Course Descriptions

Courses are offered each semester unless otherwise designated.

Note: SOCI 101 is a prerequisite for all upper-division sociology courses except for SOCI 309, 340, 337 and 370.

SOCI 101 - Introduction to Sociology (3)

Sociology as study of human behavior, social groups, socialization, strati fication and social change; a consideration of basic social institutions. Fall and Spring.

SOCI 102 - Contemporary Social Problems (3)

American capitalism; nature of sexual, racial and economic inequality; contemporary American institutions: family, educational systems and systems of social control; and American culture. Fall and Spring.

SOCI 195, 295, 395, 495 - Special Topics (3)

SOCI 198, 298, 398, 498 - Tutorial (1-3)

SOCI 300 - Introduction to Theory (3)

Origin and development of sociological ideas from the late 18th centruy until the early 20th century in light of the Industrial Revolution and emergence of modern society (or Modern World) Prerequisite SOCI 101. Fall and Spring.

SOCI 305 - Sociology of the Family (3)

Family as social institution. Emphasis on structure and function of family; cross-cultural comparisons; analysis of contemporary American family systems. Prerequisite SOCI 101.

SOCI 309 - Sociology of Culture (3)

Investigates the relationship between social structures and cultural expressions from a cron-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective. Emphasis will be on the arts, media, education, and cultural changes.As demand warrants.

SOCI 310 - Racial and Cultural Minorities (3)

Factors involved in intergroup relations; principal minority groups in United States, research findings in prejudice and discrimination; programs aimed at amelioration of intergroup tensions. Fall.

SOCI 313 - Global Cultures (3)

This course introduces students to cultural variation and fragmentation among the areas of the world commonly referred to as the Third World. Geographically, the notion is identi fied with non-western cultures of Africa, Asia the Caribbean and Latin America. Emphasis is on how these cultures shape and alter the lives of ordinary Americans at work and play. Whenever possible, faculty and students from these cultures are involved in the course as guest speakers. As demand warrants.

SOCI 314 - Computer Applications in the Social Sciences (3)

This course is designed to provide the knowledge and skills to understand and use contemporary computer technology in social science. Selected software types will be used to demonstrate computer usage in research and other social science work. Course topics include: data collection, presentation and management, using computers qualitative and quantitative data analyses, using and researching the internet, simulations and ethical issues in computing. Alternate years.

SOCI 315 - Research Methods (3)

Research design in sociology: formulation of research problems, hypotheses, data-gathering techniques, measurement of variables and statistical analysis. Fall and Spring.

SOCI 320 - Work and Complex Organizations (3)

An examination of change in organization of work influenced by workers, management and global economic forces. Topics include: scienti fic management, human relations, employee involvement, deindustrialization, occupational hazards, gender and race relations, underground economy, influences of work in Japan, Sweden and Mondragon on U.S. Fall or Spring.

SOCI 325 - Sociology of Social Services (3)

Organized and emerging public and private social service and social welfare efforts in terms of sociological and social science literature. Fall and sometimes Spring.

SOCI 330 - Social Thanatology (3)

Sociological and social-psychological aspects of dying and death; demography of death and its consequences for society; changing attitudes toward dying and death; medical personnel and dying; suicide and euthanasia; problems in de fining when death has occurred; and functions of funerals. Spring.

SOCI 333 - Technology and Society (3)

Pessimistic assessment of the technological society, its threat to the core values of western civilization that looks to extend individuality, freedom, equality and toleration. Attacks misuse of scienti fic and technological reason in the area of the social. As demand warrants.

SOCI 335 - Sociology of Aging (3)

Social processes and problems of aging. Changes in age structure of society and how it affects societal institutions. Issues of older individuals: health, finances, work, sex, death and social policy. Fall.

SOCI 337 - Music and Society (3)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with insight into the various functions popular music has in constructing, influencing, and maintaining human life. As a form of secondary socialization, media presentations of popular music from the Big Band era to the present will be examined through the lenses of the theoretical perspective of Symbolic Interactionism. An historical retracing of the rise of popular music will be provided as grounding for examinations of current styles. As demand warrants.

SOCI 340 - Environment and Society (3)

An examination of worldwide environmental crisis. Topics: energy, non-renewable resources, hazardous wastes, the ecological implications of technological change, agricultural and food issues, in the context of social systems, beliefs and institutions. As demand warrants.

SOCI 345 - Criminology (3)

This course introduces the concepts of criminology, focusing on definitions and different approaches to understanding these phenomena. Social and psychological explanations of criminal acts as well as the topologies of crimes will be included. Fall.

SOCI 355 - Individual and Society (3)

Social influences on individuals. Socialization and development of the self. Authoritarianism, symbolic interactionism, dramaturgy. Shaping of identity in post-modern society. As demand warrants.

SOCI 361 - Race and the City (3)

Course focuses on the ways in which the global economy has effected racial and ethnic change in the European and North American city. It will additionally focus on ways in which the city is divided by race and ethnicity in the areas of housing, education, work, health care, welfare and crime among others. As demand warrants.

SOCI 365 - Sociology of Gender (3)

A critical examination of gender and its consequences from global, macro and micro perspectives. Spring.

SOCI 370 - Sociology of Film (3)

Explores the theoretical and practical concerns of sociology through film representation. Constructs critical sociological theories of film making and film viewing.

SOCI 375 - Women and Work (3)

This course will examine different issues concerning "women's work": biological determination of the division of labor; the origin of women's subordinate role in the workplace; the work experience of women of different classes and races; occupational sex segretation; sexual harassment; the gender gap in wages; and women in the professions. Spring.

SOCI 376 - Women and Crime (3)

This course focuses on the involvement of women in the Criminal Justice System as victim, offender and employee. Prerequisite: SOCI 101. Spring.

SOCI 380 - Family Violence (3)

Violent phenomena in families. Theories of violence and extant research findings. Emphasis on child, spouse and elder abuse. Policies and programs which respond to family violence. Spring.

SOCI 385 - The Sociology of Troubled Youth (3)

This course explores, describes and analyzes various societal influences that shape young people toward or away from criminal and deviant involvements. Substantive topics include processes of subcultural formation, various meanings of style, influences of popular culture, media and technology, the family, school experiences, peer influences, part-time jobs, sports involvement, youth gangs, correctional facilities, and selected case studies. Prerequisite: SOCI 101. Fall or Spring.

SOCI 386 - Victimology (3)

This course will provided students with an introduction to the sociological study of the experience of victims in North American society. As demand warrants.

SOCI 387 - Sociology of Policing (3)

Examines the processes and structures of policing in North America. Attention will be paid to the development of an analytic framework that incorporates historical, legal, economic and sociological perspectives. Fall.

SOCI 390 - Sociology of Mental Illness (3)

Social influences on field of mental illness and mental health. Definition, causes and treatment of mental illness. Emphasis on current theories of mental illness, client rights, emerging trends in therapy and relationship between mental illness and crime. Fall.

SOCI 400 - Social and Cultural Change (3)

Socio-cultural forces accelerating or retarding social change. Emphasis on those which are operative in contemporary societies. As demand warrants.

SOCI 401 - Sociology of Rural Community (3)

People's clustering together in space; social/historical analysis of specific American types: the industrial town, "small" towns, suburbias; alternative communities as religious, political or cultural experiments. As demand warrants.

SOCI 405 - Religion in American Society (3)

Interrelationships of religion and American life; religious evolution; broadening value consensus; religion as cultural system; civil religion; institutional role versus prophetic role; religious organization. As demand warrants.

SOCI 415 - Sociology of Education (3)

Social institution of education. Focus on functions and outcomes of educational process. Effects of major historical trends on nature of education. Inter-relationship with other social institutions. Fall.

SOCI 420 - Social Class and Social Mobility (3)

Examines the causes, consequences and dimensions of inequality in the U.S. Course evaluates dimensions of educational, environmental, racial, and gender inequality. Looks at different interpretations to explain unequal control over power and wealth in the U.S. Fall.

SOCI 430 - City and Society (3)

Factors associated with development of urban communities; characteristic urban institutions, suburban development; urban planning; ecological processes. As demand warrants.

SOCI 435 - Correction and Punishment (3)

Programs, processes, changing orientations and resistance to innovation in corrective system. Adjudication through probation, incarceration and parole; reintegration of offender; effects on inmates, administrations, policy makers and general public. Fall and sometimes Spring.

SOCI 450 - White-Collar and Organized Crime (3)

Sociological examination of two pervasive forms of illegal behavior; focus: complex interrelationship of crime patterns to social, economic and political structures and cross-national aspects. Major emphases: analyses of recent research related to organizational facets of white-collar crime in corporate, professional and political dimensions; three major areas of organized criminal patterns, myths and reality of this aspect of the crime problem. Spring.

SOCI 455 - Deviance and Social Control (3)

Social definitions of deviance, i.e., changing perspectives and concepts related to legal and non-legal nonconformity. Relevant changing justi fications and arrangements for social control. Socio-historical case-study approach analyzes and describes various types of deviant behavior. Spring.

SOCI 456 - Political Sociology (3)

Political behavior. Emphasis on participation of individuals in political enterprise. Political socialization and public opinion formation; consequences of such phenomena as strati fication, alienation and authoritarianism. Prerequisite: permission. As demand warrants.

SOCI 460 - Population Studies (3)

Interrelationship of population structure and processes and socio-cultural phenomena; social demographic theory, methods and measurement applied to processes of fertility, mortality and migration; international population change. As demand warrants.

SOCI 465 - Sociology of Health and Illness (3)

Aspects of illness behavior and interface of individuals and health care system. Epidemiology of disease, approaches to wellness, and health care policy are also examined. Fall.

SOCI 470 - Field Research/Practicum (3-12)

Fieldwork or placement at an agency of student's choice under supervision of faculty member. A field study of sociologically significant situations, problems and/or issues will be completed. Prerequisites: Appropriate upper-division sociology coursework in consultation with sponsoring faculty member and permission. May be taken twice, but no more than 6 credit hours counted for major.

SOCI 473 - Service Learning Africa (3)

SUNY Potsdam and Canton, in conjunction with Operation Crossroads Africa, offer a unique opportunity to live and work in an African community and earn college credit. Students participate in group-oriented cultural exchange and community development projects in Africa developed and supervised by OCA. Potsdam faculty provides academic orientation and research guidance. Projects typically involve village, town or city. Students will live in the community participating in its daily life.

SOCI 475 - Senior Seminar (3)

Methodology of sociological research; individual and cooperative investigation of selected topics; presentation and critique of findings. Prerequisites: SOCI 101, 300, and 315. Fall and Spring.