Sociology (SOCI)

This is an archived copy of the 2023-2024 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.shsu.edu.

SOCI 1301. Introduction to Sociology. 3 Hours. [TCCN: SOCI 1301]

Students are introduced to the discipline with a focus on the concepts and principles used in the study of group life, social institutions and social processes. This course is a prerequisite to many other courses taught in the department.

SOCI 2319. Introduction To Ethnic Studies. 3 Hours. [TCCN: SOCI 2319]

Students investigate the field and problems of ethnic studies from an interdisciplinary perspective. Major considerations of the entire Ethnic Studies field will be defined and analyzed, including the topics of prejudice and discrimination. Students are strongly urged to take this course before attempting other ethnic studies courses.

SOCI 2320. Intro To Ethnic Studies-Honors. 3 Hours.

HONORS COURSEStudents investigate the field and problems of Ethnic Studies from an interdisciplinary perspective. Major considerations of the entire Ethnic Studies field will be defined and analyzed, including the topics of prejudice and discrimination. Students are strongly urged to take this course before attempting other Ethnic Studies courses.

SOCI 2366. Sociology Of Sport. 3 Hours.

Students apply the social science mode of inquiry to study the sociocultural characteristics of sport. Topics may include the examination of the cultural, economic, political and structural factors (i.e., gender, race, etc.), which form salient aspects of today's sport activities at various levels. Focus is placed on the characteristics of sports and how these characteristics both reflect and have impact upon the social climate of a given society.

SOCI 2399. Writing in Sociology. 3 Hours.

Students learn the writing skills needed for advanced courses in Sociology. Topics may include: the structure and style in writing; citations and American Sociological Association stylebook; how to conduct library and internet research as a basis for research writing; and specialized techniques for quantitative research papers, qualitative research papers, book reviews, compare and contrast papers and essay exams.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301.

SOCI 3305. Intro to Community Leadership. 3 Hours.

Students learn the definitions, types, and theories of community. Topics may include how to conduct basic community needs assessment, strengthen communication skills, and explore resource mobilization strategies through applied community experiences. Community leaders facilitate conversations about leadership techniques and challenges.

SOCI 3324. Social Inequality. 3 Hours.

Students learn the three primary resources of social inequality: class, status and power. Topics may include the way birth-ascribed statuses such as age, sex and race interact with class, status and power stratification systems. Special attention is also given to the popular and scientific explanations of inequality, especially with respect to the high and low ends of the distribution of income and wealth.

SOCI 3325. Gender And Inequality. 3 Hours.

Students learn about the influence of gender on socialization and placement in class, status and power stratification systems. Topics may include the analysis of institutional discrimination against women in major social institutions such as religion, education, family, heath care and work, and an examination of the feminization of poverty.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319 .

SOCI 3327. Sociology of Popular Culture. 3 Hours.

Students engage in a critical analysis of popular culture in its cross-cultural and historical perspectives with the main focus on the role and character of popular culture in American society. Topic may include the different forms and aspects of popular culture in their dynamic relation to the cultural "mainstream", to everyday life of Americans, and to the core values of American society.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3335. Food and Society. 3 Hours.

Students examine food from a sociological perspective. Topics may include the production, distribution, and consumption of food in today's globalized society.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3341. Marriage And The Family. 3 Hours. [TCCN: SOCI 2301]

Students engage in a sociological examination of marriage and family life. Topics may include the problems of courtship, mate selection, and marriage adjustment in modern American society.

SOCI 3344. Sociology of Education. 3 Hours.

Students examine the relationship between the educational system and society. Topics may include education and inequality, the relationship between education and different social institutions, educational experiences and the life course, and schooling experiences. Credits 3.

SOCI 3345. Social Statistics. 3 Hours.

Students examine the basic concepts, techniques and data necessary for an adequate understanding of social structure and change. Topics may include observational, experimental, sample survey, and demographic analysis.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301.

SOCI 3354. Sociology of the Life Course. 3 Hours.

Students examine the sociological dimensions of aging. Topics may include the various sociological theories and methods used in the study of aging, discrimination against the young and the old, the relationship between life-cycle changes and changes in placement in class and status, and the impact of population aging on retirement patterns, income security, health care, and long-term care.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3355. Race/Ethnic Inequality. 3 Hours.

Students examine racial and ethnic stratification in its various dimensions. Topics may include the placement in the class, status and power stratification systems on the basis of birth ascribed and socially defined race/ethnicity, and the ideologies which serve to rationalize these inequalities. Other topics may address the study of institutional discrimination and racial/ethnic stratification in major social institutions such as education, health care, religion and work.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3365. Sociology Of Health & Illness. 3 Hours.

Students investigate the processes by which persons assume, act, and relinquish the sick role. Topics may include the interrelationships between patient and family, doctors, and hospital; the quality and quantity of health services distributed by class and race; and the problems posed by mental illness, such as diagnosis, treatment, and involuntary commitment.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3370. Research Methods in Sociology. 3 Hours.

Students learn the logic and character of scientific and alternative means of social inquiry. Topics may include the function of observation, concept formation, proposition arrangement and testing of theory as components of the scientific process in sociology.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301.

SOCI 3371. Qualitative Methods. 3 Hours.

Students examine the principles and practices of qualitative research. Topics include qualitative techniques of design, data collection and organization, analyses, and interpretation. Students gain experience conducting and assessing qualitative research on social issues.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319; and SOCI 2399.

SOCI 3372. Demographic Techniques. 3 Hours.

Students examine demography concepts like population composition and change, mortality, fertility, migration, population distribution, population policy, and the relationship between population and environment. Students develop and apply the techniques of demographic analysis including data management, analysis, and visualization including the development of population pyramids, population projections and life tables.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319; and SOCI 2399.

SOCI 3373. Social Program Evaluation. 3 Hours.

Students will evaluate social programs in a variety of agencies, institutions, and settings. Students gain an overview of the field of program evaluation and will be exposed to hands-on experience through practical case study. Specific topics may include core knowledge, theories, and approaches to program evaluation. Students will also learn technical skills related to conducting program evaluation.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3376. Rural And Urban Sociology. 3 Hours.

Students examines the human community in its ecological, cultural, and associational aspects. Topics may include the folk, rural, and urban community considered from the standpoint of various sociological perspectives. Special attention is given to social change, including decision-making as it affects local life.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3377. Community Planning and Development. 3 Hours.

Students examine the practice of community planning and development from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives. Topics may include sociological theories used to examine communities, approaches used by federal and state agency personnel, municipal leaders, community, and economic practitioners to facilitate community planning and development, and the social, political and economic forces shaping communities. Students gain experience using community development frameworks and tools.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319; and SOCI 2399.

SOCI 3381. Cultural Anthropology. 3 Hours.

Students investigate the cultural and social organization of preliterate societies. Topics may include marriage, property, religion, magic, and tribal control.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3383. Sociology of Latin America. 3 Hours.

Students apply sociological concepts in order to analyze contemporary social issues in the context of Latin America. Topics may include social inequality, political repression, borderlands, socio-environmental struggles, indigenous politics, and social movements in Latin America.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3384. Economy And Society. 3 Hours.

Students investigate the relationship between economy and society. Topics may include employment opportunities for college graduates; blue collar, white collar, and professional lifestyles; origins of industrial society and effects on social stratification, minorities, and the family. Students may learn about workers’ control of industry, relationships between industry and government, the sociology of labor relations and personnel management.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 3392. Social Movements. 3 Hours.

Students examines the characteristics of social movements useful to the sociological study and interpretations of major social trends involving both social and cultural change in community and society. The theoretical frameworks for understanding the causes, types, and theories of social change in contemporary society are given special attention.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 4075. Rdgs in Sociology. 1-3 Hours.

Advanced students engage in independent study on a special topic approved by the chair of the department and the instructor directing the course. Variable Credit (1-3).

SOCI 4330. Sociology of Immigration. 3 Hours.

Students develop an in-depth understanding of the theoretical tools that sociologists use for studying international migration. Topics may include the sociohistorical context of modern-day migration and the institutional forces that drive it; the social and political processes by which legality and illegality are constructed; and the consequences for immigrants and communities. Consideration is also given as to how inequalities based on race, class, and gender shape immigrants' experiences and ability to integrate into their receiving communities and the implications of these processes for social change.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 4334. Sociology Of Disaster. 3 Hours.

Students investigate how culture, inequality, and social structure and processes shape how people face disasters, how they respond and the ways in which they recover or fail to do so. Topics may include how disasters may lead to rapid social change and the foundations of sociology of disaster theory.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 4337. Environment And Society. 3 Hours.

Students examine the environment as a social and cultural issue. Topics may include an overview of the field of environmental sociology, traditional sociological perspectives on environmental issues, paradigmatic implications of environmental sociology, the development of environmental movement, the rise of environmental deterioration, public attitudes toward environmental issues, national environmental policies, and social impact assessment.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 4338. Social Gerontology. 3 Hours.

Students examine the current controversies in the field of Social Gerontology. Topics may include the various sociological theories and methods employed in the study of social gerontology, along with the biological and physiological changes related to aging. This course also explores the trends in the discipline of social gerontology, the impact of population aging on retirement patterns, income security, health care, long term care, and the politics of aging. Credit 3
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319.

SOCI 4339. Development & Sustainability. 3 Hours.

Students examine development, globalization, and sustainability. Topics may include the form, objectives and ramifications of development and globalization, socio-economic relations between countries, and the effects of development and globalization on people, communities, and the environment.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301 or SOCI 2319 and Junior Standing.

SOCI 4344. Sociological Theory. 3 Hours.

Students engage in a historical survey of the development of sociological thought. Emphasis is placed upon the growth of Sociology as a discipline, major areas of interest and major contributors.
Prerequisite: SOCI 1301.

SOCI 4379. Internship In Applied Sociolgy. 3 Hours.

Students engage in an in-depth exploration of sociological issues in an applied setting. Students are required to complete a minimum of 120 hours in an approved host organization, plus complete appropriate academic requirements. Internships are unpaid. Internships are unpaid. Fall and Spring only.
Prerequisite: Junior or senior Sociology majors, minimum GPA 3.0 or through special petition.

SOCI 4399. Senior Seminar In Sociology. 3 Hours.

Students engage in a capstone project which addresses special areas or issues in Sociology. Topics may include the career needs of Sociology majors and/or prospective teachers of Sociology.
Prerequisite: Advanced standing in Sociology and SOCI 1301 and SOCI 2399.