Course Catalogs

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2013-2014 Course Catalog
Catalog
2013-2014
Department/Program:

Sociology and Anthropology

The Bachelor of Science is advisable for those who wish to signal social science expertise with training in statistics while the Bachelor of Arts designates a blending of the social sciences with courses in the humanities for a more traditional liberal arts education.

Courses

An introduction to human biological evolution, prehistoric cultural development and nature, and linguistics.

This course reviews the origin and development of culture in preliterate human societies. It focuses on the major social institutions of family, economics, political organization, and religion.

(Normally offered each semester.)

This course deals with Latin American cultures from an anthropological perspective. It will cover stratification and its effects on indigenous populations and contemporary cultures, and the effects of culture change on them.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course examines a wide range of Native American cultures. It includes an exploration of cultures before contact by European populations and contemporary issues facing both reservation and urban Native American populations.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

This course examines selected cultures from Sub-Sahara Africa with careful attention to culture formation before contact with European culture as well as the effects of colonization and the effects of increases in technology.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course examines selected Asian cultures from an anthropological perspective, including the effects of stratification and culture change. It provides a general survey of prehistoric cultures as well as some of the issues related to Western expansion in Asia.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course is designed to examine Europe as a culture area. Specific emphasis will be on class systems, peasantry, contemporary life, and tradition and change. Although there are clearly differences among European cultures, they also share common roots in the feudal system. It will also study romance language formation and the drive for the contemporary European economic community.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course is designed to examine Europe as a culture area. Specific emphasis will be on class systems, peasantry, contemporary life, and tradition and change. Although there are clearly differences among European cultures, they also share common roots in the feudal system. It will also study romance language formation and the drive for the contemporary European economic community.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course will be an examination of the relationships between population density and the formation of political structures. It will also study contemporary peoples in Africa, India, and the Near East. It will set the stage for a discussion of some of the current political difficulties that traditional peoples face in their interactions with Western cultures from the United States and Europe.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course summarizes anthropological theories on religious systems and ritual systems. It will also examine relationships between religious systems, population density, and environment in pre-industrial societies. Ethnographic studies from pre-industrial Europe, the Near East, Polynesia, and Asia will be included.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

A course designed to treat subject matter not covered in other departmental courses or to provide study of subject matter introduced in other courses. The title, content, and credit hours will be determined by current mutual interests of faculty and students.

This course examines the relationships between economic and environmental forces in pre-industrial societies. Many contemporary pre-industrial societies are still struggling with issues centering around Communism and Capitalism. This course will trace some of those issues to their origin and point out potential scenarios for contemporary non-Western societies. African, Latin American, and Polynesian cultures will be the focus of this course.

Prerequisite(s): ANTHR 151 Cultural Anthropology or permission of the instructor.

A course designed to treat subject matter not covered in other departmental courses or to provide study of subject matter introduced in other courses. The title, content, and credit hours will be determined by current mutual interests of faculty and students.

Intensive readings in the discipline.

An opportunity for students to learn from direct experience and personal interaction guided by lectures in the field and selected readings. Students will be guided to formulate and carry out specific research and/or establish constructive relationships with the subjects.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology and ANTHR 151 Cultural Anthropology or approval of the instructor.

An opportunity for students to learn from direct experience and personal interaction guided by lectures in the field and selected readings. Students will be guided to formulate and carry out specific research and/or establish constructive relationships with the subjects.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology and ANTHR 151 Cultural Anthropology or approval of the instructor.

Supervised individual projects in conjunction with departmental research and student interest. Special Projects may not duplicate courses described in the catalog.

Prerequisite(s): Approval of the instructor.

Independent field research required for all majors.

Prerequisite(s): ANTHR 162 Political Anthropology, SOC 236 Research Methods in Social Science I, SOC 237 Research Methods in Social Science II, SOC 242 Sociological Theory, and approval of the instructor.

A survey course providing an overall view of the criminal justice system, the law, law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

The analysis of the structure-function of law enforcement and the dilemma confronting the police in relation with the community.

Prerequisite(s): CRMJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice and SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course examines the unique framework and workings of the juvenile justice system. The juvenile justice system is in the process of on-going profound changes in both legal rights and corrections. We will examine the reasons why juveniles commit crimes and status offenses. The current issues in juvenile justice such as: gangs, growth in "female" criminal involvement, and the hardening of juvenile offenders.

Prerequisite(s): CRMJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

A course designed to treat subject matter not covered in other departmental courses to provide study of subject matter introduced in other courses. The title, content, and credit hours will be determined by current mutual interests of faculty and students.

Survey of criminal law with emphasis on basic legal procedure developed by the courts and legal problems of law enforcement.

Prerequisite(s): CRMJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice and SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered every third spring semester.)

An examination of contemporary problems in crime and delinquency with emphasis upon the theories of deviant behavior and correction. Cross listed with SOC 211 Crime and Delinquency.

Prerequisite(s): CRMJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice and SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

Analysis of the history, theory, structure, and function of contemporary penal institutions. Cross listed with SOC 213 Correction and Penology.

Prerequisite(s): CRMJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice and SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered every third spring semester.)

Supervised individual projects in conjunction with departmental research and student interest. Special Projects may not duplicate courses described in the catalog.

Prerequisite(s): Approval of the instructor.

Supervised field work and study in a criminal justice institution. May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credit hours.

Prerequisite(s): Minor in criminal justice and approval of instructor.

This introductory course presents the basic processes of human interaction in everyday life while introducing students to the theories and methods governing social inquiry. The sociological perspective is used to study the impact of the forces of culture, socialization, social stratification, race, gender, and population on human thoughts and actions.

(Normally offered each semester.)

By studying the interconnections between social structure, social forces, and societal problems, students learn to apply the sociological perspective to analyze and understand selected social problems in the United States. A primary objective is to show that the social forces which produce institutional arrangements and social problems operate to shape students' own views of those arrangements and problems. Strong emphasis is placed on the relationship between culture and social inequality and the various social problems under study.

(Normally offered each year.)

An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics and their applications to sociological and social work research. Statistical procedures include central tendency measures, variability, I-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation, univariate regression, and chi square. The course also includes specific emphasis on probability, hypothesis testing, data presentation, and computer analysis of data using existing standard packages such as SPSS and MicroCase.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

An examination of population in its demographic, dynamic, and social aspects. The course also examines the problems associated with the interaction between populations and the environment. Strong cross-cultural emphasis.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

An analysis of the characteristics and problems of racial and minority groups with special emphasis on the themes of prejudice and discrimination. This course focuses primarily on race relations and minority experiences in the United States.

(Normally offered each semester.)

An analysis of various interrelationships of man and woman with emphasis on love, courtship, marriage, and family. Institutional, social, and legal perspectives are presented in a cross-cultural and historical frame of reference to elucidate the dynamic relationship between the family, its members, and broader U.S. society.

(Normally offered each semester.)

This course is designed to introduce students to the diverse relationships between minority groups of Spanish speaking ancestry and U.S. society. Mexican-American experiences will be featured along with the topics of immigration and bilingualism. The course will also cover the contributions and experiences of Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans, and people of Central and South American ancestry.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

A course designed to treat subject matter not covered in other departmental courses or to provide study of subject matter introduced in other courses. The title, content, and credit hours will be determined by current mutual interests of faculty and students.

This course introduces students to the basic principles of small group structure and interaction. Topics such as goals, cohesiveness, communication, conflict, and leadership will be investigated.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology.

(Normally offered every other year.)

An examination of contemporary problems in crime and delinquency with emphasis upon the theories of deviant behavior and correction. Cross listed with CRMJS 211 Crime and Delinquency.

Prerequisite(s): CRMJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice and SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

Analysis of the history, theory, structure, and function of contemporary penal institutions. Cross listed with CRMJS 213 Correction and Penology.

Prerequisite(s): CRMJS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice and SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered every third spring semester.)

This course will identify and explore problems that arise specifically because of the impacts of human beings on the environment, and impacts of the environment on human activity. The course will focus especially on social impact as a method systemically identifying the effects of both development and decline of communities as a consequence of changes in resource exploitation.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 115 Population, Resources, and Environment.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

Intended as a capstone course for students minoring in American Minority Studies, this seminar assumes significant prior knowledge and interest on the part of the student. It features experiential learning and strong student involvement focused on the meaning and significance of race and ethnicity. Responsibility for classroom activity will be shared by students and instructor. The course also requires field experience in the community. Topics covered include stratification, family structure, subcultural variation, religion, heritage, social psychology, interpersonal communication, and conflict resolution.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology and SOC 116 Race Relations and Minority Groups or approval of the instructor.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course explores sex and gender relations as major features of social life; it considers the social construction of gender and examines the impact of gender ideologies on the social positions of women and men. In particular, it emphasizes the inequality of women's social positions in modern societies, and the embedded gender inequality in social institutions.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course is a sociological exploration of the structure and function of the world of work. It includes an emphasis on the changing structure of the economy, the nature of work groups, the problems of labor/management relations, and gender inequality in the workforce.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This is an advanced level sociology course that uses the basic concepts, theories, and principles of sociology to analyze social inequality and its consequences in society. Emphasis is placed on the American class system and its consequences as they pertain to wealth, poverty, and social mobility. A section of the course will focus on the analysis of global inequality.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course examines the processes of social change from a sociological perspective. In particular, it looks at the origins, dynamics, and consequences of social movements such as the labor movement, civil rights, feminism, gay rights, and the environmental movement. Social movements emphasized vary with instructor.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

An examination of urban communities and societies and their historical roots. The course also examines demographic and ecological trends, cross-cultural variations, and current theories about urban processes and community in order to foster an understanding of this dominant form of human social organization.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered alternate years.)

Analysis of methods and techniques used in sociological and social work research and their relationships with theory and research design. Course content emphasizes survey research, questionnaire construction, experimental design, use of statistics, secondary analysis, and evaluation research.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

Introduction to research methods used in sociological, anthropological, and social work research. Course content includes ethnomethodology, observation, participant observation, in-depth interviewing, content analysis, case study, and single-subject research design.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 004 Social Problems.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

This course is an analysis of the major theoretical perspectives of classical and contemporary sociological theory. It is oriented toward the understanding, application, and continued development of these theoretical perspectives.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 003 Introduction to Sociology.

(Normally offered each semester.)

Intensive readings in the discipline.

Supervised individual projects in conjunction with departmental research and student interest. Special Projects may not duplicate courses described in the catalog.

Prerequisite(s): Approval of the instructor.

Supervised field work and study in conjunction with an institution. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Prerequisite(s): Approval of the instructor.

Independent field research for all majors.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 236 Research Methods in Social Science I, SOC 237 Research Methods in Social Science II, SOC 242 Sociological Theory, and approval of the instructor.