Courses - Spring 2023
SOCY100
Introduction to Sociology
Introduces fundamental concepts and theories of sociology. Guided by C. Wright Mills' "sociological imagination," the course promotes critical thinking; challenges conventional assumptions about culture politics, history, and psychology; and equips students with theoretical approaches and research methods to analyze various sociological topics, including family, work, education, religion, social movements, and issues related to class, gender, race, and ethnic inequalities.
SOCY105
Introduction to Contemporary Social Problems
Embark on an exploration of contemporary social issues and unravel the intricate ways in which these challenges are woven into the fabric of society. Develop a comprehensive understanding of societal organization and partake in a detailed study of selected social problems, with a specific emphasis on issues like social conflict and inequality. This course provides an insightful journey into the nuanced interplay between societal structure and prevalent challenges, fostering a heightened awareness of the dynamics shaping our social landscape.
SOCY125
Why does Educational Inequality in the U.S. Persist? Explaining Differences in Educational Attainment
Explores questions related to educational inequality in the US. Examines what variables other than individual ability and effort influence educational attainment - how well and how far we go in school.
SOCY200
We will explore the nature of human societies through comparative, historical, and interdisciplinary perspectives. Students will delve into the core of social structures, unravel the defining components of society, and examine their organization, evolution, and impact on collective existence. Students will also explore the socio-historical forces and geopolitical dynamics that drive social change to analyze the complex connections that illuminate our shared social experience across time.
SOCY201
Introductory Statistics for Sociology
Prerequisite: SOCY100; and (MATH107 or MATH111).
Restriction: Must not have completed STAT400, BMGT231, or ENEE324.
Students will explore descriptive and inferential statistics. You will hone your quantitative analytical skills to construct impactful bivariate tables, craft frequency distributions, and decipher measures of central tendency and dispersion. Additionally, you will master the techniques of hypothesis testing, chi-square, ANOVA, and ordinary least squares regression, equipping you to seamlessly translate data into meaningful research insights.
SOCY202
Introduction to Research Methods in Sociology
Prerequisite: SOCY100.
We will examine why social research is needed, explore some of the main quantitative and qualitative techniques to conduct sociological research, and discover how to understand and critically evaluate sociological research on pressing social problems. Students will also learn to use specialized software to analyze and interpret quantitative data in the computer lab.
SOCY203
Sociological Theory
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY100.
Examines major trends in the history and development of sociological thought, including theories of inequality, the self, institutions, and more. With each theorist students will learn what sociologists assume and focus on when studying societies.
Required for all SOCY majors.
SOCY224
Explore and discuss the major debates and assumptions that construct perceptions of race and how it matters. Sociological and social science theories will give students a historical and present day frame with which to view race and ethnic relations in the twenty-first century.
SOCY225
Women's Jobs, Men's Jobs: How and Why Do They Differ?
An exploration of critical issues pertaining to gender differences in the workplace. Overview of theories explaining why some people do better than others in the world of work, and discussions of more specific questions relating to women's and men's job opportunities and experiences.
SOCY227
Introduction to the Study of Deviance
Credit only granted for: SOCY227 or SOCY327.
Formerly: SOCY327.
An introduction to the sociological study of deviant behavior, covering such topics as mental illness, sexual deviance, and the use of drugs.
SOCY230
Sociological Social Psychology
Why do people do that? Sitting at the nexus of sociology and psychology, this course surveys the various ways in which sociologists have answered this question. We investigate individuals-for example, how they develop and understand themselves in relation to others, how they choose to present themselves to the world, and how they form thoughts and opinions. And we study larger units of analyses, from small groups to the broader society. Topics covered include socialization, identity formation, social influence, group processes, how social processes shape individual behavior, and how human behavior shapes society.
SOCY241
Credit only granted for: SOCY241 or SOCY441.
A broad-based overview of inequality in contemporary U.S. society, focusing on measuring patterns and trends over time. A series of learning modules familiarizes students with how inequality unfolds in relation to social stratification processes along the lines of race, gender, education and social class, income and wealth, and health.
Credit granted for SOCY241 or SOCY441.
SOCY242
Sociology of Homelessness
Examines the causes of and solutions for homelessness in society. How social scientists analyze social issues using ethnographic observation, surveys, official statistics, and other research methods. Discusses how policies have responded to the problem of homelessness, and how to evaluate their effectiveness.
SOCY243
The Family: Diversity, Inequality, and Social Change
Credit only granted for: SOCY243 or SOCY443.
Formerly: SOCY443.
An exploration of diversity and inequality in family life, focusing on empirical patterns and trends, political and cultural debates, and policy issues, including the major theories and research methods used in the sociological study of the family in a plural society.
SOCY302
Intersectionality and Illness: How do Overarching Social Inequalities Affect Health Outcomes?
Credit only granted for: SOCY277 or SOCY302.
Formerly: SOCY302.
Students will examine the social determinants of disease: the relationship between socioeconomic status and health care access, as well as investigate the links between social status and disease chronicity. Students will further explore how health disparities, health resource distribution, and susceptibility disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities with chronic diseases.
SOCY335
Sociology of Health and Illness
An exploration of the social model to studying health and illness: how meanings and experiences of health and illness are socially produced. How experiences are shaped by the interaction of external social environments (culture, community) and the internal environment (human body), and by socio-demographic variables (race, class, gender, etc.). Disparities in health and healthcare delivery, medicalization of society, determinants of health, social construction of illness, and the social organization of health care.
SOCY340
What is the relationship between globalization and inequality? This course examines the factors shaping both between-nation and within-nation household income inequality for the past century. It is divided into four parts, each considering a different factor. First we seek to understand global trade historically. Second, we examine the more recent phenomenon of outsourcing. Third, we examine welfare and taxation policy and its role in shaping domestic inequality. Finally, we analyze the mechanisms for the accumulation of capital within global finance. By the end of the course, students will be able to discuss globalization beyond the "is it good or bad" binary and understand the complex interaction between domestic politics and international trade.
SOCY370
Transition from Undergrad to Professional
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Must be in the Sociology major.
Prepares Sociology majors to make the transition from undergraduate to entering graduate school and/or the professional work world. Topics include career options in Sociology, skills for conducting a job search, resume writing and interview preparation, and the graduate application process.
Restricted to Sociology Majors.
SOCY380
Honors Independent Reading in Sociology
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
This course permits sociology honor students to undertake a program or reading on a particular problem in sociology or a subfield therein. The reading will be done under the supervision of a member of the sociology faculty. Required of sociology honor students.
SOCY381
Honors Independent Research in Sociology
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY380.
This course permits sociology students to define a particular problem in sociology or a subfield therein and to develop a research plan for use as a thesis topic. The work will be done under the supervision of a member of the sociology faculty.
SOCY383
Honors Thesis Research
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY381.
Student research under the direction of a member of the sociology faculty, culminating in the presentation and defense of a thesis reporting the research.
SOCY386
Experiential Learning
Credits:
3 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Restriction: Permission of BSOS-Sociology department; and junior standing or higher.
To register, students must have departmental permission form signed by instructor and by Coordinator of Sociology Undergraduate Program.
SOCY398D
Special Topics in Sociology; Art as the Vanguard of Social Change in Jerusalem
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with JWST319R and ISRL329W. Credit only granted for ISRL329W, JWST319R, or SOCY398D.
This course explores the role of arts and culture as a force for bridge-building and social change using Jerusalem, probably the world's most contested city, as a case study. In dialogue with practitioners from the field and by studying relevant artistic works, we'll examine the ways in which Jerusalem artists of diverse backgrounds and disciplines are turning impasse into opportunity through their creative activism, and how artistic tools and methodology can be applied to socio-political challenges in Jerusalem and beyond. The course will include virtual performances by and discussions with artists from a variety of communities and in various genres that make up the mosaic of Jerusalem's culture.
This course explores the role of arts and culture as a force for bridge-building and social change using Jerusalem, probably the world's most contested city, as a case study. In dialogue with practitioners from the field and by studying relevant artistic works, we'll examine the ways in which Jerusalem artists of diverse backgrounds and disciplines are turning impasse into opportunity through their creative activism, and how artistic tools and methodology can be applied to socio-political challenges in Jerusalem and beyond. The course will include virtual performances by and discussions with artists from a variety of communities and in various genres that make up the mosaic of Jerusalem's culture.
SOCY399
Independent Study in Sociology
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
No more than 6 hours of 399 is allowed for credit.
SOCY432
Social Movements
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
This course broadens students' understanding of social movements in the United States. Many topics are discussed, including the emergence of social movements, why people join social movements, collective identity, gender, culture, emotions, tactics, repression, and the decline of social movements. Various movements are reviewed, including the civil rights movement, the Chicano movement, the women's movement, the LGBTQ movement, the white power movement, the American Indian movement, and the animal rights movement.
SOCY435
Society, Biology, and Health
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: Must have completed 6 credits in SOCY courses or permission of BSOS Sociology Department.
It is not too far-fetched to speak of the pancreas under capitalism or the proletarian lung. Humans are social beings in physical bodies. In this course, we draw on research studies, podcasts, news articles, and best-selling non-fiction to inform conversation and writing on how various dimensions of human biology influence, and are influenced by, our social and cultural environment. We focus on conceptualizing human behavior as an interplay between both nature and nurture, and consider how this approach changes our understanding of modern social problems. This course is appropriate for students with a range of backgrounds in the social and natural sciences; introductory-level supplemental readings on all necessary biological concepts will be provided.
This is a seminar-style, discussion-based course.
SOCY451
Sociology of Culture
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of the department.
Credit only granted for: SOCY498C or SOCY451.
Formerly: SOCY498C.
Analyzes the relationship between society and culture. How do social forces affect cultural objects and products? How do values and meanings shape individual behavior? How can culture be both a source of domination and resistance? These and other topics will be analyzed to show the role of culture in our lives.
SOCY456
Smart Machines and Human Prospects
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
Credit only granted for: SOCY416 or SOCY456.
Artificial intelligence is everywhere and never sleeps. It is transforming our social institutions in intended and unintended ways. While scientists debate the feasibility of engineering conscious machines with general intelligence, no one debates that the global race is on to create more potent computers. Through targeted research, discussion, and presentation of findings students will answer a specific question on how, where, and in what ways society is being changed by smart machines.
SOCY463
Sociology of Masculinity: How Much Has Masculinity Really Changed?
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS Sociology department.
An examination of the history both feminist social movements and feminist sociology in a specific way. It uses the sociological subfield of men and masculinities as a keyhole through which we will study 'the stalled revolution' for women's equality. Along the way, we will familiarize ourselves with academic and popular reports about changing and contested definitions, ideas, and behaviors of masculinity.
SOCY465
War and Society, from the American Revolution to the Present
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: Must have completed 6 credits in SOCY courses; or permission of BSOS-Sociology department.
Credit only granted for: SOCY465 or SOCY265.
Since the American and French Revolutions at the end of the eighteenth century, warfare has been marked by the way national states draw ordinary people into armed conflicts--as members of the military, producers and controllers of resources and supporters or resisters, and also as targets and victims. This course examines how the centering of ordinary people in war has transformed over time, continuing right up to the current conflict in Ukraine. Alongside explaining why states make war the way they do, the course explores the impacts of making war and living through conflict on the societies embroiled in it.
SOCY480
Researching the Middle East
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY201 and SOCY202; or permission of the Sociology department.
Credit only granted for: SOCY498E or SOCY480.
Formerly: SOCY498E.
Introduces religion, gender, and politics in the Middle East and North Africa. After an overview of the political and social history the focus will be on methods for carrying out research on fundamental issues facing Middle Eastern societies, including national identity, religion, gender relations and the status of women in the family, politics, education, and labor market.
SOCY498F
Selected Topics in Sociology; Race and Reproduction
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with AASP499C, AMST498E, SOCY699B, WGSS498R, and WMST698R. Credit only granted for AASP499C, AMST498E, SOCY498F, SOCY699B, WGSS498R, and WMST698R.
This course extends abortion rights and its connection to gender, class and racial politics in which trace from institutionalized racism, colonialism, religion, and gender/racial inequality. Students will develop a historical, contemporary, and comparative understanding of race and reproductive policy. They will connect policing and survelliance within policy formation to witness the power behind bodily and population control on a national and global scale. Students will use data and methodology to examine these issues in policy and practice.
This course extends abortion rights and its connection to gender, class and racial politics in which trace from institutionalized racism, colonialism, religion, and gender/racial inequality. Students will develop a historical, contemporary, and comparative understanding of race and reproductive policy. They will connect policing and survelliance within policy formation to witness the power behind bodily and population control on a national and global scale. Students will use data and methodology to examine these issues in policy and practice.
SOCY602
Statistics For Sociological Research II
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY601; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Credit only granted for: SOCY602 or SURV602.
This course introduces regression analysis using matrix algebra. Topics include bivariate regression, multivariate regression, tests of significance, regression diagnostics, indicator variables, interaction terms, extra sum of squares, and the general linear model. Other topics may be addressed such as logistic regression and path analysis. Statistical programming software may be used.
SOCY615
Sociological Approaches to Teaching Sociology
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Restricted to Sociology graduate students.
In this course, students will learn foundational approaches and contemporary evidence-based pedagogies and techniques to enhance their preparation for the practice of teaching sociology at the undergraduate and graduate level for a variety of settings including liberal arts colleges, research universities, community colleges, and extra-collegiate public-facing adult learning environments. Across the semester, we will engage with foundational texts and learn about innovative pedagogies. Students will also learn about on-campus resources at UMD and at other higher education institutions designed to help teachers identify growth edges and continually improve teaching effectiveness. Anticipated course outcomes will include students' applying insights from extant knowledge to create innovative student-centered learning activities, designing their own course, and preparation of a teaching philosophy statement.
SOCY621
Contemporary Sociological Theory
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: SOCY620, SOCY203, or SOCY403; or permission of instructor.
Review of sociological theory since approximately 1970, with emphasis given to schools of thought (from symbolic interaction to post- modernism) and priciple participants in them (from Goffman to Baudrilliard).
SOCY625
Activism and Global Movements
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Restriction: Must be enrolled in a Sociology (SOCY) graduate program; or permission of instructor.
An introduction to the research on activism, focusing particularly on the global and transnational aspects of activism and social movements. The course begins with an overview of the theoretical literature on activism and social movements. Then, we will focus on case studies of particular movements that have a global component and have been the focus of recent sociological inquiry: the globalization movement, Arab Spring, and the climate/climate justice movement.
SOCY634
Attitudes and Public Opinion
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Processes involved in the formation of attitudes; effects of communication; measurement techniques.
SOCY641
Leadership in Diverse Organizations
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); or permission from either the Sociology Department or Criminology & Criminal Justice Department.
Provides students with a practical understanding of leadership and a framework for understanding three key conditions from which effective leadership emerges: timing, organizational characteristics, and individual characteristics. We will consider different dimensions and/or styles of leadership, as well as the methods effective leaders use to build solidarity within groups and organizations.
SOCY643
Power and Status in Organizations
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs: Criminology and Criminal Justice (Master's); Criminology and Criminal Justice (Doctoral); Sociology (Master's); Sociology (Doctoral); or permission from BSOS-Sociology department.
Organizations affect virtually every aspect of modern social life. The impact and reach of public safety organizations--those special entities purportedly designed to maintain order and safety--are particularly influential. Although sociologists, psychologists, economists, and management scholars all examine the workings of status and power within organizations, our perspective will be primarily sociological as we explore how power and status operate within the context of organizations.
SOCY644
Gender, Work, and Family
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
The interrelationships among gender, work, and family in contemporary societies. Major research issues addressed from an interdisciplinary and comparative (international) perspective.
SOCY699
Special Social Problems
Credits:
1 - 16
Grad Meth:
Reg
SOCY699B
Special Social Problems; Race and Reproduction
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Cross-listed with AASP499C, AMST498E, SOCY498F, WGSS498R, and WMST698R. Credit only granted for AASP499C, AMST498E, SOCY498F, SOCY699B, WGSS498R, and WMST698R.
This course extends abortion rights and its connection to gender, class and racial politics in which trace from institutionalized racism, colonialism, religion, and gender/racial inequality. Students will develop a historical, contemporary, and comparative understanding of race and reproductive policy. They will connect policing and survelliance within policy formation to witness the power behind bodily and population control on a national and global scale. Students will use data and methodology to examine these issues in policy and practice.
This course extends abortion rights and its connection to gender, class and racial politics in which trace from institutionalized racism, colonialism, religion, and gender/racial inequality. Students will develop a historical, contemporary, and comparative understanding of race and reproductive policy. They will connect policing and survelliance within policy formation to witness the power behind bodily and population control on a national and global scale. Students will use data and methodology to examine these issues in policy and practice.
SOCY699N
Special Social Problems; Intermediate Sociological Statistics
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
SOCY799
Master's Thesis Research
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
S-F
SOCY898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg
SOCY899
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits:
6
Grad Meth:
S-F
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