Sociology Courses
Undergraduate
SOC 201: The Sociological Imagination
The social world is often taken for granted or reduced to explanations that stem from conventional wisdom and personal experience. This course is designed to encourage students to develop social scientific frameworks for analyzing the social world in a context that transcends conventional wisdom and personal experience. The major question is "What are the social forces, operating in society and often beyond the control of individuals, that shape individual behaviors and societal changes?" Topics include culture, socialization, social and economic inequalities, social structure, organizational behavior, social groups, deviance, and social institutions (family, religion, education, and political economy). View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 220: Marriages and Families
This course is designed to provide the student with the sociological foundations regarding marriage and family. We'll begin with a discussion regarding the family, family structure and myths about marriage and family. Other topics include gender roles, love, sexuality and dating/mate selection and divorce. The student will demonstrate their knowledge of these subjects through their short and final essays, and two proctored exams. Prerequisite: SOC 201: The Sociological Imagination. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 245: Criminology
Criminology is an introductory course to the study of crime and criminal behavior with special emphasis on theories of crime and delinquency causation, rates and extent of crime, and social control agents (i.e., the police, courts, and "corrections"). Special topics examined may include gangs, white-collar crimes, property crimes, victimless crimes, and organized crime. Prerequisite: SOC 201: The Sociological Imagination. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 251: Social Problems
This is designed to provide the student with a survey of selected contemporary social problems. Social problems addressed in the class may include poverty, addiction and substance abuse, mental health, violence with a focus on family violence, crime, teen sexuality and pregnancy, and health care issues. The causes, severity, and consequences of the selected social problems are explored. In addition, social welfare strategies for alleviating social problems are presented. Prerequisite: SOC 201: The Sociological Imagination. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 259: The Formation and Strengthening of the Self-Concept
This course deals with three issues related to self-concept: how the self-concept is formed, with special emphasis on weak versus strong; the implications of weak and strong self-concepts for life adjustments and interpersonal relationships; ideas that may be helpful in strengthening weak self-concepts. The technique utilized to help the student understand these concepts is presentation of material followed by questions designed to bring out aspects of the student's life that pertain to his or her self-concept 5 lessons, 1 exam.
Print-based (open enrollment) 2 semester hours, tuition $250
SOC 279: Special Topics: Service Learning in Sociology
Students volunteer to provide community service in a human services or criminal justice agency setting. Students volunteer time and effort in exchange for practical experience. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 289: Improving Communication within the Family
This is an applied course whose participants implement an effective and non-threatening program designed to increase meaningful communication within their own families or others of their choosing. The program consists of guidelines to good family communication, directions on how to implement them, and many activities to illustrate each guideline and stimulate family communication. Individuals and families who experience this course will develop a better understanding of family communications and a greater appreciation of the improved closeness and mutual support that good on brings. 7 lessons, 1 exam.
Print-based (open enrollment) 2 semester hours, tuition $250
SOC 311: Social Statistics
This course presents a general overview of the statistical methods most commonly used in sociology and the social sciences. As a laboratory component, students will become proficient in SPSS, a computer program designed to aid statistical analysis. These skills will enable the student to: read popular applications of statistics in the media with a critical eye; assess the use of statistics in the professional sociological literature; and use statistical tools to answer the sociological questions of interest. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 4 semester hours, tuition $500
SOC 315: Sociology of Education
This course explores the relationship between education and society, with special emphasis on the effects of this relationship on the lives of students in the American education system. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 318: Race, Class & Gender
The focus of this course is on the interrelated, ascribed statuses of race, social class, gender, and sexual orientation in American society, how they are perceived and reinforced, the social tensions that result, and the dynamics of change. View syllabus, PDF.
PPrint-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 346: Criminal Justice
The focus of this course is on the organizational structures and social processes of the American criminal justice system. It will examine, in particular, the law enforcement and judicial systems. This class will address the criminal justice system that has evolved and been put in place to address the complex and multifaceted problems of crime. In this course, we will examine agencies of justice and the procedures they use to identify and treat criminal offenders. We will examine the police, courts, and corrections as the primary components of the criminal justice system, discussing where the system works and where it does not. We will also discuss the constitution and the law and how it pertains to the operation of the criminal justice system. Finally, we will discuss the juvenile justice system and its relationship to the adult justice system. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 347: Juvenile Delinquency
This course considers the nature of delinquency, including an analysis of treatment methods and the juvenile justice system. It provides an analytical study of the statistics, trends, characteristics, and causes of juvenile delinquency. The theories of delinquency, social influences on delinquency, the history of the juvenile justice system, the juvenile justice process, and prevention models currently used in the United States will be examined. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 352: Human Behavior and the Social Environment
This course explores the human services needs of selected special populations in the community. At-risk populations under investigation include the unemployed, frail elderly, homeless, mentally ill, single parent and multi-problem families, and ethnic minorities. Emphasis is placed upon specific social work techniques and practice skills, such as the ecological approach, case management, interviewing and assessment, and community organizing. 2 papers, 2 exams. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 370: Poverty and Social Inequlity
This course examines the historical and socio-cultural factors which influence the creation and maintenance of poverty and social inequality. Emphasis will be on structural influences on, and theoretical explanations of, poverty and social inequality. This course will also focus on the implications for policy and social programs aimed at poverty and other social class issues. In addition, there will be exploration of systems of power, privilege, and domination that are central to the American social structure. Finally, the issues of empowerment, resistance, and solutions to poverty and social inequality will be assessed. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 375: School Violence
This course investigates the problem of school violence within the context of "the culture of violence," a term used by international social scientists for the past four decades to describe the United States. Because violence and school violence are situated in the framework of larger historical, political, economic, cultural and social influences, the discipline of sociology is well suited to investigate the problem while, at the same time, acknowledging the development of the self within this framework. This course will broaden the student's understanding of violence by learning to recognize and take into account these larger influences from a sociological perspective. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 379: Criminal Law
The course beings with an overview of the concept of punishment and goes on to study the burden of proof and criminal defenses; it also provides a critical look at the most common crimes. Students will learn common terminology in criminal law and how to consider a crime thoroughly in terms of its elements. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $525
SOC 379: Victim Advocacy
Participants will be prepared to work in victim advocacy arenas, domestic violence shelters, crisis centers, crisis hotlines, and with state and county governments to assist crime victims in progressing through the criminal justice system and toward successful recovery. Course topics include legal terminology, legal process, legislation regarding victims' rights, jurisdiction and venue, ethics, effects of victimization on the victim, victim advocacy skills, and guardianships. It also covers crisis intervention counseling skills for victims of assault, battery, robbery, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, murder, and homicide. Prerequisite: SOC 201 Minimum Grade: C. Two proctored exams. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $525
SOC 382: Victimology
This course is an in-depth study of the many facets of crime victimization including the crime victim, the offender, society-at-large, and the dynamics of the victim-offender relationship. Additionally, the social, economic, and demographic variables associated with crime victims as well as victimization rates will be addressed. Finally, crime victim assistance programs, victim compensation, and victim participation in the criminal justice process will be discussed. Prerequisite: SOC 201 The Sociological Imagination. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 395: Pre-professional Seminar
This course provides an introduction to the profession of sociology and the various career options available to graduates. Occupational and graduate school options are explored in detail through library research, presentations, obversational experiences, and informational interviews. Skills for job interviewing, resume development, and professional correspondence are explored. Prerequisite: SOC 201: The Sociological Imagination. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 2 semester hours, tuition $250
SOC 401: Social Psychology
This course will look at Social Psychology from a sociological perspective. It will consider (1) social experience gained from the individuals' participation in social groups, (2) interaction with others, (3) the effects of the cultural environment on both social experience and interactions with others, and (4) the emergence of social structure from these interactions. Social psychology deals with the interface between society and individuals. It explores the influence of social forces on individual behavior, repeated patterns of everyday behavior, and keys to understanding everyday actions in many areas of human conduct. No other course in sociology deals so directly with understanding the ways in which people function on a daily basis. Prerequisite SOC 201 The Sociological Imagination with a grade of C or above. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 419: Gender and Society
The aim of the course is for students to become familiar with the continuing differences and inequalities between women and men in the contemporary United States, and to begin to explain why and how they occur. Understanding gender as it relates to race, class, and sexual orientation is an important organizing framework of the course. The gendered arrangements in a variety of social contexts such as the schools, the media, the family, the economy, religion and health will be studied. Prerequisite: SOC 201: The Sociological Imagination. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 444: Deviance and Control
The sociology of deviance and control examines the nature of rule making and rule breaking in modern societies. The course includes theoretical considerations of the causes and consequences of deviance. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 445: Sociological Theory
This course is covers the major theories of society in their classical and contemporary forms. This course is a requirement for the sociology major and an option for the sociology minor. It is a useful elective for any major. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 447: Correctional Systems
This course will focus on corrections as one of the components of the American criminal justice system and its operation. The philosophical and historical underpinnings of punishment and corrections will be analyzed and compared (e.g., punishment vs. rehabilitation.) Prerequisites: Sociology 201, Introduction to Sociology; Sociology 346, Criminal Justice. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 455: Sociological Research Methods
Many sociology students across the U.S. look upon the Methods course with disdain, dread, fear, and/or loathing. You needn't! This is a step-by-step course in which you learn about research methods by actually doing a research proposal. First, students will be instructed in the fundamentals of research design and implementation, including ethical considerations. Students will read and study the research proposals of selected sociologists. Then students will engage in hands-on proposals to practice research methods. Finally, students will design a research proposal. Components of the proposal include: a) the Worksheet: Designing a Research Question, b) Introduction and Bibliography, c) Literature Review, d) Methods, and e) Findings and Conclusion. During the computer lab segment of the course, students will learn and practice analyzing data from the General Social Survey (GSS) and from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) 2000 data using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). By the end of the class, you will have a clearer understanding of the complexities and joys of doing sociological research. Prerequisites: SOC 311 Social Statistics with a minimum grade of C AND Junior status. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 4 semester hours, tuition $500
SOC 470: Social Welfare Policy
Prerequisite: Human Behavior and the Social Environment. Analyzes the historical development, current content, and adequacy of social welfare policies in the United States. Special emphasis is placed on policy areas such as antipoverty, income security and redistribution, mental health, and aging. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 479: Drug Abuse and Society
This course focuses on the context and correlation of drug use, relationship with crime and delinquency, and societal reaction to drug abuse. Also discussed is the study of sociological and social psychological explanations of drug-using behaviors and of legal and medical control of drugs. Finally, topics include changes in the legal status of drugs, cross-cultural and historical variations in the control of drugs, and social epidemiology of drug use in contemporary society will be examined. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 479: Family Violence
This course examines violence in the family from sociological and criminological perspectives. It includes the types and causes of violence in families and domestic units, especially those directed against women and children (woman battering, courtship and dating conflict, and child abuse). Throughout the various types of family violence, intervention and prevention measures are examined as well as the social and legal implications of these measures. Prerequisite: SOC 201 The Sociological Imagination. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 493: Internship in Social Welfare
Students are placed in a supervised internship with a human services agency in the community. Students volunteer time and effort in exchange for practical experience. Service areas suitable for internship placements include social services for families and children, community mental health, domestic violence treatment and prevention, emergency services for the homeless, social services for the elderly in institutional settings, and hospice services, to mention only a few possibilities. Prerequisites: Completion of Sociology 352and Sociology 470 or completion of Sociology 352 and concurrent registration in Sociology 470. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
SOC 494: Internship in Criminology
Students are placed in a supervised internship with a criminal justice or law enforcement agency in the community. Students volunteer time and effort in exchange for practical experience. Service areas suitable for internship placements include city and county law enforcement, state highway patrol, residential facilities for juveniles, juvenile diversion, and adult probation, to mention only a few possibilities. Prerequisites: Completion of Sociology 346 and Sociology 447 or completion of Sociology 346 and concurrent registration in Sociology 447. View syllabus, PDF.
Print-based (open enrollment) 3 semester hours, tuition $375
