Course Descriptions

SIL 116 - Continuing Italian

SIL 125 - Beginning Korean

SIL 126 - Continuing Korean

SIL 131 - Beginning Modern Greek

SIL 132 - Continuing Modern Greek

SIL 141 - Beginning Brazilian Portuguese

SIL 142 - Continuing Brazilian Portuguese

SIL 161 - Beginning Amharic

SIL 162 - Continuing Amharic

SIL 171 - Beginning Hindi

SIL 172 - Continuing Hindi

SIL 185 - Beginning Japanese

SIL 186 - Continuing Japanese

SIL 191 - Beginning Hebrew

SIL 192 - Continuing Hebrew

SOC 101 - Introductory Sociology

Introduction to the scientific study of human social interaction with particular focus on the mutual influences between individuals and the groups to which they belong; the basic theories, concepts and techniques used by sociologists in their research.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to seniors.

SOC 102 - Race, Class, Gender & Sexuality

Race, class, gender, and sexuality are axes of stratification, identity, and experience. They are often taken for granted or go unrecognized. In this course, we will address the multiple and intersecting ways these concepts shape society, individual life chances, and daily social interactions. First, we will take a detailed look at each of the core concepts: race, class, gender, and sexuality. Studying the “socially constructed” nature of these concepts, we ask what meanings and values have been attached to them by social actors, and we examine how these social constructions help to rationalize and justify social inequality. Next, we will analyze the significance of race, class, gender, and sexuality in a variety of institutional and interpersonal contexts, including schools, the workplace, families and relationships, and the criminal justice system.

SOC 105 - Topics in Race and Religion

The purpose of this course is to gain appreciation for sociological analysis at the intersection of race-ethnicity and religion through the life experience of Barack Obama.  We will consider a number of topics including the broader and complex effects of race and identity, politics and globalization, faith and community, economics and financial pressures, citizenship and public life, prejudice and discrimination, media and technology, as well as celebrity and symbolic leadership.

Satisfies the Ethnic Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.

SOC 205 - Racial and Ethnic Relations

Comparative and historical study of social processes related to racial and ethnic differences in modern complex societies. Readings in theoretical and descriptive literature, focusing on issues of unequal distribution of power and privilege, racism, and ethnic prejudice.

Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.  
Satisfies the Ethnic Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 212 - Deviance and Social Control

Sociological theories and research concerned with the definition and characteristics of behaviors that do not conform to moral and legal codes in society. Ways in which societies attempt to control and sanction such behavior.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 217 - Gender and Society

This course introduces a critical approach to examining the social construction of gender. It explores several different perspectives on gender inequality and the role of social institutions such as family, education, economy, and media in creating the experience of gender in society.

Satisfies the Gender Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 218 - Gendered Communication in Society (= COM 218)

Examination of the social construction of gender in both personal relationships and professional contexts. Areas to be explored may include: culture, verbal and nonverbal communication, family dynamics and close relationships, education, organizational communication, and roles in media.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology and in Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Satisfies a requirement in Gender Studies and Communication Studies Interdisciplinary Minor. 

 

SOC 219 - Sociological Criminology

Analysis of social and legal aspects of crime, perspectives on causation, and consequences of variable social reactions to crime. Examination of research pertaining to crime and crime statistics; and modern trends in criminal law, law enforcement administration, and corrections.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to seniors.

SOC 220 - Culture, Media and Society in the Digital Age

This course examines the role of media in modern society. We focus on the ways that information technology impacts our social relations and experiences. Throughout the class we learn about, define, and apply concepts related to new forms of social communication - social media, crowdsourcing, virtual digital communities, and microblogging - seeking to evaluate our changing notions of selfhood and participation in social relations today.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 221 - Schools and Society (= EDU 221)

Counts toward the Education Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 222 - Sociology of Culture

What is “culture” and how do we study it? Prior to 1980s, sociological analyses of culture were mostly found in theoretical debates and in empirical investigations of religion, the “arts”, and the “sociology of knowledge.” The concept itself often oscillates from how we express the beliefs we hold about reality, through the norms and values that orient our moral commitments, and the symbols that “contain” our beliefs. Today, cultural approaches have been incorporated into a wide range of areas in sociology, including the law, sexuality, education, science, economic markets, formal organizations, popular culture, and race and ethnicity. The questions that sociologists of culture ask have also changed. We will investigate three major questions that shed light on how actors use culture as a tool in social action: 1. What are the social origins of culture? 2. What cultural patterns are found in various groups and institutions? 3. What influence does culture have on important aspects of society? The theoretical works we will read are broadly oriented towards many areas of social life.

Satisfies the Social Science Thought requirement.

SOC 225 - Sociology of Religion

The sociology of religion pursues an understanding of both the “social-ness” of religion itself and the mutually influencing interactions between religion and its social environment.  We will analyze religious beliefs, practices, and organizations from a sociological perspective, with a primary focus on religion in contemporary American society.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 226 - Criminal Justice System

Every local jurisdiction in the United States-at the city or township or parish or county level-is served by a police force and a prosecutor. They are supposed to protect all of us from criminals. They are also supposed to act in the interest of justice by following rules meant to protect the innocent from arrest and conviction. Unfortunately, in many of the thousands of jurisdictions, police arrest and lawyers prosecute innocent men and women. This is not conjecture. This is fact. The consequences of wrongful conviction are enormous, including the obvious reality that when the wrong person is arrested, the actual perpetrator is probably at liberty to murder or rape or rob again. During this semester, we will talk and read about the criminal justice system-why it works well much of the time in most jurisdictions, and why wrongful convictions occur some of the time in way too many of the jurisdictions.

Satisfies a major requirement for Sociology.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 227 - Hip Hop and Urban Sociology

Our goal in this course is to interrogate some of the most pressing social problems that face urban Americans, paying particular attention to racial minorities who live in the most impoverished sections. We do so by comparing representations of these locales in hip hop music with social scientific research. We will cover four topics: economic inequality; housing and residential segregation; violence, crime, and punishment; and intimate life.

SOC 228 - Sociology of Cities and Urban Life

Today, most of the world’s people dwell in urban areas, and there is every indication that the future will be dominated by cities. Increasingly, then, the study of society is the study of urban society. Some of the principal questions of urban sociology are: (1) how and why cities come into being, (2) why they tend to become organized in particular ways, (3) how they are structured internally, (4) how people living in cities interact with one another, (5) how cities affect regions and individual nations, and (6) how urbanization and urbanism create different social problems.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 230 - Sociology of Work

Work not only occupies a central role in our lives, it is closely intertwined with other social institutions and social processes, especially social inequality. Work is perhaps the most important way in which society impacts our social experiences and life chances. Throughout the course, we will challenge the taken-for-granted notions about what constitutes work, what constitutes an occupation or profession, and the value of the economic vs. the social as a work outcome.  Topics will include: contemporary issues in 21st century work; a look at work during and after the Industrial Revolution; major theorist’s contributions to the study of work; work and self in the service industry; work and self among professionals and managers; and the modern distinction between work and family.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 231 - Leadership & Organizations

Leaders, teams, and organizations are closely intertwined in the operations of social institutions, social structures, and social processes.  The course provides an introduction to models and theories of leadership, processes inherent in the dynamics of small group interactions, and critical insights from organizational theory.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 233 - Sociology of Childhood

This course examines childhood as a complex social category created and reproduced through social relations and social structures, including schools, families, peer relationships and popular culture. In addition to looking at how social processes shape the lives of children, we will discuss children’s agency, exploring how children actively interpret and influence the social world.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 235 - Networks and Social Structures

This course examines the role of social networks in modern society. The course is organized as part lecture; part involved weekly group leadership discussion on theoretical and substantive themes within social network analysis.  The theoretical heart of the approach to social science focuses on the finding that social and economic actors are interdependent. As a sociological phenomenon of fundamental importance to social life, social structure emerges from regularities in this interdependence. In the class, attention will also be paid to joining the conceptual and theoretical development of social networks with methodological tools to implement network research.  By the end of the course, you should (1) know the major theoretical ideas supporting network research, (2) be able to collect social network data and, (3) be able to analyze and interpret social network data.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement

SOC 237 - Boys and Men in Society

This course focuses on the diverse experiences of boys and men. We start with the social construction of masculinities across race/ethnicity, class, and sexuality. Through this, we consider the advantages as well as the costs of contemporary notions of masculinity. We examine how boys learn to be men from pre-K through college. We then turn to men’s experiences and interactions with various institutions, including work, family, and the media. We then consider the significance of violence in constructing masculinities. Finally, we focus on more inclusive conceptions of masculinity and men’s role in promoting gender equality. We view all these issues through an intersectional lens, considering gender, race, class, and sexuality. 

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Satisfies a minor requirement in Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Gender Studies.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 240 - Social Movements

An introduction to social movements as distinctive social spaces in which relatively powerless groups of people make collective efforts to affect history.  Explores the major sociological approaches to studying these efforts, as well as the dynamics of social movement emergence, goals and messages, tactics and strategies, organization structures, internal conflicts, and activist identity formation.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 242 - Globalization & Social Change

An introduction to some of the social consequences of the multi-faceted and contested process of globalization. Explores how cultural, economic, and political globalizations are all altering the social landscape, social relationships, and social institutions including patterns of work, cultural consumption, migration, and family relations. Also looks at how diverse groups of people are actively trying to shape globalization in particular ways.

Counts toward the International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 243 - Global Health and Social Inequalities

The course introduces students to global health topics with a particular emphasis on sociological determinants of health and illness and inequalities in health outcomes across global regions, social class, race, and gender. Major substantive topics include demographic and epidemiological transitions, gender and reproductive health, human rights, and disparities in the “global burden of disease.” In this course, we will also evaluate the role of state actors and policies, international institutions, such as the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in the organization and delivery of health services, both in the Global South and within disadvantaged communities in the Global North.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology.
Satisfies Medical Humanities and International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor requirements.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 246 - American Families

Introduction to families in the USA. Dating, cohabitation, civil unions, marriage, divorce, remarriage, intergenerational relationships, domestic violence, and family policy are explored. Attention is given to gender, race, and class differences.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 247 - Global Development & Underdevelopment

This course introduces theory, research, and current debates in causes of global development and underdevelopment.  The course takes a critical and empirically grounded sociological approach.  Moreover, given the growing complexity of the international development agenda, the course material occasionally also draw from other social sciences including anthropology, economics, and political science. The course begins by tracing the historical chronology of the “development project” starting from the end of World War II to the present by focusing on changing meanings and “measures” of global development over time. The second part of the course uses case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America to introduce  correlates of global development and institutions that engender (or hinder) socioeconomic improvement.  Substantive topics include: international trade, globalization and global governance, state formation and democratization, the failures of foreign aid, development from below and NGOs, microfinance, gender and development, and sustainable development.

SOC 250 - Inequality in America

Theories and comparative examples of the unequal distribution of social resources and the consequences of inequality for social life.  Analysis of class structure, social mobility, and social programs to reduce inequality.

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 251 - Health Disparities in the U.S. and Beyond (=MHU 251)

In 2010, a male born here in Mecklenburg County could expect to live 77 years. That same year in McDowell County, West Virginia-a little over three hours from Davidson-a male baby could only expect to live 64 years. Between 1987 and 2006, AIDS mortality rates in the U.S. fell for white men and increased only slightly for white women, but tripled for black women.  Why is time so unequal in America? Why are some groups burdened with higher mortality or more years lived with sickness? How do health disparities relate to other forms of inequality in the U.S.? And how do our health disparities compare to those of other nations? This course relies on peer-reviewed journal articles and an edited anthology covering major topics in social determinants of health and the production of health disparities to address these and related questions. While the emphasis will be on the US, we will consider the pattern of health disparities and social determinants of health in other countries.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology

Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Medical Humanities

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement

SOC 260 - Social Statistics

Sociologists and others who are interested in describing and interpreting social phenomena often rely on statistical data collected in surveys, opinion polls, census, etc. Making sense of such data, which is often composed of large numbers of observations, requires familiarity with statistical techniques for summarizing the data, representing it graphically, and exploring relationships between different variables. This course provides an introduction to quantitative data analysis in sociology and other social sciences. Topics include descriptive measures, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, chi-square, correlation, and regression. The course also focuses on computer applications through the use of SPSS software.

Satisfies the Mathematical and Quantitative Thought distribution requirement.

SOC 261 - Social Diversity & Inequality in Education (=EDU 260)

This course focuses on issues of social diversity, social inequality, and social justice in education. It is designed to integrate cognitive development with the experiential aspects of social learning. Students will be encouraged to link new learning with their personal and social reality through structured writing assignments, cooperative learning activities, and critical experiential learning.

Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. 
Counts toward the Education Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.

SOC 265 - Population & Society

This course provides an introduction to social demography: the sociological study of human population processes and their relationship with social, economic, and political changes. The course will begin with an introduction of population characteristics, including its size, growth, and age distribution, followed by a discussion of population dynamics, which are fertility and sexuality, mortality, and migration. The second part of the course will cover population topics that are relevant in planning and policy debates such as: marriage and family, population health, the youth bulge, urbanization, population aging, population and environment, and population changes and economic development in the Global South.

Satisfies Social Science distribution requirement.

SOC 266 - Medical Sociology in Comparative Perspective

Health and illness are not evenly distributed across society. An individual’s income, education, and even number of friends can have profound effects on their risk of illness. Social network characteristics, socioeconomic status, and social capital have been associated with risk for everything from heart attacks to diabetes to the common cold. Further, because illness is a social concept, diseases are often understood and experienced in profoundly different ways across social contexts. This course will introduce you to the major ideas and texts in the sociology of health and medicine considered in comparative perspective. We will pay particular attention to the roles of inequality, race, gender, social stress, migration, religiosity, and institutional change in patterning health and illness in readings and discussion.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology

Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Medical Humanities

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement

SOC 272 - Human Geography (= ENV 272)

Human geography is the study of multifaceted and dynamic relationships between people and places. Complex interactions and interdependencies of societies provide a basis for the study of humans in various landscapes. This course offers understandings of how people’s lives are influenced by the places that surround them and how they, in turn, create and change those places. Fundamental geographic concepts will help make sense of our globalizing world and its implications for our everyday lives. We will explore a range of geographic topics, as well as some concepts and methods used in geographic study. This course is a lecture and discussion course designed to provide students with concepts and ideas that are foundational to the study of the geography of human systems. The course features cartographic and social science concepts to support students in their geographic knowledge and analysis of seven broad themes: spatial perspectives; population and migration; cultural patterns and processes; political organization of space; agriculture, food production, and rural land use; cities and urban land use; industrialization and economic development.

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
Satisfies a major requirement in Environmental Studies.
Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology.
Satisfies an Interdisciplinary Minor requirement in Environmental Studies.

Prerequisites & Notes
No prerequisites are required.

SOC 275 - Mass Media & Society (= COM 275)

This course takes a critical approach to the study of the production and consumption of mass media, focusing on both the media industry in the United States and emerging forms of global media. Drawing upon various media - including television, radio, video games, and the Internet - the course will examine the economic and social organization of mass media, the content of media messages, the relationship between media and the public, the growth of new media technologies, and current dilemmas facing media policy makers. The course assumes that mass media and the industries that produce media products play significant cultural and political roles in contemporary societies.

Major credit in Sociology.
Counts toward the Communication Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies Social Science distribution requirement.

SOC 280 - Introduction to Global Health (=MHU 280)

MHU 280 - Introduction to Global Health

Global health is an emerging interdisciplinary field that approaches health issues as transnational challenges requiring multi-level, community-based solutions. This course introduces its major concepts, tools, and debates. Topics include global health inequities, historical and ongoing strategies for control of communicable diseases from smallpox to HIV/AIDS, the global rise in prominence of non-communicable disease, connections between social structures and the global distribution of disease, and debates over health as a human right. Students will learn to interpret and evaluate population health indicators, interact with WHO datasets, and analyze health interventions and policies from both solutions-oriented and critical perspectives.

Prerequisites & Notes
(Fall)

SOC 300 - Education in African American Society (=EDU 300)

This seminar explores the social and historical forces shaping the education of people of African descent in the United States from slavery to the 21st century. We will examine values, beliefs, and perspectives on education across gender and class lines, individual and group efforts toward building educational institutions and organizations, hidden or forgotten educational initiatives and programming, and cross-cultural projects to promote literacy and achievement in African American society.

SOC 310 - Gender, Race, and Sports

This course examines the interrelations among gender, race, and sports. The construction of racial and gender identities through sports, the influence of youth sports on children’s socialization, sports in educational settings, and media images of female and minority athletes will be examined.

Satisfies the Ethnic Studies Interdisciplinary Minor and Gender Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

SOC 312 - Gender, Race and Class in Media

This course explores issues relevant to gender, race, and class in media. The course begins with the premise that all knowledge is constructed. As with other institutions, the media play a critical role in the construction of knowledge, particularly that related to our ideas about gender, race, and class. This course will mainly emphasize the representation of gender, race, and class in media.

Satisfies the Ethnic Studies Interdisciplinary Minor and Gender Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

SOC 315 - Media Effects (= COM 315)

An exploration of relevant theories and practices of conducting media effects research in the mass mediated/disseminated communication contexts including television, radio, print, popular culture, internet, and other forms of new media. Topics include health, advertising, edutainment, stereotypes, violence, pornography, music videos, video games, news, and politics.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology.
Satisfies Communication Studies and Film and Media Studies interdisciplinary minor requirements.
Satisfies the Liberal Studies distribution requirement.
 

SOC 317 - Gender and Globalization

Explores the gendered effects of contemporary processes of globalization.  Focusing primarily on women’s lives, the course examines how cultural, political and economic globalizations are changing the landscape of gender relations.  Students will become familiar with many of the current issues and debates in transnational gender research, including the implications of economic development/modernization, neoliberalism, militarization, and population control agendas. Also examines work and labor, transnational families and care work, sexuality across borders, and struggles for human rights.

Satisfies the International Studies Interdisciplinary Minor and the Gender Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 329 - White Collar Crime

Analysis of social, ethical, and legal aspects of white-collar crime, perspectives and theories on causation, and consequences of variable social reactions. Ways in which societies attempt to investigate, adjudicate, and regulate this evolving phenomenon.

SOC 330 - Sociology of Education (=EDU 330)

An introduction to the sociological study of education in the United States, including an examination of the school as an organization within a larger environment. Explores the link between schools and social stratification by analyzing the mutually generative functions of schools and considers how processes within schools can lead to different outcomes for stakeholders.

Satisfies the Education Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.

SOC 331 - Theoretical Explorations of Community Engagement

An examination of community engagement through a range of theoretical lenses. After interrogating constructions of “community,” “service,” and “civic engagement,” we will explore the ways in which topics such as social justice, civic engagement, empowerment, diversity, and the ethics of service frame community work. Specific enactments of community involvement are explored including philanthropy, volunteerism, social entrepreneurship, and activism with a focus on leadership and change.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology.
Satisfies a requirement in Communication Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor is required.

SOC 333 - Organizing Innovation and Creativity in Organizations

This course examines major innovations in organizations and asks whether innovation itself can be organized. We will study a range of forms of organizing (e.g., bureaucratic, post-bureaucratic, and open architecture network forms) in a broad variety of settings: from food systems to the military-entertainment complex, from airline cockpits to Wall Street trading rooms, from engineering firms to mega-churches, from improv-comedy to PowerPoint demonstrations, from scientific management at the turn of the twentieth century to collaborative filtering and open source programming at the beginning of the twenty-first.  Special attention will be paid to relationship between organizational forms and new digital technologies. Basic concepts in organizational analysis - groups, projects, communities, knowledge, networks, search, collaboration, space, location, users, producers - are revisited when organizational design cannot be separated from design of the digital interface.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement

SOC 340 - Education in African American Society (=EDU 340)

This seminar explores the social and historical forces shaping the education of people of African descent in the United States from slavery to the 21st century. We will examine values, beliefs, and perspectives on education across gender and class lines, individual and group efforts toward building educational institutions and organizations, hidden or forgotten educational initiatives and programming, and cross-cultural projects to promote literacy and achievement in African American society. 

Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Satisfies the Education Interdisciplinary Minor and the Ethnic Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

SOC 360 - Medical Sociology

Sociological factors of health and illness, social organization of modern medicine, sociological analysis of the role and status of medical and paramedical personnel in this country, and the social differences in the acquisition of medical aid and in the reaction to medical treatment.

Satisfies the Medical Humanities Interdisciplinary Minor.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.

SOC 363 - Urban Geography (= ENV 373)

Urban landscapes differ dramatically from other spaces on the planet in their physical structure, economic base, governance patterns, and intensity of social interactions. Cities are often characterized by striking inequalities in income distribution, social and spatial mobility, access to resources, and forms of cultural expression. Conflicting social forces and economic processes make urban areas vibrant and complex phenomena, and cities are often presented as both the problem and the solution for a sustainable future. This course introduces analysis of contemporary urban systems, with an emphasis on spatial and geographic patterns and processes. We will examine the contradictions and conflicts inherent in the development of U.S. and international cities, as well as the centrality of urban system development in the evolution of local and global political economies. Lectures, discussions, and field trips will provide both theoretical frameworks and contextualized experiences of urban social life. Our examinations of the changing economic, social, political, and environmental dynamics of cities will focus on a wide range of topics, including economic processes, governmental management, urban form, land use, housing, migration, transportation, socioenvironmental justice, and political ecology, among others.

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
Satisfies a major requirement in Environmental Studies.
Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology.
Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Environmental Studies.

Prerequisites & Notes
No prerequisites are required.

SOC 370 - Theory in Sociology

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.

SOC 371 - Critical Race Theory

Introduces students to the development of critical race theory as a specific theoretical framework to explain or to investigate how race and racism are organized and operate within the United States.  The course will have a sociological focus with emphasis on critical race scholarship that includes, but is not limited to, an analysis of double consciousness, colorblindness, intersectionality, whiteness as property, racial microaggressions, and structures of power.  Students will also explore central tenets and key writings advanced in the 1990s primarily by African American, Latino/a, and Asian American scholars in law, education, and public policy.  The course is both reading intensive and extensive with a major writing assignment that addresses a theoretical problem that grows out of the course topics and discussions.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology and Africana Studies.
Satisfies a minor requirement in Educational Studies.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement.
 

SOC 372 - Feminist Theories

Introduces students to key concepts and debates within feminist social theory.  Explores the significance of gender within social life, how gender is produced at the individual and institutional levels , as well as feminist conceptualizations of ‘the good society.’ Addresses key questions of social theory including the relationship between individuals and social structures, the construction of identities, and the meaning of power.

Satisfies the Gender Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

SOC 373 - Contemporary Social Theory

This course is designed to provide broad overview of contemporary social theory and introduces you to the concepts, writings, and arguments of some of the most important social theorists of the 20th century. We will discuss complex interrelated cultural, social, political and economic issues and discover how social theorists have dealt with them during the decades in the 20th century when their theories were advanced. Most important, we will endeavor to understand how these issues affect our understanding of the world and the everyday lived experience. The terms and concepts we will get familiarized with are concepts such as social mechanisms, social action, social structure, as well as modernity, post-structuralism, critical theory, rational choice theory, postmodernism, and cultural studies.  

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement

 

Prerequisites & Notes
Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors only.

SOC 380 - Sociology of Hollywood

Hollywood is more than geography; it is a vibrant, international network of people producing entertainment for fame and profit.  This seminar pursues a sociological analysis of the social space called “Hollywood”: its genesis, operation, and influence.  The class begins with an exploration of the construction of Hollywood itself (e.g., geographic beginnings, the studio system, industry occupations, and financial realities) and then considers the broader effects of the entertainment industry on contemporary American society (e.g., relations with governmental and religious institutions, structures in film production and distribution, and the interrelationship of the entertainment industry and popular culture).

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to first year students.

SOC 381 - Gender & Globalization

Explores the gendered effects of contemporary processes of globalization. Focusing primarily on women’s lives, we’ll look at how cultural, political, and economic globalizations are changing the landscape of gender relations. Students will become familiar with many of the current issues and debates in the transnational gender research, including the implications of economic development/modernization, neoliberalism, militarization, and population control agendas. Also examines work and labor, transnational families and care work, sexuality across borders, and struggles for human rights.

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to first-year students.

SOC 382 - Men and Masculinity

This course explores how masculinity is constructed and how men are affected by these constructions. We consider whether constructions of masculinity differ by important social characteristics, such as age, race/ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation. We also pay attention to the social context (e.g., schools, home, neighborhoods, workplaces, athletic venues) in which masculinity is created and maintained.  We will address issues such as: the evolution of manhood; sexuality and adolescent masculinity; poverty, mobility, and black masculinity; street life and violence; fatherhood politics; masculinity and sports media.

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to first-year students.

SOC 383 - Issues in Contemporary Terrorism

SOC 384 - Sociology of Fashion

One of the earliest sociological theories of fashion is economist’s Thornstein Veblen’s analysis of conspicuous consumption, which argues that we consume products as a way of demonstrating our status and wealth. Georg Simmel - a contemporary of Veblen, but a sociologist - offered a sociological evolution for this argument. He believed that as the lower classes imitate their social superiors, the elites would fight back to distinguish themselves from the latter. The “old” fashion will have to be replaced by a “new” trend. These two approaches are used to explain the existence of cycles in fashion and offer a social explanation for a heretofore, economic phenomenon! In this class, we will study the role of social theory in the fashion process, and some of the most important distinctions between psychological and sociological perspectives on fashion. We will ask and explain: 1). Who is the Consumer? 2). Gender Issues in Fashion and The male gaze as a ‘technology of gender’; 3). Body Image and Self-Concept; 4). Masquerade and Impression Management; and, 5). Postmodern and Modern Fashion. 

Satisfies the Social Science Thought requirement.

SOC 385 - Youth Cultures and Subcultures

This seminar explores youth as both an object and subject of cultural production, addressing the various ways that young people consume, produce, and live in their cultures. In addition to learning about the meaning and significance of historic and contemporary youth cultural formations and subcultural groups, students will conduct extensive independent research projects, practicing several different sociological methods including ethnographic observation, in-depth interviewing, and discourse and content analysis.

SOC 386 - Religion and Young Adults

What does religious commitment look like among young adults? Our focus in this class will center on young adults in America–those often labeled “emerging adults”–and the nature of their religious involvement (or lack thereof) from adolescence through their later 20s. The continuation of any religious tradition is dependent on the ability to pass along beliefs and practices across generations. Yet, the challenges of sustaining religion appears to be increasing, although unevenly and in not-so-obvious ways. De-conversion, disaffiliation, and disbelief are growing options, and religious diversity and tolerance are more important than ever. Overall, this seminar pursues the most current sociological analysis available at the intersection of age and religion. Our class begins with a broad discussion of Karl Mannheim’s classic discussion on “the problem of generations” and a conceptual discussion of age, generation , and historical effects. The class continues with an analysis of religion in adolescence. Several research sources on the complexities of young adult religion will quickly culminate into an examination of topics including family relationships, peer influences, sexuality, parachurch organizations, college students, and dating/courtship dynamics.

Satisfies a distribution credit in social-scientific thought.

SOC 387 - Political Economy of African Development

In this course we will use material from Global Political Economy and Comparative Sociology to trace evolution of contemporary African institutions (markets, states, and civil society) as the continent grapples with “development agenda,” which to a large extent has influenced both the construction of national identities in the continent and the nature of African states’ interactions with the rest of the world. We will use case studies from specific African nation-states to explore topics including: the enduring legacy of colonialism, African Socialism policies from independence to 1980s, adoption of neoliberal policies through Structural Adjustment Programs and the subsequent transitions to open-markets beginning in mid-1980s, the third wave of democratization (transitions to competitive politics) in the 1990s, and the recent popular uprisings in North Africa. Also, we will discuss other variables that are particular to contemporary African political economy including civil conflict, natural resources and corruption, foreign aid regimes, engagement with International Financial Institutions, such as the IMF and the World Bank, and the recent surge of Chinese economic presence in the continent.

SOC 390 - Qualitative Research Methods

This class provides students with training in qualitative field research methods, with an emphasis on participant observation and in-depth interviewing. Students will conduct their own semester-long empirical research projects, going through the entire process of research design, data collection, coding, analysis, and writing. Readings and class sessions will focus on both theoretical foundations and techniques of interpretive, qualitative research. One of the best ways to develop research skills is to get out there and try it, to reflect on the process as you go, and to talk about what is working and not working for you with a group of colleagues and peers. Therefore, students will have extensive opportunities to reflect on their own research practices, learning by doing.

SOC 391 - Survey Methodology

This course introduces students to survey research methods.  Sociology is based on empirical data.  Sociologists are trained to collect data in order to answer questions.  One of the most commonly used forms of data collection within sociology is the survey.  In this course, students will gain experience in designing a survey, sampling, administering a survey, and analyzing survey data. 

Satisfies a Major credit in Sociology.

SOC 392 - Quantitative Data Analysis

In the current state of a highly interconnected global political economy, social scientists are increasingly relying on statistical data to make sense of complex and far-reaching social phenomena. This second semester quantitative methods course provides basic tools for analyzing large statistical datasets and exploring relationships between variables that measure various aspects of social, political, and economic life. Building on theoretical concepts from introductory statistics, this course provides students with hands-on quantitative analysis experience using data drawn from real world social issues/problems. The course uses statistical software, STATA, to explore a variety of techniques including regression analysis methods that have become essential tools not just in social science research but also in other fields such as business, public policy, and public health.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology.
Satisfies Mathematical and Quantitative Thought distribution requirement.
 

Prerequisites & Notes
A semester of college-level introductory statistics course in Sociology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, or Mathematics, such as SOC 260, ECO 105, POL 221, or MAT 341.

SOC 394 - Advanced Seminar in Global Health Methods

This course surveys research methods in interdisciplinary global health with an emphasis on field methods. We’ll focus on strategies and techniques for collecting qualitative and quantitative data in the field, then processing and analyzing it in ways that are useful for generating theory and testing hypotheses. You will field test a variety of methods, including survey research, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and grounded-theory coding techniques for natural social discourse. For your final project, you will propose, design, and pilot your own research protocol for IRB approval. The research methods we will study have their origins in sociology, public health, and anthropology and can be applied to many sociological questions outside health and medicine. What makes this course different from a less specific research methods course is that we will also take time to consider the ethical, legal, logistical, and methodological challenges inherent in doing research on health.

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology

Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Medical Humanities

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought distribution requirement

SOC 395 - Independent Research in Sociology

SOC 410 - Advanced Seminars in Sociology, SOC 410-419

Topics announced in advance.

Prerequisites & Notes
Third or fourth year standing and permission of the instructor.

SOC 430 - Race and Religious Faith

The seminar focuses on the historic Black Church in America as well as religion and migration among non-native, ethnic congregations (whether church, temple, or mosque) in order to examine the relations between race-ethnicity, religion, and broader civic society today. The course also examines the rare achievement of multi-ethnic/multi-racial religious communities. The broader and complex effects of politics and globalization, economics and financial pressures, citizenship and public life, prejudice and discrimination, media and technology, innovations and social change will be discussed throughout the course.

Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Third or fourth year standing and permission of the instructor.

SOC 440 - Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage

Americans love marriage. Most people will marry at some point in their lives and many will marry more than once. In fact, 40% of marriages involve a second or higher marriage for one or both spouses. At the same time, marriage rates have gone down, particularly for those with less education, and people are marrying later, with the median age at first marriage at 27 for women and 29 for men. In its place, more and more young adults are cohabiting, one-quarter by age 20 and three-quarters by age 30. Divorce rates remains relatively high, but there have been declines in the overall rate since the 1980s. Amidst these trends, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country. Before this, estimates showed 390,000 same-sex marriages, about 4 in 10 same-sex couples. This course will examine these trends as well as the decisions, relationships, and conflicts behind them. 

Satisfies a major requirement in Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Satisfies a minor requirement in Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Gender Studies.

SOC 488 - Fatherhood

This seminar focuses on the social, cultural, and historical study of fatherhood.  We start by breaking down stereotypes of fathers from the past and using this to reconsider modern fathers. As we consider current American society (mainly), we start with young men’s procreative consciousness (ideas and awareness about conception, pregnancy, abortion, and potential fatherhood). We consider fathers as gendered beings asking questions such as, can men mother? We discuss the experiences of stay-at-home fathers, gay fathers, stepfathers, and single fathers. Finally, we consider fathers’ rights movements.

SOC 495 - Independent Research in Sociology

SOU 310 - India: Past and Present

Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Offered as part of the Semester-in-India Program.

SOU 354 - Issues in Contemporary India

Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Offered as part of the Semester-in-India program.

SOU 385 - Public Health in India

Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Offered as part of the Semester-in-India program.

SOU 396 - Independent Study, SOU 396-399

SPA 101 - Elementary Spanish I

An introduction to speaking, understanding, reading, and writing Spanish. Requires attendance at Assistant Teacher sessions twice a week and online work through the Language Resource Center. Conducted in Spanish.

Prerequisites & Notes
(Fall)

SPA 102 - Elementary Spanish II

Development of further skills in speaking, understanding, reading and writing Spanish through a review of grammar and readings in the literature and culture of Spain and/or Latin America. Requires attendance at Assistant Teacher sessions twice a week and online work through the Language Resource Center. Conducted in Spanish.

Prerequisites & Notes
Spanish 101 or its equivalent. (Fall and Spring)

SPA 103 - Intensive Elementary Spanish (2 credits)

Intensive introductory course equivalent to Spanish 101 and 102. Meets six class-hours per week plus four hours weekly with an Assistant Teacher. Completes two semesters of Spanish in one semester. Counts as two courses. Conducted in Spanish.

Prerequisites & Notes
(Fall)

SPA 201 - Intermediate Spanish

Extensive reading and discussion in Spanish of texts of moderate difficulty in the cultures and literatures of Spain, Latin America and US Latino; grammar study; extensive conversation practice. Requires attendance at Assistant Teacher sessions once a week and online work through the Language Resource Center. Service learning may be required. Meets the degree requirement for proficiency in foreign language. Conducted in Spanish.

Prerequisites & Notes
Spanish 102 or its equivalent. (Fall and Spring)

SPA 203 - Advanced Intermediate Spanish Abroad

SPA 219 - Independent Study: Language and Linguistics

Study under the direction and supervision of a faculty member who approves the topic(s) and determines the means of evaluation.

SPA 241 - Latin American Literature in Translation

Selected works of Latin American literature in English translation. Readings and class discussions are in English.

Students entering before 2012 and after: satisfies the Literature distribution requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
(Not offered in 2015-16.)

SPA 244 - U.S. Latino Literature in English

Reading and discussion of a variety of texts to develop a general idea of the complex experience of people of Latin American background living in the United States. Readings and instruction in English. 

Students entering before 2012 and after: satisfies the Literature distribution requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
(Not offered in 2015-2016.)

SPA 260 - Conversation and Composition

Writing-intensive course in Spanish. Training and practice to develop fluency, accuracy, and expressiveness in oral and written communication. Requires conversation session with an Assistant Teacher once a week. Strongly recommended for students planning to study abroad and required for participation in the department’s semester program in Madrid. The department suggests that this course be taken before 270. Conducted in Spanish.

Counts towards the major and minor in Hispanic Studies.

Prerequisites & Notes
Spanish 201 or its equivalent. (Fall and Spring)

SPA 261 - Introduction to Latin American Culture and Globalization

This is a one-year Living and Learning Community Course in which all participants live together on a floor in Duke, commit to a language pledge, and attend events together with the professor in addition to completing readings and assignments and meeting weekly. Course conducted entirely in Spanish.

Satisfies a major requirement in Hispanic Studies.
Satisfies a requirement in the Ethnic Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

Prerequisites & Notes
All students must be at least at the Spanish 260 level. (Not offered in 2015-16.)

SPA 270 - Textual Analysis

Required of all majors and minors.
Counts towards the interdisciplinary minor in Global Literary Theory.
Students entering 2012 and after: satisfies the Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric distribution requirement.
Students entering before 2012: satisfies the Literature distribution requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Spanish 260 or its equivalent. (Fall and Spring)

SPA 272 - Intermediate Seminar in Spanish Cultures

SPA 302 - Advanced Grammar

Problems in Spanish grammar and idiom-building, particularly those faced by English-speaking people; problems of translation; an overview of Spanish phonetics; and a brief study of the evolution of the Spanish language. Conducted in Spanish.

Counts towards the major and minor in Hispanic Studies.

Prerequisites & Notes
Spanish 260 or its equivalent.  Placement exam is required. (Not offered in 2015-16.)