Sociology Archive 2019-2020

Sociology Major Archive 2019-2020

Learn more about this major

Degree Requirements - 126 credits

Students can earn a bachelor of arts degree with this major.  See the requirements for the bachelor of arts degree.

Students can earn a bachelor of science degree with this major.  See the requirements for the bachelor of science degree.

Major Requirements: 10 courses, 37 credits

Core Requirements (4 courses, 13 credits)

Prerequisites:

Sociology Freshmen Only

Credits:

1

Description:

Students will explore what Sociology is and begin to learn about the many career opportunities available to students with a Sociology major. They will do career exploration and begin to think intentionally about their college experience to create a career path. Students will also have the opportunity to meet professors in the Sociology department and develop problem-solving skills and strategies for success in college and beyond.

Prerequisites:

"SOC 113 or 116 with ""C"" or better & one other SOC course. Cannot be taken concurrently with SOC 310\"

Credits:

4

Description:

315,or 333.

Prerequisites:

"SOC 113 or 116 (with a grade of ""C"" or better) SOC 214\"

Credits:

4

Description:

and SOC 315 or 333. Seniors only. Required of all majors.

Choose one of the following:

Credits:

4

Description:

An introduction to the sociological understanding of human interaction, group process and social structures. Students are introduced to basic concepts," theories and methods of sociological investigation. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

Credits:

4

Description:

An examination of traditional and contemporary problems associated with major social institutions such as the family, economics, government and education. Social forces related to ethnicity, social class, health and welfare," and urbanization are also included. Alternative remedial measures based on behavioral science theories are discussed. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

Concentration Requirement (6 courses, 24 credits)

Students must complete one of four concentrations:

  • General Sociology
  • Crime and Justice
  • Health & Society
  • Youth & Community Engagement

Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.

Sociology Learning Goals & Objectives

Learning goals and objectives reflect the educational outcomes achieved by students through the completion of this program. These transferable skills prepare Suffolk students for success in the workplace, in graduate school, and in their local and global communities.

Learning Goals Learning Objectives
Students will...
Students will be able to...
Demonstrate an understanding of the discipline of Sociology
  • Apply sociological principles and key concepts to analysis of the social world
  • Articulate an understanding of diverse social worlds
  • Demonstrate an understanding of sociological theory
  • Demonstrate familiarity with classical and contemporary sociological theories
  • Demonstrate the ability to apply classical and contemporary sociological theories to more fully understand social conditions
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the role of research methods in Sociology
  • Articulate and define the steps in the research process
  • Read and critically analyze research articles
  • Concentrations Archive 2019-2020

    General Sociology Concentration

    Concentration Requirements: 6 courses, 24 credits

    Core Requirement (1 course, 4 credits)

    Prerequisites:

    "SOC 113 or 116 with a grade of ""C"" or better and one other SOC course; CANNOT be taken concurrently with SOC 214; "

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination and comparison of the origin," development and structure of the major theoretical approaches in contemporary sociology. Contributions of different branches of sociology to theory are explored with special attention to the relevance of sociological explanations for society and the social process. Students must have taken SOC 113 or SOC 116 and passed with a ""C"" or better and one other course from the sociology department. Normally offered every semester."

    General Sociology Electives (5 courses, 20 credits)

    Choose five additional Sociology electives, at least one must be at the 200-level, and at least two must be at the 300-level.

    Crime & Justice Concentration

    Concentration Requirements: 6 courses, 24 credits

    Core Requirements (2 courses, 8 credits)

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An overview of issues and social variables involved in the pre-arrest and arrest stages followed by a more in-depth analysis of pre-trial, trial, sentencing, and correctional phases. Sociological and criminal justice models are examined and compared with the actual processes and purported functions of criminal justice agencies. Required for all majors in the Crime and Justice Concentration.

    Prerequisites:

    SOC-113 or SOC-116 with a minimum grade of C and 1 additional SOC course. Cannot be taken concurrently with SOC-214

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "The question ""Why is there crime?"" lies at the heart of this course. This class will address what we mean by crime\"

    Crime and Justice Electives (2 courses, 8 credits)

    Choose two of the following Crime & Justice electives, at least one of these must be at the 300-level:

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Students will explore factors that attract, repel, and displace crime that explain why community crime levels vary. The course will also examine the influential role that neighborhood characteristics have on the behavior of individuals.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An investigation of the emergence, organization, and structure of police systems. The course focuses on the conditions surrounding the relationship between the police and policed in different historical, cultural, political, and economic contexts.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Considers the problems surrounding the legal definition and handling of juveniles who confront the law as offenders, clients and victims. Attention is devoted to the study of the special legal categories and procedures established for juveniles, the problems facing professionals providing juvenile services and the most significant directions of legal and social change affecting youth in our society. Normally offered every year. Fulfills the Sociology Department's Social Policy requirement.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    A sociological exploration of coercive and incapacitative responses to crime. Attention is given to the origins and patterning of segregative controls, the correctional claims of prison systems, alternatives to incarceration and relationships between types of crime, and criminals and varieties of punitive response.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    What happens if you commit a crime on an Indian reservation? Who will prosecute you and how will they punish you? This course will explore the roots of tribal legal systems and criminal law, both the Native and American influences. You will gain an understanding of tribal government, legal systems, criminal law, and the role of tradition in contemporary tribal law. The course will also examine the conflict between Native and Non-Native perspectives on several cases: sovereignty, rights to cultural practices, women, freedom of religion, and land.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "This class explores the images of the traditional ""bad"" girl in films. The course examines the idea of moving beyond merely the delinquent\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    In recent years, public attention to victims of crime has grown enormously. The reasons for this are complex. They include the effects of political organizing by crime victims; increased media attention to crime (often driven by crime stories as entertainment and advertising vehicles); the exploitation of crime victims by the politicians; and long-standing community frustrations with the criminal justice system. This course will examine the rise of public attention to crime, the response of the criminal justice system to victims," and the problems and possibilities regarding new responses to victims of crime. New developments in ""restorative justice"" will be presented as an emerging alternative to problems victims have reported with the criminal justice system."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course provides an overview of youth gangs and their sociological underpinnings, which are rooted in poverty and racism. Topical areas are discussed in relation to these key factors. Study topics include the history of gangs, theories about gang formation and individual membership, gangs and criminal behavior, socio-cultural importance of gangs, and strategies to control gang behavior. The course will utilize current gang issues in the US generally and in Massachusetts in particular as a basis to better understand the nuances of youth gangs.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Who and what is deviant? How shall the society respond? The course examines a range of deviance theories and associated social policies. A number of case studies will be used to evaluate these theories, such as body piercing, witchcraft, gay and lesbian sexuality, corporate crime, disability, prostitution, violence against women, racism, anti-Semitism, and gangs.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course will examine the mechanisms through which U.S. social institutions, particularly schools, facilitate youth involvement in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. These mechanisms include: inequity, disability tracking, zero-tolerance policies, push-out, and the criminalization of adolescent behavior. Students will engage in activities aimed at analyzing these processes and developing methods to disrupt them at the social, political, educational, and instructional levels.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course examines the complex relationships between women and crime today. This focus will include women as criminal offenders; women as victims of crime; and women as both offenders and victims. Course materials draw from recent feminist scholarship on these issues in the social sciences. Topics include the causes of women's crime women, drugs, and crime; child abuse and trauma; prostitution and sex trafficking; race, gender and victimization; and feminist social movements against violence. Crimes of violence against women are a central focus in the course.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course is designed to give students an overview of Terrorism and its impact on American society. It will examine various aspects of terrorism for a local, national and international perspective. It will examine the consequences of terrorism focusing on social responses and public policy issues.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Law and legal systems are examined in contemporary society. Emphasis is placed on the manner in which legal structures and processes interact with other social arrangements and are transformed over time.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course provides an overview of several different types of justice systems around the world, including the U.S. The overall goals of the course are for students to understand that the manifestations of a 'justice system' exist in multiple forms and that there are strengths and weaknesses to each type of system. Students will better understand that through the cultural context including social, political, historical, and economic factors that shape crime and criminal justice responses. Course may include a study abroad component.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Incarcerated and criminalized Americans suffer from extraordinarily high rates of physical and mental illnesses ranging from Hepatitis C, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to bipolar disorder, PTSD, substance abuse, and schizophrenia. This course explores connections between illness and involvement with the correctional system from the perspective of the individual offender as well as in terms of broader American cultural and political patterns.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course focuses on the many forms of violence against women, with particular attention to child sexual abuse, rape, and violence and abuse in intimate relationships. These crimes have been the subject of intense political organizing, cultural controversy, and criminal-legal reform over the past 40 years. Together these issues account for a significant portion of the work of the police and the courts. They are also major issues in women's health over the life span. This course will address these issues from psychological, sociological, political, and criminal-legal perspectives.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the principles of restorative justice and to examine the programs, practices and policies within schools, juvenile justice and the adult criminal justice system which implement a restorative practices. Restorative justice is a different philosophy of responding to harm which provides new roles for the victim, offender, community and professionals . We will compare a restorative approach to crime with the traditional system of discipline and crime control and critique the shortcomings of an adversarial or retributive response to criminal behavior. We will explore the theoretical and historical origins of traditional justice systems and restorative approaches. We will also examine how these ideas are being applied in practical partnerships between the justice system and the community here in the United States and around the world.

    Prerequisites:

    SOC-214

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course examines crime and place. Students will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to look at crime patterns and develop crime prevention and reduction strategies. Although this will be a hands on course design, no prior knowledge of GIS or mapping techniques will be required.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of the relationship between crime, business activity, and technology with special attention to the crimes of the powerful and the changing relationship between economic development and criminal activity.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Most Americans think of prohibited substances such as marijuana, cocaine or heroin when they hear the word drug. This course will provide an in-depth examination of legal drug use in American society. A broad conceptual framework will be presented that illustrates how history, politics, society and economics all have played a key role in defining certain substances as permissible in America. Fulfills the Sociology Department Social Policy and Globalization requirements.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Relying on a simplistic demand or supply explanation of why Americans use/abuse drugs obscures the reality of America's drug problem, is ineffective as a guide to public policy and has unforeseen, often negative consequences. Drug use is a complex and multi-faceted issue. There are no easy answers. To comprehend the complexity of America's drug problem one needs an understanding of the geography, history, religion, law, economics and international politics of the Middle and Far East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Mexico, and Central and South America. This class will provide this basic understanding without losing sight that the problem we seek to remedy is our own.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course will look at the special opportunities and obligations of those in the health and legal professions to protect human rights. There will be an overview of human rights doctrine and key documents. Students will learn to apply human rights principles to particular occupations in the health and legal professions.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course examines U.S. Immigration legislation and policies, focusing on how and why various immigration laws and policies have been established and implemented throughout history. We will address the intersection between immigration policy and race, ethnicity, nationality and socioeconomic status, as well as explore the effects that immigration laws have had on various immigrant groups and society in general.

    Sociology Electives (2 courses, 8 credits)

    Choose two courses in Sociology from outside the Crime & Justice concentration

    Health & Society Concentration

    Concentration Requirements: 6 courses, 24 credits

    Core Requirements (4 courses, 16 credits)

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course provides students with an introduction to how social norms, structures, and practices shape experiences of illness and health. Among the topics that will be covered are: health and the environment, the reasons some groups of people are less healthy than others, living with chronic illness and disabilities, and public debates surrounding issues such as performance enhancing drugs and sports, Attention Deficit Disorder and the HPV vaccine. Required for all students in the health, Medicine and the Body Concentration.

    Prerequisites:

    This course fulfills the ECR requirement.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    In this course students meet community needs by engaging in service-learning outside the classroom. In this course, students will learn about how the U.S. health care system works. We will study the politics and economics of the health care system and discuss the key health care policy issues of this decade. Using the theoretical perspectives provided by sociology, we will look at issues of power, hierarchy, race, and gender vis-a-vis the health care system. Reading for this course centers on first person narratives by people working in the health care system. This course fulfills the ECR requirement.

    Prerequisites:

    "SOC 113 or 116 with a grade of ""C"" or better and one other SOC course; CANNOT be taken concurrently with SOC 214; "

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination and comparison of the origin," development and structure of the major theoretical approaches in contemporary sociology. Contributions of different branches of sociology to theory are explored with special attention to the relevance of sociological explanations for society and the social process. Students must have taken SOC 113 or SOC 116 and passed with a ""C"" or better and one other course from the sociology department. Normally offered every semester."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of how different cultures understand health and illness. Healing approaches from Asia, Africa and the Americas will be explored.

    Health and Society Electives (2 courses, 8 credits)

    Choose two of the following:

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course will explore our natural environment and human interacations with it. We will connect a critical study of society, power, and inequality to the study of our natural environment and the ways it is altered by human behaviors. We will also consider ways to change our society's relationship with the natural environment to keep our earth clean and safe for human society.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Consideration of the physiological, psychological and social factors associated with the aging process. Contemporary American values toward the elderly are compared and contrasted with historical and cross-cultural studies. Current opportunities and techniques enabling the elderly to enrich and expand their societal roles are explored.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of human sexuality as experience and institution. Sexuality is considered in relationship to power, love, religion, family, race, gender, sexual orientation, violence and courtship.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Incarcerated and criminalized Americans suffer from extraordinarily high rates of physical and mental illnesses ranging from Hepatitis C, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to bipolar disorder, PTSD, substance abuse, and schizophrenia. This course explores connections between illness and involvement with the correctional system from the perspective of the individual offender as well as in terms of broader American cultural and political patterns.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Most Americans think of prohibited substances such as marijuana, cocaine or heroin when they hear the word drug. This course will provide an in-depth examination of legal drug use in American society. A broad conceptual framework will be presented that illustrates how history, politics, society and economics all have played a key role in defining certain substances as permissible in America. Fulfills the Sociology Department Social Policy and Globalization requirements.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Relying on a simplistic demand or supply explanation of why Americans use/abuse drugs obscures the reality of America's drug problem, is ineffective as a guide to public policy and has unforeseen, often negative consequences. Drug use is a complex and multi-faceted issue. There are no easy answers. To comprehend the complexity of America's drug problem one needs an understanding of the geography, history, religion, law, economics and international politics of the Middle and Far East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Mexico, and Central and South America. This class will provide this basic understanding without losing sight that the problem we seek to remedy is our own.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course will look at the special opportunities and obligations of those in the health and legal professions to protect human rights. There will be an overview of human rights doctrine and key documents. Students will learn to apply human rights principles to particular occupations in the health and legal professions.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of changing definitions of life and death, social factors affecting causes and rates of death, care of the dying and their families, institutionalization, the funeral industry, suicide, crisis intervention, and the impact of technology on the dying process.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An exploration of topics that relate particularly to women as providers and consumers in the health care system. The course will consider historical and current information on issues of reproduction, technology, health and illness.

    Youth & Community Engagement Concentration

    Concentration Requirements: 6 courses, 24 credits

    Core Requirements (4 courses, 16 credits)

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    The goal of the course is to provide a broad overview of children and youth and their place in American society. Particular attention is paid to (1) the impact of geographical location, social class, gender, race, sexuality, popular culture, mass media," and technology; (2)the intersection of youth cultures and mainstream society; and (3) the contention that some youth cultures are ""deviant""."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Considers the problems surrounding the legal definition and handling of juveniles who confront the law as offenders, clients and victims. Attention is devoted to the study of the special legal categories and procedures established for juveniles, the problems facing professionals providing juvenile services and the most significant directions of legal and social change affecting youth in our society. Normally offered every year. Fulfills the Sociology Department's Social Policy requirement.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course focuses on the exploration and understanding of issues, strategies and frameworks related to developing and implementing youth programs. Students will be exposed to developmental theories, and various components of effective youth programmatic planning. Topics include: conducting needs assessments, developing goals and objectives, logistics planning, recruitment and training, and program evaluation.

    Choose one of the following:

    Prerequisites:

    "SOC 113 or 116 with a grade of ""C"" or better and one other SOC course; CANNOT be taken concurrently with SOC 214; "

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination and comparison of the origin," development and structure of the major theoretical approaches in contemporary sociology. Contributions of different branches of sociology to theory are explored with special attention to the relevance of sociological explanations for society and the social process. Students must have taken SOC 113 or SOC 116 and passed with a ""C"" or better and one other course from the sociology department. Normally offered every semester."

    Prerequisites:

    SOC-113 or SOC-116 with a minimum grade of C and 1 additional SOC course. Cannot be taken concurrently with SOC-214

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "The question ""Why is there crime?"" lies at the heart of this course. This class will address what we mean by crime\"

    Youth and Community Engagement Elective (1 course, 4 credits)

    Choose one of the following:

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course is an in-depth investigation of policies effecting urban schools; topics include: demographic influence on education, influences of national and state regulations on urban schools, sociological factors unique to urban schools, and in-depth analysis of equity and achievement.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Students will explore factors that attract, repel, and displace crime that explain why community crime levels vary. The course will also examine the influential role that neighborhood characteristics have on the behavior of individuals.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "An exploration of the diversity of contemporary families. Comparisons are made between the cultural myths of the ""ideal family"" and the lived realities. Challenges confronting contemporary families and their implications for social policy are examined in such areas as work/family conflicts\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Despite the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, race remains one of the most divisive forces in U.S. society. While many of us struggle against racism, racial classification continues to affect where we live, where we work, and how we see ourselves. Racial classification affects our access to health care and our encounters with police officers. Distorted images of racial groups fill television and movie screens. Appeals to racism and fear of foreigners are dominant themes in elections to state and national offices. This course examines the formation and re-formation of racial classifications: how particular groups become racially identified, how these classifications change over time, and how conflicts over race have shaped American society. The meanings of race, as seen from a variety of perspectives, will be a consistent theme throughout the course.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Contemporary migration patterns as well as our work and daily life bring us into direct contact with people from different geographical locations with different values and ways of life. As a result, we are faced with the challenge of gaining a better understanding of cultural differences and diverse perspectives. We will discuss racial, ethnic and cultural groups and focus on using sociology as a way to understand some of the larger patterns of immigration, identity, intergroup relations, discrimination and structural oppression. In this course, you will increase your awareness and appreciation of diversity and examine cultural difference from a sociological perspective.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "This class explores the images of the traditional ""bad"" girl in films. The course examines the idea of moving beyond merely the delinquent\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course provides an overview of youth gangs and their sociological underpinnings, which are rooted in poverty and racism. Topical areas are discussed in relation to these key factors. Study topics include the history of gangs, theories about gang formation and individual membership, gangs and criminal behavior, socio-cultural importance of gangs, and strategies to control gang behavior. The course will utilize current gang issues in the US generally and in Massachusetts in particular as a basis to better understand the nuances of youth gangs.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of human sexuality as experience and institution. Sexuality is considered in relationship to power, love, religion, family, race, gender, sexual orientation, violence and courtship.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Incarcerated and criminalized Americans suffer from extraordinarily high rates of physical and mental illnesses ranging from Hepatitis C, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to bipolar disorder, PTSD, substance abuse, and schizophrenia. This course explores connections between illness and involvement with the correctional system from the perspective of the individual offender as well as in terms of broader American cultural and political patterns.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Education is key in a democracy in which students need to develop themselves into knowledgeable people, with a strong sense of self, able to think critically with a developed ability to question others and to feel and act as empowered, active citizens. This is a tall order given the varieties of pressures on schools these days. But it is extremely important for these skills to be developed. With the shift in the economy, schools are going to be the critical factor in enabling students to compete in a globalized workplace and world.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the principles of restorative justice and to examine the programs, practices and policies within schools, juvenile justice and the adult criminal justice system which implement a restorative practices. Restorative justice is a different philosophy of responding to harm which provides new roles for the victim, offender, community and professionals . We will compare a restorative approach to crime with the traditional system of discipline and crime control and critique the shortcomings of an adversarial or retributive response to criminal behavior. We will explore the theoretical and historical origins of traditional justice systems and restorative approaches. We will also examine how these ideas are being applied in practical partnerships between the justice system and the community here in the United States and around the world.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Most Americans think of prohibited substances such as marijuana, cocaine or heroin when they hear the word drug. This course will provide an in-depth examination of legal drug use in American society. A broad conceptual framework will be presented that illustrates how history, politics, society and economics all have played a key role in defining certain substances as permissible in America. Fulfills the Sociology Department Social Policy and Globalization requirements.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Relying on a simplistic demand or supply explanation of why Americans use/abuse drugs obscures the reality of America's drug problem, is ineffective as a guide to public policy and has unforeseen, often negative consequences. Drug use is a complex and multi-faceted issue. There are no easy answers. To comprehend the complexity of America's drug problem one needs an understanding of the geography, history, religion, law, economics and international politics of the Middle and Far East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Mexico, and Central and South America. This class will provide this basic understanding without losing sight that the problem we seek to remedy is our own.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    A study of the different types and functions of communities. Through identifying community needs, resources, and structure, students learn effective ways to organize for change.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "The United States of America: ""A land of immigrants""; ""The Great Melting Pot"". This country has indeed attracted immigrants from all over the world. However\"

    Experiential Requirement (1 course, 4 credits)

    Choose one of the following:

    Prerequisites:

    This class fulfills the Expanded Classroom Requirement

    Credits:

    4.00- 8.00

    Description:

    In this course students meet community needs by engaging in service-learning outside the classroom. Students complete 35 hours per semester of educational tutoring in a local school (K-5), in conjunction with a weekly seminar on campus. Open to all majors. No previous experience required.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course is designed for Jumpstart Corps members to develop competencies in teaching strategies for reading and writing. The course introduces theoretical and instructional issues in the development of literacy skills. Students will be engaged in reflective, critical consideration of students' diverse needs in the acquisition of literacy.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course examines the specific needs and challenges of the various language and cultural groups in schools. Topics include: theories of 1st and 2nd language acquisition, strategies for teaching academic content, modifying instruction in the mainstream classroom, creating classroom cultures that invite all students into learning, the role of advocacy and professional collaboration in ESL, and analysis of policies related to assessment and placement of English Language Learners.

    Prerequisites:

    Students must be Sociology majors with at least a 3.0 GPA; must have at least sophomore status at the time of application; must have one full day free each week to work an internship. Applications for the Internship in Sociology I course must be approved by the Instructor.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Students are provided with the opportunity to apply academic learning in a supervised internship consistent with their personal career goals or academic interest. The course covers such topics as career exploration and development, resume and cover letter writing, job fairs, and networking, and graduate school applications. In addition to the course assignments, students are required to complete a minimum full day internship each per week during the entire semester.

    General Sociology Minor Archive 2019-2020

    Learn more about this minor

    Minor Requirements: 5 courses, 20 credits

    Core Requirements (2 courses, 8 credits)

    Choose one of the following:

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An introduction to the sociological understanding of human interaction, group process and social structures. Students are introduced to basic concepts," theories and methods of sociological investigation. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of traditional and contemporary problems associated with major social institutions such as the family, economics, government and education. Social forces related to ethnicity, social class, health and welfare," and urbanization are also included. Alternative remedial measures based on behavioral science theories are discussed. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

    Choose one of the following:

    Prerequisites:

    "SOC 113 or 116 with ""C"" or better & one other SOC course. Cannot be taken concurrently with SOC 310\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    315,or 333.

    Prerequisites:

    "SOC 113 or 116 with a grade of ""C"" or better and one other SOC course; CANNOT be taken concurrently with SOC 214; "

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination and comparison of the origin," development and structure of the major theoretical approaches in contemporary sociology. Contributions of different branches of sociology to theory are explored with special attention to the relevance of sociological explanations for society and the social process. Students must have taken SOC 113 or SOC 116 and passed with a ""C"" or better and one other course from the sociology department. Normally offered every semester."

    Elective Courses (3 courses, 12 credits)

    Students may choose any three Sociology electives; at least one of which must be at the 300-level

     

    Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.

    Minor Programs Policy: A student declaring a minor may use no more than two courses from a major or double major combination to fulfill the requirements for the minor. No more than one course from one minor may count toward the fulfillment of a second minor. Students may not minor in a subject in which they are also completing a major. For more information, see the Minor Programs section of the CAS Degree Requirements page.

    Crime and Justice Minor Archive 2019-2020

    Learn More about this Minor

    Minor Requirements: 5 courses, 20 credits

    Core Requirements (3 courses, 12 credits)

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An overview of issues and social variables involved in the pre-arrest and arrest stages followed by a more in-depth analysis of pre-trial, trial, sentencing, and correctional phases. Sociological and criminal justice models are examined and compared with the actual processes and purported functions of criminal justice agencies. Required for all majors in the Crime and Justice Concentration.

    Choose one of the following:

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An introduction to the sociological understanding of human interaction, group process and social structures. Students are introduced to basic concepts," theories and methods of sociological investigation. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of traditional and contemporary problems associated with major social institutions such as the family, economics, government and education. Social forces related to ethnicity, social class, health and welfare," and urbanization are also included. Alternative remedial measures based on behavioral science theories are discussed. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

    Choose one of the following:

    Prerequisites:

    "SOC 113 or 116 with ""C"" or better & one other SOC course. Cannot be taken concurrently with SOC 310\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    315,or 333.

    Prerequisites:

    SOC-113 or SOC-116 with a minimum grade of C and 1 additional SOC course. Cannot be taken concurrently with SOC-214

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "The question ""Why is there crime?"" lies at the heart of this course. This class will address what we mean by crime\"

    Elective Courses (2 courses, 8 credits)

    Students may choose any two courses from the Crime & Justice electives list, at least one of which must be at the 300-level.

     

    Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.

    Minor Programs Policy: A student declaring a minor may use no more than two courses from a major or double major combination to fulfill the requirements for the minor. No more than one course from one minor may count toward the fulfillment of a second minor. Students may not minor in a subject in which they are also completing a major. For more information, see the Minor Programs section of the CAS Degree Requirements page.

    Health and Society Minor Archive 2019-2020

    Learn more about this minor

    Minor Requirements: 5 courses, 20 credits

    Core Requirements (3 courses, 12 credits)

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course provides students with an introduction to how social norms, structures, and practices shape experiences of illness and health. Among the topics that will be covered are: health and the environment, the reasons some groups of people are less healthy than others, living with chronic illness and disabilities, and public debates surrounding issues such as performance enhancing drugs and sports, Attention Deficit Disorder and the HPV vaccine. Required for all students in the health, Medicine and the Body Concentration.

    Prerequisites:

    This course fulfills the ECR requirement.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    In this course students meet community needs by engaging in service-learning outside the classroom. In this course, students will learn about how the U.S. health care system works. We will study the politics and economics of the health care system and discuss the key health care policy issues of this decade. Using the theoretical perspectives provided by sociology, we will look at issues of power, hierarchy, race, and gender vis-a-vis the health care system. Reading for this course centers on first person narratives by people working in the health care system. This course fulfills the ECR requirement.

    Choose one of the following:

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An introduction to the sociological understanding of human interaction, group process and social structures. Students are introduced to basic concepts," theories and methods of sociological investigation. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of traditional and contemporary problems associated with major social institutions such as the family, economics, government and education. Social forces related to ethnicity, social class, health and welfare," and urbanization are also included. Alternative remedial measures based on behavioral science theories are discussed. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

    Elective Courses (2 courses, 8 credits)

    Students may choose any two courses from the Health & Society electives list, at least one of which must be at the 300-level.

    Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.

    Minor Programs Policy: A student declaring a minor may use no more than two courses from a major or double major combination to fulfill the requirements for the minor. No more than one course from one minor may count toward the fulfillment of a second minor. Students may not minor in a subject in which they are also completing a major. For more information, see the Minor Programs section of the CAS Degree Requirements page.

    Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree in Crime and Justice Studies Archive 2019-2020

    Learn more about this accelerated degree

    Degree Requirements

    1. Students admitted to this dual degree program must meet all the requirements of an undergraduate Sociology major, Crime & Justice concentration program.
    2. Students must also meet all requirements for the Master of Science in Crime & Justice Studies.
    3. The two graduate courses taken during the senior year will count toward BOTH the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Credit hours will be awarded based on the graduate course description.
    4. Before enrolling in any Master's level courses, students must obtain approval for classes through the MSCJS graduate program director.
    5. Students are subject to the usual standards for academic standing, i.e., undergraduate standards for undergraduate courses and graduate standards for graduate courses.

    Upon successful completion of all of the degree requirements, a student will receive a dual Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. The exact degree will be awarded based on the specific undergraduate program the student completes. A student may permanently exit the dual degree program and opt to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree if all the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree have been met. In this case, the graduate courses taken in the senior year will be counted as 4-credit courses applied toward the undergraduate degree requirements.

    Honors Archive 2019-2020

    To complete requirements for honors in the major, a candidate must:

    1. Graduate with a major GPA of 3.5 or higher
    2. Graduate with an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher
    3. Complete SOC-H555 Senior Honors Project
    4. Present project from SOC-H555 at the Annual Sociology Awards Ceremony in the spring
    5. CAS Honors Program students only: Also present work from the senior honors experience at the Honors Symposium or Pecha Kucha event.

    To become a candidate for honors in the major, a student must either:

    1. Have a major GPA of 3.5 or higher
    2. Have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher

    CAS Honors Program students only: CAS Honors Program students who fulfill the above GPA requirement are assumed to be candidates for departmental honors and should consult with a major advisor during their junior year about registering for major honors requirements as described above

    All other students: Apply to the honors coordinator

    Prerequisites:

    Instructor consent required.

    Credits:

    1.00- 4.00

    Description:

    Each honors student will engage in an independent reading, research, and writing project that can take the form of a traditional research paper of 20-25 pages or an equivalent volunteer and writing experience. The Honors Project must be supervised by a full-time Sociology faculty member. A poster presentation of the project must be presented at the CAS Honors symposium in the fall or the spring of the senior year as well as at the Sociology Honors Award ceremony at the end of the spring semester, for students graduating in the spring or summer. This course is required for all Sociology Honor Students.

    Societies Archive 2019-2020

    Alpha Kappa Delta

    Alpha Kappa Delta is the National Honor Society for Sociology majors who have demonstrated excellence in sociology. Its purpose is to promote in each of the various chapters an interest in sociology, research in social problems, and activities leading to human welfare. The Suffolk Chapter has been designated Iota of Massachusetts. To be eligible for membership, candidates must be of junior or senior status, have a 3.3 average overall, and a 3.0 average in Sociology courses taken at the host institution. Students must have taken at least four courses in Sociology at Suffolk.

    Alpha Phi Sigma

    An affiliate organization of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Alpha Phi Sigma is the National Honor Society for students majoring in fields related to criminal justice sciences. To qualify for membership students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2; a 3.2 average in criminal justice courses; completion of at least three full-time semesters or the equivalent; and successful completion of at least four courses in the crime and justice field at Suffolk. The Suffolk University Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma is Gamma Psi.

    Sociology Courses Archive 2019-2020

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An introduction to the sociological understanding of human interaction, group process and social structures. Students are introduced to basic concepts," theories and methods of sociological investigation. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of traditional and contemporary problems associated with major social institutions such as the family, economics, government and education. Social forces related to ethnicity, social class, health and welfare," and urbanization are also included. Alternative remedial measures based on behavioral science theories are discussed. Majors and minors must pass with a grade of ""C"" or better."

    Prerequisites:

    Sociology Freshmen Only

    Credits:

    1

    Description:

    Students will explore what Sociology is and begin to learn about the many career opportunities available to students with a Sociology major. They will do career exploration and begin to think intentionally about their college experience to create a career path. Students will also have the opportunity to meet professors in the Sociology department and develop problem-solving skills and strategies for success in college and beyond.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Students will explore factors that attract, repel, and displace crime that explain why community crime levels vary. The course will also examine the influential role that neighborhood characteristics have on the behavior of individuals.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An investigation of the emergence, organization, and structure of police systems. The course focuses on the conditions surrounding the relationship between the police and policed in different historical, cultural, political, and economic contexts.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    The goal of the course is to provide a broad overview of children and youth and their place in American society. Particular attention is paid to (1) the impact of geographical location, social class, gender, race, sexuality, popular culture, mass media," and technology; (2)the intersection of youth cultures and mainstream society; and (3) the contention that some youth cultures are ""deviant""."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Considers the problems surrounding the legal definition and handling of juveniles who confront the law as offenders, clients and victims. Attention is devoted to the study of the special legal categories and procedures established for juveniles, the problems facing professionals providing juvenile services and the most significant directions of legal and social change affecting youth in our society. Normally offered every year. Fulfills the Sociology Department's Social Policy requirement.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    A sociological exploration of coercive and incapacitative responses to crime. Attention is given to the origins and patterning of segregative controls, the correctional claims of prison systems, alternatives to incarceration and relationships between types of crime, and criminals and varieties of punitive response.

    Prerequisites:

    SOC-113 OR SOC-116 and MATH-128 or higher

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    In this course, students will be introduced to descriptive and basic inferential statistical techniques. The course will provide information on the following topics: Description - measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measures of dispersion (range, standard deviation); logic of statistical inference, including normal curve and sampling distribution; hypothesis testing with one sample and two samples; measures of association between two variables (bivariate analysis), including chi-square, regression, and correlation; and introduction to multivariate regression. Students will utilize SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software to input and analyze data. The goals of the course are for students to appreciate the need for statistical methods in the broad field of sociology and to gain basic statistical literacy.

    Prerequisites:

    "SOC 113 or 116 with ""C"" or better & one other SOC course. Cannot be taken concurrently with SOC 310\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    315,or 333.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    What happens if you commit a crime on an Indian reservation? Who will prosecute you and how will they punish you? This course will explore the roots of tribal legal systems and criminal law, both the Native and American influences. You will gain an understanding of tribal government, legal systems, criminal law, and the role of tradition in contemporary tribal law. The course will also examine the conflict between Native and Non-Native perspectives on several cases: sovereignty, rights to cultural practices, women, freedom of religion, and land.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course will explore our natural environment and human interacations with it. We will connect a critical study of society, power, and inequality to the study of our natural environment and the ways it is altered by human behaviors. We will also consider ways to change our society's relationship with the natural environment to keep our earth clean and safe for human society.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "An exploration of the diversity of contemporary families. Comparisons are made between the cultural myths of the ""ideal family"" and the lived realities. Challenges confronting contemporary families and their implications for social policy are examined in such areas as work/family conflicts\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Spain has experienced major socio-demographic changes since the mid 1970s. These transformations mainly arise from the new role of women in society and, in particular, women's higher levels of education, work experience, and labor market attachment. The changes in women's labor force participation have occurred in conjunction with a progressive postponement of main family events, such as leaving the parental home, forming a partnership and having children, as well as with a reduction in the family size. Spain is, indeed," characterized as having one of the ""lowest low fertility levels"" within Western industrialized countries\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    The meaning of romance and courtship today and its social consequences in marriage, homogamy, stratification and divorce. The historical origins of romanticism and the sources of romance in socialization, books and magazines, television and movies, popular music and peer group membership are also considered.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Despite the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, race remains one of the most divisive forces in U.S. society. While many of us struggle against racism, racial classification continues to affect where we live, where we work, and how we see ourselves. Racial classification affects our access to health care and our encounters with police officers. Distorted images of racial groups fill television and movie screens. Appeals to racism and fear of foreigners are dominant themes in elections to state and national offices. This course examines the formation and re-formation of racial classifications: how particular groups become racially identified, how these classifications change over time, and how conflicts over race have shaped American society. The meanings of race, as seen from a variety of perspectives, will be a consistent theme throughout the course.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Contemporary migration patterns as well as our work and daily life bring us into direct contact with people from different geographical locations with different values and ways of life. As a result, we are faced with the challenge of gaining a better understanding of cultural differences and diverse perspectives. We will discuss racial, ethnic and cultural groups and focus on using sociology as a way to understand some of the larger patterns of immigration, identity, intergroup relations, discrimination and structural oppression. In this course, you will increase your awareness and appreciation of diversity and examine cultural difference from a sociological perspective.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "This class explores the images of the traditional ""bad"" girl in films. The course examines the idea of moving beyond merely the delinquent\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    In recent years, public attention to victims of crime has grown enormously. The reasons for this are complex. They include the effects of political organizing by crime victims; increased media attention to crime (often driven by crime stories as entertainment and advertising vehicles); the exploitation of crime victims by the politicians; and long-standing community frustrations with the criminal justice system. This course will examine the rise of public attention to crime, the response of the criminal justice system to victims," and the problems and possibilities regarding new responses to victims of crime. New developments in ""restorative justice"" will be presented as an emerging alternative to problems victims have reported with the criminal justice system."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course provides an overview of youth gangs and their sociological underpinnings, which are rooted in poverty and racism. Topical areas are discussed in relation to these key factors. Study topics include the history of gangs, theories about gang formation and individual membership, gangs and criminal behavior, socio-cultural importance of gangs, and strategies to control gang behavior. The course will utilize current gang issues in the US generally and in Massachusetts in particular as a basis to better understand the nuances of youth gangs.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An overview of issues and social variables involved in the pre-arrest and arrest stages followed by a more in-depth analysis of pre-trial, trial, sentencing, and correctional phases. Sociological and criminal justice models are examined and compared with the actual processes and purported functions of criminal justice agencies. Required for all majors in the Crime and Justice Concentration.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Who and what is deviant? How shall the society respond? The course examines a range of deviance theories and associated social policies. A number of case studies will be used to evaluate these theories, such as body piercing, witchcraft, gay and lesbian sexuality, corporate crime, disability, prostitution, violence against women, racism, anti-Semitism, and gangs.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course will examine the mechanisms through which U.S. social institutions, particularly schools, facilitate youth involvement in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. These mechanisms include: inequity, disability tracking, zero-tolerance policies, push-out, and the criminalization of adolescent behavior. Students will engage in activities aimed at analyzing these processes and developing methods to disrupt them at the social, political, educational, and instructional levels.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course will look at the special opportunities and obligations of those in the health and legal professions to protect human rights. There will be an overview of human rights doctrine and key documents. Students will learn to apply human rights principles to particular occupations in the health and legal professions.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course will provide an in-depth analysis of family dynamics as well as some beginning skills in counseling families. Using a systems approach, students will learn about family roles, sibling constellations and different types of families. The importance of ethnicity and culture in shaping family values and organization will be emphasized. Students will be encouraged to study their own families of origin so they might better understand how families change.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course provides students with an introduction to how social norms, structures, and practices shape experiences of illness and health. Among the topics that will be covered are: health and the environment, the reasons some groups of people are less healthy than others, living with chronic illness and disabilities, and public debates surrounding issues such as performance enhancing drugs and sports, Attention Deficit Disorder and the HPV vaccine. Required for all students in the health, Medicine and the Body Concentration.

    Prerequisites:

    This course fulfills the ECR requirement.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    In this course students meet community needs by engaging in service-learning outside the classroom. In this course, students will learn about how the U.S. health care system works. We will study the politics and economics of the health care system and discuss the key health care policy issues of this decade. Using the theoretical perspectives provided by sociology, we will look at issues of power, hierarchy, race, and gender vis-a-vis the health care system. Reading for this course centers on first person narratives by people working in the health care system. This course fulfills the ECR requirement.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Consideration of the physiological, psychological and social factors associated with the aging process. Contemporary American values toward the elderly are compared and contrasted with historical and cross-cultural studies. Current opportunities and techniques enabling the elderly to enrich and expand their societal roles are explored.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    A critical analysis of theory and research related to the socialization, roles and social participation of women in contemporary society.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course examines the complex relationships between women and crime today. This focus will include women as criminal offenders; women as victims of crime; and women as both offenders and victims. Course materials draw from recent feminist scholarship on these issues in the social sciences. Topics include the causes of women's crime women, drugs, and crime; child abuse and trauma; prostitution and sex trafficking; race, gender and victimization; and feminist social movements against violence. Crimes of violence against women are a central focus in the course.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of human sexuality as experience and institution. Sexuality is considered in relationship to power, love, religion, family, race, gender, sexual orientation, violence and courtship.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course is designed to give students an overview of Terrorism and its impact on American society. It will examine various aspects of terrorism for a local, national and international perspective. It will examine the consequences of terrorism focusing on social responses and public policy issues.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Law and legal systems are examined in contemporary society. Emphasis is placed on the manner in which legal structures and processes interact with other social arrangements and are transformed over time.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course provides an overview of several different types of justice systems around the world, including the U.S. The overall goals of the course are for students to understand that the manifestations of a 'justice system' exist in multiple forms and that there are strengths and weaknesses to each type of system. Students will better understand that through the cultural context including social, political, historical, and economic factors that shape crime and criminal justice responses. Course may include a study abroad component.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Incarcerated and criminalized Americans suffer from extraordinarily high rates of physical and mental illnesses ranging from Hepatitis C, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to bipolar disorder, PTSD, substance abuse, and schizophrenia. This course explores connections between illness and involvement with the correctional system from the perspective of the individual offender as well as in terms of broader American cultural and political patterns.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An introduction to demography or the study of population and its size, structure, and the ways it changes over time. Demographers study love, death and adventures, or the different patterns of fertility, mortality, and migration across the globe. The social causes and consequences of high mortality and fertility in sub-Saharan Africa, rapid fertility decline in China, and low fertility and mortality in western Europe are examined. Demographic approaches to social problems like world famine, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS pandemic, and social security system budget deficits are also considered.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Education is key in a democracy in which students need to develop themselves into knowledgeable people, with a strong sense of self, able to think critically with a developed ability to question others and to feel and act as empowered, active citizens. This is a tall order given the varieties of pressures on schools these days. But it is extremely important for these skills to be developed. With the shift in the economy, schools are going to be the critical factor in enabling students to compete in a globalized workplace and world.

    Prerequisites:

    "SOC 113 or 116 with a grade of ""C"" or better and one other SOC course; CANNOT be taken concurrently with SOC 214; "

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination and comparison of the origin," development and structure of the major theoretical approaches in contemporary sociology. Contributions of different branches of sociology to theory are explored with special attention to the relevance of sociological explanations for society and the social process. Students must have taken SOC 113 or SOC 116 and passed with a ""C"" or better and one other course from the sociology department. Normally offered every semester."

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course explores the emergence of the self as an intersection of biography, history and social structure. Emphasis is on modern , Western societies. Conceptually, we will take a life course approach which emphasizes processes of psychosocial, moral, intellectual, and spiritual development for contemporary men and women. This course is designed in part as a workshop where students will develop the skills and insights essential for conducting life history research and biographical studies that are sociological in focus.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    A course with special interest topics in sociology which changes depending on the professor.

    Prerequisites:

    Prerequisite: SOC 113 or SOC 116.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Globalization is shrinking the world. How and why did this happen? This course will explore global change and the global processes which effect key social institutions: culture, the economy and politics. Students will study the processes of globalization and its impact on our lives and people around the globe.

    Prerequisites:

    Prerequisite: SOC 113 or SOC 116

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    What are the roles of race and ethnicity from a global perspective? A global racial hierarchy determines who experiences privilege or oppression. Students will examine how the meanings of race and ethnicity can vary by location and how they matter globally.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course focuses on the many forms of violence against women, with particular attention to child sexual abuse, rape, and violence and abuse in intimate relationships. These crimes have been the subject of intense political organizing, cultural controversy, and criminal-legal reform over the past 40 years. Together these issues account for a significant portion of the work of the police and the courts. They are also major issues in women's health over the life span. This course will address these issues from psychological, sociological, political, and criminal-legal perspectives.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the principles of restorative justice and to examine the programs, practices and policies within schools, juvenile justice and the adult criminal justice system which implement a restorative practices. Restorative justice is a different philosophy of responding to harm which provides new roles for the victim, offender, community and professionals . We will compare a restorative approach to crime with the traditional system of discipline and crime control and critique the shortcomings of an adversarial or retributive response to criminal behavior. We will explore the theoretical and historical origins of traditional justice systems and restorative approaches. We will also examine how these ideas are being applied in practical partnerships between the justice system and the community here in the United States and around the world.

    Prerequisites:

    SOC-113 or SOC-116 with a minimum grade of C and 1 additional SOC course. Cannot be taken concurrently with SOC-214

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "The question ""Why is there crime?"" lies at the heart of this course. This class will address what we mean by crime\"

    Prerequisites:

    SOC 333 or SOC 234

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An investigation of the emergence, organization, and structure of police systems. The course focuses on the conditions surrounding the relationship between the police and policed in different historical, cultural, political, and economic contexts.

    Prerequisites:

    SOC-214

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course examines crime and place. Students will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to look at crime patterns and develop crime prevention and reduction strategies. Although this will be a hands on course design, no prior knowledge of GIS or mapping techniques will be required.

    Prerequisites:

    SOC-234 or SOC-333;

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Correctional theories are reviewed along with the historical development of probation and parole. Current research and analytical perspectives reflecting on administrative problems, innovative policies and the internal philosophical inconsistencies of these systems are examined.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of the relationship between crime, business activity, and technology with special attention to the crimes of the powerful and the changing relationship between economic development and criminal activity.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Most Americans think of prohibited substances such as marijuana, cocaine or heroin when they hear the word drug. This course will provide an in-depth examination of legal drug use in American society. A broad conceptual framework will be presented that illustrates how history, politics, society and economics all have played a key role in defining certain substances as permissible in America. Fulfills the Sociology Department Social Policy and Globalization requirements.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Relying on a simplistic demand or supply explanation of why Americans use/abuse drugs obscures the reality of America's drug problem, is ineffective as a guide to public policy and has unforeseen, often negative consequences. Drug use is a complex and multi-faceted issue. There are no easy answers. To comprehend the complexity of America's drug problem one needs an understanding of the geography, history, religion, law, economics and international politics of the Middle and Far East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Mexico, and Central and South America. This class will provide this basic understanding without losing sight that the problem we seek to remedy is our own.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course will look at the special opportunities and obligations of those in the health and legal professions to protect human rights. There will be an overview of human rights doctrine and key documents. Students will learn to apply human rights principles to particular occupations in the health and legal professions.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    A study of the different types and functions of communities. Through identifying community needs, resources, and structure, students learn effective ways to organize for change.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    This course examines U.S. Immigration legislation and policies, focusing on how and why various immigration laws and policies have been established and implemented throughout history. We will address the intersection between immigration policy and race, ethnicity, nationality and socioeconomic status, as well as explore the effects that immigration laws have had on various immigrant groups and society in general.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of changing definitions of life and death, social factors affecting causes and rates of death, care of the dying and their families, institutionalization, the funeral industry, suicide, crisis intervention, and the impact of technology on the dying process.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An exploration of topics that relate particularly to women as providers and consumers in the health care system. The course will consider historical and current information on issues of reproduction, technology, health and illness.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of how different cultures understand health and illness. Healing approaches from Asia, Africa and the Americas will be explored.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    An examination of prison writings, films," and the actual experience of prison life from literary and sociological perspectives. Students will have an opportunity to examine their own perspectives of ""the prison"" as a symbol and shadow in American Society and compare these impressions with the actual experience of inmates\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    "The United States of America: ""A land of immigrants""; ""The Great Melting Pot"". This country has indeed attracted immigrants from all over the world. However\"

    Prerequisites:

    "SOC 113 or 116 (with a grade of ""C"" or better) SOC 214\"

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    and SOC 315 or 333. Seniors only. Required of all majors.

    Prerequisites:

    Students must be Sociology majors with at least a 3.0 GPA; must have at least sophomore status at the time of application; must have one full day free each week to work an internship. Applications for the Internship in Sociology I course must be approved by the Instructor.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Students are provided with the opportunity to apply academic learning in a supervised internship consistent with their personal career goals or academic interest. The course covers such topics as career exploration and development, resume and cover letter writing, job fairs, and networking, and graduate school applications. In addition to the course assignments, students are required to complete a minimum full day internship each per week during the entire semester.

    Prerequisites:

    SOC 483. Students must be Sociology majors with at least a 3.0 GPA; must have at least sophomore status at the time of application; must have one full day free each week to work an internship. Applications for the Internship in Sociology I course must be approved by the Instructor.

    Credits:

    4

    Description:

    Students are provided an opportunity to intensify or extend their internship experience. The course covers such topics as mock interviewing, informational interviewing, and job fairs.

    Credits:

    1.00- 4.00

    Description:

    Members of the department hold special meetings with students and direct them in investigating topics of interest in sociology. Arrangements for independent study must be approved by the supervising instructor and the Department Chairperson.

    Prerequisites:

    CAS Honors students only; Instructor approval required.

    Credits:

    1.00- 4.00

    Description:

    Members of the department hold special meetings with students and direct them in investigating topics of interest in sociology. Arrangements for independent study must be approved by the supervising instructor and the Department Chairperson.

    Prerequisites:

    Instructor consent required.

    Credits:

    1.00- 4.00

    Description:

    Each honors student will engage in an independent reading, research, and writing project that can take the form of a traditional research paper of 20-25 pages or an equivalent volunteer and writing experience. The Honors Project must be supervised by a full-time Sociology faculty member. A poster presentation of the project must be presented at the CAS Honors symposium in the fall or the spring of the senior year as well as at the Sociology Honors Award ceremony at the end of the spring semester, for students graduating in the spring or summer. This course is required for all Sociology Honor Students.