Course Offerings
Sociology
Current Semester Course Offerings (in BANNER)
Course Information from Course Catalog:
100. Introduction to Sociology (I and II; 3, 0; U)
The concepts and methods sociologists use to investigate human groups. Focuses on the study of social organization, its variety and development.
110. Social Problems in the 21st Century
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; U)
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; U)
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
The individual's relation to society in the U.S. American conceptions of the course of life and ultimate meaning of popular and high culture.
201. Field Research in Local Communities (I or II; 3, 0; U)
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; U)
An introduction to various paradigms of social research with emphasis on the logic of social inquiry, research design, and data collection.
210. Urban Condition (I; 3, 0; U)
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. The Sociological Traditions (I; 3, 0; U)
A survey of major theorists and theoretical traditions in sociology from 1800 to present.
212. Social Theory (I or II; 3, 0; U)
Analysis of contemporary social theories with special attention to the character of social theory, procedures of inquiry and basis.
213. Race in Historical and Comparative Perspective (I; 3, 0; U)
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; U)
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.
234. Criminology (I or II; 3, 0; U)
Theories and research in criminal behavior and the societal reaction to criminality. Causes and consequences of crime, including public policy formulations.
239. Deviance and Identity (I or II; 3, 0; U)
Social organization and personal action; group dynamics, identity, commitment, and deviant behavior.
243. Race and Ethnicity (AI; 3, 0; U)
Analysis of the historical, cultural, and structural determinants of race and ethnic group identity, relations, and conflicts in American and global perspectives.
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.
251. Social Violence (II; 3, 0; U)
The study of violent social, political, and legal institutions: domestic violence, sexual coercion, vigilantism, political conflict; the production and control of criminal violence.
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 Examination of mass media institution/production and their effects on media consumers and the broader culture (Cross Listed with ANTH-275)
280. Twentieth-century Afro-Caribbean and African American Thought (II; 3, 0; U)
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; U)
Examines the history, politics, culture, society, ecology, and peoples of the Caribbean. It also focuses on the regions importance, its most pressing concerns and its future in the global political economy.
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; U)
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; U)
Examination of the impact of the processes of global restructuring and the technological revolution on people, culture, and society. Prerequisite: any course in sociology.
315. Educational Policy and School Organization (I; 3, 0; U)
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.
319 and 320. Honors Course in Sociology (I or II; R; 0, 12; U)
Each student selects a project to be developed individually. Prerequisite: permission of the department.
322. Sociology of Medicine (I or II; 3, 0)
A seminar in which topics of interest to students in the area of the sociology of health, medicine, and medical policy will be discussed.
325 and 326. Advanced Reading in Sociology (I or II; R; 0, 12; U) Half to two courses.
Readings developed around the interest of individual students. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
330. Sectarian Conflict in Northern Ireland (S; 3, 0)
Psychological and social aspects of the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. This is the seminar course in the Bucknell in Northern Ireland program. Prerequisites: PSYC 207 or PSYC 209 or PSYC 210 or PSYC 228 and permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as PSYC 330.
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. Crosslisted as PSYC 231.
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.
340. Sociology of Religion (II; 3, 0; U)
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.
351. Field Research (AII; R; 3, 0; U) Half to two 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.
360. Organizational Theory (I or II; 3, 0)
Discusses theories of how formal organizations are structured as well as applications of theories to specific examples.
370. Senior Thesis (I or II; 0, 9; U)
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. The following Capstone courses also count toward the sociology major and minor. Each meets the 300-level or above requirement.
372. Analyzing tghe Social World
A course in sociological data analysis, using the General Social Survey and other data sets, promoting student research (Requires SOCI 208 or permission of the instructor)
402. Public Service and Nonprofit Organizations (I or II; 3; U)
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; U)
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; U)
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. Prerequisite: senior status.
418. Social Services and Community: A Practicum (I; 3, 0; U) 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.
428. Race, Citizenship & Human Rights
This course examines the intersection of race, citizenship and human rights in a global context. It will address issues of identity, belonging, and human security.
433. Seminar in Law and Society (II; 3, 0; U)
Structure and process of legal institutions: police, courts, prisons, lawyers, juries, and extralegal mechanisms relevant to the legal system. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
434. Race, Gender, Sexuality and Identity (II; 3, 0; U)
Examines how race, class and gender structure opportunities, experiences, world views, and conceptions of self and other. Strategies used by dominant groups to maintain their power and privilege, and those used by subordinate groups to create and preserve their culture and to resist their subordination also are examined.
447. Seminar in Social Mobility: Rags to Riches in America (AI; 3, 0; U)
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. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
Courses offered occasionally: 110 Social Problems, 120 American Society, 202 Social Inequality, 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, 332 Seminar in American Society, 372 Seminar in Advanced Research Method
