Sociology Department

Course Descriptions

Chemical Addiction Studies

• CAS 433 - Adv Addiction Studies

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Same as PSYX 441 and SW 423. Examination of chemical dependency and behavioral compulsion, including alcohol and other drugs, gambling, eating disorders, sexual addictions. Ecosystems perspective on etiology, treatment, prevention, family dynamics, community response, and societal contributors.

Sociology

• SOCI 101S - Introduction to Sociology

  Credits: 3. Offered every term. Overview of the principles and concepts used in the study of human social interaction, groups, communities and societies. Required of all majors.

  Course Attributes:

  • Social Sciences Course

• SOCI 130S - Soc of Alternative Religions

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Unconventional religious groups in American society. Topics include recruitment, conversion, commitment, defection, leadership, belief systems, organizational structure and change.

  Course Attributes:

  • Social Sciences Course

• SOCI 191 - Special Topics

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

• SOCI 191S - Special Topics

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R 6) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one time offerings of current topics.

  Course Attributes:

  • Internships/Practicums

• SOCI 202 - Social Statistics

  Credits: 3. Offered every term. Prereq., or coreq. M 115, Sociology majors only, or consent of instr. Application of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques to sociological data. Required of all majors.

• SOCI 211S - Introduction to Criminology

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Prereq., or coreq., SOCI 101S. A critical examination of crime in society: how crime is defined, the extent and distribution of crime, theoretical explanations of criminal behavior, and crime control efforts.

  Course Attributes:

  • Social Sciences Course

• SOCI 212S - Social Issues Southeast Asia

  Credits: 3. Offered every other year. Same as SSEA 212S and LS 212S. Introduction to the cultures, societies, and contemporary social problems of Southeast Asia.

  Course Attributes:

  • Social Sciences Course

• SOCI 220S - Race, Gender & Class

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Same as WGS 220S. Analysis of the intersecting structure and dynamics of race, gender and class. Focus on power relationships, intergroup conflict and minority-group status.

  Course Attributes:

  • Social Sciences Course

• SOCI 221 - Criminal Justice System

  Credits: 3. Offered spring.  A systematic survey of crime and the administration of justice in the United States, including the organizational structures, processes, and dynamics of law enforcement, criminal adjudication, and corrections.

• SOCI 270 - Intro Development Sociology

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn.  Introduction to sociological perspectives on international development, globalization, and sustainability.  Rural and environmental issues emphasized.

• SOCI 275S - Gender and Society

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Same as WGS 275S. Exploration of the social construction of gender, especially in western, post-industrial societies such as the U.S. How gender ideologies affect the social definition and position of men and women in work, family, sexual relationships, sexual divisions of labor, and social movements.

  Course Attributes:

  • Social Sciences Course

• SOCI 291 - Special Topics

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

• SOCI 306 - Sociology of Work

  Credits: 3. Offered intermittently.  An introduction to contemporary sociological debates on work including overwork, working poor, housework, globalization, mechanization, routinization, surveillance, and unions. Special focus on gender and class impacts on working life.

• SOCI 312 - Criminal Adjudication

  Credits: 3. Offered spring odd-numbered years. Prereq., SOCI 101S, 221 and either 211S or 330. An examination of adjudicatory processes applied to the criminally accused. Includes pretrial, trial, and sentencing practices and procedures. Special attention to the sociological dimensions of criminal adjudication: its cultural underpinnings, structural characteristics and interactional dynamics.

• SOCI 314 - Extraordinary Group Behavior

  Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Prereq., SOCI 101S. The study of emergent social behavior including rumors, crowds, crazes, riots, panics, terrorism, revolutions and social movements.

• SOCI 318 - Sociological Research Methods

  Credits: 3. Offered every term. Prereq., SOCI 101S, Sociology majors only, or consent of instr. Methods of research in the social sciences including naturalistic observation, interviewing, measurement, experiments, surveys, content analysis, and basic data analysis. Required of all majors.

• SOCI 325 - Social Stratification

  Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Prereq., SOCI 101S or SOCI 220S or SOCI 275S. The origins, institutionalization and change of class, status, prestige, power and other forms of social inequality. Special attention to the effects of stratification on individuals.

• SOCI 330 - Juvenile Delinquency

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Prereq., SOCI 101S. The study of juvenile delinquency as a social phenomenon, including the emergence of "juvenile delinquency" as a social and legal concept, the nature of delinquency, and theoretical explanations of delinquent behavior.

• SOCI 332 - Sociology of the Family

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Prereq., SOCI 101S. Same as WGS 300. Historical, cross-cultural, and analytical study of the family. Emphasis on ideology, social structures, and agency affecting family composition and roles.

• SOCI 335 - Juvenile Justice System

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Prereq., SOCI 101S and 211S or 330. An analysis of the juvenile justice system in the United States, including the historical development of policies and practices. The role of various social agencies in defining, preventing, and responding to delinquency.

• SOCI 342 - Urban/Metropolital Soc

  Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Prereq., SOCI 101S. Classical social theories of urban growth. Contemporary urbanization in local, regional, national and global contexts. Internal urban/metropolitan social organization in terms of race, ethnicity, social class and gender.

• SOCI 345 - Sociology of Organizations

  Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Prereq., SOCI 101S. Historical and analytical study of organizations as social systems, with an emphasis on applying theoretical models to analyzing organizational behavior and change.

• SOCI 346 - Rural Sociology

  Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Prereq., SOCI 101S recommended. Demographic, economic and sociocultural change in rural communities with an emphasis on global economy, political structure, urbanization, and economic and social infrastructure. Special attention given to the rural west and Montana.

• SOCI 350 - The Community

  Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Prereq., SOCI 101S. The study of families, peer groups, neighborhoods, voluntary associations, power structures, social classes and large scale organizations as they come together in local communities.

• SOCI 355 - Population and Society

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Prereq., SOCI 101S. An introduction to contemporary world population problems including population growth, trafficking, fertility, mortality, population policy, and the relationship between population and environment. Emphasizes gender issues in international context.

• SOCI 362 - Sociology of Law Enforcement

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn even-numbered years. Prereq., SOCI 101S, 221 and either 211S or 330. An examination of policing in society, with emphasis on the cultural context in which it occurs, its structural characteristics, and social psychological processes.

• SOCI 382 - Soc Psych and Social Structure

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Prereq., SOCI 101S. The study of the behavior of individuals in social contexts ranging from small groups to societies. Topics include attitude change, conformity, aggression, helping behavior, self-concept formation, and group cohesion and decision-making.

• SOCI 386 - Preceptorship in Sociology

  Credits: 2 TO 3. Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., SOCI 101S and consent of instr. Assisting a faculty member by tutoring, conducting review sessions, helping students with research projects, and carrying out other class-related responsibilities. Open to juniors and seniors with instructor's consent. Proposals must be approved by department chair.

• SOCI 391 - Special Topics

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of new courses or one time offerings of current topics.

• SOCI 398 - Internship

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., consent of department. Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus. Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office. A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.

  Course Attributes:

  • Internships/Practicums

• SOCI 423 - Sociology of Corrections

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Prereq., SOCI 101S, 221 and either 211S or 330. An examination of the purposes, structures, and processes of jails, prisons, and community corrections, including probation and parole. Emphasis on historical development and current trends and issues in corrections.

• SOCI 435 - Law and Society

  Credits: 3. Offered spring even-numbered years. Prereq., SOCI 101S. The study of the law and society, including the origin, institutionalization, and impact of law and legal systems.

• SOCI 438 - Seminar in Crime & Deviance

  Credits: 3. Offered every term. Consent of instructor. Advanced studies in criminology theory, research, and practice. This course will meet the upper-division writing expectation for sociology majors only.

  Course Attributes:

  • Writing Course-Advanced

• SOCI 441 - Capstone: Inequal and Soc Just

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. SOCI 101S and two inequality and social justice courses and consent of instr. Research and writing on Inequity and Social Justice. Students bring together readings from other inequality content courses and/or independent readings, research methods training, and data and/or internship experience to write a final research paper on a topic of their choice within the ISJ area. Meets upper-division writing expectation for sociology majors only.

  Course Attributes:

  • Writing Course-Advanced

• SOCI 442 - ISJ Service Learning

  Credits: 3 TO 4. Prereq, consent of instr.  Supervised fieldwork and research in settings relevant to Inequality and Social Justice, building participatory research and critical thinking skills; relationships with people in groups marginalized by systems of inequality; citizenship awareness.

  Course Attributes:

  • Service Learning

• SOCI 443 - Sociology of Poverty

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Prereq. SOCI 101S, or consent of instr. An examination of the roots, prevalence, and social characteristics of poverty. Analysis of policies intended to end poverty.

• SOCI 446 - Prost & Human Trafficking

  Credits: 3. Offered every other year. Exploration of prostitution and human trafficking, their incidence, causes, implications for individuals and society, and responses from non-governmental organizations and governments. Highlights various feminist and human rights approaches to these phenomena.

• SOCI 455 - Classical Sociological Theory

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn and spring.  Prereq., SOCI 101S, or consent of instr. Focus on the historical development of the field of sociology from 1850 to World War I.  The classical writings of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber emphasized.  Required of all sociology majors.

• SOCI 460 - Capstone: Rural and Env Change

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Prereq., SOCI 101S and consent of instr.  Advanced study of issues in rural, environmental, and development sociology with an emphasis on theoretical perspectives and applications. Meets upper-division writing expectation for sociology majors only.

  Course Attributes:

  • Writing Course-Advanced

• SOCI 470 - Environmental Sociology

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Introduction to environmental sociology and the social dimensions of environmental change.  Case studies of major environmental problems as applications of environmental sociological perspectives.

• SOCI 471 - Gender and Global Development

  Credits: 3. Offered every other year. Prereq., SOCI 270 or consent of instructor. Advanced perspectives on the relationships between gender and colonization, international development, and globalization.

• SOCI 485 - Political Sociology

  Credits: 3. Offered spring odd-numbered years. Prereq., junior or senior standing. Analysis of political theory and behavior; social bases of power and policy determination; institutional interrelationships; intellectuals and ideologies; political trends and change; political participation and membership.

• SOCI 488 - Writing for Sociology

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn and spring. Consent of instr.  Advanced study of variable topics or issues in sociology, with emphasis on writing for the discipline. This course satisfies the upper-division writing expectation for sociology majors only.

  Course Attributes:

  • Writing Course-Advanced

• SOCI 491 - Special Topics

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered intermittently. Prereq., SOCI 101S. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

• SOCI 492 - Independent Study

  Credits: 1 TO 3. (R-9) Offered every term. Prereq., SOCI 101S and consent of instr. Individual work with a faculty supervisor in an area of special interest. Proposals must be approved by department chair.

• SOCI 494 - Seminar/Workshop

  Credits: 2 TO 3. Offered intermittently. Prereq., SOCI 101S and at least junior standing. Selected sociological topics.

• SOCI 498 - Internship

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered every term. Prereq., SOCI 101S, 318 and 202; 2.75 GPA; junior standing and consent of instr. Supervised placement in an agency or business which involves work experience related to criminology, sociology, rural and environmental change and/or inequality and social justice.

  Course Attributes:

  • Internships/Practicums

• SOCI 520 - Contemp Social Theory

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Sociology Graduate Student or consent of instr. The major sociological theories developed since World War I, including an examination of the critical issues under debate. Level: Graduate

• SOCI 530 - Criminological Theory

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Consent of instr. Advanced study of the major theories of crime and criminality; includes the concepts, propositions, and causal logic, together with relevant research findings. Level: Graduate

• SOCI 538 - Sem in Crime & Deviance

  Credits: 3. Offered intermittently. Consent of instructor. Graduate-level studies of a specific criminological topic or issue with special emphasis on theory, research, policy, and practice. Level: Graduate

• SOCI 545 - Sem in Inequality & Soc Justic

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Graduate student in Sociology or consent of instr. Advanced study of variable topics in inequality and social justice held in a small group setting that maximizes opportunities for graduate student research, discussion, and writing. Level: Graduate

• SOCI 561 - Qualitative Methods

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Consent of instr. Introduction to the basic methods used to conduct qualitative studies including ethnography, interviewing, observation and/or focus group. Includes hands-on fieldwork projects, data coding and analysis, and research ethics. Draws on examples and literature from sociology. Students should have had undergraduate research methods training. Level: Graduate

• SOCI 562 - Quantitative Methods

  Credits: 3. Offered autumn. Prereq., SOCI 101S, 318 and 202. Introduction to the basic methods used to conduct quantitative sociological research and program evaluation including proposal development, survey design, sampling techniques, data analysis, and dissemination of findings. Level: Graduate

• SOCI 563 - Social Data Analysis

  Credits: 3. Offered spring. Consent of instr. A hands-on introduction to preparing sociological reports and documents, performing research and statistical tasks common to the field. Presumes no previous knowledge of microcomputers. Level: Graduate

• SOCI 590 - Sociology Internship

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered every term. Prereq., consent of instr. Supervised placement for graduate students in an agency or business which involves work experience related to criminology, sociology, rural and environmental change and/or inequality and social justice.. Level: Graduate

  Course Attributes:

  • Research & Creative Schlrshp

• SOCI 594 - Graduate Seminar

  Credits: 3. (R-9) Offered intermittently. Selected sociological topics. Level: Graduate

• SOCI 595 - Special Topics

  Credits: 1 TO 12. (R-12) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics. Level: Graduate

  Course Attributes:

  • Internships/Practicums

• SOCI 596 - Independent Study

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6)Offered every term. Prereq., consent of instr. Work with a faculty supervisor in an area of special interest. Level: Graduate

  Course Attributes:

  • Service Learning/Volunteer

• SOCI 597 - Graduate Research

  Credits: 2 TO 3. (R-9) Offered every term. Directed research. Student must develop a specific research or evaluation proposal which is approved by the instructor prior to registration. Those students electing the professional paper option may apply three credits of 597 toward graduation. Level: Graduate

• SOCI 598 - Internship

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., consent of department. Extended classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom learning during placements off campus. Prior approval must be obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Internship Services office. Level: Graduate

  Course Attributes:

  • Internships/Practicums

• SOCI 599 - Thesis/Professional Paper

  Credits: 1 TO 6. (R-6) Offered every term. Students may apply six credits of 599 toward graduation. Level: Graduate