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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. Major. A major in Sociology consists of:
MATH 113 (or) MATH 100 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 and Stratification, Microsociology/Individuals and Society, and Historical and Comparative Change. Below are listed the core analytic areas and the courses within each area. Each major should take at least one course from three of the four analytic areas. Social Organizations and Institutions 237 Sociology of Religion 246 Sociology of Education 247 Contested Spaces: Schools and Universities in American Society 254 Political Sociology 271 The Sociology of Law and Legal Institutions 273 Criminology, Delinquency, and Legal Policy 311 Social Data Analysis 326 The American Family: Comfort, Conflict and Criticism 331 Torts, Trials, and Trouble: The Social Origins of Law 406 Seminar on Gender and the State in the Middle East 408 Seminar on Democracy and Power in 20th Century Urban America 434 Seminar in the Social Organization of Work: From Fast Food to the Fortune 500 446 Seminar on the City and Social Policy 472 Sociology of Law Seminar Social Inequality and Stratification 215 Contemporary Asian Pacific American Experience 235 Gender Stratification 236 Sexualities and Society 248 Queer Theory and Social Change 260 Sociology of Asian American Communities 277 Race and Ethnic Relations 328 Culture, Power, and Transgression 377 Advanced Topics in Race and Ethnic Relations 378 Sociology of the African American Community 436 Seminar in Sexuality and Collective Action 447 Asian Pacific American Women 443 Generation X: Relationship, Work, Culture, and Communication Micro-Sociology: Individuals and Society 212 Street Smarts: Ethnographic Explorations of Urban America 222 Introduction to Social Psychology 285 Ethnographic Aspects of the World Capitalist System 290 Leadership: Theories, Concepts, and Practices 320 Critical Ethnography and Urban Transformations in the U.S. 403 Seminar in Social Psychology: African-American Personality 407 Racial and Ethnic Identity in the 21st Century 487 Language, Power, and the Body Historical and Comparative Study of Social Change 217 Social Development in Brazil and Mexico 228 Immigration and Population in the U.S. 230 Social Change and Political Transformation in Eastern Europe 231 Social Change 233 Gender, Social Change, and Social Movement 238 Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa 241 Urban Sociology 266 The Postmodern City 293 Civil Society, Social Movements, and American Democracy 330 Global Feminisms 354 Social Movements and Revolutionary Change 381 The Rise of the Networked Society: Technology's Impact on Social Life 404 Seminar: Intellectuals, Social Science and Politics in the Modern World 431 Seminar: The Making and Unmaking of Communist Ideals: Learning About SocietyThrough Literature and Film 448 Seminar on Violence in America Minor. The minor in Sociology consists of the following: 1. A minimum of 15 hours in the department, including credit for at least four courses. 2. An introductory course. The 15 hours include one introductory course, but no more than one. 3. Either Sociology 211 (Social Research Methods) or Sociology 282 (Social Theory). 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 or three semesters and submit a written thesis. An examination, both written and oral, is given at the end of the senior year in the student's main fields of interest. Interested students are invited to discuss the program with their advisors or the chair of the department. 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, nor more than two during an undergraduate program.
Any of the following courses serves as a prerequisite for upper-level courses. FYSP 118. Through the Looking Glass: The Intersection of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender with Social Class in Contemporary America 3 hours 3SS First Semester. For description, please see " First-Year Seminar Program" in this catalog. Enrollment Limit: 14. Mr. White 122. Principles of Sociological Thinking 3 hours 3SS Second Semester. This course is an introduction to the discipline that will acquaint students with sociological concepts and methodology. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the components of society: from institutions to individuals, in keeping with Mills' "sociological imagination". Important issues addressed include the relationship between economy and institutions, stratification, and gender/racial-ethnic/class divisions. Current sociological literature is used to both introduce concepts and help students interpret scholarly writing. Emphasis will be placed on understanding social inequality and the link between the individual and social structure. Enrollment Limit: 45. Ms. John 123. Deviance, Discord, and Dismay 3 hours 3SS, WR First Semester. This course will examine a set of contemporary social debates, including crime, abortion, affirmative action, victims' rights, the social regulation of alcohol and drugs, family violence, gun control, and corporate and political corruption. Traditional sociological theories will be applied to these issues and the major figures in contemporary sociological thought will be juxtaposed against legal theories of social control and social integration. Enrollment Limit: 45 (30 places held for freshmen). Mr. Walsh 124. Classics of Sociology 3 hours 3SS, WR First Semester. Modern sociology was born in the context of the transition from traditional to modern societies in the West. This dramatic transformation opened a whole series of new social and political problems which have defined the modern era. We will explore the ways some important founding figures of sociology analyzed such problems as individualism, alienation, lack of community, class conflict, and modern capitalism. We will address the relevance of classical sociology for contemporary issues and the students' personal experiences. Enrollment Limit: 45 Mr. Vujacic 125. Sociological Analysis of Society 3 hours 3SS Next offered 2004-2005. 126. Community and Inequality: An Introduction to Sociology 3 hours 3SS First Semester. This introduction to the study of societies focuses on two key issues--social inequality and community solidarity. These issues will organize our examination of important social phenomena: the self, race and ethnicity, social class, gender, sexual orientation, family and networks, the new immigration, urban poverty, social movements and the impact of globalization. We will also study theoretical and methodological issues related to these subjects. Enrollment Limit: 45. Note: Priority given to freshmen and sophomores. Mr. Norris FYSP 163. She Works Hard for the Money: Women, Work and the Persistence of Inequality 3 hours 3SS, QPh, WR First Semester. For description, please see " First-Year Seminar Program" in this catalog. Enrollment Limit: 14. Ms. John
211. Social Research Methods 4 hours 4SS, QPh, WR First Semester. This course introduces students to the analytical logic and skills required for research in sociology. Major emphasis is placed on teaching the research process, including library research, survey research, and statistical analysis. Information literacy goals are addressed, such as evaluating the appropriateness, reliability and accuracy of different types of information; developing familiarity with sources of available data; generating new data; and interpreting empirical information within a theoretical framework. As groups, students work on research projects throughout the semester. Prerequisite: One introductory course in sociology. Note: Priority given to sociology majors. Students must sign up for one lab. Enrollment Limit (Lab): 20. Enrollment Limit (Lecture): 40. Ms. John 217. Social Development in Brazil and Mexico 3 hours 3SS, CD First Semester. Brazil and Mexico have gone through social, political and economic changes during the last decade which now lead many to regard them as industrialized and democratic nations. In this course we will systematically interrogate this characterization. The course is constructed to encourage systematic comparison of the two countries on a number of dimensions--location in the global system, cultural patterns, inequalities (race and ethnic groups, class, women's issues, sexualities) and collective action, urbanization and industrialization, and state structures. We will frame the comparisons within theoretical debates. Enrollment Limit: 35. Mr. Norris 222. Introduction to Social Psychology 3 hours 3SS Second Semester. Social psychology is an area of study within sociology which examines the relationship between the individual and society. Specific emphasis is on the social experience stemming from individuals' participation in social groups, interactions with others, the effects of the cultural environment on both the social experiences and interactions with others, and the emergence of social structures from these interactions. From this perspective, we will examine several topics in social psychology such as socialization, identities and the self, attitude and attitude change, social perception, attributions, social order and conformity, language and social communication, and social behavior in groups. Prerequisite: One introductory sociology course or consent of instructor. Enrollment Limit: 35. Mr. White 230. Social Change and Political Transformation in Eastern Europe 3 hours 3SS Second Semester. This course focuses on Eastern Europe as the first relatively backward region in the world capitalist system. We will begin with some major theories of social change and a historical introduction to the region. Next, we will turn to communist revolutions, Stalinism, reform communism, the rise of dissent and the revolutions of 1989. Much of the course will be devoted to the post-communist era, attempts to build democracy and capitalism, and the rise of nationalism. Identical to POLT 214. Enrollment Limit: 35. Mr. Vujacic 233. Gender, Social Change, and Social Movements 3 hours 3SS, CD, WR Next offered 2004-2005. 235. Gender Stratification 3 hours 3SS, CD, QPh, WR Next offered 2004-2005. 236. Sexualities and Society 3 hours 3SS, CD Next offered 2004-2005. 238. Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa 3 hours 3SS Next offered 2004-2005. 241. Urban Sociology 3 hours 3SS Second Semester. Globalization has led to the restructuring of the American metropolis in recent decades. New inequalities of gender, class, race/ethnicity, and sexualities have been produced. New urban forms have emerged as central cities and suburbs changed functions and inhabitants. Residential segregation increased among the poor while the middle sectors retreated into gated communities. Gentrification, the new urbanism, urban sprawl, community and housing, and the lack thereof (homelessness and the underclass) became concerns. In this course we will utilize a comparative theoretical approach to these issues. Prerequisite: One course in Sociology. Enrollment Limit: 35. Mr. Norris 254. Political Sociology 3 hours 3SS First Semester. This course is intended as an introduction to a major sub-field of sociology, the sociology of politics. We will begin with an examination of the birth of democratic politics in the contemporary Western world. We will touch on such problems as the social origins of democracy, the rise of political citizenship and the modern nation-state, class and elite conflict, lower-class social movements, and the political-cultural foundations of democratic politics. In the second part of the course we will concentrate on one of the major anti-liberal movements and regimes in the 20th century, Nazism. Enrollment Limit: 35. Mr. Vujacic 271. Sociology of Law and Legal Institutions 3 hours 3SS, WR Second Semester. Attention is given to the development of legal norms and related institutions. Institutional analysis will be directed primarily toward courts, judges, prosecutors, lawyers and legal training, prisons and prison functionaries. Prerequisite: One introductory course in Sociology. Enrollment Limit: 30 Mr. Walsh 273. Criminology, Delinquency, and Legal Policy 3 hours 3SS, WR First Semester. This course will deal with sociological and legal inquiry into the origins and forms of juvenile delinquency, the etiology and forms of crime in adult populations, and the social and legal policy issues associated with crime and delinquency. Legal and social scientific resources will be examined. Prerequisite: One introductory course in Sociology or consent of instructor. Enrollment Limit: 30. Mr. Walsh 277. Race and Ethnic Relations 3 hours 3SS, CD First Semester. It is the objective of this course to introduce and critically review the nature of relationships between racial and ethnic groups in society. We approach this first by critically examining the concepts, perspectives, and research traditionally identified with majority and minority group relations in sociology. Secondly, we explore the nature of intergroup attitudes and discrimination as important dimensions in the creation and perpetuation of majority-minority relations in society. Thirdly, we examine these conceptual approaches and patterns of discrimination in the context of immigration and the historical and institutional experiences of selected racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Finally, we will explore race and ethnic relations in the global context. Enrollment Limit: 30. Mr. White 282. Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory 4 hours 4SS, CD, WR Second Semester. Classical sociology arose in response to the dramatic social transformation of European societies in the wake of the Industrial and French revolutions. Its central focus were the numerous social and political problems opened up by the advent of modern industrial society from the disintegration of community and the decline of the sacred to the emergence of new forms of exploitation and class conflict, and the pervasive rationalization and routinization of social life. The founding fathers of modern sociology--Durkheim, Marx, and Weber--formulated their theories in response to such problems, establishing, in the process, three distinct traditions in sociological theory and research. This course explores the continuities between classical and contemporary sociological theory and research within each one of these three traditions: Durkheimian, Marxist, Weberian. Throughout the course, a consistent effort is made to evaluate sociological theories from the point of view of their empirical validity and explanatory power, as well as their "background assumptions" (values and methodological presuppositions). Enrollment Limit: 40. Note: Priority given to sociology majors. Mr. Vujacic Advanced Courses in Specializations 326. The American Family: Comfort, Conflict, and Criticism 3 hours 3SS, CD Second Semester. This course focuses on the diversity of families in the United States. Families included in discussion are: gay and lesbian, African American, Mexican American, Asian American, Native American, White, single parents, cohabitors, and married couples. The work-family nexus is investigated in order to understand how these institutions are reciprocally related. Both economic and cultural explanations of diversity are explored. Finally, we address the conflict that surrounds many family forms. Prerequisite: One course in sociology or consent of the instructor. Enrollment Limit: 25. Ms. John 331. Torts, Trials and Trouble 3 hours 3SS, WR Second Semester. This course will examine the linkage between changes in social institutions and the emergence of legal doctrines. Particular emphasis will be placed on Tort, Property, Criminal, and Family law. Prerequisite: At least two courses in Sociology or consent of instructor. Enrollment Limit: 30. Mr. Walsh 354. Social Movements and Revolutionary Change 3 hours 3SS Next offered 2004-2005. 377. Advanced Topics in Race and Ethnic Relations 3 hours 3SS Next offered 2004-2005. 378. Sociology of the African-American Community 3 hours 3SS, CD Next offered 2004-2005. 391. Practicum in Sociology 2-3 hours 2-3SS This course combines individual internships and private readings on a subject matter related to the internship--for example, an internship in a social service agency and readings and discussion on poverty and welfare issues. See individual faculty. Sections will be offered by Ms. John, Mr. Norris, Mr. Vujacic, Mr. Walsh, and Mr. White. Note: Faculty have the discretion of grading this course CR/NE only. Prerequisite: Two courses in sociology. Consent of instructor required. 392. Internships in Teaching 1-2 hours 1-2SS Sections will be offered by Ms. John, Mr. Norris, Mr. Vujacic, Mr. Walsh and Mr. White. Consent of instructor required. Note: Faculty have the discretion of grading this course CR/NE only.
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. 403. Seminar in Social Psychology: African-American Personality 3 hours 3SS, CD Next offered 2004-2005. 407. Seminar in Social Psychology: Racial and Ethnic Identities in the 21st Century 3 hours 3SS Second Semester. As our population increasingly experiences diversity in the 21st century, questions about racial and ethnic identity are and will become paramount in our way of life. This was most recently demonstrated in the 2000 U.S. census in which individuals were allowed to demonstrate their identity in several racial and ethnic and multiethnic categories. In light of this, the course will examine the literature and research on the various racial and ethnic group identities in the United States. We will look at the various traditional and non-traditional perspectives/approaches toward the notions of racial and ethnic identification. Explorations will specifically focus on notions of identity among African Americans, Latinos, Asian American, Native American and other ethnic groups. Issues of multiracial, multiethnic will also be examined. Prerequisite: Three courses in sociology and/or related fields or consent of the instructor. Note: Preference given to senior sociology majors. Juniors may also participate. Enrollment Limit: 12. Mr. White 431. Seminar: The Making and Unmaking of Communist Ideals (Learning About Society Through Historiography, Literature, and Film) 3 hours 3SS Second Semester. In this seminar we will explore the development of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe through historiography, literature, and film. First, we will look at the Leninist application of Marxism in the Russian historical context. Next, we will explore the background and course of the two Russian revolutions of 1917 through the eyes of one of its main architects and Marxist historians-Leon Trotsky. The main part of the course is devoted to early revolutionary dilemmas, the relationship of intellectuals to the revolution both in Soviet Russia and the West, and the rise of Stalinism. Finally, we will document the process of the gradual disillusionment with Communism in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Major authors will include Trotsky and Tucker (historiography), Gladkov, Silone, Koestler, Solzhenitsyn, and Milosz (literature), with films by Beatty, Bertolucci, Mikhalkov, and Makavejev. Prerequisite: Two sociology courses or consent from instructor. Enrollment Limit: 12. Mr. Vujacic 436. Seminar in Sexualities and Collective Action 3 hours 3SS, CD, WR Next offered 2004-2005. 443. Generations of Youth: Relationship, Work, Culture, and Communication 3 hours 3SS Next offered 2004-2005. 446. Seminar: The City and Social and Environmental Policy 3 hours 3SS, WR Second Semester. In recent years urban and environmental issues have begun to converge. The environmental justice movement focused attention on issues of class, race and urban pollution, and more recently the problems of sustainability and urban sprawl have become central aspects of urban planning and development. This course will explore these issues, with attention to U.S. and international cases (Los Angeles, Portland, Chattanooga, Cleveland, Curitiba and others). Prerequisite: Three courses in Sociology (241 is recommended) or consent of the instructor. Identical to ENVS 446. Enrollment Limit: 12. Mr. Norris 472. Sociology of Law Seminar, a.k.a. Breakfast and the Law 3 hours 3SS First Semester. The law never sleeps. This seminar will include field work emphasis in the first half semester with time spent in courts and prisons. That begins early and so will we--over breakfast. Students will present seminar papers in the latter half of the semester on topics negotiated with the instructor. The theme of the seminar will be women and the law. Enrollment Limit: 10. Mr. Walsh 490. Junior Year Honors 1-3 hours 1-3SS Sections will be offered by Ms. John, Mr. Norris, Mr. Vujacic, Mr. Walsh and Mr. White. Consent of instructor required. 491. Senior Year Honors 1-6 hours 1-6SS Sections will be offered by Ms. John, Mr. Norris, Mr. Vujacic, Mr. Walsh and Mr. White. Consent of instructor required. 995. Private Reading 1-3 hours 1-3SS Projects will be sponsored by Ms. John, Mr. Norris, Mr. Stackman, Mr. Vujacic, Mr. Walsh and Mr. White. Consent of instructor required. Note: Faculty have the discretion of grading this course CR/NE only. |
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