Course Descriptions
6210: Rise of Sociological Theory. Nature, grounds, and explanatory powers of various forms of sociological theory; analysis of bases for scientific and philosophical assumptions and social and political contexts; major theorists including Durkheim, Marx, Weber, Simmel. (3 hours)
6211: Contemporary Sociological Theories. Major frameworks of 20th century sociological thought, including theoretical schools of functionalism, exchange theory, critical theory, symbolic interactionism, phenomenological sociology, and ethnomethodology; current social and political trends. (3 hours)
6312: Intermediate Social Statistics. Multivariate analysis of social data; use of computer programs for data management and statistical analysis. PREREQUISITES: SOCI 3311 and 3322, or their equivalent, or permission of the instructor. (3 hours)
6425: Environmental Sociology. Role of social institutions, power, and inequality in shaping environmental discourse and action; dynamics of environmental social movements. (3 hours)
6842: Sociology of Occupations and Professions. Sociological analysis of the division of labor, occupational groupings, career patterns, and professional associations in modern American society. (3 hours)
6900-6909: Special Topics in Sociology. Topics are varied and announced in online class listings. (3 hours)
7210/8210: Theory Seminar. An advanced analysis of recent developments in sociological theory, including the relationship of theory to empirical research. (3 hours)
7212/8212: Multi-Racial Feminist Theory. Intensive analysis of major figures and issues in contemporary multi-racial feminist theory, emphasis on theory that grapples with conceptual and methodological requirements for multi-racial feminist politics of diversity that draws on both United States and international scholarship. (3 hours)
7320/8320: Seminar in Methods of Social Research. Issues and techniques in data collection for the design and implementation of independent research projects; logic of conducting social scientific research, ethical considerations, logic of sampling, various methods of collecting data for social research (e.g. experimental design, participant observation, survey research/questionnaire construction, and content analysis), and writing research proposals. (3 hours)
7322: Seminar in Quantitative Data Analysis. Preparation, analysis, and interpretation of existing quantitative data; data processing, multivariate analysis, interpretation, and writing results for research projects. PREREQUISITE: SOCI 6312, equivalent, or permission of instructor. (3 hours)
7325/8325: Seminar in Qualitative Research Methods. Examination of qualitative social science research methods, particularly rationale behind these methods, how and when they are employed, and processes of analyzing field observations, oral histories, and in-depth interviews. (3 hours)
7410/8410: Sociology of Gender. Social definitions of gender and impact of these definitions on women's and men's lives; women's and men's responses to these conditions. (3 hours)
7411/8411: Social Stratification. Theoretical analysis of how social class status and power shape social relations, determine life chances, and affect attitudes, opinions, and political choices of individuals and groups; processes that perpetuate systems of class, gender, and race inequality, and degree of social mobility in societies. (3 hours)
7421: Racial and Social Inequality. A comparative study of racial, ethnic, and social minorities focusing on inequality as global and historical phenomena. Includes theoretical and empirical research on multiple interactions of race, class and gender. (3 hours)
7422/8422: Race, Class, and Gender. Concepts, theories, and contemporary empirical research regarding multiple intersections of race, class, and gender; implications for sociological theory and methodology. (3 hours)
7442/8442: Sociology of Poverty. Patterns of wealth and income inequality in contemporary society; consequences of poverty for society and individuals in various institutional contexts. critical evaluation of traditional theories of poverty and contemporary alternatives. (3 hours)
7450: Seminar in Aging. Aging as sociological phenomenon through understanding and applying principles of gerontological analysis to contemporary topics in aging, including acquaintance with and use of computer accessible literature data base. (3 hours)
7511/8511: Theories of Deviance. A seminar in the sociological approaches to the study of deviance and social disorganization with an emphasis on current sociological theory and research.
7631: Urban Theory Seminar. Competing theories and accompanying research findings on current issues in macro and micro urban theory; rise and fall of cities; effects of urbanism and urban form on individual and group behavior; how urban social groups (e.g., social classes, race/ethnic groups) manage their lives and their relations with others, and how these groups mobilize in efforts to change or resist change. (3 hours)
7655/8655: Sociological Foundations of Community Studies. Ecological, interaction, and social system perspectives for community analysis; contemporary applications of theories within context of American society; implications of current changes for community life and social stratification, leadership and power structure, social differentiation and integration, community development, and ideology. (3 hours)
7711/8711: Seminar in Globalization and Social Change. Sociological and historical perspectives on social, political, and economic differences among countries and regions of the world; global/ transnational processes in uneven development; state formation; class transformation; democracy. (3 hours)
7721/8721: Seminar in Social Movements. Origins, organization, and consequences of intentional, collective efforts at social change; social movement theory; in-depth examination of selected movements, both domestic and international. (3 hours)
7751/8751: Seminar in Sociological Social Psychology. Advanced course in social psychology, incorporating basics and emphasizing sociological approaches; symbolic interaction, non-laboratory methods, attitude measurement, socialization, self-concept, gender, attraction, personal relationships, small groups, power, and situationalism. (3 hours)
7811/8811: Sociology of Organizations. Competing theories of formal organizations and accompanying research findings on current issues of bureaucratization and centralization of modern social systems; close examination of power and functions of various large scale organizations, including economic, political, and educational institutions. (3 hours)
7820: Seminar in Sociology of Education. Schools and school life from sociological perspective; how societal objectives are translated into school policies and practices. (3 hours)
7830/8830: Seminar in the Family. An advanced course that is primarily concerned with research findings in the area of family disorganization, changes in family structure and function, parent-child interaction, working mothers, and problems of aging. (3 hours)
7851/8851: Medical Sociology. Social meaning of disease, with special emphasis on the cultural, organizational, and behavioral contexts of the occurrence and management of disease. (3 hours)
7852/8852: Sociology of Mental Illness. Social meaning of mental illness, with special emphasis on the cultural, organizational, and behavioral contexts of the occurrence and management of mental illness. (3 hours)
7853: Gender and Health. Advanced course on sociological understandings of gender, health, and illness in the US; topics include health status, health behaviors, reproductive health, health professions, care-giving, aging and mortality with special attention to women and men of different class, racial, and ethnic groups. (3 hours)
7860/8860: Seminar in the Sociology of Religion. A sociological examinations of religious institutions; cultural and social factors associated with religious structure, religious values, and religious behavior ; secularization of culture and change of social structure; analysis of religious organizations, religious leadership, and religious movements. (3 hours)
7901/7909–8901/8909. Special Topics in Sociology. (1–3 hours)
7912/8912: Directed Individual Study. Individually directed advanced reading and/or research in special areas of interest. NOTE: Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours credit. PREREQUISITE: Permission of Director of Graduate Studies. (1–4 hours)
7914: Workshop in Professional Development for Graduate Assistants. Presentations of research methods and scholarly output by faculty, graduate students, and visiting scholars. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credit hours. PREREQUISITE: Limited to sociology majors; permission of graduate coordinator. (1–3 hours)
7920: Teaching Sociology at the College Level. Higher educational pedagogy training in sociology instruction. In-depth background in both sociological context and pedagogical practice for college-level instruction. Current best practices are featured. Topics include: inclusivity, increasing student participation, leading effective discussions, giving effective lectures, multi-modal teaching styles, designing assessments, utilizing media and internet learning-support, and increasing civic engagement. (3 hours)
7996: Thesis. Supervised research in preparation for advanced degree thesis. PREREQUISITE: The formal filing of a research proposal and outline of procedures acceptable to the student's graduate committee. (1–6 hours)