ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE
SOC 220
SOC
(3.00 credits)
An interdisciplinary examination of social factors relating to substance abuse, its identification and resulting community responses. Prerequisites: None.
EDUCATION AND SOCIETY
SOC 324
SOC
(3.00 credits)
Using a comparative and experiential approach, the course situates the school within the wider social context. Students share their explorations of the dynamics of family, socio-economic, gender, and race factors in shaping both the lives of the students and the processes of schooling and the schools. Prerequisites: None.
FOOD AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
SOC 303 2E
SOC
(4.00 credits)
Every day, the dietary choices we make have consequences for us, our communities, the environment, and people across the globe. An examination of agriculture, the food industry, and advertising reveals the causes of numerous social problems for a culture over-fed yet under-nourished by the food we produce. Yet Dane County and Madison boast some of the most progressive food practices in the nation that we'll see first-hand. Prerequisites: Completion of COR 1 or COR 199 or COR 199 in progress; two full-time semesters of college credit, excluding retro credits, AP credits, and college credit earned while in high school.
GENDER & HEALTH
SOC 209 Q
SOC
(4.00 credits)
In this course, we will cover material on both the biology/physiology of individual bodies as well as the social contexts in which people with bodies must function, are viewed as "healthy" or "sick," and navigate healthcare systems. We will pay particular attention to physiological processes and health concerns that are often understudied or dismissed due to their association with women or female-assigned people, with the recognition that any of these issues may also affect transgender, non-binary, and intersex people, and that there is no "universal experience" of womanhood, physical or social. For example, while menstruation, pregnancy, and birth disproportionately affect women, people who are not women may menstruate, become pregnant or give birth, and people who are women may be unwilling or unable to do any or all of these. Throughout the course, we will try to highlight the experiences and needs of all people marginalized within healthcare systems and the larger society by sex and gender, including transgender folks, intersex people, and cisgender bisexual, pansexual, asexual, gay, and lesbian people. We will maintain an intersectional lens to explore how people multiply marginalized by other identities such as race, ability, size, etc. are specifically and holistically affected in terms of their health and healthcare outcomes.
HEALTH, ILLNESS AND SOCIETY
SOC 325 2DJ
SOC
(4.00 credits)
This course explores the social context of health, well-being and illness. We consider the importance of one's social position in shaping status, power, bodily control and resources, as well as the influence of social structures and cultural practices. As part of this course, students will complete a service learning project. Prerequisites: Completion of COR 1 or COR 199 or COR 199 in progress; two full-time semesters of college credit, excluding retro credits, AP credits, and college credit earned while in high school. Cross-listed: COR 230E
HUMAN SEXUALITIES
SOC 326 Q
SOC
(4.00 credits)
This course focuses on the ways in which sexual desires, identities, and practices are socially constructed. Through text, lecture, film, and class discussion, we will examine the social sources of sexuality, and will seek to understand how sexuality has influenced and is influenced by a variety of domains of society. Meanings of sexuality will be addressed at multiple levels historical, structural, cultural, and personal and across multiple domains, such as the life course, schools, college campuses, prisons, online dating forums, and political spheres. Prerequisites: Sophomore status
INDEPENDENT STUDY - SOCIOLOGY
SOC 179
SOC
(1.00 credits)
INDEPENDENT STUDY - SOCIOLOGY
SOC 379
SOC
(1.00 - 4.00 credits)
INDEPENDENT STUDY - SOCIOLOGY
SOC 479
SOC
(1.00 credits)
INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY: SELF & COMMUNIT
SOC 202 1DJ
SOC
(4.00 credits)
This course is an introduction to sociology with an emphasis on self and community. Sociology is the study of human behavior. Rather than focusing on individual people, sociology is the study of society, concerned with interaction and patterns of relationships among people. Important emphases in the field are inequality, social problems, and the social construction of reality. Sociologists seek to understand how the larger social structures interact with individuals' lives. This class will guide you to apply a sociological lens to your own life and community issues. Prerequisites: First semester freshmen or freshmen transfer students.
INTRODUCTION TO LGBTQ+ STUDIES
SOC 207 DJQ
SOC
(4.00 credits)
In Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies, we start from the position that taken-for-granted systems of categorization like gender and sexuality are in fact socially developed, enforced, and reproduced such that members of societies see them as "natural." Although these systems may be described as "social constructs," they are quite real to the people who are categorized by them. We will rely upon sociological frameworks to better understand intragroup interactions within the broader LGBTQ+ community.
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
SOC 201 DJ
SOC
(4.00 credits)
This course is an introduction to sociology: the systematic study of human behavior, from small group interaction to global social processes. It examines an array of human behaviors, and explores how the social environment affects the development of individual attitudes, beliefs and values. Special emphasis will be placed on forms of social inequality and power by race, ethnicity, nationality, class, gender and sexuality.
KIDS AND CRIME: JUVENILE JUSTICE
SOC 236
SOC
(4.00 credits)
An introduction to the issues, including an examination of definitions of childhood; the rules that define delinquency; historical and contemporary reactions to delinquent behavior; diverse and conflicting models of delinquency causation; and an overview of the changing systems of juvenile justice. Prerequisites: None.
RACE AND ETHNICITY
SOC 309 D
SOC
(4.00 credits)
This course engages students in an analysis of historical and contemporary experiences of race and ethnicity in the United States as influenced by changing migration trends and economic developments. Special consideration is given to the social construction of racial categories; issues of whiteness; and multiracial identity. Prerequisites: Two full-time semesters of college, excluding retro, AP, and high school credits
SELECTED TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY
SOC 310
SOC
(4.00 credits)
A course which will examine vital areas of contemporary concern in sociology. The topic or problem of the course changes each semester. Prerequisites: None.
SEMINAR IN SOCIOLOGY
SOC 380
SOC
(1.00 credits)
An examination of selected problems or issues. The seminar is frequently used in conjunction with courses in the sequence on major social institutions to provide an opportunity for the student to examine an area of particular interest within a seminar format. Prerequisites: None.
SEMINAR IN SOCIOLOGY
SOC 480
SOC
(1.00 credits)
An examination of selected problems or issues. The seminar is frequently used in conjunction with coursed in the sequence on major social institutions to provide an opportunity for the student to examine an area of particular interest within a seminar format. Prerequisites: consent of instructor.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIAL CHANGE
SOC 203 JQ
SOC
(4.00 credits)
In this course, we will examine several issues that are considered "social problems." We will analyze these problems from several sociological perspectives with an emphasis on a feminist lens, considering how a variety of groups may understand them and seek to address them.
SOCIOLOGY OF LAW
SOC 311
SOC
(4.00 credits)
In this course, students will become familiar with the ways in which social factors impact how people understand and engage with legal institutions. Course topics include how experiences with the legal system are impacted by race, class and gender, current events in law (such as the #metoo movement), civil and criminal legal systems, and social change and the law. The focus of this course is minimally on how the law and legal systems work, and instead emphasizes the social impact of the law.
THEORIES OF DEVIANCE
SOC 340
SOC
(4.00 credits)
A theoretical study of criminal and deviant behavior in society, since the 18th century in Europe to present day. Various schools of thought, from the Classical School, Positivist School, and the Chicago School will be examined. Deviance will be viewed from sociological, biological, and psychological perspectives.
THEORIES OF SOCIETY
SOC 402
SOC
(4.00 credits)
An analysis of the models of society developed by classical theorists, including Durkheim, Marx, and Weber, as well as the major contemporary theories of society. Prerequisites: Any SOC prefix course.
WOMEN AND CRIME
SOC 295 2DQ
SOC
(4.00 credits)
This course involves the sociological and criminological study of women and crime. The course focuses on the following: gender-based crimes (such as sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking), women's pathways to criminality, women's experiences in the criminal justice system (with police, courts, incarceration, etc.) and what it is like for women working in criminal justice occupations. Students will engage with community organizations in the local area who work with these issues on a daily basis. Through these community partnerships and the academic research on these topics, students will learn about the ethical dilemmas associated with crime and issues of sex/gender/racial/ethnic and economic inequalities in society, all of which contribute to our system of mass incarceration in the United States. Prerequisites: Completion of COR 1 or COR 199 or COR 199 in progress; two full-time semesters of college credit, excluding retro credits, AP credits, and college credit earned while in high school.
WOMEN AND SOCIETY
SOC 365 JQ
SOC
(4.00 credits)
This course is an assessment of women's position in American society. It considers the history of women's roles and experiences in American society, examining how American women's experiences compare with their own past, to men, and to women of other nations. Emphasis is on the importance of gender ideology and its impact on women's identity, relationships, outcomes and participation in major institutions. Prerequisites: None.