Sociology Department
- Course Descriptions
SOC 111 Community and the Modern Metropolis
How is community possible in the context of multicultural, social, and ideological forces that are characteristic of urban life? The cultural and structural dynamics of the Twin Cities are a basis for exploring this theme. (Fall, spring)
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 222 Office Space: The Sociology of Work
Why does a doctor get paid handsomely, and a burger-flipper get paid poorly? Can workplaces be functional, or are they inherently conflictual? 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. (Fall)
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: The Sociology of Social Movements
Why do people engage in protests and join social movements? What impacts do social movements have on social institutions, the state, culture, and even personal identity? This course explores these and other questions through studying social movement theory and several social movements occurring over the last two centuries. (SOC 121 and courses on 19th or 20th century U.S. history recommended, but not required. Fall, spring)
SOC 260 Religion and Society
An examination of the interaction of religion and society with attention to secularization, race, gender, and the public role of religion utilizing sociological research on the role of religion and religious organizations in American society. (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 266 Sociology of Sexualities
What we mean by "sex" changes over time. During different historical time periods it's been a sin, a means of forging ties between powerful families, a source of psychological perversion, a means to pleasure, a symbol of love, as well as a personal identity. This class explores how sexuality and its components (desire, pleasure, love, the body) are socially constructed. (Spring)
SOC 277 Introduction to Criminology
What do we know about crime in American society? How can we explain crime sociologically? Patterns of crime, theories to explain crime, and analysis of the police, the courts, and the correctional system are examined.
SOC 290 Cultures of Violence
Street gangs and warfare. Police brutality and genocide. Domestic abuse and riots. What are the dynamics underlying different forms of violence? This course takes violence in its many forms as a topic for sociological analysis. (Fall)
SOC 295, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 495 Special Topics in Sociology
A variety of topics offered periodically depending on needs and interests that are not satisfied by regular course offerings. (Prereq. for 300 level courses only: SOC 121 or 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 the different ways that law is practiced and theorized. Coursework will involve observing law in practice in local courts. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or consent of instructor. Fall)
SOC 349 Sociology of Organizations
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. We will explore the consequences of living in a society dominated by organizations. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or consent of instructor, pass CT assessment or GST 100, and ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111. 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/Spring)
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 ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111. Fall/Spring)
SOC 375 Social Psychology
How does society construct the individual? How does the individual construct society? This course examines individual identity within the social context of symbolic interaction. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or consent of instructor. Fall)
SOC 377 Organizational Crime and 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 urban planning and the shaping of metropolitan areas. Readings, simulations, outside speakers, and field study in a seminar format. (Prereq.: SOC 111 or 121 or consent of instructor. 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. (Spring of alternate years)
SOC 390 Social Problems Analysis
How do social problems develop? What can be done about them? This course engages the sociological imagination in an attempt to draw connections between micro-level analysis and macro-level analysis, linking our own private troubles with public issues. (Prereq.: SOC 121 or consent of instructor. Spring of alternate years)
SOC 485 Sociological Theory
An examination of the classical theoretical traditions within sociology, tracing the course of their development in the 19th and 20th centuries. (Prereq.: Two upper division courses in sociology, SOC 121 or consent of instructor, and pass CT assessment or GST 100. Fall)
SOC 490 Senior Seminar and Keystone
This Keystone experience provides the opportunity for majors to integrate the sociology program and general education, develop an understanding of the value of sociology beyond college, and articulate a sense of vocation and professional identity. Pass/No Pass grading. Senior sociology majors only. (Prereq.: SOC 485. Spring)
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 111 or 121 and/or consent of instructor. Fall and Spring)
SOC 499 Independent Study/Research
(Prereq.: SOC 121, consent of instructor and department chair. Fall and Spring)
