College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Sociology

www.sociology.vt.edu

John Ryan, Chair
Distinguished Professor: W. E. Snizek
Professors: T. M. Calasanti; E. R. Fuhrman; T. D. Fuller; M. Hughes;
J. Ryan; D. J. Shoemaker
Associate Professors: C. A. Bailey; C.J. Dudley; B. R. Hertel;
J. Hawdon; K.J. Kiecolt; T. Kershaw; D. W. Wimberley
Assistant Professors: E.T. Graves; K. Harrison; P. Polanah; C. T. Rowley; K. Stainback; A. Vogt Yuan
Adjunct Professors: R. Blieszner; D. Breslau; G. L. Downey; N. M. King; N. McGehee; P. D. Metz; K. Moore; J. M. Shepard
Emeritus Professors: J. A. Ballweg; A. Bayer; C. D. Bryant; J. N. Edwards; J. W. Michaels
Career Advisor: Donna Sedgwick, 231-8965

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Overview

    The department offers programs leading to the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. and provides courses open to students in all colleges of the university. Undergraduate majors are required to complete the Curriculum for Liberal Education and the core curriculum of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, 31 hours in sociology, plus STAT 3604, 6 hours from another social science department and 6 hours of approved additional transferable skills. Required courses are: SOC 1004, 3004, 3104, 3204 and 4194. In addition students must take a minimum of 15 hours of sociology electives, no more than six hours of which can be taken at the 1000-20000 level. Of the remaining nine hours in sociology, a minimum of six hours must be taken at the 4000 level.

    By the time a student has completed his/her 72nd semester credit, he/she should have completed at least: Soc 1004, STAT 3604 and 15 additional hours in Sociology, with no more than 9 hours at the 1000-2000 level and at least 3 hours at the 4000 level.

    Three specialities are also offered: crime/deviance, social inequality, and workplace relations. Each of these has its own set of additional course requirements. Please request additional information and course lists from the departmental office.

    For a minor in sociology, the undergraduate student is required to complete 18 hours in sociology including SOC 1004. No more than nine hours at the 1000-2000 level shall count toward the 18-hour requirement for a minor. A minimum GPA of 2.0 for courses in the minor is required.

    The Cooperative Education Program is available to qualified undergraduates in the curriculum. Information on the program may be found elsewhere in this catalog.

    The department offers an internship program for eligible majors.

    The department also cooperates with curricula offerings through the Appalachian Studies program, the Africana Studies program, the Center for Gerontology, the Center for the Study of Science in Society, and the Women's Studies program.

Satisfactory Progress

    University policy requires that students who are making satisfactory progress toward a degree meet minimum criteria toward the Curriculum for Liberal Education (see "Academics"), toward the Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Core, and toward the degree in sociology.

    Satisfactory progress toward the B.S. in sociology requires that:

  1. Upon having attempted 72 semester credits (including transfer, advanced placement, advanced standing, credit by examination, freshman rule), students must have completed:
    SOC 1004: Introduction to Sociology 3
    Sociology 9
    STAT 3604: Statistics for Social Sciences 3
    Total Credits (15)
  1. Upon having attempted 60 semester credits, students must have an in-major grade point average of 2.0 or above.

Africana Studies Program

Terry Kershaw, Director
Professors: N. Giovanni (English); R. Graham (Art); L. Roy (English); V. Fowler (English)
Associate Professors: H. Farrar (History); T. Kershaw (Africana Studies and Sociology)
Assistant Professors: C.T. Rowley (Africana Studies and Sociology); B. Bunch-Lyons (History); E. Graves (Sociology); K. Harrison (Sociology); M. Herndon (Interdisciplinary Studies)
Instructors: P. Polanah (Africana Studies and Sociology); E. McPherson (Educational Technologies)

    Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that uses concepts and methodologies of the Social Sciences and the Humanities, centering on the study of peoples of African descent. The program cooperates with faculty from across the university, whose teaching and research is concerned with Africa and the African diaspora. Africana Studies supports the university’s objective to increase the numbers of students and faculty of color. It also engages with other programs and organizations in community awareness activities that celebrate the richness and diversity of African diasporic cultures and traditions.

    The Africana Studies program presently offers two minors. One focuses on African Americans while the other focuses on continental Africa. We also offer an Africana Studies IDST major degree option. The African American minor requires successful completion of at least 18 semester hours from the following:

REQUIRED COURSES
AFST 1714 Intro to Africana Studies
AFST/HIST 3176 Afro-American History
Electives:
Choose 12 credits from the list below of which at least 6 credits must be at the 3000 level or above.
Social Sciences Focus
AFST 2354 The Civil Rights Movement
AFST 2454 Race and Racism
AFST/REL 2734 The Black Woman in the USA
AFST 3454 African American Leadership
AFST 4354 Issues in Africana Studies
Humanities Focus
AFST/IDST 1814 Intro to African Studies
AFST/REL 2144 African Religion
AFST/REL 2744 The Black Church in America
AFST 2754 Sports and The Afro-American Experience
AFST 2774 Black Aesthetics
AFST/HIST 3175 Afro-American History I
AFST/ENG 3634 Afro-American Literature
The African Studies minor requires successful completion of at least 18 semester hours from the following:
Required Courses
AFST/IDST 1814 Intro to African Studies
HIST 2304 Africa in the Modern World
Electives:
Choose 12 credits from the list below of which at least 6 credits must be at the 3000 level or above.
AFST/REL 2144 African Religions
AFST 2744 Black Aesthetics
AFST/HIST 3175 Afro-American History I
AFST/HIST 3176 Afro-American History II
AFST 4354 Issues in Africana Studies

    Successful completion of the requirements for the two minors and the core courses in Interdisciplinary Studies (IDST) allows a student to receive a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies (IDST) with an option in Africana Studies

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Undergraduate Course Descriptions (AFST)

1714: INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
Introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Africana Studies. Organized around central themes and forces that have shaped and been shaped by the life experience of people of African descent. (3H,3C).

1814 (IDST 1814): INTRO TO AFRICAN STUDIES
Introduces students to the study of sub-Saharan Africa -- history, politics, economics, arts, and culture -- and to Africa's place in the world. Required first course in the African (Area) Studies concentration. (3H,3C).

2144 (REL 2144): AFRICAN RELIGIONS
The role of religious (or belief) systems in African society, especially the three predominantly religious traditions in Africa: the so-called African traditional religions, Islam, and Christianity; the universe of religious systems and religious experiences and processes of Africa, in particular
Sub-Saharan Africa; critical examination of the mythic stature of Africa's "religions" within Western cultural (and scholarly) world views and institutions. (3H,3C).

2354: THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Examines the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. Both non-violent and violent resistance will be examined, as well as strategies used in organizing mass boycotts, sit-ins, and marches. Special attention will be paid to how the movement shaped civil rights legislation on the federal level. The course also examines how the Movement influenced student protest on college campuses. (3H,3C).

2454: RACE AND RACISM
Examines theories of race and racism specifically as they relate to African Americans. We will explain conservative, neo-conservative, liberal, and progressive ideologies concerning race in past and recent United States contexts and how such theories emerged and continue to emerge in recent times. Though the majority of the course focuses on race and racism within the U.S., comparative analyses will be made with Brazil and South Africa. (3H,3C).

2734 (REL 2734) (WS 2734): THE BLACK WOMAN IN THE U.S.
The emerging womanist perspective of "interstructured oppression," (i.e., the simultaneous effects of racism, sexism, and classism) as relevant to the contributions of Black women in the U.S.; views of Black women from African backgrounds, the Atlantic slave trade, and the progressive rise of womanist/feminist liberation movements in Black culture; contributions of Black women in the U.S. and globally. (3H,3C).

2744 (REL 2744): AMERICAN BLACK CHURCH
An inspection of the history and culture of the Black American Church. The course focuses upon the African origin and African-American development of religions and sects. The course will emphasize broad themes, historical patterns, and similarities as well as differences in the Afrocentric and Eurocentric methods of worshipping. (3H,3C).

2754: SPORTS AND THE AFRO-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Sports as a paradigm of the African-American experience. The forms of racism and the periodic significant social advances of the African-American community in the U.S. will be examined from the vantage point of African-American sports. Attention will also be paid to the continuing impact of sports on African-American culture. Sports heroes, successful teams and annual sporting events will be noted and analyzed. (3H,3C).

2774: BLACK AESTHETICS
A definition of those qualities of black American arts which distinguish it from traditional U.S. arts through an analysis of theme, form, and technique as they appear in a representative sample of works by black creative artists. (3H,3C).

2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.

2984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.

3174 (HIST 3174): AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN IN UNITED STATES HISTORY
Chronological and thematic examination of significant historical moments in black men's lives. Examination of the social, cultural, and political forces contributing to a uniquely African American male experience in the United States. Survey of events in America's collective past such as wars, depressions, and protest movements. (3H,3C).

3175,3176 (HIST 3175, 3176): AFRO-AMERICAN HISTORY
The Afro-American experience in the United States from 1619 to the present. Emphasis upon slavery and the strategies of economic and social survival in the twentieth century. 3175: 1619-1877 3176: 1877-present (3H,3C).

3454: AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
This course will utilize the three major paradigmatic assumptions in Black Studies (centeredness, critical analysis, and empowerment) to examine historical and contemporary African American leadership concepts and styles and their impact on social change. (3H,3C).

3634 (ENGL 3634): AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
Afro-American writings from Phyllis Wheatley through the slave narratives of the nineteenth century to such modern figures as Wright, Hughes, Baldwin, and Morrison. (3H,3C).

3984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.

4354: ISSUES IN AFRICANA STUDIES
A variable topics course in which students will use the Africana Studies paradigm to take a centered, critical, and empowering look at various topics regarding people of African descent. (3H,3C).

4704: HISTORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN THEATRE
An in-depth study of Black Theatre in America. It will explore the history and development of Black Theatre – both commercial and non-commercial. The course will also stimulate critical thinking pertaining to racial issues, differences in aesthetics and cultures. Pre: 1715. (3H,3C).

4754: INTERNSHIP
Variable credit course.

4774: BLACKS IN THE PERFORMING ARTS
An examination of the performing arts as a paradigm of the African-American experience. Forms of U.S. racism and the periodic significant social advances of the U.S.'s African-American community will be examined in this course from the vantage points of blacks in theatre, film, dance, and music. Emphasis will be placed on the continuing impact of performing arts on African-American culture. Performers, heroes, historical works and performing arts events will be analyzed. Pre: 1714. (3H,3C).

4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.

4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.

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Undergraduate Course Descriptions (SOC)

1004: INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY
Social bases of human behavior, including an introduction to basic theories, research methods, social institutions, . Social and social psychological antecedents for politics, family, work, science, education, and religion. I,II,III,IV. (3H,3C)

1014: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Introduction to basic concepts in social anthropology related to the study of the evolution, social organization, and major institutions of traditional societies with emphasis on non-western cultures. II (3H,3C)

2004: SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Major social problems in contemporary American society, including those associated with aging, crime, family life, urban life, environmental issues, religion, politics, and work. I,II (3H,3C)

2014: DATING, MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
Description and analysis of dating and marital relationships in contemporary society, with additional attention given to factors associated with divorce. I,II (3H,3C)

2024: MINORITY GROUP RELATIONS
Reasons for existence of minority groups and consequences of being subordinate. Focus on racial, ethnic, gender, and age differences. Employment, family relations, health, and general quality of life. Includes cross-national comparisons. Curriculum for Liberal Education approved for Area II only when taken only in combination with AFST 1714. I,II (3H,3C)

2304: INDIVIDUAL IN SOCIETY
Development of the self through social interaction. Factors affecting individual and collective perceptions, attitudes, and behavior in social contexts. I,II (3H,3C)

2404: DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
Behavior considered deviant in contemporary society, including serious crimes by individuals and organizations, sexual deviance, violence, suicide, alcoholism and other drug addiction, and mental illness. (3H,3C) I,II.

2504: COMPARATIVE SOCIAL CHANGE
Patterns and processes of social and cultural changes in developing areas of the world. Attention to ideologies of change and the transformation of major social structures within societies. II (3H,3C)

2514: APPALACHIAN SOCIAL ISSUES
Survey of social issues of Appalachia including the emergence and perpetuation of stereotypical images, the impact of the coal industry on the social environment, and consideration of religious, political, and social policy aspects. II (3H,3C)

2964: FIELD STUDY
Variable credit course.

2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.

2984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.

3004: SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Class, status, and power in society. Theories and empirical research findings on vertical and horizontal stratification in society. Class differences in behavior, values, and avenues and extent of social mobility. Cross cultural comparisons. II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

3014: GENDER RELATIONS
Examination of gender relations and roles in the United States and cross-culturally, including a focus on sexual patterns. Explanations of these patterns and their relationship to major social institutions are covered. II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

3104: SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
Focus on the development and contemporary state of sociological theory. Primary concern is with those theorists who have had significant impact on our thinking about the relationships among man, society, and nature. I,II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

3204: SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS
Techniques of data collection and analysis employed in the social sciences with emphasis on survey research methods including questionnaire construction, sampling, and analysis of both self-collected and national data; logic behind application of these techniques. Pre: STAT 3604. (4H,4C)

3304: COLLECTIVE ACTION
How people organize to influence institutional arrangements in society. Panic behavior, riots, protest movements, strikes, coalitions, and revolutions. Theories and issues related to collective action. I Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

3414: CRIMINOLOGY
Principles of criminology and contemporary theories of criminal behavior, focusing on the extent and distribution of crime in the United States. I,II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

3424: JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Examination of juvenile delinquency in the United States including theories and explanations of delinquency, the juvenile justice system, and treatment and prevention of delinquency. I,II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

3464 (AHRM 3464) (EDHL 3464) (GEOG 3464) (HD 3464) (HUM 3464) (UAP 3464): APPALACHIAN COMMUNITIES
The concept of community in Appalachia using a multidisciplinary approach and experiential learning. Interrelationships among geographically, culturally, and socially constituted communities, public policy, and human development. (2H,3L,3C)

3504: POPULATION TRENDS AND ISSUES
Contemporary American and global population trends in historical and comparative perspective. Discussion of the impact of population change on individual and society. Relevant public policy questions examined. II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

3604: WORK IN MODERN SOCIETY
Emphasis on the analysis of work, industrial work organizations, and trade unions. International comparisons on the nature of work and related developments in post industrial societies. I Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

3614: GENDER AND WORK IN THE U.S.
Examination of the role that gender plays in shaping the experience of work, focusing especially on the persistence of occupational segregation by sex, its causes and implications. Also, the interaction of work and family life, including the allocation of household work and control of resources. Social policies affecting gender relations in work organizations will be analyzed. Pre: 1004. (3H,3C) II.

3714: SOCIOLOGY OF AGING
Emergence of old age as a social problem. Social aspects of aging in America, including the minority experience and with some cross-cultural comparisons. Social and demographic characteristics of the aged, location of aged in the social structure, and current and future social problems of old age. II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

3954: STUDY ABROAD
Variable credit course. X-grade allowed.

4014: SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY
The family as a basic social institution: similarities and variations in family systems, their interrelationships with other social institutions, and patterns of continuity and change. Taught alternate years. I Pre: 2014. (3H,3C)

4024: SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
Religion as a social structure as well as an institution; with special attention to the functions of religion for individuals, groups and societies, social organization; and the interplay between religion and other social institutions including economics and polity. Taught alternate years. Pre: 1004. (3H,3C) I.

4034: SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
Analysis of the structure, functions, and consequences of schooling in America, the social processes affecting academic achievement, and the implications of current knowledge for educational reform. Taught alternate years. I Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

4044: MILITARY SOCIOLOGY
The military institution and its relationship to society. Emphasis on the role of the military and its social organization; recruitment, socialization, career, combat, deviant behavior, changes in the military, and future trends. Taught alternate years. Junior standing. II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

4114: THE SOCIOLOGY OF POPULAR MUSIC
Examine the social context(s) of popular music, including the social, economic, and political factors that influence the development of different popular music forms; authenticity within popular music genres; popular music's impact on social activity and identity; the institutions that connect popular music producers with consumers. Pre: 1004, 1014 or AFST 1714. (3H,3C)

4194: SENIOR SEMINAR
Required seminar for majors. Integration and application of prior coursework, including reviews of theory and research methods. Application of sociological knowledge toward an actual needs assessment in a work setting, completion of a social policy analysis, and a written critique of a sociological publication. Course serves as a bridge to graduate study, prepares students for application of sociological knowledge, and provides overall career guidance. Senior standing and sociology majors only. Pre: 3104, 3204. (3H,3C)

4404: SOCIOLOGY OF LAW
The functions of law as a form of social control. The social forces in the creation, enforcement, and change of the law. The nature of law as a force in social change. Taught alternate years. II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

4414: DRUGS AND SOCIETY
Examines the use of drugs, including legal and illegal drugs, from a sociological perspective. Cross-cultural and historical patterns of use are discussed and explained. Particular attention is given to drug use within the context of various social institutions. Junior standing. Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

4704: MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
Social and cultural response to illness and infirmity. Emphasis on the sick role, patient role, practitioner role, organization and politics of health care delivery, stratification, professionalism, and socialization of health practitioners. Taught alternate years. Junior Standing. I Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

4714: SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL ILLNESS
Mental illness and social systems, historically and in contemporary society. Distribution of mental illness with special reference to stratification, role, and deviance theories. Mental health occupations and organization of treatment. Implications for social policy. Taught alternate years. Junior standing. II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

4724: SOCIOLOGY OF DEATH
Social implications of death and its relationship to social behavior and institutions. Social contexts of suicide, terminal illness, execution, and accidents. Death-related processes of funeralization, bereavement, and inheritance. Death in cross-cultural perspective. Pre: 1004. (3H,3C) I.

4754: INTERNSHIP
Placement and sociologically relevant work in one of a variety of human service settings, combined with relevant readings, discussion and written work coordinated jointly by a faculty member and the setting supervisor. Placement settings include human resource agencies, corrections facilities, extension offices, and law agencies. Sociology major or minor required. Junior or Senior standing required. Consent of internship coordinator required. Coursework relevant to placement setting. I,II,II,IV Variable credit course.

4764 (GEOG 4764) (UAP 4764): INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND PLANNING
Examination of major development theories and contemporary issues and characteristics of low-income societies (industrialization, urbanization, migration, rural poverty, hunger, foreign trade, and debt) that establish contexts for development planning and policy-making. Junior standing required. I (3H,3C)

4804: SOCIOLOGY OF SCIENCE
Focus on the institution of science and its systems: normative, reward, and stratification. Concentrates on the interaction between science and other basic social institutions: political, economic, and religious. Taught alternate years. Junior standing. II Pre: 1004. (3H,3C)

4964: FIELD STUDY
Pass/Fail only. Variable credit course.

4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.

4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course. X-grade allowed.

4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.

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