SOCIOLOGY (SY)

NOTE: SY 109 is a prerequisite for all other sociology courses described below.

SY 109 Introductory Sociology 4 cr
The scientific study of society under the aspects of its structure and function: social groups, processes, interaction, and relationships. The structure and function of basic social institutions and culture.

SY 112 Social Problems 4 cr
A study of persistent and recurring social conditions and individual and group behavior that are contrary to the expressed norms of community members and that community members strive to control through collective action.

SY 200 Social Factors in Sexual Behavior 4 cr
Examination of comparative and historical perspectives on learning sex roles, attitudes toward sexual behavior, sexual patterns, and legal and religious aspects of sexual behavior.

SY 212 The Field of Social Welfare 4 cr
A survey of the field of social welfare and of social-work functions. Rise, development, and present organization of social welfare agencies and the social services. Brief introduction to the techniques of the social-work profession.

SY 220 Marriage and the Family 4 cr
The organization, function, and present status of the family, primarily in the United States. Problems of mate selection, marital adjustment, and parent-child relations treated on the basis of recent and current social change.

SY 241 Criminology 4 cr
The nature and causation of criminal behavior. Evaluation of theories and research.

SY 242 Corrections 4 cr
Administration of criminal justice in American society. Federal, state and local prison systems; management and treatment of criminals; history of punishment; jail detention, probation and parole; prison activities; rehabilitation.

SY 290 Special Topics 1-4 cr
Selected topics in sociology. May be taken for a maximum of twelve hours credit when subject matter varies.

SY 305 Sociology of Sport 4 cr
Addresses the issues of rise and development of Sport in North America and relates these developments to other societal structures and processes.

SY 308 Industrial Sociology 4 cr
The social structure of American industry and the functions and status of members within industrial organizations. Interaction of the industrial complex and society.

SY 310 Population (W) 4 cr
An introduction to the study of human populations; population growth and decline; fertility, mortality, and migration; characteristics of populations; population, food, and economic development; population policies.

SY 315 African-American Families 4 cr
The study of family structure, mate selection, marital and other romantic interaction, parenting and kinship among African Americans.

SY 320 Social Stratification 4 cr
Class, status, and power with particular emphasis on American society.

SY 325 Urban Sociology 4 cr
The study of urbanization and urban ways of life. Emphasis is given to relationships between urbanization and changes in the social organization of cities. Urban problems and planning are analyzed in terms of social change at the societal level.

SY 326 Social and Cultural Change 4 cr
This course is designed to familiarize students with major theories and processes of social change. The factors influencing social change. Diffusion of innovations and adoption of new ideas and practices.

SY 340 Juvenile Delinquency 4 cr
A study of the nature, extent, treatment, and prevention of delinquent behavior among youth in the United States and other urban industrial societies.

SY 345 Minority Groups 4 cr
The study of social relationships between groups identified on the basis of race and ethnicity. The development and perpetuation of group consciousness, prejudice, discrimination, social structure, and processes arising from contact with racial and ethnic minorities.

SY 355 Social & Cultural Foundations of Behavior 4 cr
The social and structural factors in human conduct, including a consideration of language and communication, the self, attitudes and values, social roles, interpersonal relations, and small-group processes.

SY 358 Crowds, Riots & Social Movements 4 cr
Forms, behavior, and processes in crowds, publics, collectivities, social movements, and transitory groupings.

SY 360 Sociology of Work & Occupations 4 cr
Work and the division of labor in industrial societies with particular emphasis on the sociology of occupations and professions.

SY 372 Social Gerontology (W) 4 cr
Sociological aspects of aging in contemporary American society. Within its parameters are the related problems of economics, health, and social contacts.

SY 375 Development of Sociological Theory 4 cr
The development of theories in sociology, as related to social thought, institutions, and theories of social progress.

SY 376 Modern Sociological Theory 4 cr
Modern theories in sociology showing the origin of divergent schools as well as recent convergence as seen in the work of leading modern theorists.

SY 381 Sociological Research Methods I 5 cr
The first of a two-quarter sequence designed for sociology majors. Introduction to social research, problem formulation, sampling, qualitative and quantitative methods of data production. Fee (Usually taught Winter quarter)

SY 382 Sociological Research Methods II 5 cr
A continuation of SY 381 for sociology majors. Simulation and modeling, evaluation research, triangulation and cross-cultural research, analysis and presentation of data, ethics in social research, report writing. Fee (Usually taught Spring quarter) Prerequisites: SY 381 and ST 175.

SY 394 Directed Studies 1-4 cr
Field or library pursuits through which special interests or needs of the student may be pursued on an individual, supervised, or tutorial basis. No more than four hours may be used in the major. Arrangements must be made with the instructor prior to registration. Prerequisite: Permission of department chair.

SY 415 Sociocultural Systems and Mental Illness 4 cr
A description of the sociologically salient characteristics of mental illness including an examination of labeling mechanisms, epidemiological findings, and treatment systems. Also covered will be cultural factors relating to changing perspectives in the recognition, definition, and significance of psychiatric disorder.

SY 420 Sociology of Religion (W) 4 cr
The historical and empirical analysis of religion as a social institution, in itself as a social system and in relation to other social institutions.

SY 425 Human Ecology 4 cr
The study of human communities. Spatial and temporal aspects of community structure. Distancing, territoriality, and segregation. Neighborhoods, zones, and regions as bases for human social organization. Processes of change in community structure.

SY 428 Gender and Society 4 cr
Description and analysis of the statuses and roles of males and females in the family and in society.

SY 430 Sociology of Family Violence 4 cr
The sociological research and theoretical and perspectives on family violence. The nature of different types of domestic violence and the normative as well as the social/situational contexts in which they occur will be examined

SY 440 Deviance and Social Control 4 cr
The relationships of social norms to conforming and deviant behavior, types of deviancy, and personal social control.

SY 459 Medicine and Society 4 cr
The study of health care, types of practitioners, and social organization of therapeutic settings in selected societies.

SY 460 Social Organization (W) 4 cr
A critical examination of current research and literature relating to functional and/or dysfunctional problems of social systems: the bases of social order, social control, social change, and social conflict.

SY 467 Environmental Sociology 4 cr
A study of the relationship between society and environment with special emphasis on linkages between society, technology and the biophysical environment and current conflicts and policies emerging from these linkages.

SY 472 Sociology of Aging and the Family 4 cr
This course examines the interactions of family systems with society's complex organizations around the challenges of aging, lifecourse transitions, and intergenerational relationships.

SY 490 Special Topics 1-4 cr
A sociological examination of advanced topics. This course may be repeated for a maximum of eight hours credit when the subject matter varies.

SY 492 Seminar 4 cr
Selected topics in sociology for students with junior or senior standing.

SY 494 Directed Studies 1-4 cr
Designing a study, carrying out the research, and writing the result of a thesis. Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and permission of department chair.

SY 496 Sociology Internship 4-12 cr
Provides an opportunity to combine academic principles with practical experience in an agency dealing with human relationships. Specifics of the assignment result from a mutual agreement among student, course director and agency. Course may be repeated for a maximum of 12 hours of credit.

SY 501 Sociological Statistics 4 cr
An applied course enabling students to evaluate sociological data using a variety of sociologically relevant statistical concepts.

SY 503 Survey Research 4 cr
Advanced techniques of questionnaire construction, schedule preparation, interviewing, and survey analysis.

SY 505 Advanced General Sociology 4 cr
Systematic review and integration of major propositions, concepts, and research data from various fields of sociology. Development of a comprehensive orientation for the description and explanation of social phenomena.

SY 506 Contemporary Sociological Theory 4 cr
Critical examination of significant theoretical formulations, 1820 to present. Analysis of the relation between theoretical developments and current research emphasis.

SY 507 Socialization 4 cr
Review of current theories and research in child and adult socialization with emphasis on role-learning and role-playing within family, peer-group, and organization contexts.

SY 508 Sociological Research Methods 4 cr
Advanced treatment of sociological methodology; review and critical examination of currently used sociological research methods; case and qualitative analysis, ethnomethodology, field research, secondary analysis, content analysis, survey, experimentation and evaluation research; the role of the social researcher; ethics and politics of social research.

SY 509 Population Studies 4 cr
Focuses on socio-cultural determinants and consequences of demographic processes with particular reference to fertility, mortality, and migration.

SY 515 Sociocultural Systems and Mental Illness 4 cr
A description of the sociologically salient characteristics of mental illness including an examination of labeling mechanisms, epidemiological findings, and treatment systems. Also covered will be cultural factors relating to changing perspectives in the recognition, definition, and significance of psychiatric disorder.

SY 518 Family Relations 4 cr
Interaction patterns in different types of family structure, with emphasis on marital adjustment, parent-child, and sibling-sibling interactions.

SY 523 Aging in American Society 4 cr
The role of the elderly in today's society: Problems, adaptability, crises, functions. Comparisons with youth and working adults.

SY 528 Gender and Society 4 cr
Description and analysis of the statuses and roles of males and females in the family and in society.

SY 530 The Social Structure and Culture of Poverty 4 cr
Examinations are made of the concept of the culture of poverty, the relations of the institutions of the larger society to poor people, and the interrelationships among relevant social, cultural, and behavioral factors.

SY 533 Urban Sociology 4 cr
Trends toward urbanization: the demography and ecology of cities and regions; urban social institutions and behavior patterns; and sociological aspects of planning.

SY 535 Social Differentiation in Complex Societies 4 cr
A cross-cultural and comparative examination of social and structural differentiation in complex social systems.

SY 540 Minority Relations 4 cr
Study of the sociological processes of a racially and culturally heterogeneous society; migration, accommodation, assimilation, segregation, conflict.

SY 543 Bureaucracy 4 cr
Theories of complex organizations; their emergence, maturation, and relation to bureaucracies. Study of division of labor, power, authority, and communication in hierarchical organizations.

SY 545 Law, Lawyers, Courts, and Justice 4 cr
in a Multi-Group Society
An examination of the legal system from a sociological perspective. The examination includes consideration of the place of law in society, the role of lawyers and the legal profession in shaping and instrumenting law, and the problems of distributive justice in complex societies.

SY 546 Group Structure and Dynamics 4 cr
Review of current sociological theories and research into groups with emphasis on both structure and process.

SY 550 The Community 4 cr
The community as a social system, with emphasis on culture, social groups, intergroup networks, and major community institutional systems.

SY 565 The Social Ecology of Marine Resource Utilization 4 cr
Analysis of the relationships between human communities, technology, and marine resources. This course provides a survey of the structure and function of the marine resource environment and the demands of technology and coastal communities. Special emphasis according to marine occupations, migration, and intergroup relations.

SY 566 Social Impact Assessment in the 4 cr
Coastal Environment
This course provides an introduction to methods and models for assessing the social, economic, and environmental impacts of structural changes in coastal areas. Methodologies for demographic change models, socioeconomic assessment models, community needs assessments, psychosocial models and disaster impact assessments are presented.

SY 567 Environmental Sociology 4 cr
A study of the relationship between society and environment with special emphasis on linkages between society, technology and the biophysical environment and current conflicts and policies emerging from these linkages.

SY 572 Sociology of Aging and the Family 4 cr
This course examines the interactions of family systems with society's complex organizations around the challenges of aging, lifecourse transitions, and intergenerational relationships.

SY 590 Special Topics 4 cr
Selected topics in graduate sociology. Course may be repeated for different topics.

SY 594 Directed Studies 1-4 cr
Field or library pursuits through which special interests of the student may be pursued on a tutorial basis with a graduate faculty member. Arrangements must be made with the professor prior to registration. Permission of department chair is required.

SY 595 Research Project in Sociology 1-4 cr
A research paper is prepared under the supervision of a graduate faculty member. Student is guided through the formulation and execution of a research design with appropriate use of theory and research methodology. Prerequisite: Pass on comprehensive exam and approved research proposal.

SY 596 Internship 4-12 cr
Relates the student's classroom studies to occupational and professional experiences in an approved community agency. Written reports required. May be taken for a maximum of twelve hours. Permission of department chair is required.

SY 599 Thesis 1-8 cr
May be taken twice for a total of eight hours' credit. Prerequisite: Pass on comprehensive examination in Sociology.

Courses of Instruction

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