Faculty
Roberta Goldberg, Associate Professor of Sociology (Program Chair)
Konia Kollehlon, Associate Professor of Sociology
Roxana Moayedi, Associate Professor of Sociology
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Description
Sociology is the scientific study and interpretation of group
life. It provides a human perspective on the study of urban life,
family patterns and relationships, work, and organizational
structures. Gender, race, social class, social change, and
current social issues are the focus of research and analysis.
The primary goal of this program is to enable students to develop a
"sociological imagination," giving them the ability to connect
individual private experience with social structure through concrete
experiences and a strong theoretical perspective. Teaching this
deceptively simple insight, that people are affected by social forces
and that social institutions are affected by their members, is the major
focus of the discipline.
Majoring in sociology prepares students for graduate school and a
wide variety of careers, such as social psychology, social research,
social work, public administration, business, education, market
research, law, and community planning.
A major is offered to students in the College of Arts and Sciences;
the minor is offered in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the
School of Professional Studies. The Sociology Program also
supports the human relations major.
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Major Requirements
Required Courses (33 credits)
ALL of the following courses:
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 342 Research Methods for Social Scientists
SOC 486 Sociological Theory
SOC 460 Senior Seminar
ONE course in statistics:
MAT 110 Introduction to Statistics
SIX additional courses in sociology or other approved courses
Recommended Courses
SSC 107 Social Science Writing
SOC 595 Internship
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Minor Requirements
Required Courses (18 credits)
ONE introductory course:
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
ONE course chosen from between:
SOC 378 Inequality in Society
SOC 486 Sociological Theory
FOUR additional courses in sociology or other approved courses,
excluding field work
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Program Policies
Advanced Placement:
Credits earned through AP examinations do not fulfill requirements of
the sociology major.
CLEP Policy: Credits
earned through CLEP examinations do not fulfill requirements of the
sociology major.
Grades in Major Courses:
Students are required to earn a grade of "C" or better in all
courses counted to fulfill requirements for the major. In
addition, students must achieve a passing grade on the senior
comprehensive portfolio.
Pass/No Pass:
Courses fulfilling major requirements may not be taken pass/no pass.
Senior Assessment:
Students are required to submit a Senior Comprehensive Portfolio
Assessment Project prior to graduation. Specific requirements and
due dates are distributed to seniors the fall semester of their
graduation year.
TELL Policy:
Students applying for credit in experiential learning should consult
with the program faculty.
Transfer Credits:
Credits in courses equivalent to those required for the major from a
similar institution may be accepted toward a major. Students
majoring in sociology must take a minimum of four sociology courses at
Trinity College in addition to the Senior Seminar.
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Course Descriptions
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
Introduces students to the science of sociology and prepares students
for upper-level social science course work.
3 credits
FLC Area V
SOC 200 Social Crisis and Social Policy
Examines the political and economic organization of society and its
impact on social problems. The goal of this course is to enable students
to understand the social nature of social problems. Students focus on
how social problems result from cultural and social arrangements.
Critical scrutiny of polity and economy provides clues for the bias of
society. Explains how political and economic processes affect what is
currently being done about social problems and thus why so many social
policies fail.
3 credits
FLC Area V
SOC 201 The Sociology of Education
Studies the United States education system from sociological
perspectives. This course identifies the major problems with the United
States educational system and discusses solutions.
3 credits
FLC Area V
Core II
SOC 210 Women's Health and Public Policy
Focuses on gender issues in health policy and health care. Health policy
is related to the stratification system/social structure of our society;
thus, race, gender, and class are the context for understanding women's
health policy. Readings and discussion include the responsibilities/role
of women in policy making and policy change and a discussion of some
manufacturers of illness and disease, alternative models of health
policy, and alternative forms of healing as well as alternative healers.
3 credits
SOC 237 Community Development and Urban Problems
Focuses on the city and its sub-worlds, discusses its problems and
strengths, and suggests a people approach to solutions.
3 credits
SOC 254 Global Social Issues
Surveys the global problems of hunger, overpopulation, energy,
pollution, war, and extremism (slavery, apartheid, relocation,
genocide), and how they are built into society.
3 credits
FLC Area V
Core II
SOC 259 International Migration: An Introduction to the
Issues
A survey course on key issues in international migration. Provides basic
information about issues such as the intersection and implications of
international migration and race/ethnicity within the destination, the
brain drain, the socioeconomic adaptation of immigrants,
transnationalism, the economic and cultural impacts of international
migration, and the trafficking and exploitation of women and children,
among others.
3 credits
SOC 260 Individual and Society: Understanding Human Interaction
Examines how society influences individuals and, in turn, is influenced
by them. Using a scientific approach, the course identifies factors that
shape people's feelings, behavior, and thought in social situations.
What are the influences-actual, implied, and imagined-that shape women
and men and the world they inhabit? This course examines some of these
influences and particularly addresses the issues of diversity: gender,
social (cultural and ethnic), and individual.
3 credits
SOC 261 Family and Society
Introduces students to the role of the family in the social structure.
Examines the family in historical perspective, the institution of
marriage, socialization, the importance of gender, and current issues in
the modern family.
3 credits
Prerequisite: SOC 100
FLC Area V
SOC 280 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Studies the nature of culture, sub-culture, cultural change, and
cross-cultural comparisons.
3 credits
SOC 302 The Black Family
Provides a multidisciplinary approach to the study of Black families.
The course covers four broad content areas: historical/theoretical
approaches to the study of Black families; Black family patterns
(including socioeconomic, demographic, and intergenerational patters);
socialization within Black families; and advocacy for and gender
relations within Black families.
3 credits
SOC 304 Data Analysis Using SPSS
Introduces elementary data analysis, with an emphasis on the use of SPSS/PC
in such analysis. The course will briefly cover such analysis and
topics such as creating, editing, and managing data files; descriptive
data analysis; and presenting data in tabular and graphic forms. This
course is primarily intended to prepare students for SOC 342 Research
Methods for Social Scientists.
3 credits
SOC 310 Women and Third World Development
Examines insights that the feminist perspective brings to the issues of
development, challenging the assumption that "integrating women
into development" will solve problems caused by plans and policies
that neglect women. This course is meant to be a guide to recent
thinking and literature about women and development, and to the feminist
critique of these. The course focuses on multinationals, rural
development, and food production, including appropriate technology and
income generation, health, migration, education, and communication.
3 credits
SOC 324 Sociology of Religion
Analyzes the relationship between society and religion to gain insight
into the role that religion plays in people's lives.
3 credits
SOC 340 Understanding AIDS: Interdisciplinary Seminar
Provides students with a multi-dimensional approach to understanding
AIDS. The course examines AIDS as a social construct utilizing Writing
Across the Curriculum and cooperative learning techniques to build an
interdisciplinary knowledge of AIDS. Formerly INT 340.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
SOC 342 Research Methods for Social Scientists
Introduces the student to various research methods used in the social
sciences. Topics include causal analysis survey, observational, and
evaluating strategies; feminist methods; database management; and
statistical data analysis (SPSS).
3 credits
Prerequisites: SOC 100 and MAT 110
SOC 346 Work and Occupations
Studies the world of work from a sociological perspective. This course
traces the historical development of work in industrial society and
examines the modern American workplace. Topics include occupational
stratification, the relationship of work to the economy, and the future
of work.
3 credits
Prerequisite: SOC 100
SOC 350 Race and Racism
Traces the history of race relations, prejudice, and racism within the
United States. Special emphasis will be given to the relationship of
racism and the changing economic, political, demographic, and
educational structure of society. Examines the roots of prejudice, its
expression, and its impact on individual, families, communities, and
societal institutions. Addresses the critical role of social science
theory and research in increasing understanding of race relations and
racism, and suggests intervention strategies for improved relations.
3 credits
FLC Area V
SOC 359 Population Problems
Explores theories of population growth, trends in population growth,
problems associated with uncontrolled population growth, problems that
result from urbanization in the Third World and strategies for slowing
population growth.
3 credits
SOC 365 Mentoring and Diversity
Integrates activism and scholarship by examining students' experiences
as mentors through the lenses of race, class, and gender. This approach
to sociological theory combines academic learning with community
service. Students are required to become mentors to high school students
from diverse backgrounds. The goal is to facilitate personal
and/or academic empowerment of the high school students, as well as of
the mentors, while exploring the issue of diversity in contemporary
American society.
3 credits
SOC 368 Women, Men, and Complex Organizations
Develops the student's understanding of sex and gender as organizational
variables: the ways in which the structure and processes of organization
reflect power relations that are interlaced with dominant forms of
gender relations. Attention is given to a broad range of personal,
social, and organizational influences that shape gender identity and
behavior and the way in which gender behavior affects organizational
behavior.
3 credits
SOC 376 Sociology of Health and Illness
Discusses the unequal distribution of disease. Who gets sick and why?
Explores social organization of medical area: professionalization,
monopoly, medical industries, and problems of financing; medicine in
practice; comparative health policies.
3 credits
SOC 378 Inequality in Society
Examines classical and contemporary theories of social stratification.
Are we all created equal? Can we become equal? Particular emphasis is on
the American class structure, its impact on social institutions, and the
importance of gender and race as factors contributing to inequality in
society.
3 credits
Prerequisite: SOC 100
SOC 460 Senior Seminar
A capstone course which explores contemporary sociological concepts
through new research and theory in the discipline. Students will
contribute to class discussion through written work and oral
presentations. Prerequisite: Senior status in the major.
3 credits
SOC 461 Advanced Seminar on the Family
Explores in depth current issues causing conflict and change in the
contemporary family. Alternate family forms, working families,
reproductive technology, AIDS and other health issues, and family
violence are among the issues examined. Students are expected to
contribute to the class through their own research and analysis of
selected issues. Designed for students who have a background in the
sociology of the family.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
SOC 486 Sociological Theory
Investigates the origin and development of classical sociological theory
and how it is used in contemporary sociology.
3 credits
SOC 590 Independent Study
Provides an opportunity for directed study as approved by the program
chair.
3 credits
SOC 595 Internship
Provides students with two days a week work experience in a variety of
settings, research, human services, and criminal justice.
3 credits
Additional Accepted Courses
HRE 301 Seminar: Perspectives on Gender
INT 340 Understanding AIDS: Interdisciplinary Seminar
Provides students with a multi-dimensional approach to understanding
AIDS. The course examines AIDS as a social construct utilizing Writing
Across the Curriculum and cooperative learning techniques to build an
interdisciplinary knowledge of AIDS.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
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