AN110 Human Cultural Diversity (3 credits)

The aim of this course is for students to develop an anthropological imagination and appreciate its relevance for living in the contemporary world.  An anthropological imagination involves cultivating an interest in and an understanding of the unity, diversity, and development of human biology, society, and culture.  As an introduction to the study of human cultural diversity, this course emphasizes the concept of culture, human socio-cultural variation, and patterns of socio-cultural change in contemporary human societies. 

AN250 Doing Ethnography: Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences (3 credits)

The aim of this course is for students to develop an understanding of and an ability to use ethnography as a method of social science research.  Combining theoretical and applied readings and practical assignments, the focus is on participant-observation and interviewing, writing fieldnotes, and the transformation of field data into ethnographic documents.  In addition, this course is designed for students to develop an understanding of the epistemological, political, and ethical issues surrounding ethnographic research. (Prerequisite: SO110 or AN110)

SO110 Sociological Imagination (3 credits)

Students are taught how to investigate social issues as sociologists do-- by tracing the troubles of men and women back to broader social forces and problems.  The relevance of sociology is demonstrated through examples of applied sociology and through the students’ use of social theory and methods to address social problems. 

SO201 Poverty and Inequality in the U.S. (3 credits)

The aim of this course is for students to develop an understanding of the nature, causes, and consequences of poverty and socio-economic inequality in the contemporary United States.  These problems are examined from theoretical, descriptive, historical, and comparative perspectives.  The intersection of the problems of poverty and inequality with gender, race, ethnicity, and political power are also examined.  Finally, students in this course will have an opportunity to examine critically current public policies designed to deal with the problems of poverty and inequality in American society.  (Prerequisite: SO110)

SO216 Changing Families (3 credits)

Examines family in terms of structure, roles, and functions. Emphasis is on understanding: family life cycles; the shift in perspective about the family; the conflict between family values and individual values; the interplay between individual families and the larger society; and the flexibility and diversity of the family as an institution. (Prerequisite: SO110)

SO238 Youth and Contemporary Society (3 credits) 
The idea of this course is to analyze youth as a stage in life made both promising and problematic by contemporary social structure and culture.  Attention is given to the origins and forms of youthful conformity and achievement as well as misconduct and crime, with an emphasis on how those things differ by gender, social class, race/ethnicity, and variations in the organizations and social institutions which constitute the context of daily life for youth. (Prerequisite: SO110)

SO239 Diversity and Oppression in Contemporary Society (3 credits)

Emphasis in this course is on human diversity.  It is designed to give students an understanding of the conditions that lead to minority emergence and the consequence of minority status; it fosters acceptance of diversity, cultural pluralism and social change. (Prerequisite: SO110)

SO240 Studying Changing Human Populations (3 credits) 
The idea of this course is (1) to identify what kinds of changes have been occurring in the size, composition, and geographic distribution of human populations at the local, national and global levels; (2) to analyze what impacts those changes have been exerting on social patterns; and (3) to develop basic skills for studying those changes and impacts.  The course includes a focus on birth and fertility rates, death rates, migration rates, and changes in the following aspects of populations:  size, age, sex ratio, socioeconomic status, and cultural heritage/identity.  (Prerequisite: SO110)

SO242 Statistics for Social Research (3 credits)  
This course consists in learning how to use statistics for specific purposes in social research and how to interpret the results of statistical analysis.  Attention is given to distributions, central tendency, dispersion, estimates, inference, hypothesis testing, statistical significance, measuring the presence, strength, and direction of relationships between variables, analysis of variance, chi-square analysis, and correlation and regression analysis.  (Prerequisite: SO110 and C or better in MA 101 (or higher level mathematics course)

SO258 Society and the Environment (3 credits)
This course consists in (1) examining how human activities contribute to environmental problems, such as climate change, pollution, disappearance of natural habitat, decreasing biodiversity, diminishing natural resources, deforestation, erosion, and desertification,  (2) analyzing the impact of environmental degradation on human populations and human societies; and (3) identifying what steps have been taken and yet need to be taken to end degradation and restore environmental health.  The course requires a project in which students take action in some group, organization, or community to make its impacts on the environment more positive. (Prerequisite: SO110)

SO 372 Sociological Theory (3 credits)

This sociological theory course is designed to give students an understanding of the works of the major classical theorists whose ideas played a central role in the development of sociological theory and to introduce students to the dominant contemporary perspectives in social thought. Emphasis is placed on developing the students’ knowledge of the range of thinking that exist concerning social issues, what the strengths and weaknesses of each position are, therefore, enabling them to work within any point of view. The seminar format is used for this course. Such a format requires that students do their assigned readings before a topic is discussed in class since it is through the class discussions that ideas are analyzed, dissected, and critically assessed. (Prerequisites: AN110, SO101, and two sociology electives)

SO 373 Applications of Sociological Theory (3 credits)

Emphasis in this course is on sociology as an applied discipline that provides scientific explanations of important social issues.  Students review several existing sociological studies framed within the various theoretical approaches studied in the Sociological Theory (SO372 course. They are expected to identify the theoretical framework used by the researcher in each study; to explain the impact of the theoretical framework on the methodology used in the study; and to propose another theoretical framework that could have been used and its impact on the selection of a research method to study the social phenomenon covered in the study. This course helps students understand the relationship between theory and method and provides a critical foundation for the design and development of their senior thesis. (Prerequisites: SO372, SO382; Corequisite: SO 383)

SO382 Methods of Social Research (3 credits)

This course consists in learning how to design, conduct, and report the results of social research.  Attention is given to: experimental and evaluation research, field research, unstructured exploratory interviewing, content analysis, analysis of published statistical data, survey research, conceptualization and operationalization of variables, analysis of data, the writing of research reports, and the logic of cause and effect in research.  The course also includes learning how to use the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software to analyze quantitative data.  (Prerequisites: AN110, SO110, and two sociology electives)

SO383 Applications of Social Research (3 credits)

This course involves additional exercises with the analysis of published statistical data, content analysis, survey research, sampling theory, the use of SPSS for quantitative data analysis, with emphasis on applications of multivariate analysis for the purpose of examining evidence for cause-and-effect relationships.  In addition, this course includes considering the relationship between theory and research, examining studies which researchers have used to test and/or refine sociological theories, learning how to use one’s own research to test, refine, and develop sociological theories, and developing the ability to relate the findings of existing studies to one’s own research questions.  This course is a critical part of the foundation for the Senior Seminar in Sociology.  (Prerequisites:  SO382, SO372;  Corequisite: SO 373)

SO 398 Senior Seminar in Sociology (3 credits)

The capstone course in the Sociology major. Students write and defend a sociological thesis under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Prerequisites: S0 371 and S0 381. Senior standing and major in Sociology

SO 399 Independent Study in Sociology (3 credits)
Designed for students interested in advanced study or in pursuing areas within Sociology for which no course is offered. By special arrangement. Prerequisite: Permission of Sociology faculty.