¹On leave full year.

The sociology curriculum introduces students to the discipline, especially to the interplay of sociological theory and sociological research. Courses foster appreciation of such sociological concerns as social inequality, race and ethnicity, gender, social change, globalization, social control, deviance, conflict, social movements, the formation of identity, and of various major social institutions, including education, the economy, polity, family, medicine, law, and criminal justice. Social policy issues are a common theme in courses. By conducting research for course projects, students learn that sociology is an empirically based social science; they learn to do sociology as well as to read about how it is done. Integrating service learning opportunities with our curriculum is a continuing interest of the department. The major in sociology provides students with a critical and humanistic perspective. For those considering graduate or professional school, it offers a comprehensive background in theory, methods, statistics, and various substantive subject areas in the discipline.

Requirements for the Major in Sociology
Sociology 131, 215, 271, 272, 318, 493. Four additional sociology courses, totaling at least 15 hours (one course in anthropology at the 200 level or above may be substituted). Sociology 215, 271, and 272 are to be taken during the sophomore year and 318 during the third year. All four courses--215, 271, 272, and 318--are to be completed before the senior year; exceptions must be sought through petition to the department and will be discouraged. Typically Sociology 215 and 271 are offered fall semesters; Sociology 272 and 318 are offered spring semesters. The thematic senior seminar, Sociology 493, is offered fall semesters and rotates among the faculty.

The point scale for retention of the major applies to all courses in sociology. No requirement for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.

Study Abroad
Department policy is that students majoring in sociology generally study abroad only one semester, preferably fall semester of their junior year, and receive credit toward the major for only one course per semester, if that course is approved in advance by the department. To be approved, a course must be one that might be (or is) offered in the Colby Sociology Department; that is, no course focusing on another country or culture or without specified theoretical content will be granted elective credit toward the major. No core course requirements can be met by course work taken elsewhere. Students majoring in sociology are urged to seek approval for a range of courses, in advance, to be prepared for possible cancellation of an approved course in any non-Colby sponsored program abroad.

Honors in Sociology
Seniors majoring in sociology may apply for the honors program during the first two weeks of the fall semester. In addition to securing a faculty sponsor and department approval, students must have a 3.25 overall grade point average and a 3.60 grade point average in the major or special permission of the department. The program involves independent research conducted under the auspices of Sociology 483. Honors normally will be taken as a four-credit course, and the final product will be a research paper of between 50 and 70 pages of superior quality.

Note: All three- or four-credit hour courses offered by the Sociology Department fulfill the area requirement in social sciences (S); Sociology 272 fulfills a quantitative reasoning requirement (Q). Courses that also fulfill the diversity requirement include the D designation. Sociology courses have limited enrollments.

Course Offerings

[116] Visions of Social Control An examination of deviance, dissent, and social control in utopian societies as depicted in selected novels, to illuminate social processes in contemporary societies. Police surveillance, propaganda, legal segregation, political repression, bureaucratic regulation, and biological or psychological manipulation as means of maintaining social order and controlling deviance. Enrollment limited. Three credit hours.

131fs Principles of Sociology A social science analysis of society and human activity, focusing on the nature of institutions, the social construction of reality, and the meaning of freedom in the social world. Concerns include socialization, alienation and marginality, social change, and social issues of race, gender, power, authority, inequality, self, and identity. Four credit hours. D. Fall: MR. MORRIONE AND MR. TALBOT; Spring: MS. ARENDELL AND MR. CAMPBELL

[214] African-American Elites and Middle Classes Utilizing classical and contemporary sociological theories of stratification and race relations, the course explores the intersection of class and race-ethnicity in the social origins and historical roles of elites and middle classes in the African-American experience. Particular attention to the writings of Du Bois, Frazier, Cox, and Wilson. Biographical and autobiographical perspectives provide rich description of socialization, family contexts, work, politics, ideologies, and the impacts of racism and social change. Three credit hours. D.

215f History of Sociological Theory The history of sociology, and a critical survey of the systems of thought about society, centered on major schools of sociological theory and their representatives. The place of theory in social research as presented in works of major social theorists, including Comte, Spencer, Durkheim, Weber, Marx, Pareto, Simmel, and Mead. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MR. MORRIONE

217f Politics and Society A survey of sociological perspectives on politics and political processes. Topics include state theory, political parties, the politics of production, social movements, and ideology. Enrollment limited. Formerly listed as Sociology 315. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MR. CAMPBELL

231f Contemporary Social Problems Analysis of selected controversial issues and public problems in the contemporary United States. General theoretical frameworks in the sociology of social problems used to analyze issues from one or more perspectives; areas include alienation, economic and political freedom, the politics of morality, poverty, women's roles, and social inequality. Four credit hours. D. MS. RAWLINGS

233s Crime and Justice in American Society The course explores crime and the criminal justice system in American society. Topics include the definition of crime, police practices, sentencing practices, penal policy, and crime prevention. In addition, discussions of specific crimes including drug crimes, domestic abuse, and white collar crime. Each issue is tied to sociological discussions of the social, economic, and political contexts of crime and criminal justice policies. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MR. CAMPBELL

[235] Sociology of Religion A survey and overview of religion as a social phenomenon and an object of sociological analysis. Topics include theoretical perspectives, research strategies, the problem of meaning and moral order, and religion as a group phenomenon involving social conflict, social organization, social class, race-ethnicity, gender relations, politics, popular culture, and public problems such as pluralism, innovation, secularization, and religious economy. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours.

[238] The School in American Society An examination of the structure, organization, and practices of schools in American society. Topics include the role of schools in relation to other social institutions and the opportunities and obstacles experienced by various populations of students. Readings and discussions will engage the debate over whether, or to what extent, schools enable social mobility or reproduce inequality in our society. Enrollment limited. Four credit hours.

[251] Population Problems in International Perspective An introduction to the sociological study of processes of population growth and change, examining the social causes of fertility, mortality, and migration, and their impacts on population growth and the age-sex structure of populations. The history of world population growth and its relationship to economic growth, the food supply, and the environment. The debates over whether there is a "population problem" and over what types of population policies should be adopted. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours.

252s Race, Ethnicity, and Society Comparative perspectives on topics that include the meanings of race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic community experiences, racism, prejudice and discrimination, and preferential treatment in the shaping of ethnic identities as it has applied to immigration, citizenship, government programs, and educational opportunities. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. D. MS. RAWLINGS

[256] Health and Illness Application of sociological principles to the medical care system, its institutions and its personnel, focusing on the hospital as a social and bureaucratic organization; recruitment and training of health care providers; practitioner-patient relationships; also social epidemiology, mental disorders, history of medicine and public health, death and dying. Four credit hours.

271f Introduction to Sociological Research Methods Introduction to a variety of research methods employed by sociologists. Topics include problem definition, the logic of inquiry, the relation between theory and research, research design, sampling, and techniques for data collection and analysis. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MR. TALBOT

272s Advanced Sociological Research Methods Use of quantitative methods of data collection and analysis; manipulation of quantitative data using the computer, basic statistical analysis, interpretation of statistical results, and integration of empirical findings into sociological theory. Prerequisite: Sociology 131, 271. Four credit hours. Q. MR. TALBOT

273f The Family Central issues in the sociological study of the American family in both historical and contemporary contexts. Two broad facets of sociological study of the family are emphasized: the family as a major social institution in relationship to other major social institutions, particularly the industrial/post-industrial capitalist economy and the liberal democratic polity, and the family as a primary social group and a unit of intense interpersonal relationships structured along gender and generational lines. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MS. ARENDELL

[274] Social Inequality and Power A sociological analysis of the structure of inequality in the United States. The course surveys the major sociological theories of social class and inquality and applies them to analyze the American power structure, the nature and extent of inequality across the country, and the reasons for the persistence of racial inequality and gender inequality in contemporary society. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. D.

276s Sociology of Gender The behaviors expected of people because of their sex and differences in the status of men and women in society are examined using a sociohistorical perspective. Theories accounting for gender differences are analyzed, and the consequences of gender inequality in contemporary society are explored. Four credit hours. D. MS. ARENDELL

277f Social Psychology An analysis of major social psychological views of human behavior, with special emphasis on the works of George Herbert Mead and Herbert Blumer. Human group life, social behavior, self, situations, and society examined from a variety of perspectives. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MR. MORRIONE

[292] Social Change Television, rumor, fear, the madness of crowds, war, riots, the civil rights and women's rights social movements, congressional legislation, famine, industrialization, computer technology, religion, and government are agents of and products of social changes. A sociological look at phenomena such as these provides an introduction to the study of social change. A review of classical sociological approaches to the study of social change, as well as historical, social psychological, psychological, and ecological elements. Students are encouraged to analyze contemporary changes in American culture. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours.

318s Contemporary Sociological Theory An exploration and analysis of the contemporary state of sociology as a discipline. Special attention is given to critical theory, rational choice theory, global systems theory, phenomenology, ethnomethodology, symbolic interactionism, and postmodernists' criticism of modern social science. Prerequisite: Sociology 215. Four credit hours. MR. MORRIONE

333f Globalization Globalization is a word widely used in the media and in academic discourses but used in many different ways and applied to a broad range of social phenomena. A systematic exploration of some major aspects of the process of globalization and the ways in which they are interrelated: the changing organization of the world economy, the rise of global culture industry, problems of population growth and environmental degradation, and the spread of ethnic conflicts. The various types of resistance movements that have arisen in response to increasing globalization and some of the debates over how to solve the problems it has created. Formerly listed at Sociology 397. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MR. TALBOT

334s Social Deviance A seminar examining changing definitions of social deviance and evaluating the "adequacy" of a variety of theories of deviant behavior. Readings and discussions emphasize contemporary perspectives. Postmodernists' criticisms of traditional views of deviance also receive attention. Enrollment limited. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MR. MORRIONE

336s The Sociology of Food If, as the saying goes, "you are what you eat," then what are you? Do you know where your food comes from, who grows it, and how it is traded and transported to you? This course answers those questions, and more. Students explore the social meanings and the social relations surrounding the preparation and consumption of food as well as the social relations of food production. Also the organization of a global food system that links the production and consumption of food and how it generates abundance in some places and hunger and famine in others. Formerly listed as Sociology 398. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MR. TALBOT

[353] The City in Sociological Perspective An examination of the factors that have shaped the social ecology of American cities. Course materials explore the relationship between ecological features of the city and various urban social problems. Materials also investigate the life experiences and the structure of opportunities open to urban residents. Prerequisite: Sociology 131 and one 200-level sociology or anthropology course. Four credit hours.

[354] Sociology and the American Race Problem The sociological study of race and ethnicity is marked by periodic laments over failures of perspective, theoretical inadequacies, and failures to predict and to grasp the directions in which race, ethnic, minority, or inter-group relations are going in the United States. A seminar combining intellectual history with critical analysis on concepts and theories on race, ethnicity, prejudice, discrimination, caste, and other concepts related to the history of the sociological study of "race relations." Various sociologists and their schools of sociological thought are examined in terms of their successes and failures in describing and explaining American society, social change, inter-group conflict, and racial-ethnic inequality in order to develop a sociology of sociology. Special attention to sociologists and the civil rights movement and the impact of the civil rights movements and other social movements on sociological thought. Prerequisite: One of the following: Sociology 131, 214, 231, 252, 355, 357, American Studies 276. Four credit hours.

[355] African-American Women and Social Change Sociological analysis and historical overview of African-American women and their families, work lives, and community (especially religious and political) experience. A focus on the contradictions between lived experience and cultural expectations surrounding gender and on the distinctive experiences of African-American women as a force for social change. Enrollment limited. Prerequisite: An introductory social science course or American Studies 276. Four credit hours. D.

357f Civil Rights, Black Power, and Social Change A seminar examining the impact of the civil rights and black power movements on sociological concepts, theories, and perspectives on race relations, racial stratification, social change, and ethnicity. The PBS series Eyes on the Prize I and II used to introduce readings and discussions of sociological and ideological texts influenced or produced by activists and activities of the civil rights or black power movements. The connections among civil rights and black power movements and other social movements in the United States and other societies. Enrollment limited. Prerequisite: An introductory anthropology, sociology, history, or American studies course or permission of the instructor. Four credit hours. D. MS. RAWLINGS

359f Social Movements Examines the origins, courses, and consequences of social movements. Topics include the emergence of movements, the development of leadership, movement tactics and strategies (e.g., nonviolent direct action, litigation), and explanations of movement success and failure. Cases covered change from year to year but may include racial and ethnic movements, nationalist movements, conservative movements, environmentalism, women's movements, and major political movements such as fascism, communism, progressivism, and populism. Prerequisite: Sociology 131 or 357. Four credit hours. MR. CAMPBELL

[375] Social Situations in Everyday Life An introduction to issues, problems, and strategies relating to the observation and analysis of human interaction in natural social settings both on and off campus. A social-psychological perspective is developed through discussion of firsthand field experience and participant observation in a variety of settings. Prerequisite: Sociology 131 and 271. Four credit hours.

[376] Divorce and Contemporary Society The history of divorce in the United States, locating marital dissolution in the larger sociohistorical and cultural ideological contexts: advancing industrialization, increased urbanization, and a changing economy; family demographic shifts; the individualistic ethic and changing gender norms and ideologies; developments in child psychology and parenting; and how the expansion of the social welfare state and challenges to public policy contribute to and affect the divorce rate and families' and individuals' experiences. Enrollment limited. Prerequisite: Sociology 131, Sociology 273 or 276. Four credit hours.

378s Welfare Policy in Sociological Perspective An examination of the origins and growth of the welfare state in comparative and historical perspective although primary emphasis is placed on the United States. Topics include the definition of welfare, the social and political functions of welfare provision, corporate welfare, the relationship of welfare programs to the labor movement and other social movements, and the current crisis in welfare programs in advanced industrial countries. The success and/or failure of specific welfare programs and the extent of fraud in the welfare system. Prerequisite: Sociology 131. Four credit hours. MR. CAMPBELL

[391] Gender and Public Policy How images of gender, gender difference, and the social positions of women and men affect public policies concerning divorce, provisions for child care for families with working parents, poverty, and discrimination in employment. Enrollment limited. Prerequisite: Sociology 131, Sociology 273 or 276. Four credit hours.

483fjs Honors Project Prerequisite: Senior standing, admission to the honors program, and permission of the supervising faculty member. Two to four credit hours. FACULTY

491f, 492s Independent Study Individual topics in areas where the student has demonstrated the interest and competence necessary for independent work. Prerequisite: Senior standing and permission of the department. Two to four credit hours. FACULTY

493f Senior Seminar in Sociology The theory, methodology, and methods of qualitative research methods. Using readings, discussions, and various research activities, students examine the interrelationships of theory, data collection, and analysis. The substantive area for study using qualitative research methodology is the relationship between paid work and family life. Students have a degree of choice of the particular focus of an original qualitative research project involving an in-depth observation and interview project pertaining to the work-family nexus. Prerequisite: Senior standing, Sociology 215, 271. Four credit hours. MS. ARENDELL