Undergraduate Studies Catalog (1997-1999)

Chairman: Robert Rutzen; Professors: Frederic Deyo, John E. Kramer, Jr.; Associate Professors: Fred S. Halley, Rutzen; Assistant Professors: Susan D. Crafts, Roger K. Steinhauer; Visiting Assistant Professor: John Halsey.

Sociology is the study of group life: its characteristics, changes, causes and consequences. It combines scientific and humanistic perspectives in the study of urban and rural life, family patterns and relationships, social change, intergroup relations, social class, mass media and communications, and health-seeking behavior, as well as social movements and community responses to social problems.

Sociology is a valuable liberal arts major not only for students planning careers in social research, criminology, demography or social psychology, but also for those pursuing a course of study in public administration, gerontology, education, nursing, rehabilitation, social work and market research. Sociology provides a useful background to students planning to enter law, business, medicine, community planning, and politics.

Requirements for the Sociology Major:

The sociology major requires students to earn 30 credits in sociology, and complete all general college requirements leading to either the BA or BS degree [see "Baccalaureate degree requirements"]. All majors must complete the four core courses listed below.

Core Courses (12 credits)

SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
or
SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology with Computer

SOC 200 Social Statistics

SOC 300 Sociological Theory

SOC 310 Methods of Sociological Research

Course Clusters:

1. Social Organization

   SOC 302 Mass Culture

   SOC 304 Urban Sociology

   SOC 306 Social Change: U.S. and the Third World

   SOC 325 Social Class, Status and Power

   SOC 350 Dynamics of Modern Organizations

   SOC 352 Sociology of Work

   SOC 427 Power in Human Societies
   
   

2. Social Institutions

   SOC 312 Religion, Society and the Individual

   SOC 314 The Black Family

   SOC 351 Industrial Sociology

   SOC 359 Black Church

   SOC 361 Sociology of Sex, Marriage and the Family

   SOC 412 Schools, Learning and Society

   SOC 427 Power in Human Societies
   

3. Social Issues and Problems

   SOC 210 Social Problems

   SOC 317 Prejudice, Personality and Culture

   SOC 331 Sociology of Mental Illness

   SOC 332 Health, Medicine and Society

   SOC 371 Deviant Behavior

   SOC 372 Criminology

   SOC 428 Racial and Ethnic Relations

   SOC 464 Gender Roles and Social Change

   SOC 465 Sociology of Aging
   

The sociology minor requires that students complete SOC 100 or 101 and 15 credits from other sociology courses.

SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology (A,S). Introduces the sociological perspective on society and human behavior applied to familiar social surroundings; and the meanings and rules that shape human social life, the organization of social life and ways in which individual human beings are incorporated into and prepared for social interaction. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology with Computers (A,S,T). Essentially the same as SOC 100, but emphasizes social survey research and satisfies the Computer Literacy requirement in the General Education core. 3 Cr.

SOC 200 Social Statistics (A,T). Covers basic descriptive and inferential statistics and computer software used in social research. Students who have received academic credit for BIO 431, ECN 204, MTH 243, PSH 202, PLS 300 or credit for an elementary statistics course from SUNY Brockport or from another institution may not receive credit for this course. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

SOC 210 Social Problems (A,S). Explores the nature of and the sociological approaches to social problems; the social relativity, extent, and complexity of the specific contemporary social problems selected for study; the range, limitations and the personal and social implications of solutions to social problems; and sensitivity to the interdependent nature of various social problems. 3 Cr.

SOC 220 Introduction to Social Psychology (A,S). Covers social psychological theory and research in the interaction of individuals and groups; the extent to which others influence individual behavior; the dynamics of group participation; and the extent to which human potential is shaped within the context of group life. 3 Cr.

SOC 300 Sociological Theory (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 101. Covers the historical development of sociological perspectives over the last two centuries. Focuses on key classical and contemporary theorists tracing the development of major issues and perspectives in sociology. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

SOC 302 Mass Culture (A,I). Examines the processes through which mass culture products are created and disseminated and the relationships between these products and social norms and values. Utilizes various theoretical perspectives and incorporates comparisons between elements of high and popular culture. 3 Cr.

SOC 304 Urban Sociology (A,I). Considers urbanization, its social consequences, and the alternative strategies for dealing with urban problems. Focuses on contemporary American urban issues, supplemented by examinations of urbanization in historical and cross-cultural perspectives. 3 Cr.

SOC 306 Social Change in the Third World (A,I). Explores problems of economic and political development in contemporary Third World countries. Emphasizes ways in which relations with industrialized countries influence patterns of social change in Latin America and Asia. 3 Cr.

SOC 310 Methods of Sociological Research (A,T). Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 101.. Explores the process and logic of research, the range of research designs, and specific research tools for the collection and analysis of social data. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

SOC 312 Religion, Society and the Individual (A,I). Explores forms of religious meaning, action and organization, and the generalizations made in the sociology of religion concerning the relationships among religion, the individual, social structure and social change. 3 Cr.

SOC 314 The Black Family (A). Cross-listed as AAS 314. Explores the sociocultural, political and economic conditions that affect black family life. Confronts the pejorative tradition as the primary modality for examining black family life, and explores the African antecedents and continuities that have influenced the black family in the U.S. 3 Cr. See AAS 314.

SOC 317 Prejudice, Personality and Culture (A). Cross-listed as AAS 317. Examines the historical and social conditions in which prejudice arises; social functions of prejudice and its psycho-social manifestations; the impact of prejudice and discrimination upon social and race relations in mass societies; and theories of prejudice. 3 Cr. See AAS 317.

SOC 325 Social Class, Status and Power (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 101. Explores the nature, causes and consequences of inequalities of social class, wealth and power. The course also examines major theories of social stratification and mobility in industrial nations. 3 Cr.

SOC 331 Sociology of Mental Illness (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 101. Covers social theories and research about the definition and management of mental and emotional health and illness, and the organization of care for mental and emotional illnesses. 3 Cr.

SOC 332 Health, Medicine and Society (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100. Examines assumptions about medicine, health, and illness; and current knowledge about the relationship between society, the individual, and the social structure of the medical system. 3 Cr.

SOC 350 Dynamics of Modern Organizations (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 101. Covers social scientific and other approaches to the study of modern organizations and bureaucracy in business, government, schools, health care, religion, etc. 3 Cr.

SOC 351 Industrial Sociology (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 101. Studies the development of modern industrial organizations and changing patterns of labor-management relations in the U.S. 3 Cr.

SOC 352 Sociology of Work (A). Prerequisite: Any lower-division sociology course. Provides a study of work and occupations in modern society. Examines patterns of specialization, professionalization, bureaucratization, alienation, and conflict associated with blue-collar, clerical, professional, managerial, and other occupational groups; and special problems of minorities in the work world. 3 Cr.

SOC 359 The Black Church (A). Cross-listed as AAS 359. Provides an extended definition of the soul (essence) of the black church, and a critical analysis of the works of two exponents of the theology of liberation, in light of the historical experience of black people. 3 Cr. See AAS 359.

SOC 361 Sociology of Sex, Marriage and the Family (A). Cross-listed as WMS 361. Prerequisite: Any lower-division sociology course. Explores social variations in sex, marriage and family behavior, and social theories and research. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

SOC 371 Deviant Behavior (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 101. Examines classical and contemporary theories of deviant behavior, the extent of criminal and deviant behavior in modern society, and analysis of various approaches to controlling deviant behavior. 3 Cr.

SOC 372 Criminology (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100, 210 or 220. Examines the extent and trends of crime and the problems of measuring crime. Covers the social, political and economic impact of crime on society, and distinguishes among various non-sociological and sociological explanations of criminal behavior. Also assesses how each explanation of crime implies specific types of treatment and prevention policies. 3 Cr.

SOC 399 Independent Study (A). Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. Provides theoretical perspectives on social phenomena or a sub-area of sociology not covered by other registered courses. Arranged in consultation with instructor. Credit Varies.

SOC 404 Contemporary Sociological Theory (A). Explores different ways of interpreting and understanding the recurring patterns of everyday life, and epistemological assumptions of the major theoretical orientations in contemporary society. 3 Cr.

OAP 407 Studies in Social Science: London. Co-sponsored by Brunel University and SUNY Brockport. Enables students to live and to study in London. Through lectures, discussions and field trips, allows students to examine the relationships between British and American society. 15-30 Cr. Every Semester.

SOC 412 Schools, Learning and Society (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 101 or instructor's permission. Explores the relationships between education and other institutions; and social structures and processes through which culture is transmitted. 3 Cr.

SOC 413 Data Analysis and Presentation (A,T). Prerequisites: SOC 200 and 310. Covers the techniques of index and scale construction, common multivariate statistics used in the social behavioral sciences, computer-based graphics and data presentation systems. 3 Cr.

SOC 427 Power in Human Societies (A,I). Explores the acquisition, distribution, and use of power in human societies. Emphasizes the relations between power and major institutional arrangements, e.g., stratification systems, economics, politics, and forms of administrative control. 3 Cr.

SOC 428 Racial and Ethnic Relations (A). Provides a study of the role of race and ethnicity in social relations. Examines major theoretical orientations toward racial and ethnic stratification, as well as the consequences of inequality for both majority and minority groups. 3 Cr.

SOC 464 Gender Roles and Social Change (A). Cross-listed as WMS 464. Prerequisite: WMS 465. Prerequisite: SOC 100, 101, 210, or 220. Examines gender inequality in the U.S. and other societies, and the relation of the economic, political and social changes to gender roles. 3 Cr.

SOC 465 Sociology of Aging (A). Cross-listed as WMS 465. Prerequisite: SOC 100, 101, 210, or 220. Provides information and theories about the social aspects of aging including health income, family relationships, role change and social policy. 3 Cr. Spring.

SOC 489 Applied Social Research Practicum (A). Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. Provides direct experience in conducting sociological research under faculty supervision. 3 Cr.

SOC 491 Seminar in Sociological Issues (A). Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. Examines a current issue in sociology. Credit varies.

SOC 493 Mass Media in American Society (A). Prerequisite: SOC 100, 101, or 210. Explores the structure of media organizations with regard to authority, chain of command, power, functional roles and gatekeeper roles. 3 Cr.

SOC 499 Independent Study (A). Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. Examines various theoretical perspectives on a social phenomenon or sub-area of sociology not covered by other registered courses. Arranged in consultation with the instructor. 3-6 Cr.