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Course Catalog 2010-2011 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Sociology
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 Return to: College of Arts and Sciences
Veljko Vujacic, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair
Rick Baldoz, Vst. Assistant Professor of Sociology
Pawan Dhingra, Associate Professor of Sociology
Daphne A. John, Associate Professor of Sociology
Greggor Mattson, Assistant 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.
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Major
A major in Sociology consists of:
- A minimum of 30 hours in the department, including an introductory sociology course.
- Required courses: 210/211 and 282. 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 both courses to be eligible for the program.
- At least one course from three of the four core analytic areas (see Distribution Requirements below).
- At least one seminar in Sociology.
- The 30 hours required for the major may include only one introductory course.
- First Year Seminars count towards the major but is not considered an introductory course.
- All courses for the major must be passed with grades of C-/CR/P or better.
- Students considering graduate or professional schools should emphasize quantitative studies and thus consider taking MATH 113 or MATH 114 (which can be counted toward the major).
- 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.
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 201 - Transnational Development
- SOCI 258 - Security, Secrecy, and Spectacle: Surveillance Society Since 9/11
- SOCI 271 - Sociology of Law and Legal Institutions
- SOCI 273 - Criminology, Delinquency, and Legal Policy
- SOCI 304 - Loose Canons: Constructing the Classics in Law and Society
- SOCI 326 - The American Family: Comfort, Conflict and Criticism
- SOCI 331 - Torts, Trials and Trouble
- SOCI 356 - Censorship and Silencing
- SOCI 365 - Law, Literature, and Society
- SOCI 406 - Seminar: Gender and the State in the Middle East and North Africa
- SOCI 442 - Censorship & Silencing
- SOCI 446 - Seminar: The City and Social and Environmental Policy
- SOCI 472 - Sociology of Law Seminar, a.k.a. Breakfast and the Law
Social Inequality, Stratification, and Power
- SOCI 235 - Gender Stratification
- SOCI 305 - Feminist Research Methodologies
- SOCI 443 - Generations of Youth
- SOCI 450 - Beyond Us vs. Them: How We Manage Contradictory Catagories
Micro-Sociology: Individuals and Society
- SOCI 407 - Seminar in Social Psychology: Racial and Ethnic Identities
Historical, Comparative, and Transnational Change
- SOCI 203 - Desire to be Modern: Sociology of Sexuality
- SOCI 220 - Cyberspace and Social Relations
- SOCI 233 - Gender, Social Change, Social Movements
- SOCI 293 - Civil Society, Social Movements, and American Democracy
- SOCI 305 - Feminist Research Methodologies
- SOCI 318 - Chinatown as an American Space
- SOCI 330 - Global Feminisms
Minor
The minor in Sociology consists of the following:
- A minimum of 15 hours in the department, including credit for at least four courses.
- An introductory course. The 15 hours include one introductory course, but no more than one.
- Either Sociology 211 (Social Research Methods) or Sociology 282 (Social Theory).
- All courses for the minor must be passed with grades of C–/CR/P or better.
Honors
The department invites a number of qualified majors to participate in the Honors Program. To be eligible, students must have completed the two required courses, 211 and 282. Usually candidates for Honors devote from three to five hours to independent work in each of their last two semesters and submit a written thesis. 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 may elect to enroll in Junior Honors, with the consent of a faculty member, in order to conduct preliminary research for the Honor’s proposal. 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 nine credit hours of such work may be applied toward the major and requires prior approval of the department. Programs of interest include the Europe in Transition Program and the GLCA Philadelphia Center. Transfer of Credit
Students who transfer credits in regular sociology courses taken at other institutions may, with the approval of the department, apply certain of such courses toward the major. The transfer of credits may be subject to the transfer of credit fee. Transfer student requests for credit for courses taken at their previous institutions are evaluated on an individual basis. Generally, transfer credit shall not exceed nine credit hours. 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. First Year Seminar Courses
Introductory Courses
Any of the following courses serves as a prerequisite for upper-level courses.
Survey Courses in Specializations
Advanced Courses in Specializations
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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