50:920:207Introduction to Sociology (R) (3) Introduction to the study of social groups and societies. Basic sociological methods and theoretical perspectives. Survey of basic subfields of sociology, such as socialization, family, religion, inequality, race and ethnicity, politics, deviance, and social change. The department recommends that students wishing to take advanced courses begin with Introduction to Sociology. |
50:920:208Contemporary Social Problems (R) (3) Survey of contemporary social problems with particular attention to how social issues become defined as "problems" and to how sociological knowledge can inform social policy choices. Topics include poverty, discrimination, family breakup, crime, mental illness, alcoholism, and others. Nonmajors may choose to take this course as a beginning course in sociology. |
50:920:217Drugs and Society (3) Use and abuse of controlled substances in American society, public health and medical considerations, addiction and treatment, illegal markets, and drug control policy. |
50:920:280Social Movements in Society (3) Emergence and growth of social movements in response to social trends, and their consequences in changing society; dynamics of organizational structure within movements as related to their goals, tactics, and ideologies. Topics include political movements, racial and ethnic movements, women`s movements, religious movements, and movements within social institutions, such as health care and criminal justice. |
50:920:301Methods and Techniques of Social Research (3) Introduces basic methods and techniques of social research: formulating research design; data-gathering techniques including survey research, data analysis, and presentation of findings. |
50:920:306Sociology of the Family (3) A comparative study of the institutions of marriage and the family in various societies with special emphasis on the contemporary American family. |
50:920:313Theories of Crime and Delinquency (3) Explanation of crime and delinquency in American society. Topics include deterrence theory, biological explanations for crime, sociological theories, and conflict-based theories. Emphasis on social causes of crime. Prerequisites: 50:920:207 and 301. |
50:920:315Sociology of Complex Organizations (3) Structure and functioning of organizations and bureaucracies. Organizational design, planning and change. Practical techniques for working effectively in organizations. |
50:920:316Race and Ethnicity (D) (3) The social construction of race and ethnicity in the United States and around the globe. The formation of racial and ethnic identities and the varieties of group interaction, including prejudice, discrimination, assimilation, institutional domination, and change. Changing concepts, boundaries, and interrelationships within a global context. |
50:920:321Urban Sociology (3) Urban and suburban life in industrial and postindustrial environments. Social class, ethnic, and racial differences in communities. Technological change and strategies for community and regional development. Special attention to the South Jersey area. |
50:920:323Sociology of Childhood and Adolescence (3) A study of social interaction during childhood and adolescence; emphasis on social interaction in various types of families and peer groups. |
50:920:325Sociological Theory (3) An intensive study of the classical sociological thinkers-Marx, Durkheim, Weber-and a survey of contemporary theoretical traditions in the field. Prerequisites: 50:920:207; 50:920:301 should be completed or taken concurrently. |
50:920:326American Communities-Structure and Change (3) A look at the social structure of rural, suburban, urban, and metropolitan communities and an examination of the elusive concept of community in light of present-day movements in housing and schools, and other efforts at local self-determination. |
50:920:329Law and Society (3) Current social trends and legal developments. Topics include legal analysis, white collar crime, and power and conflict. |
50:920:332Social Stratification (3) Analyzes class inequality and the class structure in U.S. society, with particular attention to the processes by which social and economic inequalities are generated, reproduced, and changed. Prerequisites: 50:920:207. 50:920:301 should be completed or taken concurrently. |
50:920:337Women and Men in Society (D) (3) A comparative and historical examination of gender and inequality. A look at gender roles within the family, the workforce, and the legal system; socialization and gender; and sexuality and gender. |
50:920:341Communication (W) (3) The application of sociological skills to interpersonal, small group and mass communications, and Internet and presentation skills. Topics include group process, critical thinking, creating web pages, use of presentation software. |
50:920:344Sociology of Deviance (3) Explanations for deviance and conformity. Emphasis on varieties of deviance; social reactions to deviance, including moral panics; and sociological theories. |
50:920:345Sociology of Education (3) Examines the interaction between schools and society and explores basic social concepts, such as stratification, social role, and bureaucratic organization in relation to the educational system. Analyzes the educational system itself with an emphasis on both stated objectives and actual social functions. |
50:920:346,347,348Special Topics in Sociology (1-3,1-3,1-3) Courses may be offered under this general title dealing with special topics intended to involve students in topics not currently represented in the curriculum. |
50:920:357Individual and Society (3) The individual`s relationship to society and society`s impact on the individual. Topics include the process of socialization, social roles, reference, reference groups, self-concept, and symbolic interaction. |
50:920:370Globalization and Social Change (G) (3) Explores the global nature of contemporary social change. Examines the meanings of the globalization, its central processes, and its institutional and governance structures. Particular attention is paid to the continuing struggle for development in poor countries; the relationship between globalization and inequality; the fate of cultural diversity in a globalizing world; and issues of the environment, health, and human rights. Prerequisite: 50:920:207 or permission of the instructor. |
50:920:380Conflict and Change in Society (3) The ways in which broad processes of social conflict and change are reshaping societies, the world system, and the lives of people everywhere. Topics include the changing international division of labor, revolutions, and the postindustrial transition. |
50:920:394Japanese Society and Management (G) (3) An introduction to Japanese society and its economic achievements. An evaluation of which aspects of its management-labor relations, organizational structures, and macroeconomic policies can be imported or adapted elsewhere. |
50:920:396Southeast Asian Societies (G) (3) Introduction to the societies of Southeast Asia, ranging from Myanmar (Burma) on the west to the Philippines on the east. Examination of the cultural similarities that unite the region and the diversity that divides it. Historical development of Southeast Asian cultures. How Southeast Asians are reshaping their cultural heritage in response to development, westernization, and global capitalism. |
50:920:402Political Sociology (3) The role of social class, gender, age, race, ethnicity, and other social factors in political life. Social organization of political parties and pressure groups. Social origins of political beliefs. |
50:920:405Applied Sociology (BA) Application of sociological methods and theories in applied settings. Topics include organizational consulting, focus groups, needs analysis, qualitative interviewing, counseling, creative thinking, program planning, marketing, policy analysis, proposal writing, and job search skills. Prerequisite: 50:920:301. |
50:920:406Sociology of Religion (3) Introduction to the study of religious behavior both as it is affected by its social context and as it affects society. Emphasis on a major theme or themes from sociology of religion, using comparative study of religious institutions in various societies with special emphasis on American society. |
50:920:418Medical Sociology (3) Examines the distribution of health and disease and looks at the social organization of the health care system in contemporary society. Takes up the sociology of healing and therapy techniques and the interaction of patients and practitioners. |
50:920:425Cyberspace and Society (3) Exploration of how computers and the Internet are changing society, and how individuals, groups, and societies are responding to the challenges and opportunities that cyberspace is creating. Focuses on fostering Internet and computer skills important for doing sociological and other forms of work in an increasingly computerized and networked society. |
50:920:430African-American Culture (D) (3) Evaluation of significant areas of African-American culture past and present, e.g., the slave community and its legacy, the psychocultural impact of racism, and varieties of contemporary popular culture. |
50:920:431Sociology of Work and Careers (3) Covers occupational choices and career building, and the relation between the life cycle and the work cycle. Examines selected occupations and career patterns as a basis for understanding the division of labor in society. |
50:920:438Sociology of Aging (3) Focuses on the age structure in society; period versus cohort studies of population; "ageism" as a form of prejudice and discrimination; the life cycle and age grading in society; the social correlates of growing old in various societies; the relation between age and other socially relevant characteristics such as sex, ethnicity, religion, and occupation; the sociology of retirement and the impact of "disengagement" on such things as family structure. |
50:920:440Sexuality and Society (3) The relation between sexuality and society discussed, in particular the social organization and power relations that affect human sexual identity and behavior. Discussions and readings focus on sex and social institutions such as the family and the law, sexual variations, issues in reproductive sexuality, and the political economy of sex. |
50:920:442Mass Media and Popular Culture (3) Stresses the creation, transmission, and content of popular culture, with particular emphasis on the role of the mass media. Assesses methods employed in the analysis of mass culture and in the evaluation of its impact (e.g. debates about television and violence, gender stereotypes in print and film media). Places popular culture and the mass media in the context of the larger structures of inequality and power. |
50:920:445,446, 447,448, 463Special Topics in Sociology (1-3,1-3,1-3,1-3,1-3) Each year several courses may be offered under this general title, dealing with special topics intended to involve students in advanced study and research. The number of credits varies with the duration of the course. Course topics usually change each year. Specific prerequisites may be set for each course. |
50:920:455Sociolinguistics (3) Topics include speech acts, interaction analysis and the social functions of language, the ethnography of communication, language and ethnic groups, language and social class, the social and political problems of bilingual countries, and language and nationalism. |
50:920:487,488Individual Study in Sociology (1-3,1-3) Admission requires permission of department and agreement by a department member to supervise the work. Approval of written proposal is required prior to registration. No more than 6 credits can be counted toward the sociology major. |
50:920:496,497Honors Program in Sociology (3,3) Open only to sociology majors who must have a 3.5 grade-point average in sociology courses and a 3.5 cumulative grade-point average in all work. |
