Sociology current courses

SPRING 2025 COURSES

Soc 100-01 Introduction to SociologY - Nicole M. Brown 4 Units T/TH 9:50-11:30 AM

Take a new look at the social world that surrounds and influences you. How are you, as an individual, shaped by your society? How do your choices, in turn, shape society? Sociology offers a unique outlook on our rapidly changing modern society and culture. You will get a thorough overview in this class of important sociological concepts such as stratification, culture, socialization, status, deviance and institutions (e.g., marriage and family, education, work).

You will learn how to study specific areas of society such as gender, class, race and ethnicity through reading insightful research by sociologists. Students also are challenged to explore controversial ideas relating to inequality and social justice. Fulfills Core Curriculum Requirement: SCSCI

Soc 204-01 Social Problems - Ynez Wilson Hirst 3 Units TTH 8:25-9:40 AM

This course will introduce students to the study of social problems in American society. A sociological approach to social problems is as much about how and why we collectively view certain things in society as “problems” as much as it is an investigation into the social harm done by these social phenomena. In other words, we are interested in the objective harm of such social problems as homelessness and drug abuse, and we want to learn what we can do to reduce these harms. But we are just as curious to understand how these “problems” are collectively defined, subjectively understood, culturally framed, and debated in the public square. If we don’t fully understand how we socially construct and perceive these “problems” we will not be able to help address real social needs. Fulfills Core Curriculum Requirement: SCSCI & IPE

Soc 315 Wealth and Poverty in the United States - Robert Bulman 3 Units MW 9:15-10:30 AM

This course will introduce students to the study of inequality in American society. In addition to reviewing the structure of class, race, and gender stratification in the United States, we will review a variety of theories designed to explain this inequality. We will also cover theories of social mobility and social reproduction. We conclude with a discussion of the politics of inequality and the policy choices facing Americans. We will seriously consider what, if anything, we can do to reduce social stratification. Fulfills Core Curriculum Requirement: SCSCI & IPE

Soc 316-01 Global Migration - Zeynep Atalay 4 Units MW 1:30-3:10 p.m.

This course focuses on the dynamics of contemporary migration and the way it is changing states, societies, politics, identifies and individual relationships. Throughout the semester we will analyze the determinants of population movements; patterned character of the migratory process; the ways in which immigration is related to global capitalism; and the role of state actions on the politics of immigration. We will ask: What drives people to leave their homes and to unfamiliar places where they may be subjected to harsh treatment or even detention and expulsion? What kind of people are most likely to move? Fulfills Core Curriculum Requirement: SCSCI & GIP

Soc 320-01 Social Movements - Nicole Brown 4 Units TTH 8-9:40 AM

The purpose of this course is to expose students to the various social movement theories and perspectives prevalent within the literature. Emphasis will be placed on the history, processes and methods used to explain the collective behavior of African- American women as they engage social movements via protest. By focusing on the social movements of African-American women specifically, students will be able to interrogate social movements and collective behavior literature to critically explore questions related to who and what is left out of sociological theorizing of social movements.

Fulfills Core Requirement: SCSCI & IPE

Soc 325-01 Gender and Society - Nicole Brown 4 Units TTH 11:40-1:20 PM

Gender & Society How do sex and gender shape our lives and the world around us? This course examines the social construction of gender from multiple perspectives. We will deconstruct the notion that gender is a biologically binary system, while analyzing the ways that social institutions create the terms and forms of gendered experiences. We will use cross-cultural, historical, and contemporary information to assess conflicting theoretical arguments about topics such as gender socialization, gender performance, social reproduction, gendered institutions, violence, sexuality, and categories of identity. Fulfills Core Curriculum Requirement: SCSC & IPE

Soc 432-01 Sociology Research Methods - Ynez Wilson Hirst 4 Units TTH 9:50-11:30 AM

How do we know what we know? As sociologists, everything we know about the social world is the result of carefully designed and executed research. We must systematically collect data about the social world in order to understand how the world works and to test our theories about the world. This course is an introduction to how sociologists design research projects, how they collect data, and how they use that data when they construct a sociological argument. Sociologists use many different types of research methods. We will read about, evaluate, and practice a variety of research tools used by sociologists. We will conduct participant observation, in-depth interviews, survey research, and content analysis. Prereq 301 or instructor approval.

Soc 432 EL Sociology Research Methods EL - Ynez Wilson Hirst 4 Units TBA

Concurrent enrollment in 432-01

Fulfills Core Curriculum Requirement: EL