SOC 506, Applied Regression
Archibald, TTh 1-2:30 Max: 10
Content: This course has three goals: 1) to teach students the statistical theory and estimation procedures underlying multivariate regression analysis; 2) to enable students to read the sociological literature which uses regression analysis and interpret results using these models; 3) to give students the data analysis tools which will allow them to undertake their own research using linear regression. Special emphasis will be placed on the assumptions underlying regression, or whether those assumptions have been violated, and the appropriate techniques for estimating the model when one or more of the assumptions have been violated. In nearly weekly assignments, students will analyze data sets provided by the instructor.
SOC 513, Perspectives on Mental Health
Keyes, Mon. 1-4 p.m., Max: 5
Content: This course entertains two broad questions within which numerous models, theories, and empirical studies are employed. First, what is the nature and burden of mental illnesses as well as mental health? Second, what are the causes of mental illnesses and mental health? This course employs a biopsychosocial causal model of health. It therefore examines mental health in terms of its proximal (biological), medial (psychological), and its distal (sociological) causes. Moreover, emerging research and perspectives on the integration of levels of causes will be explored. This course is intended to train students to be theoretical and interdisciplinary scholars of mental health.
Particulars: (1) A journal-style research/review paper. (2) Professional-style presentation. (3) Regular, active participation
SOC 516, Schooling in Society (permission only)
Condron & Werum, TTh 11:30-12:45 p.m., Max: 6
Content: With two professors and both undergraduate and graduate students participating, this co-taught advanced seminar will provide students with a unique opportunity to explore sociological perspectives on schooling. At the core of the sociology of education is the relationship between schooling and broader social forces and patterns of inequality. Accordingly, much of the course material will relate to social policies and to class, racial/ethnic, and gender inequalities in educational opportunities and outcomes. In addressing these issues, we will go beyond the contemporary U.S. to include historical and comparative perspectives, and will draw on theories and empirical studies ranging from micro to macro and from classical to contemporary. (Note: Graduate students enrolled in the course will be required to attend an additional thirty-minute session each week, day and time to be determined.)
SOC 554, Causes of Crime
Griffiths, Wed. 4:30-7:30 p.m., Max: 10
Content: This course has three objectives. The first is to introduce you to the core literature on crime and delinquency. We will begin by focusing on the nature and extent of crime; including the definition of crime, origins of criminal laws, extent of crime, and characteristics of criminals. Most of the course will then be spent examining the causes of crime, focusing on the major sociological theories ‑‑ including strain, social learning, control, and labeling theories. The second objective is to develop your ability to critically evaluate this literature, which will be accomplished through class discussions, a series of short exercises, and a final paper. The third objective is to introduce you to the methods of criminological research so that you might contribute to the above literature. We will focus, in particular, on the methods of data collection and analysis that criminologists have used in testing theories and answering research questions.
Particulars: A series of short exercises, a mid‑term, and final paper.
SOC 562, Sociology of Mass Media (permission only)
Dowd, Th 2:30-5:30 p.m, Max: 10
Content: The course (1) provides students with a grounding in media sociology and (2) prepares students for doing their own media research. To facilitate the first objective, we survey the media literature that spans a number of disciplines, which includes (but is not limited to) sociology, communications, and history. In pursuing this survey, we touch upon a number of important themes, including the following: (a) We consider the social implications of new forms of communication media. (b) We examine how various media industries (e.g., radio, TV, record, motion picture, print) are organized and how such organization is sometimes transformed by regulation, competition, and/or technology. (c) We focus on the content of media products and investigate factors that promote stability, change, and diversity in media content. (d) We address the consumers of mass media products and inspect how they utilize and are affected by media content. To facilitate the second objective (i.e., doing research), we give special attention to methods and designs employed in current research, and we heed how theoretical ideas are translated into empirical projects. Thus, by the end of the semester, each student will have a grasp of the field and an understanding of how to do media sociology.
Texts: Readings on electronic reserve at Woodruff Library; additional course materials and resources will be available on a class website
Particulars: Weekly memos; final research paper
SOC 585, 2nd Year Research Seminar (permission only)
Dowd/Johnson, Tu. 1-4 p.m., Max: 10
Content: This seminar has two broad goals. First, it instructs students in the conceptual and pragmatic issues associated with empirical research. It does by focusing on such fundamental issues as the construction of literature reviews, the translation of theoretical concerns into empirical projects, and the design and implementation of empirical studies. Second, it assists students in bringing their own empirical research to completion. As a result, enrolled students are expected to enter the semester with an identified research project; moreover, they are expected to make substantial progress on these projects, especially given the feedback and dialogue that will occur throughout the semester.
Particulars: Readings will be posted on Blackboard and electronic reserves. Drafts and portions of student research will be circulated via Blackboard.
SOC 712/759R (Course # 712 pending approval of curriculum committee. Otherwise 759R)
Aldridge, Wed. 1-4 p.m., Max: 10 (permission only)
Content: This seminar analyzes the intellectual contributions, social context, and influence of selected scholars from various subcultural groups on the development of the field of sociology. Particular emphasis is placed on their theories of social stratification, race, gender and social organization. While focus will be on major AfricanAmerican scholars such as Du Bois, Frazier, and Cox, considerable attention will also be devoted to women and other subcultural groups and the contributions they have made and challenges met in the discipline of sociology and the social sciences in general.
The purpose of this course, then, is two fold: 1) to familiarize students with the lives and contributions of African American scholars and scholars of various other subcultural groups in the development of the field of sociology and 2) to demonstrate the relevance of the theoretical and methodological works of these scholars = for integration/ incorporation into courses throughout the discipline of sociology and the social sciences rather than largely, if not only in race and gender relations courses.
Texts: Selected books and articles.
Particulars: The seminar requires active class participation as well as: 1) leading one class discussion based on assigned readings; 2) a final research paper, and 3) a final exam addressing the course content and taking the format of a preliminary examination question.
SOC 729, Political Economy and Global Analysis
Hicks, MW 2-3:30 p.m., Max: 10
Content: This course is intended as comprehensive introduction to the field of Political Economy and Global Analysis. Sub-field introduced will include class analytical political economy, rational choice theory, comparative historical analysis, world systems theory, the comparative political economy of strikes and revolutions, inequality and development, and world polity and world culture theory.
Particulars: Requirements include active class participation; presentations on readings; short essay assignments; term paper. Readings will consist principally of readings made electronically available, but these may be complemented by a few hard copies of articles and by books."
SOC 759, Textual Analysis
Franzosi, Mon. 9-12, Max: 10
Content: The course aims to provide an introduction to the analysis of text data, with a focus on quantitative approaches (but with much attention devoted to the linguistics features of texts). Two types of quantitative approaches will be illustrated: traditional content analysis B both thematic and referential B and narrative analysis. The advantage of content analysis is that it can be applied generally to any kind of texts; its disadvantage is that the Acoding categories@ are defined by investigators on the basis of their substantive and/or theoretical questions B different investigators typically applying different coding schemes to the same material. The advantage of narrative analysis is that coding categories are based on the linguistic invariant properties of narrative texts (namely, agent, process, agent B or Subject, Action, Object B and their respective modifiers, a structure also known as Astory grammar@). Its disadvantage is that it works well for narrative texts only. Through a mixture of lectures and labs, students will be taught both the theoretical and practical aspects of quantitative textual analysis. Finally, the course will briefly show students what to do with the numbers obtained from words (from traditional statistical techniques to network models and Geographic Information System models).
Texts: Selected books and articles.
Particulars: The course requires: 1) leading one class discussion based on assigned readings; 2) lab work; 3) a final research paper based on the analysis of chosen text data; 4) a final exam addressing the course content.
SOC 790R, Culture and Social Psychology Empirical Research (CASPER) Workshop
Dowd & Johnson, Fri. 2-5 p.m. Max: 8 (permission only)
Content: This bi-monthly seminar focuses entirely on assisting graduate students with their ongoing research in the fields of cultural sociology and social psychology. In particular, it addresses problems and issues that arise in research projects B including the framing of a project, the analysis of data, and the completion of proposals and articles. We collectively address these problems (and solutions) via careful reading of student work and intense discussion.
Particulars: There are no assigned readings for this class. Instead, we circulate student materials (e.g., memos, portions of papers, drafts) prior to each meeting.