SOC 214 - The Family.

Reg. Code 16048 Summer 2010 (mini-session) M-F 8-12 Kinnell
Reg. Code 2732 Fall 2010 MWF 9-9:50 Kinnell

The goal of this course is to give you the tools to look analytically at something we all know very well: the family. We all have intimate experience with our own families, but we do not always see how social, economic, political, and cultural forces shape both our own families and families which are very different from our own. During the course we will look at the family historically to see how the family has changed over time. We will examine the everyday experiences of individuals within families by looking at such things as love, marriage, and parent?child relationships. And, we will take a "macro" view of families to see how families interact with such institutions as the government and the economy. By the end of the course you should have an understanding of how families make decisions about their lives and how outside social forces affect those decisions.

SOC 341 - Criminology.

Reg. Code 21610 Fall 2010 M 6:30-9:15 Fennell

The major purpose of this course is to introduce the student to: a) the field of criminology, b) the concept of crime, and c) the dilemmas modern criminologists face when they conduct research. The student must understand that criminology is a multi-disciplinary approach and there are no easy answers to crime causation and crime control.

SOC 360 - Globalization.

Reg. Code 21611 Fall 2010 TTH 9:30-10:45 Reid

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts and some of the keys issues surrounding globalization and international development from a sociological perspective. Some believe that globalization holds great promise for increasing global stability and expanding democracy and human rights. Others are skeptical, fearing that globalization will bring new forms of oppression and end certain ways of life. Through this course students will learn about these and other controversies surrounding globalization and become acquainted with some of the social issues confronting governments around the world. Students will gain a broad understanding of how the world is increasingly interconnected in terms of politics, economics, culture, gender, and the environment, which will allow them to better comprehend current international events being reported in the media.

SOC 462/562 - Methods of Social Research.

Reg. Code 15518/15520 Fall 2010 MWF 1-1:50 Kinnell

The social sciences are in the business of trying to figure out how the social world works. To this end, we formulate research questions, devise hypotheses and theories, design studies, collect and analyze data, and produce reports (not necessarily in this order). The objective of this course is to acquaint you with this process through reading textual description, analyzing the research of others, and doing some research of your own. At the end of the semester you should be able to 1) articulate the relationship between theory and research, 2) move from a general question to the formulation of a well-constructed, researchable problem, 3) assess the strengths and weaknesses of various methods of data collection, 4) design, implement and report your findings from a preliminary research project, 5) evaluate reported findings in terms of the research methods employed in the studies, and 6) develop an awareness of the ethical issues involved in social research. Course requirements include three exams and a course project in which students will design and pretest their own empirical study. This course is required for sociology majors. This course counts as an Intensive Writing course under the university core curriculum.

SOC 482/582 - Sociological Theory.

Reg. Code11850/11852 Fall 2010 MW 2-3:15 Miller

This course is designed to give students an overview of major figures and perspectives in classical sociological theory and to examine ways in which classical theory can be applied to contemporary society. We will focus on key figures of 19th and early 20th century sociology (e.g., Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Mead, Goffman), exploring both the key tenets of their theories and also potential applications of these works. Throughout the semester we will be examining how the various perspectives frame major issues in sociological theory, such as social order and change, as well as the general conceptions of reality embedded in each theory. By the end of the semester students will be acquainted with the major concepts, frameworks and theorists in classical sociological thought.