Sociology (Soc)

www.soc.iastate.edu

Robert S. Schafer, Chair of Department
University Professors: Goudy
Professors: Blake, Bruton, Butler, Bystydzienski, Conger, Dobratz, C. Flora, J. Flora, Hoiberg, Hoyt, Hraba, Jones-Johnson, Keith, Klonglan, Korsching, Lasley, Lorenz, Padgitt, Ryan, Schafer, Simons, Wells, Whitbeck, Woodman
Distinguished Professors (Emeritus): Beal
Professors (Emeritus): Bultena, Chang, Cohen, Lee, Miller, Mulford, Tait
Associate Professors: Aigner, Bell, Besser, Harrod, Mazur, Roberts, Sapp, Sawyer
Assistant Professors: Allen, Anderson, Bird, Cast, DeLisi, Hinrichs, Hochstetler, Litt, Morton, Munoz, Schweingruber
Assistant Professors (Adjunct): Waggoner
Assistant Professors (Collaborators): Schor

Undergraduate Study

The department offers course work leading to either a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science in sociology. Additionally, a bachelor of science in Public Service and Administration in Agriculture is offered. The department offers course work for a minor in Criminal Justice Studies. Programs of study in sociology offered in both the College of Agriculture and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are outlined in this section. For the undergraduate curriculum in Liberal Arts and Sciences, with a major in sociology leading to the degrees of bachelor of arts and bachelor of science, see Liberal Arts and Sciences, Curricula. For the undergraduate curriculum in agriculture, with major in public service and administration in agriculture, leading to the degree bachelor of science, see Agriculture, Curriculum in Public Service and Administration in Agriculture. For the undergraduate curriculum in Liberal Arts and Sciences, with a minor in criminal justice studies, see Liberal Arts and Sciences, Curriculum.

Graduates understand how social institutions, communities, and organizations work and change; they can examine the causes and consequences of conformity, deviance, and inequality. They can apply sociological understanding of human behavior to practical work situations and everyday life. Graduates can read critically, think independently, and communicate effectively about social issues and social policy.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences—Sociology

A major in sociology can serve as a liberal arts education; as preparation for various positions in social service and related occupations in business and industry; as background for professional education in such areas as law and theology or as a basis for graduate professional training as a sociologist in academic, government, business, and industrial settings.

Departmental requirements for all majors include the following supporting course: Philosophy including 230 and one upper level Philosophy course; English 302 or 309 or 314; One of the following courses: Statistics101 or 104; At least three additional credits with a Mathematics designator.

A program of study that meets the needs and interests of the student and department requirements will be developed in consultation with the major adviser. Programs of study will include 115, 130 or 134, 202, three credits from 310, 380 or 420, 302, 305, three credits from 327, 330, 331 or 332, 401, 9 credits of upper level electives. Majors must receive grades of C or better in Engl 104 and 105, and a grade of C or better in either Engl 302 or 309 or 314. Programs leading to a bachelor of arts degree will emphasize additional coursework in groups I, II and IV of the general education requirements. Programs leading to a bachelor of science degree will emphasize additional coursework in groups III and IV of the general education requirements. Some of the possible fields of concentration are criminal justice systems, community (urban and rural) sociology, family sociology, sociology of work, social science teaching, research methods and statistics, social change and development, complex organizations, human population and ecology, social inequality, social psychology, and sociological theory.

In consultation with their advisers, students may gain work experience and develop their skills in their field of concentration through the field observation and practice options of 454 and 460.

The department offers a minor in sociology which may be earned by completing 15 credits in sociology including: Sociology 130 or 134; 3 credits from 310, 380 or 420; 3 credits from 264, 305 or 381; an additional 6 credits in sociology courses. At least 9 of the 15 credits must be at the 300 level or higher, 6 of these credits must be taken at ISU with a minimal grade of C.

College of Agriculture—Public Service and Administration in Agriculture

The curriculum in public service and administration in agriculture is designed for students who desire an interdisciplinary education to pursue a career with agriculturally related governmental and private agencies, or with businesses and industries that are concerned with public services in agriculture. Students will explore the planning and implementing of rural and agriculturally related programs in organizations, communities (town, city, or county), multicounty areas, states, regions, and at the federal level.

The curriculum has a broad base of general education subjects including credits in communications, mathematics, physical and biological sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The technical subjects represent a combination of sociology, economics, government, and technical agriculture, with emphases on social and economic change, history of public services, complex organizations, interagency relationships, community leadership, community action, adoption and diffusion, group dynamics, and political and legal behavior as they relate to agriculture and rural areas.

Graduate Study

The department offers work for the degrees master of science and doctor of philosophy with majors in sociology and rural sociology and minor work for students majoring in other departments. For M.S. and Ph.D. departmental requirements, see Program of Graduate Study for Degrees in Sociology and Rural Sociology, available from the department office. The department offers concentrations in a number of areas, e.g., family, inequality, life course and aging; food systems, agriculture and environment; methodology; social change and development; social deviance and mental health; community studies and development; social organization; and social psychology. The Department of Sociology does not offer a nonthesis master’s program.

Graduates have a broad understanding of sociology, address complex societal problems, and communicate effectively with scientific colleagues and the general public in both formal and informal settings. They understand sociological theory, conduct research, and are prepared to educate college students and contribute to public policy.

Although the department stipulates no language requirement for either the degree master of science or the degree doctor of philosophy, specifying competence in one or more languages may be desirable in some instances.

The department also participates in the interdepartmental program in industrial relations, interdepartmental majors in sustainable agriculture, transportation and water resources, and interdepartmental minors in gerontology (see Index).

Courses open for nonmajor graduate credit: 377, 401, 411, 415, 420, 425, 450, 473, 476.

Courses Primarily for Undergraduate Students

Soc 110. Orientation to Public Service and Administration in Agriculture
(1-0) Cr. R. F. Survey of public service and administration in agriculture. Exploration of career tracks and career planning. Recommended during first semester of freshman year or as soon as possible after transfer into the department.

Soc 115. Orientation to Sociology
(1-0) Cr. R. F. Orientation to sociology. A familiarization with University and LAS College requirements and procedures. Occupational tracks and career options open to sociology; introduction to career planning. Recommended during second semester of freshman year, or as soon as possible after transfer into the department. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

Soc 130. Rural Institutions and Organizations
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. An introductory analysis of sociological concepts and theories as they relate to rural institutions and organizations. Emphasis on the static structure and function of these institutions and organizations and on their dynamic adaptation to changing societal, environmental, and economic conditions. General sociological principles and perspectives. Credit for only 130 or 134 may be applied toward graduation.

Soc 134. Introduction to Sociology
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Social interaction and group behavior with emphasis on contemporary U.S. society, including issues relating to socialization, inequality, and changing rural and urban communities. Analysis of relationships among the institutions of family, religion, political participation, work, and leisure. Credit for only 130 or 134 may be applied toward graduation.

Soc 202. Introduction to Research Methods
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 130 or 134, credit in Stat 101 or concurrent enrollment in Stat 101. A survey of the principal research methods used in sociological analysis.

Soc 219. Sociology of Pre-Marital and Marital Relationships
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: 130 or 134. Sociological analysis of courtship and marriage relationships across the life cycle. Attention also given to alternative and single lifestyles, to parenting, and to family life.

Soc 235. Social Problems
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 130 or 134. Sociological concepts and methods employed in the analysis of various social problems, including crime, substance abuse, problems with institutions, rural and urban problems, and inter-national concerns. Consideration of various solutions.

Soc 241. Youth and Crime (Same as CJ St 241.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 130 or 134. An examination of delinquency that focuses on the relationship between youth as victims and as offenders, social and etiological features of delinquency, the role of the criminal justice system, delinquents’ rights, and traditional and alternative ways of dealing with juvenile crime.

Soc 264. Small Group Dynamics
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 130 or 134. An introduction to intra- and intergroup dynamics in small groups. Group decision-making, coalitions, conformity, intergroup relations, status and role effects, leadership, group development and group conflict. Includes student participation in small group processes.

Soc 298. Cooperative Education
Cr. R. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of the department cooperative education coordinator; sophomore classification. Required of all cooperative education students. Students must register for this course prior to commencing the work period.

Soc 302. Advanced Research Methods
(2-2) Cr. 3. F.S. Alt. SS., offered 2002. Prereq: 202; Stat 101. Experience in designing research projects, collecting and analyzing data and reporting results.

Soc 305. Social Psychology: A Sociological Perspective
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: 130 or 134. Examination of human behavior in a social environment with emphasis on development of the self, interpersonal relations, attitudes, and small groups.

Soc 310. Community
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 130 or 134. Comparative analysis of the institutional structure of rural, urban, and suburban communities; community as an ecological and social system; power relationships; analysis of planned and unplanned processes of social change.

Soc 325. Agriculture in Transition
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. The impacts of agricultural changes on farm families, rural communities, and consumers. Past, present, and future trends in family farms and their social implications.

Soc 327. Sex and Gender in Society (Same as W S 327.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: 130 or 134. How the biological fact of sex is transformed into a system of gender stratification. The demographics and social positions of women and men in the family, education, media, politics, and the economy. Theories of the social-psychological and sociological bases for behavior and attitudes of women and men. The relationship between gender, class, and race.

Soc 328. Sociology of Masculinities and Manhood. (Same as W S 328.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Soc 130, 134, or W S 201. Examination of socially constructed and idealized images of manhood, the nature of social hierarchies and relations constructed on the basis of imagery, ideologies, and norms of masculinity. Theories on gender (sociological, psychological, and biological). Particular attention given to theory and research on gender variations among men by race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical ability and age.

Soc 330. Ethnic and Race Relations (Same as Af Am 330.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: 130 or 134. Analysis of ethnic and race relations, particularly in America; emphasis on the sociology and psychology of race and ethnic relations.

Soc 331. Social Class and Inequality
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: 130 or 134. Social stratification and processes resulting in poverty; implications of status, class, and poverty for people of different races, ethnicity, and gender.

Soc 332. The Latino/Latina Experience in U.S. Society
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 130 or 134. Examination of the social, historical, economic and political experience of varied Latino ethnic groups in the U.S. - primarily focusing on Mexican, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.

Soc 340. Deviant and Criminal Behavior (Same as CJ St 340.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S.SS. Prereq: 130 or 134. Theory and research on the etiology of types of social deviance; issues relating to crime, antisocial behavior and social policies designed to control deviant behavior.

Soc 341. Criminology (Same as CJ St 341.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 130 or 134. The nature of crime and criminology; the concept of crime; statistics and theories of criminality; major forms of crime; official responses to crime and control of crime.

Soc 345. Population Problems and Society (Same as Env S 345.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 130 or 134. Human overpopulation; impact on food, resources, and services; population growth and development; trends of births, deaths, and geographic movement; projecting future population; population control and family planning; population policies and laws; comparison of the United States with other societies throughout the world.

Soc 371. High Risk Children and Adolescents
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 130 or 134. This class traces life course developmental risk and resiliency through early adulthood. Its focus is on contextual factors that contribute to or impede prosocial outcomes in young people with special emphasis on the origins and processes associated with cumulative risk. It reviews the literature on children and adolescents in high risk social contexts such as runaway and homeless adolescents, inner city adolescents, and gangs.

Soc 377. Social Dimensions of Religion (Same as Relig 377.)
See Religious Studies. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Soc 380. Sociology of Work
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 130 or 134. Inequalities (gender, race, class) related to jobs, occupations, firms, and industries. Satisfactions, rewards, alienation, discrimination, and other topics of importance to workers are examined.

Soc 381. Social Psychology of Small Group Behavior (Same as Psych 381.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Soc 305 or Psych 280. A survey of small group theory and research from an interdisciplinary, social psychological perspective.

Soc 382. Environmental Sociology (Same as Env S 382.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Soc 130, 134 or Env S 201. Environment-society relations; social construction of nature and the environment; social and environmental impacts of resource extraction, production, and consumption; environmental inequality; environmental mobilization and movements; U.S. and international examples.

Soc 398. Cooperative Education
Cr. R. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of the department cooperative education coordinator; junior classification. Required of all cooperative education students. Students must register for this course prior to commencing the work period.

Soc 401. Contemporary Sociological Theories
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: 9 credits in sociology. Both historical and modern social theories as applied to understanding and researching the social world. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Soc 411. Social Change in Developing Countries
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 130 or 134 plus 3 credits in social sciences. Social change and development in developing countries; international interdependence; causes and consequences of persistent problems in agriculture, city growth, employment, gender equality, basic needs; local and worldwide efforts to foster social change and international development. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Soc 412. Senior Seminar on Career Development
(1-0) Cr. 1. F. Prereq: Most of major core courses, senior classification. Transition from student to professional. Career development procedures including self-assessment, short- and long-term goals, strategies for the job search, development of contacts and sources, resumes and interviews. Enrollment preferred in first semester as senior. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

Soc 415. Sociology of Technology
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 130 or 134 plus 3 credits in social sciences. Review of physical, biological, and social approaches to technology evaluation. Examination of public responses to complex and controversial technology. Strategies for gaining adoption/rejection of technology. Applications to topics in agriculture, development, and marketing. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Soc 420. Complex Organizations
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.SS. Prereq: 130 or 134 plus 3 credits in social sciences. Study of bureaucracies and other large organizations as social systems through the perspective of basis social processes and structural variables. Incorporates topics of organizational effectiveness, power and change. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Soc 425. Social Movements and Revolution
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Theoretical approaches and contemporary evidence of the origins, development, and impact of social movements including social-psychological, organizational, and structural dimensions. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Soc 431. Chicanos/Chicanas in Contemporary Society
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 130 or 134. An interdisciplinary examination of Chicanos/as, the largest U.S. Latino ethnic group. Special attention will be given to social conflict and social transformation as it relates to contemporary Chicano/a issues, particularly in the Midwest.

Soc 435. Urban Society
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2002. Prereq: 130 or 134 plus 3 credits in social sciences. Development of cities and urban systems; human and spatial ecology; urban transformation, decline, and revitalization; housing issues and homelessness; residential segregation; poverty; immigration and subcultures; urban social movements; local governance; alternative solutions and planning for cities; international comparisons.

Soc 450. Demographic Analysis, Projections, and Modeling
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. SS., offered 2003. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Methods and techniques for analyzing, projecting, and modeling demographic behavior and change. Focus on fertility, migration, and mortality; extensions made to aging, education, labor force, housing, service utilization, resource consumption, and consumer markets. Integrating population variables into planning processes. Applications using surveys, census data, and other indicators. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Soc 454. Field Observation and Practice
Cr. var., maximum of 12. F.S.SS. Prereq: Junior or senior classification; permission of faculty internship coordinator; major or minor in sociology or PSA or 201, 302, 305. Supervised practice in industrial plants, business organizations, and governmental agencies. Not more than 12 credits of field experience (Soc 454 and 460) may be counted toward meeting the required 47 credits of upper level courses and the total of 124.5 credits required for graduation. No credits in Soc 454 may be used to satisfy minimum sociology requirements for sociology majors. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

                A. General Sociology
                B. Rural Sociology

Soc 460. Criminal and Juvenile Justice Practicum (Same as CJ St 460.)
Cr. var., maximum of 12. F.S.SS. Prereq: Junior or senior classification; permission of criminal justice studies coordinator; major or minor in sociology, criminal justice studies minor, or PSA; 241 or 340. Study of the criminal and juvenile justice systems and social control processes. Supervised placement in a police department, prosecutor’s office, court, probation and parole department, penitentiary, juvenile correctional institution, community-based rehabilitation program, or related agency. Not more than 12 credits of field experience (Soc 454 and 460) may be counted toward meeting the required 47 credits of upper level courses and the total of 124.5 credits required for graduation. No credits in Soc 460 may be used to satisfy minimum sociology requirements for sociology majors. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

Soc 461. Life Course Sociology
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Theoretical and empirical perspectives on individuals facing developmental tasks, age related norms, values, and subcultures. Decisions and issues faced by individuals as they progress through stages of the life cycle.

Soc 464. Community Action and Leadership
(3-0) Cr. 3. S.SS. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Methods of planning, organizing, and conducting planned social change and other action programs in communities. Strategies of change, change agent roles, client need identification, community organization strategies, citizen participation, leadership identification and development, program planning and evaluation.

Soc 473. Youth and Society
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2002. SS. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Analysis of problems of adolescents and youth created by the impact of changing institutional structure on the transition from childhood to adulthood. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Soc 476. The Aged in American Society (Same as Geron 476.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. A survey of sociological problems of the aging and the social implications of a sizable aged population. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Soc 484. Topical Studies in Criminal and Juvenile Justice
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology and permission from instructor. Thematic or topical issues and studies dealing with the sociology of police, judiciary, institutional and community-based corrections, gender/ethnicity and crime/delinquency, criminal and delinquent gangs, and crime and delinquency prevention.

Soc 485. Sociology of the Family
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. The contemporary family in developing, industrial, and post-industrial societies. Effects of modernization and family policies on family structures and functions.

Soc 490. Independent Study
Cr. 1 to 3 each time taken. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology and permission of instructor. Students in the College of Agriculture must be of junior or senior classification and may use no more than 6 credits of Soc 490 toward the total of 128 credits required for graduation. Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may count no more than 9 credits of 490 toward graduation.

                A. General Sociology
                B. Rural Sociology
                H. Honors
                E. Senior Seminar

Soc 496. Agriculture and Rural Development in Ireland
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Comparative analysis of the agricultural and rural development needs of Ireland and the U.S. Course involves a 2 week tour of the Irish countryside where students can observe and experience small town and farm life.

Soc 498. Cooperative Education
Cr. R. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of the department cooperative education coordinator; senior classification. Required of all cooperative education students. Students must register for this course prior to commencing the work period.

Courses Primarily for Graduate Students, Open to Qualified Undergraduate Students

Soc 505. Historical Sociological Theory
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 401. Survey of the evolution of social thought from Ancient Greece through European Medieval and Renaissance eras with special emphasis on the Enlightenment. Focusing on the origins of positivism, conflict, and functionalist traditions, organicism, and sociology of knowledge perspectives.

Soc 509. Agroecosystem Analysis (Co-listed with Agron 509, SusAg 509, Anthr 509.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. SS. Prereq: 6 credits in social sciences, 6 credits in natural, biological or engineering sciences and senior or above classification. Field study of commercial farming systems within the context of global energy flows and biogeochemical cycles, including ecological, agronomic, and social perspectives.

Soc 511. Intermediate Research Methods
(2-2) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 302, Stat 401. Research methods in sociology including problem selection, research design, hypothesis formulation, sampling, alternative data collection techniques, introduction to computer systems.

Soc 512. Sociological Measurement
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F, offered 2002. Prereq: 511. Reliability and validity for observed and latent variables; exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in the construction and evaluation of measurement models. Applications using LISREL, AMOS, and other programs.

Soc 513. Qualitative Research Methods
(2-2) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: 511. Applied qualitative research methods in sociology. Design and implementation of a course-based research project including data collection, analysis, and presentation of results. Qualitative data gathering techniques using observational, historical, in-depth interviewing or content analysis approaches. Laboratory emphasis on completion of data gathering, analysis, and report writing.

Soc 520. Social Psychology: A Sociological Perspective
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2002. Prereq: 305 or Psych 280. Examination of cognitive, symbolic interaction, exchange, role-reference group, and dramaturgical approaches. Assessment of contemporary issues in social psychology.

Soc 521. Small Groups
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: 305 or Psych 280. Examination of alternative theoretical models and methods of studying small groups.

Soc 522. Attitude and Attitude Change
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2003. Prereq: 305 or Psych 280. Analysis of theories of attitude and attitude change; current controversies between the theories examined, as well as supporting research.

Soc 528. Sociology of Gender (Same as W S 528.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Examination of the social construction of gender and the social organization of gender inequality. Analysis of gender identity in socialization, interpersonal behavior, the media, and the economy. Investigation of the intersection of gender, race, and class.

Soc 529. Racial and Ethnic Inequality
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2003. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Analysis of racial and ethnic inequality in the United States and the world; focus on the implications of the changing world social and economic order for differences in racial and ethnic groups relative to wealth, status, and power; a critical examination of majority-group domination of minority groups in various societies.

Soc 530. Social Organization
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt.S., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Methodological and analytical issues associated with the study of group structure; contemporary theories of social organization.

Soc 532. Organizations and Their Environments
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Comparative analysis of complex organizations; complex organizations as semi-open systems. Interorganizational relations and organizational effectiveness.

Soc 533. Models of Community
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F. offered 2001. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Emphasis on different models or frames of reference used in community analysis. Theoretical and methodological tools, current views of community problems, and explanation of social and cultural change are presented for each model.

Soc 534. Social Stratification
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Critical examination of the causes and consequences of social stratification and inequality; classical theories, contemporary frameworks, and recent empirical studies; international stratification patterns.

Soc 535. Urban Sociology
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2003. Prereq: 6 credits in social sciences. Theoretical, conceptual, and methodological approaches to understanding transformation of urban society in comparative perspective; interrelations among demographic, social, economic, and political dimensions of persistent urban problems and of urban development; examination of case studies.

Soc 541. Technological Innovation, Social Change, and Development (Same as T SC 541, U St 541.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F. offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in social sciences. Sources, theories and models of technological innovation, social, institutional, cultural, economic and political contexts of technology transfer; issues and methods of assessing impacts of technological change; planning technology related social change; local and international case studies.

Soc 542. Rural Development
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Sociological perspectives on contemporary theory and practice in rural development. Emphasis on the U.S. with international comparisons. Rural development approaches examined in a global context. The role of local, state, and national agencies, institutions of higher education, and the private sector in rural development will be assessed.

Soc 544. Sociology of Food and Agricultural Systems
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Social organization of food and fiber production, processing, and distribution systems. Sociological comparison of conventional and alternative production systems; gender roles in agriculture and food systems; local, national and global food systems; perspectives on food and agricultural research and policy.

Soc 546. Organizational Strategies for Diversified Farming Systems (Co-listed with SusAg 546, Hort 546, Agron 546.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt.S., offered 2002. Prereq: SusAg 509. The day-to-day operation and social relations of the complex, diversified farm. Alternative organizational strategies for the diversified and sustainable farm. Farm family dynamics and goal setting. Cooperation between farmers. The social relations of alternative marketing, including green labeling, community supported agriculture, farmers’ markets, and relationship marketing.

Soc 547. Sociology of Adoption and Diffusion
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Sociological and social-psychological theories related to adoption and diffusion of new ideas; analysis of adoption and diffusion models; methods of field research; factors related to rates and intensity of adoption and diffusion; new directions in diffusion research.

Soc 548. Sociology of the Environment
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Social causes and social consequences of environmental problems. Interrelationship between social inequality and environmental inequality. Social construction and social experience of the environment. Contemporary developments in the social theory of the environment. International and domestic implications.

Soc 561. Life Course Research (Same as Geron 561.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. A survey of current research and theory in life course sociology. The social antecedents and consequences of developmental transitions throughout the life course.

Soc 564. Community Action Practice and Theory
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Methods of planning, organizing, and conducting planned social change and other action programs in communities; strategies of change, change agent roles, client need identification, community organization strategies, citizen participation, leadership identification and development, program planning and evaluation.

Soc 566. Political Sociology
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2003. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology and/or political science. The relationship between state and society with emphasis on American society. Analysis of theoretical frameworks, political participation, power, social movements, elites, democracy, and capitalist society.

Soc 576. Sociological Perspectives on Aging (Same as Geron 576.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Theoretical perspectives on the aging process; social and social-psychological changes accompanying aging; emphasis on research techniques and findings.

Soc 582. Theories of Social Deviance
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Theory and research regarding causes of and reactions to deviant behavior. Mental illness, homicide, family violence, and property crime are among the types of deviant behavior considered.

Soc 583. Sociology of Mental Health
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. A review of contemporary sociological research and theory in mental health; social implications of the incidence and prevalence of mental disorders in various populations; the social antecedents and consequences of mental health.

Soc 584. Current Issues in Crime and Justice
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2003. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. Discussion of current research and theory in crime and delinquency; topics include the purpose and role of law in social life; emerging theoretical directions in criminology; recent work on specific forms of criminality; controversies in the criminal justice system.

Soc 585. Contemporary Research in the Family
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2002. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. A survey of current research in the family; emphasis on new methodologies and theories.

Soc 590. Special Topics
Cr. 1 to 3 each time taken. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology; senior or graduate classification.

                A. General Sociology
                B. Rural Sociology

Soc 591. Orientation to Sociology
(1-0) Cr. R. F. Prereq: Formal admission into the sociology graduate program. Introduction to the department, current graduate student policies at department and university levels, departmental administrative procedures. Required of graduate students. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

Soc 592. Teaching Sociology
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: Graduate classification in sociology. Pedagogical and substantive issues in the teaching of sociology at the college level focusing on course organization, instructional objectives, techniques of presentation, and instruments for evaluation of learning and instruction.

Soc 595. Internship
Arr. Cr. Var. F.S.SS. Prereq: 12 graduate credits in sociology, approval of major professor and internship coordinator. Supervised practice for students to apply sociological knowledge and skills to work with client groups.

Soc 599. Research for Master’s Thesis

                A. General Sociology
                B. Rural Sociology

Courses for Graduate Students

Soc 607. Contemporary Sociological Theory
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 6 graduate credits in sociology. Survey of theoretical developments since 1925, including the rise of structural-functionalism, symbolic interactionism, conflict theories, phenomenology, exchange theory, and others.

Soc 610. Society and Technology in Sustainable Food System (Co-listed as SusAg 610, A E 610, cross-listed as Agron 610.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2003. Prereq: SusAg 509. Social and technological dimensions of sustainability in food systems. Emphasis on strategies and ethics for evaluating existing and emerging options.

Soc 611. Advanced Theory Construction for Categorical Outcomes
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2003. Prereq: 511; Stat 404. Rationale for and interpretation of various quantitative methods of analyzing categorical and ordered categorical variables, including log-linear, logit, logistic, and event history analysis; models for censored data.

Soc 613. Advanced Theory Construction and Causal Modeling
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2002. Prereq: 512 and Stat 404. Formal strategies of research design and analysis using structural equations with latent variables. Strategies for the analysis of multi-informant and panel data, with emphasis on distributional problems and diagnostics.

Soc 640. Comparative Social Change
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: 6 graduate credits in sociology. Contemporary theories of social change, modernization, dependency, and development are critically examined; methodological issues identified; supporting research explored; applicability of theoretical models, concepts, and strategies to current national and international needs are evaluated.

Soc 675. Current Topics in Family and the Life Course
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2001. Prereq: 6 credits in sociology. An advanced seminar on current developments in a selected area of study in the sociology of family and the life course. Deals with theoretical, empirical, and methodological issues.

Soc 698. Seminars in Sociology
(3-0) Cr. 3 each.

                A. Family and Life Course
                B. Methodology
                C. Community Studies and Development
                D. Social Change and Development
                E. Social Deviance and Mental Health
                G. Social Organization
                H. Social Psychology
                I. Social Inequality
                J. General
                K. Food Systems, Agriculture and Environment

Soc 699. Dissertation Research