Sociology

SOCIOLOGY (SOC)

SOC 108 WORLD POPULATION ISSUES
Lecture and open discussion of population problems throughout the world today. Topics will include statistical processes, world food production and standards, medical assistance, economic issues, and physical/human responses to population pressures and changes. Same as GEO 108. 

SOC 121 PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY
This course consists of an introduction to how the academic discipline of sociology studies the social world and how it can be used outside of higher education to raise awareness about public issues, inform social policy, and be used in a range of occupations. The student will become acquainted with the approaches, methods, and findings of contemporary sociology and the ongoing process of understanding social interaction, groups, problems, and sociocultural systems. Topics covered may include socialization, social inequality, deviance, the corporation and occupational roles, the community, interrelationships, change of institutions, and other related subjects. This course counts in the Core Curriculum as a social science in either Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning or Person and Society. 

SOC 122 SOCIAL PROBLEMS
This course is an introduction to the discipline of sociology, the study of social interaction and institutions as it relates to contemporary American social problems. The course will focus on several sociological perspectives that are used to analyze such problems as poverty, homelessness, racism, sexism, addiction, crime, delinquency, ageism, and health care. This course counts in the Core Curriculum requirements as a social science. 

SOC 206 THE SOCIOLOGY OF URBAN LIFE
This course examines the patterns, causes, and consequences of urbanization and suburbanization. While the major focus will be on the development of cities, metropolitan areas, and megalopolitan regions within the United States, a major goal of the course is to understand the increasingly critical role that economic globalization plays in creating uneven development and decline within and among cities and metropolitan regions throughout the world. Specific topics to be investigated include: urban renewal and redevelopment; residential segregation; gentrification; conflicts over land use; urban planning; and the problems of concentrated poverty and crime in central cities. 

SOC 216 RACIAL AND ETHNIC RELATIONS
This course explores how race and ethnicity structure social relations and identities in the United States. Students will become familiar with the history of race and ethnicity in the U.S. and why it continues to be a central aspect of social life. The course will also focus on a variety of debates regarding the persistence of institutionalized racism and white privilege in the post-Civil Rights era. The process of how class, gender, and sexuality structure various racial and ethnic groups will be explored as well. Current issues on race and ethnicity addressed in this class include: racial profiling, immigration, increasing diversity in the U.S., affirmative action, Ebonics, reverse discrimination, post- September 11th forms of discrimination, and unequal access to employment, housing, and mortgages by race. 

SOC 218 SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
The course will analyze the internal dynamics and external environments of social movements as mechanisms of social change. It will examine several case studies of American social movements, focusing on their rise and fall and their impact on institutions. 

SOC 223 THE FAMILY IN SOCIETY
A study of the institution of the family from historical and cross-cultural perspectives that focuses on the relationship between other social developments and changes in family structure. A comparative view will be conjoined with a problems approach in order to examine contemporary family patterns and their alternatives. 

SOC 224 GENDER ISSUES IN SOCIETY
This course addresses gender inequalities, practices, and identities from a sociological perspective. This means that gender differences and inequalities are socially produced and vary across history and cultures. In this course, students will become familiar with more recent sociological research that argues gender is a central institution in social life, organizing “men” and “women” into specific social practices and positions within the social structure. This course will also explore how gender inequality and differences interact with race, class, and sexuality. Specific areas of study include the changing roles of masculinity and femininity in work, family, sexuality, health, religion, education, and marriage. 

SOC 225 LITERATURE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING
An interdisciplinary course that offers students a combination of academic classroom learning and experiential learning in the community. Students will read contemporary American fiction and sociological monographs and cultural analyses, using these ideas to think critically about political, economic, and social issues in the community. Same as ENG 225.

SOC 232 SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN SOCIETY
The purpose of this course is to focus on social inequality in the United States. Topics to be covered include the dimensions of stratification, theories of social stratification, social class, social mobility, occupational prestige, status attainment, poverty, wealth, and racial and sexual inequality in the United States. 

SOC 234 SOCIAL POLICY
This course examines the nature, purposes, and effectiveness of social policy in America. It looks at the relationship of society and politics, as well as the processes of creation and implementation of social reforms. The role of government, the corporate sector, social science, the media, and the public in shaping social policy is examined. The course presents an assessment of the successes and failures of American social programs having to do with children and their families, income support, the elderly, health care, education, energy, and the environment. The skills and topics provided centrally address one of the major tenets of public sociology: how it informs the public about social policy outcomes and how the discipline can shape social policy for the greater good. 

SOC 250 PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY
This course introduces students to how the discipline of sociology can be used in the real world for the purpose of contributing to the greater good. Public Sociology therefore links the formal study of sociological phenomena conducted in higher education and professional social science research to various audiences in the public. Student will learn (1) how sociologists raise awareness about sociological research; (2) how sociological studies can help people engage in social activism and responsible citizenship; (3) how sociological analysis can inform social and public policy; and (4) how sociology can be used in nonprofit, social service, and private enterprise work. Public sociology demonstrates how sociology leads to meaningful careers and participation in our social order. All work will take place on campus. (Spring) 

SOC 255 SELECTED TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY
This course will permit the study of a selected topic within Sociology. The topic may change each time the course is offered.

SOC 300 STATISTICS 
An introduction to the logic and techniques of statistical analysis in sociology. The focus of the course is on exploratory analysis, including measures of central tendency, dispersion, and hypothesis testing using linear regression including both bivariate and multivariate. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) will be used. This course counts as a second Mathematics course in the Core Curriculum. (Fall)

SOC 315 MASCULINITIES
This course explores the lives of men in the United States from a broader social and historical context. It also examines the extent to which masculinity is rooted in biology and culture. Masculinities will also survey contemporary issues facing men such as the relationship between masculinity and the Great Recession; the significant change of gender roles in family and work; the influences of class, race and sexuality on masculinity; the development of social movements centered on men’s issues; the relationship between masculinity and major social institutions such as education, government, and military; the interdependent connection between masculinities and femininities; the question of power, privilege and masculinity; and violence against women and bullying. 

SOC 350 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
This course will examine the works of the three major classical theorists in sociology (i.e., Durkheim, Marx, and Weber), the theoretical contributions of symbolic interactionists such as Goffman and Geertz, and several major contemporary social theories, including post- structuralism and feminism. Prerequisite: SOC121. (Fall)

SOC 465 SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH METHODS
This course is designed to introduce students to the analysis of sociological and anthropological data using the three main methods in the discipline: qualitative, comparative- historical, and quantitative. Specific topics will include: how to select research methods appropriate to the problem under investigation; the relationship between theory and research; how to conduct a literature review; ethical issues involved in conducting social research. Students will gets “hand-on” experience using each of the three main research methods by designing and conducting small-scale research projects. Prerequisite: SOC121. (Spring) 

SOC 475 SENIOR SEMINAR In this seminar, students will work closely with the instructor – and with each other – to review and synthesize the content of their previous sociology courses to create a major research paper in the tradition of public sociology: taking the disciplinary skills of sociology outside of higher education into the public for the purpose of contributing to the greater good. The course will also incorporate professional development skills, such as resume building, recommended interview etiquette, and how students might present their sociological research to potential employers or graduate programs. This course is a capstone for and required for sociology majors. Prerequisites: SOC121 and SOC 465. (Fall) 

There are other sociology electives available through Assumption College’s participation in the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts. Assumption students can cross register for courses at 11 other institutions in the Worcester region.