Courses with the SOC Subject

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The online catalog includes the most recent changes to courses and degree requirements that have been approved by the Faculty Senate, including changes that are not yet effective. Courses showing two entries of the same number indicate that the course information is changing. The most recently approved version is shown first, followed by the older version, in gray, with its last-effective term preceding the course title. Courses shown in gray with only one entry of the course number are being discontinued. Course offerings by term can be accessed by clicking on the term links when viewing a specific campus catalog.

Sociology (SOC)

101 [SSCI] Introduction to Sociology 3 Introduction to the discipline of sociology: Concepts and methods used in the inquiry into the social world.

102 [SSCI] Social Problems 3 The structure of social institutions and cultural factors that constitute threats to society (crime, poverty, discrimination, drugs, family violence).

103 [COMM] Social Psychology of Communication 3 Use of social psychological principles to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.

106 Murder and Mass Mayhem in American Society 3 Similarities and differences in murder and mass mayhem within the US and between US and other nations.

230 Society and Technology 3 Role of technology in social evolution; social impacts and shaping of technology. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

245 Sociology of Sport 3 Sociological study of sport in America.

250 Perspectives on Disability 3 Historical, international, socioeconomic, ethical and personal perspectives on disability; individual choices, societal values, and social responsibility.

251 [DIVR] The Sociology of Sex, Relationships, and Marriage 3 Social and personal factors in mate selection; the sociology of sexuality; development of gender roles; and intimate relationships and marriage. (Crosslisted course offered as SOC 251, WGSS 251.)

300 [DIVR] [M] Intersections of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality 3 Course Prerequisite: SOC 101 or WGSS 101. Intersections between race, class and gender through case studies; experiences in interdisciplinary methods. (Crosslisted course offered as WGSS 300, ENGLISH 310, SOC 300.)

302 Contemporary Masculinities 3 Analysis of the development of masculinity in its biological and cultural forms. (Crosslisted course offered as WGSS 302, SOC 302.)

305 Degree and Careers 1 Introduction to the major or minor, degree or minor requirements, resources for degree planning, graduate degrees, and careers for sociology majors and minors.

310 [M] Development of Social Theory 3 Foundations of sociological theory; introduction to original works of early social theorists. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

311 Visual Presentation and Data Management in Social Science 3 Investigate and communicate with social science data; techniques of visual data display using Excel and other tools.

317 Research Methods in Sociology 3 Designing, conducting, and reporting social research.

317 (Effective through Summer 2024) [M] Research Methods in Sociology 3 Designing, conducting, and reporting social research.

320 Introduction to Social Research 3 Methods of collecting data; surveys, experiments, field observations; organization and interpretation of data; reading social research findings.

321 Quantitative Techniques in Sociology I 4 Levels of measurement; measures of central tendency, dispersion and association; normal curve, statistical inference; logic of quantitative comparison and decision making.

330 America's Changing Population: Challenges and Strategies 3 Introduction to population studies and to measurements of fertility, mortality, and migration; study of impacts of populations changes on contemporary social issues (e.g., mass incarceration, poverty, teen pregnancy, environment).

331 Population, Resources, and the Future 3 Effects of population on resource depletion, environmental deterioration, social and economic structure; zero population growth prospects; limits to growth debate.

332 [SSCI] Sustainability and Society 3 The study of human-environment relationships and the connections between environmental, economic, and social systems. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

333 Science, Power and Human Values 3 Recent developments in the sociological study of science and scientific knowledge through cultural, commercial, and political perspectives.

334 Medical Sociology 3 Study of the societal dimensions of health and medicine: social determinants of health.

335 Shopping and Society 3 Course Prerequisite: SOC 101. Consumption and its impacts on the environment and society.

336 Sociology of Food 3 Theoretical, historical, and empirical issues of food and agriculture in the United States including social, political, and economic aspects. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

337 Climate Change in Your Lifetime 3 Reflections on personal experiences with climate change, climate politics and policy, scientific uncertainty, and more

338 Environmental Inequality and Justice 3 Causes and consequences of poor and minoritized communities' uneven exposure to environmental risks and hazards; social and political solutions that address community level environmental inequities.

340 [EQJS] Social Inequality 3 Causes and consequences of social inequality in contemporary America. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

341 Inclusive Workplace Leadership 3 For upper-division students, development of leadership skills necessary for careers in a diverse workplace.

342 Urban Poverty 3 Historical context and current debates on US urban poverty including public policy, employment and education, and gender, race, and ethnicity. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

343 Sociology of Professions and Occupations 3 Social organization of work in America including historical and contemporary trends, bureaucracy, gender/racial inequality, technological affects, work/family relations. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

346 Sociology of Education 3 Examination of how educational institutions are influenced by other social forces, how school practices affect individual outcomes and how race/class/gender shape educational opportunity. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

347 Sociology of Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration 3 Racial and ethnic categories and experiences of specific racial, ethnic, and immigrant groups.

350 Social Psychology 3 Course Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. Attitude changes, conformity, interpersonal relations, groups and social influences explored to give a coherent view of social psychology. (Crosslisted course offered as PSYCH 350, SOC 350). Recommended preparation: PSYCH 105 or SOC 101.

351 [DIVR] The Family 3 Family system and its interaction patterns; family formation and dissolution; marital and partner relations, divorce, sexuality, parenting, work-family balance. (Crosslisted course offered as SOC 351, WGSS 351.) Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

352 Youth and Society 3 Social issues facing youth; youth and social institutions of education, employment, family, criminal justice system, and politics.

356 Growing Up and Growing Older 3 Aging as a lifelong process; behavior, personality competencies, social relations changes over the life course; historical, social structural, demographics, contextual influences. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.

358 Beliefs, Norms, and Values 3 Sources and consequences of beliefs, norms, and values.

359 Giving 3 Giving that contributes to flourishing societies; philanthropy, volunteering, cooperation, and altruism.

360 Social Deviance 3 A survey of the sociology of deviance. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

361 [DIVR] Criminology 3 Crime measurement, theories of crime, the correlates of crime, and specific types of crime such as white-collar and drug crime. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

362 Juvenile Delinquency 3 Sociological perspectives on delinquency; delinquent gangs and subcultures; delinquency causation and control; law and its enforcement: juvenile justice and corrections. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

364 Law and Society 3 Intersection of legal and social systems.

367 Juvenile Justice and Corrections 3 Course Prerequisite: CRM J 101. History, philosophy, legal process, performance, and outcomes of the juvenile justice and corrections systems. (Crosslisted course offered as CRM J 365, SOC 367). Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.

368 Drugs and Society 3 Social issues in drug use and addiction; drug policy.

372 The Sociology of Film 3 The social, economic, and political factors that influence film production and the impact of films on American culture.

373 Media, Culture, and Society 3 The production of popular culture by media organizations and its effects on society.

375 Aspects of Sustainable Development 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Ecological, economical, and sociological aspects of sustainable development. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 326, SOC 375).

384 Sociology of Gender 3 Construction and maintenance of gender and gender inequality in American society. (Crosslisted course offered as SOC 384, WGSS 384.) Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

385 [EQJS] Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies 3 Course Prerequisite: Junior standing. Interdisciplinary exploration of issues related to gender and sexuality, explored transhistorically and cross-culturally, including race, class and age differences. (Crosslisted course offered as WGSS 385, SOC 385.)

390 Gender and Work 3 Gender and inequality at work including occupational segregation, wage inequality and balancing work and family. (Crosslisted course offered as SOC 390, WGSS 390.)

391 Special Topics in Sociology V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 credits.

392 Special Topics V 1-3 May be repeated for credit.

415 [CAPS] [M] Globalization 3 Course Prerequisite: Junior standing. Structural foundations of global social change; theories of intersocietal interactions and interdependencies. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

418 Human Issues in International Development 3 Interdisciplinary analysis of complex interaction in the context of colonial and post-colonial development. (Crosslisted course offered as ANTH 418, POL S 418, SOC 418).

418 (Effective through Spring 2024) Human Issues in International Development 3 Interdisciplinary analysis of complex interaction between tradition and modernity in Third World societies. (Crosslisted course offered as ANTH 418, POL S 418, SOC 418).

421 Quantitative Techniques in Sociology II 3 Probability theory, sampling distributions, random variables, matrix approaches to statistical techniques, calculus for statistics and computer applications.

433 Urbanization and Community Organization 3 Course Prerequisite: Junior standing. Organization, function, change, development, and decline of communities; applications emphasizing rural or urban settings. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

461 Corrections 3 Course Prerequisite: Junior standing. History, facilities, processes, strategies for the correction and punishment of offenders, analysis of concepts of prevention and control of crime. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

462 Geographic Information Systems in Health and Social Sciences 3 Utilizing Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and mapping tools to examine and visualize epidemiological and social science data; assess public health, social, and policy issues including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and drug use; explore how this work can be applied to interventions. Required preparation must include a college-level statistics course. (Crosslisted course offered as NEP 462/562, SOC 462/562. Formerly offered as NEP 560, SOC 560.) Credit not granted for both NEP 462/562 and SOC 462/562. Offered at 400 and 500 level.

468 Addictive Behavior Among Diverse Populations 3 Course Prerequisite: Junior standing. Overview of social, cultural, and historical perspectives on dealing with addictive behavior. (Crosslisted course offered as PSYCH 468, CRM J 468, SOC 468). Recommended preparation: SOC 101, PSYCH 105, or CRM J 101.

474 Social Movements 3 Course Prerequisite: Junior standing. Social movement processes and social change in historical and contemporary societies. Recommended preparation: SOC 101.

491 Advanced Special Topics V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 credits.

493 Internship V 1-6 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 12 credits. Course Prerequisite: By department permission. Work experience related to undergraduate major and career interests. S, F grading.

495 [CAPS] [M] Internship Capstone 3 Course Prerequisite: SOC 310 or concurrent enrollment; junior standing. Self-initiated supervised work experience in an approved campus or community setting. Recommended preparation: SOC 317 or 320, and SOC 321 or CRM J 321.

496 [M] Capstone - From Theory to Practice: The Sociology of Service 3 Course Prerequisite: SOC 310 or concurrent enrollment; junior standing. Service learning course connecting theoretical solutions to social problems with service in community organizations.

497 [CAPS] [M] Capstone Research Practicum 3 Course Prerequisite: SOC 317, SOC 320, PSYCH 312, or CRM J 311, or concurrent enrollment in any; admitted to the major in Sociology; junior standing. Hands-on experience in selection of a social problem, review of literature, identifying data sources, developing methodology and reporting results. Senior standing recommended.

498 Research Assistantship 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 credits. Course Prerequisite: By department permission. Supervised experience in current research by departmental faculty.

499 Special Problems V 1-4 May be repeated for credit. Course Prerequisite: By department permission. Independent study conducted under the jurisdiction of an approving faculty member; may include independent research studies in technical or specialized problems; selection and analysis of specified readings; development of a creative project; or field experiences. S, F grading.

510 Development of Social Theory 3 Examination of the foundations of social theory.

511 Data Management 3 Core concepts and procedures regularly used in the quantitative analysis of sociological data.

517 Seminar in Contemporary Sociological Theory 3 Recent developments in sociological theory, analysis, application and appraisal of specific theoretical systems. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.

519 International Development and Human Resources 3 History of and recent changes in international development emphasizing anthropological perspectives. (Crosslisted course offered as ANTH 519, POL S 538, SOC 519).

520 Research Methods in Sociology 3 Methodology of social research at the professional level.

521 Regression Models 3 Simple and multiple regression, structural equation models, nonlinear applications, applications for discrete dependent variables.

522 Advanced Quantitative Techniques in Sociology 3 Advanced quantitative techniques extending beyond ordinary least squares regression and its limitations; focus on current sociological methods and models. Recommended preparation: SOC 521.

523 Qualitative Methods Practicum 3 Introduction to qualitative research methods as used in social sciences; epistemological underpinnings and empirical techniques. Recommended preparation: SOC 520. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.

525 Practicum in Survey Research 3 Practical experience in design and implementation of telephone and mail surveys; participation in all aspects of conducting a survey. Recommended preparation: SOC 520. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.

526 Experimental Methods 3 Design and analysis, settings, manipulations, measures, and human participant considerations.

527 Social Network Analysis 3 Practical research experience with social network theory, concepts, measurement, and data collection/analysis.

530 Demography 3 Population studies; causes, effects, and measurement of changes in fertility, mortality, and migration; population estimation and projection.

531 Human Ecology 3 Ecosystem context of human life; change viewed ecologically; sociological use and misuse of ecological concepts; issues in theory and research.

532 Environmental Sociology 3 Societal-environmental interactions; impacts of human societies on the physical environment; environmental impacts on human behavior and social organization.

535 Technology and Society 3 Analysis of sociotechnical systems; effects of technology on society; the social shaping of technologies and their environmental impacts.

536 Special Topics in Environmental Sociology V 1 (0-3) to 3 (0-9) May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 9 credits. Special topics in environmental sociology.

542 Social Stratification: Class, Race and Gender Inequalities 3 Theoretical and empirical research in both classic stratification literature and recent scholarship on class, race/ethnicity and gender.

545 Sociology of Community 3 Community stability and change: interaction processes; decision making; societal linkages; effects on well-being.

552 Poverty and Family 3 Explores the experience of poverty and how it affects family life, family structure, and family formation in both rural and urban America.

553 Social Organization and the Family 3 The family as a social institution; principles of social organization applied to family relationships; macro-level analyses of family structure.

554 Social Psychology of the Family 3 The family as an interacting group; social psychological theories and research applied to family relationships; effects of families on individuals.

556 Sociology of Aging and the Life Course 3 Theory and research on the changes individuals undergo over the life course; influences of history, social structure, agency and social relations on lives.

562 Geographic Information Systems in Health and Social Sciences 3 Utilizing Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and mapping tools to examine and visualize epidemiological and social science data; assess public health, social, and policy issues including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and drug use; explore how this work can be applied to interventions. Required preparation must include a college-level statistics course. (Crosslisted course offered as NEP 462/562, SOC 462/562. Formerly offered as NEP 560, SOC 560.) Credit not granted for both NEP 462/562 and SOC 462/562. Offered at 400 and 500 level.

574 Labor Market Inequality 3 Overview of research on the causes and consequences of inequality in U.S. work organizations.

580 Sociology of Race Relations 3 Analysis of race/ethnic relations; historical and current theoretical explanations of race/ethnic relations.

582 Social Movements 3 Theories and methods in social movement studies.

590 Special Topics in Sociology 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 9 credits.

591 The Sociology Profession 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 2 credits. Requirements, operations, problems, and possibilities of the sociology profession. S, F grading.

592 Special Topics in Sociology 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 9 credits.

593 Special Topics in Sociology V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 credits. Special topics in sociology.

600 Special Projects or Independent Study V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent study, special projects, and/or internships. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor before enrolling in 600 credit, which cannot be used toward the core graded credits required for a graduate degree. S, F grading.

700 Master's Research, Thesis, and/or Examination V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent research and advanced study for students working on their master's research, thesis and/or final examination. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor/committee chair before enrolling for 700 credit. S, U grading.

702 Master's Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent research in special problems, directed study, and/or examination credit for students in a non-thesis master's degree program. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor/committee chair before enrolling for 702 credit. S, U grading.

800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Course Prerequisite: Admitted to the Sociology PhD program. Independent research and advanced study for students working on their doctoral research, dissertation and/or final examination. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor/committee chair before enrolling for 800 credit. S, U grading.