200
An in-depth examination and discussion of selected American social problems, including poverty, sexism, racism, family violence, and health issues. Recommendations for alleviation of the problems with a social justice viewpoint.
This course will introduce students to culture as a framework for understanding similarities and differences in behavior and values in human societies. The class will look at communities and cultures from around the globe to give a cross-cultural understanding of human behavior.
An anthropological and sociological investigation of the marriage and family institutions in various cultures and their influences upon both individuals and social organizations. Analysis of family communications; one?s choices in relationships; parenting; life transitions; and the roles of gender, property, power, and love in marriage and family.
This course covers a broad range of prehistoric, historic, and cultural issues pertaining to American Indians. The course will cover diversity among tribes including political organization, social organization, economics, subsistence, and current issues.
While there are biological differences between the sexes, in this course we will explore the social aspects of gender from a sociological perspective. From this view, gender is treated as separate from sex, because gender is the study of differing social expectations for people according to their sex. We will examine how gender is defined, constructed, and reinforced within society, and how all this relates to gender identities and gender inequality. With a critical eye on gender's social construction, we will address issues of gender acquisition and explore the interactions between gender and other socially-constructed categories such as race/ethnicity and class as well as social institutions.
When groups want to affect social change but even traditional demo-cratic means (lobbying, voting, etc.) have failed, what are their options? How effective are these options in different circumstances? When has a social movement or form of collective action been successful? Would you say the environmental movement has been successful? The women's movement? The simplicity movement? In this course, we will explore why social movements and collective action are so common, even in democratic states, as a means for redressing grievances. We will look at the origins, circumstances, consequences, and competing theories of riots, crazes, panics, reforms and revolutionary movements. This is a course for anyone interested in how significant, systematic social change happens, or doesn't happen.
This course will focus on individual affect and cognition in social environments. Individuals' understanding of themselves and others may often rely on these affects and cognitions. Topics will focus on culture, self-esteem, decision making, social affect and cognition, attitudes and persuasion, and attraction and relationships.
This course will focus on individual behaviors in social environments. Topics will include conformity and obedience, helping, aggression, prejudice and discrimination, group think, and applications of social psychology to the environment.
In this course, students will increase their familiarity with the elements of the research process in relation to social psychological topics. Seminal and contemporary research in areas such as conformity, compliance, romantic relationships, and prosocial behavior will be discussed in relationship to the research standards and ethical considerations set by the American Psychological Association. Experiences include forming research ideas; conducting scientific literature searches and reviews; designing observational, survey, and archival studies; analyzing small-scale practice data; preparing professional manuscripts, and enhancing presentation skills. The Social Psychology Lab is optional for students enrolled in Social Psychology (PSY/
SO 240/241). However; if you enroll in the Lab, you then must be co-enrolled in Social Psychology (PSY/
SO 240 or 241) in the same semester. The Lab can only be taken one time.
Physical anthropology is the study of the biocultural diversity in humans. The interaction between culture and biology produces a variety of human adaptations that are traced through the following venues: Primate fossil records, primate and human behavior, and human biological variation.
In this course we use the sociological "lens" of gender to look at issues involving men's and women's health issues, illness, and medical care. The medical field traditionally has looked at the male body as the "correct" medical model and the female body as "other." Ironically, this has served both men and women poorly; men, because they die younger than women, and women, because it has led to the medicalization of many normal female body processes such as pregnancy and menopause. During the semester we will focus on gender expectations of men and women and how they affect the medical perspective as well as our perceptions of health.
In this course, we will explore the patterns in work for men and women and the forces that have brought about and affect these patterns. Then we will consider the effects of our gendered labor market-on individuals, families, and society including inequality in the workplace, sexual harassment, promotion, earnings, and work-family conflicts. We will specifically examine the effects of gender power relations on the workplace, and consider the larger consequences of this for society. These issues will be explored through discussion, films, lecture, and activities.
A holistic approach with a particularly sociological emphasis regarding the use and abuse of alcohol, other psychoactive drugs, and dependency behaviors, e.g. gambling and sexual addiction. Upon completion of the course, students will understand problems of addiction, methods of prevention and control, theories of causation, and the disease concept. They will know various treatment methods.
Special Topics courses include ad-hoc courses on various selected topics that are not part of the regular curriculum, however they may still fulfill certain curricular requirements. Special topics courses are offered at the discretion of each department and will be published as part of the semester course schedule - view available sections for more information. Questions about special topics classes can be directed to the instructor or department chair.