Sociology

SOC 1301 (SOCI 1301) Introduction to Sociology (3 semester credit hours) An overview of the sociological perspective and its application to social research and social policy. (3-0) Y

SOC 2303 Culture, Media and Society (3 semester credit hours) Examines how various forms of modern media represent the values and lifestyles of American popular culture, and how we experience the media in our everyday lives. The course will address social issues and cultural changes related to the use of mass media, as well as social media. (3-0) Y

SOC 2320 Contemporary Social Issues (3 semester credit hours) An overview of how sociological concepts and approaches can be applied to the study of the causes and consequences of various social issues in contemporary society. Topics may include poverty, crime, violence, social isolation, urban decay, changes in the family, consumerism, and health disparities. (3-0) Y

SOC 2323 Internet and Society (3 semester credit hours) This course examines the ways that Internet technologies are affecting our everyday life, culture, institutions, groups, and identity. Issues related to the representation, identity, production, consumption and regulation of the Internet are also discussed. (3-0) R

SOC 3303 Classical Social Theory (3 semester credit hours) Introduction to the classic theorists in sociology, primarily works by Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Georg Simmel. This course examines how these early theorists defined and described society within their own social contexts, as well as how we derive meaning from their writings to understand and explain issues of twenty-first century societies. Prerequisite: SOC 1301. (3-0) Y

SOC 3306 Advanced Research and Writing for the Policy Sciences (3 semester credit hours) This course examines the relationship between theory and research and will require students to develop a research project that focuses on an area of social policy including, but not limited to, education, welfare, the family, health care and workplace diversity. Implications for public policy will also be considered. This course will retain core notation for a transition period - see http://go.utdallas.edu/core-curriculum-transition. Please consult advisors for more detailed information. Prerequisites: (SOC 1301 or PA 2325) and EPPS 2301 and (EPPS 2302 or EPPS 2303). (Same as PA 3306) (3-0) Y

SOC 3314 Individual and Society (3 semester credit hours) The study of the relationship among the individual, social structure, and culture. Explores self-concept and personality, the process of socialization, role-taking and social interaction, norms, values, group membership, and group processes. (3-0) R

SOC 3321 Deviance (3 semester credit hours) Analysis of historical and contemporary perspectives which propose the causes, consequences, and cures for deviance. Description of theories, research, and public policy associated with efforts to control deviant behavior and deviant groups, and to establish normalcy. (3-0) R

SOC 3325 Race, Ethnicity, and Community (3 semester credit hours) Examines how race/ethnicity plays a role in social stratification in U.S. society, the economy, government, education, and other social institutions, and how public policies address social inequalities associated with such stratification. (3-0) R

SOC 3331 Education and Society (3 semester credit hours) This course examines how public educational institutions reflect and, in turn, influence social, economic, and political forces in the larger society. Major topics will include the relationship between schooling and social inequality; how public policies such as Brown v. Board of Education and No Child Left Behind have shaped American education; current public debates over educational equity and effectiveness; and the challenges facing public education in post-industrial society. (3-0) R

SOC 3333 Religion in Society (3 semester credit hours) Examines how world religions in U.S. society help shape the views and behaviors of the public as they participate in government, the economy, education, and other social institutions. (3-0) R

SOC 3336 Culture Regions (3 semester credit hours) Survey of a major region of the world as defined by a set of common cultural traditions and institutions such as Latin America, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, or South Asia. Each time the course is offered, it will review the key cultural, social, economic, and political features of the region being addressed. The specific region to be studied will be announced in advance, and the course may be repeated for credit when a different culture region is treated. (3-0) Y

SOC 3342 The Life Cycle (3 semester credit hours) An examination of the institutions that shape the course of people's lives from birth to death. Topics include primary socialization, family, schools, peer groups, occupations, retirement, and death. (3-0) R

SOC 3343 Sociology of the Family (3 semester credit hours) Trends in family life are examined with special attention to how these relate to changes in men's and women's roles. Topics include sex-role socialization, division of labor in the household, sexuality, emotional aspects of marriage, marital power and decision making, and divorce. (3-0) R

SOC 3344 Film and Society (3 semester credit hours) Utilizes full-length commercial films and documentaries to illuminate and demonstrate sociological concepts, phenomena and important contemporary social issues. The course also assesses the impact of films on American culture and society. (3-0) R

SOC 3346 Sociology of Sport (3 semester credit hours) Analyzes sport and its place in the culture of contemporary societies. Focuses on how sport and sport experiences are related to social development, social relations and major spheres of social life such as the economy, education and religion. (3-0) R

SOC 3352 Gender Roles (3 semester credit hours) Examines female and male gender roles in both historic and contemporary contexts. Topics may include the sex/gender distinction, gender socialization, masculinities, the sexual division of labor, gender and power, and the interaction of gender with race, class, and sexuality. (3-0) R

SOC 3363 Immigrants and Immigration in U.S. Society (3 semester credit hours) The course examines the assimilation of immigrants arriving after 1965 into U.S. society and its main public social institutions. The focus is primarily on the two largest groups Mexicans and Asians, but also includes immigrants from the Middle East. The course considers the effects of the economy, immigration law and policy on assimilation. Other topics include the impact of these 'newest' immigrants on the racial/ethnic and cultural diversification of the U.S. population, the second generation, and the future of immigrants and immigration in U.S. society. (3-0) R

SOC 3381 Field Research Methods (3 semester credit hours) Research practicum in which students learn how to conduct field research, conduct observations and interviews in the field, write field notes, and use these to analyze data. Readings focus on fieldwork roles and relations, observing and describing, writing field notes, field interviewing, ethical issues, and preliminary data analysis. Fieldwork and extensive field notes required. Instructor consent required. (Same as PA 3381) (3-0) R

SOC 4302 Class, Status, and Power (3 semester credit hours) The nature of systems of differentiation and ranking in societies and their consequences; examination of how prestige, occupational skills, education, and economic assets are used to create class distinctions in the United States; the impact of class on life chances; concepts and processes of social mobility; and the influence of power inconsistencies on income, wealth, and status. Prerequisite: SOC 1301 or SOC 3303. (3-0) Y

SOC 4352 Politics of Bureaucracy (3 semester credit hours) Provides an in-depth knowledge of some of the major issues in bureaucracy including internal dynamics of public organizations, acquisition and allocation of public funds, the roles of ethics and accountability, as well as the roles of bureaucracy in relation to public policy, clients, the citizenry, and society. (Same as PA 4350) (3-0) Y

SOC 4357 Drugs, Alcohol and Society (3 semester credit hours) This course examines the societal influences that lead to illicit drug and alcohol use and misuse, as well as the social consequences of those actions. The focus is on the social construction of addiction rather than on individual pathological behaviors. The relationship between individual and group behavior, and social structure is also explored. (3-0) R

SOC 4369 Public Health and Society (3 semester credit hours) An overview of public and population health, with an emphasis on the relationship between social forces and health. Topics to be covered include the history of public health institutions and occupations; the determinants and social components of infectious and noninfectious diseases, including major public health epidemics and the response to them; public health rates, risk factors, indicators, and vital statistics; public health law, policy, and ethics; and the effects of social forces on health, including social inequality, culture and lifestyle, and environmental and occupational influences on health. Particular emphasis will be devoted to health disparities in the U. S. and globally. (3-0) R

SOC 4371 Mental Health and Illness (3 semester credit hours) Explores the diverse, disturbing, disruptive, and disabling phenomena of mental disorders. Topics to be covered include the classification of mental disorders, the etiology and epidemiology of mental illnesses, and the history of societal responses to mentally ill, including public policies. (3-0) R

SOC 4372 Health and Illness (3 semester credit hours) An examination of the social conditions and correlates of diseases, the social behavior of the sick, health institutions and professions, and the formulation and implementation of health policies and programs. (3-0) R

SOC 4375 Gender and Work (3 semester credit hours) A sociological analysis of historical trends and current patterns of gender inequality in paid and domestic work; examination of theories and research related to the role of gender in shaping labor market opportunities, experiences, and rewards; identification of various forms of workplace discrimination and potential remedies. (3-0) R

SOC 4378 Work and Occupations (3 semester credit hours) The structure of work, occupations, and industry with an emphasis on the rise of management and the modern corporation, productivity and work performance, the growth and decline of labor unions, and the emergence of service and high-tech industries. (3-0) R

SOC 4380 Women, Work and Family (3 semester credit hours) An examination of the relationship between women's work for pay in the marketplace and their unpaid work in homes across time and in different cultures. Topics include historical separation of work from home under capitalism; division of household labor between men and women; public policy initiatives (socialized/commercial housework and daycare, family leave, telecommuting, part-time and flex-time work) designed to make juggling work and family easier; the ways class, race, and ethnicity constrain and enable women's choices. (Same as GST 4380) (3-0) R

SOC 4384 Social Epidemiology (3 semester credit hours) A non-technical overview of epidemiology and its role in public health theory and practice, with emphasis on the social dimensions of health, illness, and injury. Topics include the history and conceptual basis for epidemiology; the basic tools of epidemiologic analysis, including case definitions and populations, incidence, prevalence, and case-fatality rates; public health surveillance and measures of health status; methodological approaches to inference, association, and causation; and the analysis of harm, benefit, cost, and intervention effectiveness. (3-0) R

SOC 4385 Health and Illness in Global and Cross-national Perspective (3 semester credit hours) A review of frameworks for understanding global health issues and the improvement of health at a population level. Topics include measurement of (and strategies for reducing) the burden of morbidity and mortality; the relationships among culture, political economy, and health; comparative health care systems and health policies; the relationship between economic development and health; and the role of global governmental and nongovernmental institutions in promoting health. Course concepts will be examined in the context of case studies of global epidemics and the response to them. (3-0) R

SOC 4386 Social Policy in Modern Societies (3 semester credit hours) Examines the controversies and research concerning the development of welfare states and public social provision. Particular emphasis is placed on the U.S. public social spending system, in historical and comparative perspective. Explanations of developments in social policies and an assessment of their applicability to the American welfare state and those of other societies are considered. (Same as PA 4386) (3-0) R

SOC 4387 Religion in International Development (3 semester credit hours) Examines how world religions help to shape worldviews and behaviors that play a role in economic, political, and social development, and how they contribute to international policies relevant to development. (3-0) R

SOC 4388 Religions in Global Societies (3 semester credit hours) Examines how religions in global societies, where cultural and institutional pluralism are prominent, reflect and help shape globalization processes related to the economy, government, communication, and other areas. (3-0) R

SOC 4389 Social Networks (3 semester credit hours) Examines inter-personal relations, with an emphasis on the role of culture, institutions, and organizations in how individuals think about, develop, use and respond to their social network ties in everyday life. (3-0) R

SOC 4396 Selected Topics in Sociology (3 semester credit hours) May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) R

SOC 4V97 Independent Study in Sociology (1-6 semester credit hours) Independent study under a faculty member's direction. May be repeated for credit (6 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. ([1-6]-0) S

SOC 4V98 Internship (1-6 semester credit hours) Credit/No Credit only. May be repeated for credit (6 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. ([1-6]-0) S

SOC 4V99 Senior Honors in Sociology (1-6 semester credit hours) For students conducting independent research for honors theses or projects. May be repeated for credit (6 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. ([1-6]-0) S