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SOC 110 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Professors Douglas Eichar, Stephen Markson, John Morra, Josiah Ricardo
Sociology
is an outgrowth of the unique capacity of human beings to wonder about their
own and others' behavior. If you've ever wondered why people generally
stand meekly in line and wait their turn, rather than aggressively push their
way to the front or about why sexual activities have so many rules about what,
when and under what conditions they are permissible -- then you have
experienced the same curiosity about social life which is at the core of sociology.
The
overall intention of the course is to assist students in developing a
sociological consciousness, entailing a critical, yet creative, view of the
social structures of our daily lives. We will go beyond common sense
notions about social reality to analyze the social meanings and arrangements we
might ordinarily take for granted. We will seek in a sense to
"demystify" contemporary American society with particular reference
to the implications for our own individual biographies.
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SOC 130 CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Nibedita Mitra
In the
present century instantaneous global communication, trade among distant
nations, geopolitical events are equally affecting countries far and
wide. The scope and ease of international travel are bringing people and
their culture in closer contact with one another and therefore allowing the
present generation to become aware of societies other than their own.
Cultural
anthropology is ideally suited to introduce students to global
perspective. It helps liberate students from their narrow and
ethnocentric views and enable them to achieve a wider perspective of human
conditions.
This course
is designed to introduce anthropology to the student who has no prior knowledge,
experience, and awareness in the field. A description and analysis of the socially learned tradition of
both past and present would be studied. A
comparison of culture which provides the basis for hypothesis and theories
about the causes and human life style will be introduced. One would gain an insight on the nature of
cultural differences, the diversity of experience possible for human beings.
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SOC 170 SOCIAL RESPONSES
TO CRIME
Professor
Mark Beaulieu,Warren Hanson
"Social
Responses to Crime" has several objectives. First it is a survey of
the major social institutions created to define and control criminal
behavior. Second, the course will illustrate how one can determine the
underlying moral and political principles and the professional and economic
interests that form the foundation of the criminal justice system. Third,
the course introduces the ways in which rates of crime are determined, the
structure, operation and effectiveness of the major criminal justice agencies,
and the major contemporary issues in crime control.
This
course is designed to introduce to students the criminal justice system in the
U.S. The course emphasizes a sociological analysis of the structure,
process and effectiveness of criminal justice systems. That is, the
course approaches the criminal justice system as a social system that is
constituted by a combination of micro-sociological, structural, historical and
cultural factors.
Professor Warren Goldstein
“Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburgers” – Abbie Hoffman
The sixties have come down to us as a time of “sex, drugs, and rock and roll”
– with a dose of hippies, student radicals, and permissiveness thrown in for
good measure. This course will try to understand what “really” happened during
this intense period of recent American history, using fiction, film, autobiography,
music, historical documents, and contemporary journalism. We’ll focus on the
Vietnam War and the movement to end it; on African-American’s struggle for
civil rights and the growth of the Black Power movement; on the birth of modern
feminism; and on the origins and growth of the student-based New Left. We’ll
also look at the presidencies of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard
Nixon, and conclude with Nixon’s resignation and the Watergate scandal.
SOC 254 SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY
Josiah Ricardo
Currently it is popular to blame the family (or the perceived disintegration of it) for causing everything from "moral decay" to poverty. Does this popular rhetoric correspond to people's lives? We will consider this question throughout this course. First we will explore the relationship between families and the social and historical context in which they exist. Simply put: we will examine the historical transformation of families and the social forces that shaped them in the past and in the present. Then we will spend most of the course discussing the contemporary family issues an individual might experience from birth to death. We will pay particular attention to how these experiences might differ by race/ethnicity, gender, and class. In the process we will discuss some of the following topics: the role of kinship, childhood and adolescence, dating, coupling, parenting, family life (e.g., housework, intimacy, employment), social policies, poverty, family violence, divorce, death of a partner, and contemporary debates relating to family issues. We will also focus on the current difficulties American children face.
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SOC
256 BLACK FAMILY IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
Paula
Mann-Agnew
This
course will examine the experience of blacks within American society, the
impact of slavery on the black family structure, parenting, race relations and
other contemporary issues within the black community.
Course
objectives will include understanding the economic, political and social
factors and their impact on blacks, issues with regard to parenting, building
positive parent/child relationships, identity and self esteem, and current
issues that impact the black family and the black community.
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SOC 271 DEVIANCE
Professor
Albert DiChiara
In
Deviance students study the unusual. Or, do they? At any one time,
those labeled deviant are thought in some fundamental sense to be bizarre,
strange, not like us. But since all societies have their own kinds of
deviance, the fact that deviance is a social reality is not all that
unusual. This course addresses how sociologists explain this and other
intriguing questions. We examine how and why deviance changes its shape
through history. Where witches once were a major deviance threat, they
are not put to death anymore. Why? Young children get diseases now
that they could never have just a few decades ago. Why? Why are
some behaviors deviant at one time, but not at other times?
These
are just a few of the questions which sociologists of deviance have thought
about. The course reviews the major theories set forth to help us understand
how deviance is structured in society, and the processes involved in making
and changing deviance. In many ways, those of us who think we are not
deviant play a significant part in forming the deviance problems society experiences.
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SOC 273 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZED
CRIME
Staff
This course presents a sociological analysis of the development and the recent trends in international organized crime, and a general overview of strategies for organized crime control. Students will learn about organized crime as a sociological and historical phenomenon with particular emphasis on the ethnicity in the development of organized crime, what forms does it take, what is its relationship to social organization, what is the role of ethnicity in the structure and operation of organized crime syndicates, and what strategies have been used to control organized crime? In general, students will learn the following:
1) to situate organized crime in the process of social change
2) the history, organization and activities of traditional organized crime
syndicates in Italy and the U.S. and contemporary
Italian-American organized crime
3) the activities and organizational structures of new forms of organized
crime syndicates in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and
South America
4) the links between organized crime syndicates and governments, unions, the
business community, and terrorists
organizations
5) national and international policies and organizations designed to combat
organized crime
This course will examine the impact of oppression and discrimination on people
based on sex, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, size and
class. We will examine these issues currently, and historically. Interlacing
our discourse will be feminist theory; theories of privilege; and, the problematic
female/male binary paradigm. Students will be asked to examine and question
patriarchal social constructions in the context of the backlash to feminisms’
first, second and third waves.
The course begins with gendered examination of slavery and an overlapping
racial and class examination of the first wave of feminism. Further, we will
study the systematic and institutionalized oppression of women through the
lens of violence and war, politics, poverty, beauty standards, spirituality,
reproduction, labor, pop music, incarceration, internationalist social change
movements, activism and power.
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SOC 318, 319 INTERNSHIP
Professor
Albert DiChiara
Internships
are designed to integrate students into the world of work, but as
student/interns more than a specific number of hours worked is required of you
to earn full credit for the course. The point of the internship
experience is to afford an opportunity for students to interact with the
"real world" in the context of their academic training. The
reason for having the interns meet in a classroom setting is to keep the
academic nature of the programs and internship experience at the forefront of
our work. Therefore, internships in the Department of Sociology and the
Criminal Justice Program ask students to do more than merely show up for
work. In the course of the semester students are to work as interns in
order to apply sociological insights to that experience by using the methods of
sociological field work. In other words, we expect students to rigorously
observe the work site and think sociologically about their work. So when
working as an intern the student is also working as a sociological field
researcher, gathering data about the setting they are in and applying
sociological theories to understand that data and their place in the internship
setting and the larger social system.
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SOC 343 STATISTICAL
ANALYSIS
Professor
Jay Stewart
Why study
statistics?
1.
You need it to earn a sociology degree, but it is required for several reasons,
which follow.
2. It's very likely you will need stats in your future career. Most
careers, especially those using sociological knowledge
and information, require the interpretation of
statistical information in the professional literature or research reports.
Many such careers also involve the actual creation and
presentation of statistical information. Doing well in a statistics
course should increase your future employability.
3. Equally important, statistical analyses permeate our daily life.
Understanding statistics (and recognizing bad
statistical analyses) should help you make better
decisions in your personal life.
4. Finally, the careful attention to detail and the rigorous logic
required in statistical analyses are not only valuable in their
own right, but will serve you well in almost any
occupation.
Professor Monica Hardesty
This course will explore health and illness in our society. We will investigate
the patterns of disease and health care in America and discover the influences
of social relationships, social organization, and social change. We will examine
such diverse areas as the effects of modernization, contemporary health policy,
the profession of medicine, bio-medical ethics, health and illness behavior,
medical technology, physician-patient interactions, and rise of managed care
systems of health care delivery
SOC
364 COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL
MOVEMENTS
Professor
Stephen Markson
Social
movements and the episodes of collective behavior (protest crowds, riots,
panics etc) that often precede, accompany, and follow them are among the most
dramatic and effective forms of political action. U.S. history has displayed and continues to display social
movement and protest activities around the most passionately felt issues of the
day. It is difficult to find a major
social issue that has not inspired social movements on one or both sides.
According
to sociologist Herbert Blumer, “the student of collective behavior seeks to
understand the ways in which a new social order arises, for the appearance of a
new social order is equivalent to the emergence of new forms of collective
behavior.” During the semester, we will
be combining the study of collective behavior and social movements in an effort
to unravel the complex relationships between order and conflict and stability
and change. The topics examined in this
context will include the emergence of collective behavior, the organization and
functioning of crowds, the formation and development of social movements, and
the motivations of political activism.
Professor Douglas Eichar
Work is what occupies the majority of our waking hours. Frequently it is the most important way in which the organization of society has an impact on our daily lives.
We will begin by looking at the major forces which shape work today, like
technology (e.g. computers), the struggles between labor and management (e.g.
the role of unions), global competition, and the movement to a service economy.
This will allow us to examine what the jobs of the future are likely to be
and whether these jobs will be better or worse than the current mix, both
in terms of content and rewards. We will also look at the job characteristics
of a broad range of occupations, from professionals to temp workers. During
this section, we will also look at trends regarding the labor force experience
of women and minorities, telecommuting, and temp work -- to name but a few.
Warren Hansen
This is a junior level course that requires some familiarity with the basic foundations of sociological theory and analysis. The course will cover the sociology of delinquency, analysis of the juvenile justice system, and will focus on the problem of co-offending and patterns of youth crime. The specific course objectives are listed below.
The most immediate concern is that students learn how to think sociologically
about adolescence, juvenile delinquency and juvenile justice policy. The course
is not designed as an overview of theory, but we will learn several of the
major theories of delinquency and apply these to delinquency today. Overall,
we will explore juvenile delinquency from a broad perspective that examines
youth cultures, music/style, status offenses, and crime. Students will learn
how to develop a sociological view of the relationship between youth, deviancy
and society. Further, students will be asked to consider delinquency in its
historical, structural, cultural, and political dimensions. We will study
the creation, operation, and reform of the juvenile justice system in the
U.S. and other industrial societies, not only as systems of social control,
but also as social constructions that reflect dominant images of youth and
the place of youth in society.
SOC 379 STUDIES IN CRIME CONTROL: WAR ON DRUGS
Professor Stephen Norland
Examination of selected issues in the study of crime control, depending on
the interests of faculty and students. This course consists of an examination
of the war on drugs as a case study in crime control. It considers the sociological
factors associated with state and federal legislation, law enforcement policies,
and correctional practices. The course examines the implications of the more
punitive approach to drug issues for communities.
Some of the questions we explore in this course are:
changing? What will they be like in the future?
Why does ethnic and racial inequality persist? What explains the disparities
in wealth and power between racial and ethnic groups in the United States?
Why are people prejudiced? Why does discrimination persist? What forms does
discrimination take in contemporary American society?
How are race and ethnic relations today shaped by the past? How does a historical
perspective on race and ethnic relations help us understand current issues?
What are the social forces which drive current conflicts such as affirmative
action, immigration restriction, multiculturalism, and school desegregation
(including the Sheff v. O'Neill case in Connecticut)?
How have oppressed groups challenged racial and ethnic inequality? How do
dominant groups respond? What can we do to create a more racially just society?
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SOC 388 AGING AND SOCIETY
Michael
Hebert
Whether
we like it or not, we can't deny the fact that we are all aging every
day. Aging in Society addresses the key social, economic, demographic and
cultural trends and their impact on the aged population, families, and health
care systems in the United States and other countries. We will examine
each student's personal values and expectations of aging in our ever changing
society. The objective of this course is to reduce our fears of aging by
taking proactive steps to plan for a healthy and successful future at various
stages of our lives.
This course
will emphasize the intra personal, interpersonal and societal aspects of developmental
aging in our society. Topics will include but are not limited to:
myths, stereotypes and successful aging strategies; income, labor and retirement
trends; demographic and social forces and their impact on family (e.g. caregiver)
systems; Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Managed Care, Older American's
Act and emerging trends in health care financing and service delivery; intergenerational
conflicts; elder abuse and advocacy issues; the continuum of eldercare services;
physical aging and wellness, mental health and adult sexuality; and advanced
directives, legal/political and human rights issues.
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SOC 418W SENIOR PRACTICUM
Professor
Tim Black
This course
represents the capstone course for sociology majors. Under faculty supervision,
students will be required to work eight hours a week in a chosen agency or
organization in the local community. In a weekly seminar, students will
be encouraged to apply theories and concepts previously learned in the classroom
to the observations in the field and thus facilitate the final development
of a sociological perspective.
SOC 419 APPLIED RESEARCH INTERNSHIP
Professor Tim Black
This internship is reserved primarily for students who are working towards the Applied Social Research Certificate, but is available to other students with permission from the instructor. The internship involves working on a local research project and can occur in one of several ways: one, students may work as part of a team in researching a particular topic that has local relevance; two, a student may work individually with the professor in researching a locally-relevant topic that the student is particularly interested in; three, a student may be assigned to a local organization and assist them in conducting research that they are currently involved in; or four, students may work with a local organization on a specific issue and conduct participatory-action research.
The internship is for advance students who are interested in hands-on research experience and is good preparation for students interested in graduate school or in working with advocacy groups in their communities after graduation. Students who are interested in the Applied Research Internship or the Applied Social Research Certificate should contact the Director of the Center for Social Research, Tim Black. While sociology majors are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity, the Certificate program is also available for students who wish to earn a minor in sociology, enabling students from related majors to enhance their research and community organizating skills.
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SOC 425 POPULAR CULTURE
Professor
Jack Banks
Forms
of entertainment in sight, sound and the printed word dominate our cultural
landscape. Television, films, books, newspapers and popular music --
the bulk of our leisure time pursuits -- are at the core of a multi-billion
dollar commercial industry that we support yet scarcely comprehend.
Popular culture has become the principal lens through which we view and experience
reality -- virtually our window to the world. Yet despite its burgeoning
size and power, rarely do we as consumers of popular culture seriously ponder
what it all means and how we are affected by it. Perhaps it has become
so much an assumed part of our daily lives and rituals that it escapes our
attention, as things we simply take for granted often do.
In this
course, we will be taking seriously what many offhandedly dismiss as trivial.
But to dismiss television, for instance, as a "vast wasteland" or
"thief of time" is to squander an opportunity to better understand
ourselves and our culture. Because no matter if we judge it to be positive,
negative or even indifferent in its impact, popular culture is undeniably
the most important source of information (and misinformation) and the principal
link between the individual and the structure of contemporary American society.
As the
so-called "culture wars" become perhaps the most controversial political
issue of the 1990s, far more heat than light tends to be generated.
We will sort through the clutter and examine the claims in the debate to reach
intelligent, empirically based interpretations about the impact of popular
culture on American society.
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SOC 444 SOCIAL RESEARCH &
SOCIAL POLICY
Professor Stephen Markson
The foremost intention of this course is to examine the question of what is and what should be the relationship between, on the one hand, empirical social research and sociological theory and, on the other, the formulation, implementation, and assessment of public policies. Addressing the question "can truth speak to power?" we will challenge the taken-for-granted assumption that better understanding of social problems paves the road to their eventual resolution. In the U.S., our record of solving social problems related to the distribution of wealth, power, and opportunity is rather long on promises and good intentions, yet short on successes and real changes. The policies and the public bureaucracies created to implement them seem to be more effective at shaping our beliefs about the problems they are addressing and convincing those interested that something is indeed being done, than they are at actually producing meaningful change.
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SOC
445 APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS
Professor
Tim Black
This
course is the capstone experience for students pursuing a Certificate in
Applied sociology. In this course, students will conduct their own
research under the guidance of a faculty member. They will define the
research question based upon the research literature, design the study, collect
and analyze data, and provide an interpretation of their results drawing from
the theoretical debates in the literature. Some students may choose to
collect their own data, while others may use larger national data sets, or data
available in the Center for Social Research. To complete the course,
students must write a thesis that is approved by the supervising faculty
member. Students who complete an A&S honor’s thesis that meets the
standards of applied social research may use their thesis as a substitute for
this course in completing the certificate.
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SOC 446 READINGS IN SOCIOLOGY
Professor
Monica Hardesty
Student-initiated
independent study under the supervision of a faculty member. This course
addresses two purposes: the in-depth study of a topic that is not represented
in the department's course offerings, or the completion of a major requirement
that cannot be satisfied due to scheduling conflicts. Students must
prepare a proposal project, a schedule of meetings with the faculty member,
the specific assignments to be completed, and a suggested mode of evaluation.
This proposal must be approved by the faculty supervisor before the end of
the second week of the semester.
SOC 460 SOCIAL INEQUALITY: Who Gets What and Why
Professor John Stewart
Social inequality and stratification exist in all societies, so sociologists
are interested in a number of related empirical, theoretical, and even value-based
questions. For example: What types of social inequality are there? How do
we measure and study them? Why does inequality exist and how is it maintained?
Why is it accepted? What are the consequences of social inequality for individuals,
classes, and societies? How do we explain social, economic, political, racial,
sexual, and international inequality in our times? How are these different
elements connected? How much "social mobility" is there within and
between generations? Can we eliminate or reduce inequalities? If we could
do so, "should" we do so? What role has government policy had on
social inequality? What role "should" the government have?
We will examine such questions in this course, but do not expect definite
"answers" to them because the possible "answers" depend
on a complex interplay of out personal values, assumptions about the social
world, theoretical preferences, and different interpretations of the available
empirical data. In fact, just growing up in any society has given you some
answers to such questions. This course will help you develop better answers,
where "better answers" are based upon a greater awareness of your
values, assumptions, AND the empirical evidence.
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SOC 470 CRIMINOLOGY
Professor
Stephen Norland
"Winning
the war on crime" is a commonplace battle among community residents,
public officials, and the criminal justice community. Each side maintains
a vested interest in the ideological ramifications of the crusade.
Community residents seek out a suitable environment for their families and
personal safety. The criminal justice community is visibly concerned with
carrying out their appointed mandate. Political leaders utilize a visible
"getting tough on crime" message when seeking voting support.
Crime is
also analyzable within a social context. The mass media is instrumental
in spreading the image of crime as an incessant social factor. We derive
an impression of criminal activity and seek out explanations for otherwise
unexplainable social behavior. A focus on entertainment within films and
television, along with predictable television discussion of the Simpson case
and other criminal prosecutions, form the basis of public discourse.
A study
of criminology would be impossible without understanding the nature of crime,
types of criminals and criminal activity, and explanations accounting for
criminal behavior. This course will examine the above factors in
providing an examination of crime and punishment, along with various social
factors (media, political forces, and community pressures) responsible for the
definition of crime and concomitant social problems existing within society.
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SOC 471 READINGS IN CRIMINAL
JUSTICE
Professor
Mark Beaulieu
Student-initiated
independent study under the supervision of a faculty member. This course
addresses two purposes: the in-depth study of a topic that is not represented
in the department's course offerings, or the completion of a major requirement
that cannot be satisfied due to scheduling conflicts. Students must
prepare a proposal project, a schedule of meetings with the faculty member,
the specific assignments to be completed and a suggested mode of evaluation.
This proposal must be approved by the faculty supervisor.
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SOC 473 CRIME,
LAW AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
Professors
Stephen Norland, Albert DiChiara
The
course is designed to provide a forum for discussion of major issues in crime
and justice. To the extent possible, the course will emphasize
contemporary issues, but at all times keeping the contemporary within the
context of history and changes in social structure and organization.
This semester
the course will focus on the two major issues, the politics of crime and punishment
in America, with special emphasis on prisons, and the development of criminology
as a science and tool in criminal investigation. On the matter of the
politics of crime and punishment, the goal of the course is to provide a detailed
overview of the current debates about crime causation, crime control, and
reform of the criminal justice system. These debates will be placed
in the context of the history of crime and punishment in America.
The course will focus on contemporary issues, with some references
to the past, and on violent crime, serial killers, and criminal profiling.