Dept of Sociology - BU Undergraduate Bulletin 2003-2004

Arts & Sciences | School of Education | School of Humanities | School of Sciences | School of Social Sciences

Communication Studies | History | Media Studies | Political Science | Sociology

Department of Sociology
Annemarie Harrod (chair), Andrea Stepnick, Ken Spring.

Vision:

The Sociology Program provides specific knowledge and theoretical frameworks as bases for developing cultural awareness and understanding of the social arrangements that shape human life and social action. Sociology seeks knowledge about social processes, which we use for self-understanding, social change and the amelioration of social (including environmental) problems.

Purpose:

The major in sociology prepares students for graduate work and for many careers including, but not limited to, the following: social work, criminology, research, medicine, nursing, teaching, law, business, ministry, administration, and community work.

Goals:

The program goals have four overlapping dimensions: content skills, community-based goals and professional and community connections. First, students develop a critical understanding of how major social arrangements, such as race, class, and gender interact with the economy, education, religion, family, and the environment. Second, students develop theoretical orientations and research skills which will enable them to practice higher-order thinking skills and apply sociological knowledge to policy and other issues. Third, these skills become the means for exploring intellectual freedom and knowledge of self. Fourth, students have opportunities for community involvement and for developing relations with organizations in ways that enhance student learning and, at the same time, benefit the community. Fifth, the department fosters a productive learning environment through advising and mentoring students on an individual basis.

Major in Sociology (B.A. or B.S.)	Hours
General Education Core Requirements			56-58
Prerequisites for Major in Sociology (taken as part of the General Education core)
MTH 103, Statistical Concepts	3
SOC 101, Introduction to Sociology	3
Major Requirements			30
SOC 220, Sociological Theory	3
SOC 225, Social Research Methods	3
Sociology Core Courses		9
Institutions (three hours chosen from the following)	3
SOC 205, The Family SOC 230, Crime and Deviance SOC 300, Schools and Society SOC 322, Sociology of Religion SOC 323, Medical Sociology SOC 325, Economy and Society SOC 344, Sociology of Science SOC 380, Topics in Criminology
Power and Inequality (three hours chosen from the following)	3
SOC 320, Sex and Gender SOC 324, Political Sociology SOC 340, Inequality SOC 345, Race and Ethnic Relations
Social Change and Culture (three hours chosen from the following)	3
SOC 335, Social Movements SOC 355, The Urban Community SOC 360, Environmental Sociology SOC 365, Popular Culture
Sociology Electives		15
Minor Requirements			18
Electives			22-24
Total			128

Minor in Sociology	Hours
Prerequisites for Minor in Sociology (included in core or electives)			6
MTH 103, Statistical Concepts	3
SOC 101, Introduction to Sociology	3
Minor Requirements*			18
SOC 220, Sociological Theory	3
SOC 225, Social Research Methods	3
Sociology Core Courses		9
Institutions and the Self (three hours chosen from the following)	3
SOC 205, The Family SOC 230, Crime and Deviance SOC 300, Schools and Society SOC 322, Sociology of Religion SOC 323, Medical Sociology SOC 325, Economy and Society SOC 344, Sociology of Science
Power and Inequality (three hours chosen from the following)	3
SOC 320, Sex and Gender SOC 324, Political Sociology SOC 340, Social Stratification SOC 345, Race and Ethnic Relations
Social Change and Culture (three hours chosen from the following)	3
SOC 335, Social Movements SOC 355, The Urban Community SOC 360, Environmental Sociology SOC 365, Popular Culture
Sociology Electives		3
Total			18
*Social Work and Psychology majors only may substitute SWK 205 or PSY 240 for SOC 225. Eighteen hours in sociology is still required.

Sociology Courses (SOC)

SOC 195-495. Studies Abroad (3-18). Study in a foreign country. Individual course titles and locations are assigned for each course taken. See Studies Abroad program for details.

SOC 199-499. Special Studies (1-3).

SOC 101. Introduction to Sociology (3). A study of human association: social control, interaction, conflict, assimilation, segregation, and stratification.

SOC 110. Special Topics in General Education: Sociology (3). These courses are designed to provide special topic classes in sociology approved for the general education program. Students may take no more than one course from this prefix to meet social science general education requirements.

SOC 202. Social Problems (3). Pre or corequisite: SOC 101. A study of current social problems: crime, drug addiction, alcoholism, pollution, and poverty.

SOC 205. The Family (3). Pre or corequisite: SOC 101. This course studies the family as a means of social reproduction and as a symbol of the public good. It focuses on change in the relationship between marriage and the church, the status of the family as a unit of production, and the economic roles of its members. The course also reviews such contemporary debates as those regarding divorce, adultery, homosexuality, miscegenation, abortion, child care, and the education of children.

SOC 220. Sociological Theory (3). Prerequisite: SOC 101. An analysis of macro-social theories including Marx, Durkheim, and Weber, and micro-social theories including symbolic interaction, role theory, and social exchange theory.

SOC 225. Social Research Methods (3). Prerequisites: SOC 101, MTH 103. An introduction to the basic skills necessary in conducting empirical research in the social sciences. Topics covered will include the logic of science in sociology, literature reviews, design and measurement, use of primary and secondary data, ethical issues in research, and writing research reports. This course will be offered every other year.

SOC 230. Deviance (3). This course focuses on dissidents, those labeled mentally ill, sexual and religious minorities, gamblers, addicts, and other noncriminal deviants. It studies the role of public stigma in the maintenance of both solidarity and inequality, as well as the consequences for those labeled deviant.

SOC 300. Schools and Society: The Sociology of Education (3). Prerequisite: SOC 101 or consent of instructor. The role of education in modern industrial life. The contributions of various theories to understanding how schools affect the individual and relate to the economy, families, race, ethnicity, and social class.

SOC 320. Sex and Gender (3). This course examines the social construction of manhood, womanhood, and human sexuality. It emphasizes feminist sociological study of inequality, and focuses on a variety of topics, which in any semester could include: family, romance, the status of working women, religious doctrines, public authority, sexual deviance, and violent crime.

SOC 322. Sociology of Religion (3). This course studies religion as a force of moral solidarity and social change. It reviews the history of the post-Enlightenment study of religion, major sociological theories, and their assumptions. Substantive topics include the history of struggles among religious organizations in the American South, contemporary debates about morality and the state nationwide, overlap and tensions between mass religion and our secular popular culture. This course focuses on the place of mainline Protestantism in these struggles.

SOC 323. Medical Sociology (3). This course looks at medicine as an institution which is highly related to other social institutions such as religion, the family, the economy, and the state. It examines the social demography of health, social stratification and healthcare delivery, doctor-patient interaction, and professional norms in the healthcare profession.

SOC 324. Political Sociology (3). Prerequisite: SOC 101 or consent of instructor. This course will examine topics such as politics and power in society, theoretical perspectives in political sociology, elite power in American society, linkages between elites and masses, and socio-political movements.

SOC 325. Economy and Society (3). Prerequisite: SOC 101 or consent of instructor. An analysis of American economic institutions with emphasis on the role of modern corporations, shifting patterns of work, production, and consumption. The impact of the multinational corporation on community, environment, and workers' lives is examined.

SOC 330. Social Psychology (3). Prerequisites: PSY 110 and PSY 240 or SOC 225 or SWK 205. (Same as PSY 330. See PSY 330 for course description.)

SOC 335. Social Movements (3). Prerequisite: SOC 101 or consent of instructor. This course examines factors that affect the evolution, structure, and growth of social movements. Key social movements will be analyzed for their affect on American society.

SOC 340. Inequality (3). Prerequisites: SOC 101, SOC 220 or consent of instructor. An analysis of the dimensions of stratification in American society, namely, race, class, and gender. It will also discuss occupational prestige, class and social change, socialization and values, structural opportunities for social mobility, class consciousness and class conflict, and the underclass and American public policy.

SOC 344. Sociology of Science (3). Prerequisite: One course in the Sciences. This course will focus on three major areas: studies of the social structure of the scientific community, studies of the construction of scientific knowledge, and studies of science in social, political and economic contexts. The third focus will deal in greater depth with one or more specific scientific controversies, such as the debates which have occurred around nuclear energy, genetic research, and environmental issues.

SOC 345. Race and Ethnic Relations (3). A study of race and ethnic relations in the U.S. focusing on both historical and contemporary issues in a sociological framework. Included for consideration are the nature of human prejudice and discrimination, colonization and immigration, assimilation and pluralism, inequality and conflict, and other relevant current issues.

SOC 355. The Urban Community (3). Prerequisite: SOC 101. An examination of urban social structures and processes, historical patterns in the structure and growth of the city. Also examined are community power structures, urban planning and Third World cities.

SOC 360. Environmental Sociology (3). This course analyzes various theoretical and policy approaches to environmental issues, how societies progress from states of surplus to scarcity, and structural barriers to environmental progress.

SOC 365. Popular Culture (3). This course examines mass-mediated entertainment and its engagement both with enduring social tensions (regarding class, race, and gender divisions) and with religious faith and institutions. It reviews theories of the significance of popular culture, as well as methods of genre and single-case analysis. It also prepares students to contribute to current trends in research. The course emphasizes contemporary music, video, and especially film.

SOC 370. Criminal Justice (3). The study of the institutions that process suspected and convicted criminal offenders, this course focuses on legal codes, courts, police, prisons, and mass-media crime scares. It offers study of the ways in which these institutions shape and are shaped by large-scale inequality.

SOC 380. Criminology (3). The study of motives for and situations conducive to crime, this course reviews major theories of crime and methods for its study. Focus on specific crimes may vary by semester, but the role of inequality in the shaping of crime remains central.

SOC 390. Special Topics in Crime and Deviance (3). This course offers focused study of special topics, such as media violence, terrorism, prisons, sociology of law, or the relations between deviance and particular forms of inequality.

SOC 480. Senior Research Seminar (3). Prerequisites: SOC 101, MTH 103, SOC 220, SOC 225, at least 12 additional hours in sociology and senior standing. This is a seminar during which seniors will pursue their own individual research projects. There will be no lectures or exams, but each class will include discussion of the various research topics of interest to students. Each student's work will culminate in the completion of an empirical research project.

SOC 490. Practicum in Sociology (3). Prerequisites: Consent of instructor required. A specially arranged course designed to give the student practical experience in work settings related to sociology. Students are assigned to an area of interest to them and their work is supervised by a field supervisor and the course supervisor. A minimum of 100 hours in the agency is required. Grading is on a Pass/ Fail basis. Only three hours of practicum may be applied to the minor.