Undergraduate Course Atlas - Spring 2007
SOC 101, Introduction to General Sociology
Mullis, MWF 11:45-12:35, Max: 60 (staggered for pre-registration purposes)
Content: The purpose of this course is to give students an overview of the sociological approach - to develop your ability to see the world with a "sociological imagination." Major theoretical concepts and methodologies will be examined and illustrated with a wide variety of classic as well as recent empirical studies. Some of the topics we will look at include: the influence of society on love and death; social definitions of deviant behavior; and causes and consequences of social inequality (race and ethnic relations; gender relations).
Particulars: Two exams and several short written assignments
SOC 101, Introduction to General Sociology
Scott, TTh 10-11:15, Max: 60 (staggered for pre-registration purposes)
The objective of this course is to provide you with a general survey of the field of sociology and, more importantly, to provide you with a way to think about and understand the social world and your place within it. We will address questions such as: Do the situations we are in have an important effect on our behavior? How do we develop a self? How does class background affect individuals? Why are people unequal in society? Major sociological concepts will be examined and illustrated with a wide variety of classic as well as recent empirical studies. Some of the topics we'll look at include: the influence of society on love; social definitions of deviant behavior; socialization to work roles; and causes and consequences of social inequality (race and ethnic relations; gender relations).
Particulars: Three exams and two short written assignments
SOC 101, Introduction to General Sociology
Gentry, TTh 2:30-3:45, Max: 60 (staggered for pre-registration purposes)
The objective of this course is to provide you with a general survey of the field of sociology and, more important, to provide you with a way to think about and understand the social world and your place within it. Major sociological concepts will be examined and illustrated with a wide variety of classic as well as recent empirical studies. Some of the topics we'll look at include: the influence of society on love and death; causes and consequences of social inequality (race and ethnic relations; gender relations); and social definitions of deviant behavior.
Particulars: Two exams and several short written assignments
SOC 101, Introduction to General Sociology
Gentry, TTh 4-5:15, Max: 60 (staggered for pre-registration purposes)
The objective of this course is to provide you with a general survey of the field of sociology and, more important, to provide you with a way to think about and understand the social world and your place within it. Major sociological concepts will be examined and illustrated with a wide variety of classic as well as recent empirical studies. Some of the topics we'll look at include: the influence of society on love and death; causes and consequences of social inequality (race and ethnic relations; gender relations); and social definitions of deviant behavior.
Particulars: Two exams and several short written assignments
SOC 190, Crime and Development in the US and Emory
Agnew, MWF 9:35-10:25, Max: 15 (Freshman Seminar–Permission required from Dean’s Office)
Content: Students will read the literature on a) the measurement and extent of crime; b) the characteristics of criminals; c) the causes of crime; and d) efforts to control crime, including the efforts of the police, courts, and correctional agencies. There will be an ongoing effort to apply this literature to crime and deviance at Emory, with a focus on cheating, underage drinking, sexual violence, and a type of crime/deviance of the students' choice. As examples, students will draw on the leading crime theories in an effort to explain the causes of cheating on campus, and they will draw on the crime control literature to evaluate and suggest efforts to reduce sexual violence on campus.
Particulars: Two exams, a set of class presentations, and a final paper.
SOC 201, Organizations and Society
Archibald, TTh 10-11:15, Max: 40
Content: Modern society is an organizational society. We are born in organizations, and we die in them. In between, our lives are shaped by organizational entities, such as schools, universities, business firms, the music and entertainment industry, government agencies, prisons, labor unions, voluntary associations, and political parties, that remain transparent to us. This course provides an introduction to the central authors and themes in the sociology of organizations. We will use a loose historical framework to examine various research paradigms detailing core topics associated with the study of organizations such as: bureaucracy, power and conflict, rationality, authority, work, technology, and organizational deviance. Students will be encouraged to develop a general understanding of this unique sociological perspective as it applies to organizations as diverse as the CDC, Enron, Tha Row Records, and Al-Qaeda.
Texts: Hall, Richard H. Organizations: Structures, Processes and Outcomes, New Jersey: Prentice Hall; Selection of readings
Particulars: Two exams; several short summary (1-2 page) papers
SOC 213, Sociology of the Family
Byrd, TTh 11:30-12:45, Max: 25
Content: This course is designed to highlight important contemporary changes in society & the family, and explore the choices that are available to family members as well as constraints that often limit our choices, including critical issues that confront individuals and the family of the twenty-first century. We will examine family roles, responsibilities and obligations over the life span. Specifically, we will look at (1) defining the family; (2) intimate relationships; (3) gender, marriage & work issues; (4) family diversity; (5) parenting and parenthood; (6) childhood and child rearing; (7) intimate violence; (8) divorce and remarriage; (9) family transitions in adulthood; (10) changing American families
SOC 214, Class, Status, and Power
Condron, TTh 8:30-9:45, Max: 40
Content: The title of this course is derived from the notion that society is stratified into groups according to class, status, and power. We will study sociological explanations of a variety of social phenomena related to the question of who gets what and why. Topics include: Patterns of wealth and income inequality in the U.S.; theories of why inequality exists; the class structure of the U.S.; elites and power; poverty; the intersection of class, race/ethnicity, and gender; privilege and oppression; the role of education in stratification; global inequality; human agency and social change. The material covered in this course will encourage you to think critically as you continuously try to make sense of inequality in the world around you.
SOC 220, Juvenile Delinquency
Matthews, MWF 10:40-11:30, Max: 25
Content: The course is divided in four parts. First, we will examine the nature and extent of delinquency. This will include an examination of the history of delinquency, how delinquency is measured, and the characteristics of delinquents. Second, we will examine the major theories of delinquency; with a special focus on strain theory, social control theory, and subcultural deviance theory. Third, we will examine efforts to control delinquency; with a focus on the police, the juvenile court, and correctional facilities for juveniles. Finally we will examine the research on specific causes of delinquency and efforts to control such causes, including for example the research on the effect of family factors, school factors, gangs, religion, work, and the media on delinquency. Classes will consist of lecture and discussion, with an occasional movie or guest speaker.
Particulars: Three exams, in class presentation, and short paper based on presentation.
SOC 221, Culture and Society
Schmutz,MWF, 3-3:50, Max: 25
Content: This course surveys major themes and questions in the sociology of culture in three broad sections. (1) We begin by developing a "vocabulary" that is drawn from a variety of approaches. With this new vocabulary, we will begin to ask such questions as: What is culture and what does it do? (2) We then examine the classical treatments of culture by Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. This allows us to see how issues that they initially raised are treated today. Examples of current issues include: How do people in one group exclude people from another group? Can religion survive in modern times? (3) We will then focus on how culture undergirds the enactment of social activities and the existence of social groups. Thus we will deal with such issues as: How is artistic production shaped by social and cultural factors?
SOC 225/WS231, Sociology of Sex and Gender
Carry, MWF 12:50-1:40, Max: SOC=20; WS=20; TOTAL=40
Content: The following course will introduce students to the study of gender and sexuality from a sociological perspective. The general focus of the course will be to under stand how gender and sexuality are connected through major areas of everyday life. Emphasis will be placed on understanding how race/ethnic/cultural variation, gender variation, and sexual orientation and identity all intersect. The course is broken into three major parts including how sociologist study gender and sexuality, how we learn gender and sexuality, and how gender and sexuality affects our everyday lives. Course requirements include short reflections, debate, midterm and final exam.
SOC 245, Individual and Society
Hegtvedt/Greene, TTh 11:30-12:45, Max: 40
Content: This course focuses on how social factors influence individuals' beliefs, perceptions, and behaviors. We will examine how attitudes develop and change; how people perceive others and their environment, and what brings people together. In addition, we will dissect group processes involving conflict, power, status, and influence.
Particulars: 3 exams; and a paper.
SOC 247/AAS 247, Racial and Ethnic Relations
Turner, TTh, 8:30-9:45, Max: SOC=10; AAS=10; TOTAL=20
Content: This course provides a systematic overview of race and ethnic relations in the U.S., both historically and contemporarily. Our analysis will extend beyond the black-white dichotomy. During the first part of the course, we will broaden our understanding of several race and ethnic relations theories. Next, we will examine empirical evidence which support and challenge the theories we encounter. A few of the questions we will explore include: What is race and ethnicity? How has race and ethnicity changed over time? What role does the state play in maintaining or undermining race and ethnic relations?
SOC 247/AAS 247, Racial and Ethnic Relations
Turner, TTh, 10-11:15, Max: SOC=20; AAS=20; TOTAL=40
Content: This course provides a systematic overview of race and ethnic relations in the U.S., both historically and contemporarily. Our analysis will extend beyond the black-white dichotomy. During the first part of the course, we will broaden our understanding of several race and ethnic relations theories. Next, we will examine empirical evidence which support and challenge the theories we encounter. A few of the questions we will explore include: What is race and ethnicity? How has race and ethnicity changed over time? What role does the state play in maintaining or undermining race and ethnic relations?
SOC 249, Criminology
Griffiths, MWF 2-2:50, Max: 40
Content: The major purpose of this course is to introduce students to the various theories used to explain crime, as well as to examine the nature, extent, and causes of crime in American society. We will consider how crime is defined and measured, explore the criminalization of deviance, and discuss the various types of crime and criminality. The bulk of this course will focus on theoretical explanations employed by sociologists to explain why crime occurs, who offends, and who is victimized. We will briefly examine classical theories, biological theories, and psychological theories before studying sociological theories of crime including rational choice, strain, labeling, control, and conflict theories among others. In the remainder of the course we will investigate the concept of social control in detail, focusing on communities/reference groups (informal social controls) and imprisonment/policing (formal social controls).
Particulars: Three exams, term paper, in-class exercises
SOC 266, Global Change
Bergsagel-Braley, MWF 4-4:50, Max: 25
Content: The processes of globalization affect each of our lives in expected and unexpected ways: our patterns of consumption (e.g., the clothes you chose to wear today); activities that fill our day (e.g., listening to music, exercising and sports, gaming on-line); and, the local institutions that anchor the social world in which you live and breathe (e.g., Emory University, the urban landscape of Atlanta, the classroom). All of these reflect and refract the very real and often contentious political, economic, and cultural aspects of globalization. While many global changes are tangible— e.g., sushi served in Cox Hall-- global changes are also animated by ideas— visions about the (im)possibility of a new world (in this life as well as the next), definitions of what constitutes a life well-lived and the criteria for human flourishing, implicit and explicit obligations that mark us as members of both local communities and an interdependent global society. This course examines the intersection of these ideas
Particulars: Readings include books, articles, and internet resources about specific features of globalization. Requirements include: small group research project to produce the content for an on-line game about a particular global issue, two exams, a globalization journal, and active participation in class discussions.
SOC 307S/EDS 30S, Sociology of Education
Condron/Werum, TTh. 11:30-12:45, Max: SOC=6; EDS=6: TOTAL=12
Content: With two professors and both undergraduate and graduate students participating, this co-taught advanced seminar will provide students with a unique opportunity to explore sociological perspectives on schooling. At the core of the sociology of education is the relationship between schooling and broader social forces and patterns of inequality. Accordingly, much of the course material will relate to social policies and to class, racial/ethnic, and gender inequalities in educational opportunities and outcomes. In addressing these issues, we will go beyond the contemporary U.S. to include historical and comparative perspectives, and will draw on theories and empirical studies ranging from micro to macro and from classical to contemporary. (Note: Graduate students enrolled in the course will be required to attend an additional thirty-minute session each week, day and time to be determined.)
SOC 325, Sociology of Film
Hicks, MWF 10:40-11:30, Max: 40 (Mandatory Wednesday evening film viewing)
Max: 40
Content: This course will introduce students to social aspects, causes and consequences of the production, distribution, content, form and reception of film. The course will be carried out as a combination of lecture, course and seminar, enlivened by frequent film clips. Participants will be encouraged to view about one complete film per week in a special session (and required to see about half of these films).
Texts: TENTATIVE: J. Wasko, Hollywood in the Information Age; W. Wright, Sixguns and Society; F. Krutnick, In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity; R.E. Kapsis, Hitchcock: The Making of a Reputation; and readings from Woodruff and/or Learnlink electronic reserve.
Particulars: Evaluation will be based on (a) a class presentation or a short paper (worth 20% toward class grade), (b) a midterm exam (25%), (c) a final exam (25%) and (d) a research paper (30%). Obligatory 8:00 p.m. film showings (nearly weekly), location and day to be determined.
SOC 333, Sociology of Religion
Tipton, TTH 1-2:15, Max: 10
Content: What do religious phenomena mean to their participants, seen as members of society? We will explore answers to this question through readings, lectures, discussion, films, and firsthand research. We will look at classical theories (e.g. Durkheim, Weber, Marx, Freud) and contemporary research, first, to probe the roots of religious experience and map the social functions of ritual and myth; to consider religion as the sym-bolic synthesis of world view and ethic; and test it as a prism of historical conflict and change. Second, we will examine religious evolution in the light of social modernization in the West, focusing on the rise of Protestantism and the spirit of capitalism. We will then turn to explore different types of religious organization, roles, and authority along with their social identity in terms of class, race, gender and ethnicity with particular attention to women in ministry, African-American churches and Latino religiosity. Third, we will look into the American scene today, Jewish and Christian: denominations, sects, and new movements; spiritual transformation and the dynamics of congregational change; religious intermarriage and denominational switching; secularization and revival; church growth, decline and liberal-evangelical polarization; religious lobbying, advocacy, and activism; religion in politics and international conflict, globalization and liberation.
SOC 355, Social Research I
Michalec, MWF 2-2:50, Max: 20
Content: The overall goal of this course is to provide an understanding of the basic mechanics of social science research. Therefore, this course takes an original approach to three substantive areas: 1.) The nature of social research, 2.) Methods for collecting “facts”, and 3.) Sampling techniques and analyzing the “facts” to make claims. Students will actively participate in conducting a small-scale research project from the ground up and will be encouraged to think creatively regarding the nature of research methodology.
SOC355WR, Social Research I
Mullis, MWF 3-3:50, Max: 20
Content: This course is a practical introduction to research methods commonly used by social scientists, including experiments, surveys, focus groups, participant observation, content analysis, and analysis of comparative-historical data. The course has three main objectives. First, you will learn how to translate theoretical issues into researchable sociological questions. Second, you will learn how to choose an appropriate research design and recognize its strengths and limitations. Third, you will gain actual experience in the collection and analysis of data. The overall goal is to provide you with the critical skills necessary for being a savvy consumer and producer of social research data.
SOC 389/WS 385, Gender at Work
Whitelegg, TTh 10-11:15, Max: SOC=9; WS=9; TOTAL=18
Content: This course examines the relationship between gender and work. Why do women disproportionately carry out certain jobs? What does this say about society in general? How are issues such as femininity and masculinity involved? And does economic and social class make a difference? To explore these questions we will look at various groups of workers, from low-wage cleaners and wait-staff to flight attendants and professional careers. We will employ a variety of methods in the course and students will be encouraged to explore their intellectual imaginations, with credit given to those with particular initiative.
Texts: Barbara Ehrenreich Nickle and Dimed ; Arlie Hochschild The Managed Heart ; Judith Glazer-Raymo Shattering the Myth , Paul Willis Learning to Labour , Lois Weis Class Reunion , Carla Freeman High Tech and High Heels in the Global Economy
Particulars: Students will be assessed in a variety of ways. They will be expected to put together a short project on a relevant matter of their choosing and to present the results to the group. They will also be asked to write a critical review of one of the main readings as well as keep a weekly diary. They will also be graded on class contribution.
SOC 389, Criminal Justice
Bucher, MWF 12:50-1:40, Max: 25
Content: The major purpose of this course is to introduce students to the various processes used to prevent and control crime, as well as to examine the nature, extent, and implications of these processes on crime and American society. The bulk of this course will focus on explanations employed by sociologists to explain why/how the stages of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections) handle crime and offenders. The course is divided into four sections, with each of the last three sections being organized around a major stage in the criminal justice system. Sections include Strategies, The Police, The Courts, and Corrections.
Particulars: Four exams, short reflection paper, in-class exercises
SOC 389S, Gone with the Wind: Sociology of Memory and Myth
Feige, TTh 11:30-12:45, Max, 18 (senior seminar)
Content: To what extent are we products of the past, and in what sense are we, in actual fact, its creators? In the last two decades, social scientists and historians have turned their attention to questions regarding the way present societies understand, manipulate and identify with historical events. This seminar will present the theoretical issues, and discuss how the past “presents itself” in religion, nationalism and within consumer society. Places of memory, some sacred, other part of the “heritage industry,” are the center of this interdisciplinary and comparative seminar
SOC 389, JS 370, Judiasm in Israel: Religion, Politics, and Ethnicity
Feige, Tth 2:30-3:45, Max: SOC=20; JS=20; TOTAL=40
Content: Some consider Israel as “the Jewish state,” demanding that the state be constructed along the lines of the halacha; most Israeli Jews are content to see “the State of the Jews,” a place where Jews can hold their identity and strive without fear of persecution. This course will explore the meaning and various manifestations of the intersection between Jewish religion and the State of Israel. Its focus would be on the main Jewish religious communities: the Haredim (Ultra-orthodox), the National Religious and Shas (the Mizrahi Haredim), and the new versions of modern Judaism that are currently developing and expanding. The Israeli case can exemplify how religions encounter the challenges of modernity and nationalism through processes of transformation and accommodation.
SOC 389S/AAS 490S, Black Intellectual Tradition
Aldridge, T 2:30-5:15, Max: SOC=6; AAS=6; TOTAL=12
Content: This is a seminar that introduces varied classic and current intellectual texts critical to an interrogation of issues in the construction of knowledge and concept formations for research on Black/Africana people. Optimally, there are five characteristic functions or levels of inquiry and analysis of Black intellectual tradition: First, it realigns the intersections between African people on the continent and throughout the African diaspora as it provides a focus on cultural continuity and cross-fertilization, political linkages and solidarity, and global community of interests among and between African people. Secondly, emphasizes explanatory modes that are descriptive of black life, culture and societies from the centrality of the people’s experience and creative production. Thirdly, provides corrective, and redemptive information offering critique of the ‘master narratives’, or dominant (as in “Mainstream”) discourses rooted in racism, cultural and political imperialism, and aesthetic chauvinism that distorts the truth of black traditions, disfigures black bodies and de-values black people. Fourthly, examines new paradigms for critical thoughts, and application of humanistic values and social science principles to engage in the public policy discourse, as analyst and advocate for social justice and empowerment. Fifthly, demonstrates approaches to extending Black intellectual thought beyond the academy to secondary schools, and inclusive of all genders and ages for broad based public education and cultural literacy.
Required Texts: Aldridge, Delores and Carlene Young, Out of the Revolution; Bell, Derrick, Silent Convenants; Hill-Collins, Patricia. Black Feminist Thought; Mills, Charles Wade. The Racial Contract, Semmes, Clovis E. Cultural Hegemony and African American Development; Trouillot, Michel-Rolph. Silencing the Past
Course Requirements: 1) Each student is required to have a personal copy of each text, and to have it in class. 2) A written synopsis of each assigned reading must be submitted at the beginning of each class. 3) Each student is expected to participate actively in discussion during the seminar. Further, all students should expect to be called upon, and should be prepared to give a ten minute presentation on sections of assigned reading to be discussed. 4) A major research project must be submitted at the end of the semester. Guidelines will be provided for the project. A student may opt out of the final research project by taking a comprehensive examination of the entire course material.
Grading: Class Participation: 25%; Written Synopsis: 25%; Major Research Project or Comprehensive Examination: 50%
SOC 457WR, Development of Sociological Theory
Jamerson, MWF 11:45-12:35, Max: 25
Content: This course introduces and critically analyzes the classical sociological theories of Smith, Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Simmel, DuBois, and Mead. Major themes include the rise of modern society, dimensions of stratification, social solidarity and identity, and the social nature of the individual and the self. Students will be asked to critically reflect on each theorist and use the various classical theories to understand and interpret contemporary social life.
Particulars: During the semester, students will be expected to view three assigned films outside of the scheduled class period. Evaluation for the course will be based on participation; an in-class midterm exam; a take-home final exam; extensive reading, writing and analysis exercises; and a short oral presentation.
SOC 457WR, Development of Sociological Theory
Jamerson, MWF, 12:50-1:40 Max: 25
Content: This course introduces and critically analyzes the classical sociological theories of Smith, Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Simmel, DuBois, and Mead. Major themes include the rise of modern society, dimensions of stratification, social solidarity and identity, and the social nature of the individual and the self. Students will be asked to critically reflect on each theorist and use the various classical theories to understand and interpret contemporary social life.
Particulars: During the semester, students will be expected to view three assigned films outside of the scheduled class period. Evaluation for the course will be based on participation; an in-class midterm exam; a take-home final exam; extensive reading, writing and analysis exercises; and a short oral presentation.
SOC 494RWR, Internship in Sociology
Dowd, TBA, Max: 10, (Written permission required from Dowd prior to registering)
Content: The internship involves supervised work in a social service agency or other organization. Students work from 10 hours (4 credits) to 30 hours (12 credits) a week. An effort is made to place students in agencies or organizations that match their research and/or career interests. Opportunities include counseling in a program for adult offenders on probation, work in a family planning agency, work at the Centers for Disease Control, work at Cable News Network, etc.
Particulars: 1) A 10-page paper describing the social service agency or organization and the student's work in it. 2) A research paper from 20 (4 credits) to 40 (12 credits) pages long. 3) Attendance at two seminar meetings. 4) Individual meetings with the faculty supervisor. 5. Limited to declared Sociology majors only. 6) Written permission required from Instructor prior to registering.
SOC 495BWR, 497R, 498R, and 499R require written permission from Dr. Mullis before registering. Please contact Katie Wilson for additional information.
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