Sociology Courses
Soc 509 Research Methods (3)
Theory construction and verification, use of statistics in social research, qualitative research techniques, sampling, measurement, data collection and analysis, policy research, and use of computer in research. A research paper is required. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study or consent of instructor.
Soc 510 Sociological Theories I (3)
Developmental and comparative survey of classical sociological theories. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study or consent of instructor.
Soc 515 (Wss 515) Global Politics of Women's Bodies (3-4)
This course is a critical examination of the politics of women’s bodies across national boundaries, in diverse cultures, and in relation to pressing social forces, such as militarization, economic globalization, religious fundamentalisms, colonial legacies, and global policies with health and environmental impacts. Ideas, practices, and policies affecting women’s bodies in different countries will be examined not only in relation to particular cultural milieus, but also in connection to more global trends, including historical, economic, social, and political linkages among countries. Possible topics include embodiment and social suffering; transnational sexualities; reproductive politics; beauty and the media; bodies as sites of violence; women’s bodies, racism, and colonialism; embodiment and political protest; bodily scars of neoliberalism; environment, health, and disability; and transnational activism centered on women’s bodies.
Soc 511 Sociological Theories II (3)
Survey of recent developments in sociological theory. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study or consent of instructor.
Soc 522 Intermediate Statistics for Sociologists (3)
Review of basic statistical theory and its sociological applications: descriptive statistics, probability, sampling, distributions, parametric and nonparametric statistics, analysis of variance and multiple regression. Prerequisites: Admission to graduate study and an undergraduate statistics course or consent of instructor.
Soc 523 Applied Qualitative Research Methods (3)
This course is designed to familiarize you with, and prepare you to use, qualitative social science research methods in applied research settings. Through a combination of readings, lecture, discussion, and hands-on practice, you will learn how, when, and why to use the techniques of in-depth interviewing, focus groups, observation, and content analysis, as well as how to analyze and report on the findings of qualitative data. Throughout the course, you will hear from guest speakers who use qualitative research in their careers, and regular in-class and take-home lab assignments will give you the opportunity to practice the skills that you will need to perform qualitative research in applied settings. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or Soc 220 with a B+ or higher grade.
Soc 524 (Gog 505, Pln 554) Social Science Data Analysis and Visualization with R (3)
Students will learn how to use R to explore, analyze and visualize data in the context of applied social science research. This course is open to exceptional undergraduate students who completed Soc 221 (Mat 108, APsy 210, or Crj 281) with a B+ or better grade. No prior experience using R is required.
Soc 525 Data Management (3)
An overview of tools and strategies to manage data for social research using the R programming language. Topics include data exploration, cleaning, normalization, merging, and visualization. This course will be open to both MA students and PhD students. Basic proficiency with statistical software required (SAS, STATA, SPSS, or R).
Soc 535 Qualitative Research Techniques (3)
Participant observation, interviewing, analysis of personal documents, sociological inferences from literature and arts, and sociological use of historical sources. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study or consent of instructor.
Soc 540 (Pad 566, Pln 540, Pos 540) Urban Policy in the United States (3)
A research seminar on federal, state, and local policies toward the contemporary city. Evaluation of alternative conceptions of federalism, government intervention vs. market processes, and the political economy of growth. Case studies of current policy issues.
Soc 549 Social Psychology (3)
Review of major perspectives in social psychology, including role theory, social exchange, symbolic interactionism, and others. Attention will focus on such concepts as self-attitude, interaction, stress, and socialization.
Soc 551 Demography (3)
Review of basic demographic principles concerning population growth, composition, and distribution. Introduction to sources of demographic information and techniques for the analysis of fertility, mortality, migration, and population composition.
Soc 552 Demographic Techniques (3)
Overview of basic methods and data sources for the analysis of demographic processes. Topics include measures of fertility, mortality and migration, life tables, demographic standardization, population estimates and projections, and stable and stationary populations. Prerequisite: Soc 551.
Soc 553 Social Stratification (3)
Causes and consequences of inequality in society. Universal and variable features of systems of institutionalized inequality. Contrasting sociological approaches to the study of inequality. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study or consent of instructor.
Soc 555 Social Interaction Processes (3)
Interaction in small groups and face-to-face encounters. Topics include the organization of conversation, nonverbal communication, self- presentation, interpersonal attraction, conflict, influence, and power. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study or consent of instructor.
Soc 560 (Wss 560) Families (3)
Introduction to research literature on families, with emphasis on contemporary industrialized societies and on diversity among family types. Topics include theoretical perspectives, formation and dissolution, interaction and power, economic issues, parent-child relations, extended family, and family policy.
Soc 575 Ethnicity and Race (3)
The role of ethnicity and race in contemporary societies, with a particular focus on the United States. An examination of key issues such as immigration, ethnic and racial inequality, assimilation, ethnic cultures and communities. Prerequisite: Admission to program.
Soc 576 (Lcs 509) International Migration and Transnationalism (3)
This course is designed for graduate students seeking a deeper understanding of the processes of international migration and transnationalism. It addresses major conceptual and methodological tools that are being employed in the study of migration and transnationalism. It discusses, among others, the following issues: Why do people move internationally following certain patterns? Why and how do they develop transnational relations? How do migration and transnationalism relate to economic, cultural, political and social processes, and social agency including policymaking? What are the gender, class, and ethnic logic shaping these processes and being shaped by them? What are the global, regional, national, and individual implications of migration and transnationalism? What are the implications for households and enterprises?
Soc 590A,B Orientation to Sociology (0-1,0-1)
Required of all first-year graduate students in sociology. Orients students to the field and the department and acquaints them with the particular research interests of faculty members.
Soc 598 Independent Research in Sociology (1-4)
Investigation of a specific area under guidance of a faculty member. Prerequisites: Admission to graduate study and consent of instructor.
Soc 601 Social Deviance (3)
Major sociological perspectives on deviance: e.g., labeling, anomie, conflict, and functional and social support approaches. Integration of these perspectives; construction of more general models of deviance. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study.
Soc 602 Research Issues in the Sociology of Deviance (3)
Empirically testing theories of deviance. Methodological issues in theory testing, problems in formulating theories into testable models. Review of deviance research bearing on each of the major theories.
Soc 603 (E Epl 605, E Soc 632) Microsociology of Education and Educational Leadership (3)
Concepts and theories from sociology and social psychology selected for their relevance to organizational behavior. Stresses the relations between research findings and application to organizational problems. Topics include individual differences, attitude formation and change, perception, motivation, influence processes, and group formation as they affect both individuals and educational organizations.
Soc 604 (E Epl 604, E Soc 631) Macrosociology of Education and Educational Leadership
The leadership of schools and school systems from the perspective of sociology. The relationships between education and other societal subsystems are treated in historical and comparative perspective. Particular attention is given to the nexus between schools, the economy, the polity, and systems of social stratification.
Soc 605A,B Internship (4,4)
Intensive supervised field and/or teaching experience in the process of applying sociological theory and prior substantive conclusions to social practice or instructional situations. Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program in sociology.
Soc 606 Teaching Sociology (3)
Preparation to teach, including but not limited to teaching philosophies and techniques, syllabus construction, classroom management, and assessment of student learning. Includes co-teaching an undergraduate course with a faculty person, by mutual consent, which involves participating in all phases of teaching the course.
Soc 607 Demography Internships (3)
An introduction to the computer analysis of demographic data, particularly U.S. census data. Includes involvement in on-going research at the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis or the State Data Center. Prerequisites: Soc 551 and Soc 552.
Soc 609 Multivariate Analysis (3)
A detailed exposition of the "general linear model," including ordinary and generalized least squares solutions. Multi-equation models will also be covered. Prerequisite: Soc 509 or consent of instructor.
Soc 622 Selected Topics in Multivariate Analysis (3)
Covers one or more advanced topics in multivariate statistical methods, including logit/probit models, log-linear models, structural equation models, LISREL, factor analysis, time-series analysis, and event history analysis. Prerequisite: Soc 522 or consent of instructor.
Soc 627 Urbanization (3)
Major perspectives on the urbanization process. Cross-cultural comparisons of urban growth and its impact on social and cultural change. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study.
Soc 642 Sociology of Work (3)
The organization of work. The relationship of work to other aspects of society. The impact of work experience on individuals.
Soc 644 (Wss 644) Global Gender Inequalities (3)
Using feminist theories and research drawn from sociology, political economy, demography, and development studies, the course examines a variety of gender-related international issues including the topics of survival (health, reproductive rights, education, war); population issues (sex ratios, female headed households); economics (informal economy, micro-enterprises, export processing, tourism, migration, transition economies); politics and policies; and social movements (nationalism, environmental movements, women’s movements, lesbian and gay movements). Special emphasis is placed on how global economic and political transformations affect women.
Soc 645 (Wss 645) Selected Topics Gender Research (3)
Intensive investigation of theories and research findings pertaining to a specific topic in the area of sociology of gender, such as feminization of poverty, gender and politics, women's role in economic development, reproductive technology, gender and aging, and work and family roles. Topics will be announced. May be repeated for credit.
Soc 646 Intersections: Race, Gender, Class, Sexuality (3)
Introduction to the conceptual, methodological and “real-world” implications of race, gender, class and sexuality. Review of, and practice with, intersectional frameworks. Analysis of four overlapping arenas: media, education, family and paid work.
Soc 661 Political Sociology (3)
Sociological analysis of political systems; place of political institutions within the social structure; social movements and their political impact; political parties, ideologies, and political symbols. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study.
Soc 662 Sociology of Aging (3)
Sociological aspects of aging: the position of older persons in society; cultural variations in age stratification; the impact of aging on the individual. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study.
Soc 665 Special Topics in Demography (3)
Focuses on data, methods, theories, and research findings pertaining to a subfield of demography, such as fertility, mortality, migration, race and ethnic groups, and techniques of demographic analysis. May be repeated for credit.
Soc 666 Selected Topics in Sociology (3)
May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study.
Soc 680 Seminar in Sociology (4)
Conferences, field studies, investigations, and individual assignments leading to the preparation of a research paper. Prerequisites: A minimum of 9 hours of sociology and consent of instructor.
Soc 691 Directed Readings in Sociology (1-4)
Supervised readings in sociology designed to meet the particular needs of students in graduate programs. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Soc 693 Studies in Specialized Areas I (1-3)
Supervised readings to give students mastery over the literature in the area of a student’s first specialty examination. Prerequisite: Consent of Graduate Chair
Soc 698 Independent Research in Sociology (1-4)
Investigation of a specific area under guidance of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Admission to graduate study and consent of instructor.
Soc 699 Master's Thesis in Sociology (2-6)
Research leading to an acceptable thesis for the Master's Degree in Sociology. Prerequisites: Admission to the master's program in sociology and consent of the chair of the student's thesis committee.
Soc 701 Selected Topics Seminar in Comparative Sociology (3)
Course will cover the design and contribution of comparative studies in one or more of the following areas of sociology: the transition to capitalism, development and world systems, state formation, class formation, social policy, revolution, social movements, and other topics.
Soc 708 Selected Topics in Methodology (3)
Intensive investigation of a specific topic, to be announced by instructor. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Soc 609 or Soc 622 or permission of the instructor.
Soc 793 Studies in Specialized Areas II (1-3)
Supervised readings to give students mastery over the literature in the area of a student’s first specialty examination. Prerequisite: Consent of Graduate Chair
Soc 798 Independent Research in Sociology (1-4)
Investigation of a specific area under guidance of a faculty member. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate study and consent of instructor.
Soc 899 Doctoral Dissertation (1)
Required of all candidates completing the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology. Prerequisite: Completion of all course work toward the doctoral degree in sociology. Registration for this course is limited to doctoral students who have been admitted to candidacy. Course grading is Load Only and does not earn credit.
