and reshaping populations.
prereq: [SOC 1001] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3511H - Honors: World Population Problems
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3511/Soc 3511H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This class is an introduction to the contemporary issues that accompany such dramatic population change, including fertility change, disease experiences, migration as opportunity and challenge and human-environment conflict. Further, we will examine the roles of global organizations, national governments, and culture in shaping and reshaping populations.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2-page maximum reflective paper.
· Interview a current Sociology graduate student and present briefly in class or write a reflective piece, not more than 2 pages in length, to be submitted to the Professor.
prereq: [SOC 1001] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3613W - Stuffed and Starved: The Politics of Eating
(SOCS, GP, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3613W/GloS 3613V/Soc 3613
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course takes a cross-cultural, historical, and transnational perspective to the study of the global food system. Themes explored include: different cultural and social meanings attached to food; social class and consumption; the global food economy; global food chains; work in the food sector; the alternative food movement; food justice; environmental consequences of food production.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
GLOS 3613W - Stuffed and Starved: The Politics of Eating
(SOCS, GP, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3613W/GloS 3613V/Soc 3613
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course takes a cross-cultural, historical, and transnational perspective to the study of the global food system. Themes explored include: different cultural and social meanings attached to food; social class and consumption; the global food economy; global food chains; work in the food sector; the alternative food movement; food justice; environmental consequences of food production.
SOC 3681 - Gender and the Family in the Islamic World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3681/GWSS 3681/RelS 3716/
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course explores the experiences of Muslim women and Muslim families from a historical and comparative perspective. Expanding the discussion on Muslim women's lives and experiences beyond the Middle East, by also centralizing on the experiences of Muslim women and families outside of this geographical area highlights the complex and diverse everyday experiences of Muslim women around the world. This wider lens exposes the limitations intrinsic in the stereotypical representation of Muslims in general and Muslim women in particular. We will explore the intricate web of gender and family power relations, and how these are contested and negotiated in these societies. Some of the themes the course explores include the debates on Muslim women and colonial representations, sexual politics, family, education and health, women and paid work, gender and human rights, and Islamic feminisms debates.
prereq: At least soph; 1001 recommended
GLOS 3681 - Gender and the Family in the Islamic World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3681/GWSS 3681/RelS 3716/
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course explores the experiences of Muslim women and Muslim families from a historical and comparative perspective. Expanding the discussion on Muslim women's lives and experiences beyond the Middle East, by also centralizing on the experiences of Muslim women and families outside of this geographical area highlights the complex and diverse everyday experiences of Muslim women around the world. This wider lens exposes the limitations intrinsic in the stereotypical representation of Muslims in general and Muslim women in particular. We will explore the intricate web of gender and family power relations, and how these are contested and negotiated in these societies. Some of the themes the course explores include the debates on Muslim women and colonial representations, sexual politics, family, education and health, women and paid work, gender and human rights, and Islamic feminisms debates.
prereq: At least soph; 1001 recommended
GWSS 3681 - Gender and the Family in the Islamic World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3681/GWSS 3681/RelS 3716/
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course explores the experiences of Muslim women and Muslim families from a historical and comparative perspective. Expanding the discussion on Muslim women's lives and experiences beyond the Middle East, by also centralizing on the experiences of Muslim women and families outside of this geographical area highlights the complex and diverse everyday experiences of Muslim women around the world. This wider lens exposes the limitations intrinsic in the stereotypical representation of Muslims in general and Muslim women in particular. We will explore the intricate web of gender and family power relations, and how these are contested and negotiated in these societies. Some of the themes the course explores include the debates on Muslim women and colonial representations, sexual politics, family, education and health, women and paid work, gender and human rights, and Islamic feminisms debates.
prereq: At least soph; 1001 recommended
RELS 3716 - Gender and the Family in the Islamic World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 3681/GWSS 3681/RelS 3716/
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course explores the experiences of Muslim women and Muslim families from a historical and comparative perspective. Expanding the discussion on Muslim women's lives and experiences beyond the Middle East, by also centralizing on the experiences of Muslim women and families outside of this geographical area highlights the complex and diverse everyday experiences of Muslim women around the world. This wider lens exposes the limitations intrinsic in the stereotypical representation of Muslims in general and Muslim women in particular. We will explore the intricate web of gender and family power relations, and how these are contested and negotiated in these societies. Some of the themes the course explores include the debates on Muslim women and colonial representations, sexual politics, family, education and health, women and paid work, gender and human rights, and Islamic feminisms debates.
prereq: At least soph; 1001 recommended
SOC 3811 - Social Statistics
(MATH)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
This course will introduce majors and non-majors to basic statistical measures and procedures that are used to describe and analyze quantitative data in sociological research. The topics include (1) frequency and percentage distributions, (2) central tendency and dispersion, (3) probability theory and statistical inference, (4) models of bivariate analysis, and (5) basics of multivariate analysis. Lectures on these topics will be given in class, and lab exercises are designed to help students learn statistical skills and software needed to analyze quantitative data provided in the class.
prereq: Undergraduates with strong math background are encouraged to register for 5811 in lieu of 3811 (Soc 5811 offered Fall terms only). Soc Majors/Minors must register A-F.
SOC 5811 - Social Statistics for Graduate Students
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
In this course, students will learn core statistical and computations principles that will allow them to perform quantitative analyses using social data. The course is designed for social science students at the beginning of their graduate school careers. However, advanced undergraduates can take the course, which will involve a few modifications to the assignment schedule. Sociology 5811 will review basic probability, and then move on to univariate inference, the linear regression model, and introductory lessons of causal inference. In doing so, students will explore statistical concepts and methods that provide the foundation sociologists use to most commonly collect and analyze numerical evidence. Sociology 5811 will also provide the foundation for data management and statistical inference using Stata, a statistical computing environment that is popular in the social sciences.
prereq: Undergraduate students are expected to have familiarity with the materials taught in the equivalent of 3811. Students who are unsure of the course requirements should contact the instructor. Undergraduates with a strong math background are encouraged to register for 5811 in lieu of 3811. Soc majors must register A-F. 5811 is a good social statistics foundation course for MA students from other programs. 5811 will not count for credits towards the Soc PhD program requirements.
SOC 4309 - Religion in American Public Life: Culture, Politics, & Communities
(CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
RelS 4309/Soc 4309/Soc 4309H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How diversity/vitality of American religion shape public life. How religious groups engage in political action, foster understandings of democracy/styles of civic participation. Volunteering/service activities. Race, poverty, the family, sexuality.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4309H - Honors: Religion in American Public Life - Culture, Politics, & Communities
(CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
RelS 4309/Soc 4309/Soc 4309H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How diversity/vitality of American religion shape public life. How religious groups engage in political action, foster understandings of democracy/styles of civic participation. Volunteering/service activities. Race, poverty, family, sexuality.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2 page maximum reflective paper.
· Interview a current Sociology graduate student and present briefly in class or write a reflective piece, not more than 2 pages in length, to be submitted to the Professor.
RELS 4309 - Religion in American Public Life: Culture, Politics, and Communities
(CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
RelS 4309/Soc 4309/Soc 4309H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How diversity/vitality of American religion shape public life. How religious groups engage in political action, foster understandings of democracy/styles of civic participation. Volunteering/service activities. Race, poverty, the family, sexuality.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4311 - Power, Justice & the Environment
(DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4311/Soc 4311
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course introduces students to the theoretical and historical foundations of environmental racism and environmental inequality more broadly. We will examine and interrogate both the social scientific evidence concerning these phenomena and the efforts by community residents, activists, workers, and governments to combat it. We will consider the social forces that create environmental inequalities so that we may understand their causes, consequences, and the possibilities for achieving environmental justice
prereq: SOC 1001 recommended
GLOS 4311 - Power, Justice & the Environment
(DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4311/Soc 4311
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course introduces students to the theoretical and historical foundations of environmental racism and environmental inequality more broadly. We will examine and interrogate both the social scientific evidence concerning these phenomena and the efforts by community residents, activists, workers, and governments to combat it. We will consider the social forces that create environmental inequalities so that we may understand their causes, consequences, and the possibilities for achieving environmental justice
prereq: SOC 1001 recommended
SOC 4315 - Never Again! Memory & Politics after Genocide
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4315/Soc 5315/JwSt 4315/
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
Course focuses on the social repercussions and political consequences of large-scale political violence, such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Students learn how communities and states balance the demands for justice and memory with the need for peace and reconciliation and addresses cases from around the globe and different historical settings.
prereq: SOC 1001 or 1011V recommended, A-F required for Majors/Minors.
GLOS 4315 - Never Again! Memory & Politics after Genocide
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4315/Soc 5315/JwSt 4315/
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
Course focuses on the social repercussions and political consequences of large-scale political violence, such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Students learn how communities and states balance the demands for justice and memory with the need for peace and reconciliation and addresses cases from around the globe and different historical settings.
prereq: SOC 1001 or 1011V recommended, A-F required for Majors/Minors.
JWST 4315 - Never Again! Memory & Politics after Genocide
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4315/Soc 5315/JwSt 4315/
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
Course focuses on the social repercussions and political consequences of large-scale political violence, such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Students learn how communities and states balance the demands for justice and memory with the need for peace and reconciliation and addresses cases from around the globe and different historical settings.
prereq: SOC 1001 or 1011V recommended, A-F required for Majors/Minors.
SOC 4321 - Globalize This! Understanding Globalization through Sociology
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4221/Soc 4321
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
From the city streets of Bangalore to the high plateaus of La Paz to the trading floors of New York City, people from around the world are becoming increasingly interdependent, creating new and revitalizing old forms of power and opportunity, exploitation and politics, social organizing and social justice. This course offers an overview of the processes that are forcing and encouraging people?s lives to intertwine economically, politically, and culturally.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
GLOS 4221 - Globalize This! Understanding Globalization Through Sociology
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4221/Soc 4321
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
From the city streets of Bangalore to the high plateaus of La Paz to the trading floors of New York City, people from around the world are becoming increasingly interdependent, creating new and revitalizing old forms of power and opportunity, exploitation and politics, social organizing and social justice. This course offers an overview of the processes that are forcing and encouraging people?s lives to intertwine economically, politically, and culturally.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
Terror involves using violent actions to achieve political, religious, or social goals. This course examines theories and evidence about the origins, development, and consequences of terrorist networks. It analyzes efforts to prevent, investigate, and punish terrorists by counterterror organizations, including law enforcement, security, and military forces. Graduate and honors students are expected to demonstrate greater depth of discussion, depth and, to a degree, length of writing assignments, presentations, and leadership of the students.
Prereq: Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
Terror involves using violent actions to achieve political, religious, or social goals. This course examines theories and evidence about the origins, development, and consequences of terrorist networks. It analyzes efforts to prevent, investigate, and punish terrorists by counterterror organizations, including law enforcement, security, and military forces. Graduate and honors students are expected to demonstrate greater depth of discussion, depth and, to a degree, length of writing assignments, presentations, and leadership of the students.
Honors students registering for Soc 4411H:
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2-page maximum reflective paper.
· Interview a current Sociology graduate student and present briefly in class or write a reflective piece, not more than 2 pages in length, to be submitted to the Professor.
Prereq: Honors
Theories/evidence about origins, development, and consequences of terrorist networks. Efforts to prevent, investigate, and punish terrorists by use of law enforcement, security, and military forces. Terror involves using violent actions to achieve political, religious, or social goals. This course examines theories and evidence about the origins, development, and consequences of terrorist networks. It analyzes efforts to prevent, investigate, and punish terrorists by counterterror organizations, including law enforcement, security, and military forces. Graduate and honors students are expected to demonstrate greater depth of discussion, depth and to a degree length of writing assignments, presentations, and leadership of the students.
Prereq: Sociology Major/Minors must register A-F
SOC 4451 - Sport, Culture & Society
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4451/Soc 4451H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
This course is intended to stimulate critical, sociological thinking about sport? how it is socially organized, who participates in what and why, what role (or roles) sport plays in society, and what sporting practices tell us about contemporary social life more generally. It begins from and is grounded in the notion that sport is one of the most powerful and paradoxical institutions in the modern world. The course is intended for a wide range of undergraduates, though some familiarity with basic social scientific thinking and techniques will be helpful.
prereq: SOC 1001 recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4521 - Love, Sex, & Marriage
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4521/Soc 4521H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
This course will provide an overview of sociological approaches to intimate human relationships. What can sociology and related disciplines tell us about these seemingly intensely personal subjects? More than you might think! Specific topics we will cover include love and romance, dating and mate selection, sexuality, cohabitation, marriage, and divorce. The focus is on contemporary American society, but current U.S. practices are placed in historical and cross-cultural context.
prereq: [1001 or instr consent], soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4521H - Honors: Love, Sex, & Marriage
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4521/Soc 4521H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
This course will provide an overview of sociological approaches to intimate human relationships. What can sociology and related disciplines tell us about these seemingly intensely personal subjects? More than you might think! Specific topics we will cover include love and romance, dating and mate selection, sexuality, cohabitation, marriage, and divorce. The focus is on contemporary American society, but current U.S. practices are placed in historical and cross-cultural context.
Honors students registering for Soc 4521H:
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
Examples of additional requirements may include:
- Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
- Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
- Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news or a two-page critique of a class reading
- Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2-page maximum reflective paper.
- Interview a current sociology graduate student and present briefly in class or write a reflective piece, not more than 2 pages in length, to be submitted to the professor.
prereq: Honors
SOC 4551 - Sociology of Sexualities
(SOCS, DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4551/Soc 4551H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
In this course we will examine social theories and sociological research on the topic of sexuality. We will explore the concept of sexuality as it intersects with race, gender, age, and class. This course is designed to give you a basic understanding of sociological implications of sexuality in the United States. This course is intended to help you develop your analytical and critical thinking skills. You will be asked to move beyond your own experience and perspectives to sociologically analyze and evaluate over-simplified explanations of past and contemporary issues as they appear in our course readings.
prereq: Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4551H - Honors: Sociology of Sexualities
(SOCS, DSJ)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4551/Soc 4551H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
In this course we will examine social theories and sociological research on the topic of sexuality. We will explore the concept of sexuality as it intersects with race, gender, age, and class. This course is designed to give you a basic understanding of sociological implications of sexuality in the United States. This course is intended to help you develop your analytical and critical thinking skills. You will be asked to move beyond your own experience and perspectives to sociologically analyze and evaluate over-simplified explanations of past and contemporary issues as they appear in our course readings.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2 page maximum reflective paper.
· Interview a current Sociology graduate student and present briefly in class or write a reflective piece, not more than 2 pages in length, to be submitted to the Professor.
prereq: Honors
SOC 3101 - Sociological Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System
(CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3101/Soc 3101H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
This course introduces students to a sociological account of the U.S. criminal justice system. We will critically examine the components, dynamics, and effects of policing, criminal courts, community supervision, jails, and prisons. Throughout the course, we focus on sociological understandings of these processes, with particular attention to ethnic, racial, class, and gender inequalities as well as long-term problems associated with the high rate of criminal justice supervision in the U.S.
prereq: [SOC 1001] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 3101H - Honors: Sociological Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System
(CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 3101/Soc 3101H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
This course introduces students to a sociological account of the U.S. criminal justice system. We will critically examine the components, dynamics, and effects of policing, criminal courts, community supervision, jails, and prisons. Throughout the course, we focus on sociological understandings of these processes, with particular attention to ethnic, racial, class, and gender inequalities as well as long-term problems associated with the high rate of criminal justice supervision in the U.S.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Honor students will be expected to interview a current Sociology graduate student working on a LCD topic. Following this, each student will individually be expected to do an in-class power-point presentation explaining how the interviewees? research relates with themes presented in the course. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2 page maximum reflective paper.
prereq: [SOC 1001] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F, honors
SOC 3102 - Criminal Behavior and Social Control
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will address the social and legal origins of crime and crime control with a focus on general theories of deviance/crime and present an overview of forms of social control. We will critically examine criminological, sociological and legal theories that explain the causes of crime and other misdeeds.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4105 - Sociology of Punishment
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The purpose of this class is to develop a working understanding of the sociology of punishment. To that end, the course focuses on three interrelated questions: How do various social factors (the economy, culture, crime, media, race relations, etc.) shape the development of criminal punishment? Why does punishment differ across time and place? How do penal laws, practices, and institutions affect individuals, groups, and communities? The course combines lectures and small and large group discussions.
prereq: 3101 or 3102 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4106 - Crime on TV
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course uses television shows to explore sociological perspectives on crime and punishment. We will critically examine how (and to what extent) four television series represent or distort prevailing knowledge about crime and punishment.
prereq: recommended [1001 or 1011V, 1101 or 3101 or 3102]; Soph or above or instr consent; soc majors/minors must register A-F.
SOC 4108 - Current Issues in Crime Control
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring & Summer
Selected current criminal justice policies from perspective of courts, legislature, community, and interest groups. Impact of criminal justice policy changes on society and on social control agencies.
prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4111 - Sociology of Deviance
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
This course considers why and how certain attributes and behaviors are defined as deviant, the consequences of deviant labels, and how norms, values, and rules are made and enforced. We will discuss basic concepts that cut across deviance theories and research, including social control, subcultures and deviant careers. We will explore theories of and societal reaction to deviant behavior. We will also discuss methodology and how the ?social facts? of deviance are determined and disseminated. Finally, we will examine case studies addressing crime, organizational and occupational deviance, substance use, sexuality, body image, and more.
prereq: Soc 3101 or 3102 recommended; Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4113 - Sociology of Violence: Bedrooms, Backyards, and Bars
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course looks at violent behavior across a wide variety of social arenas, bedrooms, backyards, and bars, being some common places where violence occurs. Students will wrestle with definitions of violence and the circumstances in which behavior is or isn't categorized as violent. A major theme will be how violence operates as a property of institutional arrangements, organizational practices, and interpersonal situations. Subtopics intersecting violence include cohorts (race, class, & gender), sport, sex, emotion, the State, and the environment.
Soc Majors and Minors must register A/F. Pre-req of Soc 1001, Soc 1101, 3101 or 3102 is recommended.
SOC 4125 - Policing America
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course is an in-depth sociological analysis of the origins, composition, and effects of policing in contemporary U.S. society. Throughout the course, we focus on using a social science lens to understand policing dynamics and how policing shapes social life. We will pay particular attention to the ways in which race, class, and gender inequalities are reflected in and reshaped by policing practices. Throughout
the course, we will draw on contemporary media stories, podcast, documentaries, and guest visitors to connect scholarship with the world around us.
prereq: 3101 or 3102 recommended or instr consent, soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4133 - Sociology of Gender, Sex, and Crime
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Crime and criminal justice is a gendered phenomena. In this seminar course, we will examine the contribution of feminist theoretical work to the field of criminology and to our understanding of how gender prescriptives are embedded in and influence criminal behaviors, the operation of the criminal justice system, and our conceptualizations of both. In so doing, we will critically assess the experiences of women, men and transgender persons in the criminal justice system as victims, offenders, and defendants. The readings are drawn from a broad range of interdisciplinary empirical works. Students should critically assess both the strengths and limitations of the research. Lecture will be accompanied by class discussion, film segments (as well as legal proceedings), and small group work.
Soc 1001 or Soc 1101 recommended; Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4147 - Sociology of Mental Health & Illness
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course is designed to give you an overview of the ways a sociological perspective informs our understanding of mental health and illness. While sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and others all deal with issues of mental illness, they often approach the topic in very different ways. In general, a sociological perspective tends to focus on aspects of the social environment that we often ignore, neglect, or take for granted. It calls attention to how society or groups are organized, who benefits or is hurt by the way things are organized, and what beliefs shape our behaviors. In viewing mental illness, sociologists have primarily challenged dominant views of mental illness, examined how social relationships play a role in mental illness, questioned the goals and implications of mental health policy and researched how mental health services are organized and provided.
prereq: Soc 1001 recommended, Soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4161 - Criminal Law in American Society
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Purposes of criminal law and of principles of criminal liability, justification, and excuse. Applications to law of criminal homicide, sexual assault, drugs, and crimes against property, public order, and morals.
prereq: Soc 3101 or 3102 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4162 - Criminal Procedure in American Society
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
How constitutional democracy balances need to enforce criminal law and rights of individuals to be free of unnecessary government intrusion.
prereq: Soc 3101 or 3102 recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4171 - Sociology of International Law: Human Rights & Trafficking
(GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4406/GloS 5171/Soc 4171/S
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course takes a sociological approach to international law, considering how history, institutions, power, and interests shape the phenomenon. What is international law, where does it come from, and how does it work? What does international law tell us about globalization and nation-states? Does it make a difference in the world? Does it have a real impact on the day-to-day lives of individuals? When is it followed; when is it ignored? This course takes a broad sociological view of international law. We analyze the actors and processes that constitute international law and then focus on particular substantive areas, including human rights, economic development,environmental concerns, trafficking, and drug interdiction.
prereqs: 1001 or 3101 or 3102 or instr consent; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4190 - Topics in Sociology With Law, Criminology, and Justice Emphasis
Credits:
3.0
[max 6.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer
Topics specified in Class Schedule.
prereq: [1001, [3101 or 3102]] recommended; soc majors/minors must register A-F; cr will not be granted if cr has been received for the same topics title
SOC 4101W - Sociology of Law
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4101V/Soc 4101W/Soc 5101
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will consider the relationship between law and society, analyzing law as an expression of cultural values, a reflection of social and political structure, and an instrument of social control and social change. Emphasizing a comparative perspective, we begin by discussing theories about law and legal institutions. We then turn our attention to the legal process and legal actors, focusing on the impact of law, courts, and lawyers on the rights of individuals. Although this course focuses on the US legal system, we will explore issues of the relationship between US law and global law and concepts of justice.
prereq: [[SOC 1001] and [SOC 1101 or 3101 or 3102]] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4101V - Honors: Sociology of Law
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4101V/Soc 4101W/Soc 5101
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will consider the relationship between law and society, analyzing law as an expression of cultural values, a reflection of social and political structure, and an instrument of social control and social change. Emphasizing a comparative perspective, we begin by discussing theories about law and legal institutions. We then turn our attention to the legal process and legal actors, focusing on the impact of law, courts, and lawyers on the rights of individuals. Although this course focuses on the US legal system, we will explore issues of the relationship between US law and global law and concepts of justice.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Examples of additional requirements may include:
- Honors students will be expected to interview a current Sociology graduate student working on a LCD topic. Following this, each student will individually be expected to do an in-class power point presentation explaining how the interviewees? research relates with themes presented in the course. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
- Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
- Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
- Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
- Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2-page maximum reflective paper.
prereq: honors student, [[SOC 1001] and [SOC 1101 or 3101 or 3102]] recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4102 - Criminology
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4102/Soc 4102H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This class seeks to develop an understanding of patterns of crime and punishment in the United States (including American particularities in international comparison), their social, political, economic, cultural, and institutional conditions, and how these patterns relate to broader sociological themes. We will examine a cross-section of most outstanding recent and some (by now) classical criminological and sociological books and a few articles that have attracted much attention among scholars and/or the broader public.
prereq: [SOC 3101 or SOC 3102 or instr consent], Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4102H - Honors: Criminology
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4102/Soc 4102H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This class seeks to develop an understanding of patterns of crime and punishment in the United States (including American particularities in international comparison), their social, political, economic, cultural, and institutional conditions, and how these patterns relate to broader sociological themes. We will examine a cross-section of most outstanding recent and some (by now) classical criminological and sociological books and a few articles that have attracted much attention among scholars and/or the broader public.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Honors students will be expected to interview a current Sociology graduate student working on a LCD topic. Following this, each student will individually be expected to do an in-class power point presentation explaining how the interviewees? research relates with themes presented in the course. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2 page maximum reflective paper.
prereq: Honors student, [SOC 3101 or SOC 3102 or instr consent], Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4104 - Crime and Human Rights
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4104/GloS 4104H/Soc 4104/
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course addresses serious violations of humanitarian and human rights law, efforts to criminalize those violations (laws and institutions), and consequences of these efforts. Special attention will be paid to the impact interventions have on representations and memories of atrocities on responses and the future of cycles of violence. Case studies on Holocaust, Balkan wars, Darfur, My Lai massacre, etc. Criminal justice, truth commissions, vetting, compensation programs.
prereq: SOC 1001, at least one 3xxx SOC course recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4104H - Honors: Crime and Human Rights
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4104/GloS 4104H/Soc 4104/
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course addresses serious violations of humanitarian and human rights law, efforts to criminalize those violations (laws and institutions), and consequences of these efforts. Special attention will be paid to the impact interventions have on representations and memories of atrocities on responses and the future of cycles of violence. Case studies on Holocaust, Balkan wars, Darfur, My Lai massacre, etc. Criminal justice, truth commissions, vetting, compensation programs.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Honors students will be expected to interview a current Sociology graduate student working on an LCD topic. Following this, each student will individually be expected to do an in-class PowerPoint presentation explaining how the interviewees? research relates to themes presented in the course. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2-page maximum reflective paper.
prereq: SOC 1001, at least one 3xxx SOC course recommended, Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 5104 - Crime and Human Rights
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
GloS 4104/GloS 4104H/Soc 4104/
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course addresses serious violations of humanitarian and human rights law, efforts to criminalize those violations (laws and institutions), and consequences of these efforts. Special attention will be paid to the impact interventions have on representations and memories of atrocities on responses and the future of cycles of violence. Case studies on Holocaust, Balkan wars, Darfur, My Lai massacre, etc. Criminal justice, truth commissions, vetting, compensation programs.
prereq: at least one 3xxx SOC course recommended
SOC 4135 - Sociology of White-Collar Crime
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4135/Soc 4135H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course deals with diverse types of white-collar crime (high status, occupational, organizational crimes), their causation, the damage they cause, and their control. We will read some of the outstanding literature on these issues and explore well-known cases in depth. There will be lectures and discussion in the classroom. We will explore what white-collar crime teaches us about the nature and explanation of crime and about the nature of criminal justice and other government social control.
prereq: [SOC 3101 or SOC 3102 or instr consent]; soc majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4135H - Honors: Sociology of White-Collar Crime
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4135/Soc 4135H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course deals with diverse types of white-collar crime (high status, occupational, organizational crimes), their causation, the damage they cause, and their control. We will read some of the outstanding literature on these issues and explore well-known cases in depth. There will be lectures and discussion in the classroom. We will explore what white-collar crime teaches us about the nature and explanation of crime and about the nature of criminal justice and other government social control.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Honors students will be expected to interview a current Sociology graduate student working on a LCD topic. Following this, each student will individually be expected to do an in-class power point presentation explaining how the interviewees? research relates with themes presented in the course. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2 page maximum reflective paper.
prereq: Honors, [SOC 3101 or SOC 3102 or instr consent]
SOC 4141 - Youth Crime & Punishment
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4141/Soc 4141H
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course offers an overview of social theory and research on youth crime, punishment, and delinquency. We start by critically examining the social facts surrounding the measurement, extent, and distribution of delinquency. Next, we study the principal sociological explanations of delinquent behavior. These theories provide conceptual tools for analyzing delinquency and punishment among groups such as gang members. We then trace youth experiences in the juvenile justice system, from policing, to juvenile court, to probation, and institutionalization. Throughout, we analyze the success or failure of key programs implemented in attempts to prevent or reduce delinquency.
prereq: Soc 3101 or 3102 recommended; Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
SOC 4141H - Honors: Youth Crime & Punishment
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Soc 4141/Soc 4141H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course offers an overview of social theory and research on youth crime, punishment, and delinquency. We start by critically examining the social facts surrounding the measurement, extent, and distribution of delinquency. Next, we study the principal sociological explanations of delinquent behavior. These theories provide conceptual tools for analyzing delinquency and punishment among groups such as gang members. We then trace youth experiences in the juvenile justice system, from policing, to juvenile court, to probation, and institutionalization. Throughout, we analyze the success or failure of key programs implemented in attempts to prevent or reduce delinquency.
Additional special assignments will be discussed with honors participants who seek to earn honors credit toward the end of our first class session. Examples of additional requirements may include:
· Honors students will be expected to interview a current Sociology graduate student working on a LCD topic. Following this, each student will individually be expected to do an in-class power-point presentation explaining how the interviewees? research relates with themes presented in the course. Students will also be expected to meet as a group and individually with the professor four times during the course semester.
· Sign up and prepare 3-4 discussion questions in advance of at least one class session.
· Work with professor and TA on other small leadership tasks (class discussion, paper exchange, tour).
· Write two brief (1-page) reflection papers on current news, or a two-page critique of a class reading
· Attend a presentation, workshop, or seminar on a related topic for this class and write a 2-page maximum reflective paper.
prereq: honors student, Soc 3101 or 3102 recommended; Sociology majors/minors must register A-F
