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 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. (Fall, spring)
SOC 222 Work and Society
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.
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)
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 unequa
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. (Fall)
SOC 290 Cultures of Violence
What are the dynamics underlying different forms of violence? 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. (Offered
on rotating schedule)
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.: consent of
instructor)
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. Spring)
SOC 375 Social Psychology
How does society construct the individual? How does the individual construct
society? This course analyzes the dynamic tension between the self and society,
as well as the major questions, issues, perspectives, and methods of the
field. (Prereq.: Soc 121 or consent of instructor. Fall, spring)
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. Spring)
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)
SOC 410 Field Studies in Organizations
In this course we visit several local organizations (ranging from small nonprofits
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 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
applied value of sociology, and articulate a sense of vocation and professional
identity. Pass/No Pass grading. Senior sociology majors only. (Spring)
Internships and Independent Study Courses
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)
