content

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
SOCIOLOGY
(SOC)

1001 Freshman Topics in Sociology
(1-1) 1 hour credit.
Required for entering freshmen in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts with less than 15 hours of coursework and who are interested in majoring in Sociology. Includes critical study of topics in sociology. Innovative classroom and learning techniques are used to introduce students to these topics and to help strengthen critical thinking, problem solving, and writing skills. A maximum of 3 semester credit hours of freshman topics courses may apply to a bachelor’s degree. Specific topics may not be repeated.

1013 Introduction to the Study of Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An introduction to the study of human groups, the relations of individuals to groups, and the process of becoming a group member and functioning in a group setting. [TCCN: SOCI 1301.]

2013 Social Problems
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An examination of major contemporary social problems and their causes and consequences. Topics may include poverty, racism, sexism, deviance and crime, drug and alcohol dependence, the urban crisis, overpopulation, and war. [TCCN: SOCI 1306.]

2023 Drugs in Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An introduction into the basic understanding of society as it relates to drug abuse through the examination of related social problems and social structure. Areas of study covered may include the historical roots of drug abuse, the global magnitude of today’s drug problems, the problematic character of enforcing drug control legislation, and social implications.

3003 Sociological Foundations
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
A seminar for new sociology majors to orient them to basic theoretical, methodological, epistemological, and ethical issues in sociology. Topics may include the role of theory in sociology, the process of theory building and testing, the utility of various modes of investigation and analysis, the critical examination of research literature; and the relevance of sociology to real-world problems.

3013 Social Stratification
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Theory and research pertaining to inequalities of power, prestige, and economic privilege. Major emphasis upon inequality and social mobility in the United States.

3023 Urban Sociology
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Development of modern world cities, the ecology of cities, the organization of cities, major social problems, and the social psychology of urban life.

3033 Population Dynamics
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Trends in mortality, fertility, and migration for selected countries, and their projected consequences. Associated population policies and options are considered.

3043 Race and Ethnic Relations
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Dominant-subordinate relations in world societies, with major emphasis on the United States. Models of assimilation, colonial and class society, and consequences for minority and majority populations may be examined.

3053 Deviance and Difference
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An analysis of forms of deviance and consideration of social/political trends toward difference. An examination of theories may include: biological, analytic, labeling, functionalist, culture conflict, radical, and poststructuralist.

3063 Collective Behavior
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
Case studies and associated theory dealing with various forms of collective behavior ranging from spontaneous events to organized mass movements.

3073 Migration Dynamics
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Attention will be given to theoretical explanations; social, economic, physical, and ideological features of migration; legal and undocumented immigrants; and resultant issues of adjustment and incorporation.

3083 Social Change
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Principal models and theories of social transformation applied to examples of societal change.

3093 Religion and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Religious institutions and movements in the United States with comparative data from other countries. The relationship of religious institutions to social stratification, economic institutions, and political and social change.

3103 Complex Organizations
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
The sociology of public and private bureaucratic organizations, the structure and behavior of management, and patterns of mobility within corporate organizations.

3113 Criminology
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Examination of government and social policies and programs designed to deal with crime. Analysis of different types of crime, including street crime, organized crime, political crime, and white-collar crime. Social and legal responses to crime.

3133 Sociology of Pluralism in the Southwest
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
The principal minority groups in the American Southwest, with special emphasis on the experience of Mexican Americans. The course will deal with forms and consequences of intergroup relations, social movements, culture, and identity.

3163 Marriage and the Family
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
A sociological analysis of the modern family and marriage, its structures and functions, variant patterns, and the influence of contemporary society on this institution. Contemporary and continuing issues are covered in the context of theory and research. Topics may include family violence, gender roles in the family, divorce and remarriage, socialization of children, alternative family structures, and the aging family. (Formerly SOC 2053. Credit cannot be earned for SOC 3163 and SOC 2053.)

3173 Economy and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Explores the social dimensions of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Examines the structure and function of economic organizations in society.

3193 The Sociology of Work and Occupations
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
Occupational structures in selected societies. The relationship between occupations and economic rewards, lifestyles, and worldview. Determinants of work satisfaction.

3203 Gerontology
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An examination of historical and cross-cultural differences in the status of the elderly in society. Includes interaction of the elderly with social institutions, and policy implications of the demographic shift toward an aging population in the United States.

3213 Medical Sociology
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
The identification of social factors in the distribution and cause of disease; relationships between patients and medical professionals; the contribution of lay belief to health, illness, treatment, and recovery; health institutions; the distribution of medical resources; and the organization of health care delivery.

3223 Demographic Techniques
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to an overview of a wide range of demographic techniques and models. The main topics will be sources of demographic data; the construction of rates and ratios; introduction to life table technique; standardization and basic decomposition of rates; measures of concentration and diversity; and population growth and projection. Students will become familiar with several programs for demographic analysis using microcomputers.

3253 The Individual and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
An examination of major theories dealing with the effects of culture and social structure on the development and functioning of the personality and the self.

3263 Latinas in U.S. Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Focuses on women of Latino descent in the United States with an emphasis on the experiences of women in Texas in comparison to other groups from the Southwest. The material addresses: historical presence in the American Southwest; patriarchy and familism; labor and employment issues; immigrant women and border issues; political involvement and feminist vision; artistic, cultural and intellectual expression.

3273 Sociology of Music
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
Explores the social significance of music on people's everyday life. Includes the relationship between music and identity and its exemplification through several popular musics of the world. Topics may include conjunto and tejano in the U.S. Southwest, tango and rock in Argentina, and salsa in New York, etc.

3283 Poverty
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
The causes and consequences of poverty in the United States and selected other societies. An examination of social programs designed to combat poverty.

3293 Gender Roles
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
The nature of gender roles in our own and other societies. Consideration of how people learn gender roles and the outcomes of this learning for individuals, families, and societies. Alternatives to conventional gender roles.

3313 Conceptualization and Measurement in Sociology
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Completion of the Core Curriculum requirement in mathematics and SOC 1013.
Introduction to conceptualization, operationalization, and measurement in the social sciences. Use of elementary measures of central tendency and dispersion, cross-tabulation, and linear model procedures to evaluate relationships among variables; problems of description and inference. May also include use of standard computer packages and secondary analysis of data. Enrollment limited to sociology majors or minors or students in other degree programs requiring the course. (Formerly SSC 3013. Credit cannot be earned for both SOC 3313 and SSC 3013.)

3323 Research Design and Application in Sociology
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Completion of Core Curriculum requirement in mathematics and SOC 3313.
Introduction to the philosophy of science and the logic of research design, including field, experimental, and survey projects. Methods of data gathering, analysis, and reporting applied to research on policy-relevant problems in the social sciences. Enrollment limited to sociology majors. (Formerly SOC 3023. Credit cannot be earned for both SOC 3323 and SOC 3023.)

3333 Survey Research Methods
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 3313, the equivalent, or consent of instructor.
A course in survey research, including research design, questionnaire construction, sampling, interviewing, control procedures, and data processing. (Formerly SOC 3123. Credit cannot be earned for both SOC 3333 and SOC 3123.)

3343 Classical Sociological Theory
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
The transition from social philosophy to sociology, with special emphasis upon European theorists in the 19th and early 20th centuries. (Formerly SOC 3153. Credit cannot be earned for both SOC 3343 and SOC 3153.)

3353 Contemporary Sociological Theory
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
An examination of current trends in sociological theory, which may include contemporary functionalism, radical criticism, phenomenology and symbolic interactionism, structuralism and poststructuralism, feminism, cultural and postcolonial studies, and formal theory construction. (Formerly SOC 3183. Credit cannot be earned for SOC 3353 and SOC 3183.)

3373 Qualitative Research Methods
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: SOC 1013 and SOC 3313.
Introduces the assumptions, theories, and practices of qualitative research methods. The course is designed to provide opportunities for developing specific qualitative research skills while gaining familiarity with theories, issues, and problems in qualitative research.

3383 Sociology of the African American Community
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the history, struggles, and diversity of the African American community. Emphasis will be placed on contemporary public issues as well as on the historical role of the African American community within urban society. A sociological framework is used to analyze political, educational, and economic systems in America and their impact on African Americans.

3403 Mexican American Stratification
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An examination of the social status of Mexican Americans and their relationship to the dominant society. Issues may include the position of Mexican Americans in economic, political, and status hierarchies and the major factors limiting mobility within these systems.

3413 Mexican American Family
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
Focuses on contemporary issues regarding Mexican American families. Topics of discussion include family structure, child-rearing practices, gender roles, marital stability, and intermarriage. Comparison with other minorities and the majority group will allow discussion of variant family patterns.

3423 Mass Media in Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
The course will examine media production and its role in the economy; the construction of media meaning, signification, and ideology; and the role of the audience in making sense of messages. Larger issues of societal power will be treated, along with an examination of alternative media.

3433 Mexican Immigration and U.S. Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Focuses on the growth and development of the Mexican population in the United States and controversies around Mexican immigration, both legal and undocumented. Uses a sociological perspective to present a historical analysis of Mexican migration to the United States, theoretical explanations of migrations, and the social implications of these issues.

3463 Sociology of Sport and Leisure
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
Examines the social meanings of play and leisure in advanced industrial societies. Emphasis will be on the origins, structure, and function of these phenomena in the United States, with major emphasis on sport as an institution.

3503 Sociology of Education
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An exploration of education as an institution that affects and is affected by the larger social structure. Topics may include the role of schools in society; connections between schooling, stratification and the economy; gender and ethnic differences in achievement; and social and cultural contexts of learning.

3513 Children and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
An examination of the evolution of concepts of childhood over time. Topics may include theories of child development, cultural and social influences in child raising, the effects of affluence and poverty on children, children in postmodern societies, and child socialization in different cultures.

3523 Language and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
A sociology of language course to explore aspects of language use and behaviors and how and why they vary. Topics include gender, cultural and socioeconomic variations in language use, language communities, ethnicity and language, intra- and intergroup communication, and language planning.

3533 Border and Transnational Relations
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
The development of political, economic, and cultural relations among nations. Topics may include globalization, transnational identities and experiences, and social, economic, and cultural issues affecting the United States–Mexico border. (Formerly SSC 3533. Credit cannot be earned for SOC 3533 and SSC 3533 or HIS 3533.)

4003 Criminological Theory
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
A consideration of criminological theory, beginning with a development of what constitutes theory and how it is formulated, tested, and evaluated. Reviews the paradigms, models, and theories that attempt to explain criminal behavior and critiques each.

4023 Violence and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit
Examines the major theories that attempt to explain why violence occurs in society. Certain forms of violence, both legal and illegal, are studied from a variety of perspectives in the social sciences to determine whether present explanations of violent behavior are adequate. (Formerly SSC 3203. Credit cannot be earned both for SOC 4023 and SSC 3203.)

4033 Historical and Comparative Sociology
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
A broad-based consideration of the use of historical materials in sociological analysis, especially as this facilitates empirically- and theoretically-oriented studies across different societies and through time. Topics may include comparative approaches to major historical phenomena such as nationalism, bureaucratization, feudalism, and capitalism.

4063 Civil-Military Relations
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Explores the past, present, and future structure and use of the U.S. military. Topics examined may include the historical events and social trends affecting the relationship between the military organization and the civilian government and issues surrounding such controversies as a draft vs. a volunteer military, the increasing minority representation, and the use of women, particularly in combat.

4183 Theories of Identity
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 1013.
An examination of how different theories make sense of the ways people construct social and cultural identities. The course may cover theories of identity, symbolic interactionism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, poststructuralism, feminism, and postcolonial theory.

4433 Culture and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Explores the social significance of cultural production, including the relationships between art, consciousness, the economy, and history. Themes examined may include the social production of art, art and ideology, the problem of artistic reception, and art movements and cultural resistance. Topics include art and culture in minority social movements, the relation between high and low culture, and cultural conflict over art.

4443 Race/Ethnicity, Class, Gender, and Sexuality
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: SOC 3343 or SOC 3353, and SOC 3313.
An interdisciplinary exploration of the historical and contemporary differences and similarities in the study of race, gender, and sexuality. This course is designed as a seminar integrating issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality.

4911,3 Independent Study
1 or 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the College in which the course is offered.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree.

4933,6 Internship in Sociology
3 or 6 hours credit. Prerequisites: Completion of two upper-division sociology courses and consent of internship coordinator. This course offers supervised work experience relevant to sociology within selected organizations and agencies. Internships selected should be relevant to previous coursework. A maximum of 6 semester credit hours may be earned through this internship.

4953 Special Studies in Sociology
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special Studies may be repeated for credit when topics vary, but not more than 6 semester credit hours, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree.

4973 Sociology Senior Seminar
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Completion of theory and methods requirements and senior standing in the sociology major.
A capstone course designed to integrate sociological theory and methods and to guide students in the conduct of social research. A research paper is required.

4993 Honors Thesis
3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Enrollment limited to candidates for Honors in Sociology during the last two semesters.
Supervised research and preparation of an honors thesis. May be repeated once with advisor’s approval.

text size– | + | R |