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Across the globe, social welfare systems have been created, often referred to as "welfare states," or in the U.S. in terms of individual programs such as "social security," "unemployment," and "welfare." In this class, we will explore the strategies that welfare states take to protect those who cannot support themselves economically - such as retirees, the unemployed, children, those with poor health or disabilities, or those providing care.

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.

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.

The extent and causes of gender differences in crime, from the "streets" to the "suites." Topics include problems in the general measurement of crime, historical and cross-cultural differences in the gender gap, the utility of general theories of the causes of crime in explaining the continuing gender gap, and a detailed look at the question and magnitude of gender discrimination in the American criminal justice system.

The relation of deviant behavior to acceptable social patterns of behavior. Several forms of deviant behavior, both economic and personal transgressions of acceptable behavior. The causes and conditions for the creation of deviant behavior and the mechanisms for its social control. Prerequisite: 100-level Sociology course.

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.

The sociology of aspirations: What do I really want to do when I grow up? is a new course examining the role of social forces in shaping our hopes and dreams. In this course students will have a chance to reflect on their own life goals and aspirations, as well as those of others, and consider the role of gender, economic class, race, and culture in shaping these. For example, in this course we consider how social forces like gender and economic class may influence our career goals and the kind of relationships and family life we seek to create.

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.