C050/X050/X090. Introduction to Sociology (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: C050: IN; X050 and X090: IN and WI.

This course provides an introduction to the systematic analysis of societies. How do societies evolve and change, what we can learn from comparing them, how do they make us into the kinds of people we are, and which facts either sustain or shatter everyday life? What do deviance, bureaucracy, racial discrimination, inequality, sexual and social conflict have in common? Students learn about themselves by exploring the hidden roots of the world around them.

C051/X051/H091. Comparative Societal Development (3 s.h.) F S. Core: C051 and H091: IS; X051: IS and WI.

Such questions as "What is National Development?" and "How do we define the 'Good Society'?" are discussed. We will emphasize developing nations in our study of different models of development. Our readings include testimonies of families who struggle to survive in the difficult conditions of the Third World as well as writings which challenge the consumption goals of developed countries. Such topics as agrarian reform, migration and urbanization, class structure, globalization, and revolutions are discussed.

C059/X059/R059/H099. The Sociology of Race and Racism (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: C059, R059, and H099: IN and RS; X059: XN.

The primary focus of this course is on the historical and contemporary significance of race in American society. It includes an analysis of the historical development of racism as an ideology. It examines how this ideology has influenced the structure of social relations in the United States, as well as relationships between and within nations around the world. Additionally, it examines the development and logic of scientific racism and the transformation of these arguments into more subtle cultural symbols. It analyzes the importance of racism in structuring social inequality and how the social meanings of racial categories are changed. This class has a strong emphasis on sociological theories as they relate to the analysis of race and ethnic relations. The goal of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the independent role of race in society and its significance in the ordering of political and economic institutions in the United States.

R064/X064. American Ethnicity (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: R064: AC and RS; X064: XC.

The history, cultures, and communities of racial and ethnic minorities in America are examined. Particular attention is paid to identifying the unique position and contribution of various groups to American culture in different historical periods. The course is based upon sociological and historical research, as well as novels and short stories documenting the lives of different groups.

C066. Money: Who Has it, Who Doesn’t, Why it Matters (3 s.h.) F S. Core: IN.

This course will give students an interesting and unique look at the role of money, income, and wealth in structuring social lives. The course considers how income and wealth affect life chances, friendships, health, education and general well-being. The course considers questions such as: How does wealth or poverty affect who we are and what we can achieve in life? How does income affect the level and quality of education? What is the impact of the transition from a manufacturing economy to a global financial economy? How has the stress on short-term profits impacted managerial decision-making? How has family life changed in relation to changes in the workplace? In short, the course examines the sociological impact of money, income, and wealth.

C067/H097. Social Statistics (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: QB.

Prerequisite: Quantitative Reasoning A.

The objective of the course is on understanding data and explaining statistical information. The emphasis is on applications, with examples taken from a variety of sources including the mass media. The course covers the uses and interpretation of descriptive statistics, the requirements of valid statistical sampling, the bases of statistical inference, and the analysis of cross-tabular data.

Note: This course is not open to students who have taken Mathematics C067 or Psychology C067.

C081/X081/H092. Men and Women in American Society (3 s.h.) F S SS. Core: C081 and H092: AC; X081: AC and WI.

The course examines gender roles in the United States. It includes how children learn to be boys and girls within their families, through play, from the media, and in schools. It includes the way men and women learn to interact together in personal relationships and work. It examines the benefits of being a man in our society and attempts to understand how and why this advantage works. The focus is on how society shapes the lives of children and adults in gendered ways, how we all participate in creating gendered differences, and how we can bring about change.

0182. Human Sexuality (3 s.h.) F S SS.

In this course we will hold human sexuality up to sociological scrutiny. Sociologists view sexual behavior as social behavior just like other types of behavior. We will look at the history of sexuality, at cross cultural differences in sexuality and the interaction of sexuality with other social statuses such as gender and race. Some of the material in the class is controversial and you do not have to agree with it. You just have to approach it with an open mind, and to be prepared to defend your positions with evidence.

0111. Sociology of Sports (3 s.h.) F S.

This course analyzes sports as a socializing agent and as a set of cultural, social, economic and political institutions. The course will begin with a distinction between play, sports, and organized sports. We will then look at the role of sports in childhood and adolescence, with a particular emphasis on gender and sports. Next, we examine the role of sports in collegiate life and finally at the professional level. As a course in sociology, this class will examine the connections between sports and race, gender, social class, politics, and the economy.

0128. Men and Masculinity (3 s.h.) F.

This course examines the impact of the male role on men and women. The first part of the course considers varying theoretical approaches to masculinity, including biological and moral essentialism and social constructionism. The second part of the course covers such topics as the role of play and sports in boyhood socialization, fathering, men and intimacy, homophobia and its connection of the male role, and current social movements related to masculinity. The course also considers the impact of class and race on masculinity.

0145. Marriage and the Family (3 s.h.) F S SS.

Duplicate Course: This course is not open to students who have taken Sociology 0245.
This course examines the history and contemporary condition of public and private families with a focus on American trends. We explore the way social issues involving the family have changed over time, class variations and racial/ethnic variations in American families, the division of labor and social power within families, intimate relations and communication patterns within households, and the impact of family dynamics for social functioning outside the home. We also devote a portion of our time to applying the material to an understanding of where our own families fit into this material, and to relating our own family autobiographies to the broader social history of American families.

0152. Health and Disease in American Society (3 s.h.) F S.

In this course, students research health and disease in the United States, placing special emphasis on the historical changes in the ideas of health and disease and the nature of the responses to illness in society. We examine social/political influences on morbidity and mortality and the experiences of subgroups of the population with illness and with the medical systems they must confront. Finally, we discuss the problems associated with financing health care, with making and implementing health policy, and the issues raised by the growing field of bio-ethics. The course contains instruction in several research methods including the calculation of rates, standardization, and the construction and reading of tables. We also focus throughout the course on how the authors of the readings know what they report: for example, what methods did they use. Finally, students do a small well-defined research project for their semester paper.

0163. Area Studies: Latin American Development (3 s.h.) S.

Prerequisite: Admittance to Latin American Studies Semester.

This course examines patterns of socioeconomic and political development in different parts of Latin America. Topics to be studied include: agrarian reforms, patterns of industrialization and urbanization, financial dependency, military regimes, revolutionary movements, and transitions to democracy.

Note: This course is taught in Spanish for the LASS program.

0170. Sociology of Law (3 s.h.) F.

This class looks at what is both special and ordinary about legal systems. The law’s features and the scope of its functions in society are examined and compared with other institutions, and with legal systems in other societies and periods other than our own. It considers legal institutions as a product of actions and interactions of both specialists and ordinary citizens. Additionally, it examines the role of the law as a potential vehicle and agent of change. It gives a practical sociological introduction to the professional study of law.

R179. Racial and Ethnic Stratification (3 s.h.) S. Core: RS.

This course focuses on the elements of racial and ethnic stratification as they appear in the United States and other nations. It outlines the concepts that shape the sub-field of race and ethnic relations, in addition to examining how sociologists have theorized about racial and ethnic hierarchies and their role in the organization and distribution of social resources. Through an analysis of the historical and contemporary circumstances of selected communities in the United States, it seeks to reveal which theory best explains the experience of particular communities and which best explains societal patterns of inequality. Additionally, the course examines racial and ethnic relations in other nations and as a global phenomenon in an effort to reveal the common elements racial inequality regardless of national identity.

C201. Statistical Methods in Sociology (4 s.h.) F S SS.

Prerequisite: Completion of Core Quantitative Reasoning A.

Duplicate Course: This course is not open to students who have taken Psychology 0122.
This course provides a non-mathematical introduction to descriptive statistics and statistical inference. Computer based, the course provides instruction on ideas such as statistical independence, sampling distributions, the central limit theorem, and the use of interpretation of confidence intervals. The course also provides instruction in correlation and regression analysis.

W205. Sociology of Education (3 s.h.) F. Core: WI.

Did you know that SAT scores, and other standardized tests, vary by parents’ education? In this course we examine the many ways students’ social positions shapes educational experiences and educational outcomes. We learn about the ways in which students' race, gender, and social class origins shape school experiences. We also examine an important question: how much does education provide a pathway for social mobility for American children? We will also address a number of other topics including current proposals for improving American education.

0207. People and Places of Philadelphia (3 s.h.) F S.

This course focuses upon the development of Philadelphia as a "City of Neighborhoods." We examine the city's history, the changing location and type of economic activities, and the corresponding development and emergence of communities. Included is the analyses of the industrial working class areas of Kensington and Manayunk, the "immigrant way station" of South Philadelphia, the higher status bedroom suburbs, and the gentrifying center city neighborhoods. Racial integration, neighborhood transition, and community conflict are examined in terms of their historical contexts.

W209. Introduction to Population Studies: Demography (3 s.h.) S.

This course tackles a large and important question: What impact does population growth and change have on our lives? In this class, we will examine how populations are studied using censuses and surveys. The class will explore three basic demographic processes: fertility, mortality, and migration. Further, we will focus on how the structure and characteristics of a population impact individual members. Finally, we will explore the demographic foundations of contemporary social issues like the aging of the population, the AIDS epidemic, changing household structures, and environmental change. Students will explore both important concepts in demography and the methods used to study populations.

Note: This is a writing-intensive course.

0210. Sociology of the Environment (3 s.h.) S.

In the first half of the course, we will focus on the interaction among four components: population size, social organization, environmental conditions and available technology. We will consider issues such as the relationships among the technology of farming, the volume of agricultural production and the availability of labor for economic development. We will also learn about “input-output” models focusing on the intensity of resource use as well as problems of waste management. In the second half of the course, we will concentrate on issues of social organization. What kinds of political arrangements do we see for the management of waste? How does the transfer of natural resources from resource-rich but economically underdeveloped countries to the United States and other industrial societies affect the social, economic and political arrangements of both groups of countries? Finally, we will address the question of whether the social will can be organized in such a way as to reduce the pressure on the environment and remaining natural resources.

0215. Society and Personality (3 s.h.) F.

Which forces in contemporary society promote and/or retard the development of a healthy, creative personality? Do various institutions in bureaucratic society influence our behavior through face-to-face encounters in everyday life? These questions are among those answered in the course. Additionally, it includes a self-analysis, utilizing systematic methods of self-observation and incorporating the assigned reading material.

0218. Socialization (3 s.h.) F S.

Socialization is the process by which individuals become members of society. We look at this process as ongoing, starting in infancy and continuing through adulthood. This implies constant re-socialization and discussion of the ways early childhood learning influences adult lives. This research-intensive course is organized around the important socialization agents of family, friends, school, work, and the differences in socialization and therefore life histories by race, gender, and social class. Students undertake individual research on the socialization of children as they begin grade school. This involves developing a research question, developing questionnaires, interviewing a child and his/her caregivers, and analyzing the findings. The course includes instruction on each phase of the research.

0241. Development of Sociological Thought (3 s.h.) F S.

Theory is the narrative account, the explanatory framework, that underlies and grounds all knowledge. Sociological theories are accounts of the fundamental principles and relationships that organize society. This course focuses on the most successful sociological theories, emphasizing the work of scholars, mostly European and American, who contributed the most influential ideas to modern sociology. Attention is also paid to the social and historical context in which the major theories emerged.

0245. Comparative Family Studies (3 s.h.) F.

Duplicate Course: This course is not open to students who have taken Sociology 0145.
This class surveys many topics in the field of family studies: the history of the American family as an institution; families in cross-cultural setting; ethnic and class variations in American families; the state and public policy as it relates to family formation; sexuality, intimate relations and parenting; the division of labor and social power within families; and more. Students conduct a semester-long project developing and analyzing, with sociological concepts, a three-generational genogram (family tree) of one or several families. This project involves interviewing family members and comparing these families to kinship trends studied in the course. We use genograms for researching how our own family histories fit into the broader social history of American families.

0246. Sexuality and Gender (3 s.h.) F S.

Cross Listed with Women's Studies 0235.

This course examines the ways men and women develop sexual identities as a result of their membership in society. It looks at how this has changed over the course of Western history and at the differences in sexual identity from culture to culture. We focus on the differences in sexual identities of men and women, and the advantages this brings to men. We also examine the overwhelming heterosexual imperative in our society. Students research these and other topics such as differences in sexual expression by race, and the influence of the media on how we understand the meaning and expression of sex. The research requirement for the course involves an analysis of sexual scripts, the production and reproduction of these scripts, and the impact of the messages on different types of viewers. Instruction is provided on film analysis.

W248. Sociology of Organizations (3 s.h.) F S. Core: WI.

The course examines competing visions of organizations: Does bureaucracy promise prosperity for all or is it the source of inefficiencies? Do organizations exist to make profits or to produce social goods? What is it like to work in organizations? The course first traces the historical development of organizational theory, including the work of Max Weber, Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management, the Human Relations Movement, and Classical Management Theory. The second part of the course looks at current research on organizations and work, including neo-institutionalism and network theory.

Note: This is a writing-intensive course.

W249. Class in Modern Society (3 s.h.) F S. Core: WI.

Class is a fundamental dimension of inequality in our society. What is the nature of this inequality? Where does it come from? How deeply does it affect the lives of individuals? We will investigate these topics and also examine the intersection of class with other forms of social inequality, in particular race, in the context of the U.S. Finally, we will explore how the new global economy affects the reality and the injuries of class. This writing course stresses participation, group work, and personal research on topics of interest to the student.

Note: This is a writing-intensive course.

0251. Urban Sociology (3 s.h.) F S.

Urban sociology asks how the physical and built environments, technology, population growth and shifts, governmental policy, and cultural and social organization shape the location and course of the development of urban areas. It focuses on urban America, although there is frequent reference to the development of urban areas elsewhere in the world in order to highlight commonalties and differences in the forces which structure urban life. Students research and write a sociological history of a block and census tract in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It may be a history of the one in which they grew up, in which they now live, or another in which they have an interest. The objective is to combine quantitative and qualitative data to trace how and why the selected area developed as it did. A student will typically combine data drawn from several censuses with archival records to depict how the area changed in the context of the larger evolution of the community in which it is located.

W256. Political Sociology (3 s.h.) F S. Core: WI.

This course analyzes the social basis of political institutions and political action, stressing the importance of both in the life of communities and individuals. Our emphasis is on the influence of social classes, professional and occupational groups, political parties, social movement organizations, and other notable interest groups have on the political system. We discuss the formation and organization of political activity and its varied outcomes.

Note: This is a writing-intensive course.

0258. Women and Work (3 s.h.) F S.

Cross Listed with Women’s Studies 0275.

Women’s work will be defined in the fullest sense. We will examine the gender division of labor in society and changes in women's paid and unpaid work from both historical and cross-cultural perspectives. We will discuss trends in women’s employment and the rewards of women’s work by race, marital status, etc., and trends in household work and child care. Reasons for women's expanded opportunities and persistent barriers will be explored.

0259. Health and Reproduction (3 s.h.) F S.

The course will focus on health and human reproduction in the United States. We will view reproduction as both a biological and social event and will be particularly concerned with the medical and health aspects of reproduction. Decisions about child bearing, the medicalization of child bearing, fecundity, birth control, fetal and neonatal health, maternal health and new reproductive technologies are among the topics that will be considered in this research-intensive course. The course will also cover technical, methodological and statistical issues arising in the study of reproduction

0260. Research Design and Methods (4 s.h.) F S.

This course is an introduction to the logic and methods of social research. We examine the issues, including internal, external, and construct validity, that arise in doing and evaluating both quantitative and qualitative research. The laboratory time involves both computer applications and instruction in the use of the library for research.

0280. Constructing Race and Ethnicity (3 s.h.) F S.

This course examines the social construction of race and ethnicity in the United States. It investigates the use of race and ethnicity as institutionalized, official categories that shape individual identity and experience, as well as opportunities and resources distribution. The course will analyze the formal procedures and informal interactions that define race and ethnicity as socially meaningful categories for individuals and groups. The course seeks to make the connections between the macro social organization of race and ethnic categories and the micro social interactions that shape race and ethnic experience.

0283. Social Movements (3 s.h.) F.

The central theme of the course is conflict as a basic social process and the organization of mass movements to alter political and social conditions. A variety of social movements are studied: reformist and revolutionary movements; nationalist, messianic, and populist movements; identity politics and issue-oriented movements. Organizational strategies and ideological orientations of the movements are also examined.

0293-0294. Independent Study (3 s.h.) F S SS.

This course involves an intensive study in a specific area of sociology. The proposal outlining the work to be completed must be filed in the department office and with the undergraduate chair before the end of the first two weeks of the semester.

Note: This class may not be used as a substitute for required sociology courses.

0295. Internship in Sociology (3 s.h.) F S SS.

Prerequisite: Sociology 0201 and 0260 and instructor’s permission.

Students spend a semester working in a public or private agency or organization where they gain sociologically relevant experience and participate in applied sociological research. Interns will learn about a substantive sociological issue through reading, writing, and hands-on experience. Students will be required to write a term paper that includes a review of the sociological literature relevant to the internship and an analysis of the data they gathered.

0297. Ideology and Social Change in Japan (3 s.h.) F S.

A sociological look at the conditions which have contributed to Japans emergence as a world economic force. How do culture, social organization, life style, ideology, and global political affect Japan's rapid rise to power? Is Japan a closed society? What significance do factors such as racism, religion, education, family, the military, class, and population changes hold for understanding what has happened in Japan and in Japan's relations with outsiders, particularly the U.S.? What significance does this analysis have for the future of Sociology in the U.S.?

0298. Sociology of Business (3 s.h.) F S.

This course examines the role of business in American society. We read from a variety of studies and popular accounts of businesses to try to understand the impact of business. Topics include the globalization of corporations, the transformation of the U.S. economy from manufacturing to services, and the role of work in our lives. Case studies of business practices are included to encourage discussion of the role of corporations in American society.

0301. Doing Sociological Fieldwork (4 s.h.) S.

Prerequisite: Sociology 0201and 0260.

One important source of sociological evidence focuses on the meaning of events in daily life. This course is designed to provide the student with skills to evaluate qualitative research studies. More importantly, this class also teaches students to conduct research in a variety of techniques including participant observation, in-depth interviewing, and the analyses of documents. All students will carry out a research project during the semester under the direction of the instructor.

0302. Data Analysis (4 s.h.) F.

Prerequisite: Sociology 0201 and 0260.

This course is designed to teach the logic and method of data analysis. We start with a specified research question, find some data that are pertinent to this question, and analyze them. The analysis proceeds first by studying the univariate statistical distributions of relevant variables, then moves on to bivariate and multivariate methods. Students write about their research question; emphasis is placed on the interaction between the results of data analysis and the revision of the research question.

Note: This is a research-intensive course.

W380. Senior Seminar (3 s.h.) F S.

The goal of this course is to teach you how to use the sociological skills, you have learned to make the transition to the next steps of your life. This will involve making decisions about your occupational goals, and collecting evidence on how realistic these are and how you might go about achieving them. We will learn about global and local trends in the economy and the labor market. As part of this, each of you will collect data on the occupation in which you have a particular interest. We will then learn how to do a self-assessment of skills and interests and you will learn how to advertise these on a website. Finally, you will interview persons working in the occupation of your choice and match your skills with the ones they brought to their job.

Note: This is the capstone writing intensive course. This course is taken in the semester before graduation, and is open to sociology majors only.
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