SOC Course Descriptions

Sociology (2009-2010)

An introduction to the basic concepts and frames of reference of sociological investigation and interpretation. Topics for analysis will include communities, associations and institutions, classes and status groups, crowds and publics, social processes, and social change. Special attention is given to Canadian society.

The specific social problems discussed will vary but will include problems of well-being, problems of inequality and power, and problems related to modernization.

An examination of the fundamental concepts of Sociology and their application in seeking to understand the changing patterns and life-styles taking place specifically in Canada, and in general, within North American society.

An introduction to the sociological perspectives on marriage and the family in urban-industrial societies. Special attention is given to marriage and the family in Canada. Comparisons with U.S. and Britain will be undertaken.

The course will examine the substance of victimization: the scientific study of victims, the process, etiology and consequences of victimization. Topics will include victims and politics, the victims' movement, "victim-precipitation", the victimization of women and family violence.

An examination of the nature and function of sociological theory and the types of theory that founded the discipline in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The social definitions of adolescence in cross-cultural and historical perspective. Social roles of adolescents in the institutional structures of urban-industrial societies with special emphasis on the family, education, and the economy. The relationship of adolescents' social roles to processes of social change and stability.

An examination of gender relations in Canadian society, including historical changes and the contemporary situation. Emphasis is placed on a consideration of the social construction of gender, the gender structure of institutions and gender inequality. The course also examines selected issues in contemporary gender relations.

Attention will be focused on the concepts and theories of sociology as they apply especially to the educational system. This course is designed for Co-op and Regular students who plan to enter the teaching field.

In this course each student analyses his or her own family history in light of social, cultural, and economic trends over the past century as a means of understanding the basis of his or her own identity. The analysis is reported in an essay of about 25 pages.

This course examines sport in modern societies and the distinctive features of Canadian sport. Attention is directed to the relationship between sport and other institutions, including the economy and political system. Contemporary issues, including racial and gender inequality and controversies over violence and drugs are also considered.

A systematic analysis and criticism is presented of biological, psychological, psychoanalytical and sociological theories of juvenile delinquency. Attention is given to statistics and contemporary research with special emphasis on the distribution and types of delinquent subcultures.

The deviance-making process is examined in a variety of social contexts. Examines the emergence of rules and control agencies, the processes by which people become involved in deviant activities, and the contingencies affecting their careers as deviants.

A sociological analysis of poverty in contemporary Canada as it underlies a multiplicity of interlocking social problems.

An examination of theories of juvenile justice, juvenile law, and the structure and operations of juvenile systems, especially in Canada.

An examination of the major theories of crime causation and their implications for the development of social policy. Both historical and contemporary theories will be discussed.

Decisions to process offenders and the role of social factors in the Canadian criminal justice system are critically examined. Focal issues include police discretion, the legal profession and prison systems.

Sociological analysis of research and theory on selected criminal activities. Motivation, modus operandi, and the social characteristics of offenders will be examined in relation to such specific crimes as drug and sexual offenses, theft, robbery, murder, organized crime and/or other criminal activities.

The course examines how forms of society influence technological developments and, reciprocally, how society is influenced by technology. It covers such topics as the de-skilling of work, technocracy, communications technology, and cyberspace, from an historical perspective, looking for the unifying features of technologies ranging from Stone Age tools to the microprocessor.

Introducing students to symbolic interaction, a sociological social psychology, this course examines: the impact of culture on socialization experiences; the development of self-identities and social reputations; and interaction patterns in a variety of casual, occupational and deviance contexts.

Introduction to social psychology through selected topics in the study of the self, social interaction, groups and intergroup relations, and social organization.

The sociological analysis of the behaviour of crowds, mobs, publics and related phenomena and their relationships to social organization and social change.

A survey of the changing nature and ideology of work, as well as the impact of different kinds of work organizations on other institutions and on individual works. Canadian emphasis but some comparative material included. Examines the relationship between formal and domestic economies. Some discussion of alternative forms of work (co-ops, industrial democracy).

An introduction to the study of work and occupations; the problems of occupational choice, occupational socialization and identification; the concepts of career and career mobility; the professionalization process, the nature of professions; the impact of occupation on life styles, leisure and retirement.

This course provides an introduction to the social processes and functions of mass media communication -- with particular reference to the Canadian context. Emphasis is focused on the relationship between mass communication and the ongoing reconstruction of social reality.

The course deals with the current literature on death and dying. Patterns of mortality as affecting different social groups and as reflecting differential life chances of individuals in society are described. North American issues of death and dying are considered against an historical background.

This course discusses health, illness and the distribution of disease in society. It introduces concepts such as social determinants of health, population health and culturally competent care. The strength and the limitations of the Canadian health care system will be examined through a sociological lens.

An examination of sociological research and theory in the field of mental disorder particularly as they apply to issues of law and social control. Topics include mental health legislation; the medical model of mental "illness"; the epidemiology of mental disorder; family processes and psychiatric hospitalization; public attitudes and social stigma; and specific forms of mental disorder.

An introduction to the basic institutions and cultural values in contemporary Japanese society. Topics will include family, community, religion, education, work, social stratification, ethos, and the economic behaviour of Japan overseas.

An introduction to the study of human population, with a focus on mortality, fertility, migration and spatial distribution in Canada. Methods and measures used in demographic research, sources of demographic data, and the health and social implications of the major demographic trends are discussed.

Relations between different racial and cultural groups, analysis of majority-minority group status with special reference to Canada.

An examination of the nature and causes of episodes of mass violence inspired by apocalyptic beliefs. The course will use historical and contemporary case studies and theoretical discussions of the social and psychological factors precipitating violence.

An examination of the nature of religious experience, the elements of religious group life, the ways in which religions are a source of social stability and peace as well as of social change and conflict.

The course examines religion in the American context regarding issues like secularization, the nature and the influence of sects (e.g., Mormonism, Pentecostalism), Protestant revivalism and televangelism, and the impact of non-Christian traditions (e.g., Buddhism, Islam).

This course examines various cults and new religious movements (e.g., Scientology, Krishna Consciousness, Neo-paganism) and places them within the context of our sociological knowledge of their emergence, who joins and why, and other issues.

The sociological analysis of the institutionalization of power, political movements, parties, conflict and its accommodation.

An analysis of the Mennonites as a social movement, their transition to a sectarian community, transformation to a religious-ethnic society, and present pluralistic profile. Case studies of/and field visits to area Mennonites included.

A basic course in sociological statistics, sampling, central tendency, probability, covariance, as illustrated in specifically sociological data.

A study of the interaction between social organization and ecological factors such as pollution, energy and land resources.

An examination of the nature and functioning of sociological theory in the 20th and 21st centuries, with a focus on selected types of theory that have been influential in shaping the discipline.

A study of problems arising from the interplay between institutionalized education and the forces of rapid social change in the contemporary society. It emphasizes the changing roles of the learners and instructors and social dimensions of newer learning theories and programs. Themes will be selected and studied in depth on a seminar basis.

An examination of the social character of the development of science and the production of scientific knowledge. Specific topics will include defining science, cultural influences on the rise of science, the social nature of scientific institutions, selective bias in scientific procedures, and the social construction of scientific facts.

Analysis of social classes in society including their basis for development, composition and consequences for society. Special attention is given to social stratification in Canada.

An introductory survey of the research techniques employed by sociologists. The formulation of research designs appropriate to various kinds of intellectual problems in social science is stressed.

The course provides a critical evaluation of research techniques in sociology, with an emphasis on learning and applying qualitative fieldwork approaches.

Despite the commonly held belief that sexuality is nothing more than "doing what comes naturally," cultural definitions, including prohibitions against specific forms of conduct, impinge upon the most private or intimate of acts. This course examines the social construction and control of sexuality through law.

A critical examination of the police as social control agents in contemporary democratic societies. Topics include: the historical evolution of policing; police recruitment, training, and education; police/community relations; the occupational subculture of the police; police authority and discretion; private policing; and police deviance and criminality.

An examination of the distinctive nature of professions; professional recruitment, socialization and identification; professional careers; the professionalization of occupations; relationship to government; professional specialization; status, power and mobility of professionals.

Examines the theory and the practice of the "knowledge society", the form of social and economic organization which has largely replaced industrial society. Along with examining sociological works on the knowledge society, the Region of Waterloo is used as a case study. This is both to better understand the concept of knowledge society from the case study, and to assess the ambitions of Waterloo Region to become a "knowledge capital."

This course examines the evolution and characteristics of the modern organization, focusing on changing approaches to corporate strategy and management in the context of the new economy. Using case studies, we will examine how networks, gender, technological innovations and environmental pressures shape organizational practices.

A critical investigation of the new theoretical and empirical research into the nature and social significance of computer-mediated communication. The Internet will be examined as a multi-mediated arena of performance for the negotiation, expression, and transformation of our conceptions of identity, community, spirituality, power and authority.

The analysis of varieties of social movements and their relationships to social organization and social change.

This seminar style course focuses on recent research on relationships between leisure and the social, cultural, political, and technological aspects of society. The course will use sociological literature to examine leisure in the lives of individuals, groups, and society. Topics will include leisure and multiculturalism, social stratification, gender, popular culture, consumption, tourism, religion, and the family.

An introduction to individual and population aging. Topics discussed include: aging from a historical and comparative perspective; aging in subcultures; aging and the social structure; aging and social processes; aging and the environment; work and retirement; and aging and leisure patterns.

This course discusses health care systems around the world with sociological perspectives and introduces health care system evaluation criteria to examine different nations' health care models, including health care delivery and financing. Some basic research methods for health care systems studies will be introduced.

An examination of contemporary parent-child relations in terms of a reconceptualization of power. Special attention will be given to contemporary interpretive (e.g. hermeneutic) approaches to a reformulation of the relation between power and action.

A critical examination of special issues and topics bearing on the nature of Canadian society and/or the interrelationship of Canada with other aspects of the international community. Topics will vary according to the instructor's interests, but may include such issues as multiculturalism, immigration, national unity, globalization, poverty, and industrial development and policy.

Using a symbolic interactionist approach, this course examines central features of urban community life. Particular attention is given to the corporate, commercial, consumptive and communications aspects of urban society as well as residential practices and street life.

Approaching entertainment from a symbolic interactionist perspective, this course examines entertainment as a set of socially constituted and engaged processes. Building primarily on analytical and ethnographic materials from the classic Greek era to the present time, this course considers the roles (viewpoints, activities, and interchanges) of people involved in producing, promoting, accessing, experiencing, and critiquing, an assortment of commercial and noncommercial entertainment venues.

Total institutions are concerned with resocialization of inmates. This course considers the structure of maximum security prisons, mental hospitals, isolated work environments and concentration camps, emphasizing their philosophies, their organization, their goals, and their effectiveness in modifying and controlling behaviour.

This course examines how our contemporary concern with community is connected with the rise of modern society and the development of the urban-rural debate. Our anxieties about community will be shown to be connected to our anxieties about family. Special attention will be given to the interpretive approach to these issues.

Examines the social construction of law and its administration as a social process. Topics will include: law as an instrument of social control and social change; legal culture; the identification and evaluation of criminal suspects; the trial process and the rights of special groups. The specific laws highlighted will vary.

Problems about the fundamental methods and aims of the social sciences generally, and problems specific to Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, etc., and their relations to one another will be considered.

In the tradition of sociology as a moral science, this course asks how, if at all, good and evil can be empirically distinguished and accounted for. Both current and historical issues are addressed, with particular attention to the Holocaust.

This course will deal with selected topics in Sociology. Subjects will be dependent upon the research and/or instructional interests of faculty.

This seminar will devote attention to research methods, sociological theory, and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of Mennonite communities and culture.

An examination of the growing sociological literature on women's roles, experiences, realities, problems and challenges. Particular emphasis is placed on critiques of traditional sociological theory and methodology and the emergence of new theories and methodologies which better reflect women's experiences.

The design of sample surveys. Survey procedures from the conceptual level through sampling, measurement, questionnaire design, administration and analysis of responses are illustrated within the context of practical examples and student projects.

An independent in-depth study of a selected area of concern to the student within the discipline of Sociology. Available to individuals or small groups of third- or fourth-year Social Development Studies majors and arranged with one of the faculty members from the program.

An independent in-depth study of a selected area of concern to the student within the discipline of Sociology. Available to individuals or small groups of third or fourth-year Social Development Studies majors and arranged with one of the faculty members from the program.

An examination of sociological theories of gender and gender relations. Emphasis is placed on tracing historical changes in interpretations of gender, with a particular consideration of contemporary theoretical debates. Approaches to be considered include feminist theories as well as political economy and cultural studies.

The course examines key substantive, theoretical, and methodological issues of the sociology of religion through the detailed study of important classical and contemporary works in the field.

The seminar undertakes to develop a general theory of the relation of social thought to social action, comparative value systems and the role of the scientist, artist and intellectual in society.

An analysis of selected original writings by the major figures in the classical sociological tradition of the 19th and early 20th centuries and selected critical literature.

An analysis of selected original writings by influential figures in contemporary theory (i.e., mid-20th century onwards) and selected critical literature.

We examine the development of sociological theory in Canada by focusing on major historical and contemporary figures and theories representative of English-language sociology. We examine, in addition, sociologically important scholars and schools of thought in history and political economy as well as selected developments in French-language Canadian sociology.

Deals with recent controversies in sociological theory; e.g., Giddens' theories of structuration and the state; critical theory, including the works of Habermas on communicative action; postmodernist theory; the positivist/interpretive debate and varieties of psychoanalytic theory.

Using a symbolic interactionist frame, this course examines the enduring problem of connecting social theory and human activity. Building on some of the works of the early Greeks and others (hermeneutic scholars, pragmatists) who addressed matters of intersubjectivity and human accomplishment, the emphasis is on developing theory that is informed centrally by an ethnographic examination of community life in the making.

An application of symbolic interactionist theory, this course examines the contingencies affecting data collection and analysis of ongoing group life. While doing field work, students have an opportunity to examine basic features of interactionist thought.

This seminar examines social influences on bodily practices, including practices of regulation and control. Examples of topics examined include the body in consumer culture; exercise, dieting and fitness as social practice; professional dominance, regulation of bodies, and forms of cultural embodiment in gender, race and social class.

This seminar course examines the multiple identities of individuals at the beginning of the 21st century. The conceptual approach mixes a structural and quantitatively empirical form of social psychology (e.g., Stryker, Tajfel) with macro-theoretical thought by figures such as Giddens and Parkin. We examine types of identity, their measurement, and ideas about their functions and consequences. Throughout the course, identification with Canadian society is a central point of reference.

This course studies influence work (and resistance) from a symbolic interactionist perspective. Building on materials that focus on tactical interchange from classical, interim, and contemporary sources, this course considers the ways that people attempt to shape one another's activities and experiences in various social situations. The material introduced covers the fuller range of persuasive interchange in community life from dyadic encounters to international relations.

A survey of applications of the concept of the network in studying social structures. Examples will be drawn from diverse areas, such as interpersonal relations, community studies, social support, interorganizational relations, elites, deviant groups, etc.

An examination of the major theoretical explanations and practices in education. Topics include an analysis of the various social processes that have been developed to define and transmit knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and power relations from one generation to the next. The role of state-sponsored formal education systems in the context of world economic systems will be explored.

Examines the place of liberal arts education within university faculties of arts. What do humanities and social science BA's learn that those in technical specialities do not? What is the career and life success of arts versus science-technology graduates? How is a faculty of arts best divided into academic units? How viable is cross-disciplinary research? Such questions are addressed in this seminar.

Analysis of social stratification and inequality in industrial societies, with emphasis on Canada. Issues of class, power, wealth and occupational structure will be examined.

Design and data analysis in contemporary sociological research, with an emphasis on the analysis of secondary data and computer applications.

Current issues and debates within health care, including the social organization of the health care system and the socio-cultural determinants of health and illness, are examined from a sociological perspective.

Examines in depth the process and results of criminal sentencing. Topics include types of sentences for criminal and quasi-criminal offences; objectives of sentences; factors affecting sentences; the process of sentencing; the administration and effectiveness of sentences; and unresolved debates in sentencing.

Inquiry into the relationship between the natural environment and society. Review of issues relating to technology, social change, politics of environmental reform, factors that contribute to environmental-resource conflict and policy.

Honours seminars may include weekly readings, individual and/or group projects, class presentations and discussions, research proposals, essay/literature reviews, assignments, midterms, and final exams. Consult departmental listings for topics and prerequisites for the current year.

This seminar examines major theoretical perspectives and issues in the sociology of work.

An independent, in-depth study, based on empirical research and/or extensive reading in sociology under the direction of individual instructors in Sociology. Available to individuals or small groups of fourth-year Social Development Studies Majors and arranged with one of the faculty members from the plan. The project must be approved by the academic supervisor of the course prior to registration.

Denoting a preprofessionalization experience, this course provides selected students with an opportunity to work [to a maximum of 8 hours per week over one term] as an apprentice with a specific instructor on a research project in which the instructor is currently engaged.

Selected study and assignments under the direction of a faculty member.

Directed reading and research in a selected area of sociology inquiry.

Directed reading and research in a selected area of sociology inquiry.