Schedule of Classes

Sociological insight into study of humans, society, and culture.

Overview of the discipline of sociology. Focus on specializations within the field, possible career paths, and options for graduate study. Introduction to discipline-specific research and writing skills. Discussion of faculty members' ongoing research activities. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.

Examination of the notion of the U.S. American family from a sociological perspective. Focus on perceptions of the family throughout U.S. American history, in mass media, and in relation to public policy; the historical transformation of families; the diverse and changing aspects of families; and the impact of social change and problems on the families of U.S.A. Emphasis on how society and the economic system affect families.

Analyzes nature, forms, and problems of social "diversity" with emphasis on patterns of difference and commonality, advantage, and disadvantage in the area of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and physical disability. A particular focus will be on ways inequalities in wealth, education, employment, health, the criminal justice system, popular culture, and the political process are reproduced and challenged in contemporary societies.

Social research methods: research design and models of observation, including single subject and program evaluation, quantitative and qualitative methods, sampling techniques, questionnaire construction, types of surveys, measurement problems, and data analysis.

Examines the construction of gender in non-western societies, concentrating on the way gender shapes and is shaped by power relations in these societies.

Comparative study of non-Western family systems, with a focus on cross-cultural differences and the potential conflicts of migration. Varying focus on families of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Analysis of dominant-minority group relations. The emergence and dynamic of racism. Exploration of the experience of various ethnic and "racial" groups.

Development of contemporary social thought from its Euro- American past. Emphasis on contemporary social theory and its major strands in American sociology.

Various philosophical conceptions of the relationship between the individual and social order; nature and status of individuality in the modern world. Emphasis on critical evaluation of influential systems of thought: Marxism, phenomenology, and critical theory.

Focus on relationship between individuals and the broader society, the formation of personality, and group influences on human perception and behavior.

Analysis of theoretical and practical aspects of corrections, concepts of punishment and treatment, and their variations in practice. Includes analysis and evaluation of specific alternatives: prisons, probation, treatment centers, and sentencing.

Sociological analysis of the concept and nature of violence in a macro and micro setting, its various manifestations, and evaluation of responses to it.

Analysis of the concept and nature of crime, the relationship between social structures, social institutions, and crime with a focus on social forces and social controls involved in the creation of crime.

Application of a critical perspective to the institution of medicine. Focus on epidemiology, the social construction of illness, and current healthcare trends.

Introduction to major themes, concepts, and debates in political sociology. Focus on the relationships between the State and other collective actors in society (e.g. interest groups, political parties, social classes, and social movements) and related social issues, including the political power of corporations, religion and politics; the tensions inherent in free market, socialist, and social democratic political-economic systems; the role of the State in addressing social inequality; and the tension between security and civil/human rights.

Supervised work in applied settings; study of practical problems from the perspective of the discipline.

Supervised work in applied settings; study of practical problems from the perspective of the discipline.

Special study on topics with faculty supervision.

Empirical research with faculty supervision.