Course Descriptions - Sociology

The course descriptions listed are updated from time to time as information changes. The University reserves the right to terminate or change these requirements as and when it deems appropriate.

SO 200 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY (3.00) Studies sociological perspectives, focusing on social groups and social interaction. Presents basic sociological terms and concepts, and examines a variety of social institutions and processes. Cross listing(s): SO 200C.

SO 203 SOCIAL PROBLEMS (3.00) Surveys selected social problems from a national and international scope. Includes analysis of possible causes and consequences of these problems and of various proposals for solutions and reforms.

SO 204 INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (3.00) Introduces the methods and theory of cultural anthropology through a theoretical and comparative examination of the role of culture in human life. Includes the study of other cultures and field research on contemporary United States culture. RC Cross listing: AN 204. Cross listing(s): AN 204.

SO 403 SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY (3.00) Surveys major analytic models used in sociology. Reviews classical foundations of social thought, including the works of Marx, Durkheim and Weber, and contemporary schools of thought, such as feminist and neo-Marxian theory. Additional Prerequsite(s): or permission of instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 SO 203;

SO 404 METHODS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH (3.00) Practical introduction to social science research methods including survey research, content analysis, participant observation, and field research. Builds critical thinking skills for comparing and evaluating popular and academic reports/claims, focusing on social problems and social justice. Research design, data analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, library research, and writing skills are taught through hands-on experiences. NOTE: This is a writing intensive course. Additional Prerequisite(s): or permission of instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 SO 204 AN 204; Cross listing(s): AN 404 PJ 408.

SO 406 HISTORY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY (3.00) Reviews the development of the central ideas that have shaped the emergence of anthropology as a science. The approach is critical and objective, with an emphasis on the evolution of the scope and limitations of modern theory. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 204 or AN 204; Cross listing(s): AN 406.

SO 407 PUBLIC ANTHROPOLOGY (3.00) Discusses anthropology's insights on culture and research techniques as means to analyze social, political, and economic problems and develop solutions. Focuses on the ways in which applied anthropology can analyze, inform, and influence policy in the United States and abroad, demonstrating anthropology's mainstream relevance. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor required. Prerequisite(s): AN 204 SO 200 SO 204; Cross listing(s): AN 407.

SO 411 FOOD, GENDER, AND CULTURE (3.00) Explores ways in which preparing, eating, and thinking about food demonstrate culturally determined gender and power relations in various societies around the world. Examines various understandings of issues such as nutrition, eating disorders, body images, and gender differences around food using a cross-cultural perspective. Additional prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 SO 204 AN 204; Cross listing(s): AN 411 WS 411.

SO 416 DEVIANCE (3.00) Provides a historical and comparative study of social deviance, including definitions of and reactions to deviance, and deviance as collective behavior. Examines various sociological theories of deviance, and social groups and behaviors defined as deviant in the United States and other countries. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 200; Cross listing(s): CJ 416 CR 416.

SO 419E-W CULTURE AND CONSCIOUSNESS: (3.00) Explores the social and cultural processes through which we construct our world. Includes the sociology of knowledge, symbolic interactionism, phenomenological sociology, ethnomethodolgy, cultural studies and related topics. Prerequisite(s): SO 200;

SO 422 DIVERSITY IN U.S. SOCIETY (3.00) Provides a critical and comparative analysis of race, ethnicity and other diversity in the United States. Includes racism, creation and maintenance of ethnic group status, political processes and movements for self-determination. Additional Prerequisite(s): or permission of instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 or SO 203; Cross listing(s): CJ 422 CR 422.

SO 423 MEXICAN AMERICANS IN THE U.S. (3.00) Provides a general overview of Mexican Americans in the United States in contemporary society. Examines the history, culture, and past and present policies that have affected the community. Emphasizes racism, discrimination, prejudice, internal colonialism, split labor market theory, immigration, participation in social movements, and experiences within the various social institutions such as the economy, politics, media, education, and the family. Prerequisite(s): SO*200 or SO*203 or Permission of Instructor Cross listing(s): AN 423.

SO 424 SEX, GENDER, AND SOCIETY (3.00) Examines the social construction of gender difference and stereotypes in the US and other cultures. Performs critical analysis of biological, sociological, anthropological, historical, and psychological explanations of masculinity and femininity. Includes intersections between gender and ethnicity, sexual orientation, social class, friendship, love, work, and disability. Prerequisite(s): AN 204 SO 204 SO 200 SO 203 WS 300; Cross listing(s): WS 424.

SO 425 NATIVE AMERICANS (3.00) Provides a general overview of Native Americans of North America. Examines the history, past and present social policies and treaties, and the American Indian Movement. Explores concepts such as racism, discrimination, prejudice, and internal colonialism. Additional prerequisite(s): or permission of instructor. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 or SO 203;

SO 426 RACE & ETHNICITY IN LATIN AMERICA (3.00) Explores the multiple, complex and historically changing meanings of the concepts of race and ethnicity in Latin America, and the consequences of discrimination towards specific groups based on these concepts. Regions covered will be the Caribbean, Atlantic Central America, and the Pacific, Atlantic and Andean regions of South America. Salient issues will be covered for each region. Additional Prerequisite(s): Permission of Instructor. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 SO 204 AN 204; Cross listing(s): AN 426.

SO 436 ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY (3.00) Examines the relationship between the development of energy resources and environmental conditions. Emphasizes how economic and political ideology and institutions affect our relationship to the Earth. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 or SO 203; Cross listing(s): ENVS 436 PJ 436.

SO 439 BLACK SOCIAL THOUGHT (3.00) Focuses on African-American social thought and the West African influence from historical, political, sociological and cultural perspectives from pre-1492 to present day. Includes intensive pre-departure seminars, a two-week Ghanaian service-oriented field experience and service in Denver communities. Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into Tinansa Program required. Permission of Instructor. Cross listing(s): PJ 439.

SO 441 SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES (3.00) Explores social, environmental, and economic issues that prevent and encourage more sustainable communities. Topics include transportation, sprawl, poverty, urban/wildlife interface, housing, population, consumption, municipal/toxic waste, community resources and empowerment, and a variety of proposed solutions from around the world. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 or SO 203; Cross listing(s): ENVS 441 PJ 441.

SO 450 CRIMINOLOGY (3.00) Analyzes social, political and economic dynamics of crime including: corporate and government crime, racism and sexism in the criminal justice system, and imprisonment. Additional Prerequsite(s): or permission of instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 SO 203; Cross listing(s): CJ 450 CR 450.

SO 451 JUVENILE DELINQUENCY (3.00) Investigates juvenile delinquency in the context of social and political authority, the operations of the criminal justice system, youth culture and youth subcultures, and related social issues. Presents various sociological theories of juvenile delinquency, and examines various historical and contemporary manifestations of juvenile crime and deviance. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor required. Additional SPS prerequisite(s): PY 250. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 or SO 203; Cross listing(s): CJ 451 CR 451.

SO 452 PUNISHMENT AND CORRECTIONS (3.00) Provides historical, political and economic analysis of the panel system in the United States. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 200; Cross listing(s): CJ 452 PJ 452 CR 452.

SO 459E-W TOPICS IN CRIME AND JUSTICE (3.00) Selected courses will focus on issues related to crime, police, the court system, punishment, social control, rehabilitation, etc. Prerequisite(s): SO 350 or CJ 350; Cross listing(s): CR 459E-W CJ 459E-W.

SO 459P CRIME VICTIMS (3.00) The role of victims in crime, treatment of victims in the criminal justice system, social consequences of specific types of victimization, rights of crime victims and critical analysis of how the needs of victims are addressed in North American Society. Prerequisite(s): SO 200; Cross listing(s): CR 459P.

SO 460 SOCIAL MOVEMENTS (3.00) Examines a variety of U.S. social movements from the 1950's through the present. Explores theoretical questions of how movements emerge, who joins them, the effect of various tactics, and the factors that contribute to a movements' success or demise. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 or SO 203; Cross listing(s): PJ 460.

SO 461 MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA (3.00) Studies the multiplicity of culture and linguistic groups of Mexico and Central America within modern nation-states from an anthropological perspective. Focuses on issues of gender, economic and social experiences of these groups, with special attention to their ethnic diversity and unity. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor required. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 SO 204 AN 204; Cross listing(s): AN 461.

SO 469E-W TOPICS IN CULTURE (3.00) Analysis of origins, development, and changes/challenges of ancient and/or modern cultures. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 or AN 204; Cross listing(s): AN 469E-W.

SO 470 SOCIAL INEQUALITY (3.00) Provides a comparative examination of theoretical and ethnographic patterns of inequality in the United States and other countries. Additional Prerequisite(s): or Permission of Instructor. Prerequisite(s): SO 200 or SO 203;

SO 472 WEALTH AND POWER (3.00) Provides a comparative examination of political and economic institutions, the groups that dominate these institutions, the means by which they exercise power and challenges to the exercise of power. RC Prerequisite(s): EC200 or EC320 or SO200 or SO203 or permission of instructor. SPS Prerequisite(s): None. RC Cross Listing: EC 472. SPS Cross Listing: None. Cross listing(s): EC 472 HO 478L.

SO 475 GLOBALIZATION (3.00) Critical examination of economic agencies and instruments of corporate globalization. Topics include the World Trade Organization, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, corporate investment, military intervention, foreign aid, the debt crisis, etc. Globalization is set in the historical contect of colonialism. Additional Prerequisite(s): Permission of Instructor. Prerequisite(s): SO 200; Cross listing(s): PJ 475.

SO 481 THE FAMILY (3.00) Provides a comparative analysis of marriages, families, and domestic groups. Examines varieties of family life and their effects on men, women, children, and other social institutions. RC Prerequisite(s): SO 200 or WS 200. SPS Prerequisite(s): None. RC Cross Listing: WS 481. SPS Cross Listing: PY 444. Cross listing(s): WS 481.

SO 485 ANTHROPOLOGY OF RELIGION (3.00) Provides an anthropological examination of religious expression in past and present societies. Includes myth, ritual, shamanism, symbolism and religious change. Additional Prerequisite(s): or permission of Instructor required. Note: No longer cross listed with RC*425E Prerequisite(s): SO 200 SO 204 AN 204; Cross listing(s): AN 485 RC 425E.

SO 486 MASS COMMUNICATION AND SOCIETY (3.00) Investigates and analyzes economic, political and ideological dimensions of mass communication, mass communication and social control, and the development of mass media forms. RC Prerequisite(s): COM 380 or SO 200. SPS Prerequisite(s): None. Cross listing(s): COM 486.

SO 490E-W INDEPENDENT STUDY IN SOCIOLOGY (1.00 - 3.00) Offers an opportunity for individual study of an approved topic in sociology under the direction of a sociology faculty member. Permits faculty and students to explore together some subject of special or personal interest. Prerequisite(s): SO 200;

SO 496E-W TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY: (3.00) Offers selected topics including sociology of medicine, community and urban studies. RC Prerequisite(s): SO 200. SPS Prerequisite(s): None.

SO 498E-M INTERNSHIP IN SOCIOLOGY (3.00) Provides an intensive work experience appropriate to the sociology discipline. Additional Prerequisite(s): Approval of Department Chair and Director of Experiential Education. Prerequisite(s): SO 200;

SO 499 MAJORS SEMINAR (3.00) Capstone course provides Sociology majors with information on graduate school, employment opportunities and particular ways their knowledge can be used to contribute to the community. Students are encouraged to participate in the community during this course. Prerequisite(s): Majors and Minors only and Senior standing.

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