2002-2003 Undergraduate Catalog
Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705
Sociology
Credit designation at right of title is expressed in (c) class hours per week, (l) lab or (d) discussion section hours per week, and (sh) semester hours of credit per semester.
SOC: Sociology
Department of Sociology
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
SOC 151 Principles of Sociology
3c-0l-3sh
A scientific study of structure and functioning of human societies, with special attention to factors responsible for the organization and transformation of sociocultural systems. Specific course content varies from one instructor to another.
SOC 231 Contemporary Social Problems
3c-0l-3sh
An exploration of some pressing problems currently endemic to Western society. Problems are defined and solutions explored in light of historical, political, economic, social, and anthropological data.
3c-0l-3sh
Focuses on social and cultural functions of language. Particular emphasis on analysis of non-Western languages.
SOC 251 Sociology of Human Sexuality
3c-0l-3sh
An in-depth analysis of a formerly taboo topic, human sexuality. Current information from biological, psychological, and sociological research on human relationships is presented to provide a foundation for self-understanding and societal values.
SOC 271 Cultural Area Studies: Africa
3c-0l-3sh
Explores the cultural diversity of the continent of Africa. The first unit examines the historical processes which shape modern society, including the formation of indigenous African empires, the evidence for trade routes, slave trading, and colonialism. The second unit examines the nature of African traditional societies, including analyses of forager and agricultural groups. The last unit covers issues of contemporary development in Africa such as famine and agricultural policy, the status of women in economic development, and apartheid. Reading includes ethnographic and historical accounts of African society as well as selections by African writers on the issues of contemporary society. (Also offered as ANTH 271; may not be taken for duplicate credit)
SOC 272 Cultural Area Studies: China
3c-0l-3sh
Designed to assist the student in developing an understanding of contemporary China. While the course will begin with prehistoric and historic aspects of China, the focus will be on contemporary issues presented in the context of sociological theory. Specific Chinese cultural components that will be investigated include values, attitudes, norms, social organization, linguistics, and folklore. (Also offered as ANTH 272; may not be taken for duplicate credit)
SOC 273 Cultural Area Studies: Southeast Asia
3c-0l-3sh
An introduction to the peoples and cultures of Southeast Asia. Prehistory and the development of indigenous states in Southeast Asia and analysis of impact of world religions, such as Islam, and Western colonialism. Also examines modern hunter-gatherer and farming societies and discusses contemporary issues in social and economic change, including the “Green Revolution,” tropical deforestation, the struggle of ethnic minority tribal peoples, and the plight of Indochinese refugees. (Also offered as ANTH 273; may not be taken for duplicate credit)
SOC 274 Cultural Area Studies: Latin America
3c-0l-3sh
An introduction to the peoples and cultures of Latin America. Focuses on the prehistory and development of pre-Columbian complex societies in Mesoamerica and the Andes and analyzes the impact of European colonialism on these major regions. Also examines contemporary issues, such as civil wars, economic development, rural-urban migrations, and migration and immigration of Latin American peoples into the United States. (Also offered as ANTH 274; may not be taken for duplicate credit)
var-1-3sh
Prerequisite: As appropriate to course content
Special topics are offered on an experimental or temporary basis to explore topics that are not included in the established curriculum. A given topic may be offered under any special topic identity no more than three times. Special topics numbered 281 are offered primarily for lower-level undergraduate students.
SOC 286 Marriage, Kinship, and the Family
3c-0l-3sh
Sociological and anthropological study of patterns of marriage, kinship, and family life, with emphasis on the relationship between family patterns and other social institutions. Topics covered include the family and marriage in historical and comparative perspective; worldwide patterns of gender stratification; incest and incest avoidance; class and race contexts of family patterns; mate selection and love; parenthood and child rearing; domestic and sexual violence; alternative family lifestyles; and the current crisis and possible future of the family. Intended for a broad audience but also open to sociology and anthropology majors and minors. (Also offered as ANTH 286; may not be taken for duplicate credit)
SOC 301 Foundations of Sociological Practice
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Introduces students to the field of sociological practice and develops an understanding of the relevance of micro and macro sociological theory to understanding human problems. Focuses on applications of sociological theory and methods to the helping professions and especially to understanding the interactional aspects of the relationship between service users and service providers. Also acquaints students with the structure of the human service system in American society.
SOC 302 Clinical Sociological Practice
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 301
Prepares the student to effect constructive change within individuals, groups, families, and communities. Draws its analysis, diagnosis, and methods from the foundations of sociological theory at the level of intervention with clients.
SOC 303 Social and Cultural Change
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
An exploration of current theoretical perspectives on social and cultural change. Special attention given to planned change at the local or regional level.
3c-0l-3sh
A survey of culture history and culture area characteristics of Native Americans of North America. A detailed study of representative groups related to historical, functional, and ecological concepts.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisites: SOC 151 and second-semester sophomore standing
A detailed survey of the historical development of sociological theory from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Treats the classical theorists Marx, Durkheim, and Weber and such contemporary theoretical schools as functionalism, Marxian and Weberian conflict theory, cultural materialism, social evolutionism, rational choice theory, symbolic interactionism, ethnomethodology, sociobiology, structuralism, and postmodernism. Students are encouraged to take this course in the second semester of their sophomore year or during their junior year.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
A study of social and cultural factors involved in various youth lifestyles, including delinquency. Cross-cultural and historical approach used in a review of social norms, social control, and socialization institutions and community-based programs for rehabilitation.
SOC 335 Alcohol and Drug Abuse
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Examines the social issues and problems of alcohol and drug misuse in American society. Legal and illegal substances will be considered, and the causes of substance abuse as well as alternatives will be examined.
SOC 336 Sociology of the Family
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Sociological study of the family from various theoretical viewpoints. Special emphasis will be placed on the contemporary American family. A variety of topics will be covered, such as mate selection, power relationships and roles in the family, parent-child interaction, marital satisfaction, divorce, and others.
SOC 337 World Societies and World Systems
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: One of the following: ANTH 110, ECON 101 or 121, GEOG 230, HIST 202, PLSC 101 or 282, SOC 151
A detailed analysis of the evolution of human societies, with special emphasis on the modern world system of societies that began to emerge in the sixteenth century and that has since expanded to include the entire globe. Topics include societies during the preindustrial era; the emergence of modern capitalism in the sixteenth century; relations between developed and less-developed societies in the modern world; the ascent and decline of nation-states in the modern world; the current plight of the Third World; the rise and demise of socialism in the twentieth century; and various scenarios for the human future.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
An examination of industrial organizations and their environments. Production systems analyzed in terms of different forms of organization, e.g., bureaucratic, power-equilibrium, and worker-participation. Special attention paid to who defines production, how such definitions are legitimized, and how constraints are placed on such definitions by union and other political organizations.
SOC 341 Sociology of Education
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Examines the place of education in society. Special attention to the development of education in America and its relation to political and economic phenomena. Some attention given to education in other industrial and agrarian societies.
SOC 342 Social and Cultural Aspects of Health and Medicine
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: 6sh in Sociology or Anthropology
A review of the fields of medical sociology and anthropology. Focuses on such topics as health and illness in cross-cultural context, aging, social and psychological aspects of pain, and social organization of health facilities and services. Definitions of limits of “life” and “death” in context of holistic health.
SOC 345 Interpersonal Dynamics
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
A study of the interaction between and among individuals and groups in various social settings. The emphasis will be on self-understanding, small groups, socialization, social influence and compliance, person perception, collective behavior, and mass communication.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Focuses upon the sociological examination of the various forms of labor, employment, and unemployment present in industrial societies. Examines the nature of work and unemployment in the modern era and how these forms are being transformed in the present period.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Nature, role, and function of religious phenomena in human societies will be explored with special attention to certain critical issues as they relate to religion and politics and religion and economics. Some fundamental modes of religious life including ritual forms and mythic expressions will be examined. Other themes such as revitalization movements and processes of secularization in modern societies will be included.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
An introduction to various problems faced in the process of growing older. Attitudes of society toward elderly and social and cultural impact of an aging U.S. population examined.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Examines leading perspectives in the major sociological subfield of social stratification. Attention drawn to different ways of ranking people in human societies, issues concerning the distribution of income and wealth, the role of political power in determining who gets what, and the causes and consequences of social inequality for specific groups.
SOC 362 Racial and Ethnic Minorities
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Examines from a historical and comparative perspective the experiences of minority groups, with special emphasis on economic and political domination, stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Techniques of majority group domination and the responses of minority groups are discussed. Various reasons for the different rates and patterns of assimilation are explored.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Explores current perspectives on the situations faced by women and men, primarily in the United States. Examines issues such as the impact of sex and gender on socialization, the construction of knowledge, intimate relationships, paid work, family relationships, health, and issues of change.
SOC 380 Social Research Methods
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisites: 9sh in SOC and junior standing
Examines diverse research designs used in the social sciences, i.e., survey, field study, experiment, documentary, and existing statistical data. Focuses both on logic and practice of social research. Students choose a number of mini-projects or a major research project.
SOC 421 Sociology of Mass Media
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Examines the development of mass media as dominant cultural forms within advanced industrial societies in the twenty-first century. Emphasizes critical understanding of the sociohistorical development, the underlying assumptions, and the social implications of the advance of mass media.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Considers the range of theoretical explanations for the pervasive violence between husband and wife. Particularly examines the research on wife battering and the implications of this research for programs and policies assisting both the victim and the abuser.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Examines the prevalence, causes, and social implications of physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect forms of child abuse in society. Child abuse will be studied from the individual, family, and societal level perspectives. Potential intervention strategies will also be considered.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Focuses on the formation of social welfare programs in the U.S., current social policy issues, and debates between conservative, liberal, and social democratic policy analysts. Special attention drawn to various social problems and a range of social policies designed to ameliorate the economic disadvantages of single individuals, single parents, and two-parent families. Also devoted to understanding the relationship between social policy, research, and implementation.
SOC 452 Disability and Society
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Analyzes disability from a sociological perspective. Includes consideration of historical and current views of disability and a review of related concepts from the fields of medical sociology and the sociology of deviance. Also includes an analysis of the effects of disabilities on individuals and families through the life course and a consideration of related ethical, economic, political, and social policy issues. The emphasis is on disability as a social construction.
SOC 456 Field Research Methods
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 380 or permission
An examination of methods and practice of sociology and anthropology in the areas of qualitative and field methods. Concentrates upon the development of field notes, interviewing techniques, participant observation, etc. Qualitative methods of sampling and analysis will include theoretical sampling and analytic induction. Brief background research into community, organizational, and group structure will also be emphasized.
SOC 457 Computer Use in Sociology
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
Introduces students to use of microcomputers in social science research and practice. Uses a variety of software for clinical sociological applications as well as quantitative analysis of social scientific data. These include client information systems, field notes and downloading such notes, exchanging information between agencies, and statistical analyses for program evaluation and forecasting.
3c-0l-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
An examination of the social context of power and politics, with special reference to such topics as who controls the state and state policy; the role of the state in stabilizing capitalism and protecting the power of the upper class; political activities of the middle and upper classes; and labor, civil rights, and welfare rights social movements in America. Especially considers the problems of conducting and implementing social policy research for social change. Cross-listed as PLSC 346.
var-1-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
A seminar for advanced students devoted to an intensive analysis of specialized issues within the discipline.
var-l-3sh
Prerequisite: As appropriate to course content
Special topics are offered on an experimental or temporary basis to explore topics that are not included in the established curriculum. A given topic may be offered under any special topic identity no more than three times. Special topics numbered 481 are offered primarily for upper-level undergraduate students.
var-1-3sh
Prerequisite: Prior approval through advisor, faculty member, department chairperson, dean, and Provost’s Office
An opportunity for students to engage in an in-depth analysis of some topic through consultation with a faculty member. A semester project ordinarily expected. Approval is based on academic appropriateness and availability of resources.
var-1-3sh
Prerequisite: SOC 151
Directed readings on special topics in sociology.
SOC 493 Internship in Sociology
var-3-12sh
Prerequisite: Prerequisites vary by track. Permission of Internship Coordinator required.
Supervised experience in a public or private organization that extends and complements coursework at the university.
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