Sociology current courses
See Course Description in Catalog
SPRING 2024 COURSES
Introduction to Sociology 100-01
Nicole M. Brown 4 Units T/TH 1:30-3:10 p.m.
Take a new look at the social world that surrounds and influences you. How are you, as an individual, shaped by your society? How do your choices, in turn, shape society? Sociology offers a unique outlook on our rapidly changing modern society and culture. You will get a thorough overview in this class of important sociological concepts such as stratification, culture, socialization, status, deviance and institutions (e.g., marriage and family, education, work).
You will learn how to study specific areas of society such as gender, class, race and ethnicity through reading insightful research by sociologists. Students also are challenged to explore controversial ideas relating to inequality and social justice. This course fulfills the Social Sciences requirement of the Core Curriculum.
Social Problems 104-01
Robert Bulman 4 Units T/TH 9:50-11:30 a.m.
This course will introduce students to the study of social problems in American society. A sociological approach to social problems is as much about how and why we collectively view certain things in society as “problems” as much as it is an investigation into the social harm done by these social phenomena. In other words, we are interested in the objective harms of such social problems as homelessness and drug abuse, and we want to learn what we can do to reduce these harms. But we are just as curious to understand how these “problems” are collectively defined, subjectively understood, culturally framed, and debated in the public square. If we don’t fully understand how we socially construct and perceive these “problems” we will not be able to help address real social needs. This course fulfills the Social Sciences requirement of the Core Curriculum.
SOCIOLOGY 135-01
Special Topics: Visual Sociology
Robert Bulman 1 Unit TH 12:05-12:55 p.m.
This one credit class will introduce students to how sociology can use visual images to learn something important about the social world. Students are required to have access to a device to take pictures. It may be a camera phone, digital camera, or film camera. We will meet weekly to discuss how to analyze visual images from a sociological perspective and to share our experiences taking photos that reveal sociological concepts.
SOCIOLOGY 312-1 Race and Ethnicity
Nicole Brown 3 Units T/TH 11:40-12:55PM
In this class, we will examine various racial and ethnic formations, and the social significance of these classifications. We will explore issues such as racial and ethnic identity development, systemic racism, race and technology, and the intersections between race, ethnicity,
and feminism. This course fulfills the Social Sciences, Identity, Power, and Equity in the US requirement of the Core Curriculum.
Global Migration 316-01
Zeynep Atalay 4 Units MW 1:30-3:10 p.m.
This course focuses on the dynamics of contemporary migration and the way it is changing states, societies, politics, identities and individual relationships. Throughout the semester we will analyze the determinants of population movements; patterned character of the migratory process; the ways in which immigration is related to global capitalism; and the role of state actions on the politics of immigration. We will ask: What drives people to leave their homes and to go to unfamiliar places where they may be subject to harsh treatment or even detention and expulsion? What kinds of people are most likely to move? How do migrants choose their destinations? How do they become incorporated into the economic, political, and social systems in the places where they settle? Who determines the conditions and circumstances under which people can leave one place and go to another? How do borders work, and what purpose do borders serve? Why do states welcome certain migrants at certain times and restrict migration at other times? What impact do migrants have on the economies and political systems of sending and receiving societies? And at what point do ‘foreigners’ cease to be foreign? This course fulfills the Social Sciences - Global Issues & Perspective requirement of the Core Curriculum.
328-01 Crime and Delinquency
Robert Bulman 3 Units T/TH 8:25-9:40 a.m.
This course will introduce students to the study of criminology from the perspective of sociology. We will review the ways in which sociologists understand the social construction of social problems. We will then explore many of the competing theories used to explain crime and deviance in American society. Students will analyze the ways in which
differences in social power (based on race, class, and gender) can affect the creation of laws, criminal activity, arrest and punishment, and the perception of deviance in society. This course fulfills the Social Sciences requirement of the Core Curriculum.
432-01 Sociological Research Methods
Ynez Wilson Hirst 4 Units MWF 8:00-9:05 a.m.
How do we know what we know? As sociologists, everything we know about the social world is the result of carefully designed and executed research. We must systematically collect data about the social world in order to understand how the world works and to test our theories about the world. This course is an introduction to how sociologists design research projects, how they collect data, and how they use that data when they construct a sociological argument. Sociologists use many different types of research methods. We will read about, evaluate, and practice a variety of research tools used by sociologists. We will conduct participant observation, in-depth interviews, survey research, and content analysis. Prerequisite 301 or instructor approval. This course fulfills the Engaged Learning requirement of the Core Curriculum.
432 EL Sociological Research Methods
Ynez Wilson Hirst 1 Unit TBA
Concurrent enrollment in 432-01
This course fulfills the Engaged Learning requirement of the Core Curriculum.
Questions- contact Soc. Dept. chair Zeynep Atalay