Sociology  

SOC 400 - Introductory Sociology
Credits: 4.00
Overview of sociology as the scientific study of human social and cultural relationships. Social theory, methods and techniques of research, and current research findings on a wide range of social issues. Special fee on some sections.

SOC 400H - Honors/Introductory Sociology
Credits: 4.00
See description for SOC 400. Writing intensive.

SOC 400W - Introductory Sociology
Credits: 4.00
See description for SOC 400. Writing intensive.

SOC 444 - Social Mobility and Social Change
Credits: 4.00
Uses a multidisciplinary perspective to examine the major social and economic trends that have affected American mobility patterns since the 1950s. The primary goal of the course is to help students ask and answer questions about the processes of social mobility and social change. Students learn how social scientists formulate research questions, how they collect and analyze data to answer those questions, and how their findings shape scholarly debates and public policy. Writing intensive.

SOC 500 - Self and Society
Credits: 4.00
Examines meaning and interaction at the individual level of society. Considers reciprocal relationships between self and society, including (1) the nature of the self concept, identity formation processes, and the fulfillment of social roles and (2) the impact of social structure on thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

SOC 500W - Self and Society
Credits: 4.00
See description for SOC 500. Writing intensive.

SOC 502 - Statistics
Credits: 4.00
Elementary applied statistical techniques; tables, graphs, cross-classifications; central tendency and dispersion; correlation and linear regression; confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. No credit for students who have completed ADM 430, BIOL 528, ADMN 420, EREC 525, HHS 540, MATH 639, MATH 644, PSYC 402, but petitions for acceptance of such courses to fulfill the sociology major requirement in statistics will be entertained.

SOC 502H - Honors/Statistics
Credits: 4.00
See description for SOC 502.

SOC 515 - Introductory Criminology
Credits: 4.00
Introduces the scientific study of crime. Reviews the different forms of criminal behavior, theories of crime, and strategies of crime control.

SOC 520 - Family
Credits: 4.00
Sociological study of marriage and the family in American society. Following a life-cycle approach, topics include gender roles, communication and conflict, dating and mate selection, work and family economics, the transition to parenthood, middle- and late-life family, divorce, and remarriage.

SOC 520H - Honors/Family
Credits: 4.00
See description for SOC 520.

SOC 525 - Juvenile Crime and Delinquency
Credits: 4.00
Crime, violence, and the criminal justice system as it affects children and youth in the role of both perpetrators and victims.

SOC 530 - Race and Ethnic Relations
Credits: 4.00
Majority-minority group relations; special attention to nature and results of black-white and ethnic group relations in the United States.

SOC 530W - Race and Ethnic Relations
Credits: 4.00
See description for SOC 530. Writing intensive.

SOC 535 - Homicide
Credits: 4.00
Introduces to theory and research in homicide studies, including a review of the origins of and social responses to homicide.

SOC 540 - Social Problems
Credits: 4.00
Relation of customs and institutions to such social problems as crime, delinquency, alcoholism, physical and mental disease, sexual deviance, poverty, old age, broken families, and racial and religious prejudices. Especially for non-majors.

SOC 540W - Social Problems
Credits: 4.00
See description for SOC 540. Writing intensive.

SOC #570 - Sexual Behavior
Credits: 4.00
A comparative approach to questions of the universality and variability of human sexual behavior. Topics include the changing expression of sexuality at various stages of the life cycle, patterns of arousal and response for each sex, the social control of sexuality, and sexual dysfunction

SOC 580 - Arts in Society
Credits: 4.00
Students attend live concerts of "classical" music, dance, opera, and theatre; as well as visit art museums and architectural monuments in the region. Assigned readings and introductory lectures precede the performances and art trips, and response papers and discussion follow them. While exposure to "live" art is primary, events are related to other institutions that constitute society?the family, education, the economy, religion, and government, again through assigned readings, lectures, and discussion. (Also offered as INCO 480.) Special fee.

SOC 585 - Social Geography
Credits: 4.00
Introduces and explores the field of social geography, or the study of human spatial behavior and the derived geographical patterns from the point of view of society. Focuses on the geographical or spatial dimensions of our population's symbolic interactions, including thematic considerations of spatial behavior as a form of social interaction and the ways that social and geographical systems of identity operate together. (Also offered as GEOG 585.)

SOC 595 - Independent Reading and Research
Credits: 2.00 to 8.00
Independent study of advanced or specialized topics in sociology requiring extensive reading and writing. Before registering, students must develop a project in consultation with a faculty supervisor and submit a proposal to the undergraduate committee. Prereq: 12 sociology credits and permission.

SOC 597 - Special Topics
Credits: 4.00
Occasional or experimental offerings. May be repeated for different topics.

SOC 599 - Sociological Analysis
Credits: 4.00
Basic skills essential to sociological study, including: development of critical reading skills; evaluation of theory construction and evidence; analysis of classic and contemporary works, research, writing, and use of library resources. To be taken by sociology majors no later than the junior year. Special fee on some sections. Writing intensive.

SOC 601 - Methods of Social Research
Credits: 4.00
Overview of major research methods: survey analysis, personal interview, participant observation, content analysis, and experimental design. Each student designs and completes a research project. Prereq: SOC 502 or equivalent and SOC 599; juniors and seniors only. Writing intensive.

SOC 611 - Sociological Theory
Credits: 4.00
Analysis of the origins and development of sociological theory. Includes the classical works of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim and their connections to the major strands of present day research. Writing intensive.

SOC 612 - Topics in Sociological Theory
Credits: 4.00
Major schools, concepts, and issues in present-day sociological theory. Functionalism, conflict theory, feminist theory, social constructionism, systems theory, critical theory, and hermeneutics are among the possible topics. Prereq: SOC 611. Writing intensive.

SOC 620 - Drugs and Society
Credits: 4.00
Provides students with an overview of drug using behavior as viewed from a sociological perspective. Highlights historical and current drug use trends, examines the social correlates of drug use, considers societal responses to drug use including treatment, prevention, and policy, and engages students in key controversial debates confronting U.S. citizens and policymakers. Provides a foundation for understanding of drugs and society.

SOC 630 - Sociology of Gender
Credits: 4.00
Gender examined as (1) socially constructed differences between the sexes, and (2) a system of social relations, which are part of the fabric of our social institutions. Topics include gender socialization, gender and education, gender and employment, and work-family intersections. Attention paid to the issue of gender inequalities and to the intersection of class, culture, race-ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation with gendered experience and gendered institutions. Focuses primarily on the contemporary United States.

SOC 635 - Medical Sociology
Credits: 4.00
Interrelationship of health, medicine, and society; the social construction of wellness, illness, and healing; age, sex, class, and ethnicity in medical care; institutional networks and the social control functions of medicine; roles and relations of physicians, patients, nurses, and other health workers; medicine in a cross-national context. Writing intensive.

SOC 640 - Sociology of Religion
Credits: 4.00
The continuing significance of religion in society is a central area of sociological inquiry. Examines the historical and cultural explanations for the persistence of religion and apply diverse sociological perspectives to explaining the personal, institutional, and cultural relevance of religion with a focus on contemporary American society. Topics studied include religious authority, identity, violence, and the impact of religion on various domains of social life including gender relations, family, politics, and economy. Writing intensive.

SOC 645 - Class, Status and Power
Credits: 4.00
Focuses on the major dimensions of inequality, including class, gender, and race, by exploring the distribution of economic, political, and social resources within contemporary societies.

SOC 645W - Class, Status and Power
Credits: 4.00
See description for SOC 645. Writing Intensive.

SOC 650 - Family Violence
Credits: 4.00
Various forms of family and intimate violence, including child physical abuse, sexual abuse, spouse assault, dating violence and elder abuse, their characteristics and dynamics, place within larger social trends, the theories that explain their occurrence and effects and the major social institutions that respond to them. Juniors and seniors only.

SOC 655 - Sociology of Law and Justice
Credits: 4.00
Systematic study of how social factors, such as inequality, differentiation, culture, and organization, influence the justice process. Historical and cross-cultural focus on the behavior of the police, courts, and other legal institutions. Prereq: SOC 515 or permission; juniors and seniors only.

SOC #660 - Urban Sociology
Credits: 4.00
Focuses on urban communities, urbanization, and urban social issues. Covers the historical development of cities; the differences between urban, suburban, and rural communities; urban life styles; and the significance of poverty and race for understanding contemporary American cities. Emphasizes American cities, with some consideration to world patterns of urbanization and the growth, development, and role of global cities. Writing intensive.

SOC 665 - Environmental Sociology
Credits: 4.00
Interactions between society and the physical environment, including environmental constraints, population and economic growth, social impacts of resource development, large-scale environmental change, and the social bases of environmental attitudes, behavior, and politics. Writing intensive.

SOC 670 - Sociology and Non-Fiction Film
Credits: 4.00
Examines nonfiction films as both a method of exploring social life and a cultural product that reflects its social environment. Among the topics to be addressed are the use of photographic images in social science research, the historical development of documentary film, and the critical analysis of visual images.

SOC 675 - Sociology of AIDS
Credits: 4.00
Seminar class addresses social, political, emotional, and bioethical dimensions of HIV infection and AIDS. Specific topics include the social epidemiology and etiology of AIDS, stigmatization and the social construction of disease, community action, AIDS prevention, and ethical issues in the health care of people with AIDS.

SOC 680 - Sociology of the Holocaust
Credits: 4.00
Examines the origins, realities, and consequences of the Holocaust as an all-embracing European phenomenon. Topics include the genocidal policies and procedures of the Nazis and Soviets with respect to indigenous populations as well as the role of collaborators. This course is normally offered only at UNH-Manchester.

SOC 680W - Sociology of the Holocaust
Credits: 4.00
See description for SOC 680. Writing intensive.

SOC #685 - Work and Occupations
Credits: 4.00
Examines the changes in workplace organizations and workers' lives as the U.S. became first an industrial society, and later, a postindustrial nation. Emphasizes how and why workers' rights have been contested as well as how and why racial, ethnic, and gender segmentation emerged and persist.

SOC 690 - Ethnographic Field Research
Credits: 4.00
Explores history, theory, and practice of ethnographic research. Students read and practice such techniques as mapping, taking life histories, compiling genealogies, and analyzing use of space, language, and rituals. Each student also carries out, writes, and presents an independent research project. Prereq: ANTH 411 or SOC 400; one 500-level or higher anthropology or sociology course; or permission. No credit for students who have completed ANTH 630. Writing intensive.

SOC 695 - Research on Family Violence in World Perspective
Credits: 4.00
The nature, frequency, causes, and consequences of family violence, including physical, verbal, material, and sexual abuse of children; of partners in dating, cohabitating, and marital relationships; and of the elderly; and also neglect of children and the elderly. Includes data analysis projects to provide experience with cross-national comparative research to test theories about social causes of family violence and the effects of family violence on society as a whole. Prereq: SOC 502 (or equivalent), SOC 601

SOC 697 - Special Topics
Credits: 4.00
Occasional or experimental offerings. May be repeated for different topics. Writing intensive.

SOC 699 - Senior Thesis
Credits: 4.00 or 8.00
Independent work in the library or field culminating in a written senior thesis. Recommended for, but not confined to, majors intending to pursue graduate studies. Students must arrange for supervision from two faculty members and submit a proposal to the Undergraduate Committee before registering. May be completed in one or two successive semesters during the senior year. Permission required.

SOC 699H - Senior Honors Thesis
Credits: 4.00 or 8.00
Independent work in the library or field culminating in a written senior honors thesis and a formal research presentation. Recommended for, but not confined to, majors intending to pursue graduate studies. Required for students participating in the departmental honors program as part of their 16 honors credits. Students must arrange for supervision from two faculty members and submit a proposal to the Undergraduate Committee before registering. May be completed in one or two successive semesters during the senior year. Permission required.

SOC 715 - Criminological Theory
Credits: 4.00
Introduces graduate students and advanced undergraduates to the major theoretical literature in crime and delinquency. Covers both classical and contemporary theory, with empirical assessments of theories, including macro- and micro-level control, strain, and learning theories, as well as recent developments in biosocial, deterrence, labeling, and critical/feminist theories. Prereq: SOC 502, 515; juniors and seniors only.

SOC 720 - Sociology of Drug Use
Credits: 4.00
Examines licit and illicit drug use from a sociological perspective. Draws primarily from the sociology of mental health and criminology to explore a variety of drug-related topics including historical and current U.S. drug trends, dominant theoretical approaches about the initiation into, and continued use of drugs, drug-related crime, therapeutic use of drugs, prevention and treatment of drug problems, and drug-related policies.

SOC #730 - Political Sociology
Credits: 4.00
Contemporary issues in political sociology, with emphasis on the relationship between social class structure and political power. Explores various perspectives on the nature and distribution of power, theories of state, class structure and political participation, and the politics of policy making.

SOC 740 - Sociology of Mental Health
Credits: 4.00
Introduces students to different sociological approaches for studying and understanding mental health and illness. Students examine the social distribution of mental illness in the United States and the social-structural factors that help to explain mental health variations. Also addresses issues surrounding mental health treatment, systems, and policies for the mentally ill.

SOC #741 - Social Change and Societal Development
Credits: 4.00
Comparative, interdisciplinary approach. Interrelationships among economic, political, and social factors in determining the structure, dynamics, character, and level of development of societies.

SOC 745 - Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality
Credits: 4.00
Sociological perspectives on race and ethnic relations for graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Topics include the creation of racial and ethnic identities, the nature and extent of segregation, education, employment, and wealth inequalities, and the effects of state policy. The course emphasizes both theoretical and empirical assessments. Prereq: SOC 530 or SOC 645, juniors and seniors only.

SOC 760 - Aging and Late Life Family
Credits: 4.00
Using a life-course perspective, this course focuses on family relationships and social role transitions in later life. Addresses the impact of the empty-nest stage, grandparenting, retirement, care giving, and widowhood on the well-being and relationships of older people. Juniors and seniors only.

SOC 773 - Sociology of Childhood
Credits: 4.00
Exposes students to a variety of sociological perspectives about childhood in American society. Stimulates analysis about how social institutions, like the modern family, school, economic system, justice system and communications media affect children. Assumes prior understanding of important sociological concepts, critical thinking skills and social science writing ability. Prereq: SOC 520 and permission. Writing intensive.

SOC 780 - Social Conflict
Credits: 4.00
Analysis of the social conditions associated with the major forms of conflict management in human societies: discipline, rebellion, vengeance, negotiation, mediation, law, therapy, supernaturalism, and avoidance. Writing intensive.

SOC #790 - Applied Sociology
Credits: 4.00
(1) Current level of use of sociological knowledge; (2) the advocate, consultant, and researcher in roles applied settings; (3) techniques of applied research; (4) implications of applied sociology, including ethical problems. Each student focuses on a social problem and writes a paper covering the issue. Applied projects where possible. Prereq: SOC 601.

SOC 792 - Research Internship
Credits: 4.00
Designed for students who want some practical experience applying social research methods in a program or policy setting. Students meet weekly to discuss their experiences in the internship placement. Students design and carry out research in the placement settings. Placements are arranged by the student and faculty member. Examples include community development agencies, social services agencies, nonprofits, research centers and companies. Major report on the research undertaken is required. Prereq: SOC 502, 599, 601, permission.

SOC 793 - Internship
Credits: 4.00
Provides upper level sociology majors with an opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom to the real world. Students meet weekly to discuss assigned readings, internship progress and semester project. Project ideas are developed with faculty and internship site supervisor. Prereq: junior or senior sociology majors.

SOC 794 - Evaluation of Social Programs
Credits: 4.00
Evaluation research defined: purposes of evaluation, design of evaluation studies, setting of programs, utilization of evaluation results. Examination of case studies of evaluations of social programs. Students are responsible for designing an evaluation study in their chosen substantive area. Prereq: SOC 601.

SOC 797 - Special Topics
Credits: 4.00
Occasional or experimental offerings. May be repeated for different topics. Writing intensive.