SOCI - Sociology

Required of all first-year students to be taken in their first semester on campus. This seminar provides an overview of academic requirements for graduation and helps establish meaningful career goals and objectives. Discussion of policies, standards, procedures, expectations, and resources that will contribute to student success not only during the first semester but throughout the student's academic career at GCSU.

A study of structures, processes, and functions of human society. Topics covered include: marriage and family relationships, class and race relations, deviant social behaviors, world population issues, and other modern social problems.

A survey of contemporary American social problems including but not limited to crime, delinquency, substance abuse, inequities of race, ethnicity and gender and poverty. Emphasis will be given to cross-cultural aspects.

Students will be introduced to the basics of sociological practice and to the intersection of theory and methods. Students will leave the course with an understanding of the skills and knowledge that they will acquire through their sociological training as undergraduate majors. Prerequisite: SOCI 1121.

An applied study of marriage and family in contemporary American society. Topics include mate selection, sexuality, parenthood, marital communication, family roles, divorce.

This course focuses on adolescent identity and how it is developed within larger macro-level trends such as stereotyping, poverty, unemployment, and immigration. All topics are studied within a theoretical framework that highlights the intersection of gender, race, and social class. Course themes may vary.

Prerequisite: Permission of department. Consideration of topics in which courses are not otherwise offered, but for which there is a current need at the freshman/sophomore level. This course is repeatable for credit.

A survey and analysis of the nature and extent of juvenile delinquency. This course examines the juvenile justice system, delinquency theories, and prevention, control, and treatment programs. (Cross-listed as CRJU 3325.)

Social Change explores contemporary and historical changes in US society with a focus on social movements. Economic as well as technological dynamics of modern society are examined including theories of social change such as those generated by historical and contemporary social thinkers, both within and outside the discipline of sociology.

Prerequisite: SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. Studies the size of the population, its growth, composition, and distribution. Emphasizes the three main population variables of fertility, mortality, and migration, and their relationships to the social structure.

The course focuses on the nature and extent of crime. Emphasis is placed on past and current theories of crime, typologies of crime, programs for prevention, treatment, and control. (Cross-listed as CRJU 3424.)

Prerequisite: SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. A cross-cultural study of the origin, structure and function of the family. Anthropological, sociological and social psychological approaches are used to explain the universal quality of the family.

Prerequisite: Sociology 1121 or permission of instructor. An analysis of how gender is socially produced, and the implications of gender for individuals, social processes, and social structure. Focus on the complex intersections between gender inequality and inequalities of race/ethnicity, class, and sexualities. (Cross-listed as WMST 3432).

Prerequisite: SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. A senior-level course in quantitative methods with emphasis on the analysis of survey data. The course requires the execution of each stage of the research process. Completion of MATH 2600 or equivalent is recommended.

Prerequisite: SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. An examination of racial and ethnic population composition with emphasis on the origin and maintenance of conflict-based race relations. (Equivalent to BLST 3444.)

Prerequisite: SOCI 1121. Sociology is the scientific study of human behavior in groups. The sociology of education is then the scientific study of schools and education in society. This course includes a review of major theories of the role and function of education and schools in society.

Prerequisite: Passing grade ( C for majors; D for non-majors) in SOCI 1121. This course explores the various systems of stratification (hierarchical ordering) in the contemporary U.S. and the world at large (e.g., northern versus southern hemisphere). The stratification systems of class, race/ethnicity, and gender will be covered in their distinctiveness as well as their intersection.

Prerequisite: SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. Studies the major theoretical orientations in sociology. Emphasizes those theories, American and European, which currently are used in the various studies in sociology.

Prerequisite: SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. An analysis of bureaucratic structure, function, and process using both classical and contemporary models. The work of Weber, Parsons, and Etzioni will be examined.

Prerequisite: SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. A study of the spatial distribution and relationships of people as related to rural, urban, and metropolitan location.

Prerequisite: SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. A survey of theory and research in the field of social deviance. Emphasis on the system of social control and the causes of deviance.

Prerequisite: C or better in SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. A capstone course for seniors. Topics will vary, but will include discussion and demonstration of substantive and methodological competency.

Prerequisite: C or better in SOCI 1121 or permission of the instructor. Open to seniors majoring in sociology; prior approval of a sociology professor is required. Reading and research under guidance of department faculty. This course is repeatable for credit.

Consideration of topics in which courses are not otherwise offered, but for which there is current need. Subject matter varies

Prerequisite: C or better in SOCI 1121 or permission from the instructor. Individually designed and planned learning experience involving off-campus field experience and study in the public and private sector. Must be approved by the department chairperson or department internship coordinator. This course is repeatable for credit.

Prerequisite: C or better in SOCI 1121 or permission from the instructor. A capstone course involving a detailed research project developed with close faculty supervision. The final product should be a paper demonstrating substantial methodological expertise and significant findings. This course is repeatable for credit.