SOC Sociology Courses at Global Campus

This Introductory course presents concepts, theories, and research in sociology. Intersections of identity and privilege are considered alongside relationships and the social construction of race, class, gender, and other forms of identity. Group organization and collective action are also presented in the course to explain human behavior and social change.

Social theory refers to efforts to understand and illuminate the nature of social life. As such, social theory is not only the domain of sociologists. Contributors to social theory include economists, philosophers, psychologists, historians, activists, dramatists, essayists, poets, and novelists. Moreover, ordinary folks like us also theorize about social life. Social theories are crucial for helping us as individuals make sense of our daily lives, and they are essential to understanding new research, social practices and institutions. With the long-term aim of helping us better understand our lives and the world we live in, we will study what sociological theorists, have to say about the social world. The course covers key theorists such as Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Bourdieu and Foucault, Du Bois, Butler and Bauman and their seminal works, as well as the key social thought movements of Capitalism, Modernity, Alternative Knowledge, Self and Society.

The course considers issues of identity, social inequality, and discrimination in society. The focus is on identities such as race and ethnicity, sex and gender, social class, culture, age, and ability, as well as the intersection between them. The focus is on these social categories as both elements of personal identity and sources of social inequality.

This course examines the major theoretical and conceptual explanations for social problems in modern society. Students will be introduced to a variety of current social problems in the United States and around the world, and will consider and suggest potential social action through the use of foundational sociological tools such as research, social theory and understanding of inequality and identity groups. The focus of the course is twofold: the critical analysis of the causes and consequences of these social problems from a sociological framework; and the considered social action through community action, using sociological tools.

The course focuses on social stereotypes and prejudice against the aged, discrimination, friends and family, care giving, living environments, demography, senior political power, legislation, elder abuse, and death and dying.

This course is an introduction to gender and sexuality studies from a sociological perspective. Its primary focus is critical perspectives on the social construction of gender and sexuality, inequalities on the basis of gender and sexuality, activism around issues of gender and sexuality, and how gender and sexuality shape and are shaped by other systems of inequality such as race, ethnicity, class, culture, and age. Also covered are key sociological discourses in the areas of feminism, masculinities, and queer theory.

This course examines key sociological perspectives, concepts, and current research related to race and ethnicity. Its primary focus includes the social construction of race and ethnicity, patterns of inequalities and discrimination on the basis race and ethnicity, and the ways in which key social institutions impact and are impacted by race and ethnicity. Also covered are current issues related to immigration, inter-group relations, and how race and ethnicity are shaped by other systems of inequality such as gender, class, nationality, and culture.

This course provides an overview of the child (infant through elementary) and the reciprocal relationships children develop with their family, their school, and the world in which they live. Theories pertaining to the roles and relationships within and between families, schools, and communities are introduced with an emphasis on enabling students to identify family needs and concerns and to use a variety of collaborative communication and problem-solving skills to assist families in finding the best available community resources to meet these needs. Students themselves explore various community resources that further the development of the child’s potential.

An introductory course that provides learners with a basic foundation of human biology applicable to human service and health and human services providers. The course explores basic human biology and its relationship to selected socio-cultural domains that are grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model of Human Development.

An examination of public policies and the social services they mandate. The major focus is on American government policy at all levels and the detailed content of social services. Some consideration of other nations and international agencies is offered. Policies and services pertaining to a variety of areas including urban life, poverty, health care, substance abuse, children, the aged, unemployment, and mental health are studied.