SOCIOLOGY
College of Behavior and Social Sciences
(See Sociology in the Academic Programs section for information on the degree)
Undergraduate Courses
100 Sociological Inquiry: Ideas and Data (6) [GE]
Prerequisites: a score of 550 or above on the Entry Level Mathematics (ELM) exam, or an approved exemption, and passing grade on Math Placement Test. The use of sociological concepts and evidence to understand social life and current social issues. Develops analytical skills in critical thinking and quantitative reasoning and applies these skills to describing, explaining and predicting human social behavior. Classwork, four units; laboratory, two units.
105 Sociological Perspectives (3) [GE]
The major ideas, concepts, and methods in the study of society; social structure, social interaction, and culture. Social policy and decision-making; the distribution of wealth, power, and prestige; work and leisure, the family, ethnic groups; social order and change. [CAN SOC 2]
106 Introduction to Contemporary Social Issues (4)
What are the major social issues confronting us today? How and why have these become "issues"? How do different groups in society view these issues and how they should be resolved? Why the differences in opinion? Open to all undergraduates.
200 The City (3) [GE]
For course description, see URBS 200.
Because Sociology courses numbered 300 and above include significant writing requirements, students should complete ENG 214 or an approved equivalent before enrolling in them. Students enrolled in upper-division Sociology courses should have upper-division status (completion of 60 units) or permission of the instructor.
340 Social Psychology (4) [GE]
The interrelationship between the individual and society. The role of communication, language, role-taking, and the self-concept in explaining group structure and behavior. Socialization and change in a complex society.
362 The Social Construction of Deviance and Conformity (4)
Prerequisite: upper division standing. Focuses on the investigation of the social processes of rule making, rule enforcing, and rule breaking, emphasizing the theoretical and methodological problems of conceptualizing and analyzing values, rules power, social judgments, and punishment.
370 Theories of Society (4)
Prerequisite: SOC 105; must have satisfied critical thinking requirement. Identification and analysis of fundamental assumptions underlying classical sociological perspectives as well as the works of contemporary social theorists.
375 Selected Issues in Sociology (1-4)
Topic to be specified in Class Schedule. Examination and analysis of selected topics in sociology. Open to all students in sociology and other fields. Lectures to be supplemented by guest speakers and films whenever possible. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
392 Sociological Research—Methods and Techniques I (4)
Prerequisite: must have satisfied critical thinking and quantitative reasoning requirements. Nature of scientific research; relationship of research to sociological theory; sources of hypotheses; design and sociological research, sampling, observation, and measurement of sociological data. Classwork, three units; laboratory, one unit.
393 Sociological Research—Methods and Techniques II (4)
Prerequisite: SOC 392 or consent of instructor. Techniques of measuring, tabulating, analyzing and interpreting statistical data. Concepts and techniques in scaling, statistical inference, hypothesis testing and estimating. Analysis of the interrelated parts of the total design of sociological research. Classwork, three units; laboratory, one unit.
451 Criminological Theory (4) [GE]
Development of criminological theory from the eighteenth century to the present. Emphasis on the social, economic, and political context in which criminological theories emerged and how they are reflected in legal practices.
454 White Collar Crime (4)
Examination of selected types of white collar crime such as price-fixing; mergers and acquisitions; unsafe products; political bribery and corruption; embezzlement and computer crime. The system of enforcement for white collar crime. Punishment of white collar criminals.
455 Punishment and Social Control (4) [GE]
Contemporary and historical methods of punishment and control are examined and viewed as reflections of broader trends in society. Major methods include corporal punishment, institutional confinement, drug therapy, and behavior modification.
457 Sociology of Law (4)
Examination of legal institutions from a sociological perspective: developing knowledge and understanding of the social nature of law, the operation of existing legal institutions and their relation to social conditions and processes.
459 Criminal Law and Social Process (4) [GE]
Administration of criminal law including arrest, prosecution, trial and sentencing. Examination of the organization of police, police culture, the court as a special bureaucracy with separate functionaries (judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors), patterns and objectives of sentencing.
461 Ethnic Relations: International Comparisons (4) [GE]
Prerequisite: upper division standing or consent of instructor. Ethnic relations in selected multi-ethnic societies worldwide. Sociological factors related to ethnic identity, nationalism, and conflict. Ethnicity in politics, religion, family, education, and work in differing societies.
464 Families and Society (4) [GE]
Significant attributes of family types in the United States and the world in terms of historical antecedents and evolutionary influences; changing structure of the family, its attendant problems and emergent trends.
466 Society and Education (4)
Exploration of the interrelationships between national systems of education and national economic and political institutions, national culture and ideology, and national stratification systems. Does not meet the requirement for teacher certification.
468 Social Aspects of Human Sexuality (4) [GE]
Sexuality as human social behavior. Causes and consequences of various ways of behaving sexually in a social context. Emphasis on social, cultural, and ethnic diversity as these relate to the role of sex in various aspects of social life.
469 Gender and Society (4) [GE]
Analysis of sex roles in society. The origin of sex roles, infant sex socialization and the demands for conformity. Restrictions and encouragements for breaking with conventional sex roles.
470 The Sociology of Knowledge (4)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Sociological perspectives on the relationship between knowledge and social circumstances: traditional foundations of the field; contemporary debates including questions of multiculturalism, gender related issues, competing environmental epistemologies.
471 Societal Change and Development (4) [GE]
Functions and components of social change; work of selected sociologists dealing with patterns of social change.
472 Social Inequality: Poverty, Wealth, and Privilege (4) [GE]
Prerequisite: upper division standing. Patterns of social stratification. Study of class, status, and power dimensions; cultural variations in stratification systems; patterns of mobility and change.
474 Sociology of Organizations (4)
Nature of formal organizations, authority, goals, communication; interaction between organizations and society; intercultural comparisons; organizational change.
476 Medical Sociology (4) [GE]
Sociology of health and illness; organization of medical care; sociology of therapeutic interaction; medico-social problems; innovation in providing health care.
480 Urban Sociology (4) [GE]
Development of urban communities and institutions; the metropolitan community, its history, organization, functions, change and planning; urban-rural relationships.
483 Global Sociology (4)
Prerequisite: upper division standing. Analysis of major global processes and their impact on different societies. In addition to global theory, emphasis is on major global social problems such as poverty, hunger, racism, sexism, global warming, labor exploitation, etc. Seeks to show students how these problems affect their lives.
484 Population Problems (4) [GE]
A sociological analysis of population dynamics. An investigation of those social factors related to problems of population growth or decline. Studies of human fertility and fertility control, mortality, and migration. Population and environment. Population policy.
488 Industrial Sociology (4)
Research findings and techniques of sociology applied to industrial relations; work-group organization, staff and line roles, problems of leadership, formal and informal social structures, maintenance of morale; the functions of unions, institutional and community relations.
494 Sociological Research III: Special Projects (2-4)
Prerequisites: SOC 100 or 392 and 393 or equivalent. May be taken concurrently with SOC 393. Formulation of research hypotheses from theory, research design, data collection, data analysis. Application of research principles learned in methodology courses. Supervised experience in carrying out well-defined research projects. Enrollment by petition. May be repeated for a total of six units.
575 Sociology in the Bay Area (1-2)
Topic to be specified in Class Schedule. Extension of sociological perspectives and research techniques to Bay Area social issues. Learning through student observation and participation in research projects. Topics may include: an aspect of lifestyles or a sociological aspect of institutions in Bay Area settings. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
630 Sociology of Aging (4) [GE]
Emphasis on cross-cultural and subcultural variations in the aging process; focus on how elderly people affect and in turn are affected by family life, housing, medical care, institutionalization, economic and political systems, law and patterns of work, retirement and leisure.
699 Special Study (1-4)
Prerequisites: consent of instructor, major adviser, and department chair. Supervised study of a particular problem selected by the student.
Graduate Course
899 Special Study (1-3)
Prerequisites: permission of the graduate major adviser, the supervising faculty member, and the department chair. Study is planned, developed, and completed under the direction of a member of the faculty. Open only to graduate students who have demonstrated ability to do independent work. Enrollment by petition.