Courses Offered by Department
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Anthropology (ANT) courses
ANT 100 World Cultures
General Education Course (Focus on Cultural Competence).An exploration of cultural differences throughout the world, with emphasis on nonwestern societies, from the perspective of cultural anthropology.
ANT 125 Exploring Our Human Ancestry
General Education Course (Focus on Social and Behavioral Sciences).This course explores what it means to be human by tracing our biological and cultural roots. Topics include the evolutionary process; our place among the living primates; fossil and archaeological evidence of human ancestors; and the origins of language, society, and culture.
ANT 303 Cultural Anthropology
The comparative study of human society and culture, focusing on theories of culture and cultural institutions and ethnographic and cross-cultural methods of research.
ANT 304 Biological Anthropology
An examination of biological aspects of humanity from comparative and evolutionary perspectives. Topics include evolutionary theory, the origin and evolution of nonhuman primates and humans, primate behavior, biological variation among human populations, and anatomical and physiological influences on behavior.
ANT 305 Introduction to Archaeology
An introduction to the goals, methods, theories, issues, and ethics of archaeology-the study of cultures in the past from the remains they left behind. Topics will include archaeological survey, excavation, dating techniques, artifact analysis, conservation, and cultural adaptation and change.
ANT 306 Linguistic Anthropology
This course is an introduction to the field of linguistic anthropology, with special emphasis on language as a basic component of human culture. Subjects include the humanness of language, the study of linguistic structure, description and analysis of languages, origins of human speech, the history of languages and writing, the use of language in social relations, and the relationship among language, thought, and culture.
ANT 309 Service-Learning in Anthropology
Prerequisite: 30 hours and concurrent registration in an anthropology course designated as a service-learning offering.An integrative learning experience which addresses the practice of citizenship and promotes an awareness of and participation in public affairs by incorporating community service with classroom instruction. Includes 40 hours on-task service to a community organization, agency or public sector provider. The community service placement agency and service assignment will vary, dependent on the disciplinary course topic and learning objectives. May be repeated.
ANT 312 Anthropology of Gender
Prerequisite: ANT 100 or ANT 303 or permission of instructor.Theories, concepts, and case studies relating to the cultural and social construction of gender from an anthropological perspective. Students will examine gender in relation to sexuality, fertility, child-bearing, self-identification, family, power, status, voice, hegemony/resistance, colonialism, and globalization in cultures and societies around the world. Identical with AAS 312. Cannot receive credit for both ANT 312 and AAS 312.
ANT 314 Environmental Anthropology
Prerequisite: ANT 100 or ANT 303.An introduction to the anthropological study of the dynamic relationship between humans and their environment. Students will learn how belief systems, political ideologies and religions around the world have shaped human-environment relationships.
ANT 315 Anthropology of Globalization
Prerequisite: ANT 100 or ANT 303 or permission of instructor.This course critically examines the interconnected modern world using theories, methods, case studies, and concepts developed in cultural anthropology. Students will explore how economic exchanges, new media, human migration, knowledge flows, and other dimensions of globalization are variously experienced in diverse parts of the world by tracing global structures of power and mobility.
ANT 316 Ends of Life
Prerequisite: ANT 100 or ANT 303 or permission of instructor.This course explores the social, cultural, and biological nature of human personhood in the context of death and dying. Students will examine anthropological literature that seeks to explain and interpret the tremendous cross-cultural variation in mortuary rituals and funerary behavior, the cultural construction of death, mourning and bereavement, and medical and ethical issues relating to death and dying. Students will also examine a variety of ways that U.S. society deals with death and dying today.
ANT 320 Ethnography
Prerequisite: ANT 100 or ANT 303.In this course students will read, critique, and compare selected ethnographic accounts of societies around the world and explore ways in which anthropologists have written about and interpreted cultures.
ANT 325 North American Indian Cultures
Prerequisite: ANT 100 or ANT 303.A survey and comparison of Native American societies and cultures in North America (north of Mexico), including their ecology, subsistence, technology, social organization, politics, and religion.
ANT 326 Plains Indian Cultures
This course examines the origins, development, and traditional cultures of Native American groups in the North American Plains region. Topics will include the prehistoric record, historical influences, material culture, subsistence, languages, social organization, trade, law and social control, warfare and alliances, art and religion.
ANT 330 Peoples and Cultures
Anthropological study of a cultural region of the world (such as the Caribbean, Latin America, or Southeastern Indians), including environment, subsistence, technology, economy, social and political organization, and religion. Identical with AAS 330. Cannot receive credit for both ANT 330 and AAS 330. Variable content course. May be repeated when topic changes.
ANT 332 Peoples and Cultures of Africa
An exploration of African societies (especially sub-Saharan), including family structure, gender relations, social and political organization, beliefs, economics, art, oral literature, music, dance, and other aspects of culture. Identical with AAS 333. Cannot receive credit for both ANT 332 and AAS 333.
ANT 334 Peoples and Cultures of Japan
An anthropological survey of the culture and cultural development of the peoples of Japan, from prehistory to the present, including cultural ideology and ethos, social organization, major cultural principles, customs, religion, technology, material culture, and the arts.
ANT 336 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America
An overview of the peoples and cultures of Latin America. Explores culture, politics, economics, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, health, popular culture, social movements, environmental issues, and historical developments in Latin America from an anthropological perspective.
ANT 340 Archaeology of Complex Societies
Prerequisite: ANT 305 or permission of instructor.A detailed consideration of the archaeological study of complex societies, emphasizing the origins and development of social forms and institutions of the modern world such as social inequality, urbanism, and nation-states and empires. Case studies may be selected from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
ANT 342 Hunters and Gatherers
Prerequisite: 30 hours or permission of instructor.Explores past and present hunter-gatherer (non-agricultural) societies through all subfields of anthropology, especially cultural anthropology and archaeology. Topics include subsistence, technology, gender, social organization, religion, environmental sustainability, the cultural sustainability of contemporary hunter-gatherers, popular stereotypes, and the history of anthropological approaches to hunter-gatherers. Uses case studies from diverse regions such as Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
ANT 345 Historical Archaeology
Prerequisite: ANT 305.Historical archaeology investigates the emergence of the modern world over the past ca. 500 years through the study of the material traces of human behavior, in conjunction with the study of written and oral records. This course provides an in-depth introduction to the field of historical archaeology including its methods, theoretical approaches, debates, and applications. Key topics include the historical archaeology of colonialism, slavery, class, gender, ethnicity, consumerism, capitalism, and industrialization. By the end of the course, students will understand how archaeologists recover, analyze, and interpret historical artifacts.
ANT 351 Field Archaeology
Prerequisite: ANT 125 or ANT 305; and permission.Field experience in the techniques, methods and theories of reconnaissance and excavation of archaeological sites. May be repeated to a maximum of nine hours.
ANT 355 Environmental Archaeology
Prerequisite: ANT 305 or BIO 122 or GLG 110 or GLG 171 or GRY 108 or GRY 142.This course focuses on the archaeological study of human interactions with the environment over long periods of time and in multiple settings. It will emphasize both the methods scientists in multiple disciplines use to reconstruct past environments and the conceptual frameworks that are relevant to understanding how people acted on and reacted to the changing world around them. As a holistic and diachronic study of the socio-natural system, environmental archaeology can provide unique perspectives on today's ecological challenges.
ANT 360 North American Archaeology
Prerequisite: ANT 305.Americanist archaeology is distinctive as a set of theoretical and methodological orientations. This course illustrates those orientations through archaeological case studies of initial human migrations, hunting-and-gathering societies, the formation of more complex polities, and European colonialism in North America. The multiple contexts of archaeological research and its impacts on living people are also considered.
ANT 361 Research Methods in Biological Anthropology
Prerequisite: ANT 304 or concurrent enrollment.A survey of techniques and materials used in biological anthropology. Course will cover the main areas of biological anthropology with a focus on hands-on learning activities in the realms of evolutionary theory, basic human genetics, primatology, human evolution, and forensic anthropology. Students will use the departmental collection of bones and fossil casts to become familiar with skeletal remains and the variability that exists in human and nonhuman primate populations, past and present.
ANT 363 Survey of Forensic Anthropology
A survey of the scope of forensic anthropology, which deals with identification and interpretation of human skeletal remains in medico-legal contexts. Included in this course are both theoretical and practical components. Topics to be discussed include the history and ethics of forensic anthropology, forensic investigation, influence of activity and disease on bone, and human rights applications. Practical aspects cover identification of bones and features of the human skeleton; techniques for determining age, sex, stature and race, and distinguishing human from nonhuman skeletal remains.
ANT 365 Human Variation
Prerequisite: ANT 304, or BIO 101 and 111, or BIO 121, or BMS 100 and 101, or BMS 110 and 111.An examination of ways in which humans have adapted both genetically and physiologically to a wide variety of environments and how these adaptations have produced the biological variation seen in contemporary human populations. Major topics will include historical and current approaches to classifying human groups, human growth and development, adaptation and acclimatization to specialized environments, genetic disease, and tracing lineages through DNA analysis. It will also explore recent studies relating human biology to social constructs such as gender, race, ethnicity, and intelligence.
ANT 370 The Living Primates
Prerequisite: ANT 304 or BIO 122 or PSY 336.An introduction to the human species' closest relatives, the nonhuman primates (prosimians, monkeys, and apes); their taxonomy, distribution, morphology, ecology, evolution, behavior, and conservation.
ANT 375 Human Evolution
Prerequisite: ANT 304 or BIO 122.An exploration into the evolution of the human species, through examination of fossil and molecular evidence.
ANT 380 Language and Culture
Prerequisite: ANT 306 or ENG 296.Advanced study in linguistic anthropology on topics such as ethnographies of speaking, ethnolinguistics, language change and historical linguistics. Variable content course. May be repeated when topic changes.
ANT 390 Native American Code Talkers
This course explores the use of Native American languages in U.S. military service during World War I and World War II. The cultural background of code talkers, their recruitment, use in combat situations and post war experiences will be examined, along with their unique status in Native American cultures and recent efforts to document and recognize them.
ANT 395 History of Anthropological Theory
Prerequisite: ANT 303 and 60 hours.This course traces the development of anthropology and anthropological theory, with emphasis on the major theorists and schools of thought in the twentieth century. Public Affairs Capstone Experience course.
ANT 397 Special Topics
Selected topics such as primitive technology, cultural ecology and behavioral evolution. Variable content course. May be repeated to a maximum of nine hours when topic changes.
ANT 490 Field Experience in Anthropology
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.Supervised group study and/or research in an off campus setting. A fee may be charged to cover travel expenses. Identical with AAS 490. Cannot receive credit for both ANT 490 and AAS 490. Variable content course. May be repeated when topic changes.
ANT 499 Internship in Anthropology
Prerequisite: 18 hours of ANT and permission of instructor.This independent study course provides an opportunity to earn academic credit for supervised work experience related to anthropology with an approved business, industry, organization, or government agency. May be repeated to a maximum of six hours. Graded Pass/Not Pass only.
ANT 500 Applied Cultural Anthropology
Prerequisite: ANT 303 and 60 hours.An introduction to the field of applied anthropology, which is the application of anthropological methods, theories, and knowledge to the problems of society. Applied anthropology is the fastest growing field of anthropology today because it provides a basis for many careers. Course will examine the role of cultural anthropologists in areas such as foreign aid and development projects, migrant and refuge services, disasters and humanitarian assistance, human rights issues, business and industry, health and medicine, tourism, environmental protection, fisheries management, the military, and cultural preservation.
ANT 505 Ethnohistory
Prerequisite: ANT 303 and 60 hours.The use of documents, maps, photos, recordings, oral histories, artifacts, folklore, linguistics, and ethnography to reconstruct the culture history of a social or ethnic group, particularly historically marginalized peoples such as Native Americans.
ANT 511 Ethnographic Field Methods
Prerequisite: ANT 303 and 60 hours.Ethnographic methods and techniques in the study of culture, with emphasis on participant-observation, interviewing, note-taking and management, data analysis, and ethics.
ANT 514 Anthropology of Development
Prerequisite: ANT 303 and 60 hours.This course examines theories, concepts, underlying assumptions, and case studies about aid and other assistance to developing nations. It will consider the various meanings given to development by residents of particular regions, as well as those of aid workers, policy makers, private industries, non-governmental and non-profit organizations, and government officials. The course will examine how development projects and policies in areas such as public health and food systems are experienced in daily life in urban and rural areas in Africa, Latin American, and Asia. Students will develop critical thinking skills about the role of culture in the complex and diverse world of international aid.
ANT 515 Medical Anthropology
An examination of health, illness and healing from an applied anthropological perspective, Medical anthropology is one of the largest fields in the discipline of anthropology today, and one that has obvious applications. Topics may include: evolutionary perspectives on illness, the cultural construction of illness, cross-cultural variations in illness and healing, ethnomedical beliefs and practices, shamanism and other forms of symbolic healing, ethnobotany, and relations between biomedicine and ethnomedicine.
ANT 516 Anthropology of Tourism
Prerequisite: ANT 303 and 45 hours.Tourism is a huge, powerful, and problematic industry that is having profound effects on peoples and cultures around the globe today, particularly in societies traditionally studied by anthropologists. The anthropological study of tourism seeks to understand the motives and experiences of the tourist, the relationships between "hosts" and "guests", and the impacts of the industry on communities, cultures, and identities. This course pays particular attention to ethnic, cultural, and heritage tourism and to "best practices" that promote sustainable community development as well as social justice and cultural preservation.
ANT 525 North American Indians Today
Prerequisite: 60 hours.Recommended Prerequisite: ANT 325. Focuses on major developments in North American Indian life in the 20th and 21st centuries, including cultural, social, economic, political, environmental, and legal issues that affect Native Americans today.
ANT 545 Cultural Resource Management
Prerequisite: 60 hours.An examination of laws and regulations pertaining to the preservation of American history and culture and the professional management and preservation of ethnic, historic, and prehistoric cultural resources. May be taught concurrently with ANT 645. Cannot receive credit for both ANT 545 and ANT 645.
ANT 550 Advanced Methods in Archaeology
Prerequisite: ANT 305 and 60 hours.Advanced study and practice in methods and techniques employed in archaeology such as lithic, ceramic, and faunal analysis. Variable content course. May be repeated when topic changes.
ANT 555 Archaeological Theory
Prerequisite: ANT 305 and 60 hours.A comprehensive and in-depth examination of theoretical issues and perspectives concerning the practice of archaeology and the interpretation of archaeological remains.
ANT 596 Directed Readings in Anthropology
Prerequisite: 6 hours of ANT and permission of instructor.Readings designed to supplement material introduced in previous anthropology courses. Includes a wide selection of literature in the field. May be repeated to a maximum of six hours.
ANT 598 Seminar in Anthropology
Prerequisite: 60 hours including 3 hours of Anthropology.A detailed investigation and analysis of a specialized or advanced topic of interest to anthropology (e.g., Upper Paleolithic art, the evolution of human behavior, ethnographies of religion). May be repeated when topic changes. Variable content course.
ANT 599 Directed Research in Anthropology
Prerequisite: 9 hours in Anthropology and permission of instructor.Individual or group research involving supervised collection and analysis of cultural data. May be repeated to a maximum of nine hours.
ANT 645 Cultural Resource Management
An examination of laws and regulations pertaining to the preservation of American history and culture and the professional management and preservation of ethnic, historic, and prehistoric cultural resources. May be taught concurrently with ANT 545. Cannot receive credit for both ANT 645 and ANT 545.
ANT 795 Directed Readings in Anthropology
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.Supervised readings in preparation for a practicum or thesis project.
Sociology (SOC) courses
SOC 150 Introduction to Society
General Education Course (Focus on Social and Behavioral Sciences).The study of society including its structure and operation from the perspective of sociology. The course focuses on ways society is constructed by people and, in turn, on the ways society shapes people. This general education course supplies students with a community as well as global, multicultural understanding of society.
SOC 152 Social Problems in the Community
Prerequisite: 12 hours.General Education Course (Focus on Public Issues).Sociological perspectives on contemporary social issues and problems in American society that are faced by today's communities. A public sociology focus is addressed in this course. This general education course will allow students to recognize the importance of contributing their knowledge and experiences to help resolve social problems in their own community and the broader society.
SOC 300 Service Learning Curricular Component
Prerequisite: 30 hours and concurrent registration in a Sociology course designated as service-learning offering.An integrative learning experience which addresses the practice of citizenship and promotes an awareness of and participation in public affairs by incorporating community service with classroom instruction. Includes 40 hours on-task service to a community organization, agency or public service provider. The community service placement agency and service assignment will vary, dependent on the disciplinary course topic and learning objectives. May be repeated.
SOC 301 Research Methodology
Methods of collecting and analyzing data including survey, interviewing and observation techniques, scaling and sampling designs.
SOC 302 Statistics for Social Research
A first course in statistics for students whose college and career paths require knowledge of the fundamentals of the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. Topics include the presentation of interpretation of univariate and bivariate data using graphical and numerical methods, probability, discrete and continuous probability distributions, linear regression, statistical inference, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Emphasis is placed on the development of statistical thinking and the use of technology. Cannot receive credit toward a degree for more than one of the following courses: AGR 330, IPE 381, MTH 340, PSY 200, QBA 237, REC 328, SOC 302.
SOC 309 Work, Industry, and Society
The industrialization of society and its impact on formal and informal organization, management philosophies, worker attitudes and labor relations. Current trends affecting the work place are examined.
SOC 310 Social Deviance
An historical survey of the explanations of deviant behavior. Emphasis will focus on the structure of norms and rules, their diversity, and their role in identifying deviance.
SOC 311 Sociology of Sexuality
This course studies a wide range of sexual phenomena from a sociological perspective. Sociologists know that sex does not happen in a vacuum. To the contrary, sex is tied up with history, culture, politics, and power. Though we like to believe that our sexual behavior is a private experience untouched by society, sexual desire and sexual activity are in fact structured by social interactions. We can see this in the way that sexuality, sexual practice, and sexual identity are not static concepts, but rather are fluid and different throughout time and space.
SOC 315 The Family
The family as a social institution; its adjustment to modern social conditions; personality adjustments in marriage.
SOC 316 Urban Sociology
The rise and development of urban settlements (cities), their ecology, problems, and an examination of urbanism as a way of life generated in cities.
SOC 318 Sociology of Love and Courtship
This course will explore love, romance, desire, courtship, and intimate relationships in the modern world. We will examine some of the cultural, structural, and historical conditions that shape one of the most profound sets of human experiences: those associated with love and relationships.
SOC 319 Environmental Sociology
This course examines the causes and consequences of environmental problems, environmental movements, impacts of technological change, environmental policy and the state, environmental values, attitudes, and behaviors. Specific topics will vary, but may include resource scarcity, toxics, overconsumption, agricultural production, and more.
SOC 320 Political Sociology
Introduces students to a sociological analysis of political organization forms and their relations with other elements of social life. Students examine the concept of power and the intersection of personality, social structure, and politics. The course also emphasizes how social inequality between groups (e.g. race, class, and gender, etc.) influences politics and elaborates major social trends affecting the political process including how various social forces work to change political policies.
SOC 325 Introduction to Sociological Theory
Prerequisite: SOC 150.A survey of the development of sociological theory with emphasis upon the social and historical influences shaping the thought of classical theorists.
SOC 332 Juvenile Delinquency
This course examines the topic of juvenile delinquency from a sociological perspective. Emphasis is placed on measuring and explaining the occurrence of delinquency in the United States. The course also takes a critical look at societal responses to the delinquency problem, including the juvenile justice system.
SOC 336 Race and Ethnicity
This course explores the social construction of race and ethnicity. Issues of differential power between racial and ethnic groups and the economic, political, and social structures which are utilized to maintain these power differences are identified. Social movements and social policies designed to address social inequality, prejudice and discrimination are also examined. Identical with AAS 336. Cannot receive credit for both SOC 336 and AAS 336.
SOC 337 Sociology of Gender
This course focuses on gender differences, patterns, and inequalities. It analyzes the social construction of gender, femininities and masculinities, gender socialization, and how gender intersects with race, class, and sexuality. Specific attention is paid to the significance of gender in interaction, culture, and social institutions, including work, politics, media, and the family.
SOC 341 Medical Sociology
An analysis of the ecological, sociopsychological and cultural aspects of health and illness, both physical and mental, and of the social organization of health care services and of health professions.
SOC 350 Violence and Society in Latin America
This course offers an interdisciplinary approach towards the understanding of violence and society in Latin America, allowing the students to develop an in-depth understanding of Latin American social history. Students will examine the issue of violence as the history, government, culture, values, language, nation, gender, race, and social inequalities within Latin American societies. The course will provide a broad understanding of the major elements in the development of Latin America over the past decades. Topics may include socioeconomic development, poverty and inequality, social movements, institutions, and social change. The course will demonstrate Latin America in a transnational context. Students are expected to be critically engaged throughout the course. Expert guest lecturers will also be invited to participate.
SOC 357 Sociology of Sport
Investigation and analysis of the relationship between sport and society; the development and changing nature of sport as an institution; role of sport in modern society.
SOC 360 The Individual in Society
This course explores how self understanding emerges in a social context and is inseparable from that context. It examines the symbolic basis of communication, traces the interdependency of self and other awareness, and probes the social organization of human experience.
SOC 375 Social Forces and Aging
Prerequisite: sophomore standing.This course examines the aging process, demographic trends, and the social, economic, and social-psychological aspects of aging in the United States. Students will be introduced to current theories on aging in social gerontology and their application to the everyday lives of older people. Topics of interest include social attitudes toward aging, family and social bonds, work and retirement, gender issues, ethnicity and aging, living environments, and approaches to aging well. Students will learn about the role of federal, state and local agencies in meeting the needs of the elderly. Identical with GER 375. Cannot receive credit for both GER 375 and SOC 375.
SOC 380 Sociology of Law
The interaction of law and society from a sociological perspective with emphasis upon legal institutions as instruments of social control. The impact of social values on the development of the legal order and the reciprocal influence of the law on social behavior.
SOC 384 Social Movements
The study of collective attempts to implement social change in society. Specific groups studied will vary, but may include the civil rights, feminist, political, religious, environmental and health movements.
SOC 390 Religion in Society
Examines the relationship between religion and its social context. Students will explore the social nature of individual religious institutions. The relationship between religion and modernity will be studied. The course will pay special attention to the role of religion in American society, as well as the religious dimensions of class, gender, region, and race/ethnicity. Identical with REL 390. Cannot receive credit for both SOC 390 and REL 390. May be taught concurrently with SOC 790. Cannot receive credit for both SOC 390 and SOC 790.
SOC 397 Special Topics
Selected topics of contemporary interest in Sociology. May be repeated to a total of 6 hours when the topic changes. Variable content course.
SOC 398 Public Sociology and Community Studies
Prerequisite: SOC 150 and Sociology major or minor.Explores how Public Sociology is practiced and connected to the local community. Provides conceptual tools for analyzing communities and creates a foundation for meaningful community engagement. Each section will apply sociological theories and methods to a specific community issue or problem.
SOC 403 Special Topics in Social Research
Prerequisite: SOC 301.This course provides instruction and applied experience in a particular research method such as: survey design, program evaluation, interview/focus groups, field method, quantitative analysis, etc. Variable content course. May be repeated to a total of six hours when the topic changes. No more than six hours may be applied to the Sociology major.
SOC 420 Social Inequality
Prerequisite: SOC 150.An analysis of the structure, sources, and consequences of social inequality and the dimensions along which it may be observed.
SOC 430 The Nonprofit Sector and Civil Society
This course is a broad exploration of the nonprofit organizational environment and how it relates to civil society. It explores the wide variety of organizations within the nonprofit sector, such as nonprofit and voluntary organizations, non-governmental organizations, philanthropic foundations, and civil society institutions. It reviews theories explaining the development of the nonprofit sector in relation to business and government. It combines a theoretical/conceptual approach with practical applications and local community examples. Nonprofits are explored at local (Springfield), national, and global levels.
SOC 450 Population, Society, and Public Policy
This course provides an introduction to the field of demography with an emphasis on demographic techniques, population processes of fertility, mortality, migration, and the impact of population change on society and public policy. Topics of interest will include analysis of population size, characteristics, and growth/decline; overpopulation and sustainability; population aging, cohorts, and generations; changes to the family (fertility, marriage, divorce, and cohabitation); myths and realities surrounding immigration; and the role of public policy in addressing population issues.
SOC 456 Food in Society
This course examines how procuring food impacts societal organization and is a catalyst for social change. The basic premise of this course is that understanding how a society feeds itself will reveal many sociological insights such as the distribution of wealth and power and the health of individuals and communities.
SOC 470 Practicum in Applied Sociological Research
Prerequisite: SOC 301 and SOC 302 and SOC 325 and permission of instructor.Group experience in designing and carrying out an applied community research project. Variable content course.
SOC 480 Health Inequities Across the Life Course
Prerequisite: SOC 150 or permission of instructor.Why are some social groups more susceptible to poorer health outcomes than others? In this course, we address this question by examining the extent of, patterns of, and reasons behind social inequities in health and wellbeing across the life span. This course draws on interdisciplinary perspectives including sociology, social epidemiology, psychology, health demography, feminist theory, critical studies, and health services research to provide an in-depth investigation of how health inequities across race/ethnicity, gender/sex, sexual identity, class and other social locations emerge and are perpetuated throughout time. The focus will largely center on social and structural determinants of health. Lastly, the course will focus on health policy, and the ways that health policy shapes priorities regarding actions taken to lessen health inequities across groups. Though the course will center on the U.S. context, we will also investigate health inequities across the globe, particularly as they compare to U.S. inequities. This course is ideal for anyone interested in research or applied careers in health and health care as well as those curious at how the social environment can influence one's health and wellbeing.
SOC 492 Leadership and Professional Development
Prerequisite: senior standing.All students majoring in Sociology are required to enroll in this course during their senior year. This course serves as the Public Affairs Capstone Experience for the Sociology major. The course has three focus areas: 1) career or graduate school preparation for upcoming graduates; 2) leadership concepts and applications; and 3) an individualized, community-based, applied experience in community service, career preparation, or research. In addition, students will complete several program-specific assessments of learning outcomes.
SOC 497 Special Topics
Prerequisite: 9 hours sociology and permission of instructor.Selected topics in substantive areas in sociology such as theory, methodology, social organization, social psychology, demography, criminology and family. Offered when resources and demand allow. May be repeated to a total of 6 hours when topic changes. Variable content course.
SOC 499 Internship in Applied Sociology
Prerequisite: 18 hours in Sociology and permission of instructor.Supervised work experience in business, industry, governmental, institutional and/or agency settings where sociological skills are utilized. One credit hour for each 35 clock hours on the job. No more than six hours internship credit may be applied to the Sociology major.
SOC 596 Directed Readings in Sociology
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.Readings designed to supplement material introduced in previous Sociology courses. Includes a wide selection from literature in the field. May be repeated to a total of 9 hours, but no more than 6 hours may be applied to the sociology major. May be taught concurrently with SOC 697. Cannot receive credit for both SOC 697 and SOC 596.
SOC 599 Sociological Research
Prerequisite: SOC 150 and SOC 301 and SOC 302 and SOC 325 and permission of instructor.Independent and/or group work in research methodology, data manipulation and presentation in selected fields of sociology. May be repeated to total of 9 hours.
SOC 697 Directed Readings in Sociology
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.Readings designed to supplement material introduced in previous Sociology courses. Includes a wide selection from literature in the field. May be repeated to a total of 9 hours, but no more than 6 hours may be applied to the sociology major. May be taught concurrently with SOC 596. Cannot receive credit for both SOC 596 and SOC 697.