An introduction to the study of human groups, from peer groups to families to societies. How and why culture, social structure, and group processes arise. Consequences of social forces for individuals. Satisfies Social Science Perspective GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Political and Civic Life student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry value.
The social meaning of race and ethnicity. The social, psychological and structural sources of racism; the consequences of this phenomenon to groups; situation and comparative data. Satisfies Social Science Perspective GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Political and Civic Life student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity value. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
Discussion of "official" and "unofficial" (single parent, gay/lesbian) family relationships; compare current U.S. family forms with those of other historical periods and societies; examine trends in contemporary societies affecting family forms, such as changing work role of women, changed sexual norms in courtship and recent changes in divorce rate; analyze issues in the "politics of the family." Satisfies Social Science Perspective GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Diversity and Intercultural Competency value.
The relationship between culture, social structure, various institutions and the individual's social perceptions, sense of self and self-presentation are explored in this course. The structure of small groups is also discussed. Satisfies Social Science Perspective GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Engagement, Agency and Leadership value.
The course is a sociological examination of childhood and adolescence in the United States. In the first part of the course, we will consider how modern and historical conceptions of childhood and adolescence have evolved and how these definitions have been shaped by societal forces and institutions such as the economy, religion, media, schools, and politics. The second part of the course examines children's experiences in the contemporary social contexts. We will look at the lives of children and teens and consider how individuals experience being children, kids, teens, etc. in a particular time and place. How are experiences throughout childhood both different and similar for boys and girls? How do socioeconomic class, race, ethnicity, and sexuality shape children’s experiences and youth peer cultures? We will discuss research methods for studying childhood and consider the importance of family, peer, and community experiences for children’s social development. In the third part of the course we will examine social problems regarding youth and related social, economic, and educational policies that affect children. Children and adolescents have often been considered to be the root of many social concerns (such as teen pregnancy, crime/delinquency, and bullying), and many social problems arise because of society’s feeling that children and young people should be protected from certain conditions (such as child poverty, child abuse, and calls to end child labor). The final topic for the course will be how adolescents make the transition to adulthood socially, emotionally, and economically, and how this transition has changed over time – particularly over the last several decades. Satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry value.
How social structure and social institutions are related to problems such as discrimination, environmental pollution, violence, and poverty. Satisfies Social Science Perspectives GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Ethical Inquiry student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry value.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 or SOCI 102 or SOCI 104 or SOCI 106 or SOCI 113 or SOCI 208 or SOCI 212 or SOCI 215 or SOCI 219. An introduction to the methods and theory of sociological inquiry. Topics include: comparisons of dominant paradigms of sociological thought, critical analysis of basic concepts in the field, logic and rhetoric of sociological analysis, and ethical and value issues in the practice of sociology. Emphasis will also be placed upon writing sociology: documentation, literature search, organization and style. Meets the Graduation Writing Requirement for majors in Sociology.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 or SOCI 102 or SOCI 104 or SOCI 106 or SOCI 113 or SOCI 201. This course focuses on men and masculine identities in the United States and other countries. It reviews how masculine identities are constructed in everyday lives and how societies shape such identities. In this class, we will examine the construction of masculinity in different areas such as work, school, sports, family and other social relationships. We also explore the diverse experiences of masculinities based on race, ethnicity, class and sexual orientation. Satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Diversity and Intercultural Competency value. Mutually Exclusive with GSWS 208.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 or SOCI 102 or SOCI 104 or SOCI 106 or SOCI 201 or SOCI 113 or SOCI 208 or SOCI 212 or SOCI 215 or SOCI 219. Social processes affecting technological innovation and the forms in which an innovation is institutionalized or abandoned. The social consequences and assessment of technological innovations.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 or SOCI 113 or SOCI 201 or departmental approval. This course will examine the major theoretical and substantive writings on the sociology of amateur and professional sports. Topics to be explored from conflict, functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives include socialization and athletic identity, women in sports, race and class in sports, gender relations and sport participation, sport risk and injury, education and sports participation, sports in the media, sport and the reproduction of society, and fieldwork among college and professional athletes.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 or SOCI 113 or SOCI 201 or departmental approval. With a shift in America's population toward an older society, it becomes important to understand the aging process and its implications for various social institutions. This course examines demographic characteristics which influence the aging process; various theories to explain the process; and specific policies, nationally and locally, to address it.
Prerequisite(s): WRIT 106 or HONP 101 or SOCI 100 or SOCI 102 or SOCI 113 or SOCI 201 or departmental approval. This course deals with the disparity in standards of living among the nations of the world today as well as with the strategies social scientists and social planners have formulated to eradicate poverty where it occurs. This course focuses on the historical, political, economic, cultural, and sociological relationships that have contributed to the current division of labor in the world and world inequalities. Furthermore, it focuses on specific social problems faced by poor nations while comparing social institutions in Western societies with their counterpart in non-Western societies. Satisfies Global Cultural Perspective GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity value.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100, SOCI 102, SOCI 104, SOCI 106, SOCI 113, SOCI 201, LALS 201 or LALS 205; or departmental approval. This course examines the experiences of Latinas and Latinos in the United States in terms of patterns of identity formation, ethnic culture, community maturation, citizenship, labor struggles, and social mobility. Students will map out the heterogeneous mosaic of Latin American and Caribbean diasporas in the U.S. Some of the main organizing topics include the politics of labeling; migration and community formation histories; media representations; race and racial formations; education and the politics of language; Hispanic political activism; gender; and popular culture. Students will critically engage with works from multiple forms of media to place the experience of diverse Latinx populations in social, political, historical, and interdisciplinary perspectives.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 or SOCI 102 or SOCI 104 or SOCI 106 or SOCI 113 or departmental approval. Types of conflict and violence including war, crime, family and sexual violence, class and ethnic violence, and genocide; biological determinist and cultural explanations of violence; theories of nonviolent social change.
The use of statistics to summarize data, to show relationships among variables. Evaluating research reports based on statistics. Use of the computer to analyze data. Satisfies SEEDS Quantitative Reasoning student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry value. Mutually Exclusive with JUST 240.
Prerequisite(s): WRIT 106 or HONP 101. Faculty will expand on a current issue topic pertaining to their area of scholarship. This course is intended to reach a broad undergraduate student population, regardless of their prior exposure to sociological theories and concepts. The course will awaken a sociological imagination and facilitate the application of sociological concepts to the understanding of current issues. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100, SOCI 102 SOCI 104, SOCI 106 or SOCI 113. The cooperative education option integrates academic study with a supervised employment experience outside the formal classroom environment. The co-op term is a semester off-campus, during which a student is supervised by a faculty coordinator and the office of Cooperative Education and is responsible for completing the terms of a learning contract.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201. Introduction to primary methods of gathering sociological data: experimentation, survey research, participant observation, etc. Use of computers to analyze data. The formulation of hypotheses, survey design, participant observation and the use of elementary statistics.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100. This courses focuses on qualitative research methods and provides research methods skills in conducting interviews, running focus groups as well as data analysis and presentation.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201 or SOCI 208 or SOCI 212 or SOCI 215 or SOCI 219 or SOCI 240 or departmental approval. The structure and functions of bureaucracy in modern society; the life cycle of large organizations and their methods of operation; selected contemporary problems.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201 or SOCI 104 or SOCI 106 or SOCI 220 or SOCI 230 or departmental approval. The development of modern forms of work; the shift from manufacturing to service occupations; and problems of work alienation; current models of labor management relations in the U.S. compared to Western Europe and Japan; the effects of new technology on skill, employment levels, and on labor management relations; conceptions of the professions and their role in society; the process of an occupation becoming a profession.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201 or SOCI 208 or SOCI 219 or SOCI 220 or SOCI 240 or departmental permission. This course examines immigrant experiences and the United States as an immigrant society. Topics include social mobility, ethnic communities, integration and assimilation, discrimination, refugees, transnationalism, and unauthorized migration. Special attention is paid to current questions including anti-immigrant legislation, immigrant rights, the status of undocumented residents, and the social and economic impact of immigration. Students will critically analyze the influence of voluntary and involuntary migration on individual livelihoods, families, and human rights. Satisfies SEEDS Ethical Inquiry student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry value.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 104 or SOCI 106 or SOCI 201 or SOCI 209 or SOCI 220 or SOCI 230 or FCST 200 or departmental approval. The focus of this course is on the relationship between society and health with a special emphasis on the role of culture and social structure. Health inequalities and the sociology of disability will be central concerns. Other topics will include social and cultural definitions of health and illness, the social role of the "sick", comparative medical beliefs and practices and medical institutions.
Prerequisite(s): Departmental approval. Research and report under faculty direction. The student selects for investigation an area of sociological concern with the approval of a faculty supervisor. Multiple semester selection permitted with approval. May be repeated three times for a maximum of 12 credits.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 104 or SOCI 106 or SOCI 201 or SOCI 220 or SOCI 230 or departmental approval. Processes of urbanization and suburbanization; nature of urban social relations, including racial and ethnic relations; urban ecological patterns and demographic conditions. Satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity value. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 104 or SOCI 106 or SOCI 201 or SOCI 220 or SOCI 230 or departmental approval. The role of sociology in understanding and analyzing the environment, environmental issues and problems, and the sociocultural sources and structure of environmentalism and environmental movements. Various perspectives and approaches to explaining the relationship between society and the environment are explored.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201 or departmental approval. A comparison of important theories on key themes in sociology; the nature of social interaction, the definition of power, stratification, social control and deviance, alienation and anomie, social structure and function, social bases of knowledge and belief, and social conflict and change.
Prerequisite(s): JUST 204 or JUST 205 or SOCI 201 or SOCI 208 or SOCI 212 or SOCI 215 or SOCI 219 or SOCI 240 or departmental approval. The domain of this course is the role of social inequities, especially those of class and race, in the distribution of environmental risks in societies at the local, national, and global levels and includes study of legal remedies and public policy measures that address environmental injustices. Mutually Exclusive with JUST 314.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201 or SOCI 208 or SOCI 212 or SOCI 215 or SOCI 219 or SOCI 240 or departmental approval. The inequalities of social ranking systems in societies. Theoretical and empirical approaches to stratification delineating the variables of power, power elites, class consciousness, alienation and class mobility. Satisfies World Cultures Graduation Requirement; satisfies SEEDS Ethical Inquiry student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity value.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 100 or SOCI 104 or SOCI 113 or SOCI 201 or departmental approval. The school as an institution of social control and social change. The social organization of schools: social roles of students, teachers and other school personnel. (Not to be used for teacher certification.)
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 104, SOCI 201, SOCI 220 or departmental approval. Problems of population and demographic change; social foundations and consequences of changes in fertility, mortality, and migration. Population and socio-economic development. The uses of demographic data in planning, policy making, and social research.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201 or SOCI 208 or SOCI 212 or SOCI 215 or SOCI 219 or SOCI 240 or departmental approval. This course will endeavor to give the student a relatively complete understanding of the social dynamics of political actions on various levels.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201 or SOCI 208 or SOCI 212 or SOCI 215 or SOCI 219 or SOCI 240 or departmental approval. This course focuses on the social functions, determinants, and consequences of helping professions such as social work, and helping institutions such as public welfare. Particular emphasis is placed on the relations of helping professions and institutions with their socio-political environment and with their clients.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201 or SOCI 208 or SOCI 212 or SOCI 215 or SOCI 219 or SOCI 220 or SOCI 240 or departmental approval. This course will examine the ways in which people's food production and consumption patterns are affected by and related to other aspects of their social organization. The interrelationship between food production/consumption patterns, political life, stratification systems, and demography will be examined. The main focus will be a comparison between different forms of social organization with respect to the management of food and population issues.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201. Faculty will teach a sociological issue topic pertaining to their area of scholarship. The course is intended for students interested in relatively deep sociological analysis of a subject of interest, and of social relevance. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 201 or SOCI 220 or SOCI 230 or RELG 220 or RELG 221 or RELG 223 or departmental approval. The social bases of religious belief and practice; religion vs magic and sorcery; religion in a politico-economic and historical context; social psychology of comparative religions; secularization and its critiques; religion and globalization; religion and social inequality; race and gender in religion; religious movements, sects, and denominations. Satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Diversity and Intercultural Competency value. Mutually Exclusive with RELG 364.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 301 and SOCI 240. This course prepares students to design and complete a major project. This will involve the gathering, presentation, and analysis of evidence relevant to a particular theoretical or applied problem, using the relevant and appropriate sociological concepts. Since different faculty members emphasize different types of projects, students are urged to review individual syllabi prior to registering for the course.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 301 or SOCI 304 or SOCI 309 or SOCI 311 or SOCI 312 or departmental approval. Humans have a unique capacity to experience a large variety of emotions. This course examines how cultures label, shape, and guide their members' emotional experience. It also explores the interplay between social-structural arrangements (e.g., family and economic systems) and emotion, illustrating links between macro-social patterns. Students will conduct original research on social factors related to emotionality.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 301 or SOCI 304 or SOCI 309 or SOCI 311 or SOCI 312 or departmental approval. Theoretical perspectives on human deviance. The social organization of specific types of deviance and of formal and informal social control.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 301 or SOCI 304 or SOCI 309 or SOCI 311 or SOCI 312 or departmental approval. A sociological analysis and cultural critique of various mass media with an emphasis on radio, television, newspapers, and the internet. The course will examine their function and their relationship with constituent audiences.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 301 or SOCI 304 or SOCI 309 or SOCI 311 or SOCI 312 or departmental approval. This course focuses on the study of concerted collective behavior for social change, or social movements. Various approaches to the understanding of social movements, including the natural history, case study, and analytical models, will be examined. Emphasis will be placed on relating theoretical work to contemporary empirical examples of social movement activity.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 240 and SOCI 301; SOCI 313 is recommended. Restriction(s): At least junior level standing; senior level standing is recommended. This course includes participation in a coordinating seminar and producing a written analysis of the organization that demonstrates mastery of learning objectives for the major (requires 100 hours). It is designed to meet the goals and interests of the individual student. Students arrange their own internship with the approval of the internship coordinator or instructor. The work should involve growth for the student and should ideally be in the area of career or graduate school interest. Students’ first-hand experiences in professional settings are supplemented with a weekly seminar facilitated by the department’s faculty. As a capstone experience, this course requires journaling, a reflection essay, and a presentation.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 301 or SOCI 304 or SOCI 309 or SOCI 311 or SOCI 312 or departmental approval. The area to be covered is chosen by the instructor each semester. The course may be selected more than once with approval. Limited to only the general areas of sociological theory, research methodology, problems of institutional processes, and application of methodology and theory to social situations or community issues and problems. May be repeated twice for a maximum of 9 credits.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 301 or SOCI 304 or SOCI 309 or SOCI 311 or SOCI 312 or departmental approval. The impact of the social usages of law on all levels of operation as an instrument of social policy, social control and social regulation.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 301 or SOCI 304 or SOCI 309 or SOCI 311 or SOCI 312 or departmental approval. The course examines theoretical and empirical work in the sociology of sexuality. It seeks to understand the social foundations of sexual behavior and sexual identity. It explores the relationship between sexuality and politics, focusing on current as well as historical conflicts over sexual behavior and ideologies.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 301 or SOCI 304 or SOCI 309 or SOCI 311 or SOCI 312 or departmental approval. The social determinants of differences between women and men and the effect of sex role differentiation in the social institutions of marriage and family, the economy and work situation, formal education, health, mass media, and religion; special emphasis is placed on the impact of social change on sex roles in contemporary society. Satisfies SEEDS Political and Civic Life student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity value. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
This course offers comprehensive coverage of basic applied statistics for use in social policy research, evaluation, market research and data consulting. Topics will include univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, hypothesis testing and linear regression techniques. Students will learn to calculate and interpret these statistics using a variety of software packages. They will also gain experience in creating data visualizations for their work in professional settings. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits.
Customer and User Experience Research are tools that organizations use to gain insights about their customer experience and the usability of their products, platforms and services. The key to excelling in this work is to understand people and this is why social science training is an asset for job seekers in these fields. This course will cover the language, logic and practices employed by market researchers to study human experiences of various kinds, such as customer, user, employee and brand experience. Industry relevant readings will focus on the ways that organizations can harness the power of knowledge about the customer journey and other human experiences to achieve their goals. They will also learn about many of the methods Customer and User Experience Researchers employ such as traditional techniques like survey research and focus groups, but also many newer strategies like diary/camera studies, card sorting and desirability studies. Students will be trained to add value both to for-profit organizations for maximizing return on investment as well as non-profits for enhancing community, changing social policies or delivering public services. Developing a customer centric mission is a key objective of most modern organizations. By taking this course students will learn to use research to achieve that objective in an evidence based fashion. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors, Customer Experience and User Experience Research Certificate Program students, or by departmental approval. The use of surveys to measure attitudes, behaviors and program outcomes has become widespread in business, research, marketing, politics, and media. In this class, students will learn how to write surveys, collect data, and analyze data for applied research projects. Course topics will include identifying variables, conceptualization, index and scale construction, visual questionnaire presentation, piloting, testing for validity and reliability, and survey administration. Students will also learn the basics of statistics including univariate and bivariate data and descriptive and inferential techniques. An emphasis will be placed on the use of surveys for needs assessments, program evaluations and policy analyses. Equivalent course SOCI 568 effective through Fall 2019.
Restriction(s): This course is for graduate students only; undergrads require department approval. This course is designed to assist students in the MA in Social Research and Analysis gain skills in the extraction, visualization, and interpretation of network data. Students will learn to extract data from social media such as Twitter. reddit, and youtube using relevant APIs, clean up and structure the data, and to design attractive network graphs of social media users and their communities either using R and python libraries or supplementary software such as Gephi. (Unfortunately, because of recent changes in twitter policy which requires payment for just about everything, we will use secondary twitter datasets, albeit students will learn how to extract data if they have the API). We will explore and use network concepts like centrality, clustering, and community detection to understand the importance (and limitations) of network structures and positions. In addition, we will use unsupervised machine learning methods to explore, assess and differentiate the content exchanged in different network communities. Whereas the course is skill focused, students will be exposed to important works in the sociology of networks and learn from examples of network analysis in fields like politics, economics, and epidemiology. The purpose of the course is to build students’ domain expertise in the analysis of social networks while they enhance their skills in different software and languages and mastering key libraries and analytical tools. By the end of this course, students will become conversant with general approaches to collection and analysis of data from the internet, and in the concepts and modeling of networks and their applications in different fields. They would have also learnt to use text mining methods such as topic modeling and sentiment analysis, including the conceptual foundations of these natural language processing methods, while enhancing their facility with the R statistical software.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 510 or equivalent. This course introduces students to hands-on techniques in quantitative data analysis. The main components of the course are: 1. Data cleaning and organization; 2. Descriptive statistics for categorical and continuous variables; 3. basics of statistical theory; 4. inferential statistical tests; 5. simple linear regression; 6. basics of multiple regression; 7. measurement, scaling, index, and elementary factor analysis. This course will also focus on data and model interpretation. In class, students will analyze and interpret real data that are used by market research companies, government agencies and social policy organizations.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 556 (or comparable course). Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors or Data Collection and Management majors; or by departmental approval. This course introduces students to the basics of data and text mining. The course contains three major components: 1.) basics of R and R studio and data manipulation, or a similar software package; 2.) hand-on techniques and models of data mining and machine-learning-linear models and model selection and regularization, tree-based methods and random forests, cluster analysis, association rules and market basket, basics of time series and forecasting, and 3.) basics of text mining-semantic network, social network, and sentiment analysis. Although no programming experience is required, students are expected to have taken at least one intermediate statistics course that covers multiple regression and logistic regression. This course is ideal for students interested in a career in social data mining, data analysis, and machine learning. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. The course will address the practical and political issues of defining, measuring, and responding to social deviance (e.g., mental illness, drug use, etc.). The course will concentrate on the role of formal agencies and institutions that deal with deviance and will examine problems in assessing various policy alternatives (e.g., decriminalization, deinstitutionalization, treatment, etc.).
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. This course will connect the abstract—as “theory” is by definition—with the imperatives of “application,” for students of applied social research. The greater part of the course will focus on theories that are likely to be more applicable to policy and program focused research. This may include theories of civil society and public sphere, systems theory, grounded theory, phenomenological theories, and relevant works from political philosophy and economic theory. Students will learn of work in organizational theory, cognitive and psychological concepts, notions of cultural and social capital, theories of network and communication, and the evolving work on late modernity.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. This course brings together community planning and public policy to analyze historic and current trends in affordable housing, community development, land use, and housing finance. The course focuses on housing/community development policy, real estate and mortgage financing, subsidies, community participation, environmental impact, and neighborhood change such as gentrification and displacement, with particular emphasis on how issues of race/ethnicity, poverty, and the economic climate affect federal, state, local and community responses. We will discuss the causes and consequences of government intervention in housing and neighborhoods, developing tools for students to determine the need for public intervention, the optimal design and financing of housing and community development programs, and how to evaluate success.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. This course is designed to help students gain knowledge and skills of social policy analysis to effectively participate in the development and advancement of policies that support and effect change in urban environments. A substantial portion of the course will be devoted to policies designed to secure equal opportunity as well as to moderate what may be deemed unacceptable inequalities on the basis of race, gender, immigration, and social class. It offers students analytical and empirical tools to better understand urban social problems (e.g., poverty, slums, homelessness, youth unemployment, child abuse, health risks) and the corresponding policies that promote more affordable, productive, inclusive, and healthier cities amidst fiscal constraints and intense economic competition. Case studies will provide deeper context into specific issues, such as gender inequality, child welfare, cultural contexts, technology-enabled social innovation, public-private partnerships, and nontraditional redistributive programs.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors, Customer Experience and User Experience Research Certificate Program students, or by departmental approval. This course introduces students to qualitative research methods used in the social sciences. In this class, students will be exposed to typical qualitative research techniques such as in-depth interviews, ethnographies, focus groups and content analysis. The main components of this course are 1) designing ethnographies 2) conducting in-depth interviews 3) designing focus groups 4) interpreting, tabulating and reporting qualitative data. The course will also focus on coding techniques and writing and reporting qualitative findings.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. Student investigates a topic of sociological relevance under the guidance of a faculty member. May be repeated twice for a maximum of 9 credits.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. In this course students will engage in an intensive exploration of a special topic in social research, social policy, data analytics, or another related field. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits.
This course will investigate environmental policy making in the United States in the past, present and future. The course introduces students to texts referencing the interaction of policy, environmental sciences, and ethics across numerous environmental justice topics. This course utilizes the environmental justice movement’s definition of environment as “where we live, work, play, learn, and worship as well as the physical and natural world.” We will focus on how environmental policy goals are affected by diverse populations across the United States and beyond. Using critical thinking and the application of a framework for studying socio-environmental systems, students will assess how citizens and politicians work together to develop environmental policies.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. This course examines the family system in the United States from both historical and contemporary perspectives. It will consider the implications of recent research on changing structure and cultural values as well as different policies regarding mate selection, intimate relationships and child rearing practices. Using a sociological lens and cutting edge-contemporary research, it examines the role of changing social policies on families.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. This course examines major contemporary definitions and ideologies of poverty and public welfare, and considers the extent and patterns of distribution of poverty. Alternative socio-economic explanations of poverty and their implications for policy will be assessed, and problem-solving aspects of program and policy research analyzed.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. This course will explore the development of human health problems in the United States by examining the policies and practices of public health. Sociological principles and perspectives will be applied to a variety of topics including the experience of illness, the social and cultural factors of health and disease, and the institutional structures of medicine. We will investigate how various institutions and programs are established, organized, and operated to prevent or control health hazards, and the legal and regulatory framework behind them. The course focuses largely (but not completely) on the United States, though we will also consider global and transnational contexts. Class readings will introduce key themes and provide instructive examples of different theoretical perspectives and methodologies. The course will cover a variety of social issues and current events within the public and environmental health framework including: Social Contexts and Health Disparities; Environmental Justice and Community Mobilization; Corporations, Health and Democracy; Queer and Transgender Health; and Food Justice.
An organization's Experience Management program encompasses the full scope of its research on the customer journey across products, services and platforms. Students in this course will learn about the latest strategies that companies use to integrate and manage wide ranging feedback loops for sharing information with teams and making evidence-based decisions. As industry trends change and new strategies evolve, the course content will adapt to reflect what is currently happening in the fields of Customer and User Experience Research. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. This course considers the causes and effects of the rapid growth in the elderly population in the United States in the 21st century. Aging and the life course will be approached from a multidisciplinary perspective, with an emphasis on demographic, sociological, and economic research. Demographic transition theory and theories of economic development will be used to explain how nations like the United States grew in population size during the Baby Boom generation, and paved the way for an aging population that would bring with it many implications for the family, education, the economy, politics and religion. In addition to learning about and discussing these issues, students will also be trained to examine population data and use it inform debates about public policy.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. This course examines the development processes in the structural context of global capitalism with a focus on the interplay among states, markets, and civil societies. This course will also provide analyses of social, economic, and political policies and their consequences based on modernization theory, world system theory, and globalization paradigm. Issues of development, underdevelopment, poverty, and inequality will be explored through national or regional level case studies.
Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of coursework in the Certificate in Customer and User Experience Research. This course is the capstone to the Graduate Certificate in Customer and User Experience Research. It is an opportunity for students to build upon what they have learned in their prior coursework by putting it to use in the preparation of a project. Students will choose their own area of strength and interest in Customer or User Experience Research, and then prepare a prospectus for a new project that will yield results capable of helping an organization make an evidence based decision. Examples might include the design of a longitudinal customer feedback study, a focus group analysis or a user experience journal. When possible, the student might partner with a client organization to make the work more industry relevant and useful.
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 538 or SOCI 569. Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors or by departmental approval. This course introduces students to quantitative data collection and analysis. Students will learn how to design and execute research projects that meet the needs of both private and non-profit research organizations by considering client needs, ethical considerations, budgetary constraints and project planning challenges. The main components of the course include designing and administering data collection instruments, data coding, and interpreting, tabulating and reporting quantitative data. The course will also focus on using statistical packages such as SPSS in analyzing survey data. By the conclusion of the course, students will also be prepared to effectively present the findings of their research using written, verbal and visual methods of communication. Equivalent course SOCI 500 effective through Winter 2024.
Restriction(s): Social Research and Analysis majors, Data Collection and Management majors or by departmental approval. Under the guidance of a faculty member, students will select a company or an organization with which to complete an applied research project. The practicum will enable the student to engage in applied social research involving primary data collection, secondary data analysis, data analytics, or a related methodology. Students should get faculty supervisor's approval of placement before the course begins.