A survey course designed to introduce the student to the scene of human society. Fundamental concepts, description, and analysis of society, culture, the socialization process, social institutions, and social change.  Students of junior or senior standing should take SOC 31200, unless they are sociology or law and society majors. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

SOC 10000 Introductory Sociology

Introductory Sociology

Contemporary problems at the community, society, and international levels, focusing on patterns of social organization and social change in American society, with concentration on such topics as technological militarism and war, poverty, racism, political protest, and cybernation. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

SOC 22000 Social Problems

Social Problems

An examination of research on the social context of human aging, including demographic and developmental changes. A life course perspective is emphasized for studying health, life events, and quality of life. Considers exceptional longevity in comparative perspective.

SOC 27500 Sociology Of Aging And The Life Course

Sociology Of Aging And The Life Course

This course is a sociological examination and analysis of the presence and significance of race and ethnicity in our society. The purpose of this course is to provide a foundation and critical framework for assessing the origins and manifestations of race and ethnicity. Race and ethnicity have historically been one basis for differentiation and stratification in the United States and other societies, and this persists today. In this course, we will examine the emergence of race and ethnicity as concepts, and how they shape our everyday lives. We will be guided by the following questions: Why do we study race and ethnicity? How and why are they relevant in our society? How do we experience race and ethnicity, and how has this changed over time? Topics include multiculturalism and diversity; media representations; racism and discrimination; colorism; racial hierarchies; immigration; and different domains of racial inequality. Typically offered Fall and Spring.

SOC 31000 Race And Ethnicity

Race And Ethnicity

(CRJU 32400) Nature and cause of crime; methods of dealing with adult and juvenile offenders, consideration of present programs for the social treatment of crime in the light of needed changes. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

SOC 32400 Criminology

Criminology

This course examines the dynamics of social conflict, with a special focus on legal institutions and criminological processes.  Students will learn to think more analytically about the causes of social conflict, its dynamics, and strategies for resolution. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 32600 Social Conflict And Criminal Justice

Social Conflict And Criminal Justice

Introduction to institutionalized responses of society to the problem of crime. Analysis of the administration of justice in each of the major components of the criminal justice system and laws regulating their operations. Some consideration given to comparative criminal justice. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 32800 Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

Development of the city and its functions; types of social behavior in cities; influences of city life on personality; city planning.

SOC 33400 Urban Sociology

Urban Sociology

Analysis of the social and social psychological sources of routine political participation such as voting and interest group activity, and nonroutine political action such as protest movements and revolution; the organization of power at the community, national, and international level; and political ideology.

SOC 33500 Political Sociology

Political Sociology

Explores dynamics of social movements in the world; emphasizes movements in non-western world.  Examines emergences of movements, mobilization, tactical actions and consequences, and formal and informal organizations within movements to understand how international, national and local structures affect people. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 33800 Global Social Movements

Global Social Movements

Analysis of the causes and consequences of global development. Topics include: globalization; colonialism and decolonization; food insecurity and dependency; industrialization, poverty and inequality; migration; debt and trade; women's empowerment; global health; rights and social change; and sustainable development. This course will introduce you to the study of global development and globalization. The primary questions we will address are: What is development? What is globalization and what is its relationship with development? How have the processes of global development produced inequalities among nations, regions, races, genders, and classes? Is there a "developing" world and a "developed" world? If so, what are their differences and how do they relate with each other? How have some developing countries become more developed than others? What roles do corporations, the state, and civil society organizations play in the processes of global development? How is global development interrelated with the physical environment, inequalities of consumption, and the environmental crisis? How do people resist the inequalities and perceived injustices of global development through global social movements? How are we interconnected economically, politically, culturally, socially, and ecologically with people all over the world? What are the possible futures of development? To address these issues, our focus will be on the developing world, our scope will be global and long-term, our methodology will be historical-comparative, and our perspective will be social-scientific and critical.

SOC 33900 Sociology Of Global Development

Sociology Of Global Development

Social influences on the individual and processes of social interaction. Individual attitudes and behavior as related to socialization, social norms, social roles, communication and propaganda, and other social influences. Among the interaction processes considered are interpersonal attraction, influence, leadership, cooperation, and conflict.  Not open to students with credit in PSY 24000. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

SOC 34000 General Social Psychology

General Social Psychology

This course introduces students to the interplay between human societies and environmental problems. The most challenging environmental problems we face are rooted in human activities. Why do some environmental problems come to be viewed as problems and others do not? How did environmental problems come to be viewed differently by different social groups? How do we motivate the necessary social support to address these problems? Answers to these kinds of questions and others are what we will consider in this class. Typically offered Spring.

SOC 34400 Environmental Sociology

Environmental Sociology

Designed to provide an understanding of contemporary courtship, marriage, and family interaction as cultural, social, and social-psychological phenomena. Consideration of the major sources of marital strain and conflict within a heterogeneous, rapidly changing society. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

SOC 35000 Sociology Of Family

Sociology Of Family

The course provides an overview of the social and cultural underpinnings of drug use across societies.  Students engage with various topics, including addiction, global markets, drug epidemics, public policy, and cross-cultural differences in drug use. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

SOC 35200 Drugs, Culture, And Society

Drugs, Culture, And Society

Examines the causes of and solutions to hatred and violence.  Concepts such as anti-Semitism, discrimination, hate crimes, prejudice, racism, bullying, homosexual prejudice, terrorism and other topics will be addressed.  This course uses experiential activities, videos, guest speakers and classroom discussion. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 35600 Hate And Violence

Hate And Violence

Examines the social dimensions of religion in American life; religion in American culture; social profiles of America's religious groups, trends in individual religious commitment; and religion's impact on American life.

SOC 36700 Religion In America

Religion In America

This course provides an overview of various religions in contemporary China, examines religiosity at the micro, meso and macro levels, and discusses the mutual impacts between religion and social, cultural and political life in Chinese societies.

SOC 36900 Religion And Chinese Society

Religion And Chinese Society

Medical sociology provides an overview of the social determinants of health and health disparities, the experience of illness and being a patient, the organization of the medical profession, and the health care system in the United States as well as other areas of the world.

SOC 37400 Medical Sociology

Medical Sociology

We are currently witnessing amazing technological innovations brought about by the production, accumulation, and analysis of unimaginable amounts of data. These technologies are disrupting industries, creating new classes of wealthy and poor, and providing novel opportunities for social control and resistance. This course will look at how the increasing centrality of data is changing our world. Among the questions we will answer: What's so big about Big Data? How intelligent is artificial intelligence? Why does everyone want my data? Will there still be jobs when I graduate?

SOC 38100 Data And Society

Data And Society

Introduction to the basic techniques of statistical analysis applicable to sociological data. Elementary descriptive statistics and statistical inference. Introduction to multivariate analysis. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 38200 Introduction To Statistics In Sociology

Introduction To Statistics In Sociology

Introduction to the methods of data collection and analysis and to the use of the scientific method of social research. Formulation of hypotheses and research designs for their testing. Elementary principles for the conduct of experiments, observation and interviewing, documentation, content analysis, and surveys. Relationship between social research and social theory. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 38300 Introduction To Research Methods In Sociology

Introduction To Research Methods In Sociology

Individual research or reading in an area of sociology under the guidance of a Sociology faculty member. Permission of instructor required.

SOC 39000 Breastfeeding/Pacifism In WWI

Breastfeeding/Pacifism In WWI

SOC 39000 Domestic Intelligence Law

Domestic Intelligence Law

SOC 39000 Individual Research In Sociology

Individual Research In Sociology

Various topics in sociology that may change from semester to semester are presented by Sociology faculty members.

SOC 39100 Social Demography

Social Demography

SOC 39100 Sociogenomics

Sociogenomics

SOC 39100 Data And Society

SOC 39100 Family Relations In Adulthood

Family Relations In Adulthood

SOC 39100 Exp Mthds In The Social Sci

Exp Mthds In The Social Sci

SOC 39100 Criminal Law

Criminal Law

Various topics in sociology that may change from semester to semester are presented by sociology faculty members. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 39100 Sociology Of Policing

Sociology Of Policing

Internships offer experiential learning opportunities where students can apply classroom knowledge and develop practical skills while earning academic credit. Permission of department required.

SOC 39103 Applied Internship In Sociology

Applied Internship In Sociology

An advanced critical treatment of the theories, concepts, and methods of sociology. A basic course required of undergraduate majors in sociology. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 40200 Sociological Theory

Sociological Theory

Examination of systems of class and caste, with special attention to the United States; status, occupation, income, and other elements in stratification. Typically offered Spring.

SOC 41100 Social Inequality

Social Inequality

Provides an overview of American legal thought and legal processes. Major topics include definitions of law; anthropological studies of law; origin and development of law; jurisprudence; police behavior; lawyers and courts; deterrent and labeling effects of legal sanctions. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 41900 Sociology Of Law

Sociology Of Law

Field experience in criminal justice system or social services. Students serve as "interns" in a criminal justice or social service agency one day (or its equivalent) per week, under the supervision of agency personnel. Application of theory and empirical research findings to field problems. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 42300 Field Practicum In Sociology And Law And Society

Field Practicum In Sociology And Law And Society

Sociological and social psychological study of social control and social deviance. Emphasis on theoretical frameworks and empirical research. Consideration also given to specific areas such as substance abuse, suicide, violence, and deviant collective behavior. Typically offered Fall.

SOC 42600 Social Deviance And Control

Social Deviance And Control

This course focuses on the sociological study of protest. Topics include protest emergence, individual reasons for participation in protest, and outcomes. Course readings cover protest in the United States as well as other cultural contexts. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 42900 Sociology Of Protest

Sociology Of Protest

Examines meaning and organization of work in technological society, including job satisfaction, alienation, mobility, conflict, stratification, and unemployment and the impact of race-sex composition of occupations on mobility and politics. Also considers relations with colleagues, organization, clients, and public. Typically offered Spring.

SOC 43200 Work In Contemporary America

Work In Contemporary America

A critical examination of the complementary roles of men and women, with particular attention to problems of role adjustment in the contemporary United States. The neofeminist movement and countermovements. Role conflicts and adjustments in such areas as family, education, employment, and the political arena. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 45000 Gender Roles In Modern Society

Gender Roles In Modern Society

This course provides a sociological examination of health and illness, with a particular focus on social position (e.g., race, socioeconomic status, gender), stress and social support, and health care. Goals for this course include developing critical thinking skills, understanding the broader implications of issues related to health, and thinking creatively about potential societal solutions to these issues. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 46100 Health And Social Behavior

Health And Social Behavior

Course organized around internship experience in organizations that collect or analyze data from surveys, social media, focus groups, interviews, or experiments. Completion of 60 credits with a minimum GPA of 3.0, including 15 credits of Sociology with a minimum grade of B in SOC 10000, SOC 38200, and SOC 38300. Permission of instructor required.

SOC 48900 Research Internship In Sociology And Law And Society

Research Internship In Sociology And Law And Society

The production of a major paper on a topic selected by the student in consultation with the instructor. The students will meet early in the semester for orientation and discussion of topics; in the middle of the semester for progress reports; and late in the semester for presentation and critique of their papers. Open only to students in the departmental honors program. Typically offered Fall.

SOC 49800 Senior Honors Paper

Senior Honors Paper

An intermediate-level examination of research designs, measurement, and sampling with emphasis on issues of problem formulation and the logic and application of methodological procedures. Typically offered Fall.

SOC 58000 Methods Of Social Research I

Methods Of Social Research I

Emphasis on statistical inference applied to sociological problems; topics include the binomial distribution and the logic of inference, one and two sample tests, confidence intervals, and chi-square. Introduction to bivariate correlation and regression, analysis of variance. Typically offered Spring.

SOC 58100 Meth Soc Research II

Meth Soc Research II

Individual research or reading in an area of sociology under a Sociology department staff member. Does not include thesis work. Permission of instructor required.

SOC 59000 Individual Research Problems

Individual Research Problems

Topics vary. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer.

SOC 59100 Sociology Proseminar

Sociology Proseminar

SOC 59100 Sociology ProSeminar

Sociology ProSeminar

The development of sociological thought in Western Europe and subsequently in the United States from the publication of Marx's early manuscripts through the sociological writings of the 1940s.

SOC 60000 Development Of Sociological Theory

Development Of Sociological Theory

A companion course to SOC 60000. Examination of the works of recent and contemporary sociological theorists such as Durkheim, Weber, Pareto, Parsons, and Merton, and of major theorists in related disciplines such as Marx, Freud, and Malinowski. Includes an examination of major "schools" or frames of reference such as ecology, structural-functionalism, etc. Typically offered Spring.

SOC 60200 Contemporary Sociological Theories

Contemporary Sociological Theories

SOC 60900 Writing For Research Projects

Writing For Research Projects

SOC 60900 Global Health And Inequality

Global Health And Inequality

SOC 60900 Sociology Of Culture

Sociology Of Culture

Topics vary. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 60900 The State And Social Policy

The State And Social Policy

SOC 60900 Social Psychology

Social Psychology

SOC 60900 Aging And The Family

Aging And The Family

SOC 60900 Social Networks

Social Networks

SOC 60900 Law And Society

Law And Society

SOC 60900 State And Social Policy

State And Social Policy

SOC 60900 Experimental Data Analysis

Experimental Data Analysis

SOC 60900 Criminology

SOC 60900 Seminar On Gender

Seminar On Gender

SOC 60900 Seminar In Social Psychology

Seminar In Social Psychology

SOC 60900 Sociology Of Race

Sociology Of Race

Acquaints students with the literature on teaching sociology and its issues and provides practice instruction through videotaped microteaching, syllabus and examination construction, etc. A theoretical or research paper is required.  Prerequisite: Master's student standing. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 61000 Seminar On Teaching Sociology

Seminar On Teaching Sociology

Survey of major approaches (functional, status attainment, labor market, class, culture) to the sociological study of inequality, including qualitative and quantitative, historical and comparative studies. Students will be asked to complete a project analyzing inequality, which might provide the basis for a publishable paper. Prerequisite: Master's student standing and Sociology majors only.

SOC 61100 Social Inequality: Class, Race, And Gender

Social Inequality: Class, Race, And Gender

Intensive consideration of a selected topic or set of topics in political sociology such as political socialization, political movements, comparative political analysis, political ideology in the industrialized West.

SOC 63000 Seminar In Political Sociology

Seminar In Political Sociology

Seminar in Marriage and the Family. Offered in alternate years.

SOC 65900 Seminar In Marriage And The Family

Seminar In Marriage And The Family

Examines topics of traditional or emerging interest in the sociology of religion. Topics covered depend on the theoretical research interests of participating faculty and students.  Prerequisite: SOC 56700 or 56800. Typically offered Spring.

SOC 66700 Seminar In The Sociology Of Religion

Seminar In The Sociology Of Religion

Seminar in Medical Sociology.   Prerequisite: SOC 57100, 57400. Typically offered Spring.

SOC 67400 Seminar In Medical Sociology

Seminar In Medical Sociology

An interdisciplinary seminar examining recent research on aging and the responsible conduct of research. Emphasis is given to professional development in gerontology and related fields.

SOC 67700 Research Seminar On Aging And The Life Course

Research Seminar On Aging And The Life Course

Survey analysis using regression models. Emphasizes ordinary least squares model applied to sociological problems. Also considered are path analysis and logit and logistic regression. A series of projects are required using the PUCC mainframe computer applying course concepts.  Prerequisite: SOC 58100 or 60000. Typically offered Fall.

SOC 68000 Advanced Social Research Methods

Advanced Social Research Methods

Working with already available data, each student will conduct one or more research projects, including conceptualization, operational procedures, analysis of the data, and report writing. The data to be used may be from surveys, small group studies, organizational studies, or written documents.  Prerequisite: SOC 60000 or 68000. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring.

SOC 68100 Selected Problems Of Social Research

Selected Problems Of Social Research

Surveys qualitative research methods. Considers methods of data collection and data analysis, including computer-assisted techniques. Critical examination of perspectives, assumptions, and issues, including protection of human subjects. Students conduct research projects and write papers using techniques encountered in class.  Prerequisite: SOC 58000. Typically offered Fall.

SOC Courses

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SOC Courses

.css-1o363pe{width:var(--chakra-sizes-4);height:var(--chakra-sizes-4);}BoilerClassesis an unofficial catalog for Purdue courses made by Purdue students, based in West Lafayette, Indiana. We'd love to hear your feedback!

BoilerClassesis an unofficial catalog for Purdue courses made by Purdue students,
based in West Lafayette, Indiana. We'd love to hear your feedback!