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Sociology (SOC)

Major: A minimum of nine course credits, including eight in Sociology, which include SOC 101, 387, 398; a minimum of two courses in one of the three subfields, and a minimum of one course in each of the other subfields; and one statistics course (INT 201 or MAT 347-348). The three subfields are: Hierarchy and Inequality (SOC 248, 343, 348, 366, 376); Social Organization and Social Control (SOC 255, 314, 337, 362, 365, 370); Socialization, the Life Course, and Small Group Behavior (SOC 273, 361). Selected topics may also fulfill subfield requirements. See Topics Courses.

Students planning to attend graduate school are encouraged to include an individual research project (SOC 290/390 or 485) in their major. Students planning careers in human services are encouraged to include an internship (SOC 280/380) in their major. One course credit in individualized research (SOC 290/390 or 485) or one course credit in internship (SOC 280/380) may count toward the major. Not more than two 200-level courses may be counted toward the minimum eight course Sociology requirement.

Note: Students may not combine a major in Sociology with the joint major in Sociology and Anthropology.

Teaching Major: Same as above. In addition to the foregoing requirements, prospective teachers must also apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program (preferably at the start of their sophomore year) and complete a second major in Secondary Education described under Education. Prospective teachers should request a current list of the specific teaching major course requirements from the Education Office.

Second Teaching Area in Sociology: The following program in conjunction with a teaching major in Anthropology (individualized major), Economics and Business, History, Politics, or Psychology will enable the student to apply for licensure to teach both the major subject and Sociology: four course credits in Sociology approved by the chair of the Department.

Minor: A minimum of six course credits in Sociology which include SOC 101, 387, 398, and one course selected from each of the three subfields (Hierarchy and Inequality; Social Organization and Social Control; and Socialization, the Life Course, and Small Group Behavior). SOC 280/380, 290/390, and 485 may not be counted toward the minor. Note: The Sociology minor is not available to students with a Sociology and Anthropology major.

101. Sociological Perspectives: Structure, Diversity, and Interaction
Analyzing social life in order to understand the relationship between ourselves and the world around us. Consideration of the major areas of sociological investigation; social organization and control of behavior; race, gender, and class stratification; and socialization and the life course of individuals. Emphasis on the United States and industrial societies. Not open to seniors without permission of the instructor. (Social Science)

248. Contemporary Native Americans
Distinctive aspects of Native American tribes and analysis of the ways in which contemporary tribal cultures are influenced by their unique relationship with the federal government. An analysis of treaty rights, the nature of tribal self-determination, and the goals of current tribal activism. Topics covered include tribal efforts to control reservation development, to protect sacred environments, and to preserve tribal cultures. Alternate years. Prerequisite: SOC 101. (Social Science) OLSON [Hierarchy]

255. Media and the Public Mind
An examination of the underlying organization of the broadcast, print, and electronic media and their role in shaping perceptions, ideologies, and behavior. Special emphasis given to the news, advertising, public opinion, new information technologies, and the political economy of the media. Prerequisite: SOC 101. (Social Science) BARNES-BRUS [Organization]

256 through 260. Topics in Sociology
Selected topics of current interest in sociology. See Topics Courses.

273. Families in Social Context
The family in the United States as an institution and social system, including consideration of families in historical perspective, class and ethnic variations in family life, and contemporary problems and directions of change. Alternate years. Prerequisite: SOC 101. (Social Science) DAVIS [Small Group]

280/380. Internship: see Courses 280/380.

290/390. Individual Project: see Courses 290/390.

314. Community
Explores different types of communities in the U.S. and contemplates the influence of politics, economics, and culture within them. Analyzes Americans' understanding of a `sense of community', explores concerns over declining community involvement, efforts at community development, and the role of community for individuals, the nation, and the world in which we live. Prerequisite: SOC 101. Not open to students who have completed SOC 313 (Urban Community). (Social Science) BARNES-BRUS [Organization]

343. Women: Oppressions and Resistances
Consideration of gender inequality as lived reality and locus of struggle. Topics include: cross-cultural analysis of issues of control and liberation in women's work; sexualized/racial violence in war, slavery, and domestic service; origins of gender inequality in Christian West; women's resistances in civil rights, indigenous, and development struggles. Prerequisite: SOC 101. Alternate years. (Social Science) OLSON [Hierarchy]

348. Race and Ethnic Relations
Various theoretical perspectives on race and ethnic relations, focusing on the United States. Topics include assimilation, ethnic conflict and U.S. immigration policy, the history of the civil rights, treaty rights and migrant farm worker struggles, and signs of change in contemporary race and ethnic relations. Prerequisite: SOC 101 or EST 123. (Social Science) OLSON [Hierarchy]

350 through 360. Advanced Topics in Sociology
Selected topics of current interest in sociology. See Topics Courses. Prerequisite: SOC 101.

361. Crime and Deviance
Criminal and non-criminal deviance from the sociological perspective, considering the social causes of and societal reaction to deviant behavior. Prerequisite: SOC 101. Offered subject to availability of faculty. (Social Science) [Small Group]

362. Criminal Justice
Analysis of the criminal justice system in the U.S., including consideration of the police, the courts, and correctional institutions. Focus on contemporary problems and reform movements. Prerequisite: SOC 101. Offered subject to availability of faculty. (Social Science) [Organization]

365. Sexualities
Investigates sexuality as a social phenomenon, encompassing a broad range of emotions, actions, identities, and communities. Examines the social organization of sexuality and social control over sexual behavior. Topics include the historical development of sexual norms in the United States, lesbian and gay activism, sex work, pornography, the sexual behavior of teens, and reproduction. Prerequisite: SOC 101. (Social Science) DAVIS [Organization]

366. Gender and Social Institutions
Examines gender from a sociological standpoint, exploring a number of theoretical perspectives and looking explicitly at how the social world shapes our knowledge, interpretation, and performance of gender. Considers the influence of social structures and institutions on gender roles at work, in the law, in education, and for interpersonal relationships. Prerequisite: SOC 101. Alternate years. (Social Science) DAVIS [Hierarchy]

370. Religion, Spirituality, and Community
Examines the religious experience; the provision of meaning and belonging; religious commitment and conversion; official and nonofficial religion; the dynamics of religious collectivities; religion, cohesion, and conflict; religion and social inequality; and religious movements and social change. Topics may include women's spirituality and modern witchcraft communities, Native Americans and the sacred earth, voodoo and the mystical experience, civil rights, and faith-based social change. Prerequisite: SOC 101. Alternate years. Same course as REL 375. (Social Science) OLSON [Organization]

376. Civil Rights and Western Racism
Examination of the modern Civil Rights Movement. Consideration of the development of the movement through social protest and legal action, goals of the movement from integration to Black Power, and factors involved in emergence of the movement including the development of a Western racial worldview and the emergence of anti-colonial movements worldwide. Prerequisite: SOC 101. Alternate years. (Social Science) OLSON [Hierarchy]

387. Research Design and Data Analysis
Basic methods in sociological research, including an examination and evaluation of specific research procedures and basic statistics. Prerequisites: two courses in Sociology, including SOC 101, and one statistics course (INT 201 or MAT 347-348). (Social Science)

398. Sociological Theory
Classical theories of social structure and social change, focused on the works of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. Prerequisites: SOC 101 and one 300-level Sociology course. (Social Science) OLSON

485. Readings/Research in Sociology (1/2-1)
Student-designed individual research in selected areas. May be repeated for credit; however, no more than one term of 485 may be counted toward the Sociology major or the Sociology and Anthropology major. Prerequisites: two courses in Sociology, including SOC 101. (OP)

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