Course List
Perspectives on the sources and consequences of social inequality. Comparative analyses of the dynamic social construction of differentiation based on such markers as class, race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, and sexual orientation, and the opportunities and constraints for life chances afforded by these processes.
Examination of the social thinkers of the classical period in the development of sociological theory (e.g., Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Ward). Particular attention to the theories, methods, and goals developed by early sociologists.
Focus on sociological theorists since World War II, including Parsons, Merton, Dahrendorf, Coser, Homans, Blau, Blumer, Kuhn, and Garfinkel.
Examination of data analysis designs used in sociology with emphasis on the sociological interpretation of different kinds of analyses; practical applications as used in current research. 3 hours of statistics required.
Research methods in sociology including survey methods, qualitative methods, and experimental design. The link between social theory and social research. Measurement, validity, reliability, and the logic of data analysis.
Application of both common and more advanced quantitative data analytical techniques used in sociology and other social sciences, including multiple regression, regression diagnostics, logistic regression, and causal modeling. Emphasis on analysis and interpretation of sociological survey data using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and presentation of multivariate analyses to a sociological audience.
Examines economic, political, and public influences on higher education. Explores the implications of inequality in higher education for institutional change and effective pedagogy. Emphasis placed on the scholarship of teaching and learning, including assessment of pedagogical practices for learning-centered classes. Addresses curriculum development in sociology and techniques for overcoming student resistance in sociology classes. Pre-requisite: Graduate Standing required
African diaspora theories and their historical foundations. Intersections of dispora with race, gender, and national identities. Influence of theories of modernity, postcolonial studies, transnationalism, and globalization on contemporary debates about the African diaspora. Application of diaspora theories to different geographic sites in the African diaspora including Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Pre: Graduate Standing.
Dimensions of crime and systems of social control within a framework of social inequality; examines issues of social inequality, such as discrimination, relative to race and ethnicity, social class, and gender, in crime and systems of social control; international scope.
Juvenile delinguency and the juvenile justice system, with particular attention to race, gender, social class, and age. Methods of collecting data and the extent and distribution of juvenile delinquency and juvenile gangs. Theories of delinquent behavior. Effectiveness of the juvenile justice system. Pre: Graduate standing.
Historical and comparative studies of population processes (fertility, mortality, migration); contemporary issues related to consequences of population change; population policies designed to modify population trends. Graduate standing required.
Racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. Contributions of social factors to inequality in medical care and health for minorities. Current and potential impacts of health care policies on health disparities. Pre: Graduate standing.
The analysis of the economic activities of women in contemporary society. The past and present relationship between women's domestic and market labor is examined, followed by an in-depth investigation of women's labor force experiences. Competing sociological explanations are examined, providing the basis for exploring occupational segregation, inequalities of outcomes and comparable worth.
Theory and research on the globalization of the division of labor during the recent past as well as over the past several centuries. Examines the development of the capitalist world-system including the role of technological forces; the roles of transnational corporations and states in the global economy; the effects of globalization on work and quality of life in the U.S., other developed countries, and the Third World; analyses of globalization in the manufacturing and service sectors; and possible solutions for problems associated with globalization.
Social, political, and economic environments of aging in a variety of cultures with emphasis on aging problems in American society. Evaluation of the major social theories of aging, their roles in defining problems of the elderly, and focusing on current social policy.
Examination of major development theories and contemporary issues and characteristics of low-income societies (industrialization, urbanization, migration, rural poverty, hunger, foreign trade, and debt) that establish contexts for development planning and policy-making. Graduate sanding required.
Orientation for beginning graduate students to the organization of sociology, with emphasis on historical and departmental program areas and to the perspectives and specialties of departmental faculty; systematic and critical review of roles of sociologists, with particular reference to teaching, writing, professional association participation, and professional ethics.
Survey research techniques used in sociological research including applied sampling techniques, measurement, scale construction reliability, response effects, administration of survey instruments, data management, and data processing.
Examines the key components of qualitative methodology with a focus on sociological debates and issues that are contentious, unresolved, and problematic. Explores different methodological perspectives that are vying for prominence within sociology. Particular attention given to the role of gender, class, sexualities, age, race, nationality, ethnicity, disabilities, and colonialism in qualitative methodologies. Conduct qualitative research into the broader critque of the methodology including innovative methodologies being developed by qualitative sociologists.
Relating social structures and processes to individual personality and behavior. Effects of variables such as social class, religion, race, and gender on social interaction and individual values and attitudes.
Examination of major theories of crime and delinquency, with application to specific examples, such as white-collar crime, gender-based patterns of crime and delinquency, and juvenile gangs. Also covers theories and issues concerning the control and prevention of crime and delinquency.
Examination of sociological theory and research on culture, including theories of culture and society; culture as social practice; culture, class and identity; culture and collectivities; culture, power and institutions; the production of culture; cultural reception.
Examination of sociological theory and research on how social structures and social processes influence the health of individuals and populations. Emphasis on the health consequences of social inequalities by race, class, and gender; the effects of social contexts, networks, and institutions on health; and issues in health care.
AFST 5224 - Africana Studies Professional Seminar
The professional seminar course is designed for first year graduate students to provide them with an in- depth survey of the professional expectations in the field of Africana Studies. Graduate standing required.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 5234 - Research Methods in Africana Studies
Examination of the two dominant paradigms in Africana Studies and their corresponding research methods. Topic areas include: purpose of research, the role of the researcher, the role of theory, methods used for data collection, and valid evidence for both paradigmatic approaches. Graduate standing required.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 5314 - Theories in Africana Studies
Focuses on theories of the relationships between race, gender, class, culture, social structure, and power as they impact the lives of Africana people. Critical examination of five major theoretical approaches: critical race theory, social isolation, internal colonialism, racial formation, black feminist. Graduate standing.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 5324 - Theorizing the African Diaspora
African dispora theories and their historical foundations. Intersections of diaspora with race, gender, and national identities. Influence of theories of modernity, postcolonial studies, transnationalism, and globalization on contemporary debates about the African dispora. Application of diaspora theories to different geographic sites in African diaspora including Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Pre: Graduate standing.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 5354 - Topics in Africana Studies
Students will examine various topics that impact the life chances and experiences of people of African descent. This course can be taken up to two times for graduate credit. Graduate standing required.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 5364 - Poverty in Black America
Poverty and economic vulnerability among blacks in the United States. Theories of the sources and nature of poverty as applied to blacks and common representations of black poverty. The roots of rural and urban black poverty in historical and contemporary discrimination and racial oppression. Policy efforts to reduce poverty and/or its consequences for blacks in the U.S.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture, Online Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 5444 - Afro-Latin America
Constructions of blackness and national identities in Latin America. Theories of race relations and inequality in Latin America. Constructions of racial identities in Latin America and the United States. Histories and cultures of Afro-Latin American communities. Pre: Graduate standing.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture, Online Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 5614 - Race Ethnic Health Disparities
Racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. Contributions of social factors to inequality in medical care and health for minorities. Current and potential impacts of health care policies on health disparities. Pre: Graduate standing.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture, Online Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 5974 - Independent Study
NONE
Credit Hour(s): 1 TO 19
Lecture Hour(s): 1 TO 19
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Independent Study
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 5984 - Special Study
NONE
Credit Hour(s): 1 TO 19
Lecture Hour(s): 1 TO 19
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture, Online Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 6224 - Africana Perspectives on American Education
Social, political, economic, historical, and cultural factors that impact educational access, experiences, and outcomes for people of African descent in the United States. Evaluation of theoretical approaches to educational disparities. Early childhood schooling through the post- secondary level. Pre: Graduate Standing.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture, Online Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
AFST 6234 - African American Identity
Theories of African American identity across multiple disciplinary and interdisciplinary traditions, including Africana Studies, psychology, sociology, literary theory, and cultural studies. The role of identity in definitions of group and individual interests, social movement appeal and participation, and responses to discrimination and racism.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture, Online Lecture
Prerequisite(s): AFST 5314 OR AFST 5324
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5114 - Foundations of Women's & Gender Studies
Introduction to the advanced, interdisciplinary, feminist study of interrelated forms of inequality, especially as they affect the status of women. Pre-requisite: Graduate Standing required
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5124 - Gender, Bodies, & Technology
Intersections of gender, bodies, and technologies in multiple contexts adn across disciplines. Technology in individual lives and the gendered discourses surrounding bodies adn technologies. Feminist and queer theories of technoscience and the impact of technologies on gendered bodies. Pre: Graduate Standing.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture, Online Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5244 (HD 5244) (PHS 5244) - Sexual Health and Human Rights
Sexual and reproductive health from human development, public health, and critical feministy perspectives, with special attention to human rights issues. Sexually transmitted infections; HIV/AID; unintended pregnancy; population policies; eugenics; sexual and reproductive rights; positive sexuality; sex education; and health promotion. Pre: Graduate standing.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture, Online Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5424 - Identity Migration and Place
Place-based identities and intersectional inequalities. Influence of these interrelated dimensions on the study of forced and voluntary migrations within and across national borders, and such discourses as home, belonging, nationhood, and citizenship.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s): WGS 5114
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5454 - Feminist Perspectives on Pedagogy and Academe
Feminist approaches to issues of women and underrepresented groups in higher education, with an emphasis on reflective genres. Covers feminist pedagogical and professional issues. Graduate Standing.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5564 - Women and Globalization
Feminist theoretical paradigms that analysis impacts of globalization of women and girls. Impacts of globalization on households and families. Relationship between globalizing processes and gender inequalities. Addresses feminist controversies and women's transnational resistance.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5644 - Women's Rights as Human Rights
International mechanisms for development and protection of women's human rights and their legal, political, and cultural dimensions. Methods of strengthening and improving these mechanisms to prevent and respond to women's human rights violations. Pre: Graduate standing
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5914 - Feminist Theory
This graduate seminar covers the interdisciplinary scholarship aimed at explaining sex-based inequality and examines the gender ideologies that rationalize sex-based inequality. The seminar covers important "classic" texts in feminist theory, the intellectual and political roots of that theory, as well as contemporary texts and debates. Graduate standing required.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5924 - Feminist Research Methodologies
Capstone course investigating and applying epistemologies of feminist methodologies, as well as feminist theory and meta-methodology, to student's interdisciplinary, feminist scholarship.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s): WGS 5914
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5934 - Sexualities and Queer Theory
Theoretical perspectives of queer studies and its influence on sexulity studies. Historical and cultural constructs of sexuality and gender. Queer epistemologies that implicate traditional notions of technolgy, identity, desire, normativity, and social control. Intersections of gender, race, sexuality, ethnicity, class, age, transnational borders, and (dis) ability.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s): null null
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5974 - Independent Study
NONE
Credit Hour(s): 1 TO 19
Lecture Hour(s): 1 TO 19
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Independent Study
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
WGS 5984 - Special Study
NONE
Credit Hour(s): 1 TO 19
Lecture Hour(s): 1 TO 19
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture, Online Lecture
Prerequisite(s):
Corequisite(s):
WGS 6004 - Topics in Women's & Gender St
A variable topics course that utilizes interdisciplinary approaches to explore issues of emerging interest in feminist scholarship. Can be taken up to 3 times for credit with varying topic.
Credit Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Level: Graduate
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Prerequisite(s): WGS 5114
Corequisite(s):