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Elective Sociology and Criminology Courses (not all courses are offered every semester) All course offerings are contingent on budgetary allocations, faculty resources and enrollment figures and, unless otherwise indicated, are offered in accordance with student demand.
SY2570 Statistics for Social Sciences 4 cr. ► also satisfies elective requirement for Criminology Majors This course provides a basic understanding of statistical logic and methods for application to social science questions and research. Areas covered include basic mathematical representation of data, graphing, correlation analysis, algebraic formulas and linear regression. Students will gain experience using the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for both descriptive and predictive analysis of data suited to quantitative analysis. Offered every year. Prerequisites: MA 0500 or equivalent; EC I Placement.
CR3000 Gender, Crime and Justice 4 cr. ► may also serve as an elective for Sociology Majors This course will examine the role of gender in the criminal legal system. It will cover the relative status of women and men from the late 19th century to the present, and the process of becoming full and equal participants in society. The course will use major sociological theories of gender difference to understand offenders and defendants; prisoners; law enforcement professionals; and victims of this system. Current programs for community based justice and the tension between theories of gender difference, practices and programs for women in the legal system, and conservative and feminist political views regarding the abilities and disabilities of women will also be included. Offered every year. Prerequisite: ECII.
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3090 Juvenile Delinquency 4 cr. ►
may also serve as an elective for Sociology Majors CR3200 Crime, Media and Culture 4 cr. ► may also serve as an elective for Sociology Majors This course explores the ways that media and cultural processes socially construct crime in modern society. Drawing on the latest theories of culture and crime, students will investigate the relationships among mass media, individual agency, actual crime and criminal justice. Emphasis will be on crime news, popular representations of crime, contemporary media portrayals of different types of crime and their interactions with racial, ethnic, class and gender stereotypes. Offered every year. Prerequisite: ECII.
SY 3550 Social Problems 4 cr. Examines the historical and contemporary roots of critical social problems such as poverty, unemployment, ecological despoliation, delinquency, population growth, etc. Also of concern are the social policies directed toward these problems and an examination of their present and future consequences. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: EC II placement.
SY 3600 Social Deviance 4 cr. ► also satisfies elective requirement for Criminology Majors Patterns of deviant behavior, particularly in American society, are studied. Concentrates on the social construction of deviance: how various deviant labels are defined and applied (e.g., mental illness, alcoholism) and the social consequences for those labeled. Students also study, in depth, the origins, extent and consequences of selected types of deviant behavior. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EC II placement.
SY 3630 Political Sociology 4 cr. Examines the social structures and processes related to political behavior and organizations. Explores the problems social order poses for different social classes and how institutions of power and authority are shaped in efforts to maintain control and legitimacy. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EC II placement.
SY 3700 Family and Society 4 cr. Through historical and comparative analysis, studies the connection between courtship and marriage patterns and different economic systems. Students examine the emergence of the modern family system, changing patterns of mate selection and courtship and the relationship between general assumptions about sex roles and role allocation in marriage itself. Comparisons are drawn across cultures and across class, race and ethnic groups in American society. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EC II placement.
SY 3800 Sociology of Minorities 4 cr. Emphasizes the history, social structure and culture of racial national, ethnic and religious minorities. Includes such minority majority processes as interracial and intercultural conflict, domination and adaptation, accommodation and assimilation. Causes and consequences of prejudice, racism and discrimination and some ways of reducing intergroup tensions are included as are alternative models for pluralistic societies such as "melting pots" or "mosaics." Offered every year. Prerequisite: EC II placement.
SY 4060 Poverty and Social Welfare 4 cr. Examines the social bases of poverty in capitalistic societies. Such dimensions of the larger social system as depressions, unemployment, discrimination, automation, migration and education are explored both individually and as elements of a social structure that imposes a condition of poverty on a large segment of the population. The different forms of social welfare are examined, showing how social welfare strategies are designed to benefit all levels of society. The impact of poverty on social groups and individuals and the ways in which they seek to cope with it are considered in terms of the social institutions in which they participate. The various efforts to reduce poverty, their social, ideological and political bases and their successes and failures are also considered. Offered alternate years. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
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4091 Punishment and Corrections 4 cr. ►
may also serve as an elective for Sociology Majors
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4092 Victimology 4 cr. ►
may also serve as an elective for Sociology Majors
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4093 Criminal Justice Administration 4 cr. ►
may also serve as an elective for Sociology Majors
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4094 Drugs and Society
4 cr. ►
may also serve as an elective for Sociology Majors CR4099 Sociology of Violence 4 cr. ► may also serve as an elective for Sociology Majors This course provides a sociological inquiry into the various manifestations of violence in societies, including interpersonal forms of violence such as homicide, rape, and physical assault as well as collective forms of violence such as state-sponsored violence, war, genocide, terrorism and torture. Specific attention will be paid to the sociological causes and effects of individual and collective violent actions. Offered every year. Prerequisites: EMS; CR 2500.
SY 4160 Sociology of Culture 4 cr. Provides a sociological approach to the study of culture. Material and non-material aspects of culture are explored through the study of language, science and technology, the various arts and media. Special attention is given to the culture-production process, the relationship of culture producers and consumers and the meaning of culture products in today's society. Debates about culture, culture policy, and culture change are analyzed in the course. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4260 Social Work: Theory and Practice 4 cr. Examines social work practice as a planned change process occurring within systems, i.e., one-to-one relationships, families, community groups. Provides a general overview of social work practice within the context of social welfare. Particular attention is paid to the structure and function of social welfare as an institution and to the development of concepts and techniques applicable to a wide variety of social work settings and situations. Addresses such issues as the types of opportunities in the field, necessary skills and the underlying value system. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4280 Social Inequality 4 cr. This course analyzes the basic dimensions of structured social inequality in the U.S.A.: the unequal distribution of wealth, power, goods and services by class, race and sex. It studies different aspects of the impact of social inequality: for example, on environmental issues; social mobility; beliefs about the justice of inequality; social movements; crime, poverty and social policy. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4320 Population and Society 4 cr. The aim of this course is to provide a cross-cultural perspective on major population issues and problems. It involves an examination of national and world population trends and patterns, and their social, economic, and political implications. It will provide an introduction to major methods of demographic analysis and major components of population growth. A major emphasis is on the determinants and consequences of fertility, mortality and migration from a cross-cultural perspective with specific reference to countries in Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia and Africa. The various population policies and their consequences are also considered. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4400 Social Psychology 4 cr. Introduces the social psychological theories of sociologists and anthropologists to show how culture and society shape and influence behavior. Focus is on theories of socialization, such as symbolic interaction, behaviorism, small group theories, perception, social exchange, etc. Consideration is given to cross-cultural examples. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4560 Field Research 4 cr. Students are acquainted with contemporary qualitative research methods, including field research, participant observation and life history interviewing, historical and documentary research, content analysis of records, documents and other cultural products. Published articles and other works using qualitative methods are reviewed. Theory, techniques and ethical issues are explored. Offered when resources are available. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4570 Computers and Social Statistics 4 cr. Provides students with an applied, social research experience, enhances or gives a first exposure to computer skills and offers introduction to statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and other statistical programs and microcomputers. Students construct their own research projects and analyze the data. Offered when resources are available. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4600 Social Programs, Planning and Policy 4 cr. Analyzes formation of social policy, its effectiveness as applied to specific social institutions and programs, as well as the impact of these programs on their targeted population. Broader issues of social policy within the context of political economic systems and ideologies, as well as the general structure of the American "Welfare State," will be discussed, using cross-cultural comparisons. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4651 Sociology of Communications and Media 4 cr. The sociological perspective is used to study communications and media in contemporary society. Communications are examined as behavioral processes and media as technologies and institutions that shape communications. Special emphasis given to the social, political and economic features of mass media. Looks critically at media production, producers, products and effects. Offered every year. Also available as an Internet course. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4700 Sociology of Education 4 cr. Explores the general process of socialization - the induction of individuals into their culture - and education in its broadest sense. Particular focus is on the schools, the institutions of learning and socialization. The multiple functions of these institutions, as well as their structure as organizations are examined. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4750 Medical Sociology 4 cr. Explores the social forces defining and influencing health and illness. The organization and distribution of medical science and professionals are analyzed from a sociological perspective, with an emphasis on care for the poor, minorities, women, the disabled, and the aged. Alternatives to the present system of medical care in the U.S. are discussed, particularly in the context of health and medical care in other countries. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4810 Law and Justice 4 cr. ► also satisfies elective requirement for Criminology Majors This course focuses on the sociological understanding of how ideas of law and justice relate to issues of power, consensus, conflict and change in society. It examines the use of law as a tool in responding to different cultural groups in American society and examines the process and significance of judicial law-making under the U.S. Constitution, illustrated by case examples regarding first amendment guarantees of religious freedom and political dissent, and civil rights issues of race, nationality, gender and sexuality. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4850 Urban and Suburban Sociology 4 cr. Introduces a variety of sociological perspectives on urbanization and community formation. The history of urban development is traced in terms of major social changes contributing to and resulting from the rise of cities. The expansion of cities into metropolitan regions is examined in relation to social processes in urban areas. Select problems that have arisen out of the American urban experience are considered together with such efforts to ameliorate them as urban renewal efforts and city and regional planning. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4900 Social Movements 4 cr. Provides an overview of the contemporary sociological models used to analyze the dynamics of protest among disenfranchised constituencies in the U.S. Cases are drawn largely from the history of African American protest movements of the 19th and 20th century in which activists have attempted to reconcile tensions between demand for civil rights and the more radical vision of nationhood. Government and counter-movement responses to protest are also examined. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4910 Industrial Sociology 4 cr. Examines, from a sociological perspective, the meaning and functions of work in the United States. Focus is inherently historical: evolution of divisions of labor, industrialization, developments of technologies, workers' movements, as well as the impact of these factors on work satisfaction, distribution of power and wealth and the character of work organizations and their management. Offered every year. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
CR 4999 Issues in Criminology 4 cr. ► may also serve as an elective for Sociology Majors Gives students the opportunity to examine in greater depth the analysis and discussion of current specialized sociological work in the particular area defined by the instructor (as indicated in the schedule of classes). Offered every year. Students are permitted to take SY4999 Issues in Sociology for credit up to two times in which two distinct topics are covered. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500.
SY 4999 Issues in Sociology 4 cr. Gives students the opportunity to examine in greater depth the analysis and discussion of current specialized sociological work in the particular area defined by the instructor (as indicated in the schedule of classes). Offered every year. Students are permitted to take SY4999 Issues in Sociology for credit up to two times in which two distinct topics are covered. Prerequisite: EMS, SY2500. |