Undergraduate Courses Spring 2008
101. The Sociological Perspective: An Introduction. This course has three main objectives. First, it introduces students to how sociologists view human behavior, and in particular, how the sociological perspective differs from the individualistic view most people have. Second, it shows how sociologists decide which ideas are valid and which invalid by examining empirical evidence. Third, it demonstrates how sociology helps people to understand their own behavior and the world they live in and how it can contribute to the solution to social problems. A wide range of concepts is explained and illustrated using current research data and case studies.
121. Social Problems. (PAX 121) Examination of central issues facing American society today. The course may provide an overview of current social problems (e.g., poverty, unemployment, delinquency, family violence or it may focus on a selected area and explore that issue in depth (e.g., crime and delinquency; social protest and social movements; poverty and homelessness). In addition to analyzing the roots of social problems, the course will address social policy concerns and explore solutions.
122. Race and Ethnic Relations. (BWS 122, ASIA 122, PAX.) Relationships among various ethnic and racial groups in American, patterns of immigration, assimilation and mobility, and inter-ethnic conflicts and coalitions will examined. Although the perspective is historical, contemporary data will be used to explore the question of the persisting impact of ethnicity. Special attention will be paid to the relationship between ethnicity and social class.
123. Mass Media and Popular Culture. (WOST 123, ICVM 123) This course examines the social organization and function of mass communication (TV, radio, movies, newspapers, and magazines) in contemporary society and its impact on values, expectations, and life styles of audiences; the relation of mass media to specialized interest groups in society; and the role of mass communications as reflector and determinant of popular culture.
125. Chicago--Growth of a Metropolis. Using Chicago as the subject of investigation, this course seeks to deepen students' understanding of some of the major social forces that influence urban life. Attention is given to the growth of Chicago since the 1830's, with specific reference to immigration patterns, ethnic neighborhoods, organizations, the role of the churches, industrial development, and the ways all these have changed over time. Brief examination of particular urban problems, e.g., housing, transportation, welfare, education, health services, and crime. (Watertower Campus)
126. Science, Technology and Society. (BIET 126) This course serves as a broad introduction to the study of science and technology from a distinctively sociological perspective. This course examines issues of how scientific knowledge and technologies are created and constructed, the relationship between science and technological development and how both science and technology affect and have an impact on our daily lives.
205. Sociological Thought. In this course we will explore certain key questions about the social world: Why is there inequality? How does social change occur? How is the society we live in different from that of our parents or that of our grandparents? How did our social world come to be the way it is? Are there alternative social arrangements that may yield more equality, more efficiency, more justice? Asking and answering questions like these have led social thinkers to investigate phenomena as large-scale as revolutions, as personal as suicide, as mundane as housework, and as exotic as religious cults. We will investigate how, when, and why these sociological questions emerged and we will certainly critically evaluate a variety of sociological responses to them. Throughout, we will pay special attention to classical sociological traditions and their linkages to contemporary concerns. (Any Sociology 100-level course or permission of instructor are prerequisites for this course).
206. Principles of Social Research. The course is an introduction to the basic research methodologies of sociology. Students will learn how to select methodologies appropriate for various research projects. A variety of methods used in sociological analysis and data generation will be covered: secondary data analysis, surveys, interviewing, field research, participant observation, historical analysis, and sampling. Required for majors and should be completed by the end of the junior year.
210. Men, Women and Work. (WOST 210) This course looks at the nature of work and how it has changed over time, e.g., with industrialization, the growth of the service sector, and new technologies. Examines issues relating to management, labor organizations, government regulations. Specific topics to be addressed may include: shifts in female employment patterns; industrial communities and plant closing; the permanently unemployed; changing attitudes toward work and company-union relations.
216. Sociology of Violence. (PAX 29) In Chicago, the threat of violence is a daily concern for us all. In this course, violence will be studied as a social phenomena. The course includes general descriptions and explanations of violent crime, specific causal explanations such as alcohol, drug use, or gun availability, and possible methods to reduce lethal and non-lethal violence. While many forms of personal violence will be examined, special emphasis will be Sexual & Family Violence, Gang Violence, and Terrorism.
225. Sociology of Health Care. (BIET 225) This course looks at the contributions of the sociology of medicine, with particular attention to the following topics: social psychological factors in physical and mental illness; medical education; the health professionals (physicians, dentists, nurses, marginal practitioners); interpersonal relations in medical settings; the organization and use of health services and agencies; old age, death, and dying.
231. Childhood and Society. Childhood is a product of cultural and social institutional patterns, as well as a crucial antecedent of personality development and functioning. This course looks at childhood in different societies with special focus on modern industrial society.
247, Sociology of Culture.
250. Inequality in Society. (ASIA 250, BWS 250, WOST 250) An examination of the process and resulting structure by which people become differentiated from one another and arranged in graded strata with varying degrees of wealth, power, and prestige. Emergence and maintenance of social classes, class conflict, social mobility, and changes over time in the system as a whole. Attention will be given to the most influential classical traditions dealing with stratification as well as to modern theories.
262. Movements for Social Justice: 1960's and Beyond. (WOST 262) The course examines social movements and social issues of the 1960's -- why they emerged, how they developed, and what lasting impact they have had on American society. Changes in American culture, e.g., music, family values, and career orientation, are also studied. Theories of generational consciousness, political socialization, social movements, and social change are studied. Specific social movements, such as the civil rights, anti-war, feminist, and student's rights movement are examined. Finally the relationship between sixties social movements and contemporary social movements is considered.
271. Sociology of Sex and Gender. (WOST 270) The purpose of this class is to develop critical, sociological tools for an analysis of how society is organized around sex and gender, with a specific focus on how gender intersects with race, class and sexuality. In this class, we ask important questions about what gender is, how we become gendered beings, and how our lives are impacted by our genders. We will explore how sociology moves beyond biology in understanding sex and gender, in addition to exploring various social institutions (education, workplace, family, etc?.) and how they operate to maintain and/or challenge gender norms. We will place a special emphasis on the media as a location that shapes our understandings of gender, and further, how it can be a location for advocating change. Ultimately, we explore how gender at the micro level is shaped, constrained, enabled, and challenged, in addition to how it is challenging to, macro level structures.
275. The Sociology of Consumption. The dominant reality of our time that we live in a consumer society, a world in which there is a seeming cornucopia of goods from clothes to cars, as well as cultural experiences from theme parks to musical genres to exotic travel. Never before in human history has so much been available to so many. This course will examine the origins and rise of consumerism in it many forms, the advertising that supports it and its impacts on identity, subjectivity and consciousness. We will also note how the things we buy and our levels of consumption threaten the viability of our planet and indeed, our very health. We will look as such things as department stores, malls, theme parks, rock concerts, tourist destinations etc. This course will require a number of projects involving shopping, advertising etc.
280. Topics in Contemporary Sociology. The course will examine a contemporary sociological research issue in detail. Typically, topics of this course represent specialized or newly developed areas of sociological inquiry. Topics will vary from semester to semester. May be repeated with permission of department chairperson. (Sociology of Food, Sociology of Muslims and Witchcraft/ Magic and Power - Fall 2007)
301. Statistics for Social Research. The course provides a comprehensive introduction to statistical analysis in social research. Topics covered include: univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis, computer applications and interpretation of results. Students receive extensive experience in using computers and statistical packages for social scientists. This course is required for majors and should be completed by the end of the junior year. Soc. 206 is a prerequisite for this course.
335. Urban Semester Since its inception in 1996, an average of over 20 undergraduate students per year have participate in the program in Urban Life & Policy Studies (ULPS). The program is a collaborative effort between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL). ULPS provides a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of how a city works and how people negotiate life in an urban environment. As part of the program, undergraduate students engage urban issues through both coursework and participation on a committee-based research team. With an eye towards action and change, these teams address community issues as the community sees them. This is a great way to learn first-hand how community residents and partners work in an urban setting to improve the quality of life in Chicago... while earning degree credit. Students may pursue one of three options in ULPS. One option is the non-certificate track comprised of 6 hours of coursework (SOCL 335/PLSC 335 "The Urban Seminar," and SOCL 397/PLSC 370 "Urban Research"). The other two options are 9 credit hour certificate tracks either taken in one semester, or across two successive terms (the above two courses plus three credits of an approved ULPS "topics" course). Students must apply and be admitted to the program before registering for the required ULPS courses SOCL 335/PLSC 335 and SOCL 397/PLSC 370. More information and applications can be obtained at www.luc.edu/curl/urban_studies.shtml or by contacting the ULPS Coordinator at urbansem@luc.edu Applications are also available in the CAS Dean's Office (DH 205 or LT 900) or in CURL (LT, 10th Floor).
365. Social Theory and Social Research. What do sociologists do? This course will answer this question by focusing on one or more issues that have been the subject of recent sociological thinking and research. Examples of possible topics include: gender and race inequality in the workplace; problems of poverty and social welfare policies; the contemporary city; religion and politics; individualism and American culture; the social significance of science. Students will critically evaluate relevant research and they will design and conduct appropriate empirical investigations. The course is intended to provide an opportunity for senior sociology majors to bring their full complement of sociological skills to bear on an issue of substantial theoretical and/or practical importance. S205, 206 and 301 or permission of instructor are prerequisites for this course.
370. Undergraduate Seminars in Special Topics. Study of a particular topic, theme, or social problem by intensive review of the literature and/or research. These seminars are intended to train students who have completed a major in Sociology in working on specialized topics of interest to them or the faculty. Students may take more than one undergraduate seminar, but only one seminar may be counted as part of the eleven course requirement for the sociology major. ( Biodiesel - Fall 2007; Race and Place; Visual Sociology; Terrorism)
380. Internship Supervised field experience and an opportunity to apply the skills and analysis of sociology to a concrete situation. Students are required to spend a minimum of 15 hours per week working in a selected community organization or social agency, or business marketing research firms, and will receive six credit hours for the semester. Students interested in taking this course must see the Internship Coordinator in the Sociology Department before the end of the semester prior to the one in which they register for this course. Field placements have included work with the elderly, youth, neighborhood organizations, women's groups, and the mentally ill; it is also possible to apply research skills to work with local groups on issues such as housing, crime, and neighborhood revitalization. Counts as one course toward fulfillment of the major. More information and applications can be obtained at www.luc.edu/sociology/internship.shtml
399. Independent Study Project II. Conducted with an individual faculty member, this option generally limited to senior Sociology majors. Permission of the Chairperson is required.