Department of Sociology — Courses
Cross-listed Courses
Courses preceded by an “L” are cross-listed with another department or program, as indicated by the parentheses in the course title: for example, “SOCIOL L368 (CRMJUS L368),” which is cross-listed with the Criminal Justice Major.
Courses
SOCIOL G110
Insiders/Outsiders
SOCIOL G211
Race and Power in the United States
For a complete description of these and other courses with a G prefix, see the “First-Year and Intermediate Seminars” section of this publication.
SOCIOL 101
Introduction to Sociology
The structure of society, cultural patterns, and group life. The individual and socialization, groups, institutions, social systems, and social change.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Distribution II Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 102
Further Topics in Introductory Sociology
A continuation of Introduction to Sociology for second semester freshmen in the SUSS Program, focusing on the social processes of deviance, change and conflict.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101 and participation in SUSS Program.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 103
American Society: Socioeconomic Aspects
An examination of the development and the dynamics of the social structure and political economy of contemporary US society. Topics include the shape and historical development of the economic structure; trends and consequences of monopolization; ownership and control of the major corporations; multinationals and the consequences of foreign expansion; postwar foreign policy; theories of social class; trends within the occupational structure; poverty.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 139
The Social Legacy of the Vietnam War
The course examines the manifold social legacy of the Vietnam War. It includes a brief history of the Vietnamese nation, the process of American intervention, the development of the antiwar movement at home, US policy and public attitudes.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 160
Social Problems
A course concentrating on institutional formation and change. Specifically, it covers the definition and explanation of social problems, individual, group and governmental responses to them, implications of social policy, in-depth case studies, and discussion of contemporary social problems.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Jacobs and Staff
SOCIOL 200
Human Service Organizations
Theory and practice of people—processing and people—changing, interpersonal behavior, and group development, through observation of the group itself, and through readings from psychology, anthropology and sociology.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 201
Youth and Society
An examination of theories and research on youth and society. Present day patterns of youthful development are contrasted to other types—both in Western history and in other cultures. The relationship of youth to major institutions (educational, legal, occupational) are examined in detail.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 220
A Survey of Asian Societies: China and Japan
This course is an introductory study of the institutions and structures of East Asian societies, especially China and Japan. It concentrates on selected traditional institutions such as the family, community, and social aspects of the economy, and their relations to modernization and industrialization. Comparisons are made between these East Asian societies and the United States.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Diversity Area: International.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL L223 (AMST or ASAMST L223)
Asians in the United States
This multidisciplinary course examines the social, historical, and structural contexts defining the Asian American experience from 1850 to the present. Topics include immigration, labor, community settlement, ethnicity, stereotypes, and race relations.
Distribution I Area: Historical and Cultural Studies.
Diversity Area: United States.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Kiang and Staff
SOCIOL L225 (AMST or ASAMST L225)
Southeast Asians in the United States
This course examines issues arising from the resettlement of one million Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugees in the US since 1975. Topics include resettlement policies, adjustment and acculturation, changing roles of women and family, and the continuing impact of international politics. Media presentations and lectures by local Southeast Asian community leaders highlight the course.
Distribution I Area: Historical and Cultural Studies.
Diversity Area: United States.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Kiang and Staff
SOCIOL L228 (AMST or ASAMST L228)
Asian Women in the United States
Drawing on women’s voices in literature, sociocultural research, and historical analysis, this course examines the experience of Asian women in the United States from 1850 to the present. Topics include the transformation of Asian women’s traditional roles as part of the acculturation process; exclusion; changing roles within the Asian American family; resistance to oppression as defined by race, gender, class; and the continuing impact of international politics.
Prerequisites: AMST L223 or AMST L225 or permission of instructor.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Diversity Area: United States.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 231
Social Class and Inequality
Social classes in traditional and industrial societies; classes, castes, and mobility. Theories of class relationships and conflicts.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Kronish
SOCIOL 232
The Sociology of Work
Deals with a variety of social issues associated with the division of labor: the structure of occupations and their impact upon workers, sources of satisfaction in work, experiments in redesigning work, and models of workers’ participation in the work place.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Schutt
SOCIOL 233
The Sociology of Unemployment
The focus of this course is on the social implications of unemployment. Job loss entails more than a loss in income, as self-definition and sense of belonging are often work-related. Also, unemployment has an impact upon social institutions themselves, particularly on the family, on community networks, and on the various agencies that the unemployed encounter. How both the unemployed and the social institutions they confront are affected, affect each other, and impinge on the rest of society are examined.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 242
The Family
A comparative and historical analysis of family systems. Emphasis on the development and the future prospects of the nuclear family in middle-class industrial society.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 261
Social Deviance and Control
This course examines the conditions and processes underlying social conformity and deviance. Discussion topics include social definitions of deviance, societal reactions to deviant behavior, deviant subcultures, and social control processes.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Benson, Mr Deng, Mr Kronish, and Staff
SOCIOL L262 (CRMJUS L262)
Criminology
A general survey and analysis of adult crime. Attention to historical development of criminological thought, societal reaction to crime, and behavioral systems. Emphasis on theories of criminality and issues in the administration of justice by police and courts.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Distribution II Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Butts, Ms Hartwell, Mr Willis
SOCIOL 281
Society and the Individual
Basic survey of the social environment of individuals and its impact on psychological processes.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution I Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Distribution II Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Herman, Mr Movahedi, Mr Youngreen, and Staff
SOCIOL 300
Communication and Opinion
Sociological and political perspectives on mass communications.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Movahedi
SOCIOL 302
The Life Cycle
This course focuses on youth, adulthood, and old age; it examines the way in which, during different stages in life, different kinds of relationships rise and fall in importance. It considers the meaning of work at different stages and, in general, how individuals and groups cope with change.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 304
Personality and Social Structure in Two Societies
This course is an introduction to sociological and social science perspectives through the comparative analysis of two contemporary societies. The course is taught in two parts, describing and comparing first the elements of social structure and second how social structure, culture and personality fit together.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Cordilia
SOCIOL 310
Socialization
Theories and research on socialization from a sociological-social psychological perspective. Emphasis on socialization during childhood, and on continuities and discontinuities between child and adult socialization.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101, SOCIOL 281, and junior or senior standing.
SOCIOL 311
Urban Sociology
The development of the city as a complex form of the human community. History and growth of urbanism in industrial societies and developing nations. Urban change and the problem of planning.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Jacobs and Staff
SOCIOL 316
Family Violence
This course seeks to help participants develop a critical understanding of force and violence within the family structure. Emphasis is on violence between spouses, and between children and parents; and on the prevalence, the character, and the causes of such violence. Topics also include society’s reaction to family violence, and its policies of control and treatment; and the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and women.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101 or permission of instructor.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL L321 (CRMJUS L321)
Racial and Ethnic Relations
An examination of racial and ethnic relations in contemporary society, including the history and sociology of the immigration experience, bilingual education, the nature and character of discrimination, neighborhood change, and racial and ethnic conflict.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution II Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Diversity Area: United States.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Butts, Mr Capetillo-Ponce, Mr Jacobs, Mr Kretsedemas
SOCIOL 322
Latino Boston: Immigrant Adaptation and Community Formation in an Urban Context
Concepts in the sociology of immigrant community formation are presented through the lens of the formation of Boston’s Latino community. Themes include the role of immigrant networks in early community formation; the processes of social and economic incorporation of immigrants; the role of geographic concentration of urban space; the role of community organizations; and racial/ethnic identity formation.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 211 or LATAM 301 or AMST 201.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Uriarte
SOCIOL 325
Religion and Social Change in Latin America
An examination of the sociological conditions under which religious belief has been serving as a catalyst for change-oriented movements in contemporary Latin America. Course topics, which range from the early roots of liberation theology in Brazil and Chile to the more recent participation of church people in struggles in Central America, integrate relevant social theory with recent research.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 331
The Sociology of Social Movements
Analysis of general characteristics of social movements as vehicles of social change, with a focus on selected historical social movements.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101 and junior or senior standing.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 335
Political Sociology
An interdisciplinary study with stress on the nature of power and its distribution in society. Alternative approaches to changing and transforming power structures.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101 and POLSCI 122.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 336
The Sociology of Education
The educational systems of various types of Western and non-Western societies and the changes in Western systems in modern history, with particular reference to the U.S. The structural features of types of American schools and colleges and the relevance of these features to the economy and to the ideologies of education.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 337
The Sociology and Psychology of Complex Organizations
Types of organizational structures both historically and in industrial societies. Profit-making and non-profit-making organizations such as schools, business and public bureaucracies, corporations, churches, hospitals, and prisons.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 340
Field Work Methods
Intensive training in observational methods and readings of theoretical issues involved.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101 and junior or senior standing.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Benson, Mr Butts, Ms Disch, Mr Jacobs
SOCIOL 341
Elements of Sociological Theory
Reading and discussion of basic sociological works in theory. Relevance of earlier and contemporary sociological interests and research.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101 and junior standing.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Capetillo- Ponce, Mr Jacobs, Mr Tamdgidi
SOCIOL 342
Aging and Society
An examination of theories and research on aging and society. The course is organized into two sections. The first explores the general relationship of the aging process and the aged to the social, economic, and political systems in a youth-oriented and work-oriented society. The second draws upon cross-national and cross-cultural material.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 344
The Sociology of Death and Dying
A cross-societal survey course focusing on human responses to death and dying. Topics include the sociological meaning and definition of death; social-psychological adaptation to impending death; grief, mourning and bereavement; funeral practices; euthanasia and the right to die; the hospice movement; widowhood, and life after life. The course also examines the interrelationship of medicine, the law, and the family with death and dying.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 342.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 346
The Self in Society: Studies of Autobiographies
This course uses sociological readings and a wide variety of autobiographical materials to help students make sociological sense of their own and others’ lives. The course addresses how the development of identity and the development of personal empowerment are affected by discrimination. Selected readings by Goffman, Gilligan, Erikson, Mills, and others aid in the interpretation of autobiographies. Written and oral reports are used to practice the skills of listening, describing, analyzing, and interpreting.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Diversity Area: United States.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Tamdgidi
SOCIOL 350
Elements of Social Statistics
Fundamentals of social statistics; special emphasis on probability, tests of significance, and measures of association.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution II Area: Mathematics.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Movahedi, Mr Schutt, Mr Youngreen, and Staff
SOCIOL L351 (CRMJUS L351)
Methods of Sociological Research
Design of sociological research and methods of inquiry. Organization and analysis of data, development of research projects.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution Area II: Mathematics
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Deng, Ms Gore, Mr Movahedi, Mr Schutt
SOCIOL L355 (WOST L355)
Gender, Development, and Globalization
This course examines the way social change and industrial development in contemporary developing societies is affecting women. Topics include the changing division of labor in rural areas, the employment of women in multinational corporations, women in the informal sector, women and population policies, changing family structures, poverty and female-headed families, and the impact of selected foreign and multilateral aid programs. The course also considers the nature of women’s organizing for economic, social, and political change.
Distribution II Area: World Cultures.
Diversity Area: International.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 360
Social Policy
This course selects several important areas and issues within which to examine the development of social policy. Social policy perspectives on crime, housing, health, unemployment, and race and ethnic issues are among those considered. Central to this examination is how social problems are defined, and the implications of those definitions for the direction of social policy.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 362
Juvenile Delinquency
The nature and extent of delinquency. Consideration of theories, delinquent subculture, and programs for control and prevention.
Prerequisites: Junior standing and SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Butts
SOCIOL L363 (CRMJUS L363)
Corrections
Prisons, jails, parole, and probation. Attention to inmate social structure, and philosophy underlying the correctional system and modern treatment approaches.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 365
The Professions in Contemporary Society
An examination of the concepts and theories which have been brought to bear on the study of contemporary professions. Students examine the historical matrix of modern professionalism, and the sources of power and vulnerability of professions in industrial society. The conditions which differentiate the experience and organizations of different professions are studied, including practitioner-client relationships, patterns of peer control, and the varied roles of professional authority in complex organizations. Class and written reports focus on comprehensive studies of specific professions.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 366
White Collar and Corporate Crime
This course will begin with a consideration of the question “what is white collar crime?” and of the organizational environments in which white-collar crime occurs. Various forms of white-collar crime will be examined and illustrated through case studies. Current theories of white collar crime will be addressed. Ethical issues, including questions of individual and corporate liability and civil vs. criminal penalties, will be reviewed and discussed.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101 or permission of the instructor.
Distribution II Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Ms Hansen
SOCIOL L367 (CRMJUS L367)
Drugs and Society
This course examines the social origins and consequences of the use and abuse of consciousness-altering substances (including alcohol). It considers how society defines and deals with drug use and assesses social harm, including such issues as addictions and health effects, drugs and crime, the legislation debate, and drug policy and enforcement.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution II Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Hartwell
SOCIOL L368 (CRMJUS L368)
Alcoholism: Etiology and Epidemiology
An in-depth interdisciplinary analysis of the nature, causes and extent of alcoholism and problem drinking. Analysis of drinking patterns and drinking problems cross-culturally and among subgroups in the population such as women, prison inmates, the elderly, and homeless people.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Hartwell
SOCIOL 369
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse: Treatment and Prevention
An intensive examination of theories and research on the etiology of alcohol and other drug abuse, with special emphasis on their implications for treatment, prevention, and education programs; sociological factors influencing diagnosis and treatment outcomes; legal coercion treatment programs; behavioral, family therapy, and community reinforcement approaches; audio-visual media in alcohol and drug education. Special attention to self-help groups.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101, SOCIOL 368 or permission of instructor
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Hartwell
SOCIOL 372
Globalization and Social Change
Social and economic aspects of development and modernization.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Diversity Area: International.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 373
Population and Ecology
The population explosion, birth, death, and illness. Immigration and emigration. How the human and physical environment interact.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 382
The Sociology of Gender
This course analyzes the sociological determinants and consequences of gender—that is, how societies assign specific expectations, advantages, and disadvantages to people on the basis of the biological fact of their sex. It examines the inequality between men and women that is a feature of the structure of many societies, as well as the social-psychological dimensions influencing individual behavior.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
Distribution II Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Diversity Area: United States.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Disch and Staff
SOCIOL L383 (AMST L383)
Masculinities in the U.S.
An investigation in the contemporary U.S. of the experiences of men and the social construction of masculinities, as they emerge in various realms of experience (family, work, college, sexuality, war, imprisonment) and in conjunction with other constructed identities (social class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation). We will consult various theories on gender and examine a range of perspectives on "men’s issues."
Perspective: Junior-level standing or the permission of the instructor.
Distribution II Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Schaefer, Ms Disch
SOCIOL 384
Sociology of Health, Illness, and Health Care
The course focuses on the contribution of the social sciences to the field of medical care. This is done along two dimensions: (1) Illness and treatment are defined from a sociocultural, biological perspective; (2) sociological theories and studies are then brought to bear on the problems of definitions of illness, illness behavior and the use of medical services, the organization of medical services and the future frontiers of social science in medicine.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101, and one additional sociology course.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Benson, Ms Gore
SOCIOL 386
The Sociology of Mental Health and Illness
The sociological study of mental disorder and well-being in American society. The course emphasizes the study of the prevalence and the incidence of disorder, and theories of its causation. Attention is also given to family and societal reactions to the impaired, and how these responses and definitions influence legal processes, treatment, and illness severity. Social policy is discussed.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101, and one additional course in sociology.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Benson, Ms Gore
SOCIOL L423 (ASAMST L423)
Boston’s Asian American Communities
This advanced research seminar examines the dynamics of ethnicity and community change in Asian American communities. Using theories of community development and methods of community research, students analyze Boston’s Asian American communities as case studies of complex social systems. The course also looks at current research on immigrant acculturation, ethnic enclave economies, and the community control movement.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Kiang and Staff
SOCIOL 426
The Black Family
A sociohistorical analysis of the experiences of the black family in the United States from slavery to the present. Emphasis is on the mode of adjustment and adaptation to the forces of domestic colonialism, including slavery, racism, and economic discrimination. The course focuses on stratification in the black community as well as on issues in socialization and personality development.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Butts
SOCIOL 431
The Sociology of Religion
Belief systems and social structures of religious groups. Impact of religious systems on familial, economic, political, and other institutions.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 440
The Sociology of Knowledge and Ignorance
Epistemological sociology: social determinants of the gap between reality and our knowledge of it.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101 and junior or senior standing.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Jacobs
SOCIOL 441
Contemporary Sociological Theory
A concentrated examination of recent developments in the study of human interaction and of the problems of social order and social change. Issues involving the goals of sociology, the ethics of social research, and behavior control are a major focus.
Prerequisite: Senior standing, SOCIOL 341, or permission of instructor.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Jacobs
SOCIOL 442
The Theory of Social Change
Alternative theories of social change, at the societal and community levels. Classical theories of change, including those of Durkheim, Weber, and Marx, and contemporary theories. Selected applications.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL 444
Cooperative Education Field Experience in Sociology
Field placements accompanied by a weekly seminar; the application of sociological concepts to field settings.
Prerequisite: 9 credit hours of sociology, at least 3 of which must be directly related to the field placement; junior or senior standing; or permission of the instructor.
3-6 Credits
Ms Disch
SOCIOL 452
Non-experimental Methods in Sociology
Design and analysis of non-experimental research. Includes construction of indices and scales, methods of control in survey research, multivariate analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, analysis of causal models, and computer application to sociological data.
Prerequisites: Senior standing, SOCIOL 350 and 351, or permission of instructor.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Movahedi, Mr Schutt
SOCIOL 460
Internship in Urban Social Service
This course focuses on social causes of human difficulties, the urban context, multicultural issues, treatment options, and ethics. A weekly on-campus seminar is accompanied by 12-15 hours per week in a supervised internship.
Prerequisites: Senior standing, SOCIOL 341 and L351, or permission of instructor.
Diversity Area: United States.
3 Lect Hrs, 12-15 Fieldwork Hrs, 6 Credits
Ms Disch
SOCIOL L461 (CRMJUS L461)
Internship in Law and Criminal Justice
This course provides an historical and sociological analysis of our state and federal court systems, and considers such issues as the rights of indigent defendants, the bail system, right to counsel, and the adversary nature of some proceedings. In addition to classroom work, students undertake supervised field placements in probation offices, parole boards, district attorneys’ offices, and correctional programs.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101 and junior or senior standing.
3 Lect Hrs, 15 Fieldwork Hrs, 6 Credits
Ms Hartwell, Mr Stern
SOCIOL L462 (CRMJUS L462)
Internship in Law and Juvenile Justice
This course provides an historical and sociological introduction to our juvenile justice system, and considers such issues as children’s rights and the role of the family versus the role of various judicial institutions. In addition to classroom work, students undertake supervised field placements in juvenile courts, probation offices, and youth rehabilitation programs.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101 and junior standing or permission of instructor.
3 Lect Hrs, 15 Fieldwork Hrs, 6 Credits
Mr Stern
SOCIOL 464
Practicum in Corrections
Supervised field placement in a correctional setting; seminar on problems relating to students’ field experience and on special issues in correction including prison reform and legislation, legal handling of adult and juvenile offenders, and prison administration and organization.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101, SOCIOL 363 and permission of instructor.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
SOCIOL L465 (CRMJUS L465)
The Police in Society
An examination of police as a system of social control; a survey of major studies of police by sociologists and government commissions. Emphasis placed on police organization, patterns and consequences of police training, historical and cross-cultural perspectives of police systems and studies of police discretion and police-citizen interaction.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Willis
SOCIOL L467/667 (CRMJUS L467)
The Sociology of Law
A general analysis of the social origins and consequences of law and legal process; special emphasis on law as a method of conflict resolution and as a social control structure, and on law and social change. Attention also given to law in other societies, including non-literate societies, to the evolution and development of legal structures, and to patterns of due process and criminal law.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101 and 6 credits in sociology; junior, senior or graduate standing.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Schutt, Mr Willis
SOCIOL 469
Alcohol/Drug Agency Experience
Supervised field work and internship in a community agency serving alcoholics, including alcoholism prevention and treatment, and alcohol education projects. Assignments, such as detoxification centers, treatment centers, alcohol information services, halfway houses, and others, are made according to student interest and internship availability. Accompanied by a seminar focusing on social services for alcoholic populations, techniques of gathering information, case studies, and field-based issues.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 368 or permission of instructor.
6 Credits
SOCIOL 470
Senior Seminar in Critical Thinking
This course examines diverse and often conflicting approaches to the study of specific social problems. Such problems may include welfare, crime, domestic violence, alcoholism, and homelessness.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 341 and SOCIOL L351.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Capetillo- Ponce, Ms Disch, Ms Hartwell, Mr Kronish and Staff
SOCIOL 472
Media and Violence
This course will analyze the cultural aspects of violence in U.S. society. We will first analyze the different ways social scientists have strived to understand mass culture, mass media, and consumption in the past. Then we will discuss case studies and contemporary theories of media violence, keeping in mind that we are engaged in theorizing about things that are part of the every-day lives of not only ourselves but of most people in all regions of the world.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 341 or permission of the instructor.
Mr Capetillo-Ponce
SOCIOL 478, 479
Directed Study in Sociology
Students invited by the department to conduct independent research during the senior year. Periodic consultation and guidance provided by the staff.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 101, senior standing and permission of department.
Hrs by Arrangement, 1-3 Credits
SOCIOL 480
Special Topics
Intensive study of special topics varying each year according to instructor.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 101.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits