SOC-220 Mobilizing for Justice (4 credits)
The student examines social change, especially throught the lens of social movements. They study social change in a variety of areas including demographic changes, natural changes, and technological changes. They also conduct research on national and global social movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Prerequisite(s): BSC-215 and 1-2W validation
SOC-301 Social Theory (4 credits)
The student refines her own social philosophy by analyzing ideas set forth by social theorists and critics. They compare different interpretations of social phenomena by examining their historical context, basic assumptions and interpretations, and societal implications.
Prerequisite(s): Take CM-225
SOC-306 Race & Ethnicity in American Life (4 credits)
Students examine from an historical perspective various racial and ethnic groups that comprise American society. Similarities and differences are analyzed in terms of social status, relative power and the dynamics of racism.
Prerequisite(s): SSC 101 completed. Communication Level 3 ICM completed. Offered Spring term only.
SOC-320 Families and Society (3 credits)
This course will examine the family, its structures, and functions. It will look at what families are, why they exist, and how they differ and change. In one respect this course is about your life as a family member: the experiences we all personally have had with family, good and bad, tend to affect what we bring to the study of this topic. In another respect, though, the course is about society's perspective of a family, and how we can understand them holistically. So, we will approach the family from the perspective of behavioral science: in particular, from the disciplines of social work, sociology, and related fields.
SOC-321 Criminology & Social Justice (4 credits)
Few subjects capture the imagination or receive as much attention as crime. We cannot pick up a newspaper, pass a bookstore or turn on the television without being bombarded with accounts of crime. The subject is bound to polarize opinion with parties deeply divided over the causes, consequences and remedies to the problem. This course seeks to shed some light on the subject by applying scientific methods and sociological theories to the study of crime and the criminal justice system. In so doing it will necessarily confront and often contradict widely held views of crime as expressed in the media and by politicians. One of the most important goals of the course is for students to be sensitive to the points of disagreement between conventional wisdom about crime as expressed in the public arena and what is known about crime from systematic study and investigation by social scientists. Students should also come away from this class with a better appreciation of the complexity of the problems and the difficulty in gaining consensus as to what to do about crime.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 3 ICM, BSC-215, plus one additional 200-level course in PSY or SOC completed. Offered in Spring Term only.
SOC-338 Program Evaluation (3 credits)
In this course, the student acquires an understanding of the systematic approach to program evaluation in nonprofit organizations, for-profit businesses, and governmental agencies. The course is designed to familiarize the student with key concepts and theories, practices, and uses of program evaluation in applied settings. Topics include reasons for and uses of program evaluation; types of evaluation, including needs assessment, process evaluation, and output evaluation; context of evaluation, planning, and design; ethical issues and evaluation standards; and reporting of evaluation results.
SOC-341 Geographical Information Systems (3 credits)
This hands-on course in which students are given beginning-level opportunities to process, analyze and visualize spatial data and information using commercially-available GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software. In the process, they are introduced to the principles of GIS and its usefulness as an analytical tool and as an effective communication technique in addressing global, envrionmental and social science questions. The course also explores ethical issues pertaining to confidentiality and privacy when gathering and using GIS data.
Prerequisite(s): SSC 101 and 2 courses from Natural Science/Math General Education requirements completed.
SOC-398 Community Power & Change (3 credits)
This course introduces the student to the economics and politics of local and regional government decision making. They compare different structures of governance and planning in order to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each. For example, communities include many different economic, cultural, and political interest groups. How well do various types of local and regional government address their diverse needs? The student examines case studies of local political issues and investigates issues in their own community.
SOC-399 Formal Introduction to Advanced Work (0 credits)
The Advanced-Level Event marks a significant accomplishment for each student as they proceed into the work of their major department. When a department determines that a student is ready for advanced work within a discipline, the student is invited to participate in a ceremony that is both a celebration and an explanation of future requirements of the major and support areas. The student registers for this experience at a point determined by her major department: for most majors the registration is connected to the taking of a particular course. Students and faculty gather for an afternoon during Mid-semester Assessment Days. Following a general program, students meet in departmental sessions with their faculty to discuss advanced outcomes, department courses, advising procedures, and so on.
Prerequisite(s): SOC-220
SOC-437 Fundraising & Grant Writing: Principles & Practice (3 credits)
The student explores the history, principles, and theories of philanthropy. They develop and practice fundraising strategies, analyzing the values, goals, and needs of a nonprofit client and designing resource development initiatives to address those needs. The student applies principles of persuasive communication, project development/management, data analysis and donor/stakeholder relations in two primary projects: a small group project designing a fund development campaign for a non-profit client; and an individual project researching and preparing a grant proposal to a local funder. In the process, they also examine their own personal philanthropic values and applies professional skills and ethics relevant to philanthropy.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication-Level 4 ICM completed.
SOC-491 Advanced Seminar in Sociology (2 credits)
In this course, students in the disciplines of community leadership and development, political science, and sociology meet together. Each student synthesizes the abilities and knowledge they have acquired through disciplinary courses. They demonstrate advanced-level outcomes by independently analyzing issues within their particular discipline.
Prerequisite(s): One 300 level SOC course completed.