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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
The purpose of this course is to examine various topics and issues related to criminal, deviant and other harmful behaviors committed for economic advantage by both individuals and organizations in the business sector. How do we define white collar crime? How prevalent is white collar crime? What are the sources and motivations of white collar criminal behavior? What are the social and economic costs to local and national communities? How effective are the sanctions utilized to deter and control individual and corporate crimes? How is corporate crime related to governmental crimes and organized crime? Some attention will be given to the international dimensions of this phenomenon as well as to corporate crimes that have affected the Merrimack Valley region. Prerequisites: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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3.00 Credits
This course addresses the social context of law, the legal structure, and the relationship between law and society. Law is at base a social phenomenon; we create laws to address social problems, settle disputes, and exert power over others. Just as society and culture are always changing, so does the law. In turn, as law evolves, it also affects culture. There are hundreds, even thousands, of laws constructed each year in this country. In the U.S., with fifty state legislatures and the federal government enacting new laws, and with the enactment of thousands of municipal and county ordinances, the sheer magnitude of law is overwhelming. Additionally, there are court decisions at the state and federal levels which often create new laws or modify existing laws. In this course, we will only examine a fraction of these. The larger goal of this course is to gain an understanding of the significant relationship which law plays in our everyday lives and its role in society. Throughout the course, we will address several questions: What can a sociological perspective contribute to the study of law? How and why do laws arise? How do legal systems reflect the values of the society? What is the relationship between law and inequality in our political economy? How can laws promote (or inhibit) social change? Prerequisite: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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3.00 Credits
This course examines the organization and dynamics of collective action, the ideology of protest and dissent, and techniques utilized in social movements. Historical examples of social movements are studied in order to understand these collective actions as sources of non-institutionalized social change. Prerequisite: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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3.00 Credits
Cultural Anthropology studies the social, symbolic, and material lives of humans in various societies. Emphasis in the course is placed on the social evolution of the human species, its primate heritage, and a comparative study of social, economic, religious and political activities of living and ancient cultures. Prerequisite: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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3.00 Credits
The purpose of this course is to examine racial and ethnic diversity in American society both historically and currently. The course will introduce you to a number of sociological explanations and theoretical issues in the study of minority and majority group relations. The specific experiences of different racial and ethnic groups in contemporary American society will also be examined. We will also explore the interrelationships of gender, race, ethnicity, and class to gain an understanding of current social conditions which affect us all. By examining the intersections of race, class, and gender we can see a diversity of experiences and think about ways in which these experiences can (and do) reshape and enrich American society. Prerequisite: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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3.00 Credits
The study of the urban form at its most elementary level, is the study of the fundamental social nature of human life. Urban Sociology is the study of the diverse and complex patterns of social life associated with people and places characterized as a city. It examines the various historical, cultural, geo-political and economic factors that help explain the origin and development of the city as a social invention and changing human form. The sociological study of the city, therefore, explores the range of topics that relate to the promises and problems of social life of those who live or work or visit the urban setting. The course begins with a general review of the historical origins of urbanization and a more specific focus on urbanization, suburbanization and the growth of metropolitan regions in the United States. Traditional and American theories of urbanization are reviewed. Life as it is experienced in the city and its neighborhoods is examined in terms of class, gender, race-ethnicity, and lifestyles. Common problems of urban life such as poverty, racism, crime, and homelessness areaddressed. Patterns and theories of political power at the local level are explored. A brief lookat urbanization in the Third World serves as a stark juxtaposition to the experience of industrialized or western societies. The course concludes by considering the impending impact of the environmental issue on urban prospects and the role that metropolitan planning will play in shaping the form and place collective life will assume in the future. Prerequisite: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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3.00 Credits
Current population problems are examined through an analysis of the basic demographic variables of fertility, mortality, and migration. Population data relating to the contemporary U.S. social setting are explored. Attention is given to the issue of development in both the poorer and richer countries of the world. Prerequisite: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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3.00 Credits
This course provides an overview of the family as a major institution of society using a sociological perspective. The family is studied from both the macro and micro levels with special attention devoted to the significant transformations and changes the family is undergoing in its form and functions. The changing nature of the family is discussed in terms of its effects on us individually as well as the impact the changes are making in society. The objectives of this course are: (1) to introduce students to the essential concepts, theories, and research used in sociology to analyze the family; (2) to enhance the students’ understanding of the complexity of family life and how family experience is shaped by race, social class, gender, and culture; (3) to enable students to identify and examine sociologically relevant problems and issues within the contemporary family; and, (4) to encourage critical thinking and writing skills that demonstrate the students’ abilities to understand and analyze social phenomena. Prerequisite: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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3.00 Credits
This course explores the social character and the causes of domestic violence. Various forms of abuse and violence are addressed on both a micro and a macro level. Each form of abuse and violence is discussed using sociological theories of causality. The objectives of this course are to enhance students’ abilities to: (1) gain knowledge and refute myths about domestic violence; (2) to understand the impact of social and cultural factors on violence; (3) to become familiar with the literature on domestic violence; (4) to become familiar with current controversies in the area of domestic violence; and, (5) to develop skills in discussing and dealing with controversial and sensitive topics. Prerequisite: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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3.00 Credits
Health, illness and healing are not merely physiological states but also human experiences shaped by sociological forces. As Freund, McGuire and Podhurst point out in Health, Illness and the Social Body. A Critical Sociology [2003: 4], "The sick body is not simply a closed container, encased in skin that has been invaded by germs or traumatic blows but is also open and connected to the world that surrounds it. Thus the human body is open to the social body. Similarly, our material (or physical) environment, such as the urban landscape, the work place, or our foods, is influenced by our culture, social structure, and relationships. And these in turn influence our bodies." The course begins with a brief review of the history of past viewpoints and practices in western civilization toward health, healing and illness leading to the emergence of the modern medical profession, scientific medicine, and the establishment of the medical model as the primary paradigm of disease. We will examine the social factors that influence who it is that gets sick, the types of illness suffered, the experience of being sick, the process of seeking help, and thecontext in which medical care is delivered. We will discuss the effect of stress on health and the role that human relationships and social support play in mediating stress. We will assess the state of our health care system and compare it to other systems. In general, we will depend on the theories, concepts and findings from sociology as they apply in the study of this area to direct our focus and inform our analysis. Prerequisite: SO 201A or consent of the instructor. Satisfies the social science distribution requirement. Three hours a week.
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