|
CHAIR: ALESSANDRO
BONANNO
NAVIGATION: Core
Courses | Areas of Specialization
| Required Courses | Sociology
Major BA | Sociology Major BS | Sociology
Minor | Course Descriptions
FACULTY: Ardovini-Brooker,
Bailey, Bates,
Bennett, Constance,
Deng
Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and
the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists
investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies,
and how people interact within these contexts. The subject
matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to the
hostile mob, from organized crime to religious cults, from
the divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared
beliefs of a common culture, and from the sociology of the
environment to the sociology of sports. Because sociology
addresses the most challenging issues of our time, it is
a rapidly expanding field whose potential is tapped by those
who craft policies and create programs.
Students receive instruction in classical and contemporary
sociological theory, qualitative and quantitative techniques
of sociological investigation, and major substantive areas
in the field. The primary objective of the curriculum is
to provide students with the scientific tools to understand
the functioning of society, study social phenomena, and acquire
the necessary skills to enter the global labor market. The
Department focuses on the study of the Globalization
of the Economy and Society. Students are encouraged
to participate in research projects and extra-curricular
activities designed to foster critical sociological thinking
and knowledge of today’s world.
Instruction in general sociology is complemented by specialization
in three substantive areas. Students can select to concentrate
their undergraduate curriculum in Change, Economy and Society;
Culture and Social Institutions; or Inequality and Society.
Change, Economy and Society explores the relationships between
society and the economy, patterns of change in the global
society, the environment, social movements, and the organization
of urban and rural societies. Culture and Social Institutions
focuses on culture, social institutions such as the family
and religion, and courses which analyze the most relevant
social problems in today’s society. Inequality and
Society examines social inequality, gender and inequality,
age and inequality, race and ethnic inequality, and complex
organizations.
The department offers the Bachelor of Arts degree, the Bachelor
of Science degree, and a minor in Sociology.
Students who major or minor in Sociology may take courses
abroad through the SHSU
Field School in Italy. Internship possibilities include
work with the City of Huntsville and social services organizations
throughout the area. Students in the Sociology Club are introduced
to the profession of Sociology through activities including
research opportunities, volunteer work, organization of special
events, participation in professional meetings, and programs
highlighting speakers of note in the many interest areas of
Sociology. The Sociology Club also actively supports the Sociology
Scholarship fund. For information contact
the department or visit the departmental web site.
CORE COURSES AND AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
Core Courses:
SOC 261, 366, 383, 386, 499
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION:
Change, Economy and Society: SOC 336, 337,
376, 384, 392
Culture and Social Institutions: SOC 264,
266, 365, 378, 381, 462, 468
Inequality and Society: SOC 168, 333, 335,
364, 465, 477
| REQUIRED COURSES FOR
MAJOR |
| The Sociology Bachelor of Arts major
requires a total of 30 hours in Sociology and should
be distributed as follows: |
|
| Required courses: SOC 261, 366, 383, 386, 499 |
15 hrs
|
| Students are expected to select the following
from the three areas of specialization (Change, Economy
and Society; Culture and Social Institutions; and Inequality
and Society): |
|
| Two courses in each of two of these areas of specialization |
12 hrs
|
| One course from the third area of specialization |
3 hrs
|
| The Sociology Bachelor of Science major
requires a total of 36 hours in Sociology and should
be distributed as follows: |
|
| Required courses: SOC 261, 366, 383,
386, 499 |
15 hrs
|
| Students are expected to select the following from
the three areas of specialization (Change, Economy and
Society; Culture and Social Institutions; and Inequality
and Society): |
|
| Two courses in each of these areas of
specialization |
18 hrs
|
| One course from the student's choice of specialization |
3 hrs
|
| REQUIRED SOCIOLOGY
COURSES FOR MINORS |
| The Sociology Minor requires a total
of 18 hours in Sociology and should be distributed as
follows: |
|
| Required courses: SOC 261, 366, 383, 386 |
12 hrs
|
| Students are expected to select the following
from the three areas of specialization (Change, Economy
and Society; Culture and Social Institutions; and Inequality
and Society): |
|
| Two courses from among these areas of specialization |
6 hrs
|
Curriculum: Bachelor
of Arts
Major in Sociology |
| |
|
|
|
| First Year |
Credit |
Second Year |
Credit |
| SOC 261 (first semester) |
3 |
SOC |
6 |
| SOC 168 or 264 (second semester) |
3 |
Minor |
3 |
| ENG 164, ENG 165 |
6 |
Component Area 4 (Literature) |
3 |
| HIS 163, HIS 164 |
6 |
Foreign Language 263, 264 |
6 |
| MTH 164 or MTH 170 |
3 |
Component Area 3 (Natural
Science, from 2 departments) |
8 |
| Component Area 6(Computer Literacy) |
3 |
POL 261, POL (200-level) |
6 |
| Foreign Language 141, 142 |
8 |
|
32 |
| KIN 215 |
1 |
|
|
| |
33 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| Third Year |
Credit |
Fourth Year |
Credit |
| SOC |
9 |
SOC 386, 499, SOC (Adv.) |
9 |
| Minor |
6 |
Minor |
9 |
| Component Area 4 (Visual and
Performing Arts) |
6 |
General/Advanced Electives
|
12 |
| English (200- level or higher), or SCM |
3 |
|
30 |
| ART, DNC, MUS, THR, or PHL
366 |
3 |
|
|
| General/Advanced Electives |
6 |
|
|
| |
33 |
|
|
Curriculum: Bachelor
of Science
Major in Sociology |
| |
|
|
|
| First Year |
Credit |
Second Year |
Credit |
| SOC 261 (first semester) |
3 |
SOC |
6 |
| SOC 168 (second semester) |
3 |
Minor |
3 |
| ENG 164, ENG 165 |
6 |
Component Area 4 (Literature) |
3 |
| HIS 163, HIS 164 |
6 |
MTH |
3 |
| MTH 164 or MTH 170 |
3 |
Natural Science, (same 2 fields
as taken in Component Area 3) |
8 |
Component Area 6
(Computer Literacy) |
3 |
POL 261, POL (200-level) |
6 |
| Component Area 3 (Natural
Science, from 2 different fields) |
8 |
General Electives |
3 |
| KIN 215 |
1 |
|
32 |
| |
33 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| Third Year |
Credit |
Fourth Year |
Credit |
| SOC |
12 |
SOC 386, 499, SOC (Adv.) |
12 |
| Minor |
6 |
Minor |
9 |
| English (200- level or higher,
or SCM) |
3 |
General/Advanced Electives
|
6 |
| Science, MTH, CS, or GEO 113/111 |
6 |
Component Area 4 (Visual and Performing
Arts) |
3 |
| General/Advanced electives |
6 |
|
30 |
| |
33 |
|
|
SOCIOLOGY
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
SOC 168 INTRODUCTION
TO ETHNIC STUDIES. [SOCI 2319] A survey of the field
and problems of Ethnic Studies as an area of knowledge and
investigation. The instruction is to be interdisciplinary
in nature. Major considerations of the entire Ethnic Studies
field will be defined and analyzed. Although the course is
not prerequisite to any of the others, students are strongly
urged to take it before attempting other Ethnic Studies courses.
Credit 3.
SOC 261 PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY.
[SOCI 1301] Introduction to the discipline with a focus on
concepts and principles used in the study of group life,
social institutions and social processes. This course is
a prerequisite to many other courses taught in the department.
It is required of all Sociology majors and minors. Credit
3.
SOC 264 SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
[SOCI 1306] Application of sociological principles to the
major problems of contemporary society. Special attention
is given to mental disorders, use and abuse of drugs and
alcohol, sexual deviance and crime and delinquency; problems
of youth and the family in contemporary society; institutionalized
aspects of inequality, prejudice and discrimination; and
population and environmental concerns. Credit 3.
SOC 266 SOCIOLOGY OF SPORT.
This course utilizes the application of the social science
mode of inquiry to the study of the sociocultural characteristics
of sport. These include examinations of the cultural, economic,
political and structural factors (i.e., gender, race, etc.)
which form salient aspects of today’s sport activities
at various levels. Focus is placed on the characteristics
of sports and how these characteristics both reflect and
have impact upon the social climate of a given society. Credit
3.
SOC 333 AGE AND INEQUALITY.
This course underscores the influence of age on income and
wealth, status and power. It includes an examination of institutional
discrimination against the young and the old, as well as
individual discrimination, such as child and elder abuse.
It studies the relationship between life-cycle changes and
changes in placement in the class, status and power stratification
system. Prerequisite: SOC 261 or consent of instructor. Credit
3.
SOC 335 GENDER AND INEQUALITY.
This course studies the influence of gender on socialization
and placement in class, status and power stratification systems.
It includes an analysis of institutional discrimination against
women in major social institutions such as religion, education,
family, heath care and work, and an examination of the feminization
of poverty. Prerequisite: SOC 261 or consent of instructor.
Credit 3.
SOC 336 SOCIAL CHANGE AND
DEVELOPMENT. An analysis of world population growth
and the associated problems of social development: urbanization,
unemployment, secularization, hunger, and war. Prerequisite:
SOC 261 and upper division standing. Credit 3.
SOC 337 ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY.
The purpose of this course is to examine the “environment”
as a social and cultural issue. Topics discussed include
an overview of the field of environmental sociology, traditional
sociological perspectives on environmental issues, paradigmatic
implications of environmental sociology, the development
of environmental movement, the rise of environmental deterioration,
public attitudes toward environmental issues, national environmental
policies, and social impact assessment. Prerequisite: SOC
261 and upper division standing. Credit 3.
SOC 364 SOCIAL INEQUALITY.
This survey course studies the distribution of three
primary resources: class, status and power. Special attention
is given to the way birth-ascribed statuses such as age,
sex and race interact with class, status and power stratification
systems. Special attention is also given to the popular and
scientific explanations of inequality, especially with respect
to the high and low ends of the distribution of income and
wealth. Prerequisite: SOC 261 or consent of instructor. Credit
3.
SOC 365 SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH
AND ILLNESS. Processes by which persons assume,
act, and relinquish the sick role; interrelationships between
patient and family, doctors, and hospital; quality and quantity
of health services distributed by class and race. Problems
posed by “mental illness”: diagnosis, treatment,
and involuntary commitment. Prerequisite: SOC 261 or consent
of instructor. Credit 3.
SOC 366 RESEARCH METHODS IN
SOCIOLOGY. This course is designed to introduce
the student to the logic and character of scientific and
alternative means of social inquiry. Examines the function
of observation, concept formation, proposition arrangement
and testing of theory as components of the scientific process
in sociology. Prerequisite: SOC 261. Credit 3.
SOC 376 RURAL AND URBAN SOCIOLOGY.
Examines the human community in its ecological, cultural,
and associational aspects. The folk, rural, and urban community
considered from the standpoint of various sociological perspectives.
Special attention is given to social change, including decision-making
as it affects local life. Prerequisite: SOC 261. Credit 3.
SOC 378 SOCIALIZATION, SOCIAL
CONTROL AND DEVIANT SOCIAL BEHAVIOR. Examines structures
and processes through which social systems (e.g., groups,
institutions, organizations, and societies) secure and maintain
order and social control. Sociological concepts, principles
and theories used to explain sanctioning in various social
systems whereby people are socialized to want to act the
way they have to act for social order to prevail. Prerequisite:
SOC 261. Credit 3.
SOC 381 CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY.
Cultural and social organization among primitive
or preliterate societies; marriage, property, religion, magic
and tribal control. Significance of the study of primitive
cultures for understanding of urban industrial civilizations.
Prerequisite: SOC 261 or consent of instructor. Credit 3.
SOC 383 SOCIAL STATISTICS.
Examination of basic concepts, techniques and data necessary
for an adequate understanding of social structure and change:
observational, experimental, sample survey, and demographic.
It includes an introduction to computers, computer software,
and social statistics. Prerequisite: SOC 261. Credit 3.
SOC 384 ECONOMY AND SOCIETY.
Changing employment opportunities for college graduates;
blue collar, white collar, and professional lifestyles; origins
of industrial society and effects on social stratification,
minorities, and the family. Issues such as workers’
control of industry, relationships between industry and government.
Sociology of labor relations and personnel management. Prerequisite:
SOC 261. Credit 3.
SOC 386 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY.
A historical survey of the development of sociological thought.
Emphasis is placed upon the growth of Sociology as a discipline,
major areas of interest and major contributors. Prerequisite:
SOC 261. Credit 3.
SOC 392 SOCIAL MOVEMENTS.
Examines the characteristics of social movements useful to
the sociological study and interpretations of major social
trends involving both social and cultural change in community
and society. Theoretical frameworks for understanding and
the causes, types, and theories of change in contemporary
society are given special attention. Prerequisite: SOC 261.
Credit 3.
SOC 462 MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY.
A sociological examination of marriage and family life. Problems
of courtship, mate selection, and marriage adjustment in
modern American society. Prerequisite: SOC 261 or consent
of instructor. Credit 3.
SOC 465 RACE/ETHNIC INEQUALITY.
This course examines ethnic stratification, i.e., placement
in the class, status and power stratification systems on
the basis of birth ascribed and socially defined race/ethnicity,
and of the ideologies which serve to rationalize these inequalities.
The course includes the study of institutional discrimination
and ethnic stratification in major social institutions such
as education, health care, religion and work. Broadly defined,
ethnic stratification includes inequality based on other
birth ascribed statuses, such as age and gender. Prerequisite:
SOC 261 or consent of instructor. Credit 3.
SOC 468 SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION.
Identity and comparative understanding of religious beliefs
and practices of peoples of the world. Attention is given
to particular archaeological and ethnographic problems in
the study of religion. Special emphasis is given to the functional
perspective in examining the relation between religious beliefs
and other institutions in selective social systems. Prerequisite:
SOC 261 or consent of instructor. Credit 3.
SOC 475 READINGS IN SOCIOLOGY.
Designed for advanced students in the behavioral sciences
who are capable of independent study. Registration upon written
approval of the chair of the department and of the instructor
directing the course. Credit 3.
SOC 477 COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS.
Examines the structure and functioning of large-scale organizations
and bureaucratic social systems in various institutional
settings (e.g., business or industry, health, education,
religion, military, prison and political). Attention is given
to personal and social consequences of organizational involvement.
Prerequisite: SOC 261. Credit 3.
SOC 499 SENIOR SEMINAR IN
SOCIOLOGY. The content of this seminar will have
alternate emphasis placed, at the discretion of the instructor,
on special areas or issues of Sociology meeting the career
needs of Sociology majors, minors, and/or prospective teachers
of Sociology. Prerequisite: Advanced standing in Sociology.
Credit 3.
|
