SOC 121 Introduction to Human Society
What is society and how does it make us who we are? Sociology offers insights into discovering the world and one's place in it. Course study focuses on an understanding of culture, social structure, institutions, and our interactions with each other. (Fall, spring)
SOC 111 Community and the Modern Metropolis
How is community possible in the face of multicultural, economic, and ideological forces that are characteristic of urban life? The cultural and structural dynamics of the Twin Cities are a basis for exploring this possibility. (Fall, spring)
SOC 141 Foundations of Cultural Anthropology
Course objectives include giving students an understanding of anthropological methods and theories, the concepts of race and culture, an appreciation and awareness of differing cultures, and an awareness of the role cultural anthropology has in understanding contemporary human problems.
SOC 222 Office Space: The Sociology of Work
Are workplaces functional, or do they inherently create conflict? What explains pay inequities? Why do some people work multiple menial jobs while others enjoy rewarding careers? How does the current expansion of global capital (globalization) shape our work experiences in the U.S.? This course explores these and other questions through various sociological theories of work and labor in modern society.
SOC 231 Family Systems
The term family is a universal concept, yet its membership, rituals, and functions vary dramatically across world cultures and sub-cultures in the United States. Family systems are explored with respect to cultural and historical settings, variations among families, and modern cultural and social patterns. (Fall, spring)
SOC 240 Protest and Social Change
Why do people engage in protests and join social movements? What impacts do social movements have on social institutions, the state, culture, and personal identity? This course explores these and other questions through studying social movement theory and several social movements occurring over the last two centuries. (Recommended but not required pre-requisites: SOC 121 and courses in 19th or 20th century U.S. history.)
SOC 260 Religion and Society
An examination of the interaction of religion and society in terms of sociological analysis with particular emphasis on contemporary sociological research on religious movements and institutions in American society. (Prereq.: SOC 121 recommended. Fall)
SOC 265 Race, Class, and Gender
Who gets what, when, and how? Individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds--race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality--receive unequal portions of wealth, power, and prestige in our society. This course focuses on both the collective and individual processes involved in social inequality.
(Fall, spring)
SOC 277 Introduction to Criminology
What do we know about crime in American society? How can we explain crime sociologically? Topics include: theories and patterns of crime, police, courts, corrections, and criminal policy. (Prereq.: ENG 111. Fall)
SOC 290 Cultures of Violence
Street gangs and warfare. Police brutality and genocide. Domestic abuse and terrorism. What are the dynamics underlying these and other forms of violence? What do they have in common? How do they differ? This course takes violence in its many forms as a topic for sociological analysis and concludes with an examination of non-violent alternatives to conflict.
SOC 291 Sociology of Sexuality
This class makes the case that sexuality and its components (desire, pleasure, love, and the body) is not a biological characteristic and it is much more than an individual characteristic. It is socially constructed. For example, sexuality has been conceptualized as sin, as a means of fostering ties between powerful families, as a source of psychological perversion, as a means to pleasure, as a symbol of love, and as personal identity. In this course, we explore how sexuality is constructed.
SOC 300, 301, 302, 303, 304 Special Topics in Sociology.
A variety of topics offered periodically depending on needs and interests that are not satisfied by regular course offerings. (Prereq.: consent of instructor)
SOC 320 Sociology of Law
How does law in practice differ from law as it is written in the Constitution/Bill of Rights? Despite the pretense that legal language is neutral, in practice, the law constructs people in different, unequal ways based on their class, age, race, gender, and sexuality. We will explore different ways that law is practiced, and course work will involve observing law in practice in local courts. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or consent of instructor. Fall)
SOC 349 Organizational Theory
What is the nature of these modern organizations in which we spend so much of our daily lives? Organizations as corporate actors are analyzed with respect to their goals, culture, technology and structure, as well as corporate deviance. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or consent of instructor. Spring)
SOC 362 Statistical Analysis
This course is an introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics in the social sciences; as such, it provides a foundation for understanding quantitative analysis--be it in an academic journal or a daily newspaper. (Prereq.: MPG 3. Fall)
SOC 363 Research Methods
Good research--do you know it when you see it? Can you produce it yourself? Social science research skills are learned through the practice and application of the basic tools of valid and reliable research design and data analysis. (Prereq.: SOC 362 or consent of instructor and ENG 111. Spring)
SOC 375 Social Psychology
Who are you, really? Is who you are determined by your personality? How did you become who you are? Is it simply a matter of the traits with which you were born or choices you have made in life? Personality theory clearly dominates our American understanding of who we are, but it is by no means the only way to understand the question of identity. Taking the perspective of symbolic interactionism, this course begins with an exploration of how we create and sustain our identities through interaction with those around us and how those identities change with the surrounding circumstances. The course continues with a consideration of how social situations affect and shape individual identity and behavior. (Prereq.: Soc 121 or consent of instructor. Fall)
SOC 377 Organizational Deviance
The benefits of contemporary organizational life come with costs: space shuttle explosions, insider trading, chemicals dumped in lakes, nuclear accidents, corporate scandals. What are the causes and consequences of organizational crime and deviance? Case study analysis and the application of sociological models of explanation will be examined in depth. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or consent of instructor; recommended but not required: SOC 222 and/or SOC 349. Spring of alternate years.)
SOC 381 The City and Metro-Urban Planning
Emphasis centers on alternative theories and approaches to planning and shaping metropolitan areas. Readings, simulations, outside speakers, and walking research field trips in a seminar format. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or 211 or consent of instructor and ENG 111. Spring)
SOC 387 Juvenile Delinquency
Why is the delinquency of juveniles seen differently from the deviance of adults? In addressing this question, the social construction of deviance and delinquency as well as the historical precedents for treating juveniles differently will be examined. Topics include: sociological theories, patterns of delinquency, and the social and legal reactions to juvenile delinquency. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or consent of the instructor. Spring of alternate years)
SOC 390 Social Problems Analysis
This course represents an advanced-level study of social problems while engaging the sociological imagination. Drawing a connection between microlevel and macrolevel analyses, linking our own private troubles with larger public issues, is critical to our understanding of society. With this in mind, we will explore the following questions: How do social problems develop? What impact do they have on individuals and society, and what is the connection between them? What has been and/or can be done about them? (Prereq.: Soc 121 and junior standing or consent of instructor.)
410 Field Studies of Organizations
In this course we visit several local organizations (ranging from small non-profits to large transnational corporations), and work on a semester-long project with a local organization. We analyze these field experiences from the perspectives of organizational theory and critical political-economy as well as explore the challenges, strategies, and rewards of doing projects as a group. (Prereq: SOC 222 and SOC 349, or permission of the instructor)
SOC 485 Sociological Theory
An examination of the major theoretical traditions within sociology, tracing the course of their development in the 19th and 20th centuries. (Prereq.: Two courses in sociology including SOC 121 or consent of instructor. Fall)
SOC 490 Sociology Capstone
The purpose of this capstone seminar is to provide students with the opportunity to bring together and reflect upon the dimensions of the sociology major in preparation for life and work after graduation. This seminar will include: discussion of the meaning of sociology as a major and an intellectual approach, issues of vocation and career development, the relationship of sociology to general education, and approaches to life-long learning. Preparation for graduate study will also be addressed. Students must take this required course in the senior year and it is offered on a pass/no pass option only.
Internships and Independent Study Courses:
SOC 199 Internship
SOC 299 Directed Study
SOC 399 Internship
SOC 498 Independent Study: Metropolitan Resources
An independently designed course a student (or group of students) develops, making extensive, systematic, and integrated utilization of resources available in the metropolitan community, supplemented by traditional College
resources. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or 211 and/or consent of instructor. Fall, spring)
SOC 499 Independent Study/Research
(Prereq.: SOC 121, consent of instructor and department chair. Fall, spring)
