Undergraduate Sociology Courses
SO 100 Introduction to Sociology
Introduction to the scientific study of social life through the identification and analysis of regularized patterns of human behavior and relationships.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 110 Cultural Anthropology
Cross cultural analysis of the human capacity, for adaptation and technological and ideological development. Significant field studies will be examined.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 130 Race, Ethnicity and Gender
An introduction to dominant-minority group relations through the investigation of the patterns and dynamics of differentiation, inequality and discrimination.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 190 Sport and Society
Analysis of sport as a social system. The implication of sport within interrelational contexts of other social systems.
Offered every 2 years. 3 credits.
SO 193 Special Topics in Sociology for First-year Students
All "193" classes are approved for LASC but may vary by section. See current course listing for specific LASC area approval.
Introductory level course covering topics of special interest to first-year students. Offered only as a First-year Seminar.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 199 Special Topics
Prerequisite: SO 100
Introductory level topics. Topic announced at pre-registration.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 200 Contemporary Social Problems
Prerequisite: SO 100 or SO 110
Analysis of social, political, urban, and industrial changes which have introduced specific problems into contemporary society.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 205 Issues in American Society
Prerequisite: SO 100
Identification and analysis of current social issues facing contemporary American society, and critique of policies and programs designed to resolve these issues.
Offered every 2 years. 3 credits.
SO 215 Medical Sociology
Prerequisite: SO 100 or SO 110
The structure of health care delivery systems and role interaction between levels of health care personnel, patients, and families of patients.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 220 Sociology of the Family
LASC—Human Behavior and Social Processes
Prerequisite: SO 100 or SO 110
A comparative approach to the study of family systems with emphasis on the changing patterns of family life.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 225 Family in Middle Eastern Societies
Prerequisite: SO 100
Study of family systems in the Middle East and the forces of change affecting traditional family patterns.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 230 Political Sociology
Prerequisite: SO 100 or SO 110
Foundations of social movements in political phenomena, social conditions and emerging political institutions; the structural basis of social change and politics.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 240 Sociology of Education
Prerequisite: SO 100 or SO 110
Study of modern educational systems, emphasizing the social, political and economic factors that influence its organization and its functions.
Offered every 2 years. 3 credits.
SO 250 Sociology of Religion
Prerequisite: SO 100 or SO 110
A cross-cultural comparative study of the nature of religious institutions as systems of socially determined and socially relevant beliefs and practices.
Offered every 2 years. 3 credits.
SO 270 Social Theory I
Prerequisite: SO 100 or SO 110
Fundamental concepts and intellectual traditions, especially the contributions of Comte, Spencer, Marx, Toennes, Durkheim, and Simmel.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 275 Social and Behavioral Statistics
Prerequisites: SO 100 and any 200 Sociology Course; SO 280 recommended
Data tabulation; graphing; measurement of central tendency, variability, and correlation; hypothesis testing applied to psychological and sociological data. Hand and computer analysis.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 280 Research Methods of Sociology
Prerequisite: SO 100 or SO 110
An analysis of the research function in sociology; the conduct of research appropriate to undergraduate students; the formal presentation of research papers.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 299 Special Topics
Prerequisite: SO 100
Intermediate level topics. Topic announced at pre-registration.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 300 Social Change
Prerequisites: Two courses at 200-level
A study of the conditions, patterns, and consequences of social transformations with emphasis on institutional and individual patterns of adjustment and adaptation.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 305 Applied Sociology and Community Research
Prerequisites: SO 100, SO 280; SO 275 recommended
Explores the theory and methods of applied sociology, including ethnographic, institutional, participatory research techniqes in community settings.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 310 Formal Organizations
Prerequisites: Two courses at 200-level
The structure and function of, and communications systems within, formal and complex organizations; primary focus on theoretical aspects of organizations.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 315 Collective Behavior
Prerequisites: Two courses at 200-level
Processes by which new norms and forms of social organization emerge from group behavior, aggregate behavior, and social movements.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 330 Criminology
Prerequisites: Two courses at 200-level
Theoretical perspective on crime, criminals and the social aspects of interrelationships within, and between the components of the criminal justice system.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 335 Juvenile Delinquency
Prerequisites: Two courses at 200-level
Dynamics of small group involvement and other environmental influences in the shaping of an individual’s personality.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 340 Social Psychology
Prerequisites: Two courses at 200-level
Dynamics of small group involvement and other environmental influences on the shaping of an individual’s personality.
Offered every year. 3 credits.
SO 345 Sociology of Deviance
Prerequisites: Two courses at 200-level
Study of the nature and consequences of deviant behavior with emphasis on socialization, social relationships, and patterns of social control.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 350 Social Stratification
Prerequisites: Two courses at 200-level
Investigation of the recurrent patterns of social differentiation, social ranking, and the unequal distribution of rewards.
Offered every 2 years. 3 credits.
SO 360 Urban Sociology
Prerequisites: Two courses at 200-level
A cross-cultural study of urban social systems and the phenomena and problems connected with the planning process.
Offered every 2 years. 3 credits.
SO 375 Contemporary Social Theory
Prerequisites: SO 270
Review of sociological theories, analytical tools, and conceptual schemes prevalent in contemporary debate and consensus.
Offered every 3 years. 3 credits.
SO 400 Independent Study
Prerequisites: Eight prior courses in sociology or consent of instructor/chair.
For advanced sociology majors only; topic to be approved by an independent study advisor.
Offered every year. 1-6 credits.
SO 410 Field Work
Prerequisites: Eight prior courses in sociology or consent of instructor/chair.
Data collection based on participant observation within a social service organization; assignment approval by field work advisor.
Offered every year. 1-6 credits.
SO 420 Seminar in Sociology
Prerequisites: Eight prior courses in sociology or consent of instructor/chair.
Advanced study topics in selected areas of sociology; announcement made at pre-registration time.
Offered every 3 years. 1-3 credits.