Sociology
- Overview
- Sociology Major
- Criminology Major
- Minors
- Satisfactory Progress
- Africana Studies Program
- American Indian Studies
- Women's and Gender Studies
- Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention
- Center for Race and Social Policy
- Undergraduate Course Descriptions (AFST)
- Undergraduate Course Descriptions (AINS)
- Undergraduate Course Descriptions (CRIM)
- Undergraduate Course Descriptions (PSVP)
- Undergraduate Course Descriptions (SOC)
- Undergraduate Course Descriptions (WGS)
Chair: John Ryan
Professors: O. Agozino, D. Brunsma, T. M. Calasanti, J. Hawdon, M. Hughes, J. Kiecolt, N. King, J. Ryan, W. Reed, and D. R. Shoemaker
Associate Professors: S. Bell, S. R. Cook, K. Harrison, C. Labuski, S. Ovink, A. Peguero, P. Seniors, A. Vogt Yuan, D. W. Wimberley, and B. Zare
Assistant Professors: K. Boyle, N. Copeland, A. Reichelmann, M. Roos, S. Samanta, D. Sedgwick, and H. Zhu
Adjunct Professors: R. Blieszner, D. Breslau, G. L. Downey, N. McGehee, P. D. Metz, K. Moore, and J. M. Shepard
Senior Instructor: E.T. Graves
Career Advisor: D. Sedgwick
Academic Advisor: B. Husser
Distinguished Professor Emeritus: W. E. Snizek
Emeritus Professors: C. Bailey, J. A. Ballweg, C. Burger, C. J. Dudley, J. N. Edwards, B. R. Hertel, L. Gillman, and J. W. Michaels
Web: www.sociology.vt.edu
Overview
The Department of Sociology offers a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. Sociology is the home to two majors, sociology and criminology, and to programs in Africana Studies (AFST), American Indian Studies (AINS), Women's and Gender Studies (WGS), the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention (CPSVP) and the Center for Race & Social Policy Research (RSP). Courses are open to students in all colleges of the university.
Degree Requirements
The graduation requirements in effect at the time of graduation apply. When choosing the degree requirements information, always choose the year of your expected date of graduation. Requirements for graduation are referred to via university publications as "Checksheets". The number of credit hours required for degree completion varies among curricula. Students must satisfactorily complete all requirements and university obligations for degree completion.
The university reserves the right to modify requirements in a degree program. However, the university will not alter degree requirements less than two years from the expected graduation year unless there is a transition plan for students already in the degree program.
Please visit the University Registrar website at http://registrar.vt.edu/graduation-multi-brief/index1.html for degree requirements.
Sociology Major
In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the General Education (Curriculum for Liberal Education), sociology majors must complete 44 hours in sociology, including: 22 hours of sociology core courses and 18 hours of sociology electives, with no more than six hours at the 1000-2000 level and at least nine hours at the 4000 level. In addition, students must take 1 hour of First Year Experience (SOC 1024) and 3 hours in Africana Studies, American Indian Studies, Peace Studies and Violence Prevention or Women's and Gender Studies at the 3000 or 4000 level.
Sociology majors may select options in Africana studies, American Indian studies, research methods, social inequality, and women's and gender studies. Each option has it own course requirements. Please request additional information from the department office.
Criminology Major
In addition to fulfilling the requirements for the General Education (Curriculum for Liberal Education), criminology majors must complete 43 hours in criminology, including: 22 hours of sociology core courses, 9 hours of required criminology courses, and 12 hours of elective criminology courses.
Minors
Minors in sociology must complete 18 hours in sociology including Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1004). No more than nine hours at the 1000-2000 level will count toward a minor. A minimum GPA of 2.0 for courses in the minor is required. Sociology offers a minor in Africana Studies, American Indian Studies, Diversity and Community Engagement, Gender, Science and Technology, Peace Studies and Violence Prevention, Sociology, and Women's and Gender Studies. See the listing of the programs below for further information.
Satisfactory Progress
University policy requires that students who are making satisfactory progress toward a degree meet minimum criteria toward the General Education (Curriculum for Liberal Education) (see "Academics") and toward the degree in Sociology.
Satisfactory progress requirements toward the B.S. in Sociology can be found on the major checksheet by visiting the University Registrar website at http://registrar.vt.edu/graduation-multi-brief/index1.html.
Africana Studies Program
Director: Ellington Graves
Professors: O. Agozino (Africana Studies) and W. Reed (Africana Studies)
Gloria Smith Endowed Professor: K. Harrison (Africana Studies/Sociology)
Associate Professors: K. Harrison (Africana Studies/Sociology), P. Polanah, and P. Seniors
Affiliated Faculty: N. Giovanni (English), R. Graham (Art), L. Roy (English), V. Fowler (English), B. Bunch-Lyons (History), E. Graves (Sociology), M. Herndon (Summer and Winter Programs), B. Shadle (History), and V. White (School of Visual Arts)
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. An Africana Studies minor is open to all students who are interested in learning about the issues covered in the AFST program.
The Africana Studies program offers a minor in Africana Studies. The minor allows the student to focus their study on African Americans or continental Africa.
American Indian Studies: A Holistic Approach
Director: Samuel R. Cook
Associate Professor: S. Cook
Assistant Professor: N. Copeland
A program in the Department of Sociology, we offer several courses and a minor in American Indian Studies.
We believe that any successful American Indian Studies program must do more than simply educate a general student body on American Indian cultures and issues in a sensitive way. We believe that our curricula must exist in conjunction with all university programs pertinent to American Indians, and must depend on the impetus of indigenous peoples working within and beyond the university.
In keeping with Virginia Tech's status and mission as a land grant institution, we strive to serve our indigenous constituency, both as educators and as partners. Accordingly, our program serves as a vital conduit for university-tribal relations, the recruitment and retention of American Indian students and faculty, and Service-Learning initiatives in indigenous communities. Although our program has a regional focus, we offer a wide spectrum of courses--ranging from American Indian Literatures, American Indian Spirituality, and American Indian Arts, to native Peoples of the Southeast, American Indians in Film, and Global indigenous Rights--reflecting the impressive and diverse expertise of our faculty.
In short, we embrace a holistic, collaborative approach to American Indian Studies in which university faculty and students develop and maintain meaningful partnerships. Accordingly, we maintain a tribal advisory board consisting of elders and leaders from all of Virginia's eight Indian Nations. We regard these representatives, and ultimately, all indigenous peoples as our colleagues.
Women's and Gender Studies Program
Director: Katrina Powell
Professors: B. E. Smith, A. Kilkelly, and L. Gillman
Associate Professors: N. M. King and K. Powell
Assistant Professors: C. Labuski and S. Samanta
Visiting Assistant Professor: A. Neff
Instructor: M. Sharma
Affiliated Faculty
Professors: O. Agozino (Africana Studies); K. Allen (Human Development); R. Blieszner (Human Development); C. Burch-Brown (Art); T. Calasanti (Sociology); E. Creamer (Educational Leadership and Policy Studies); K. DePauw (Graduate School, Sociology, Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise); G. Downey (Science and Technology in Society); E. Ewing (History); E. Fine (Interdisciplinary Studies); V. Fowler (English); B. Hausman (English); I. Luciak (Political Science); E. Plummer (Office of Provost); J. Rothschild (Government and International Affairs); L. Roy (English); K. Singh (Education); D. Stoudt (CLAHS); A. Zvonkovich (Human Development)
Associate Professors: K. Belanger (English); S. Carter-Tod (English); C. Dannenberg (English); W. Dunaway (Government and International Affairs); April Few-Demo (Human Development); S. Fowler (Graduate Education Development Initiative, English); S. Halfon (Science & Technology Studies); S. Johnson (Foreign Languages and Literatures); K. Jones (History); S. Knapp (English); M. Mollin (History); K. Powell (English); E. Satterwhite (Religion & Culture); B. Shadle (History); R. Shingles (Political Science); D. Tatar (Computer Science); G. Tilley-Lubbs (ESL & Multicultural Education); J. Watson (Foreign Languages and Literatures)
Assistant Professors: E. Bauer (Foreign Language & Literatures); D. Cline (History); E. Grafsky (Human Development); P. Hoon (Politicial Science); C. Kaestle (Human Development); C. Lavin (ASPECT); E. Mazzolini (English); S. Ovink (Sociology); S. Paterson (Art and Art History); P. Seniors (Africana Studies); R. Scott (Religion & Culture); A. Sharma ( Industrial Design); V. Venhatesh (Foreign Language & Literatures); N. Zhange (Foreign Language and Literatures)
Professional Faculty: E. Chancey (Religion & Culture); M. E. Christie (Women in International Development); S. Elber (Science & Technology); J. Henderson (Religion & Culture); M. James-Deramo (Service Learning); K. Precoda (Theatre & Cinema); L. Pendleton (Electrical and Computer Engineering); L. Wheeler (Psychology)
The field of Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) transforms traditional disciplines through new methods and theories generated by feminist scholarship. The Women's and Gender Studies Program is housed in the Department of Sociology and includes teaching faculty and affiliates from across the entire campus. WGS affiliated faculty contribute to the program through their research, student advising, participation in governance, and teaching.
Women's and Gender Studies offers courses for all students in the university, including four in Area 2 of the Curriculum for Liberal Education (WGS 1824, WGS 2224, WGS 2244, and WGS 2254), one in Area 3 (WGS 2264), and one in Area 7 (WGS 3214). Students interested in WGS may select from two minors, Women's and Gender Studies, and Gender, Science, and Technology. The degree option and minors are interdisciplinary, cross-cultural programs of study in which students cultivate an understanding of the complex ways that gender is defined and contested in social structures, history, culture, and technology. They offer students new ways of thinking about how gender, race/ethnicity, class, and sexuality shape social institutions and cultural beliefs as well as personal experiences and perceptions. Central to the mission of the Women's and Gender Studies Program is the empowerment of a diverse population of women within local, regional, national, and global contexts.
Students interested in learning more about the Women's & Gender Studies program should contact the program director, Sharon Johnson at spjohnso@vt.edu
A graduate certificate in Women's and Gender Studies is also available. See the Graduate Catalog.
Center For Peace Studies and Violence Prevention
Director: James Hawdon
The Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention is a student-center, multi-disciplinary undertaking to promote research, education and outreach in the area of peace studies and violence prevention. Since its inception in 2008, the Center has adopted three thematic areas:
- The prevention of violence
- Peace studies
- The development of new leaders for this century
The Center is a hub for research and pedagogy on peace studies and violence prevention. Our multidisciplinary approach allows students, faculty, and a variety of off-campus constituents to address peace building and violence prevention in a holistic manner.
The Center for Peace Studies offers a minor in Peace Studies. The minor is designed to provide students with a broad perspective on violence prevention and peace building. Students minoring in Peace Studies will be required to take two core courses, Peace and Violence as Critical Incidents (PSVP 2044) and Global Society, Violence and the Prospects for Peace (PSVP 4104). In addition, students will select four elective courses from a variety of courses that focus on either "local" issues of violence prevention and peace building or "global" issues of violence prevention and peace building.
Center for Race & Social Policy
Director: Wornie Reed
The Center for Race and Social Policy (RSP), presently a College Center, was formed in April 2001 as a University Center to fulfill two primary goals: (1) to conduct and disseminate original research in the area of public policy with a direct emphasis on race and ethnicity; and (2) to prepare promising graduate students to think and speak critically, plan quality research, and contribute to public-policy discussions related to race and ethnicity.
The Center promotes a broad and inclusive concept of race and ethnicity, which includes African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, European Americans, Latinos, and bi-racial and multi-racial identities. RSP research projects involve the development and evaluation of public policy across different racial and ethnic contexts and within myriad public policy venues, including welfare, employment, education, and health as well as community outreach.
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: INTRODUCTION 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 (RLCL 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, & 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)
2204 (RLCL 2204) (WGS 2204): RACE AND GENDER IN RELIGION AND CULTURE
Introduction to how race and gender influence and are
influenced by religion and culture. Overview of approaches
to categories of diversity, particularly race and gender, in
religious and cultural traditions. Utilization of humanistic
and social scientific approaches to investigate
geographically variable historical and/ or
contemporary case studies.
(3H,3C)
2264 (SOC 2264) (WGS 2264): RACE, CLASS, GENDER, AND SEXUALITIES
Focuses on how race, class, gender, and sexualities form
interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at
individual and institutional levels. Emphasizes race, class,
gender, and sexualities as changing social constructions and
interactive systems that shape social institutions and
organizations, meanings, and identities.
Pre: WGS 1824.
(3H,3C)
2275,2276 (HIST 2275, 2276): AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY
African continent through Civil War. Examines trajectory of
slavery as well as its global impacts and legacy, the
development of racial thought, slave resistance and
rebellions, the fight for Emancipation, and African American
contributions to culture, economics and society of United
States.
(3H,3C)
2354 (SOC 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 (SOC 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 (SOC 2734) (WGS 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)
2754 (SOC 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)
3444 (CINE 3444) (SOC 3444): AFRICAN AMERICAN IMAGES IN FILM
Explores race and representations of African American
images in film, from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
Focuses on the social, political, economic, and historical
milieu in which black film emerged and evolved. Examines
gender issues in filmmaking. Reviews different genres,
including race films, colorblind representations, and black
exploitation films, and the appropriation of black
representation and black images in film in the United States
and elsewhere. Includes methods of film analysis, such as
historical, master narrative structure, and archival
research.
Pre: 1714.
(3H,3C)
3454 (SOC 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: TOPICS IN AFRICANA STUDIES
A variable topics course examining the lives and
circumstances of people of African descent. Students
may repeat the course with a different topic for up to 6
credits. Pre: Junior Standing.
(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: 1714.
(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)
4964: FIELD STUDY
Pass/Fail only. Variable credit course.
4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4974H: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.
4994H: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.
Undergraduate Course Descriptions (AINS)
1104: INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES
Introduces students to the richness and complexity of
American Indian societies past and present. The course
begins by considering the critical question of what it
means to be "American Indian" or "Native American,"
comparing externally produced stereotypes with a wide
variety of indigenous discourses and narratives. Through
a special focus on specific indigenous groups and regions,
the course examines American Indian experiences with and
reactions to colonial confrontations, government policies,
and cultural interchanges with non-Indians.
(3H,3C)
2104 (COMM 2104) (HUM 2104): ORAL TRADITIONS AND CULTURE
Examination of the world's great oral traditions, both
ancient and contemporary. Emphasis on performance
contexts, relationships among multicultural traditions,
including American Indian oral traditions, and the
relationships among orality, literacy, technology, media,
and culture.
(3H,3C)
2804 (ENGL 2804): CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURES
This course offers a sampling of fiction, poetry, and
non-fiction by the most influential American Indian writers
since 1970, authors such as Momaday, Silko, Deloria,
Welch, Harjo, and Alexie. Students will also learn about
those aspects of cosmology and storytelling traditionally
shared by all American Indian Nations, as well as about
those aspects specific to the individual tribal traditions
from which the authors and their characters come.
Pre: ENGL 1106 or ENGL H1204 or COMM 1016.
(3H,3C)
2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
3304 (ENGL 3304): THE LANGUAGES OF NATIVE AMERICA
Study of the structures of the native languages of the
Americas; their interrelationships; their use in
individual speech communities; contact with other languages;
the interrelationships of linguistic structure, culture, and
thought; their future survival.
Pre: ENGL 1106 or ENGL H1204 or COMM 1016.
(3H,3C)
3684 (PSCI 3684): INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND WORLD POLITICS
A survey of the historical and contemporary struggles of
indigenous peoples throughout the world. Examines the
dynamics of colonialism (internal and external), identity
construction, gender, cultural integrity, and the ongoing
global indigenous rights discourse. In addition to covering
broad global processes/theoretical approaches, comparative
case studies of particular indigenous groups, such as the
Maasai (Kenya, Tanzania) and Mayans (Mexico, Guatemala,
Belize), are used to highlight the global, regional, and
intra-community diversity among contemporary indigenous
peoples.
(3H,3C)
4004: TOPICS IN AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES
A variable topics course in which students will engage an
interdisciplinary methodology to pursue a critical and
in-depth examination of various topics concerning and
pertinent to American indigenous peoples. This course is
repeatable for up to 6 hours credit with different topics.
Must meet prerequisite or have permission of the
instructor.
Pre: 1104.
(3H,3C)
4754: INTERNSHIP
Variable credit course.
4964: FIELD STUDY
Variable credit course.
4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.
Undergraduate Course Descriptions (CRIM)
2754: INTERNSHIP
Variable credit course.
2964: FIELD WORK/PRACTICUM
Variable credit course.
2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
2984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
3414 (SOC 3414): CRIMINOLOGY
Principles of criminology and contemporary theories of
criminal behavior, focusing on the extent and distribution
of crime in the United States.
Pre: SOC 1004.
(3H,3C)
3434: SYSTEMS OF JUSTICE
Analyzes the systems of justice in the United States, from
a sociological perspective. Focuses on law enforcement,
courts, and corrections. Evaluates the effectiveness of
social policies related to systems of justice. Explores the
structural, community, and individual level factors that
influence different stages of justice systems.
Pre: 3414 or SOC 3414.
(3H,3C)
3474: WOMEN AND CRIME
Focuses on women as victims and perpetrators of crime, with
particular attention to race and class. Analyzes how social,
cultural, and economic factors influence victimization and
participation in crime. Includes adolescent girls'
involvement with crime, including juvenile gangs. Evaluates
theoretical explanations of why women commit crime.
Examines women's experiences with the criminal justice
system.
Pre: 3414 or SOC 3414.
(3H,3C)
4424 (SOC 4424): JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Examination of juvenile delinquency. Includes methods of
data collection and the extent and distribution of
delinquency. Detailed coverage of theories of
delinquent behavior. Examines the juvenile justice system
and treatment and prevention of delinquency. Utilizes
current empirical research on delinquency in the U.S.
and internationally.
Pre: SOC 3414 or CRIM 3414.
(3H,3C)
4434 (SOC 4434): ADVANCED TOPICS IN CRIMINOLOGY
A variable topics course that focuses on topics related to
criminology. In-depth examination of topics such as the
death penalty, racial profiling, terrorism, white collar
crime, law enforcement, international gangs, political
crime, the prison system, cyber crime, and rape. No
limit on the number of times taken if different topics.
Pre: SOC 3414 or CRIM 3414.
(3H,3C)
4754: INTERNSHIP
Variable credit course.
4964: FIELD STUDY
Variable credit course.
4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.
Undergraduate Course Descriptions (PSVP)
2044 (SOC 2044): PEACE AND VIOLENCE
Introduces major theories of peace and violence. Explores
contemporary patterns and root causes of interpersonal,
institutional, and structural violence. Particular
attention to conflict management, prevention, strategies,
and promotion of peace at the local, national, and global
levels.
(3H,3C)
2984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
3854 (SOC 3854): GLOBALIZATION SOC. PERSPECTIVE
Distinguishes global from international. Examines social
globalization and cultural globalization and what forms they
take. Explores changes in the role of nation-states and the
implications of global changes in the division of labor for
economic, gender, and racial/ethnic inequalities. Discusses
how globalization is linked with peace, violence, and human
rights. Considers alternative and more equitable forms of
globalizations and how social movements might lead to such
alternatives.
(3H,3C)
4104: GLOBAL SOCIETY, VIOLENCE AND THE PROSPECTS FOR PEACE
Examines major theories in the interdisciplinary field of
peace studies. Includes current, historical, and global
causes, patterns and types of conflict, and methods of
conflict resolution. Particular attention given to the
philosophical and sociological discussions of the causes
of violence and the possibilities for peace.
Pre: 2044 or SOC 2044.
(3H,3C)
4444 (SOC 4444): SCHOOLS, VIOLENCE, AND JUSTICE
Focuses on the nature, extent, causes, and consequences
of widely recognized forms of violence within schools, such
as bullying, fighting, sexual assaults, harassment, dating
violence, and shootings. Examines the effectiveness of
violence prevention programs. Includes sociological
theories of violence within schools. Explores the social
debate over balancing the collective public safety
obligations of schools with individual students'
rights/responsibilities.
Pre: SOC 3414 or CRIM 3414.
(3H,3C)
4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.
Undergraduate Course Descriptions (SOC)
1004: INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY
Social bases of human behavior, including an introduction to
basic theories, research methods, social institutions,
complex organizations, and human groups. Social and social
psychological antecedents for politics, family, work,
science, education, and religion.
(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.
(3H,3C)
1024: FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE IN SOCIOLOGY
Develop an identity as a sociologist and foster a
sense of community with first year and transfer students
in the department. Acquire research skills and an awareness
of university resources that enhance academic success.
Explore theories used and topics examined by sociologists
and participate in sociological research. Identify careers
and internship opportunities in sociology.
(1H,1C)
2004: SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Examines the nature, extent, and causes of social problems
in the United States and around the globe from multiple
perspectives. Emphasizes the role of conflicting economics,
racial, ethnic, national, and gender interests in the
creation and perpetuation of social problems. Discussion of
poverty, work, health care, drugs, terrorism, human rights,
and social change.
(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.
(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. Core Curriculum approved for Area II only
when taken only in combination with AFST 1714.
(3H,3C)
2034: DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Examines how understanding the patterns, meanings, and value
of human diversity can improve social interactions within a
diverse, global society. Focuses on issues of social
justice, community, power, and privilege, using comparative,
interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and sociological
perspectives. Explores social and cultural influences on
people's identities and the implications for social
relationships. With a collective responsibility to serve
and improve the lives of others in a diverse society,
students participate in community engagement
projects.
(3H,3C)
2044 (PSVP 2044): PEACE AND VIOLENCE
Introduces major theories of peace and violence. Explores
contemporary patterns and root causes of interpersonal,
institutional, and structural violence. Particular
attention to conflict management, prevention, strategies,
and promotion of peace at the local, national, and global
levels.
(3H,3C)
2054 (RLCL 2054): ETHNOGRAPHY: STUDYING CULTURE
Introduction to the methodological tools used by
anthropologists and other social scientists to study
culture. Engagement with the development of, and
debates about, ethnographic methods, as well as their
application to case studies. Focus on analyses of
sample ethnographic accounts of peoples throughout the
world, as well as research techniques applicable to
many different cultural environments.
(3H,3C)
2104 (HD 2104): QUANTITATIVE COMMUNITY RESEARC
Computational methods and ethical issues in the collection,
transformation, consumption, and use of quantitative data in
the design and evaluation of community programs.
Consideration of effective data visualization and
communication of findings. Emphasis on evaluating the
reliability and accuracy of data used to frame decisions
about community-related policies and service-oriented
programs.
(3H,3C)
2254 (WGS 2254): FEMINIST ACTVISM
Explores the history of individual and collective action
geared toward gaining women's rights and improving women's
positions in society. Course covers tensions and shifts
in feminist movements, as well as the perspectives,
agendas, and actions of specific subgroups of women
whose perspectives sometimes conflict. Service-learning
is a required component of the course.
Pre: WGS 1824.
(3H,3C)
2264 (AFST 2264) (WGS 2264): RACE, CLASS, GENDER, AND SEXUALITIES
Focuses on how race, class, gender, and sexualities form
interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at
individual and institutional levels. Emphasizes race, class,
gender, and sexualities as changing social constructions and
interactive systems that shape social institutions and
organizations, meanings, and identities.
Pre: WGS 1824.
(3H,3C)
2274 (WGS 2274): WOMEN IN THE MILITARY
This course covers historical and global perspectives on the
experiences women have had in and with the military. This
course introduces students to issues concerning women
fighters and military families, as well as to debates over
women in combat positions, military policies, and
globalization.
(3H,3C)
2284 (WGS 2284): LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, AND QUEER ISSUES
Introduces students to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
and Queer (LGBTQ) Studies, Focuses on sexuality and
gender as historical and cultural constructs. Examines
the experiences of individuals who do not conform to
binary sex-gender systems and the development of
diverse identities and LGBTQ communities. Introduces
feminist and queer theories that address LGBTQ issues
within social, political, legal, and cultural institutions.
Examines the institutional oppresion of sexual
minorities and implications of the intersectionalities of
such systems of inequality as gender, race, ethnicity,
class, age, and (dis) ability. Pre: WGS 1824 or permission
of instructor.
Pre: WGS 1824.
(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.
(3H,3C)
2354 (AFST 2354): THE CIVIL RIGHT MOVEMENT
Examines the Civil Rights Movement in the US. 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)
2404: DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
Examines behaviors considered deviant in the United States.
Explores major types of deviant behavior, such as corporate
crimes, extremist groups, sexual deviance, violence,
suicide, alcoholism and other drug addictions, and cyber
deviance. Includes sociological theories that explain them.
(3H,3C)
2454 (AFST 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)
2514 (RLCL 2514): ASIAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Critical overview of diverse Asian-American experience the
complexity of minority status, and meaningful citizenship in
the USA. Topics include different historical tracks of
various Asian ethnicities, experiences of racism, activism,
cultural adaptation and conflict, and economic survival and
success.
(3H,3C)
2604 (HIST 2604) (STS 2604): INTRODUCTION TO DATA IN SOCIAL CONTEXT
Examines the use of data to identify, reveal, explain, and
interpret patterns of human behavior, identity, ethics,
diversity, and interactions. Explores the historical
trajectories of data to ask how societies have increasingly
identified numerical measures as meaningful categories of
knowledge, as well as the persistent challenges to
assumptions about the university of categories reducible
to numerical measures.
(3H,3C)
2734 (AFST 2734) (WGS 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)
2754 (AFST 2754): AFRO-AMERICAN SPORTS
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)
2964: FIELD STUDY
Variable credit course.
2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
2974H: 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.
Pre: 1004.
(3H,3C)
3014: GENDER RELATIONS
Focus on the social construction of gender relations.
Examines how gender relations vary cross-culturally,
historically, and for different categories of men and
women. Explores the causes and consequences of
inequality and privilege. Attention paid to the ways race,
ethnicity, class, age, and sexualities shape and are shaped
by gender and the relationship of gender to social
institutions.
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.
Pre: 1004.
(3H,3C)
3144 (ENGL 3144) (RLCL 3144): LANGUAGE AND ETHNICITY IN THE UNITED STATES
Exploration of how racial and ethnic identity are expressed
through the use of different languages and dialects.
Examination of how language is related to issues of
equality, social opportunity, and discrimination in the
United States.
Pre: ENGL 1106 or ENGL 1204H or COMM 1016.
(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: 1004.
(4H,4C)
3303: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Examines the definitions, emergence, operations, and impact
of social movements. Focuses on key social movements such
as the civil rights, women's, peace and human rights, labor,
and global justice movements.
Pre: 1004.
(3H,3C)
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.
Pre: 1004.
(3H,3C)
3324 (STS 3324) (WGS 3324): PERSPECTIVES ON THE BIOLOGY OF WOMEN
Examines historical social and cultural views on women's
biology and how those views have impacted women's
physical and mental health. Special attention is paid to the
influence of cultural and beliefs on scientific
perspectives.
Pre: WGS 1824.
(3H,3C)
3414 (CRIM 3414): CRIMINOLOGY
Principles of criminology and contemporary theories of
criminal behavior, focusing on the extent and distribution
of crime in the United States.
Pre: 1004.
(3H,3C)
3444 (AFST 3444) (CINE 3444): AFRICAN AMERICAN IMAGES IN FILM
Explores race and representation of African American images
in film, from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Focuses on
the social, political, economic, and historical milieu in
which black film emerged and evolved. Examines gender
films issues in filmmaking. Reviews different genres,
including race films, colorblind representations, and black
exploitation films, and the appropriation of black
representation and black images in film in the United
States and elsewhere. Includes methods of film
analysis, such as historical, master narrative
structure, and archival research.
Pre: AFST 1714.
(3H,3C)
3454 (AFST 3454): AFRICAN AMER LDRSHIP FOR CHNG
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)
3464 (AHRM 3464) (APS 3464) (GEOG 3464) (HD 3464) (HUM 3464) (UAP 3464): APPALACHIAN COMMUNITIES
The concept of community in Appalachia using an
interdisciplinary approach and experiential learning.
Interrelationships among geographically, culturally, and
socially constituted communities, public policy, and
human development. Pre: Junior standing.
(3H,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.
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)
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.
Pre: 1004.
(3H,3C)
3854 (PSVP 3854): GLOBALIZATION: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Distinguishes global from international. Examines social
globalization and cultural globalization and what forms they
take. Explores changes in the role of nation-states and the
implications of global changes in the division of labor for
economic, gender, and racial/ethnic inequalities. Discusses
how globalization is linked with peace, violence, and human
rights. Considers alternative and more equitable forms of
globalizations and how social movements might lead to such
alternatives.
(3H,3C)
3954: STUDY ABROAD
Variable credit course. X-grade allowed.
3984: SPECIAL STUDY
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.
Pre: 2014.
(3H,3C)
4024 (RLCL 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)
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.
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.
Pre: 1004.
(3H,3C)
4054 (APS 4034): APPALACHIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
An empirical examination of how Appalachian speech both
reflects and constitutes regional cultures. Emphasis is on
applying sociological and anthropological methods and
theories to the study of language in use.
(3H,3C)
4094 (APS 4094): APPALACHIAN COMMUNITY RESEARCH
Undergraduate participatory community research as applied
to issues of cultural heritage, sustainability, and
identity. Students engage in projects defined by community
groups and organizations as being critical to their
well-being, continuity, or growth. Emphasis is on
developing concepts of civic professionalism and
developmental democracy.
(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)
4124 (RLCL 4124) (WGS 4124): TOPICS IN CULTURE
Uses sociological, anthropological, as well as artistic
and humanist paradigms to analyze culture. Discusses
20th and 21st century cultural trends. Analyzes the
implications of social context for cultural artifacts such
as art. Topics are variable. Example topics include the
cultural construction of race and the cultural of the
nineteen sixties. Course may be repeated with
different course content for up to 6 credits.
Junior or Senior standing.
Pre: 1004 or 1014 or AFST 1714 or AINS 1104 or RLCL 1004 or RLCL 2004 or WGS 1824.
(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)
4204: APPLIED RESEARCH
Stresses differences between applied research and other
methodologies. Examines the topics, purposes, problems,
theories, and methods appropriate for applied research.
Explores ethical and political issues prevalent in applied
settings. Includes qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methodologies. Emphasis on survey construction and
administration, experimental designs, evaluation research,
and participatory action research as used by applied
researchers. Includes data analysis and issues of
presenting applied research to lay audiences.
Pre: 3204, STAT 3604.
(3H,3C)
4294: CAPSTONE: DIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT
In-depth examination of core themes of diversity. Explains
patterns and relational/intersectional aspects of diversity,
including the history and legacies of inclusion and
exclusion, from a variety of perspectives. Synthesizes
diverse writings on issues of social justice and community,
power and privilege. Uses social science theories and
concepts of diversity to examine contemporary issues of
diversity and to facilitate and interpret community
engagement projects based in students' major fields of
study. Focuses on collective responsibility to eliminate
bias and discrimination through students' community-based
project outcomes. This course is restricted to students who
have enrolled in the Diversity and Community Engagement
Minor.
Pre: 2034.
(3H,3C)
4304: RESEARCH METHODS TOPICS
Variable topics course that focuses on different research
methodologies. Includes topics such as feminist research,
qualitative methodologies, survey design, evaluation
research, and anthropological methods. Can be taken
multiple times if different topic.
Pre: 3204, STAT 3604.
(3H,3C)
4334 (STS 4334) (WGS 4334): SEXUAL MEDICINE
Discusses sex and medicine in contemporary U.S. society.
Explores how notions of sexual behavior and "normality" are
defined and structured by medical discourse. Examines
cultural institutions that play significant roles in
formulating ideas about and definitions of deviance,
perversity, and tolerated marginality. Critiques medical
responses to sexual variations. Examines experiences
of people who have sought out, have been the unwilling
victims of, sexual medicine. Junior standing required.
Pre: WGS 1824.
(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.
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)
4424 (CRIM 4424): JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Examination of juvenile delinquency. Includes methods of
data collection and the extent and distribution of
delinquency. Detailed coverage of theories of
delinquent behavior. Examines the juvenile justice system
and treatment and prevention of delinquency. Utilizes
current empirical research on delinquency in the U.S.
and internationally.
Pre: 3414 or CRIM 3414.
(3H,3C)
4434 (CRIM 4434): ADVANCED TOPICS IN CRIMINOLOGY
A variable topics course that focuses on topics related to
criminology. In-depth examination of topics such as the
death penalty, racial profiling, terrorism, white collar
crime, law enforcement, international gangs, political
crime, the prison system, cyber crime, and rape. No
limit on the number of times taken if different topics.
Pre: 3414 or CRIM 3414.
(3H,3C)
4444 (PSVP 4444): SCHOOLS, VIOLENCE, AND JUSTICE
Focuses on the nature, extent, causes, and consequences
of widely recognized forms of violence within schools, such
as bullying, fighting, sexual assaults, harassment, dating
violence, and shootings. Examines the effectiveness of
violence prevention programs. Includes sociological
theories of violence within schools. Explores the social
debate over balancing the collective public safety
obligations of schools with individual students'
rights/responsibilities.
Pre: 3414 or CRIM 3414.
(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.
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.
Pre: 1004.
(3H,3C)
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.
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.
(3H,3C)
4964: FIELD STUDY
Pass/Fail only. Variable credit course.
4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4974H: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course. X-grade allowed.
4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.
4994H: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.
Undergraduate Course Descriptions (WGS)
1824: INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES
This interdisciplinary introduction to Women's and Gender
Studies examines interrelations between men and women as
social groups in the contexts of race, class and other
systems of inequality. It places special focus on the
diverse experiences of women and feminist struggles for
social change.
(3H,3C)
2114: FEMINIST THEORY
Examination of diverse theoretical perspectives on women and
gender, including their historical origins and political
implications. Special emphasis on integrative perspectives
that also address race, class, and other dimensions of
inequality.
Pre: 1824.
(3H,3C)
2204 (AFST 2204) (RLCL 2204): RACE AND GENDER IN RELIGION AND CULTURE
Introduction to how race and gender influence and are
influenced by religion and culture. Overview of approaches
to categories of diversity, particularly race and gender, in
religious and cultural traditions. Utilization of humanistic
and social scientific approaches to investigate
geographically variable historical and/ or
contemporary case studies.
(3H,3C)
2224: WOMEN AND CREATIVITY
A study of the philosophical, artistic, and biographical
dimensions of women's creativity in a wide variety of
fields.
Pre: 1824.
(3H,3C)
2244: WOMEN AND SCIENCE
Uses research from the disciplines of science, women's
studies, history, sociology, and philosophy to examine
women's roles in the fields of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics. Starting with historical
figures, students will follow the progress women have made
in entering and succeeding in science careers.
Pre: 1824.
(3H,3C)
2254 (SOC 2254): FEMINIST ACTIVISM
Explores the history of individual and collective action
geared toward gaining women's rights and improving women's
positions in society. Course covers tensions
and shifts in feminist movements, as well as the
perspectives, agendas, and actions of specific
subgroups of women whose perspectives
sometimes conflict. Service-learning is a required
component of the course.
Pre: 1824.
(3H,3C)
2264 (AFST 2264) (SOC 2264): RACE, CLASS, GENDER, AND SEXUALITIES
Focuses on how race, class, gender, and sexualities form
interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at
individual and institutional levels. Emphasizes race, class,
gender, and sexualities as changing social constructions and
interactive systems that shape social institutions and
organizations, meanings, and identities.
Pre: 1824.
(3H,3C)
2274 (SOC 2274): WOMEN IN THE MILITARY
This course covers historical and global perspectives on the
experiences women have had in and with the military. This
course introduces students to issues concerning women
fighters and military families, as well as to debates over
women in combat positions, military policies, and
globalization.
(3H,3C)
2284 (SOC 2284): LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND QUEER ISSUES
Introduces students to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
and Queer (LGBTQ) Studies. Focuses on sexuality and
gender as historical and cultural constructs. Examines
the experiences of individuals who do not conform to
binary sex-gender systems and the development of
diverse identities and LGBTQ communities. Introduces
feminist and queer theories that address LGBTQ issues
within social, political, legal, and cultural institutions.
Examines the institutional oppression of sexual
minorities and implications of the intersectionalities of
such systems of inequality as gender, race, ethnicity,
class, age, and (dis)ability. Pre: 1824 or permission
of instructor.
Pre: 1824.
(3H,3C)
2734 (AFST 2734) (SOC 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 United States of America; 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)
2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
2984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
3004: TOPICS IN FEMINISM
A variable topics course that addresses how the social
construction of gender shapes social, cultural, political,
economic, and institutional structures as well as
individual experiences and perceptions. The course stresses
interdisciplinary approaches to topics of emerging interest
in feminist scholarship. Can be taken up to three times for
credit with varying topic. In addition to WS 1824, must
have taken a 2000-level Women's Studies course, or
have instructor's consent.
Pre: 1824.
(3H,3C)
3014 (RLCL 3014): WOMEN AND GENDER IN ISLAM
An examination of women and gender in Islam from a variety
of perspectives including Muslim women in Islamic history,
normative constructions of the roles of women in Islam, and
women's role in contemporary Muslim societies.
Understanding of women in classical Islam; feminist and
reformist approaches; and Western constructions of the
"rights of women in Islam."
(3H,3C)
3134 (ENGL 3134): GENDER AND LINGUISTICS
Exploration of differences--real and imagined--in the speech
of men and women, and the relationship between these
differences to culture. Exploration of how language can
reflect and reinforce gender inequality. Linguistic
phenomena covered: pitch, vocabulary, sound change,
language ideologies, and discourse strategies and types.
Pre: ENGL 1106 or ENGL 1204H or COMM 1016.
(3H,3C)
3214: GLOBAL FEMINISMS
An introduction to the gendered analysis of global women's
issues with a special focus on women of color. Examines the
multiple and diverse sites of feminist struggle within the
third world, and between first and third worlds both in the
U.S. and internationally. Studies the impact on women of
political movements such as nationalism, colonialism,
revolution, authoritarianism and democracy. Compares
theories originating with women of color in the U.S. with
those from international third worlds.
Pre: 2264.
(3H,3C)
3324 (SOC 3324) (STS 3324): PERSPECTIVES ON THE BIOLOGY OF WOMEN
Examines historical, social, and cultural views of
women's biology and how those views have impacted
women's physical and mental health. Special attention is
paid to the influence of cultural traditions and beliefs on
scientific perspectives.
Pre: 1824.
(3H,3C)
3984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
4124 (RLCL 4124) (SOC 4124): TOPICS IN CULTURE
Uses sociological, anthropological, as well as artistic and
humanist paradigms to analyze culture. Discusses 20th and
21st century cultural trends. Analyzes the implications of
social context for cultural artifacts such as art. Topics
are variable. Example topics include the cultural
construction of race and the culture of the nineteen
sixties. Course may be repeated with different
course content for up to 6 credits.
Junior or Senior standing.
Pre: SOC 1004 or SOC 1014 or AFST 1714 or AINS 1104 or RLCL 1004 or RLCL 2004 or WGS 1824.
(3H,3C)
4214 (GEOG 4214) (UAP 4214): GENDER, ENVIRONMENT, AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Key concepts and critiques related to the intersection of
gender, environment, and international development.
Development institutions and organizations with relationship
to gender and environment. Theoretical and applied
perspectives on eco-feminism; bio-diversity; climate change;
feminist political ecology; agriculture and natural
resources; participatory methods and empowerment. Case
studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Pre: Junior
Standing.
(3H,3C)
4224: WOMEN'S STUDIES SEMINAR
This multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural course examines a
significant topic in Women's Studies, utilizing the
perspectives of history, biology, psychology, political
science, sociology, and the arts. Variable topics.
Pre: 1824, 2114.
(3H,3C)
4334 (SOC 4334) (STS 4334): SEXUAL MEDICINE
Discusses sex and medicine in contemporary U.S. society.
Explores how notions of sexual behavior and "normality" are
defined and structured by medical discourse. Examines
cultural institutions that play significant roles in
formulating ideas about and definitions of deviance,
perversity, and tolerated marginality. Critiques medical
responses to sexual variations. Examines experiences
of people who have sought out, or been the unwilling
victims of, sexual medicine. Junior standing required.
Pre: 1824.
(3H,3C)
4704 (STS 4704): GENDER AND SCIENCE
Investigates the gender dimensions of science in both
historical and contemporary perspectives. Discusses feminist
studies of science, exploring strengths and limitations.
Assesses implications of cultural assumptions about gender
for practicing scientists. A 3000 level course in science or
engineering may satisfy prerequisite.
Pre: 2244 or STS 1504.
(3H,3C)
4754: INTERNSHIP
Qualified students will be placed with a community agency
or on-campus office which addresses contemporary issues of
gender, class, and/or race, and will meet periodically with
an appropriate faculty member to discuss assigned readings
that will provide a context for the work experience.
Students will also be expected to keep a journal and to
write up a final evaluation of the experience. Variable
credit: may be taken for up to 6 elective credits in the
Women's Studies concentration. Junior standing, screening
interviews with Tech faculty and with the service agency and
consent required.
Variable credit course.
Pre: 1824.
4964: FIELD STUDY
Pass/Fail only. Variable credit course.
4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.
4994H: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.