Quad Cities Campus

Minor in Sociology: 18 s.h.

  1. SOC 100: 3 s.h.
  2. Sociology Electives: 15 s.h.

Course Descriptions

SOCIOLOGY (SOC)

100 Introduction to Sociology. (3) (General Education/Social Sciences) Basic sociological concepts and studies in such areas a culture, social organization, personality, family, and community. IAI: S7 900.

200 Contemporary Social Problems. (3) (General Education/Social Sciences) An investigation of problems pertaining to group conflict, race relations, crime, family disorganization, and other significant aspects of contemporary society. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor. IAI: S7 901.

232 Social Research Methods I. (3) Introduction to the application of the scientific method and statistics in sociological research. Emphasis on sampling, measures of central tendency, dispersion, association, and introduction to inferential statistics. Prerequisites: SOC 100, and completion of the University General Education Curriculum baccalaureate-level skills in Mathematics requirement.

250 American Institutions. (3) (General Education/ Social Sciences) An overview of the more enduring clusters of roles and values by which family, economic, religious, educational, and political processes are conducted. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

255 Deviant Behavior. (3) An analysis of research findings and theories relating to a variety of forms of “deviant behavior.” Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

272 Individual and Society. (3) (General Education/ Social Sciences) This course explores sociological theories and research on the relationship between the individual and society. Students will learn how individuals participate in the construction of society and how social structure impacts our everyday lives. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

285 (Cross-listed with WS 285) Women: A Global Perspective. (3) (General Education/Social Sciences or Multicultural Studies) (Global Issues) This course emphasizes the voices of women across the globe from an interdisciplinary perspective. Special attention will be paid to women’s activism, the transnational feminist movement, and an examination of the category “woman” in the global context. Not open to students with credit in WS 285. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or WS 190.

300 Minority Peoples. (3) (General Education/ Multicultural Studies) Group relations of ethnic, racial, religious, and sexual minorities. Conflict, separation, assimilation, and related processes. BGS online writing course. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor. IAI: S7 903D.

312 Community. (3) Systems of interrelated organizations, institutions, and persons clustered in the same locations. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

313 Self and Identity. (3) The relationships between culture, social structure, socialization, and self and identity are investigated applying perspectives in sociological social psychology. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

316 Collective Behavior and Social Movements. (3) Analysis of group formations, collective activity, and collective action processes including crowds, mass behavior, flash mobs (and other spontaneous events), fads, and social and political movements. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

320 Sociology of Work, Occupations and Professions. (3) Analysis of the relationship between work and social life. Considers occupational structure, worker organization, professional work and socialization, and race, class, and gender issues in the labor market. Prerequisite: SOC 100.

330 Bureaucracy and Formal Organization. (3) Nature, conditions of growth, and consequences of bureaucratic organization in Western society with particular attention to the United States. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

332 Social Research Methods II. (3) Hypothesis construction and testing with emphasis on research design, data gathering techniques, and scale construction. The course includes a major research project with application of sociological statistics. Writing Instruction in the Discipline (WID) course. Prerequisites: SOC 232 or consent of instructor; ENG 280.

333 Classical Sociological Theory. (3) A critical examination and analysis of major classical theories in Sociology and their influences upon the development of contemporary social thought. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

334 Contemporary Sociological Theory. (3) Detailed examination, analysis, and evaluation of selected modern sociological theories. Emphasis on critical analysis and interpretation of schools such as structural functionalism, conflict, neo-Marxian, symbolic interactionist, exchange, network, rational choice, critical race, feminist, and integrative theories. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and 333.

335 Group Dynamics. (3) An introduction to intraand intergroup dynamics in small groups emphasizing perspectives in sociological social psychology. The course focuses on group decision-making, coalitions, conformity, intergroup relations, and status and power in groups. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

345 Rural Social Organizations. (3) An examination of rural society from feudalism to agri-business. Emphasis on changes wrought by demographic, bureaucratic, and technological factors and their consequences for contemporary farming. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

355 Criminology. (3) Theories of crime causation and control are discussed in relation to specific behavior systems in crime. In additions, various problem areas in criminology are discussed. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

360 (Cross-listed with WS 360) Gender and Society. (3) (General Education/Multicultural Studies) This course provides a sociological examination of theories of gender, socio-historical gender patterns, gender and American social institutions, social structure and gender, and cross-cultural comparisons. BGS online writing course. Not open to students with credit in WS 360. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or WS 190, or consent of instructor.

365 (Formerly SOC 472) Sociology of Health and Illness. (3) Examines the medical institution using sociological theories. Focus on illumination of the social context of health and the medical system using sociological research methods. Topics include the social construction of illness, the provider-client relationship, and medicalization in Western cultures. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and another Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

370 American Family. (3) A survey of major American marriage and family trends with an emphasis upon changes in mate selection, marital roles, marital adjustment, family life, and other related issues. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor. IAI: S7 902.

405 Sociology of Aging in Rural and Urban America. (3) An investigation of the social and political consequences for communities and society at large from the expanding populations of the aged and a sociological examination of the relationships between community and institutional arrangements and the social and social-psychological dimensions of aging. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

410 (Cross-listed with WS 410) Women and Poverty. (3) The poverty of women in the United States including factors of race, place of residence, and age are covered. Structural hierarchies that maintain poverty are examined from a sociological perspective. Not open to students with credit in WS 410. Prerequisite: WS 190 or SOC 100 or permission of instructor.

414 Population. (3) The distribution, growth, and characteristics of human population and their relationship to social organization. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

415 Social Stratification. (3) Distribution of wealth, power, and prestige and related structures and values. Prerequisite: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

420 (Cross-listed with AAS 420 and WS 420) Race, Class, and Gender. (3) The course will examine issues of race, class, and gender in historical, cultural, and contemporary societal contexts. Not open to students with credit in AAS 420 or WS 420. Prerequisite: SOC 100, or AAS 100, or WS 190; or permission of instructor.

424 Sociology of Mental Health. (3) A survey of the history, causes, treatment, and effects of mental illness in the U.S. with emphasis on sociological factors such as social class, race, definitional process, etc. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

425 Juvenile Delinquency. (3) A survey of various theories of juvenile delinquency and an examination of the juvenile justice system and its relationship to rehabilitation prospects. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

426 Industrial Sociology. (3) Impact of industrialization on society; structure and functions of work organization; occupations and careers; managerial and union philosophies; industry-community relations. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

427 Sociology of Sexual Identities and Inequalities. (3) Study of issues related to the sociology of sexual identities and the resulting inequalities. While heterosexuality will be discussed, the focus will be on homosexual and bisexual identities and how they are constructed and experienced in a heteronormative society. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

430 (Cross-listed with WS 430) Sociology of Women’s Health. (3) Uses sociological theories and research to examine the gendered experience of illness. Includes sociological analysis of medical knowledge about women’s health. Topics include medicalization of women’s health, the gendered hierarchy of professions, and feminist critiques of scientific research. Not open to students with credit in WS 430. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or WS 190, or consent of instructor.

432 (Cross-listed with POLS 432) Survey Research. (3) An overview of how to design, conduct, and present the results of social surveys. The course includes a familiarization with data preparation for computer processing and an introduction to using computer software statistical packages. Not open to students with credit in POLS 432. Prerequisite: any University-level Statistics course or consent of instructor.

433 Individual Investigations in Sociology. (1–3, repeatable to 3) Students will pursue a topic of special interest to the individual to be chosen in consultation with an instructor. Prerequisites: 12 s.h. of Sociology coursework, 2.70 GPA, and consent of department chairperson.

435 (Cross-listed with WS 435) Women and Crime. (3) Theories of female criminality, patterns of female crime and victimization, women in corrections, and women as criminal justice practitioners are examined. Not open to students with credit in WS 435. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

440 Global Sociology. (3) This course examines socio-cultural, economic, political, and technological processes of globalization using sociological concepts and theories to provide students with a systematic way of studying our interconnected world. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

445 Sociology of Corporate Crime. (3) A sociological analysis of theories and research concerning the nature, extent, costs, and control of crimes committed by corporations. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

451 Special Topics in Sociology. (1–2, repeatable for different topics to 6) In-depth investigations of special topics in broader subfields of Sociology. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

455 Sociology of Corrections. (3) An analysis of correctional institutions, including the inmate structure, custodial and administrative personnel, treatment programs, and the social factors which affect prison structure and function. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

460 The Family. (3) Institutions and systems of kinship, marriage, family grouping, child rearing, personal maintenance, and status placement. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

461 Educational Sociology. (3) A comparative and functional analysis of education as an institution; the interaction of education and other institutions; and the relation of education to social change. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

462 Political Sociology. (3) An analysis of power structures, decision making systems, conflict, conflict resolution, and various theories of power. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

463 Sociology of Law. (3) An analysis of the social origins of law, the effects of law on human behavior and social institutions, and the relationship between law and social change. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

464 (Cross-listed with REL 464) Sociology of Religion. (3) (Global Issues) An analysis of religious groups and institutions, a comparison of religion in sacred and secular societies, and the effect of religion on behavior and social institutions. Not open to students with credit in REL 464. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

465 Deviance, Crime and Control in Socio- Historical Perspective. (3) Historical conceptions of deviance, origins of prisons, asylums; emergence of police; rates and types of deviance and varieties of social control in particular historical periods. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

470 Sociology of Popular Culture. (3) This course exposes students to the sociological study of popular culture. Material products and production methods, ideology and symbolic meanings are investigated in relation to social behavior using relevant theories and methodological tools of analysis. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

471 Urban Sociology. (3) History of urban growth, location, ecology, planning, and land use of cities; social organization and institutions in urban societies compared with rural and other models. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

480 Deviance and Disruption in the American Family. (3) A sociological analysis of family deviance, neglect, abuse, and violence including processes leading to major personal crises and family disruption, and social programs and policies. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.

485 Sociology of Victims. (3) An overview of victimology examining: the socio-political structural arrangements that create and sustain victimization, differing types of victimization, and the practical applications of victimological findings. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.

487 Application of Fire Research. (3) Involves the understanding of fire research and its application. Data from available research on fire prevention and protection programs are studied. Prerequisite: acceptance into the Open Learning Fire Service program for inservice fire/safety personnel by the director of the School of Distance Learning, International Studies and Outreach.

488 Community and the Fire Threat. (3) Sociological and economic characteristics of communities and their influence on the fire problem. Housing, structure abandonment, rent control, crime, false alarm, and incendiary fire rates are studied. Prerequisite: acceptance into the Open Learning Fire Service program for inservice fire/safety personnel by the director of the School of Distance Learning, International Studies and Outreach.

494 (Cross-listed with ANTH 494) Internship. (3) Supervised applied experience in occupationally related area. Seminars and written reports required. Not open to students with credit in ANTH 494. Prerequisites: approval of department chairperson and junior or senior status.

497 Senior Honors Thesis in Sociology. (3–6, repeatable to 6) Thesis research under the direction of at least two Sociology faculty members on a topic of mutual agreement; 6 s.h. required for honors. Prerequisite: approval of departmental honors advisor.

499 Seminar in Sociology. (3, repeatable for different topics) Topics to be announced. Prerequisites: SOC 100 and one additional Sociology course, or consent of instructor.