SOCI 1000 Principles and Concepts of Sociology — 4 credits

Power. Protest. Inequality. Identity. Love. Family. Work. Education. Race. Class, Gender. More. This course offers an introduction to the key concepts and methods used by sociologists to understand societies, groups, relationships, and the connection between individuals and society. This course surveys the major topic areas of sociology, including culture, inequality, social institutions, social interaction, and social change, with application to current events and everyday life. Offered every semester. Offered in the College for Women and the College for Adults.

SOCI 2150 Challenging Oppressions, Civic Engagement and Change — 4 credits

This course provides an in-depth overview of the dynamics of inequality, intersecting oppressions, models of civic engagement and systemic social change. Classism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism and speciesism are examined as systems of power and privilege that are socially constructed and subject to social change. This course bridges classroom and community, theory and practice, through readings, discussions, guest speakers, visits to community partner agencies, and a community service and learning component. Offered annually. Offered in the College for Women. Also offered as CRST 2150 and WOST 2150.

SOCI 2200 People, Stories and Images: Qualitative Social Research — 4 credits

This hands-on seminar/practicum aims to familiarize students with principles of qualitative research and introduce them to various qualitative research methods used to examine social issues. Students will gain practical skills in designing and conducting qualitative research; they will also develop critical thinking skills in recognizing and negotiating the power dynamics and ethical dilemmas inherent in the research process. These skills are applicable in multiple disciplines and transferrable for lifelong learning and careers in a variety of settings, be it for government organizations or non-profits, dealing with domestic or international issues. Qualitative research skills also help us become a more reflective and engaging person! Also offered as CRST 2200 and WOST 2200.

SOCI 2300 Sociology of Health and Medicine — 4 credits

This course examines the social and cultural aspects of disease and the institutions devised to cope with it. Moving beyond the "medical model" of disease, the course explores illness as a social phenomenon caused by social factors and defined in cultural terms. It also examines the organization of healthcare in the United States, including the rise of the professions, the financing of care and prospects for change. Offered alternate years. Also offered as CRST 2301.

SOCI 2350 Asian American Identities — 4 credits

The Asian American Identities course will engage students in a critical analysis of the multiple, fluid and intersecting identities of members of the Asian diaspora. Beginning with Asian immigration to the United States in the 1800s through the existence of multi-generational families in the present day, students will learn to interrogate how the perceived identities of Asian Americans has shaped these histories and experiences, and how agency in Asian American self-identification has served to empower them, challenge assumptions and create new realities. Offered in the College for Women. Also offered as CRST 2350 and WOST 2350.

SOCI 2500 Rule-makers and Rule-breakers: Deviance and Social Control — 4 credits

How does society create insiders and "deviant" outsiders? How are legal and medical labels created and applied? What role does race, class, gender, sexual orientation, age and ability play in the construction of deviance and the application of social control? Who is criminalized? Who is medicalized? How do these labels effect social opportunity and identity? The course includes study of the various types of deviance and social control, including formal/legal, medical/psychiatric labeling, and informal stigma with special attention to mass incarceration, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the medicalization of deviance. Offered in alternate years. Offered in the College for Women. Also offered as CRST 2500 and WOST 2500.

SOCI 2684 Directed Study — 4 credits

Directed study is provided for students whose unusual circumstances prohibit taking a regularly scheduled course but who need the material of that course to satisfy a requirement. Availability of this faculty-directed learning experience depends on faculty time and may be limited in any given term and restricted to certain courses.
Prerequisites: Faculty, department chair and dean approval.

SOCI 2700 Social Movements-Social Change — 4 credits

This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of collective behavior and social movements. A variety of social movements and counter movements are considered. The course emphasizes collective responses to inequality and the role of race/ethnicity, class, gender and other differences in movements for social change. Offered in the College for Women. Also offered as CRST 2700 and WOST 2700.

SOCI 2994 Topics — 4 credits

The subject matter of the course is announced in the annual schedule of classes. Content varies from year to year but does not duplicate existing courses. Offered in the College for Women.

SOCI 3160 Migration, Citizenship, Community — 4 credits

This course will help students cultivate sociological imagination around issues related to migration and immigration. Through reading theories and narratives of migration against each other, a successful student, at the end of the semester, should achieve a deeper understanding of the following questions: Why does mass migration happen? What are the social and political consequences of migration? What happens to people's cultures, identities, and sense of belonging when they cross national borders? What does the immigration debate reveal about the social fabric of the United States? Sociological understanding of these questions will help students make ethical decisions and assume leadership in their civic and political lives. Offered in the College for Women.
Recommended: SOCI 1000. Also offered as CRST 3162.

SOCI 3210 Family, Identity and Inequality — 4 credits

Family is an important social institution in which identities are formed and inequalities are reproduced. Highlights of this course include perspectives of families in poverty, LGBT families, transracial and transnational families. Students conduct research about family, identity, and inequality (race, class and gender) and consider strategies for social change and individual action. Offered alternate years. Also offered as CRST 3210 and WOST 3210.

SOCI 3250 Cultural Anthropology — 4 credits

This is a survey of the evolution, integration and importance of culture. Students will develop an awareness of and appreciation for the variety of human cultural and subcultural adaptations, focusing on such institutions as economics, family, politics and religion. Ethnographic methods are also covered, as students learn to recognize and interpret cultural meaning. Offered in the College for Women. Also offered as CRST 3251 and WOST 3250. Offered annually.

SOCI 3340 Criminal Justice: From Policing to Punishment — 4 credits

The United States has more people in prison per capita than anywhere where in the world, with 2.3 million people in prison and jail and another 5 million on probation or parole. . How does this happen? What is “the prison industrial complex”? What social factors shape our approach to policing and punishment? Who is criminalizied and how? What role do race, class, and gender play in policing and punishment? This course analyzes the basic concepts and dynamics of the, including study of the personnel involved and experiences encountered in the system. This course offers students an in-depth look at the U.S. criminal justice system, and currently debated topics including police use of force and civilian killings, racial profiling, prosecutorial discretion, mass incarceration, use of solitary confinement, and the death penalty Alternative approaches and social movements related to criminal justice reform for both juveniles and adults will also be explored. Also offered as CRST 3340 and WOST 3340. Offered in alternate years. Offered in the College for Women.

SOCI 3450 Women's Issues from Global Perspectives — 4 credits

This course examines the construction of gender, gender inequality, women’s movement, and cultural representation of gender from a transnational perspective. This perspective emphasizes the connections between histories and conditions of different societies, particularly the power relations between the global North and the global South. Offered alternate years. Offered in the College for Women. Also offered as CRST 3450 and WOST 3450.

SOCI 3510 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity — 4 credits

This course examines structured inequality related to race and ethnicity. The course focuses on current research and theory pertinent to the social construction of race and ethnicity, intergroup relationships, power, stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination, systemic racism, and the ways that race intersects with class, gender and other differences. Includes historical and contemporary experiences of racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. Offered alternate years. Also offered as CRST 3510 and WOST 3510.

SOCI 3650 Experimental Social Psychology with Lab — 4 credits

Survey of current theory and research. Topics include effects of mass communication and group membership upon the attitudes and behavior of the individual, experimental methodology, attitude formation and change, interpersonal attraction, altruism, aggression, prejudice and group dynamics. Students will participate in weekly laboratory sessions and design and execute social psychological research projects. Offered annually. Also offered as PSYC 3650.
Prerequisites: PSYC 1001, PSYC 1090, PSYC 2060.

SOCI 3700W Sociology in Action: Understanding Social Worlds — 4 credits

Sociological imagination allows us to navigate an increasingly complex world. How can theoretical frameworks guide us in understanding our rapidly changing social world? How do we measure key sociological variables? How can we apply both theory and data to everyday life? This course explores the major theoretical perspectives of sociology (functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, feminist sociology, and critical race theory), sociological research methods (quantitative and qualitative), and their application to contemporary issues. Offered every other year. Offered in the College for Women. Also offered as CRST 3700W and WOST 3700W.

SOCI 3860 Neighborhoods, Cities and Inequality — 4 credits

Analysis of the emergence of cities, urban social systems, urbanization and urbanism with special attention to international urban patterns. Topics include patterns of suburbanization, city lifestyles and social environment of the cities, ethnic diversity, urban planning, housing programs and urban change, urban future. Includes a service-learning component. Also offered as CRST 3860. Offered in alternate years. Offered in the College for Women.

SOCI 4604 Internship — 4 credits

This is a structured out-of-class learning experience that takes place on or off campus and includes a substantial work component. An internship involves students in a particular profession in an exploratory way to test career interests and potential. To initiate an internship experience, meet with the internship coordinator in the Career Development Office.
Prerequisites: Faculty sponsorship and approval by the department chair.

SOCI 4684 Directed Study — 4 credits

Directed study is provided for students whose unusual circumstances prohibit taking a regularly scheduled course but who need the material of that course to satisfy a requirement. Availability of this faculty-directed learning experience depends on faculty time and may be limited in any given term and restricted to certain courses.
Prerequisites: Faculty, department chair and dean approval.

SOCI 4952 Independent Study — 2 credits

Independent study offers students the opportunity for specialized research not covered in a course offering, by the action project or thesis. Students work with a faculty advisor to develop a learning contract, which specifies the content and objectives of the study as well as the requirements and procedures for evaluation. The amount of credit earned for the study also is included in the learning contract.
Prerequisites: Permission of the faculty and department chair or program director.

SOCI 4953 Independent Study — 3 credits

SOCI 4954 Independent Study — 4 credits

Independent study offers students the opportunity for specialized research not covered in a course offering, by the action project or thesis. Students work with a faculty advisor to develop a learning contract, which specifies the content and objectives of the study as well as the requirements and procedures for evaluation. The amount of credit earned for the study also is included in the learning contract.
Prerequisites: Permission of the faculty and department chair or program director.

SOCI 4994 Topics — 4 credits

The subject matter of the course is announced in the annual schedule of classes. Content varies from year to year but does not duplicate existing courses.