Signature Course Descriptions
Sociology 101 - Introduction to Sociology
Professor Lisa McIntyre
Sociology 101 provides an introduction to sociology, including various sociological topics as well as a sociological way of viewing the world. Topics covered include: what is sociology, what is culture, how does deviance operate in society, and many others. The goal of the course is to show students the interconnectedness of things in society. The course shows students how they are constrained and empowered by society and the role that we all play in influencing society. Professor McIntyre presents these topics with a refreshing element of humor.
This course is important to sociology majors because it introduces students to the basic vocabulary and points of view largely used in sociology. For non- sociology majors, the course is important because it teaches them the interconnectedness of society and their role in that social process. Professor McIntyre teaches this course in lecture format and provides students with a "lecture guide" that gives an overview of the material and offers optional study opportunities to make the material more easily understood.
Sociology 310 - Development of Social Theory
Professor Christine Horne
This course teaches students to develop an analytic approach to theory and to connect abstract theories to the empirical world. The course focuses on one substantive issue - the problem of social order. Students learn to break theory down into its component parts and, in turn, to compare theorists' approaches to this substantive problem. This process helps students to think about the most basic elements of the theories. To increase their understanding of the relevance of social theory for real-world phenomena, students practice applying the theories to contemporary social problems - situations in which order has broken down.
Sociology 331 - Population, Resources, and the Future
Professor Kim Lloyd
Professor Lloyd's signature course is Population, Resources, and the Future. This course is designed as an introduction to the study of population from a sociological perspective. The scientific study of population, formally called demography , is multidisciplinary and concerned with virtually everything that influences or can be influenced by population size, distribution, processes, structure, or characteristics. The field of demography is large, crosses many disciplines, and touches on almost every aspect of human existence. This course gives deferential attention to world population growth and processes (birth, death, and migration); how these affect, and in turn are affected by, the social and economic structure, availability of resources, and environment. However, it also touches on other aspects of demography - including historical, political, anthropological, epidemiological, physical, and biological aspects.
The course consists of a combination of lecture, class discussion, short written assignments, and in-class examinations. Lectures are intended to provide a basic foundation in demographic issues and concepts. Assigned readings give the student an opportunity to explore particular issues in more detail and also present specific case studies where topics and concepts are discussed in an applied setting. Assignments are designed to introduce students to the demography of a particular country, help students apply key demographic concepts, as well as utilize sources of demographic data. Through informal group discussion students become familiar with the demography of a particular country, while at the same time learn about the demography of their classmates' countries.
Sociology 340 - Social Inequality Professor Julie Kmec
Professor Kmec's signature course is Social Inequality. Topics covered include theories of social inequality, trends in income inequality, ideology in the U.S., social mobility and education, inequality in the workplace, environmental inequality, and inequality in the criminal justice system. Professor Kmec wants students to have an understanding of how structures outside of an individual's control shape the individual's attitudes, behaviors, and achievements.
This course prepares sociology majors to understand a more diverse group of colleagues and to involve students in a growing area of sociological work. The course is largely activity and interaction based, and minimizes the use of traditional lectures. She uses Power Point in the course and maintains a web site including interesting articles, links to websites, and assignments. Professor Kmec is an advocate of active learning and engaging students in topics. She makes it a point to make the students feel welcome as well as comfortable speaking out in class. She is also extremely excited to be teaching this topic and feels that her research keeps her up to date on the material and feeds her excitement as well as the excitement of the students. She explains that any students interested in social justice issues, or concerned about issues related to minorities or people of color, should be especially interested in this course.
Sociology 345 - Sociology of Sport Professor Tom Rotolo
Millions of people worldwide are involved in sport, either as fans, spectators, or participants. This course explores how sociologists and other social scientists consider sport as an industry, a product, and a focus of attention in society. Outside from the reporting of actual athletic events, most popular treatments of sport in the media involve in-depth examination of a specific athlete or team, or are designed to help improve performance in a particular sport. In contrast, this course is organized around the study of sport as an entity within the social world. The major emphasis is on sport in North America . Informed by some basic ideas from sociology, the course examines how sport socializes young people and adults, and considers the role of sport in perpetuating and dismantling gender, racial, and class inequalities. Additionally, the course considers social, economic, political, and cultural issues involved with viewing and participating in sport.
Sociology 351 - The Family Professor Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson
Professor Johnson's signature course is Sociology of the Family. In this course Professor Johnson emphasizes demographic and historical change and continuity in the American family, and in so doing, tackles popular myths about families. Students in this class discuss family-related current events, which enables them to take on some of society's most controversial issues that relate to people's core values. Professor Johnson maintains an emphasis on the connections between the family as an institution and other social institutions (e.g. work and the economy, government and politics). Topics covered in the course include the social and legal construction of the family, gender and families, family divisions of labor (paid and unpaid work), domestic violence, family transitions (cohabitation, marriage, parenthood and divorce), and parenting and the socialization of children. Across topics, students examine diversity in family experiences across racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and economic groups. Professor Johnson combines a lecture format with films and active learning exercises focused on the application of sociological concepts to contemporary family experiences and controversies. This course gives students the opportunity to wrestle with the ways in which families are both a product of and a contributing factor in social change. Further, the policy focus of this course makes it particularly relevant to jobs that students might pursue after completing their undergraduate education.
Sociology 361 - Criminology
Professor Jennifer Schwartz
This course is designed to dispel myths and popular misconceptions about the extent of crime and violence and about who commits crime in the United States . After developing an understanding of the basic contours of criminal offending, we use crime theories to help us understand why some people engage in crime and others do not, why some communities have higher crime rates than others, and why crime rates are high during some periods of history and low in others. Students will also come away with a better understanding of what has influenced their own decisions regarding involvement in crime. Additional topics include: defining what is criminal, measuring criminal offending, media portrayals of crime, and characteristics of offenses such as homicide, burglary, drunk driving, and prostitution. These issues and topics are presented using a sociological perspective, meaning that students will become more aware of the social forces shaping offending patterns and official reactions to it..
Sociology 372 - Sociology of Film Professor Mike Allen
Professor Allen's signature course is The Sociology of Film. This course is a core course in the new Film Studies Minor Program, and draws students from across the University. This course provides sociology majors with a background in the sociology of culture. Non-majors will find this course useful because it gives them an understanding of how films influence their values and beliefs. Topics covered in this course include the organization of film production, the use of cinematic techniques, the structure of film narratives, and the social and cultural influences on film. Professor Allen designed the course so that students would gain a critical understanding of where films come from, both culturally and economically, and what these films leave behind in terms of our collective memory. Professor Allen uses a variety of video materials in his class and students view selected films outside of class. Lectures are presented using PowerPoint. Although the course is distinctive for its reliance on visual material, it is also reading and writing intensive. Professor Allen is currently pursuing research on the cultural consecration of film as an art form and on the impact of global markets on the American film industry. His passion for films is infectious, which makes the class more enjoyable and informative for his students.
Sociology 390 - Gender and WorkProfessor Lisa Catanzarite
Professor Catanzarite's signature course is Gender and Work. The course is designed to explore and analyze the social problem of gender inequality at work. In the course special attention is paid to understanding occupational segregation, wage inequality, and work/family balancing. These topics reflect Dr. Catanzarite's research interests in social stratification, labor markets, and the influence of gender, race/ethnicity, and immigration on employment.
Sociology 430 - Society and TechnologyProfessor Eugene Rosa
Professor Rosa's signature course is Society and Technology. In this course, Professor Rosa's goal is to teach students that technology doesn't exist in a vacuum, but instead interfaces with people and society. Subtopics that will be covered in this course include: the history of the U.S. from 1870-1970 in terms of technology and social change, technology - benefit or detriment, the unintended consequences of technology, and risk taking. Professor Rosa feels that this course is important for students because it exposes them to information about many of the major public decision issues of the day and gives them the information they need to intelligently approach these issues. Professor Rosa's primary teaching goal is to inspire his students to think critically and to foster the value of civic responsibility. Besides being a "great course," according to his students, it serves as a bridge for students to draw together many things that they learned in previous courses.
Professor Rosa does not assume the students enrolled in this course have extensive sociological backgrounds, and has designed the course to be approachable for students from many areas of WSU. This is a popular course among engineering students, business students, and environmental science students, and of course, students of sociology.
Sociology 433 - Urbanization and Community OrganizationProfessor Christine Oakley
One of the highlights of fall semester for Dr. Oakley is teaching Urbanization and Community Organization. As an upper level general education “Tier III” course, Soc 433 attracts a diverse array of students whose majors range from Landscape Architecture to Political Science, and from Management to Geology.
Like others in the business of designing and teaching courses, Dr. Oakley attempted to create a course around the seamless integration of two sets of objectives – what she wants her students to learn and what she wants to achieve pedagogically. In Soc 433 she would like her students to experience having a sociological imagination and how that enables them to understand the contested nature of “community.”She also wants them to apply classroom concepts to their community experiences, and reciprocally use these “real life” experiences to enhance their “textbook” exposure to “community.”
Given these objectives, it is essential that community service is integrated into the course. Each semester Soc 433 students work with a local or statewide community partner to design and implement a project to further the partner’s short or long term organizational goals. Throughout the course students critically think, write and talk about their projects in the context of course materials.
This excerpt from a college athlete whose project enabled him to work with the Special Olympics, reflects the experiences of many Soc 433 students:
“What I’ve come to learn is that athletics, even at a Division I school, can foster social integration and work toward social justice. Breaking down barriers between the able bodied and the disabled has allowed me to expand what it means to be a member of the athletic community… My project has enabled me to experience citizenship in a different way.”