Spring 2024 Courses
Undergraduate Courses
SOCI 1110: Intro Sociology
It seems fitting to begin this course with a quote from “The Promise” by a famous sociologist, written in the early 1960s. It refers to changes which occur in a society and the effect of these changes on the individual. During this past 18 months we have certainly witnessed significant changes in our society, and C. Wright Mills’ “The Sociological Imagination” will provide insight to these changes and their effect on society and the individual.
This course will introduce students to the fundamental concepts and principles of sociology. Topics include the study of cultures, patterns of social values, social institutions, stratification, and social change.
1110- 001 | Torrez | TR 11:00-12:15 | FACE | CRN 50849
1110-002 | Torrez | MWF 11:00-11:50 | FACE | CRN 50850
1110-003 | Williams | ONLINE | CRN 61945
1110-005 | Torrez | ONLINE | 2nd Half Course| CRN 59407
1110-007 | Torrez | ONLINE | CRN 50854
SOCI 2120: Intro Criminal Justice Systems
Prerequisite: Sociology 1110 [SOC 101], or consent of the instructor. This course focuses on the study of crime, the criminal justice system and crime-related public policy. Discussion of key criminological concepts, the measurement of crime and delinquency, the distribution of crime in society, victimization, public opinion, the criminal justice system, and crime control strategies and policies.
2120-002 | Sabbath | Online | CRN 57055
2120-003 | Sabbath | Online | CRN 50868
SOCI 2210: Sociology of Deviance
This course is designed to provide an overview of the study of deviance and social control from multiple sociological perspectives. The instructor will present how sociologists research deviance and social control and the ethical issues involved in studying human subjects involved in these activities. The course also examines central sociological theories for understanding the causes of deviant behavior.
*Prerequisite required: SOCI 1110: Intro Sociology
2210-001 | Lowe | MWF 1:00-1:50 | Face | CRN 50873
2210-002 | Albright | TR 11:00-12:15 | Face | CRN 60836
SOCI 310: Sociology of the Aging & the Aged
Descriptive and theoretical study of the social situation of older persons in contemporary industrial societies; the impact on societal institutions of an increasing percentage of older citizens.
310-001 | Torrez | TR 12:30-1:45 | Face | CRN 55456
SOCI 312: Causes of Crime & Delinquency
A survey of criminological theories exploring why some people are more likely to engage in crime than others and why crime rates vary over time and space and across social groups. Attendant policy issues will also be discussed.
*Prerequisite required: SOCI 2120: Intro to Criminal Justice Systems OR SOCI 2210: Sociology of Deviance
312-001 | Ragan| TR 11:00-12:15 | Face | CRN 55455
312-002 | Painter-Davis | ONLINE | CRN 56222
SOCI 331: Social Movements
The study of riots, disturbances, social movements and other forms of contentious collective behavior. Strategies of conflict and conflict resolution.
331-001 | Goodman | MWF 11:00-11:50 | Face | CRN 60782
SOCI 340: Sociology of Medical Practice
An introduction to the delivery of health care in the U.S. and selected other countries is pursued with an emphasis on the interaction of patients, professionals and health care institutions.
340-002 | Fullencamp | ONLINE | CRN 56384
SOCI 347-001: Health & Social Inequalities II
This service-learning course provides students the opportunity to apply knowledge about social inequalities and health to working with community members to create change that improves health and reduces health disparities.
Goodkind | MW 9-10:45 | Face | CRN 55450
SOCI 371: Sociological Theory
The study of how theory is constructed and applied by sociologists including traditions from 19th-century sociological founders and contemporary theoretical formulations.
*Prerequisite required: SOCI 1110: Intro Sociology
371-001 | Ray | TR 12:30-1:45 | Face | CRN 55449
371-002 | Goodman | TR 2:00-3:15 | Face | CRN 55448
SOCI 380: Intro to Research Methods
A survey of the major methods of social research: foundations of social research, research design, sampling and measurement, quantitative and qualitative research methods and data analysis.
*Prerequisite required: SOCI 1110: Intro Sociology
380-001 | Goodman | MWF 10:00-10:50 | Face | CRN 55447
380-002 | Olson | TR 11:00-12:15 | Face | CRN 60774
SOCI 381L-001: Sociological Data Analysis
Introduction to quantitative sociological data analysis using basic statistics (both descriptive and inferential) and to the use of statistical software to analyze empirical data.
*Prerequisite required: SOCI 380: Intro to Research Methods AND Math 1350: Intro Statistics
381L-001 | Park | TR 2:00-3:15 & W 12:00-12:50 | Face | CRN 55335
381L-002 | Davis | ONLINE | CRN 56380
SOCI 398-002: ST: Future of Work and Inequality
How is the nature of work and employment changing in the United States and how do these changes impact workers differently depending on their backgrounds? In this upper-division sociology course, students will learn to think critically about the modern world of work—its jobs, labor relations, and structures—and its connection to persistent forms of social inequality in our society along the lines of race, class, gender, and other social categories. We will draw on leading theoretical frameworks and empirical findings to examine prominent trends in today’s workplaces, including the use of new technologies in the workplace, the growth of “immaterial” labor, and gig-ification of employment.
Wilson | TR 2:00-3:15 | Face | CRN 56238
SOCI 398-004: Health & Social Inequality Lab
This is the lab component of the second semester of a 2-semester community-engaged course that provides students with the opportunity to apply knowledge about social inequities and health to working with refugee, immigrant, asylum-seeker and other newcomer community members to create change that makes our communities more welcoming and improves the mental health and well-being of newcomers.
Goodkind| ONLINE | CRN 55438
SOCI 398-005: Introduction to Fat Studies
This course will explore:
- The historical development of institutional fatphobia
- The relationship between fatphobia and capitalism
- The intersections of fatphobia and other forms of oppression
- How fatphobia impacts fat people (and people of all sizes!)
- Body positivity, Health at Every Size, weight neutral and fat liberationist movements and activism
- And more!
See the flyer here.
Boe | TR 3:30-4:45 | Face | CRN 61730
SOCI 412-001: Sociology of Police & Social Control
Study of the relationship between society and law enforcement agencies, including the societal context of policing and how law enforcement impacts society. Discussion of law enforcement practices, training and management; the interface of police and communities; historical and contemporary models of policing; and efforts at police reform.
*Prerequisite required: SOCI 312: Causes of Crime and Delinquency
Olson | TR 12:30-1:45 | Face | CRN 60839
SOCI 415-001: Inequality and Power
This course focuses on the contemporary dynamics of social inequalities and power in US society. It lays particular emphasis on racial, gender, and economic oppression while outlining how these intersect with other systems and institutions.
Ray | Online | CRN 61946
SOCI 416-001: Sociology of Law
Social science perspectives of the law, legal institutions and the impact of law on behavior. Topics include theories of law and legality; comparative legal systems; lawyers, judges, and juries; and the use of social science in the courts.
*Prerequisite required: SOCI 312: Causes of Crime and Delinquency OR SOCI 371: Sociological Theory
Olson | MWF 11:00-11:50 | Face | CRN 55436
SOCI 418-001: Applied Reserach in Criminology
Permission of instructor required. Please contact Dr. Paul Guerin for more information about the content and registration.
Guerin| Arranged | CRN 62261
SOCI 419-001: Peers, Groups, & Gangs
This course introduces social network analysis as a tool for studying topics related to the social aspect of criminal and delinquent behavior: delinquent peers, co-offending, and organized criminal groups.
*Prerequisite required: SOCI 312: Causes of Crime and Delinquency
Ragan | TR 9:30-10:45 | Face | CRN 60788
SOCI 420-001: Race & Inequality
An exploration of empirical studies and theories on the social construction of racial and ethnic inequality at the individual, insitutional, and structural levels in the U.S. and/or global context.
Wilson| TR 9:30-10:45 | Face | CRN 61658
SOCI 425-001: Crime Through the Life Course
Causes and consequences of offending at various stages in the life course, focusing on the way in which adolescent and adult roles, responsibilities and opportunities shape aggregate and individual level patterns of involvement in juvenile delinquency and adult criminality.
*Prerequisite required: SOCI 312: Causes of Crime and Delinquency
Broidy | TR 11:00-12:15 | Face | CRN 60789
SOCI 427-001: Sociology of Madness
Different historical and cultural frameworks for defining, making sense of, and responding to madness are examined. The social causes and social distribution of madness are critically examined.
Barker| Online | CRN 56225
SOCI 488-001: Field Observation & Experience
An opportunity for Sociology and Criminology students to work in a criminal justice or social service agency for course credit.
Restriction: junior or senior standing, permission of instructor, 6 hours upper division SOCI course
Olson | M 12:00-12:50 | Face | CRN 61270
Graduate Courses
SOCI 500: Classical Sociological Theory
A seminar on the classics of sociological theory, including works by Karl Marx, W.E.B. Du Bois, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Georg Simmel and others. We'll read the original works as well as more recent work that builds upon or challenges them. We'll discuss the social contexts that these theories developed within, the intellectual traditions they produced, and how current sociology does and does not still operate within them.
Thomas | M 3:00-5:30 | Face | CRN 60707
SOCI 531: Sociology Teaching Seminar
This course is a professional development seminar that explores the dynamics of teaching undergraduate sociology. Topics include syllabus development, lecture preparation and delivery, interactive learning methods, taxonomies of learning, development of assignments to match learning objectives, and grading approaches. Students will develop a teaching portfolio and will prepare a course to teach on their own.
Goodman & Olson | R 3:30-6:00 | Face | CRN 60928
SOCI 581: Advanced Social Statistics I
Covers the statistical methods most commonly used in social science research, from basic descriptives to multiple regression. No prior statistical training is necessary, and the emphasis is on practical use in conducting social research.
Park | W 3:00-5:30 | Face | CRN 58483
SOCI 595: Sociology of Gender
This graduate seminar offers an introduction and overview of sex and gender. While we will primarily focus on sociological theoretical and empirical analyses of sex and gender, we will engage with work across disciplines given the interdisciplinary basis of the study of sex and gender. As we do so, we will be mindful that sex and gender are complex social phenomena intertwined with other axes of oppression including race, class, sexuality, and more. We will discuss many questions including: How do we disentangle sex from gender both in theory and practice? How is sex and gender inequalities rooted in other structures of oppression? Are we in the midst of a gender revolution?
Davis | R 12:30-3:00 | Face | CRN 56178
SOCI 595: Social Networks
The course will be a blend of a reading/discussion seminar and a hands-on introductory methods workshop. The Discussion and Readings will be on the theoretical approaches behind Social Networks research (Relational Sociology), including work across the social sciences that puts patterns of relationships front and center as the focus. Some readings will be pure theory, most empirical research, but each week will center on a theme/idea that is important to the Networks lens for understanding the social world. Many weeks will include a Methods Hour in-class, which will presume no prior stats/math training, and will start gently. Some of it will be simple pencil-and-paper exercises, sometimes we'll use software, and by the end we'll learn networks tools in R. There will be no required materials to purchase for the course.
