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SociologySocial Sciences Division FacultyMarla H. Kohlman John J. Macionis George E. McCarthy Howard L. Sacks Ric S. Sheffield Jan E. Thomas Sociology involves the systematic examination of human social activity, from everyday face-to-face encounters to the movements of civilizations throughout history. Unlike disciplines that focus on a single aspect of society, sociology stresses the complex relationships governing all dimensions of social life, including the economy, state, family, religion, science, social inequality, culture, and consciousness. Its inquiry is guided by several theoretical traditions and grounded in the empirical observation of social reality. The discipline emerged in the nineteenth century as a critical analysis of modern, western society; yet it is informed by philosophers and theorists from earlier centuries. Today, sociologists study ways in which the modern world continues to change, often by making comparisons with societies at other times and in other places. Sociology majors go on to take active roles in corporate boardrooms, law offices, government departments, social service agencies, classrooms, and policy think tanks. In a broader sense, everyone can benefit from sociology’s unique understanding of our common humanity and the diversity of social life. Beginning Studies in SociologyStudents may begin their study of sociology in any of five foundation courses. Each course combines lecture and discussion and has an enrollment limit of twenty-five students. All of these courses apply the theory and methods of sociology to achieve an understanding of the character of life in modern societies, especially our own. The courses are distinguished by their particular thematic focus and course materials. Look for the The Sociology MajorStudents majoring in sociology must complete a minimum of 5 units of work in the discipline which meet the following requirements: Foundation course. One course (1/2 unit) is required: SOCY 110, 111, 112, 113, or 114. Only one foundation course may be counted toward completion of the major. Area courses. Eight courses (4 units) are required. At least one course (1/2 unit) must be taken in each of the four areas of the sociology curriculum (institutions and change, culture and identity, social theory, research methods) and at least two courses (1 unit) must be taken in three of these areas. Core courses. Three of the four core courses are required: SOCY 271, 361, 362, and 372. These courses count toward completion of area requirements. Students planning to attend graduate school in sociology or related fields are strongly encouraged to take all four core courses. Senior Seminar. SOCY 489 (1/2 unit) is required and taken in the fall of the senior year. With departmental approval, students who do not receive sociology credit from off-campus study may count up to 1 unit of work in other disciplines toward the major requirements. The Senior ExerciseThe Senior Exercise is designed to provide majors with an opportunity to (1) undertake original scholarship on topics of their own choosing, (2) present the results of this scholarship to students and faculty members in a professional setting, and (3) pro-duce high-quality papers through a process of discussion and rewriting. Each student submits a paper proposal in October, to which faculty members participating in the exercise respond in writing. The student then prepares the paper, in consultation with faculty members, to be submitted in January. All participating students read each paper, posting comments via computer prior to the paper’s scheduled presentation. Faculty members provide written comments on the paper to each student. All Senior Exercise participants meet in February for student presentations and discussion of their work. Following these sessions, each student revises the paper in light of faculty and student comments, submitting a final paper by March 1. Faculty members evaluate student work with regard to the quality of the final paper (50 percent), the clarity and effectiveness of the oral presentation (25 percent), and the extent and quality of student participation in discussion (25 percent). Written notification of the results of the evaluation is provided by March 24; included is notice of whether or not the student has passed and earned distinction. Students who fail the Senior Exercise are required to take a written or oral comprehensive examination, at the option of the faculty, covering material presented in the major program. Reading for HonorsThe honors program is designed to facilitate significant independent research by our department’s finest students. Typically, the student will propose a topic for research in consultation with a member of the faculty who agrees to serve as the project advisor. The department will then approve (or decline to approve) the honors research on the basis of the merit of the proposal itself as well as the student’s past classroom performance, motivation to excellence, and demonstration of the organizational skills required for successful completion. In consultation with the project advisor, the student will then build an honors committee consisting of two members of the sociology faculty (including the advisor), one member from another department on campus, and one member from another institution of higher education (chosen by the advisor). The student will then spend the senior year conducting the research and writing an honors thesis. The thesis is finally defended orally before the honors committee, the members of which then determine whether to award no honors, honors, high honors, or highest honors. Students interested in reading for honors should meet with a faculty member no later than January of the junior year to discuss procedures and develop a proposal. Students approved for participation in the honors program will enroll in two semesters of independent study (SOCY 497, 498) in their senior year. The Sociology MinorThe department offers a limited number of structured minors. All minors require a minimum of 2 1/2 units of coursework, including one foundation course. Additional courses are specified for each particular program of study. Minors are currently offered in the following subjects: Sociological Perspective, Sex and Gender, Race and Ethnicity, Social Class, Law and Society, and Social Theory. Students should meet with any member of the faculty to learn more about minoring in sociology. The Sociology CurriculumThe sociology curriculum places emphasis on four substantive areas of sociological investigation: Institutions and Change studies the forms and dynamics of institutional life, with emphasis on structural, historical, and comparative perspectives. Culture and Identity explores the construction and transformation of cultural and symbolic forms and the development of self within the social process. Social Theory examines the historical development of the discipline, the works of major contributors, and the particular schools of sociological thought. Research Methods investigates the assumptions and tools of sociological research as well as the connection between research and theory in sociological study. National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Program in Sociology: A special series of courses will be offered in the department of sociology this year by NEH Professor McCarthy on the topic of “Democracy and Social Justice: Ancient and Modern.” For more information, see course descriptions for SOCY 243 and SOCY 461. The purpose of these courses is to show the integration of the ancient and modern perspectives in ethics and modern German social theory. First-Semester CoursesFoundation Courses Human Society: An Introduction to Sociology This introductory course in sociology explores what is surely the most fascinating of this planet’s life forms, Homo sapiens. Humans stand out in this world as thinking creatures who are, biologically speaking, unfinished at birth. Lacking a genetically fixed “nature,” humans go about completing themselves as they construct societies. Understanding how we accomplish this task is the focus of this course. The course begins by describing the perspective and methods of sociology and then applies these tools to the exploration of human societies. Discussions raise issues such as how and why cultures differ and how people are socialized into their particular way of life; and explore the experience of confronting cultural practices that violate one’s own standards. Additional concerns include a comparison of traditional and modern social organization, with particular emphasis on the expansion of bureaucracy and changing patterns of social inequality. The course helps to develop student writing skills and highlights applications of sociological research and theory to various occupations. American Society This introductory course in social psychology explores the collective foundations of individual identity within the American society, paying particular attention to rural life. In what sense is the self fundamentally social? How are changes in identity attributable to the organization of experience throughout life? What are the effects of gender, race, and social class on consciousness? How have changes in American industrial capitalism shaped the search for self-worth? In what ways have science and technology altered our relationship to nature? What challenges to identity are posed by events in American history, including immigration and the African diaspora? How has the very advent of modernity precipitated our preoccupation with the question “Who am I?” Students will conduct group research projects to connect our ideas to everyday life. Dreamers and Dissenters: Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud This introductory course traces the development of modern social theory from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. It begins by examining the fundamental social institutions and values that characterize and define modern society and the Enlightenment in the works of Descartes, Locke, Dickens, Weber, and J.S. Mill: (1) rise of the modern state, political democracy, and utilitarianism; (2) market economy, industrialization, and economic liberalism; (3) new class system and capitalism; (4) modern personality (self) and individualism; and (5) principles of natural science, modern technology, and positivism. The course then turns to the dreams and imagination of Romanticism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with its critique of modernity in the works of Marx (socialism), Freud (psychoanalysis), Camus and Schopenhauer (existentialism), and Nietzsche (nihilism). We will outline the development of the distinctive principles and institutions of modernity in the following works: Dickens, Hard Times; Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844; Weber, “Science as a Vocation” and The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism; Locke, The Second Treatise of Government; Mill, On Liberty; Descartes, Discourse on Method; Freud, Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria and Five Lectures on Psychoanalysis; Camus, The Fall; Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation; and Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols. Enrollment limited to first- and second-year students. Courses on Institutions and Change Social Movements and Social Change This mid-level course will examine social movements as attempts to bring about social change through collective action. The major goals of the course are: (1) to acquaint students with the sociological literature on social movements; (2) to examine the development, life cycle, and impact of several important social movements in the United States; (3) to examine issues of race, class, and gender within social movements; and (4) to develop students’ skills in thinking sociologically about social discontent and social change. The course will analyze three social movements in particular: the civil-rights movement, the student movements, and the women’s movement. Students will also be required to do volunteer work in a community agency. Prerequisite: foundation course. Issues of Gender and Power The primary objective of this mid-level seminar is to explore the social construction of gender in U.S. society as we question common assumptions that limit our collective understanding of the human experience. The focus of course discussion is specifically on issues which seem to be particularly affected by our societal understanding of women as presently constructed; for example, sexual harassment, rape, and domestic violence. Prerequisite: foundation course or permission of the instructor. This course also satisfies a requirement of the Women’s and Gender Studies Concentration and may be counted toward the American Studies major. Courses on Culture and Identity Ethics and Social Justice: The Ancient and Modern Traditions This course will examine the development of theories of ethics and social justice, from the ancient Hebrew tradition of Torah and the prophets, the New Testament writers Luke and Matthew, the Greek drama of Aeschylus, and the political philosophy of Aristotle, to modern discussions about social, political, and economic justice. We will explore how modern social theory has employed ancient Hebrew and Greek teachings as the basis for social ethics. Questions of justice, freedom, economic development, individualism, and alienation will be major themes in this study of liberalism, Christianity, and Marxism. Special emphasis will be on contemporary debates about the ethics of democratic capitalism, including conservative theology and philosophy and radical liberation theology. Readings will be from the Bible, Aeschylus, Aristotle, Pope John Paul II, M. Friedman, E. Fromm, R. Pirsig, E.F. Schumacher, and N. Wolf. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as RELN 380. Race, Ethnicity, and American Law This course is designed to be a mid-level course that focuses on the American legal system’s effect on racial, ethnic, and minority groups in the United States as well as on the manner in which such groups have influenced the state of the “law” in this country. It is intended to stimulate critical and systematic thinking about the relationships among American legal institutions and selected racial, ethnic, and minority populations. The class will examine various social and cultural conditions, as well as historical and political events, that were influenced in large part by the minority status of the participants. These conditions will be studied to determine in what ways, if any, the American legal system has advanced, accommodated, or frustrated the interests of these groups. Through exposure to the legislative process and legal policy making, students should gain an appreciation for the complexity of the issues and far-reaching impact that legal institutions have on the social, political, and economic condition of racial, ethnic, and minority groups in America. The primary requirement of this course is completion of a comprehensive research project. Prerequisite: foundation course or permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to fifteen students. This course may be counted toward the Law and Society Concentration and the American Studies major. Courses in Social Theory Intersection Theory This upper-level seminar explores the emerging paradigm of intersection theory. Its principal objective is to develop an understanding of the ways in which the salient identities of class position, race, and gender function simultaneously to produce the outcomes we observe in the lives of individuals and in society. While there is a large body of literature in each of the three areas (class, race, gender), only recently have theorists and researchers attempted to model and analyze the “simultaneity” of the functioning. We will pursue this objective in this seminar by exploring the roles of gender and race/ethnicity in the United States during the early development of capitalism and in the present, by reexamining some key Marxian concepts through the lens of intersection theory, and by studying the roles of class, gender, and race/ethncity at the level of the global economy today. Prerequisites: SOCY 361, SOCY 362, or permission of the instructor. It is recommended that students have taken SOCY 231 or SOCY 241. This course also satisfies a requirement of both the Women’s and Gender Studies and the African and African-American Studies concentrations and may be counted toward the American Studies major. Methods of Social Research Knowing how to answer a problem in a systematic way has considerable value; such knowledge is vital simply to be able to read critically the research of others. This course will provide an introduction to the conduct of research, including scientific, interpretive, and critical approaches. The primary concern is to understand when and how to use such techniques as field study, questionnaires, interviews, and laboratory experiments. During the second half of the semester, attention will turn to the basic statistical techniques that are most commonly used in social-science research. No background in statistics or computers is assumed. This course welcomes anyone who wishes to gain competence in basic research skills. Prerequisites: Foundation course and one additional sociology course or permission of instructor. Enrollment is limited so that individual attention can be provided. Senior Seminars and Independent Study Senior Seminar This advanced seminar, required of all senior majors, explores fundamental issues regarding the process of sociological inquiry and the promise of the discipline. Faculty forums and student-directed discussions will consider the boundaries and purposes of sociology, the relationship between theory and research, sociological writing, and the planning and execution of scholarly research. Students will apply their understanding of these issues through individual projects on subjects of their own choosing, presenting their work in progress for critical discussion. Prerequisite: This course is limited to senior sociology majors. Individual Study This course is for students who wish to do advanced work beyond regular courses or to study topics not included in course offerings. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair. Senior Honors This course is for students pursuing departmental honors. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair. Second-Semester CoursesFoundation Courses Dreamers and Dissenters: Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud See first-semester course description. American Society See first-semester course description. Institutions and Inequalities This introductory course will focus on an analysis of social structure and its impact on the experiences of individuals. We will look at the ways in which social structures construct and constrain reality for individuals and how society and social institutions shape individual values, attitudes, and behaviors. The course will examine sociological concepts through an analysis of culture, social inequality, social institutions, and social change. The first portion of the class will focus on understanding culture and how we come to be social beings. We will then move to an examination of social stratification and inequalities, paying particular attention to the impact of race, class, and gender on the lives of individuals in American society. We will look at recent changes in the institutions of economics, politics, and education and the impact these changes have had on individuals and society. We will end the semester by looking at social change within one institution. By the end of the course, you should understand common sociological concepts and perspectives and be able to consider aspects of the social world through the sociological lens. Courses on Institutions and Change Wealth and Power People in the United States are keenly aware of social differences, yet few have a very precise understanding of “social class,” the magnitude of social inequality in U.S. society, or why social inequality exists at all. This course provides a semester-long examination of social stratification—a society’s unequal ranking of categories of people—in historical, comparative, theoretical, and critical terms. The historical focus traces the development of social inequality since the emergence of the first human societies some 10,000 years ago with particular attention to the effects of the Industrial Revolution and, more recently, the Information Revolution. The comparative focus explores how and why societies differ in their degree of inequality, dimensions of inequality, and justifications for inequality. Attention is also given to the extent of social differences between high- and low-income nations in the world today. The theoretical focus asks how and why social inequality comes to exist in the first place (and why social equality does not exist), both in a national and an international context. Finally, this course offers a true diversity of political approaches, presenting arguments made by conservatives, liberals, and radicals about the degree of inequality in the United States and in the world. Prerequisite: foundation course or permission of the instructor. Health and Illness Critics of the health-care system charge that the current system delivers “sick” care, not “health” care, and that the trends toward non-government interference of the 1980s have left us with skyrocketing medical costs, increasingly unequal access to health care, little public accountability, and increasing rates of chronic illness. This class will examine these charges by first discussing the social context of health and illness: who gets sick, who gets help, and the medicalization of social problems. We will then look at the health-care system (historical development, medical education, institutional settings). We also will explore the interaction between people and their health-care providers with respect to language, information exchange, and power relationships. We will then look at the advent of managed care and how it has changed the system in the United States. Several administrators and providers from the community will share their perspectives on these trends. The course will close with a discussion of reform and change within the medical institution and a brief look at health care systems in other countries. Marriage and the Family We all come from families, and the family is therefore a familiar social institution. But family is constituted not just by our individual experiences but also as a product of historical, social, and political conditions. This course will examine how these conditions have shaped family life as we know it today. We will look at the social construction of the family, the psychosocial interiors of families, and how governmental policy has shaped and will shape families in the future. In addition, we will discuss the increasing diversity of family structures, the institution of marriage, and the social construction of childhood and parenting. Our underlying framework for analysis will be the gendered nature of family systems. Prerequisite: SOCY 110, 111, 112, or 113. Sociology of Law This mid-level course is intended to examine the interrelationship between jurisprudence and legal sociology. The class will employ a seminar format. Students will examine the theoretical approaches of selected legal sociologists and scholars of jurisprudence. Contrasting Pound’s sociological jurisprudence with Weber’s Austinian view of the nature of law or Durkheim’s examination of law and social solidarity, the class will explore diverse approaches to the sociological study of law in society, both classical and contemporary. Students will encounter questions about the collaboration between lawyers and sociologists for utilitarian purposes (i.e., research to guide legal and social policy) versus the pursuit of a so-called “pure” sociology of law which refrains from making value judgments or evaluations in favor of explanatory and descriptive purposes. The class will seek to explore the intersection of legal theory and sociological method and its implications for the field of legal sociology. There will also be special attention given to the American critical legal studies, feminist jurisprudence, and critical race theoretical movements. Prerequisites: SOCY 110, 111, 112, or 113, or permission of instructor. Limited to fifteen students. Courses on Social Theory Contemporary Social Theory In this core course we will investigate the twentieth century’s major theories concerning the nature of society and the human social process. Most of these sociological theories are American in origin, but some developments in Western European thought will also be included. Specific theories to be discussed include (1) functionalism, (2) sym-bolic interactionism, (3) sociology of knowledge, (4) critical theory, and (5) intersection theory. The consideration of the intellectual and social contexts in which these theoretical traditions have arisen will be central to our analysis throughout. This course will be of value to students interested in developing a systematic approach to understanding society and should be especially relevant to those concentrating in the social sciences. Note: This course will not be offered in 2004-2005. Prerequisites: foundation course and one additional sociology course or permission of instructor. German Social Theory:
The Romancing of Antiquity This seminar examines the evolution of modern German social theory in the twentieth century. Special emphasis will be placed on the influence of classical Greece on the writings of Nietzsche, Freud, Adorno, Horkheimer, Fromm, Arendt, Marcuse, Gadamer, and Habermas. Following a summary of the tendencies and questions in social theory during the Weimar period, the course will consider the major contemporary German schools of social thought, including phenomenology, existentialism, hermeneutics, Marxism, and critical theory. Prerequisites: permission of instructor. Courses on Research MethodsResearch Practicum:
Doing Social Research Ever wonder how sociologists gather the information on which they base their claims? Curious about all those charts and graphs in newspapers and magazines? Thinking about a career in marketing or survey research? This course is designed for students who want to “get their hands dirty” and actively participate in doing and understanding social research. Students in this course will engage in the design, implementation, and analysis of a sociological research project. Participants will: pose and investigate a research question, gather and analyze data, and prepare their findings for presentation. Students will become acquainted with SPSS for data analysis and learn to construct and interpret tables and other graphical displays. These skills will help prepare them for graduate school, for the job market, and for being more informed consumers of social research. Prerequisites: foundation course and one additional sociology course. SOCY 271 highly recommended. Senior Seminars and Independent Study Individual Study This course is for students who wish to do advanced work beyond regular courses or to study topics not included in course offerings. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair. Senior Honors This course is for students pursuing departmental honors. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair. The following courses may be offered in 2003-04:SOCY 110 Human Society
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symbol, which designates those courses particularly appropriate for first-year students or upper-class students new to the sociology curriculum.