Mar 28, 2024  
Course Catalog 2014-2015 
    
Course Catalog 2014-2015 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Sociology


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Daphne A. John, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair
Rick Baldoz,  Assistant Professor of Sociology

Greggor Mattson, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Christine Parris, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Veljko Vujacic, Associate Professor of Sociology

Clovis L. White, Associate Professor of Sociology

 

Sociology is concerned with the study of social phenomena—the self, groups, community solidarity, economic and political behavior, inequality, culture and values, social organization, institutions—in societies of various types and levels of development. The question of how groups, societies, and larger social systems change or remain the same over time frames work in the discipline. The department curriculum reflects the breadth of the discipline and responds to the variety of student interests. The curriculum addresses the educational objectives of students who wish to: (1) study for advanced degrees in Sociology as preparation for careers in teaching or research; (2) apply Sociology in the professions such as law or urban planning; (3) apply Sociology in public policy or social service agency work; (4) utilize Sociology to contribute to majors in other disciplines such as psychology, anthropology, history, or political science; (5) learn the ways in which the sociological imagination can increase and enrich one’s participation in society. These different objectives may suggest different courses or combinations of courses so students thinking about majoring in the department should consult an advisor early in their decision process.

 

Major


A major in Sociology consists of the following:

  1. A minimum of 9.5 courses (nine full courses and one half course) in the department, including an introductory
    sociology course.
       a.  Required courses: 301, 302 and 303. Students are strongly advised to take these courses by the end of their
            junior year, since advanced courses assume knowledge of material covered in them. Those considering Honors
            should know that they must have completed 301 and 302 courses to be eligible for the program.
       b.  At least one course from three of the four core analytic areas (see Distribution Requirements below).
       c.  At least one seminar in Sociology.
       d.  The 9.5 courses required for the major may include only one introductory course. 
       e.  A First Year Seminar offered by a Sociology faculty counts toward the major but is not considered a substitute
            for an introductory course.
       f.  Courses in which a student has earned a letter grade lower than a C- or P cannot be used to fulfill the
           requirements of the major or minor.
     
  2. Students considering graduate or professional schools should emphasize quantitative studies and thus consider taking
    STAT 113 or STAT 114 (which can be counted toward the major).
  3. Courses in many other disciplines add strength to a major in Sociology. The particular pattern of courses chosen will vary, depending on the plans and interests of the student. The pattern should be worked out in close consultation with the major advisor.

    Distribution Requirements:
    A major in Sociology should include at least one course from three of the four analytic areas which are the basis for organization of the field (i.e. for a total of three courses).  The four core analytic areas are Social Organizations and Institutions; Social Inequality, Stratification, and Power; Microsociology/Individuals and Society; and Historical, Comparative, and Transnational Change.  Below are listed the core analytic areas and the courses both currently and previously offered, within each area.

Related Courses


The following can be counted toward the major:

Distribution Requirements


A major in Sociology should include courses from the various analytic areas which are the basis for organization of the field. The four core analytic areas are Social Organizations and Institutions; Social Inequality, Stratification, and Power; Microsociology/Individuals and Society; and Historical, Comparative, and Transnational Change. Below are listed the core analytic areas and the courses, both currently and previously offered, within each area.

Each major should take at least one course from three of the four analytic areas.

Social Organizations and Institutions


 

  • SOCI 224 - Sociology of Sport
  • SOCI 256 - Social Orders & Disorders
  • SOCI 258 - Security, Secrecy, and Spectacle:  Surveillance Society Since 9/11
  • SOCI 264 - The American Family: Comfort, Conflict and Criticism
  • SOCI 305 - Feminist Research Methodologies
  • SOCI 326 - The American Family: Comfort, Conflict and Criticism
  • SOCI 356 - Censorship and Silencing
  • SOCI 406 - Seminar:  Gender and the State in the Middle East and North Africa
  • SOCI 442 - Censorship & Silencing

 

Social Inequality, Stratification, and Power


 

  • SOCI 235 - Gender Stratification
  • SOCI 243 - Urban Sociology:  The City as a Growth Machine
  • SOCI 305 - Feminist Research Methodologies
  • SOCI 443 - Generations of Youth:  Relationship, Work, Culture, and Communication
  • SOCI 445 - Seminar in Urban Sociology:  Housing America
  • SOCI 450 - Beyond Margins versus Mainstream

 

Micro-Sociology: Individuals and Society


  • SOCI 238 - Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa
  • SOCI 450 - Beyond Margins versus Mainstream

Historical, Comparative, and Transnational Change


 

  • SOCI 220 - Cyberspace and Social Relations
  • SOCI 233 - Gender, Social Change, Social Movements
  • SOCI 238 - Gender & Sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa
  • SOCI 305 - Feminist Research Methodologies
  • SOCI 318 - Chinatown as an American Space
  • SOCI 338 - Prostitution and Social Control:  Governing Loose Women
  • SOCI 362 - Partition, War, Dislocation:  Mid-20th Century South Asia and Historic Palestine
  • SOCI 450 - Beyond Margins versus Mainstream

Minor


The minor in Sociology consists of the following:

  1. A minimum of 5 full courses in the department which must include: 
  2. An introductory course (but not more than one).
  3. Either Sociology 301/302 (Social Research Methods) or Sociology 303 (Social Theory).
  4. Courses in which a student has earned a letter grade lower than a C- or P cannot be used to fulfill the requirements of the major or minor.

Honors


The department invites a number of qualified majors to participate in the Honors Program. To be eligible, students must have completed Sociology 301/302 by the end of their junior year.  Senior Sociology Majors are asked to submit a written proposal (to the department chair) to participate in the Sociology Honors Program at the end of their junior year. Students are not formally accepted into the Honors Program until the research proposal is approved by the department. The level of Honors is determined by the thesis grade, assessment of oral presentation of the project and major GPA.

Off-Campus Programs for Credit


Students are encouraged to broaden their educational experience by taking advantage of off-campus programs, preferably sometime during their junior year. A maximum of 3 courses may be applied toward the major and require prior approval of the department. A program of special interest for Sociology majors is the GLCA Philadelphia Center.

Transfer of Credit


Students who transfer sociology courses taken at other institutions may, with the approval of the department, apply certain of such courses toward the major or minor. No transfer courses will substitue for the required Sociology 301, 302, and 303 which must be completed at Oberlin College.  The transfer of credits may be subject to the transfer of credit fee. Requests to transfer courses taken at other institutions are evaluated on an individual basis. Generally, transfer credit shall not exceed 3 full courses.

Private Reading


Students who have completed available courses in a subject may schedule a reading course in that subject during their junior or senior years. In some instances, reading courses in subjects not offered in the department may also be arranged. No more than one reading course may be scheduled in any semester, or more than two during an undergraduate program.  Each private reading course will be the equivalent of one-half course (2 credits).

First Year Seminar Courses


  • FYSP 118 - Through the Looking Glass
  • FYSP 163 - She Works Hard for the Money:  Women, Work, and the Persistence of Inequality
  • FYSP 191 - Social Justice in the US

Senior Seminars


These seminars are designed to integrate theory, methods, and the core analytical areas by linking the specific seminar topic to broader sociological issues. They serve as capstones for the sociology major.

 

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