Examines: how childhood has been defined and shaped in our own society, historically, looking at the historically changing social construction of childhood in our own society; children's connections to the adult-organized world, where we learn about various socialization theories and how children learn to be members of the culture, as well as how children are linked to the broader society - the school system, the economy and system of social class, the mass media, consumerism; children's own social worlds, as we, all semester, look at how young children experience, respond to, and attempt to

Introduction to the sociology of mental illness, definitions and descriptions of mental illness, social and cultural causes for mental illness, family and public reactions and the problems of measuring mental illness and methods for its cure. Prerequisite: 100-level SOCIOL course.

Literature on health and illness from three sociological perspectives: 1) epidemiological: focus on social and psychological factors as causes of disease; 2) illness-behavior perspectives: focus on variation between persons and groups in their evaluation and response to pain and symptoms; and 3) organizational: emphasis on problems in organization and delivery of medical services. Prerequisite: 100-level SOCIOL course.

Media and technology is all around us: E-mail, TV, Microsoft, Google, blogs, magazines, and phones shape the world we live in and ourselves. This course asks how media technology shapes the most fundamental aspects of our lives, from our education to our interpersonal relationships, our cultural tastes to our politics. We will first develop a critical perspective on the history and usage of media technology, but will then learn how to use the media and technology we talk about with special workshops on Podcasting, Powerpoint, and Wikis in order to put those lessons into sociological practice.

Crime is not equally distributed amongst cities and neighborhoods. In this course, we will examine how, where and why crime is unequally distributed. Particular attention will be focused on locations, such as public housing development, where crime is perceived to be heightened. Theories of social disorganization, collective efficacy and broken windows will be explored.

This course will explore the role that community supervision plays in the U.S. Criminal Justice System. The course will span the evolution of probation services from the 19th Century father of probation, John Augustus, to the modern day focus on evidence-based practices supervision. Likewise, the history of parole will be explored from its origin in England and Ireland to its current practice in community corrections. We will also focus on the federal probation system, which is practiced across the United States and its territories.

An introduction to the major subfields of the profession, the populations social workers serve, the types of interventions they use, the theories behind those interventions, and the obstacles to success.

An introduction to the major subfields of the profession, the populations social workers serve, the types of interventions they use, the theories behind those interventions, and the obstacles to success.

This course examines the sociological history, content, and implications of how Asian Americans have been portrayed and represented in mainstream U.S. media and popular culture. Using readings, class discussions, small group activities, films & videos, and student-designed projects, this course will explore the visual dimensions and cultural dynamics of specific examples such as racial discrimination, anti-immigrant nativism, gender representations, and global influences like anime and K-Pop, etc. (Gen. Ed. SB, DU)

Basic issues in political sociology and politics: interaction between the political and social-cultural spheres, sources and manifestations of political inequality; variety of social conflict and its major theories; relationship between political ideas and political behavior. Issues of political violence and coercion, political propaganda and legitimation, intellectuals and political power.