Detailed course offerings (Time Schedule) are available for
SOC 110 Survey of Sociology (5) SSc
Human interaction, social institutions, social stratification, socialization, deviance, social control, social and cultural change. Course content may vary, depending upon instructor.
SOC 111 American Society (5) SSc
Explores the power of social structures using examples drawn primarily from the American culture. The impact of social institutions, the emergence of concrete patterns of social relations which organize and regulate social life and the inequality inherent in most social structures.
SOC 195 Study Abroad: Sociology (2-5, max. 10) SSc
Lower-division sociology courses for which there are no direct 爱豆社区 equivalents, taken through a 爱豆社区 study abroad program.
SOC 201 Special Topics in Sociology (3-5, max. 10) SSc
Topics of contemporary interest taught at an introductory level. Topics will vary.
SOC 211 Stability and Change in American Society (5) SSc
Examines two views of American life that dominate public discourse: one, that the United States is the best country in the world, the other that it is in decline. Addresses questions like: what is the United States really like; what values do Americans share; how do their values affect success and hope for a better society?
SOC 212 Evolution and Revolution: An Introduction to the Study of Comparative Social Change (5) SSc, DIV
Examines the major aspects of human societies, including political and economic systems, family structure, social stratification, and demographic patterns as influenced by environmental conditions, technology, cultural traditions, and legacies of prior history and relationships to other societies.
SOC 215 Introduction to Urban Sociology (5) SSc
Introduces the field of urban sociology. Focuses primarily on urban dynamics in the United States with attention to the global context in which they operate.
SOC 218 War, Peace, and the Sociology of Survival (5) SSc
Explores war, peace, and how people live in situations of war. Focuses on conversations at the macro-level, addressing politics and security, and the micro-level, how civilians survive in the context of war.
SOC 220 Introduction to Sociological Methods (5) SSc, RSN
Familiarizes students with the logic of analysis in social sciences. Students learn to recognize good research design, understand and interpret main arguments employing different methods, and evaluate whether research findings support stated conclusions.
SOC 221 Statistical Concepts and Methods for the Social Sciences (5) NSc, RSN
Develops statistical literacy. Examines objectives & pitfalls of statistical studies; study designs, data analysis, inference; graphical & numerical summaries of numerical &categorical data; correlation and regression; estimation, confidence intervals, & significance tests. Emphasizes social science examples and cases. May only receive credit for one of STAT 220, STAT 221/CS&SS 221/SOC 221, or STAT 290. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 221/STAT 221; AWSp.
SOC 222 Sociology of Sport (5) SSc
Introduction to the sociological analysis of sport. Issues discussed include the history, definition, and functions of sport; role of sport in the socialization of children; the relationship between sport and values; athletics within the social organization of education; deviance, crime, and violence in sport; the business and economics of sport.
SOC 223 Sociology of Rock and Roll (5) SSc
Sociological analysis of a very influential and popular musical art form, from it origins in the first half of the twentieth century to more contemporary social contexts. Examines the roles of race relations, social class, gender, inequalities, region, genre, commercial exploitation, and technology in the evolution of rock and roll.
SOC 225 Data and Society (3/5) SSc
Social implications of the digital revolution, including ethical issues associated with algorithmic design and privacy. Discusses data science as a new occupation that uses data to understand or influence people's behavior. Students will use a sociological lens to explore how our increasingly digital lifestyle changes institutions and social relations. Offered: ASp.
SOC 230 Introduction to Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in the United States (5) SSc, DIV
Examines health status and healthcare disparities among racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States. Utilize sociological, demographic, (social) epidemiological, and (social) psychological concepts to introduce students to racial/ethnic health disparities research.
SOC 235 Representations of Disability in Popular Culture (5) SSc, DIV
Social construction of 'disability' reflected in and shaped by popular culture. Examples from sports coverage, film, television, fashion, and art both by and about disabled people. Ways in which disability representations in the media reify, problematize, and/or challenge marginalization of this social status. Offered: jointly with CHID 235/DIS ST 235.
SOC 240 Introduction to Social Psychology (5) SSc
Introduction to social psychology with an emphasis on sociological perspectives and problems.
SOC 247 Contemporary Social Movements (5) SSc
Introduction to theory and research on national-level collective mobilizations organized for political change. Emphasis on how political, organizational, and cultural factors shape social movement emergence and development, and individual participation.
SOC 250 Media and Society (5) SSc
Explores how modern media impacts society. A significant portion of the course will be dedicated to the emerging effects of new media, such as online reporting and social networking applications, on the current political and social landscape.
SOC 260 African American Family (5) SSc, DIV
Explores the structures and functioning of various types of black families. Single-parent families, two-parent families, extended families, and consensual families are explored. Their consequences for male/female relationships are linked and critiqued. Offered: jointly with AFRAM 260.
SOC 261 The African American Experience through Literature (5) A&H/SSc
Instructs students in hermeneutical and sociological methods of analyses. Analyzes selected novels, essays, poems, short stories, and plays with the purpose of understanding the structures and functions of both society and personality. Offered: jointly with AFRAM 261.
SOC 266 Introduction to Labor Studies (5) SSc
Conceptual and theoretical issues in the study of labor and work. Role of labor in national and international politics. Formation of labor movements. Historical and contemporary role of labor in the modern world. Offered: jointly with HSTCMP 249/POL S 249.
SOC 270 Social Problems (5) SSc, DIV
Processes of social and personal disorganization and reorganization in relation to poverty, crime, suicide, family disorganization, mental disorders, and similar social problems.
SOC 271 Introduction to the Sociology of Deviance and Social Control (5) SSc
Examination of deviance, deviant behavior, and social control. Deviance as a social process; types of deviant behavior (e.g., suicide, mental illness, drug use, crime, "sexual deviance," delinquency); theories of deviance and deviant behavior; nature and social organization of societal reactions; and social and legal policy issues.
SOC 275 Murder (5) SSc
Introduces topics related to the crime of murder, including: laws of homicide; research on the characteristics of victims, killers, and murders; theories of murder and related violence; investigation strategies; and crime and control policies.
SOC 287 Introduction of the Sociology of Sexuality (5) SSc, DIV
Investigates sexuality on the basis of social construction of norms and values, within the context of gender, race, class, and sub-cultures and in the social control of sexuality and why it is so highly regulated. Looks for social rather than biological or personal explanations for why human sexuality is conceptualized or practiced in a certain way.
SOC 292 Who Gets Ahead? Public Schooling in America (5) SSc, DIV
Addresses fundamental questions about the relationship between education and society. Examines why some students learn more and advance further than others; what factors shape how schools are run/organized and which materials are taught; how race/class/gender affect students within schools; how schools maintain our economic system and can become more effective.
SOC 299 Sociology Interest Group (2) SSc
Provides opportunity for students new to the major, or contemplating the major, to meet twice weekly in a small group to discuss issues relating to two designated five-credit sociology courses. Concurrent enrollment in the two five-credit designated courses required. See department adviser.
SOC 300 Foundations of Social Inquiry (5) SSc
Covers what makes social science a science, the components of good research design, and what counts as valid evidence for sociological claims. Pays special attention to links between theory, research questions, and data. Offered: AWSpS.
SOC 301 Special Topics in Sociology (3-5, max. 10) SSc
Topics of contemporary interest taught at an intermediate level. Topics will vary.
SOC 306 War (5) SSc
Origins and conduct of war; readings from anthropology, political science, economics, and history, as well as novels and some recent works on the arms-control controversy. Modern forms of warfare, including guerrilla war, world war, and nuclear war. Offered: jointly with JSIS B 301.
SOC 316 Introduction to Sociological Theory (5) SSc
Introduction to sociological theory. Includes classical theorists Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber and their influence on contemporary theoretical debate.
SOC 320 Evaluating Social Science Evidence (5) SSc, RSN
A critical introduction to the methods used to collect data in social science: surveys, archival research, experiments, and participant observation. Evaluates "facts and findings" by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the methods that produce them. Case based. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 320/STAT 320.
SOC 321 Data Science and Statistics for Social Sciences I (5) SSc, RSN
Introduction to applied data analysis for social scientists. Focuses on using programming to prepare, explore, analyze, and present data that arise in social science research. Data science topics include loading, cleaning, and exploring data, basic visualization, reproducible research practices. Statistical topics include measurement, probability, modeling, assessment of statistical evidence. Lectures intermixed with programming and lab sessions. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 321/STAT 321; W.
SOC 322 Case-Based Social Statistics II (5) SSc, RSN
Continuation of CS&SS 321/SOC 321/STAT 321. Progresses to questions of assessing the weight of evidence and more sophisticated models including regression-based methods. Built around cases investigating the nature and content of statistical principles and practice. Hands-on approach: weekly data analysis laboratory. Prerequisite: CS&SS 321/SOC 321/STAT 321, or permission of instructor. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 322/STAT 322.
SOC 325 Quantified Self: An Introduction to the Societal Implications of Self Tracking (5) SSc
How apps and other online services are allowing individuals and organizations to track details of their own lives. Examines the positive aspects of tracking, such as health and wellness tracking, as well as the negative aspects of allowing oneself to be tracked, such as a lack of privacy. Recommended: SOC 225.
SOC 328 Methodology of Sociological Research (5-) SSc, RSN
Logic of formulating, testing, and modifying hypotheses. Methods of producing social data (survey research, evaluation research, field observation) and utilizing stored data (census tapes, historical materials). Methods of quantitative data analysis techniques commonly used in contemporary sociological analysis. Not open for credit to students who have taken SOC 320.
SOC 329 Methodology of Sociological Research (-5) SSc, RSN
Logic of formulating, testing, and modifying hypotheses. Methods of producing social data (survey research, evaluation research, field observation) and utilizing stored data (census tapes, historical materials). Methods of quantitative data analysis techniques commonly used in contemporary sociological analysis. Not open for credit to students who have taken SOC 320 or SOC 323.
SOC 330 Human Ecology (5) SSc
Factors and forces that determine the distribution of people and institutions.
SOC 331 Population and Society (5) SSc
Population growth and distribution, population composition, population theory, urbanization. Determinants and consequences of fertility and mortality trends and migration in economically developed and underdeveloped areas.
SOC 337 Social Construction of Madness and Mental Health in the United States (5) SSc
The construct of "mental health" and mental "un-health" from a sociological perspective. How categories such as mental illness, intellectual and developmental disability, cognitive impairment, and Mad Studies developed in the United States. Offered: jointly with CHID 337/DIS ST 337.
SOC 340 Symbolic Interaction (5) SSc
Examines the role of language, culture, and the symbolic environment in shaping interpersonal processes.
SOC 341 Tutoring Sociology (2-4, max. 4)
Trains students to serve as tutors in designated courses. Teaches how to assist with writing assignments, explain course material, and lead group discussions. Credit/no-credit only.
SOC 344 Cognitive Social Psychology (5) SSc
Cognitive structures and processes and their antecedents and consequences, both societal and individual. Reciprocal influences of social roles, social institutions, and social cognition.
SOC 345 Sects and Violence: Cults, Religious Innovation, and Social Conflict (5) SSc
Examines controversial religious groups often called cults. Uses sociological lenses to examine cults' occasionally catastrophic conflicts with government authorities, established religious organizations, and anti-cult movements.
SOC 346 Group Processes (5) SSc
Systematic analysis of social processes in small groups, including conformity, deviance, cooperation, competition, coalition formation, status and role differentiation, inequity, communication, and authority and power. A variety of methods of research are considered: field studies, field experiments, laboratory studies, and the simulation of social processes.
SOC 347 National Social Movements: Current Trends and Explanations (5) SSc
Introduction to theory and research on a specific form of social movement: national-level collective mobilizations organized for political change. Emphasizes how political, organizational, and cultural factors shape social movement emergence and development. Focuses on American activism, New Left, women's movements, the abortion conflict, gay/lesbian activism, and Central American Peace movement.
SOC 351 Intimate Relationships (5) SSc
Explores the nature of love, desire, and commitment between heterosexual and homosexual couples, as well as parenting as a dyadic act. Evaluates political and social pressures and preferences on these topics within our society in a comparative context.
SOC 352 The Family (5) SSc
The family as a social institution. Historical changes and societal variation in family patterns. Changes over the life cycle. Alternative family forms.
SOC 353 The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective (5) SSc
Form, content, and functions of families through case studies of different countries. Family organization, including family structure, inheritance, sexual division of labor, and socialization with attention given to life-cycle stages.
SOC 355 Social Change in Latin America (5) SSc
Explores cultures, identities, political economy, and popular mobilization in Latin America. Examines relations of power and production between social classes and ethnic groups, as well as ideologies and intellectual movements. Offered: jointly with JSIS A 355.
SOC 356 Society and Politics (5) SSc
Causes of political change in democratic countries, including public opinion, social movements, interest group activity, and party organization. Offered: jointly with POL S 356.
SOC 357 Sociology of Religion (5) SSc
The relations between religion, polity, economy, and social structure; in particular, the political, economic, and social impact of religious beliefs and organizations, as well as the social determination of these beliefs and organizations; the rise of secularism, the rationalization of modern life, and the emergence of political quasi-religions.
SOC 360 Introduction to Social Stratification (5) SSc, DIV
Social class and social inequality in American society. Status, power, authority, and unequal opportunity are examined in depth, using material from other societies to provide a comparative and historical perspective. Sociological origins of recurrent conflicts involving race, sex, poverty, and political ideology.
SOC 362 Race Relations (5) SSc, DIV
Reviews social science perspectives on race and ethnicity. Explores sociological definitions and understandings associated with race and ethnicity and the construction of identities. Examines different issues that impact individuals' and groups' life chances.
SOC 363 Ethnicity, Business, Unions, and Society (5) SSc
Interrelationships of ethnicity, business, unions, and the larger society. Examines financial and sociological structure of business and manufacturing sector, how this sector performs, and consequences of performance for selected ethnic groups in United States. Offered: jointly with AES 361.
SOC 364 Women in the Social Structure (5) SSc
Gender and social institutions; the family, politics, education, medicine, law, the labor force. Intersection of gender with other minority statuses such as race, age, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. Structural, ideological, and historical determinants of gender relations.
SOC 365 Urban Community (5) SSc
Comparative and analytic study of organization and activities of urban groups.
SOC 366 Sociology of Organizations (5) SSc
Introduction to the sociological study of organizations including what organizations are, where they come from, and how they relate to individuals, other organizations, and other institutions of society.
SOC 368 Sociology of Black Americans (5) SSc
Socio-cultural context of the Black person's environment and consequences of interaction with that environment.
SOC 371 Criminology (5) SSc
Survey of legal definitions, types of criminal behavior, trends and patterns, recidivism, characteristics of offenders, environmental influences, diagnostic methods, prediction, theories of crime and delinquency prevention, social policy.
SOC 372 Crime, Politics, and Justice (5) SSc
Examines role of police, courts, and corrections in criminal justice; investigates critical legal and sociological factors and perspectives that shape criminal procedure; considers the relationship between criminal procedure and wider concerns of justice and equality in society. Offered: jointly with LSJ 375.
SOC 374 Law and Society (5) SSc
Introduces major issues of the sociological foundations and implications of legal institutions; examines social life within legal institutions, the individual and collective justice, the malleability of precedent, and truth and the effects of inequality on legal outcomes. Encompasses legal practice and social science.
SOC 375 Sociology of Juvenile Justice (5) SSc
Overviews the United States juvenile justice system and related societal issues, including racial and ethnic disproportionality, the criminalization of delinquent offenders, and the future of the juvenile justice system.
SOC 376 Drugs and Society (5) SSc
Explores the questions of drug use and abuse, social and political factors that shape response to their use, and the social conditions under which drug use is likely to have adverse consequences. Also covers U.S. drug control policy, the political economy of legal and illegal drugs, and political aspects of drug use. Offered: jointly with LSJ 376.
SOC 377 The American Jewish Community (5) SSc, DIV
Examines how American Jews adapt to a changing world. Explores impact of diverse immigration, acculturation, social mobility, social justice movements, and changing relations between Jews and non-Jews. Encompasses concerns that all communities have adapting to change, when they are also agents of change. Offered: jointly with JEW ST 377.
SOC 378 Contemporary Jewish American Identities (5) SSc, DIV
Introduction to the debates about post-Holocaust Jewish identities in multicultural America. Explores whether a distinctive Jewish community is headed toward assimilation, experiencing revival, or merely transforming the multiple ways Jewish experience is lived. Topics include new Jewish immigrants, the new Orthodox, Black Jews, Jewish feminism, children of Holocaust survivors. Offered: jointly with JEW ST 378.
SOC 379 Environmental Sociology (5) NSc/SSc
Social processes by which environmental conditions are transformed into environmental problems; scientific claims, popularization of science, issue-framing, problem-amplification, economic opportunism, and institutional sponsorship. Examination of social constructs such as ecosystem, community, and free-market economy. Use of human ecology to assess whether the current framing of environmental problems promotes ecological adaptability. Offered: jointly with ENVIR 379/ESRM 371; W.
SOC 395 Study Abroad: Sociology (2-5, max. 15) SSc
Upper-division sociology courses for which there are no direct 爱豆社区 equivalents, taken through a 爱豆社区 study abroad program.
SOC 399 Undergraduate Internship (2-5, max. 10)
Students serve in approved internships. Credit/no-credit only.
SOC 401 Special Topics in Sociology (5, max. 15) SSc
Selected topics taught at an advanced level. Topics vary and may be substantive, theoretical, or methodological. Designed for Sociology majors and others with permission.
SOC 402 Sociology in Practice: Education Service Program (5) SSc
Combines an experience in tutoring with critical reflection on practical and theoretical issues in education. Gives practical classroom experience as well as insight into the complexity of public schools and issues in education policy. Students may receive a maximum of 10 credits from SOC 402, SOC 403, SOC 404, and SOC 494.
SOC 403 Sociology in Practice: Applied Community Research Program (5) SSc
Participation in a project-based research group for a real-world client, addressing complex and enduring problems of urban life. Students may receive a maximum of 10 credits from SOC 402, SOC 403, SOC 404, and SOC 494.
SOC 404 Sociology in Practice: Community/Civic Internship Program (5) SSc
Combines real-world benefits of internships with critical reflections provided in a seminar. Students intern as local agencies and organizations, and may either come with their own internship or apply for specialized internships through the Sociology Department. Students may receive a maximum of 10 credits from SOC 402, SOC 403, SOC 404, and SOC 494.
SOC 410 History of Sociological Thought (5) SSc
Contributions of individual theorists (from Comte to the present); emphasis on cumulative development of concepts and principles, emergence of sociology as a science, probable future developments.
SOC 415 The City and Neighborhood Dynamics (5) SSc
Focuses on a diverse set of topics including the changing social meaning of community, the effects of the urban setting on social interactions and attitudes, urban poverty, residential segregation, and the neighborhood dynamics of crime. Students have the opportunity to contribute directly to research- and policy-related projects.
SOC 416 Sociological Theory (5) SSc
Theories of individual action, social order, and institutional change. Cumulative development of solutions rather than on works of given theorists. Theories of social order. How sociological treatments of these issues compare with those offered by economists and other social scientists.
SOC 420 Sociology of Food (5) SSc
Provides a historical and comparative overview of what people eat and how this relates to other types of social differentiation.
SOC 430 Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities (5) SSc, DIV
Examines the social conditions related to the health of populations. How patterns of health vary by social class, race/ethnicity, and gender and some mechanisms that produce and maintain these differences.
SOC 432 Population and Modernization (3) SSc
Examines role of demographic factors in the process of social modernization and economic growth. The approach is both historical, focusing on populations of developed countries since 1700, and analytic, stressing the attempts made by different disciplines to model demographic relationships, with attention to less-developed regions. Offered: jointly with JSIS D 435.
SOC 434 Demographic Issues in Asia (3-5) SSc
Contemporary Asian countries face a number of issues with demographic components, including environmental and resource issues, ethnic rivalries, international migration, and public health. Addresses a set of these issues by focusing on the demography of one or more countries in Asia. Offered: jointly with JSIS A 431.
SOC 440 Comparative Social Problems (5) SSc
Examines a variety of social problems from a comparative perspective. Issues such as epidemics, slavery, and genocide within and beyond U.S. borders analyzed with historical and contemporary examples.
SOC 445 Religious Movements: The Sociology of Cults and Sects (5) SSc
Investigates the organizational dynamics of new religious movements. Seeks to understand why ' cults' emerge and how they proliferate or decay. Examines conflicts within established churches, counter-movements, and the state.
SOC 447 Social Movements (5) SSc
Social movements as collective attempts to change society: why people join; characteristics of successful and unsuccessful movements; consequences of social movement activities.
SOC 450 Political Economy of Women and Family in the Third World (5) SSc
Theoretical and empirical aspects of the political economy of women and the family in the Third World during the process of development, with a focus on labor. Main theoretical approaches examined and applied to case studies from Asia and Latin America. Offered: jointly with JSIS D 450.
SOC 451 Theory and Process of Social Change (5) SSc
Basic trends in economic and social development; comparative and historical analysis of social and economic changes; the rise of capitalist societies.
SOC 456 Political Sociology (5) SSc
Relationships between social change and political change. Focus on selected issues, including social bases of democracy, political organization, elections, and consequences of public policy.
SOC 459 The New Inequality (5) SSc, DIV
Examines "who gets what" in contemporary societies. Students will learn not only how income, wealth, housing, and health are unequally distributed, but how individuals or groups differ in access to "public goods" or the protection of legal rights and liberties. Examines some of the leading explanations for these inequalities, and applies these theories to specific social problems in the U.S. and around the world.
SOC 460 Social Differentiation (5) SSc
Analysis of societal organization based on sex, age, residence, occupation, community, class, caste, and race.
SOC 461 Comparative Ethnic Race Relations in the Americas (5) SSc
Sketches the ethnoracial systems operating in American society. Studies these systems as systems and examines their institutional and interpersonal dynamics. Compares ethnoracial systems in order to arrive at empirical generalizations about race/ethnorelations in the Americas. Offered: jointly with AES 461.
SOC 462 Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations (5) SSc, DIV
Race and ethnicity as factors of social differentiation in a number of Western and non-Western societies in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Offered: jointly with AES 462.
SOC 463 African-American Political Thought (5) SSc
Examines the historical and sociological experiences of African-Americans from slavery, emancipation, mobilization, and organization, to present socioeconomic situation. Reviews the political philosophy of black leaders from the early black conventions to today, the black experience in the American education system, and origins and evolution of the black middle class.
SOC 464 Contemporary Society in the People's Republic of China (5) SSc
Separate development of rural and urban social institutions in the People's Republic of China since 1949 from a sociological perspective. Family and marriage, social control, educational institutions. Dilemmas of contemporary China and reasons for institutional change. Offered: jointly with JSIS A 464.
SOC 465 Complex Organizations (5) SSc
Examination of the structure of complex organizations. Attention to developing generalizations applicable to industrial organizations, businesses, hospitals, prisons, labor unions, governments, universities, armies, and similar formally instituted organizations. The major focus is on empirical research, with some attention to methodological problems in studying such organizations.
SOC 466 Economic Sociology (5) SSc
Changing focus of field; cultural variation, work, and the worker; technology, society, and the evolution of industrial forms; types and forms of industrial organizations; industrial organizations as social and technical systems; issues of control, process, and change; the individual in social and technical systems.
SOC 467 Immigration and Ethnicity (5) SSc, DIV
Focus on contemporary American diversity - the multiethnic, multicultural society created by recent immigrants from Latin America, Asia, and by people of European, African, and American Indian origins; its issues and debates, including ethnic conflict, integration, multiculturalism, and assimilation, as viewed through comparisons with the past and with other societies.
SOC 468 Sociology of Occupations and Professions (5) SSc
Frameworks for study of occupations and professions; occupational structure and mobility in American society in relation to adult socialization and career development; occupational and professional associations and society.
SOC 469 Balkan Societies (5) SSc
Examination of the roots of Balkan social problems (economic backwardness, minority-group conflicts, peasant problem), the failure of pre-1945 attempts to solve these problems, the post-1945 communist failures, the causes of the upheavals of 1989, and the prospects for success in the 1990s.
SOC 470 Contemporary Southeast Asia (5) SSc
Sociological survey of Southeast Asia, including development, demographic changes, family structure, and ethnic relations.
SOC 472 Juvenile Delinquency (5) SSc
Factors in delinquency, juvenile courts. Programs of treatment and prevention.
SOC 476 Miscarriages of Justice (5) SSc
Examines legal and social factors that shape criminal case outcomes, analyzing how one type of miscarriage of justice - wrongful conviction - occurs. How can cases of wrongful conviction be explained? Why are some people, against whom there is only weak evidence, convicted-and sometimes even executed? Offered: jointly with LSJ 476.
SOC 481 Issues in Analytic Sociology (5, max. 15) SSc
Examination of current issues in sociological analysis. Specific content of the course varies according to recent developments in sociology and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 482 Issues in Analytic Sociology (3, max. 9) SSc
Examination of current issues in sociological analysis. Specific content of the course varies according to recent developments in sociology and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 483 Issues in Analytic Sociology (1-3, max. 9) SSc
Examination of current issues in sociological analysis. Specific content of the course varies according to recent developments in sociology and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 487 Sociology of Gender and Sexuality (5) SSc
Addresses the intersection of gender and sexuality in U.S. society, social institutions and movements, families, and the individual. Topics include the history of sexuality as practiced and politicized since colonial times, major theoretical approaches to sexuality, and how gender and other social status characteristics influence the meanings of sexuality.
SOC 490 The Urban Underclass (5) SSc
Examines underlying issues which have led to the emergence and perpetuation of an underclass within an affluent society. Explores some of the consequences for these people and for this society. Considers policies that might be used to address problems of the urban underclass.
SOC 491 Sociology of Science (5) SSc
SOC 492 Sociology of Education (5) SSc
Emphasizes the ways in which schools and colleges reproduce, reinforce, and challenge prevailing social, economic, and political relationships. Examines the structures, practices, content, and outcomes of schooling and its relationship to the wider society as well as the rise and dynamics of the modern education system.
SOC 494 Practicum (5, max. 10) SSc
Exploration of selected sociological concepts or problems through advanced practical experience in research, internships, or other applications. Topics vary.
SOC 496 Honors Seminar ([3/5]-) SSc
Exploration of selected sociological problems with emphasis on research experience and the interpretation of data. For sociology majors only, primarily for Honors students. Offered: A.
SOC 497 Honors Seminar (-[3/5]-) SSc
Exploration of selected sociological problems with emphasis on research experience and the interpretation of data. For sociology majors only, primarily for Honors students. Offered: W.
SOC 498 Honors Thesis (1-5, max. 5) SSc
Preparation of Honors thesis. Sociology majors only. Credit/no-credit only.
SOC 499 Undergraduate Independent Study or Research (2-5, max. 10)
Credit/no-credit only.
SOC 500 Teaching Sociology as a Teaching Assistant (1)
Techniques of quiz section administration, advising of students, and student evaluation important to successful teaching as a Teaching Assistant. Students develop presentations and classroom materials and develop and grade student examinations. Prerequisite: admission to graduate program in sociology. Credit/no-credit only.
SOC 501 Proseminar (1-3, max. 3)
Introduction for first-year graduate students to substantive areas of sociology, research and information resources, and issues in graduate education and professional socialization. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSp.
SOC 502 Seminar on Teaching Sociology (3)
Techniques of lecturing, leading discussion, evaluating student performance, and other pedagogical skills ancillary to successful teaching. Students develop a course and obtain videotaped feedback of presentations.
SOC 503 Seminar on Writing Social Science (3)
Techniques, skills, and strategies helpful for publishing in the social sciences. Includes writing and revision of own work and evaluation of the writing of other students. Also includes social scientific analysis of writing and other forms of academic communication. Prerequisite: completion of MA.
SOC 504 Applied Social Statistics (3-)
Applications of statistics in sociology and related social sciences. Emphasis on problems of analysis with imperfect data. Probability in statistical inference. Analysis of variance; contingency table analysis, nonparametric procedures; regression analysis in social research.
SOC 505 Applied Social Statistics (-3)
Applications of statistics in sociology and related social sciences. Emphasis on problems of analysis with imperfect data. Probability in statistical inference. Analysis of variance; contingency table analysis, nonparametric procedures; regression analysis in social research.
SOC 506 Methodology: Quantitative Techniques in Sociology (3)
Applied regression analysis with emphasis on interactive computer graphics techniques and interpretation. Application to typical sociological problems. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 507.
SOC 507 Statistical Classification and Measurement (3)
Application of statistical principles and methods to problems of classification and measurement in social research.
SOC 508 Logic of Social Inquiry (3)
Study design from problem formulation to the analysis and interpretation of data.
SOC 509 Practicum in Data Analysis (3)
Introduction to selected programs for data analysis and practice in their application. Practice in coordination of research problem, data, and mode of analysis into a coherent, interrelated set. Interpretation of results. Offered: A.
SOC 510 Seminar in Sociological Theory (3)
Macrosociological theories; functionalism and neoevolutionism; conflict and consensus approach; comparative strategies; models and long-range theories; ideology and sociology. From Marx and de Tocqueville to contemporary literature.
SOC 511 Classical Social Theory (3)
Study of classical masters of social theory: Marx, Durkheim, and Weber, their precursors, and their immediate successors.
SOC 512 Review of Mathematics for Social Scientists (1)
Reviews basic mathematical skills needed for a meaningful understanding of elementary statistics, data analysis, and social science methodology. Overview of core knowledge required for graduate courses in quantitative methods in social sciences. Topics include discrete mathematics, differential and integral calculus, review of matrix algebra, and basic probabilistic and statistical concepts. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 505.
SOC 513 Demography and Society (3)
Overview of the social, economic, cultural, geographic, and historical study of population processes and the field of demography. Examines the historical roots of the discipline. Reviews theories, methods, major contributions, and contemporary directions related to population growth, composition, and trends. Examines fertility, mortality, and migration as it relates to critical questions in the social and health sciences and policy. Offered: jointly with CSDE 513; A.
SOC 514 Current Theories in Social Psychology (3)
Broad graduate-level introduction to the theories in the field of social psychology.
SOC 515 Current Research in Social Psychology (3)
Broad graduate-level introduction to the research in the field of social psychology.
SOC 516 Organizations (3)
Broad graduate-level introduction to the theory and research on complex organizations.
SOC 517 Deviance and Social Control (3)
Survey of current research on deviant behavior and mechanisms of social control; definitions and forms of deviant behavior, causal analysis, and legal or other methods of social control.
SOC 518 Social Stratification (3)
Intensive preparation in theoretical, methodological, and substantive topics in social stratification.
SOC 519 Fieldwork: Observation and Interviewing (3-)
Perspective, logic, and techniques of qualitative social research and analysis. Nature and uses of intensive interviewing, participant observation, and analytic ethnography. Application of field research principles. Research project required in addition to reading and analysis of classic studies.
SOC 520 Fieldwork: Observation and Interviewing (-3)
Logic and techniques of qualitative social research and analysis. Intensive interviewing, participant observation, qualitative data analysis (including applications of data base technology, problem reformulation, and techniques of visual documentation). Results of student work reported and discussed in class.
SOC 524 Master's Thesis Research Seminar (1, max. 3)
Facilitates the development of a thesis and its execution. Forum for refining research questions, presenting work in progress, and receiving feedback from instructor and other students on ideas and written work. Credit/no-credit only.
SOC 526 Causal Approach to Theory Building and Data Analysis (3)
Theory construction and testing from a causal models perspective. Path analysis, standardized versus unstandardized measures, feedback models, identification problems, estimation in overidentified models, difference equations, differential equations, stability conditions. Multiplicative models as alternatives to additive ones. Causal approach to measurement error.
SOC 527 Measurement of Basic Sociological Concepts (3)
Conceptualization and measurement problems in sociology, using major concepts as illustrations of basic issues. Causal approach to measurement to deal with problems of indirect measurement, cross-level measurement problems, aggregation and disaggregation. Consequences of crude measurement for data analyses. Prerequisite: SOC 504.
SOC 528 Seminar on Selected Statistical Problems in Social Research (3)
Prerequisite: SOC 506.
SOC 529 Structural Equation Models for the Social Sciences (3)
Structural equation models for the social sciences, including specification, estimation, and testing. Topics include path analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, linear models with latent variables, MIMIC models, non-recursive models, models for nested data. Emphasizes applications to substantive problems in the social sciences. Prerequisite: SOC 504, SOC 505, SOC 506 or equivalent. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 526.
SOC 530 Urbanism and Urbanization (3) SSc
Human population distribution and migration patterns. Causes and consequences of world urbanization. Spatial and social patterns in the metropolis. Aggregate population movements and selectivity of migrants.
SOC 531 Fertility and Mortality (3) SSc
Theories of fertility and mortality, demographic transitions, individual variations. Specific analytic approaches. Familiarity with basic fertility and mortality measures, and with the life table, is assumed.
SOC 533 Research Methods in Demography (3/5)
Basic measures and models used in demographic research. Sources and quality of demographic data. Rate construction, standardization, the life table, stable population models, migration models, population estimation and projection, measures of concentration and dispersion, measures of family formation and dissolution. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 533/CSDE 533; W.
SOC 534 Statistical Methods for Spatial Data (3)
Motivates the need for, and describes methods for, the analysis of spatial data. Topics: Clustering, cluster detection, spatial regression, modeling neighborhood effects, geographical information systems. Point and aggregated data considered and data from complex surveys. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 554/STAT 554; W.
SOC 535 Foundations of Population Health and Health Disparities (3)
Provides an overview of the nature and social determinants of the health of human populations, investigates disparities in health within and between populations, and examines the ways in which population health may be improved by the translation of scientific knowledge into interventions and public policy.
SOC 536 Analysis of Categorical and Count Data (3)
Analysis of categorical data in the social sciences. Binary, ordered, and multinomial outcomes, event counts, and contingency tables. Focuses on maximum likelihood estimations and interpretations of results. Prerequisite: either SOC 504, SOC 505, SOC 506/CS&SS 507, STAT 423, or STAT 504/CS&SS 504. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 536/STAT 536.
SOC 537 Modeling Emergence: Social Simulation (3)
Seminar and practicum in computational modeling of social processes with emphasis on using agent-based simulation models to investigate and refine theory.
SOC 538 Data Science, Population Processes, and Health (3)
Today's large and complex data sets ("big data") allow social scientists to address core social questions in new ways. Examines how traditional social science and demographic methods can be used to make sense of new data sources, and how these new data sources may require new approaches and research design.
SOC 539 Selected Topics in Demography and Ecology (3, max. 9)
Specialized problems in demography or ecology are covered; for example, migration, fertility, mortality, language, race and ethnic relations, metropolitan community. See quarterly announcement for specific problem to be covered.
SOC 542 Selected Topics in Group Processes (3)
Theories, methodology, and studies in the area of small-group research. Prerequisite: permission of instructor for nonmajors.
SOC 543 Seminar on Group Solidarity (3)
Interdisciplinary perspectives on solidarity, focusing on member commitment, group structure, and contributions to collective goals.
SOC 547 Social Cognition and Attribution (3)
Theories and research on social cognition and attribution. Theoretical and methodological debates on cognition. Sociological aspects of attribution. Prerequisite: SOC 514 or equivalent.
SOC 551 Family and Gender Relations (3)
Overview of major research findings on marriage, the family, and gender, including demographic trends, the place of children in society, courtship, the internal management of intimate relationships, divorce, and social policy.
SOC 553 Seminar on Gender and Sexuality (3)
Research seminar considering theoretical and empirical approaches to sexuality, with particular attention to the importance of gender. Examines the social control of sexuality by the state and by families, as well as social meanings of sexuality within social movements related to various aspects of sexuality.
SOC 554 Seminar in the Sociology of Religion (3)
Survey of significant and active areas of theory and research in contemporary social scientific studies of religion.
SOC 555 Methods in Macro, Comparative, and Historical Sociology (3)
Systems of conducting research with qualitative methods brought to bear on broad questions.
SOC 559 Seminar on Gender Roles (3)
Broad graduate-level introduction to theoretical issues concerning gender and society. Current state of empirical knowledge on the sociology of gender and strategies for research. Cross-cultural variations in conception of gender roles and how gender intersects with social institutions and social interactions.
SOC 560 Hierarchical Modeling for the Social Sciences (4)
Explores ways in which data are hierarchically organized, such as voters nested within electoral districts that are in turn nested within states. Provides a basic theoretical understanding and practical knowledge of models for clustered data and a set of tools to help make accurate inferences. Prerequisite: SOC 504, SOC 505, SOC 506 or equivalent. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 560/STAT 560.
SOC 562 Seminar in Comparative Race Relations (3)
Cross-cultural approach to race and ethnic relations, including case studies from Africa and Latin America. Prerequisite: graduate standing in social sciences.
SOC 563 Statistical Demography (4)
Statistical methods and models for estimating and forecasting population quantities. Topic: Demographic rates; Population projection; Leslie matrix; modeling age-specific patterns; probabilistic population projections and Bayesian hierarchical models; estimating past and present fertility, mortality, migration and population; big data in demography. Prerequisite: Either STAT 509/CS&SS 509/ECON 509, STAT 513, or permission from the instructor.
Offered: jointly with CS&SS 563/STAT 563; Sp.
SOC 565 Inequality: Current Trends and Explanations (3)
Discussion of recent growth in economic inequality in the United States and competing explanations for these new trends through examination of labor market demographics, industrial composition and restructuring, and the broader political context that impacts policies like minimum wage, strength of unions, and foreign trade. Prerequisite: SOC 504, SOC 505, SOC 506, or equivalent. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 565.
SOC 566 Seminar in Complex Organizations (3)
Special topic seminars in the field of complex organizations or industrial sociology.
SOC 567 Seminar in Complex Organizations (3)
Special topic seminars in the field of complex organizations or industrial sociology.
SOC 568 Social Mobility (3)
Description and measurement of social mobility. Determinants of mobility and cross-national comparisons. Consequences of mobility for social behaviors. Emphasizes movement from the socioeconomic position of family of origin to adult position. Prerequisite: SOC 518.
SOC 569 Demographic Studies of Stratification (3)
Overview of development of models of socioeconomic achievement ("status attainment" paradigm) in the field of stratification. Begins with work of Blau and Duncan. Covers elaboration of basic models to include race and ethnicity, social psychological variables, class, school and labor market effects, and other structural variables. Prerequisite: SOC 513, SOC 518.
SOC 570 Seminar in Environmental Sociology (3)
Offered: jointly with SEFS 570.
SOC 574 Seminar in Methods of Criminological Research (3)
Provides training in the technical analysis of published research in criminology; designs and processes studies in parole prediction, prediction of prison adjustment, and prediction of treatment effect.
SOC 575 Social Movements: Politics and Organization (3)
Theoretical perspectives and research on the dynamics of national social movements from a macrosociological perspective. Introduces dominant models that stress organizational and political processes, with some examination of approaches that consider the intersection of politics, organization, and culture. Emphasis on the United States.
SOC 581 Special Topics in Theory and the History of Sociological Thought (3, max. 9)
Examination of current topics in theory and the history of sociological thought. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 582 Special Topics in Research Methods and Statistical Analysis in Sociology (3, max. 9)
Examination of current topics in research methods and statistical analysis in sociology. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 583 Special Topics in Demography and Ecology (3, max. 9)
Examination of current topics in demography and ecology. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 584 Special Topics in Social Psychology (3, max. 9)
Examination of current substantive topics in social psychology. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 585 Special Topics in Marriage and Family (3, max. 9)
Examination of current substantive topics in marriage and the family. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 586 Special Topics in Organization and Industrial Sociology (3, max. 9)
Examination of current substantive topics in organizational and industrial sociology. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 587 Special Topics in Deviance and Social Control (1-3, max. 9)
Examination of current substantive topics in deviance and social control. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 588 Special Topics in Stratification and Race Relations (3, max. 9)
Examination of current substantive topics in stratification and race relations. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 589 Special Topics in Macrosociology (3, max. 9)
Examination of current substantive topics in macrosociology. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor.
SOC 590 Special Topics in Sociology (1-3, max. 21)
Examination of current substantive topics in sociology. Content varies according to recent developments in the field and the interests of the instructor. Topics covered in courses with this number lie outside those covered by other special topics courses numbered SOC 581 through SOC 589.
SOC 591 Political Sociology (3)
Introduction to political sociology, considering the rise of the modern state, power, political organization, social movements, and other related topics.
SOC 597 Field Seminar in States, Markets, and Societies (5)
Exposes students to theoretical and empirical debates about engagement of states with their societies and with transnational actors in their historical, political, and social settings. Topics include state formation, social change, development, state-market relations, globalization, identities, ethnicities, gender, revolutions, democratization, corruption, clientalism, civil societies, NGOs, and social movements. Offered: jointly with JSIS 597.
SOC 600 Independent Study or Research (*-)
Credit/no-credit only.
SOC 700 Master's Thesis (*-)
Credit/no-credit only.
SOC 800 Doctoral Dissertation (*-)
Credit/no-credit only.