Course Descriptions

Edwards Class 2017Students in Dr. Nelta Edwards class use concepts learned during the course in the game Monopoly. 

  • SOC A101: Introduction to Sociology

    Introduction to science of humans as social animals, emphasizing social processes which give rise to and shape human's language, experiences, perception, meaning, and behavior. Multiple frameworks used in understanding and predicting human behavior. 

    3 credits.

    Special Note: Offered fall and spring semesters.

    Attributes: UAA Social Sciences GER.

  • SOC A110: Introduction to Gerontology: Multidisciplinary Approach

    A multidisciplinary course that provides an introduction to gerontology. Covers many aspects of aging including those associated with biology, physiology, medical care, psychology, culture, sociology, and social policies.

    3 credits.

    Attributes: UAA Social Sciences GER.

  • SOC A201: Social Problems and Solutions

    Survey of contemporary social problems. Focuses on the causes and consequences of social problems and examines processes through which social problems are identified, prioritized, and addressed.

    3 credits.

    Attributes: UAA Social Sciences GER.

  • SOC A202: Social Institutions

    Applies sociological perspectives, theories, and methodologies to the study of social institutions, including family, education, economy, government, and religion, to examine the ways in which social institutions shape the social organization of society.

    3 credits.

    Attributes: UAA Social Sciences GER. 

  • SOC A242: Introduction to Family, Marriage, and Intimate Relationships

    Introduction to sociological study of family, marriage, and other intimate relationships. Also explores impact of gender roles, ethnicity and racial background on beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors.

    3 credits.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 or PSY A111.

  • SOC A251: Crime and Delinquency

    Theoretical perspectives on the causes, consequences, and control of crime and delinquency. Survey of the major theoretical perspectives in the study of crime and delinquency with special attention to the application of empirical research methods to important theoretical issues.

    3 credits

    Crosslisted With: JUST A251

    Prerequisites: JUST A110 or SOC A101.

    Attributes: UAA Social Sciences GER.

  • SOC A252: Women and Social Action

    Examines the evolving role of women in contemporary organizations and social movements with an emphasis on leadership.

    3 credits.

    Crosslisted With: WS A252

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 with a minimum grade of C or WS A200 with a minimum grade of C.

  • SOC A280: Contemporary Issues

    Analysis of contemporary social issues from a variety of sociological perspectives. 

    3 credits.

    Special Note: May be repeated twice for credit with a change in subtitle.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101.

  • SOC A307: Demography

    Analysis of world populations: growth and decline patterns, migratory trends and ecology; worldwide implications to current population growth; critical review of major theoretical contributions, with introduction to demographic methods.

    3 credits

    Prerequisites: SOC A101

  • SOC A309: Urban Sociology

    Examines the social, cultural, demographic, and institutional components of metropolitan growth, suburbanization, and urban inequality. Designed to provide a multilevel perspective by addressing both macro- and micro-level phenomena ranging from large-scale urban development to small-scale urban ways of life.

    3 credits.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101.

  • SOC A310: Sociology of Aging

    A comparative analysis of the social status and role of the aging in various societies with emphasis on problems of aging in contemporary U.S. 

    3 credits.

    Registration Restrictions: SOC A110 for Gerontology Minors.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 or SOC A110.

  • SOC A342: Sexual, Marital and Family Lifestyles

    An upper-division course which emphasizes theories and research that explain today's marital, family and sexual lifestyles, as well as class and cultural variations found in the U.S. It includes a survey of why and how people meet, interact, love, fight, change, sustain or dissolve relationships, have children and age together.

    3 credits. 

    Special Note: Offered spring semesters.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101.

    Attributes: UAA Social Sciences GER.

  • SOC A343: Sociology of Deviant Behavior

    A critical analysis of the social etiology of deviant behavior (both criminal and non-criminal) with an emphasis on the nature of group interaction and an examination of the institutions involved.

    3 credits.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 with a minimum grade of C or SOC A201 with a minimum grade of C or SOC A202 with a minimum grade of C.

  • SOC A347: Sociology of Religion

    A critical sociological analysis of religion that considers the historical, cultural, social, psychological and personal aspects of religious experience and organizations in relationship to contemporary social institutions.

    3 credits.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 with a minimum grade of C.

  • SOC A351: Political Sociology

    Introduction to the social aspects of politics and the nature and distribution of power in society. Examination of the dynamic relationship of the political process and the institutions of society.

    3 credits. 

    Crosslisted With: PS A351.

    Prerequisites: (ENGL A211 or ENGL A212 or ENGL A213 or ENGL A214) and (PS A102 or SOC A101).

    Attributes: UAA Social Sciences GER.

  • SOC A361: Social Science Research Methods

    Provides a firm grounding in rigorous and ethical social science research. Examines various social science research methods, including surveys, experiments, content analyses, interviews and focus groups, and explores methodological challenges, such as hypothesis testing, measurement issues and sampling strategies.

    3 credits.

    Crosslisted With: PS A361.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 or PS A102.

  • SOC A363: Social Stratification

    Overview of social inequality across multiple dimensions such as wealth, power, prestige, race, sex, and class. Describes changing stratification patterns and investigates the causes and consequences of inequality.

    3 credits.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101.

  • SOC A370: Medical Sociology

    Provides a historical and contemporary overview of selected social, political, and economic factors that influence the provision of health care in America. Focuses on the relationship between health care and race, sex, social stratification, and geographical location. Brief international comparisons with alternative for-profit and not-for-profit national health care systems.

    3 credits. 

    Special Note: Offered alternate fall semesters.

    Crosslisted With: HS A370.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101.

  • SOC A377: Sociology of Gender

    Examines gender as a system of beliefs and practices that create difference between females and males. Analyzes how that difference is created and maintained via social institutions and critiques the outcome of these arrangements.

    3 credits.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 with a minimum grade of C.

  • SOC A380: Sociology of Globalization

    Globalization refers to a variety of political, economic, cultural and social changes which transform the world through increasingly interconnected flows of information, capital, goods, services, labor and culture in dense global networks. This course covers the processes and consequences of globalization through an interdisciplinary framework.

    3 credits.

    Prerequisites: ANTH A101 with a minimum grade of C or ANTH A202 with a minimum grade of C or GEOG A101 with a minimum grade of C or INTL A101 with a minimum grade of C or SOC A101 with a minimum grade of C.

  • SOC A387: Gay and Lesbian Lifestyles
    An overview of historical and theoretical factors relevant to gay and lesbian psychosocial development. Participation and acceptance in religion, the military, education, and the workforce will be considered with some emphasis on civil rights and discrimination.

    3 credits. 

    Special Note: Offered alternate spring semesters.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 and PSY A111.

  • SOC A402: Social Theory

    Historical and contemporary approaches to social theory; analysis of conceptual frameworks applied to the study of society and social interaction.

    3 credits.

    Registration Restrictions: Junior or senior standing.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101.

  • SOC A404: Environmental Sociology

    Examines how society is organized in ways that either contribute to sustainability or hinder it.

    3 credits.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 with a minimum grade of C.

  • SOC A407: Power in the Workplace: The Sociology of Formal Organizations

    Examines formal organizations as social structures created for the purposes of acquiring, distributing, manipulating, maintaining, expanding and legitimizing power. Explores the theory, language and methodology of organizational studies. Considers organizational interrelationships among purposes, structures, functions, members and stakeholders. Historical framework and contemporary models of organizational theory and behavior are analyzed.

    3 credits.

    Registration Restrictions: Prior completion of 6 credit required Social Science GER.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101 with a minimum grade of C or SOC A201 with a minimum grade of C or SOC A202 with a minimum grade of C.

  • SOC A408: Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

    Present status of ethnic, religious and national minorities and their changing sociological, economic, and political status.

    3 credits. 

    Special Note: Offered spring semesters.

    Prerequisites: SOC A101.

  • SOC A462: Social Science Statistics

    Provides a foundation in descriptive and inferential statistics used in social science research. Students identify appropriate statistics, calculate statistics manually and with SPSS, and interpret each statistic.

    4 credits.

    Crosslisted With: PSY A362

    Prerequisites: (PSY A260 with a minimum grade of C or STAT A252 with a minimum grade of C or STAT A253 with a minimum grade of C) and (PSY A261 with a minimum grade of C or PS A361 with a minimum grade of C or SOC A361 with a minimum grade of C).

  • SOC A487: Sociology Practicum

    Student participates in field research project and/or community action/agency program that applies sociological training toward the amelioration of specific social problems. Student will attend a seminar, class, or individual meeting with the faculty member on a weekly basis and complete six hours in the field on an approved project or program. All students will be expected to participate in the design of the practicum, and to complete a term paper or progress report.

    3 credits.

    Special Note: May be repeated once for credit.

    Registration Restrictions: Faculty permission.

  • SOC A490A: Senior Social Science Seminar

    Overview of the discipline emphasizing synthesis of theory and research, critical reflection and evaluation, and recent developments in sociology with social action. Particular emphasis will be given to the integration of sociology with other social sciences.

    3 credits. 

    Registration Restrictions: Completion of GER Tier 1 (basic college-level skills) courses and senior standing.

    Prerequisites: (PS A361 with a minimum grade of C or SOC A361 with a minimum grade of C) and SOC A402 with a minimum grade of C.

    Attributes: UAA Integrative Capstone GER.

  • SOC A490: Special Topics in Sociology

    An intensive and detailed study of a topic in contemporary sociology in a seminar format.

    1-4 credits.

    Special Note: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits with a change of subtitle.

    Registration Restrictions: Junior or senior standing

    Prerequisites: SOC A101.