The following is a list of courses, some of which may not be offered every year.
SOCIOL 598 Field Experience Project. The 1-credit Field Observation course includes site visits and observational time spent in the field at state or social service agencies. This course is open only to certifcate-only students in the Graduate Certificate Program in Forensic Services. 1 Credit
SOCIOL 600 Foundations of Applied Sociology. This course is required for all formally accepted first year students. The purpose of the course is a) to engage students in the field and substance of applied sociology, in order to strengthen their understanding of how the theories, concepts and research methods of sociology are central to social problem-solving, policymaking and to the skills required in a variety of occupation settings, b) to involve students at the beginning of their graduate education in designing their studies to meet their educational, career and personal objectives. Prerequisite: Enrollment in the MA Program in Applied Sociology. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 601 Complex Organizations. The course acquaints students with studies of complex organizations that throw light on decision-making and conflict in the setting of formal organizations. Students will study how policies emerge and how they are translated into action. They study research illuminating the nature and functions of rules, the initiation and consequences of political processes, the role and problems of street-level bureaucrats, and the impact of social, political and economic conditions on organizational behavior. Theories and concepts are applied to human service organizations and their distinctive features are discussed. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 605 Applied Sociological Theory. This course examines the nature and aims of applied and basic sociological theory. Of special interest is the bearing of pure or basic sociological theory on applied research and problem solving, the differences between pure and applied sociological theory, and the relevance of applied theory for basic sociological theory. Other topics include the theoretical implications of moral and ethical concerns and restrictions in applied social research and employment; and the nature of the values and assumptions involved in efforts to devise and implement policy intended to treat social problems. 3 Credits
SOCIOL L609 Qualitative Methods and Field Research. This cross-listed course (with the PhD programs in Public Policy and Gerontology) is designed to introduce students to qualitative research methods. Students practice the skills needed to observe the world around us, by attending to social phenomena, descriptively and analytically. The course functions as both a seminar and a research workshop, in which students learn by doing. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 610 Teaching Sociology: Theory and Practice. This seminar is designed for graduate students who are interested in teaching careers at the college and university level and/or in the scholarship about teaching and learning. Teaching assistants who are involved in classroom practice are also welcome. The course will address both the theory and practice of teaching with a focus on the kinds of backgrounds, experiences, and learning styles that UMass Boston students bring to the classroom.
SOCIOL 618 Psychiatric Epidemiology and Forensic Services. This course will begin by orienting students to issues in the methods and findings of major psychiatric epidemiology studies, and then focus on these issues as they apply to a variety of criminal justice issues and settings. Understanding the epidemiology of mental illness in the general population is critical in considering the problem of mental disorders in the criminal justice system and for developing services to respond to those problems. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 620 Social Problems. An analysis of theories to explain the historical development of social problems. Theories include Marxian and non-Marxian analyses, micro- and macro-theoretical approaches such as functionalism, conflict, interactionism and deviance perspectives. Special attention is given to the application of theories for the understanding of such contemporary social problems as unemployment and poverty, problems of urban communities, inter-group conflict/relations, individual deviance and others. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 621 Social Psychiatry. Sociological analysis of psychiatric theories and practices; examination of the effect of social structure on the construction, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 622 Comparative Approaches to Deviance and Social Control. This course considers the relation between deviance and societal development, concentrating on the effects of modernization, urbanization, and industrialization on definitions of deviance and on the incidence and control of various kinds of deviant behavior. Methodological problems of cross-cultural comparison are addressed, and comparative material on violent crime, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, alcoholism and other types of deviance is drawn from Western Europe, the Soviet Union, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 623 Alcohol, Drugs and Crime. This course focuses on the multifaceted associations among alcohol, drug use, and crime in America. It distinguishes legal and policy issues from competing paradigms and contrasts criminal justice and public health models. State-of-the-art etiology, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment studies correlating criminality and substance misuse are assessed and evaluated in historical and sociocultrual contexts. The course highlights social service systems in relation to current practices and institutionalized definitions of health and illness, crime and criminals. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 641 Social Policy I. An in-depth examination of major factors shaping social policy, including historical antecedents; public and private sectors; the interaction of social policy, economy and politics; and how issues become defined as social problems. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 642 Social Policy II. Special emphasis on problems and issues in implementing social policy, its impact on both recipients and non-recipients of services, and principles of social policy analysis and research. Special attention is given to selected problem areas, such as income-maintenance programs, manpower policy, race and ethnic relations, crime and delinquency, and health-care programs. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 650 Methods of Research I. Focuses on methods of collecting information about social beliefs and social process, including the operation of social service and other programs. The course requires students to conduct exercises that will give them first-hand experiences in various approaches to data-collection and management. Emphasis is given to techniques of survey, field, and experimental research. (Course offered in the fall only.) 3 Credits
SOCIOL 651 Methods of Research II. A continuation of SOCIOL 650, focusing on the interpretation, analysis, and presentation of quantitative data. Course exercises use descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation and regression analysis, as well as related inferential statistics, to analyze social data. Procedures for computer based statistical analyses are introduced and used throughout the course. No prior experience with computers or knowledge of statistical formulae are required. (Course offered in the spring only.) Prerequisite: SOCIOL 650 or permission of instructor. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 655 Evaluation Research. An advanced course in the theory and practice of evaluation of public policy and social service programs for social science students and practitioners. Basic knowledge of research methods is assumed, but relevant issues in research design and implementation are reviewed. General overview of evaluation theory and landmark evaluation studies. Analysis of commonly used evaluation models and of practical and political issues involved in design and implementation of evaluations. Design of an evaluation of a social agency program is required. Prerequisites: SOCIOL 650 or permission of instructor. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 658 The Theory and Practice of Interviewing. Theory and practice of interviewing for research, field work, and social services. Focus includes sociological perspectives on face-to-face interaction, role of the interviewer, basic interviewing skills. Practice interviewing required. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 681 Health Care Policy. This course focuses on recent changes in health care policy and in the organization of medicine with special attention to the impact of these changes on the delivery, distribution, and quality of health services. Additional emphasis is given to the history of medicine; the political economy of health care; inequality in utilization of and access to health services; rising costs and cost containment programs; attempts at regulation; and government health programs and private health service organizations. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 682 Social Psychological Context of Health Care. This course highlights the role of the social sciences in dealing with problems of health care practice, focusing on research contributions to health maintenance, prevention, treatment, and quality of care. Topics include the nature and goals of client-practitioner relationships, health education, behavioral and psychosomatic medicine, and the linkages between social problems and medical problems. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 683 Socio-Medical Aspects of Aging. This course focuses on several issues: the epidemiology of health problems associated with aging; social support systems for the elderly; stress and health; medical and psychiatric treatment of the aged; comparative analysis of health care settings; characteristics of the dying process; cross-societal comparison of the medical problems and the medical care of the elderly. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 690 Classic and Contemporary Views of the Nature of Crime. This course examines the social nature of crime. It explores a variety of theoretical perspectives, including anomie/strain theory, social disorganization theory, social control theory, social learning theories, opportunity theory, deterrence theory, and conflict theory. The various theories are examined through an extensive review of recent empirical studies. Special attention is given to methodological problems in specifying theories for empirical study. Discussion topics also include the adaptability of these theories to social policy and their varying political and social acceptability during particular historical periods. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 691 Contemporary Issues in Responding to Crime. This course focuses on responses to crime. As individual citizens and as a community, we respond to crime in a variety of ways. The issues covered in this course may therefore include anything from informal responses to crime--such as fear of crime, the reporting of crime to the police, and the organizing of neighborhood watch groups and crime stopper programs--to formal responses, which include police decisions to arrest or handle informally, bail decisions, issues of sentencing, the use of imprisonment, community corrections, parole and probation, and the death penalty. The course emphasizes the social nature of responses to crime, and generally focuses on one or a few of these topics each semester. 3 Credits
SOCIOL 695 Master's Research Seminar. This course will guide students in their design and completion of the Masters paper in the Graduate Program in Applied Sociology. The course operates as an intellectual workshop in which students share the process as well as the results of their research with the group throughout the semester. Special attention is paid to research questions, social theory, research methods, literature reviews and presentation of findings. 6 Credits
SOCIOL 696 Independent Study. In-depth study of a particular topic according to the student's interests. Independent study projects are expected to make an important contribution to a student's training in applied sociology. All projects are under the supervision of a faculty advisor, who is responsible for guiding and evaluating the student's work. An application and detailed proposal must be submitted to the graduate program director not later than two weeks before the end of the semester previous to that in which SOCIOL 696 is to be taken. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission of the graduate committee. Hrs by arrangement, 3-4 Credits
SOCIOL 697 Special Topics in Applied Sociology. An advanced seminar on selected topics in applied sociology. The course content and credit varies according to topic. Details on special topics courses will be announced during the advance registration period. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. 3 Lect Hrs, 3-6 Credits
SOCIOL 698 Field Work. Intensive field work and/or internship in a public or private research or practice setting jointly supervised by faculty and agency-based staff. Placements made according to student interest and internship availability. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Hrs by arrangement, 3-6 Credits
SOCIOL 699 Thesis Research in Applied Sociology. Supervised thesis research open to students who elect the thesis option. The research is conducted under the supervision of a faculty committee consisting of a primary faculty advisor and two additional faculty members, who are responsible for advising the student in preparing and carrying out the thesis project and for evaluating and judging its acceptability. Prerequisite: Permission of the graduate program director and committee. 9 Credits
CSR 501/502 Survey Research Methods I and II. This one- or two-semester course gives students a thorough understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of all phases of survey research, including question design and evaluation, sampling, computer-assisted interviewing, analyzing and presenting survey findings. A Boston metropolitan area survey may be conducted. It is offered when funding permits by sociologists at the University’s highly regarded Center for Survey Research. 3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits for each semester.