Sociology

SOC 601. Classical Sociological Theory. 3 Credit Hours.

The focus of this course is the work of Comte, Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and Parsons, along with more recent perspectives such as symbolic interactionism, phenomenology, ethnomethodology, and critical theory.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 602. Contemporary Sociological Theory. 3 Credit Hours.

Recent developments in social theory, such as, for example, the work of Giddens, Habermas, Derrida, Bourdieu, Baudrillard, and Lyotard, along with important themes such as feminism, integration, the linguistic turn, habitus, (anti)foundationalism, and symbolic violence.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 603. Special Topic: Sociology of Knowledge-Science and Technology. 3 Credit Hours.

To address the debates over the nature of social science and technology. In addition to the theoretical disputes, the applications, critiques, and politics of scientific inquiry and technology use will be the focus of attention.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.

SOC 604. Proseminar in Sociology. 1 Credit Hour.

Introduction to Sociology: the research process, departmental resources, and the graduate program.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

SOC 609. Social Statistics. 3 Credit Hours.

Probability theory, descriptive statistics and tests of independence.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 610. Advanced Research Methods. 3 Credit Hours.

Quantitative techniques for the measurement of theoretical constructs, the consequences of technique selection, and the relationships between method and underlying theory.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 611. Advanced Sociological Statistical Analysis I. 3 Credit Hours.

Multivariate analyses of quantitative data using statistical methods with a primary focus on ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis using normal and limited dependent variables. Additional topics may include logit, probit and other nonlinear models (e.g., categorical dependent variables, count dependent variables), path models, simultaneous equation models, and panel data models. Some topics may not be covered; others may be added at the discretion of the instructor.
Prerequisite: SOC 609 and SOC 610 and graduate student standing or permission of the instructor.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

SOC 612. Sociological Statistics II. 3 Credit Hours.

Advanced statistical analysis techniques covering topics such as hierarchical linear models (HLM), structural equation models (SEM), instrumental variables (IV), factor analysis, propensity score matching (PSM), and nonparametric methods. Some topics may not be covered and others may be added at the discretion of the instructor.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 613. Qualitative Research Methods. 3 Credit Hours.

In-depth introduction to qualitative, inductive methods, with emphases on grounded theory and action research. Focus on qualitative interviewing (including focus groups) and participant observation for the collection of data in naturalistic social settings, with simultaneous data analysis; qualitative methods in mixed-methods research introduced. Covers ties between methods and theory, additional basic methods used in qualitative research, and typical analytic approaches; touch on more esoteric methods; study current issues and debates relevant to this set of approaches to generating knowledge.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 614. Evaluation Research. 3 Credit Hours.

Conceptualizing, designing, conducting, and interpreting the results of evaluation research programs in health and human service agencies.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 615. Class Structure and Social Stratification. 3 Credit Hours.

Theoretical and research approaches to class structure and social stratification, with a focus on the U.S. Examines the conflict perspective(s) and major alternative views including economic class, status and power, gender and race.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 616. Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives. 3 Credit Hours.

Theories and research addressing the mutual influence between social groups and structures, on the one hand, and individual selves and behaviors, on the other. Balance emphasis between symbolic interactionist and structural approaches, with attention to additional related, yet distinct theoretical perspectives.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 617. Social Organization. 3 Credit Hours.

Examines theories of organization and work, discrimination, technology and job design, bureaucracy, productivity and organizational culture, responsible organizations, and alienation.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 620. Social Epidemiology. 3 Credit Hours.

Theories, issues and methods of study pertinent to health and illness in society. Social factors implicated in patterns of disease occurrence.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 622. Teaching Seminar in Sociology. 3 Credit Hours.

Pedagogical techniques for teaching sociology at the college/university level.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

SOC 632. Social Psychology of Health and Illness. 3 Credit Hours.

Social and psychological factors affecting susceptibility to illness, health related beliefs and behaviors, the doctor-patient relationship, and health care systems and patient compliance.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 635. Medical Sociology: Issues in Research and Theory.. 3 Credit Hours.

Examination of health, illness, and health care from sociological perspectives. Includes social-structural, interpretive, and critical approaches, as various authors have used these to address specific issues. Phenomena to be examined range from macro (e.g. population patterns of mortality and morbidity, health care policy) to micro (e.g. the subjective experience of illness). Related theories and methodologies discussed. Focus varies somewhat by instructor and as issues emerge in the discipline.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 636. Health Diversity Across the Life Course. 3 Credit Hours.

Diversity in health across the life course from broad sociological and cross-disciplinary theoretical traditions. Key questions in medical sociology will be addressed to discover the impact of the life course processes on the health or vitality of diverse individuals and diverse populations, with a focus on inequality and the elements of time and history.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 650. Social Analysis of Race Relations. 3 Credit Hours.

The impact of race relations research on the discipline of sociology.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 651. Race Relations: Social Psychological Perspectives. 3 Credit Hours.

Social psychological perspectives on the nature, causes, and consequences of racial inequality in American society.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 652. Theories of Race and Ethnic Relations. 3 Credit Hours.

Micro- and macro-level theories of race and ethnic relations.
Components: DIS.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 653. Race, Ideology, and Framing Inequality. 3 Credit Hours.

Examines the various ideologies that have emerged on the limited states to describe and, at times, resist racial inequality.
Components: LEC.
Grading: SUS.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 670. Theories in Criminology and Criminal Justice. 3 Credit Hours.

Review and critique of central criminological theories. Evaluation of these theories in view of recent criminological research.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 671. Seminar on Criminology. 3 Credit Hours.

Selected issues, topics, theories, and recent research in criminology.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 672. Research in Crime and Delinquency. 3 Credit Hours.

Measurement issues; effects of race, gender, age, and socio-economic status on criminality; extra-legal factors affecting criminal justice decision making.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 673. The Criminal Justice System. 3 Credit Hours.

Introduction to the U.S. criminal justice system. Topics include historical and current concepts of criminal justice, the interrelationships among the different components of the system, and the roles and functions of the system in American society. The four major areas covered include philosophies of punishment, policing, courts, and corrections.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

SOC 674. Seminar on Policing. 3 Credit Hours.

The role of the police in American society. The focus is on the sociological study of policing: the analysis and evaluation of research. Topics include the history of the police, their role in American society and in the American system of criminal justice. In addition, drawing upon current research studies, discussion and critique of important issues and trends in modem policing.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Summer.

SOC 675. Courts, Corrections and Punishment. 3 Credit Hours.

A broad overview of criminal court systems, sentencing, and corrections. Sociological, criminological, and sociolegal perspectives are drawn upon to blend both theoretical and policy perspectives in order to examine these systems critically. Particular attention will be given to the topics of racial, gender, and class disparities in criminal justice punishment. The course is organized around these themes: 1) theories of punishment and social control; 2) court organizations, actors, and sentencing 3) incarceration, and 4) other correctional populations, including probation and parole
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

SOC 676. Seminar on Juvenile Delinquency. 3 Credit Hours.

The overall objective is to provide students with an understanding of the current research and knowledge on juvenile delinquency. Topics include the nature and extent of delinquency, the social causes of juvenile delinquency, and assess research concerning social factors leading to delinquency. In addition, students will study current thinking and research concerning the control and prevention of delinquency.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.

SOC 677. Criminology and Public Policy. 3 Credit Hours.

Various issues in crime and criminal justice policy and the role of criminological theory and research in addressing them are discussed. Topics will include trends in crime rates, guns and violence, gangs, drugs and crime, policing, courts and sentencing, community corrections and offender re-entry, capital punishment, and environmental criminology. Emphasis is on understanding implications of theoretical criminology for criminal justice practice and on examining the role of scientific research and empirical evidence in addressing the issues in crime and justice. Various crime control strategies and crime prevention programs and their effectiveness and challenges to their implementation are covered. Special topics will vary by instructor.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.

SOC 679. Communities and Crime. 3 Credit Hours.

Examination of various aspects of the relationships between communities, crime, and crime control. Major theoretical traditions - such as social disorganization theory, routine activities theory, and broken windows - are addressed. The roles of neighborhood structure and process, and their relationships with various forms of crime and policing, are covered.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.

SOC 680. Race/Ethnicity, Crime and Criminal Justice. 3 Credit Hours.

An in-depth examination of the relationships involving race, ethnicity, immigration; crime; and the criminal justice system. Topics include why these are important issues to study, how and what we know about these relationships, and how we might explain them. Attention is directed to research on defining race and ethnicity, racial and ethnic variations in criminal victimization and offending, population distributions, policing, the court system and sentencing, corrections, and the death penalty. The approach will primarily be sociological, although where appropriate other disciplines (e.g., political science, history) will be drawn on as well.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Summer.

SOC 681. Sociology of Violence. 3 Credit Hours.

Seminar on issues relevant to the sociology of violence, with a focus on violence in the United States. While the emphasis throughout will be on street violence (i.e., homicide, robbery, rape, and aggravated assault), other forms of violence (e.g., corporate violence, family violence) will also be covered. In particular, we will examine violence in historical, international, and situational contexts, the major explanations of it, the factors associated with it, and efforts to control and prevent violence.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Summer.

SOC 682. Alcohol, Drugs, and Crime. 3 Credit Hours.

Exploration of different categories of illegal drugs and review their basic psychopharmacology, the sociological constructions of the dangers of drug use, the racialization of drug use and connections with "dangerous classes" of people, and the social consequences of America's particular brand of social control. The goals are to present these issues in all their complexity and explore some of the repercussions of addressing them in the ways that the US has chosen.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Summer.

SOC 683. Comparative Criminal Justice Systems. 3 Credit Hours.

Focus is on understanding crime and justice issues from a comparative, cross-national standpoint. Extant definitions of crime and deviance are placed in cultural contexts, existing methods of studying crime on a global scale, and various types of criminal behavior that occur in isolated group contexts as well as those crimes that transcend country boundaries are discussed. Topics will include genocide, transnational organized crime, human trafficking, and international terrorism. Criminal justice systems from select countries around the world and their responses to both localized and transnational crime are reviewed. Critical comparative analysis of crime and justice issues is emphasized. The final research paper will require integrating theory, methods, and scholarly writing using a global perspective.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

SOC 684. Advances in Criminological Theory and Its Testing. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is a graduate seminar that focuses on advances in criminological theory and its testing. Its goals include exposure to the most recent theoretical developments in criminological theory and the strongest and most up-to-date empirical research being done on the various theories as well as shedding light on important methodological and analytical issues in criminological theory and research. We will review many theoretical articles and research studies to help you understand how criminologists develop testable hypotheses, find appropriate methods and data to test these hypotheses, and present results to scholarly community. During this seminar, you will also develop a research project and write a research paper reflecting experience in conducting research on crime, connecting advances in theory and its testing to one’s own research agenda and current projects as well as in writing publishable manuscripts. Overall, this course should further your understanding of multiple challenges faced by theory-driven research, enhance your ability to conduct independent criminological research that is theoretically relevant, contribute to your preparation for a comprehensive exam on criminology, and, ultimately, assist you in the pursuit of becoming a superior professional and intellectual.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 690. Directed Studies. 1-3 Credit Hours.

Individually supervised readings or research on special topics. Offered by arrangement with the instructor.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 691. Special Topics and Current Issues in Medical Sociology. 1-3 Credit Hours.

Seminar topics will be announced in schedule of classes.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 692. Special Topics and Current Issues in Criminology. 1-3 Credit Hours.

Seminar topics will be announced in schedule of classes.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 693. Special Topics and Current Issues in Race/Ethnic Relations. 1-3 Credit Hours.

Seminar topics will be announced in schedule of classes.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

SOC 791. Graduate Internship and Paper. 6 Credit Hours.

Internships are intended to provide students with meaningful work experiences related to their professional interests. This is especially the case for students who are not yet employed in positions related to criminology and/or criminal justice. The internship period should provide the student with the opportunity to examine a criminal justice-related agency or organization, its various roles and functions, and to participate in work experiences related lo that agency's goals and purposes. The academic goal is to provide integration of theoretical concepts in criminology and criminal justice with the demands and constraints imposed within a professional work role. For students the internship represents an opportunity to achieve this integration and to acquire experience in the area in which they have been academically trained. Students who elect to take the internship and required paper will complete approximately 300 hours of work with an agency and will complete an approximately 30 page paper.
SOC 791 18 hr requirement.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

SOC 810. Master's Thesis. 1-6 Credit Hours.

The student working on his/her master's thesis enrolls for credit, in most departments not to exceed six, as determined by his/her advisor. Credit is not awarded until the thesis has been accepted.
Components: THI.
Grading: SUS.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.

SOC 820. Research in Residence. 1 Credit Hour.

Used to establish research in residence for the thesis for the master's degree after the student has enrolled for the permissible cumulative total in SOC 710 (usually six credits). Credit not granted. May be regarded as full time residence.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.

SOC 830. Pre-Candidacy Doctoral Dissertation. 1-12 Credit Hours.

Required of all candidates for the Ph.D. The student will enroll for credit as determined by his/her advisor, but not for more than 6 hours. Up to 6 hours may be taken in a regular semester or in a summer session.
Components: THI.
Grading: SUS.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.

SOC 840. Post-Candidacy Doctoral Dissertation. 1-12 Credit Hours.

Required of all candidates for the Ph.D. who have advanced to candidacy. The student will enroll for credit as determined by his/her advisor, but not for less than a total of 12.
Components: THI.
Grading: SUS.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.

SOC 850. Research in Residence. 1 Credit Hour.

Used to establish research in residence for the Ph.D. after the student has been enrolled for the permissible cumulative total in appropriate doctoral research. Credit not granted. May be regarded as full-time residence as determined by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Components: THI.
Grading: SUS.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.