SOCY - Sociology
SOCY401 Intermediate Statistics for Sociologists (3 Credits)
This is a course about multiple regression for undergraduate students and presumes that students taking this course will be both producers and consumers of multiple regression results. Students will work with the instructor to produce a research poster presentation based on secondary social science data. In addition to multivariable statistics, students will learn some statistical programming as well as how to organize a research presentation.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
Restriction: Must not have completed STAT400, BMGT231, or ENEE324.
SOCY407 Explaining Social Change: Fact and Fiction in Understanding Why Our World Looks the Way it Does (3 Credits)
Examines large-scale processes of social change that have produced durable and defining aspects of our contemporary world and asks, How did we get here? It focuses on four key issues: how markets and the pursuit of profit came to organize virtually all aspects of material life and restructured societies around social classes; how democratic forms of governance emerged to direct states and the persistent challenges presented by authoritarian rule; how social revolution erupts and what kinds of changes it yields; and how warfare between states can produce varieties of change not necessarily comprehended in the foregoing domains.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses or permission of Sociology Department.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY498Y or SOCY407.
Formerly: SOCY498Y.
SOCY410 Social Demography (3 Credits)
Demography is the scientific study of human populations including their size, distribution, composition, and the processes that change these characteristics. Social demography examines how population processes interrelate with institutions in society, such as the family and the economy.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY411 Demographic Techniques (3 Credits)
This is a survey course in techniques that are widely used in demographic analysis. These include techniques that describe population structure and change, that analyze fertility, mortality, and migration, and that evaluate demographic data. In addition, many of the analytic skills and techniques of the course have more general applicability in social science and population health research.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY410; or permission of the Sociology department.
SOCY412 Family Demography (3 Credits)
Family and population dynamics. Fertility issues, such as teenage pregnancy, the timing of parenthood, and family size, as they relate to family behavior, such as marital patterns, child care use, and work and the family. Policy issues that relate to demographic changes in the family.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
SOCY413 Sociology of Aging (3 Credits)
The aging of the population is one of the major demographic changes affecting social institutions during the next century. Research demography, sociology, economics, epidemiology, psychology and public health are integrated to develop a broader understanding of the causes and consequences of population aging. A central focus is the diversity of experiences by age, gender, socioeconomic status and health.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
SOCY415 Environmental Sociology (3 Credits)
Overview of the field and theoretical themes within the area of environmental sociology and technology. Current issues are explored including: environmental attitudes; environmental movements; environmental justice; globalization; global climate change; and garbage and food.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses.
SOCY418 Research in Family & Demography (3 Credits)
This is a special topics research course for Family and Demography.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
Repeatable to: 6 credits if content differs.
SOCY420 Qualitative Research Methods in Sociology (3 Credits)
Using the sociological imagination to independently explore research questions as designed by students. Readings will explore dilemmas qualitative researchers confront such as, how to conduct research ethically and how their background influences their findings and analysis. Students will learn how to collect data, analyze it, and present it to others.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
SOCY424 Sociology of Race Relations (3 Credits)
Encourages sociological thinking about US racial and ethnic minority populations, with a focus on African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. The central concern is to understand and explain racial/ethnic inequality. A wide array of topics are discussed, including prejudice and discrimination, slavery, residential segregation, cultural inequality, skin tone stratification, economic and educational disparities, and assimilation/generational processes.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of the Sociology department.
Cross-listed with: AAST424.
SOCY428 Research in Inequality (3 Credits)
This is the special topics research course for Stratification and Inequality.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
Repeatable to: 6 credits if content differs.
SOCY431 Principles of Organizations (3 Credits)
Structural and processual characteristics of organizations that make them effective for different purposes and in different environments. Effects of different institutional environments, small group processes, organizational networks, and leadership. Types of organizations studied include formal bureaucracies, professional organizations, and voluntary associations.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY432 Social Movements (3 Credits)
This course broadens students' understanding of social movements in the United States. Many topics are discussed, including the emergence of social movements, why people join social movements, collective identity, gender, culture, emotions, tactics, repression, and the decline of social movements. Various movements are reviewed, including the civil rights movement, the Chicano movement, the women's movement, the LGBTQ movement, the white power movement, the American Indian movement, and the animal rights movement.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY435 Society, Biology, and Health (3 Credits)
It is not too far-fetched to speak of the pancreas under capitalism or the proletarian lung. Humans are social beings in physical bodies. In this course, we draw on research studies, podcasts, news articles, and best-selling non-fiction to inform conversation and writing on how various dimensions of human biology influence, and are influenced by, our social and cultural environment. We focus on conceptualizing human behavior as an interplay between both nature and nurture, and consider how this approach changes our understanding of modern social problems. This course is appropriate for students with a range of backgrounds in the social and natural sciences; introductory-level supplemental readings on all necessary biological concepts will be provided.
Prerequisite: Must have completed 6 credits in SOCY courses or permission of BSOS Sociology Department.
SOCY441 Social Stratification and Inequality (3 Credits)
The sociological study of social class, status, and power. Topics include theories of stratification, correlates of social position, functions and dysfunctions of social inequality, status inconsistency, and social mobility.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
Restriction: Junior standing or higher.
SOCY442 The Black Middle Class (3 Credits)
Students will learn about the Black Middle Class. They will examine and explore the historical context that led to the rise of a Black Middle Class. Innovative avenues into the Black Middle Class will also be examined, including various household and family formations. Finally, the course will cover the consequences of being in the The Black Middle Class, with an emphasis on residential segregation and racial identity.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses.
SOCY445 Sex and Love in Modern Society (3 Credits)
Sociological theories of sex and gender are used to explore empirical research on women's and men's sexual behavior and attitudes; variation in gendered sexuality by key social characteristics and how gendered sexuality is constructed and controlled; changes in sexuality over time and across relationship types, focusing on changes in sexual desire and behaviors and on the changing meaning of sex and marriage in U.S. society and other countries. Contemporary debates about sexuality will also be examined.
Prerequisite: SOCY201, SOCY202, SOCY203, and SOCY230.
Restriction: Must be in Sociology program; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY450 Investigating Women's Empowerment in Low and Middle Income Countries (3 Credits)
Students in this course will learn how the study of women's empowerment in low and middle income countries (LMICs) has developed, its current state of measurement, and new avenues to pursue in the future. Examining the extensive research on gender-based inequalities in educational attainment, employment rates, and health status, students will investigate how power imbalances across individuals, households, and institutional factors result in persistent inequality. Bringing an intersectional perspective to the forefront of the course, we will study how to design effective intervention policies that seek to improve the daily lives of women, girls and their families.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY451 Sociology of Culture (3 Credits)
Analyzes the relationship between society and culture. How do social forces affect cultural objects and products? How do values and meanings shape individual behavior? How can culture be both a source of domination and resistance? These and other topics will be analyzed to show the role of culture in our lives.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of the department.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY498C or SOCY451.
Formerly: SOCY498C.
SOCY452 Sociology of Mental Health (3 Credits)
The class focuses upon the larger question: "What is the balance between people being mentally 'ill' and us having a 'sick' society?" To explore this question, students will utilize sociological approaches toward mental illness and health. This will manifest as a focus on how social organization is related to mental health and illness. Students will consider how sociologists understand the nature, distribution, and treatment of mental illness and health in society, and will develop a personal understanding of what it means to be mentally healthy.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of the department.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY498O or SOCY 452.
Formerly: SOCY498O.
SOCY453 Racial Residential Segregation (3 Credits)
Examines how race and ethnicity have historically shaped residential patterns in the U.S. and their continuing importance today. Students will investigate the causes of residential segregation, including residential preferences, discrimination, and socioeconomic differences between racial and ethnic groups. Significant attention will be paid to how immigration and ensuing ethnic and racial diversity are reshaping the residential landscape. The readings highlight the U.S. context, though residential patterns in different countries are also briefly discussed.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of the department.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY498D or SOCY453.
Formerly: SOCY498D.
SOCY455 Social Dimensions of Privacy and Surveillance (3 Credits)
Today, it is quite common in many spheres of life that we divulge personal information in exchange for something else. This course examines practices of surveillance in contemporary society in relationship to collective understandings of privacy. By the end of this course, students will be able to analyze privacy norms and practices in the age of mass surveillance, how surveillance produces inequalities in relation to privacy, and how definitions and regulations of privacy and surveillance change over time.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of the department.
SOCY456 Smart Machines and Human Prospects (3 Credits)
Artificial intelligence is everywhere and never sleeps. It is transforming our social institutions in intended and unintended ways. While scientists debate the feasibility of engineering conscious machines with general intelligence, no one debates that the global race is on to create more potent computers. Through targeted research, discussion, and presentation of findings students will answer a specific question on how, where, and in what ways society is being changed by smart machines.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY416 or SOCY456.
SOCY457 Sociology of Law (3 Credits)
Students will be introduced to sociological theories and frameworks used to examine how the law shapes society and how society shapes the law. Students will explore various approaches to jurisprudence influenced by sociology and investigate: how different social theorists have interpreted the role of law in society, whose interests the law serves, and the law's role in societal transformation. The course will enable students to understand how the law influences and is influenced by power, social change, legitimacy, compliance, deterrence, social reproduction, and inequality (including race, class, gender, and sexuality).
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY458 Special Topics in Study Abroad IV (1-6 Credits)
Special topics course taken as part of an approved study abroad program.
Repeatable to: 15 credits if content differs.
SOCY461 Sociology in Action: Research and Community Engagement in Prince George's County (3 Credits)
Sociology in Action is a research course that will use the science of sociology to inform real life issues and contribute to the development of social programs. In this course, students will gain hands-on experience in applying sociology by working with clients in Prince George's County on specific social problems and issues. Please assess your ability to commit to this course and fulfill all requirements. Given that students will be working with Prince George's County organizations, there will be some variation and unpredictability in the nature of the projects.
Prerequisite: SOCY202; or students who have taken courses with similar content may contact the department.
SOCY462 Digital Technology and Society (3 Credits)
Situates digital technology in our social environment and then examines how this relationship reflects, reinforces, or reorders social hierarchies. Students will learn the conceptual and methodological foundations for studying and evaluating how technologies such as health and social media apps, the personal computer, artificial intelligence, and weapons of war have evolved, diffused and impacted social life. Students will explore and then conduct independent research on the relationship between technology and social inequalities through the lens of health and medicine, the environment and climate change, jobs and the workplace, as well as government and criminal justice.
Prerequisite: Must have completed 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY463 Sociology of Masculinity: How Much Has Masculinity Really Changed? (3 Credits)
An examination of the history both feminist social movements and feminist sociology in a specific way. It uses the sociological subfield of men and masculinities as a keyhole through which we will study 'the stalled revolution' for women's equality. Along the way, we will familiarize ourselves with academic and popular reports about changing and contested definitions, ideas, and behaviors of masculinity.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS Sociology department.
SOCY465 The Sociology of War: State and Society since the American Revolution (3 Credits)
Since the American and French Revolutions at the end of the eighteenth century, warfare has been marked by the way national states draw ordinary people into armed conflicts--as members of the military, producers and controllers of resources and supporters or resisters, and also as targets and victims. This course examines how the centering of ordinary people in war has transformed over time, continuing right up to the current conflict in Ukraine. Alongside explaining why states make war the way they do, the course explores the impacts of making war and living through conflict on the societies embroiled in it.
Prerequisite: Must have completed 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY467 Sociology of Education (3 Credits)
Students will examine educational institutions from a sociological perspective by analyzing the latent and manifest functions of schooling. Students will study schools as structured organizations; investigate the various roles and subcultures present among teachers and students; and explore educational disparities in access and achievement.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY470 Pregnancy and Parenthood in an Unequal Society (3 Credits)
Analysis of patterns in sexual activity, contraceptive use, and unintended pregnancy, and how they reinforce or alleviate socioeconomic, gender, and racial inequalities. Emphasis on the role of healthcare providers and contraceptive access, attitudes about motherhood and contraception, policy interventions, and institutional designs. Social and economic consequences of increasing women's ability to control their fertility.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of Sociology Department.
SOCY475 Sociology of Emotions (3 Credits)
Emotions are often thought of as purely subjective experiences. How much more personal than one get than their emotions and feelings? In addition to their physiological and psychological aspects, however, emotions have a social side that often go unnoticed. This course will introduce you to the social aspects of emotions. In doing so, we will cover wide-ranging topics including the social causes of emotions, social norms about emotions, disparities in emotionalexperiences, and the ways in which emotions can maintain and reshape society.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology Department.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY498W or SOCY475.
Formerly: SOCY498W.
SOCY480 Researching the Middle East (3 Credits)
Introduces religion, gender, and politics in the Middle East and North Africa. After an overview of the political and social history the focus will be on methods for carrying out research on fundamental issues facing Middle Eastern societies, including national identity, religion, gender relations and the status of women in the family, politics, education, and labor market.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
SOCY481 Ideology and Social Conditions in the Making of Terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa (3 Credits)
The sociology of terrorism and political violence in the Middle East and North African will be explored in this course.
Prerequisite: Must have completed 6 credits in SOCY courses or permission of the Sociology department.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY490 Experimental Research Practicum (3 Credits)
Hands-on experience in designing, conducting, and analyzing experimental research. Introduces students to causal inference in social scientific research, focusing on experimental designs. Students will get hands-on research experience running experimental studies in the group processes lab. Students will also work with the professor and graduate students in the department to develop a research idea that can be executed in the spring semester.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
Additional Information: This is the first course in the experimental research practicum 2-course sequence.
SOCY491 Experimental Research Design (3 Credits)
Students will finalize the design of their studies from the fall semester and carry out the research in this course. Introduces students to analyzing experimental data and presenting results from these data. Students will continue to get hands-on research experience running experimental studies in the group processes lab and working with the professor and graduate students in the department to further develop their projects.
Prerequisite: SOCY201, SOCY202 and SOCY490; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
Additional Information: This is the second course in the experimental research practicum 2-course sequence.
SOCY498 Selected Topics in Sociology (1-3 Credits)
Topics of special interest to advanced undergraduates in sociology. Such courses will be offered in response to student request and faculty interest.
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
Repeatable to: 6 credits.
SOCY601 Statistics for Sociological Research I (4 Credits)
Covers calculation and interpretation of descriptive and inferential statistics, including Chi-square, ANOVA, correlation, and bivariate and multivariable OLS regression. Students will be introduced to applied data analysis using Stata statistical software.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
SOCY602 Statistics for Sociological Research II (4 Credits)
This course introduces regression analysis using matrix algebra. Topics include bivariate regression, multivariate regression, tests of significance, regression diagnostics, indicator variables, interaction terms, extra sum of squares, and the general linear model. Other topics may be addressed such as logistic regression and path analysis. Statistical programming software may be used.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
SOCY609 Practicum in Social Research (3 Credits)
The conduct of research in collection and analysis of social science data under the guidance of experienced investigators. Emphasis on a particular research area of procedure, e.g. secondary analysis of survey data; experimental design; evaluation of research; data collection techniques.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
SOCY610 Logic of Social Inquiry (3 Credits)
An introductory course on the fundamental issues that arise in the design, execution, analysis, and writing stages of the research process. The course is designed to help first-year graduate students begin their transition from a consumer to a producer of social research.
Restriction: Restricted to Sociology graduate students.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY699D or SOCY610.
Formerly: SOCY699D.
SOCY611 Introduction to Demographic Methods (3 Credits)
Survey of standard demographic methods for the description and analysis of population size, structure and composition, including techniques for the analysis of fertility, mortality and migration.
SOCY612 Families and Modern Social Theory (3 Credits)
Designed to build knowledge about theories of modernity, with emphasis on modern families. Thus, it combines some core theories of modernity (Giddens, Bourdieu, Foucault), with key theoretical debates about families and intimate relationships (economics and economic sociology, gender, race, class), and social change (development and new family forms).
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY699F or SOCY612.
Formerly: SOCY699F.
SOCY613 Social Movement Theory (3 Credits)
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the field of social movements, with an emphasis on understanding theoretical tools within the field. To accomplish this, students will review theories on social movements including Karl Marx, breakdown approaches, resource mobilization and political process theory, dramaturgy, and new social movement theory. Students will also devote considerable attention to core concepts in the field, including social networks, political opportunity structure, repression, framing, collective identity, and movement outcomes.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY699R or SOCY613.
Formerly: SOCY699R.
SOCY616 Sociology Pro-Seminar (1 Credit)
The proseminar is the guide to Sociology as a profession, and how sociology is practiced here at the University of Maryland. The goal of the course is to help students gain insider knowledge about how to develop sociological knowledge and capabilities, and what it means to practice sociology as a graduate student and beyond. The course will discuss both practical aspects of professional life in general and specific topics of interest.
Restriction: Must be in Sociology (Doctoral) program.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCCY699P or SOCY616.
Formerly: SOCY699P.
SOCY618 Computer Methods for Sociologists (3 Credits)
Designed to present the potential of the computer as a tool in sociological research. Projects involving programming and running of data manipulation techniques, statistical techniques, and simple simulations.
Prerequisite: SOCY401; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department. And must have elementary knowledge of a programming language; or CMSC120; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
SOCY620 Classical Sociological Theory (3 Credits)
Examines key texts in the emergence of social theory as a coherent body of thought, defined in part by the idea that society has a distinctive logic of its own that comes from society itself. Students will read works by Adam Smith, Alexis de Tocqueville, Karl Marx, Georg Simmel, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Simone de Beauvoir, WEB DuBois, and Karl Polanyi. Through close reading and discussion, students will trace the development of sociological theory from its origins in the latter 18th century through the founding of the discipline of Sociology in the early 1900s to the recasting of central understandings that emerged around the middle of the 20th century.
Prerequisite: SOCY203 or SOCY403; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department; or permission of instructor.
SOCY621 Contemporary Sociological Theory (3 Credits)
Emphasizes theory as an active part of sociologists' working toolkit. We read contemporary theory and also examine how it is used in empirical studies. Students read works from so-called "reproduction theorists" (Bourdieu), post-structural theorists, critical race theorists, post-colonial theorists, western feminists and post-colonial feminists, symbolic interactionists, and institutional theorists. We learn to view theory as a draft in progress, which we should feel empowered to revise given new empirical data from our changing world. Theory should inform our own research design, but our job as researchers is ultimately to continually revise and refine it.
Prerequisite: SOCY620, SOCY203, or SOCY403; or permission of instructor.
SOCY623 Families and Modern Social Theory (3 Credits)
Modern families will be explored by combining core theories of modernity with key theoretical debates about families and intimate relationships (economics and economic sociology, gender, race), and social change (development and new family forms).
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs (Sociology (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's)) ; or permission of instructor.
SOCY625 Activism and Global Movements (3 Credits)
An introduction to the research on activism, focusing particularly on the global and transnational aspects of activism and social movements. The course begins with an overview of the theoretical literature on activism and social movements. Then, we will focus on case studies of particular movements that have a global component and have been the focus of recent sociological inquiry: the globalization movement, Arab Spring, and the climate/climate justice movement.
Restriction: Must be enrolled in a Sociology (SOCY) graduate program; or permission of instructor.
SOCY626 Demography of Aging (3 Credits)
Examines the demographic foundations of population aging, focusing on macro and historical patterns as well as on trends in mortality health and disability. Also examines the relationship between aging and social institutions such as the family, the economy and public policy.
SOCY627 Migration (3 Credits)
Examines theories of immigration and immigrant adaptation, empirical patterns of migration and immigration, the economic and social effects of immigration, as well as immigration policy issues.
SOCY630 Population and Society (3 Credits)
Selected problems in the field of population; quantitative and qualitative aspects; American and world problems.
SOCY633 Qualitative Research Methods II, Field Research (3 Credits)
As the second course in the qualitative methods sequence, students are expected to have a general knowledge of qualitative methods. Students should have already learned how to collect and analyze qualitative data using interview and ethnographic methods. Student will spend this semester collecting and analyzing qualitative data and must begin the course with a formulated research question, a plan for data collection and sampling. Each student will spend the first two weeks preparing a proposal for submission the the University of Maryland's Institutional Review Board to gain Human Subjects approval to collect data. Then, students will spend a month collecting data, a month analyzing data using QSR NVivo, which will be taught as part of the coursework, and writing up the findings. The end product of the course will be an empirical paper based on the data collected and analyzed throughout the semester.
Prerequisite: SOCY632; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
SOCY634 Attitudes and Public Opinion (3 Credits)
Processes involved in the formation of attitudes; effects of communication; measurement techniques.
SOCY635 Social Aspects of Fertility (3 Credits)
Demographic and socioeconomic aspects of fertility behavior; causes and consequences of fertilty decline; relationship between women's status and fertility; determinants of adolescent and nonmarital fertility; differential fertility by race/ethnicity and migration status.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
SOCY637 Demography Of The Labor Force (3 Credits)
Demographic trends as related to the composition of the U.S. labor force and trends in income; employment status of immigrants, women, and minorities; relationship between skills and jobs; types of data available for study of the labor force.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
SOCY641 Leadership in Diverse Organizations (3 Credits)
Provides students with a practical understanding of leadership and a framework for understanding three key conditions from which effective leadership emerges: timing, organizational characteristics, and individual characteristics. We will consider different dimensions and/or styles of leadership, as well as the methods effective leaders use to build solidarity within groups and organizations.
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); or permission from either the Sociology Department or Criminology & Criminal Justice Department.
SOCY642 The Sociology of Mental Health (3 Credits)
Social factors that influence mental health. Group dynamics of mental health preservation.
SOCY643 Power and Status in Organizations (3 Credits)
Organizations affect virtually every aspect of modern social life. The impact and reach of public safety organizations--those special entities purportedly designed to maintain order and safety--are particularly influential. Although sociologists, psychologists, economists, and management scholars all examine the workings of status and power within organizations, our perspective will be primarily sociological as we explore how power and status operate within the context of organizations.
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); or permission from BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY644 Gender, Work, and Family (3 Credits)
The interrelationships among gender, work, and family in contemporary societies. Major research issues addressed from an interdisciplinary and comparative (international) perspective.
SOCY645 Sociology of the Self Concept (3 Credits)
Theory and empirical research dealing with the social determination and social consequences of the self-concept. Sociological, psychological, and psychoanalytic approaches to the self.
SOCY646 Public Image Management and Policy Solutions (3 Credits)
Explores how to mitigate and solve image management problems that arise in organizations. Students will learn how to evaluate their organization, make recommendations for future development, and implement the practical aspects of the solution. Problems arise daily in organizations. Leaders need effective strategies to mitigate and solve these problems. While some problems are structural, daily problems often focus on social interactions among people. The course will focus on evaluating the source of problems, enhancing cultural competency among employees, restructuring and rebranding the organization, managing public image, and forming and implementing innovative policy solutions for long-term goals.
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Master of Professional Studies in Public Safety Leadership and Administration (MPLA); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); or permission from either the Sociology Department or Criminology & Criminal Justice Department.
SOCY653 Family Demography (3 Credits)
Demograpic perspective on family and household relationships; relationships among economic institutions, family structure, and the content of family life; research from contemporary U.S., historical and cross-cultural sources.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
SOCY656 Intersectionality and Population Health Disparities (3 Credits)
An intersectional examination of population health disparities.
SOCY657 Constitutional Law and Public Safety (3 Credits)
Introduces students to the constitutional issues inherent in the practice of policing. Particular emphasis is placed on issues pertaining to the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments.
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Master of Professional Studies in Public Safety Leadership and Administration (MPLA); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); or permission from BSOS-Criminology & Criminal Justice department.
SOCY660 Theories of Social Psychology (3 Credits)
An introduction to some of the theories in social psychology that are particularly useful to sociologists. Topics to be covered include theories of cognitive consistency, social exchange, symbolic interaction, role theory, group processes, and collective behavior.
Prerequisite: Must have completed an undergraduate training in sociological research methods, statistics, and theory; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
SOCY661 Social Stratification (3 Credits)
Major theoretical and research problems in the sociology of social stratification. The characteristics, correlates, and consequences of class and status stratification; the distribution of power; the relationship of social stratification to ideology and the institutional orders of society.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
SOCY670 Applied Research Methods and Technological Training Approaches (3 Credits)
Introduces students to the purpose, methodology, analysis, and ethics of social science research, especially in the areas of criminal justice and law enforcement. Students will engage in the research process from developing a research question, designing, and conducting a thorough research study, and collecting data for analysis and findings. Both qualitative and quantitative research models will be shared to facilitate students' learning around methodological inquiry and interpretation, including survey design, literature reviews, and report writing. Additionally, students will be exposed to contemporary models impacting law enforcement and public officials, such as algorithmic bias, facial recognition, and individual and community surveillance. At the end of the course, students will be expected to complete a research paper after submission of a research proposal to complete course requirements.
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Public Safety Leadership and Administration (MPS); Leadership in Diverse Organizations certificate; Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); or permission from BSOS-Sociology department.
SOCY673 Sociology of Gender (3 Credits)
This graduate seminar is an introduction to the broad field of sociology of gender. The focus of the seminar is, first, to examine gender as a multilevel system of social practices that construct and reinforce the gender binary, which functions as a master binary that creates "women" and "men" as two different and unequal categories through processes that instill and reinforce gendered identities, interactions, and institutions. In the course, students will examine how gender intersects with other domains of inequality, particularly sexuality, race-ethnicity, social class, and nationality.
SOCY675 Sociology of Emotions (3 Credits)
Reviews the sociological literature on emotion. We will cover wide-ranging topics including the social causes of emotions, social norms about emotions, disparities in emotional experiences, and the ways in which emotions can maintain and reshape society.
SOCY681 Group Processes (3 Credits)
An overview of sociology's group processes perspective, one of the three "faces" of sociological social psychology. The group processes tradition focuses on fundamental social processes that occur in group contexts. These include power, status, legitimacy, emotion, identity, prosocial behavior, justice, and others. The course will attend to all of these areas, with a special focus on research that addresses inequalities by race, gender, and class that are manifested in or exacerbated by specific group processes. Additionally, research in the group processes area tends to be characterized by formal approaches to theory and by experimental methodology, and the course will attend to the role of theory and experiments in building knowledge on group processes.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY681 or SOCY699G.
Formerly: SOCY699G.
SOCY683 Power, Status, and Leadership in Groups (3 Credits)
An overview of research on power, status, and leadership in group contexts. Power, or the ability to achieve one's will even against resistance from others, represents how leadership is often conceived in everyday thinking. The course will review the extensive literature on power in social groups and networks, one conclusion of which is that the power to control others often leads to difficulty in relationships. Leading with status (or influence) has the ability to mitigate some of the problems that are created by inequalities in power, and the course will also review the extensive body of theory and research on status and influence in groups. Organizations are political entities that require the use of power and influence to be effective. Thus, the course will survey theory and research on power, influence, and politics in organizational contexts, paying particular attention to how they are relevant to leadership.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY683 or SOCY699N.
Formerly: SOCY699N.
SOCY699 Special Social Problems (1-16 Credits)
SOCY701 Issues in the Integration of Theory and Method (3 Credits)
The course is intended solely for advanced doctoral sociology students. The main objective of the course is to develop a dissertation proposal. Consequently, this course may only be taken during or after the semester in which the student completes the specialty (comprehensive) exams.
Prerequisite: Must have attained advanced status in the sociology Ph.D. program; or permission of instructor.
Credit Only Granted for: SOCY699Y or SOCY701.
Formerly: SOCY699Y.
SOCY709 Advanced Special Topics in Data Analysis (3 Credits)
An intensive examination of an area of interest in data analysis, including such topics as log linear analysis; discriminant function analysis; canonical correlation; factor analysis; analysis of qualitative data; content analysis; mathematical models.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY719 Advanced Special Topics in Social Psychology (3 Credits)
An intensive review of an area of current interest in the field, including such topics as social influence; interpersonal attraction; equity theory; the dramaturgical perspective; stress and coping; interpersonal conflict; the social psychology of large organizations.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY728 Advanced Special Topics in Meta-theory (3 Credits)
An intensive examination of an area of interest in sociological theory, including such topics as paradigm conflicts; philosophy of social science; value issues in sociological theory; formal theory.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY729 Advanced Special Topics in Substantive Theory (3 Credits)
An intensive examination of an area of interest in theory or a school of sociological theory, including such topics as ethnomethodology; structuralism; Marxism and critical theory; historical study of a major sociological theorist such as Marx, Weber, or Durkheim.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY739 Advanced Special Topics in Organizations and Occupations (3 Credits)
An intensive review of an area of current interest in the field, including such topics as managing organizational data sets; problems of industrial democracy; quality of work life; innovation and productivity.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY749 Advanced Special Topics in Demography (3 Credits)
An intensive review of an area of current interest in the field, including such topics as population policy; social and demographic issues in aging; migration; family demography.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY758 Advanced Special Topics in Sex Roles (3 Credits)
An intensive review of an area of current interest in the field, including such topics as labor force participation; comparative studies; sex roles and aging; gender socialization.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY759 Advanced Special Topics in Sociology of the Family (3 Credits)
An intensive review of an area of current interest in the field, such as alternative family life styles, cross-cultural and comparative family studies; victimization (sexual and physical abuse).
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY769 Advanced Special Topics in Military Sociology (3 Credits)
An intensive review of an area of current interest in the field, including such topics as women in the military; conscription and national service; organizational change in the military; comparative studies of the military.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY789 Advanced Special Topics in Social Stratification (3 Credits)
An intensive examination of an area of interest in the field, including such topics as macrostratification; measurement of prestige; institutional variation in status attainment.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
SOCY799 Master's Thesis Research (1-6 Credits)
SOCY819 Research Seminar in Social Psychology (1 Credit)
An advanced research seminar for students preparing to do research or take comprehensive examinations in social psychology.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY829 Research Seminar in Sociological Theory (1 Credit)
An advanced research seminar for students preparing to do research or take comprehensive examinations in sociological theory.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Additional Information: May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.
SOCY839 Research Seminar in Organizations and Occupations (1 Credit)
An advanced research seminar for students preparing to do research or take comprehensive examinations in organizations or occupations.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Repeatable to: 6 credits.
SOCY849 Research Seminar in Demography (1 Credit)
An advanced research seminar for students preparing to do research or take comprehensive examinations in demography.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Repeatable to: 6 credits.
SOCY858 Research Seminar in Gender, Work and Family (1 Credit)
An advanced research seminar for students preparing to do research or take the specialty examination in Gender, Work and Family.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Repeatable to: 6 credits.
SOCY859 Research Seminar in Sociology of the Family (1 Credit)
An advanced research seminar for students preparing to do research or take comprehensive examinations in sociology of the family.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Repeatable to: 6 credits.
SOCY889 Research Seminar in Social Stratification (1 Credit)
An advanced research seminar for students preparing to do research or take comprehensive examinations in stratification.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Repeatable to: 6 credits.
SOCY898 Pre-Candidacy Research (1-8 Credits)
SOCY899 Doctoral Dissertation Research (1-8 Credits)