Course Offerings in Sociology
100. Introduction to Sociology (I and II; 3, 0)
The concepts and methods sociologists use to investigate human groups. Focuses on the study of social organization, its variety and development.
109. Sociology of Social Problems (S; 3, 0)
This course offers a critical examination of major social problems in the contemporary United States within the context of wider global issues.
110. Social Problems in the 21st Century (I or II; 3, 0)
Focuses on the sociological approach to social problems, studying existing problems like poverty and inequality plus new or changing problems such as war and terrorism.
123. Law and Society (I or II; 3, 0)
Introduction to law and the legal system. The effects of economic, political, and other social institutions on the social organization of criminal and civil law.
130. Medicine and Society (I or II; 3, 0)
Sociological analysis applied to health and medical care. Distribution of disease and services, behavior in response to illness, medical professions, hospital organization, national policy issues.
140. American Culture and Society (II; 3, 0)
Exploration of topics including individualism, youth, culture, media, sport, health and the body, education, immigration, religion, sex, and death.
201. Field Research in Local Communities (I or II; 3, 0)
Participant observation, interviewing and other field research methods. Students will carry out exercises and projects in local communities. Crosslisted as ANTH 201.
208. Methods of Social Research (I or II; 3, 0)
An introduction to various paradigms of social research with emphasis on the logic of social inquiry, research design, and data collection. Prerequisites: two prior sociology courses and permission of the instructor.
209. Analyzing the Social World (II; R; 3, 0)
A course in sociological data analysis, using the General Social Survey and other data sets, promoting student research. Prerequisite: SOCI 208 or permission of the instructor.
210. Urban Condition (I; 3, 0)
Geographic and sociological inquiry into pressing urban issues of advanced industrialized societies, including inequality, housing, employment, and how cities fit into the American present and future. Crosslisted as GEOG 210.
211. Classical Sociological Theory (I or II; 3, 0)
A survey of major theorists and theoretical traditions in sociology from 1800 to approximately 1920.
212. Contemporary Sociological Theory (I or II; 3, 0)
Analysis and application of contemporary sociological theories.
213. Race in Historical and Comparative Perspectives (I; 3, 0)
Explores the evolution of the concepts of race and racism from antiquity to the present. Prerequisite: any sociology or anthropology course, or permission of the instructor.
215. Human Service Systems (I; 3, 0)
Historical and contemporary development of social services in relation to changing political-economic structures and human needs. Emergence and impact of service organizations and professions. Recommended as prerequisite for SOCI 318.
220. Environmental Sociology (I or II; 3, 0)
This course examines the relationship between human society and the natural environment. Focus will be on issues of environmental justice and inequality, consumption, technology, development, social movements and the role of industry in the emergence and resolution of environmental problems.
225. Organizations in Society (I; 3, 0)
This class will cover topics in organizational sociology including basic organizational theory. Topics to be considered may include social responsibility, sector, organizational networks, markets and organizations and work/occupations.
234. Criminology (I or II; 3, 0)
Theories and research in criminal behavior and the societal reaction to criminality. Causes and consequences of crime, including public policy formulations.
235. Nongovernmental Organizations (II; 3, 0)
Nongovernmental organizations in the world context. The international "nonprofit" sector including the role, importance, dynamics, politics, and patterns of change among NGOs.
239. Deviance and Identity (I or II; 3, 0)
Social organization and personal action; group dynamics, identity, commitment, and deviant behavior.
240. Sociology of Religion (I or II; 3, 0)
Examination of the role of religion in "world-construction," social solidarity and social change; the secularization thesis; civil religion; fundamentalisms, cults, other new religious movements.
243. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (AI; 3, 0)
Studies the concepts and social significance of race/ethnicity and major race/ethnic groups within the United States. Emphasis on varying theoretical and methodological approaches to the sociological study of race/ethnicity.
245. Remaking America: Latin American Immigration (II; 3, 0)
The processes and impacts of Latin American immigration on the U. S. and countries of origin. Special emphasis on how the immigration experience varies by ethnicity, location, and gender.
246. Activism and Social Change (I and II; 3, 0)
Recommend that student first complete SOCI 100 or SOCI 123 prior to enrolling in this course. This course will explore both classic and contemporary social movements from the U.S. and around the world. We will look at when and why people organize to change laws or social practices, what leads them to succeed or fail, and what impact they have over time. Prerequisite: SOCI 100 or SOCI 123.
251. Violence and Society (II; 3, 0)
The study of violent social, political, and legal institutions: domestic violence, sexual coercion, vigilantism, political conflict; the production and control of criminal violence.
265. Culture and Politics of the 1960s (I or II; 3, 0)
This is a course on cultural and social movements (civil rights movement, New Left, student movement, anti-Vietnam War movement, counterculture), the change they produced in the U.S., and the consequences of that change for contemporary American society. Examines the historical context of 20th-century America, and especially the post-WWII period, in order to situate the movements of the 1960s.
269. Power, Protest, and Political Change (AI; 3, 0)
Explores the life cycle of social movements. Looks at mobilization, tactic selection, and the legacies of "passionate politics" through specific cases of social movement activity. Crosslisted as POLS 249.
270. Popular Culture (II; 3, 0)
The role of popular culture (e.g., music, television, film, and other media) in constructing individual and collective identities.
275. Sociology of Mass Media (I or II; 3, 0)
Examination of mass media institutions/production and their effects on media consumers and the broader culture.
280. Twentieth-century Afro-Caribbean and African-American Thought (II; 3, 0)
Study of the intellectual contributions and scholarly vision of people of African descent to sociological theory, social philosophy, and social change in the 20th century. Crosslisted as HIST 261.
290. The Sociology of Caribbean Society (AII; 3, 0)
Examines the history, politics, culture, society, ecology, and peoples of the Caribbean. It also focuses on the region's importance, its most pressing concerns and its future in the global political economy.
299. Special Topics in Sociology (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Topics vary.
306. Video Ethnography (II; 3, 2)
A practicum in using video technology to conduct observational social research. Students will create short videos in the course. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
310. The Sociology of Developing Societies (II; 3, 0)
Examines various conceptions of development and how they are implemented in selected countries. Prerequisite: any sociology or anthropology course, or permission of the instructor.
311. Globalization, Technology, and Cultural Change (I; 3, 0)
Examination of the impact of the processes of global restructuring and the technological revolution on people, culture, and society. Prerequisite: any course in sociology.
312. Globalization and Conflict (I or II; 3, 0)
Both WWI and WWII were supposed to be the "war that ended all war." In this class, we'll analyze today's conflicts through the lens of social scientific research to help us understand how conflicts in remote parts of the world are intimately linked to our lives.
315. Educational Policy and School Organization (I; 3, 0)
Topics in the sociology of education: schools as causes of social inequality; organizational problems in school reform; and relationships between schooling and work careers. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
318. Social Services and Community: A Practicum (I; 3, 0) One to two courses.
Exploration of the practicalities of work in social service institutions through supervised field work experiences, exposure to the range of social services and careers in social work, education, law, and medicine. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
319. 320. Honors Course in Sociology (I or II; R; 0, 12)
Each student selects a project to be developed individually. Prerequisite: permission of the department.
322. Sociology of Medicine (II; 3, 0)
A research seminar that presents and explores concepts in the sociology of health and medicine. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
325. 326. Advanced Reading in Sociology (I or II; R; 0, 12) Half to two courses.
Readings developed around the interest of individual students. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
327. Race, Citizenship and Human Rights (I or II; 3, 0)
This course provides an understanding of the intersection of race, citizenship and human rights. It exposes students to these burning issues as they play themselves out in the world.
328. Mating and Marrying in America (AI or II; 3, 0)
This is a course on changing patterns in American courtship (dating), marriage, and family life from the 20th to the 21st century. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as WMST 328.
331. Community Organizations in Northern Ireland (S; 3, 0)
Case studies of local organizations, community situations, or social movements in Northern Ireland. This is the service-learning course in the Bucknell in Northern Ireland Program. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. May be crosslisted as EDUC 331 and/or PSYC 231.
332. Women and the Penal System (II; 3, 0)
This course offers an exploration into the interface between inequality, crime, punishment, and justice, with an emphasis on women in the United States; the course is populated by both Bucknell students and incarcerated students at a nearby women's prison. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Not open to first-year students. Crosslisted as WMST 332.
335. Topics in Cultural Sociology (I or II; 3, 0)
Substantive examination of particular topics/themes through the lens of cultural sociology. Prerequisite: SOCI 140 and or SOCI 212.
338. Culture and Self (I; 3, 0)
Exploration of cultural spheres/processes in the contemporary Western world within which selves/identities emerge and produce frameworks of meaning and self-consciousness. Prerequisite: SOCI 100 or SOCI 140 or SOCI 211 or SOCI 212.
339. Women in Crime (I or II; 3, 0)
A seminar focusing on women as both victims and perpetrators of crime. Risk of criminal victimization is not a phenomenon equally shared by men and women in American society. Focus on an analysis of trends and recent changes in patterns of victimization, types of crimes committed by women, response from criminal justice system, impact of women's groups and mass media coverage upon specific areas of public policy.
351. Field Research (AII; R; 3, 0) Half to three courses.
Independent investigation in the field; formulation of hypotheses, construction of measuring instruments, data collection, data analysis, and test of hypotheses. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
354. Sociology of Latin America (II; 3, 0)
This course examines the cultural, social, and economic aspects of Latin America with investigation of both historical and contemporary forces that shaped the region of Latin America.
360. Third Sector Organizations: Nonprofits in America (I or II; 3, 0)
Nonprofit organizations, also called the third sector, make up about 10 percent of the American economy and they are increasingly important in terms of social policy. This course discusses organizational theory, particularly as it applies to nonprofits.
370. Senior Thesis (I or II; R; 0, 9)
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
402. Public Service and Nonprofit Organizations (I or II; 3, 0)
Nonprofit organizations are major settings for the delivery of social services. Government increasingly is "privatising" services. Nonprofits often involve an orientation towards public service and community action. Using case studies they conduct, students explore these issues.
409. How Holocausts Happen (AII; 3, 0)
An analysis of the social and political determinants of genocidal episodes in comparative perspective. Case studies include Nazi Germany and the killing fields of Cambodia. Prerequisites: junior or senior status and permission of the instructor.
410. Remembering the Holocaust (I; 3, 0)
This course explores the Holocaust as a sociological, historical, and political event, looking at memory and remembering and representing events more than 50 years later. Not open to students who have taken SOCI 409. Prerequisites: senior status and permission of the instructor.
433. Seminar in Law and Society (II; 3, 0)
Structure and process of legal institutions: police, courts, prisons, lawyers, juries, and extralegal mechanisms relevant to the legal system. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
447. Seminar in Social Mobility: Rags to Riches in America (AI; 3, 0)
This course focuses on the myth and reality of social mobility in America during the 19th and 20th centuries. Both optimistic and pessimistic variants are considered. Special emphasis is placed on ethnic/racial differences in mobility. Prerequisites: junior or senior status and permission of the instructor.
Courses offered occasionally
110 Social Problems, 120 American Society, 202 Social Inequality, 216 Media, Power and Social Change, 217 Sport, Culture and Society, 245 Formal Organizations, 258 Sociology of Aging, 269 Issues in the Analysis of Health Care, 316 Women and Health, 321 Sociology of Knowledge and Science
