SOC: Sociology

SOC 100. Introduction to Sociology. 3 Credits.

This course introduces students to the sociological study of society. Sociology focuses on the systematic understanding of social interaction, social organization, social institutions, and social change.
Gen Ed Attribute: Behavioral and Social Science Distributive.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

SOC 199. Transfer Credits. 1-10 Credits.

Transfer Credits.
Repeatable for Credit.

SOC 225. Digital Social Research. 3 Credits.

An introduction to digital data and the scientific research methods used to study the digital social realm, with an emphasis on the opportunities, challenges, and ethics of using digital data to examine social life. This course is especially suitable for students in the social sciences, health sciences, communication studies, and business fields.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 225 requires a prerequisite of MAT 103 or higher.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 240. Sociology of the Family. 3 Credits.

This course will help students to understand the family as a social institution that is a product of social forces. Family forms are not fixed but are socially constructed and historically changing. Families vary by economic, political, and cultural conditions that shape people's lives, behaviors, and family patterns.
Gen Ed Attribute: Behavioral and Social Science Distributive.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall.

SOC 245. Environmental Sociology. 3 Credits.

Human society is currently threatening the environmental resources necessary to maintain life on Earth. This course unravels the deeper roots of our environmental crises and investigates potential ethical solutions from a domestic and global perspective. Through lecture, films, and discussion we will focus on the interplay between social theories, social structure, social institutions, social inequality, social stratification, and the environment. Themes in this course will emphasize how culture shapes environmental processes and everyday life; articulate demographic theoretical perspectives of population growth; examine the social structure of society to better understand the social dynamics of sustainability; analyze environmental inequality along the bases of social class, gender, and race/ethnicity; and explore ethical, sustainability-related decision-making within a societal context. This course is an introduction to the field, suitable for both majors and non-majors with interest in sustainability and society.
Gen Ed Attribute: Behavioral and Social Science Distributive.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 250. The Social Contexts of Substance Use. 3 Credits.

Analysis of the structural causes and social impact of substance use and dependency including: alcohol, illegal drugs, and prescription drugs.
Gen Ed Attribute: Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 300. Sociological Theory. 3 Credits.

Historical development of the sociological perspective on human behavior, with emphasis on the perennial issues in sociological explanation.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 300 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 302. Sociology of Everyday Life. 3 Credits.

How people interact in everyday settings, examined from the dramaturgical perspectives of Goffman, Douglas, Burke, and others.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 302 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Summer.

SOC 309. Sustainable WCU & Beyond. 3 Credits.

Project-based and research-driven sustainable action. Grounded in the sociological perspective, students will work together to advance sustainable initiatives at WCU and/or in the broader community.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 309 requires a prerequisite of SUS 100, SOC 100, or SOC 245.
Gen Ed Attribute: Speaking Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 321. Statistics in Sociological Research. 3 Credits.

The application of statistical methods to sociological hypothesis testing.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 321 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall.

SOC 322. Methods of Sociological Research. 3 Credits.

The logic of social research. Fundamentals of research design, data collection and reduction, and nonstatistical analysis.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 322 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 333. Self and Society. 3 Credits.

A symbolic interactionist perspective on social psychology which focuses on the self in social interaction.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 333 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall.

SOC 335. Racial and Cultural Minorities. 3 Credits.

Analysis of the implications of racial differences, the factors affecting prejudice and discrimination, and structural aspects of group conflicts.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 335 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall.

SOC 340. Sociology of Work. 3 Credits.

Survey of work theory, history of work in America, inequalities at work, and the contingencies in work today.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 340 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 341. Social Stratification. 3 Credits.

Analysis of inequalities in wealth, power, and prestige in contemporary societies.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 341 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 342. Urban Sociology. 3 Credits.

A descriptive study of the form and development of the urban community with respect to demographic structure, spatial and temporal patterns, and functional organization.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 342 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 343. Sociology of Organizations. 3 Credits.

Analysis of the social structure in small groups and formal organizations and an examination of organizational change with an emphasis on bureaucracy and markets.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 344. Sociology of Religion. 3 Credits.

Theoretical analysis of social functions of religion, the history and internal structure of religious institutions, and their relationship to other institutions.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 344 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 345. Sociology of Education. 3 Credits.

Sociological dimensions of educational institutions.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 345 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 346. Sociology of Gender. 3 Credits.

Analysis and evaluation of sociological research on sex roles.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 346 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall.

SOC 349. Perspectives on Mental Illness. 3 Credits.

An interdisciplinary examination of mental disorders- their definition, cause, and treatment.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 349 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Gen Ed Attribute: Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall.

SOC 351. Deviance. 3 Credits.

Causes and consequences of the construction and violation of social norms.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 351 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 360. Sociology of Culture. 3 Credits.

An exploration of the meaning and significance of culture in sociology, with an emphasis on the cultural context of social change.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 360 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 361. Sociology of Medicine. 3 Credits.

A sociological perspective on health, illness, and medical care.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 361 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall.

SOC 362. Sexuality in Society. 3 Credits.

The social dimensions of human sexuality.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 362 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 364. Sociology of Aging. 3 Credits.

An examination of the problems, adaptations, and contributions of the aging population.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 364 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 366. Gender, Labor and Globalization. 3 Credits.

This course uses sociological and women's and gender studies theories to understand, analyze, and present on domestic work, care work, sex work, and reproductive work as invisible and gendered labor that contributes to global economies. Through critical reading, writing, discussion, and speaking assignments, students will learn how to analyze and speak about how the experiences of international women workers change mainstream definitions of gender, labor, family, immigration, and globalization.
Gen Ed Attribute: Speaking Emphasis.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.
Cross listed courses SOC 366, WOS 366.

SOC 368. Violence, Systems, and Resistance. 3 Credits.

This course will teach students how to recognize, understand, and resist three primary forms of power-based violence that are interrelated: (1) those perpetrated by individuals, e.g. sexual assault, partner violence, mass shootings; (2) those perpetrated by hate groups, e.g. lynching, bombing, violence against trans and non-binary people; and (3) those perpetrated by the state, e.g. war, police violence. Students will study multiple forms of violence to understand the root causes and dynamics of violence (how it happens); the effects on people, families, and communities (what is the cost); and personal, community, and national resistance methodologies (what can be done about it).
Gen Ed Attribute: Interdisciplinary Requirement.
Typically offered in Spring.
Cross listed courses SOC 368, WOS 368, WOS 568.

SOC 369. Social Movements. 3 Credits.

An introduction to the study of social movements, both historical and contemporary.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 369 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 370. Social Problems. 3 Credits.

Analysis of current social disorders: urban unrest, racial tension, poverty, addictions, crime, and mental illness.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 370 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 371. Applied Social Change. 3 Credits.

Strategy and tactics of planning and guiding change in small and large-scale social systems.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 371 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 372. Globalization Across Societies and Cultures. 3 Credits.

This course draws from sociological and related theories to examine globalization as part of a larger historical process that is reshaping the global economic system and changing the role and power of nation states. We examine the mass migration of people in response to changing labor markets, the formation of new global diasporas, the emergence of a global cultural order marked by hybridity and creolization, and how globalization is experienced as a complex process in which people participate and respond in ways that shape, resist, absorb, or avoid globalization.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 372 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100 or permission of instructor.
Typically offered in Fall.

SOC 383. The Digital Self. 3 Credits.

A symbolic interactionist perspective on self development and self presentation in the digital age.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 383 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Spring & Summer.

SOC 401. Social Change. 3 Credits.

Critique of the leading models of social order and change; analysis of major transformation in Western civilization.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 401 requires a prerequisite of SOC 100.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

SOC 402. Sociology Internship. 1-3 Credits.

In an approved internship, students will gain practical experience and develop skills in professional roles while exploring potential workforce matches. Internships also provide opportunities to develop mentoring relationships, professional contacts, and they enhance student preparedness for a future in their area of interest.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 402 requires prerequisites of SOC 100, 80 credits earned, 9 credits in sociology beyond SOC 100, a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher, and a cumulative GPA in sociology courses of 3.0 or higher.
Consent: Permission of the Department required to add.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

SOC 410. Issues in Sociological Thought. 3 Credits.

Analysis of several of the key philosophical issues underlying sociological thought.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 410 requires prerequisite of SOC 300.
Typically offered in Spring.

SOC 490. Independent Studies in Sociology. 1-3 Credits.

Individual research projects, reports, and/or readings.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 490 prerequisite: Seniors only.
Consent: Permission of the Department required to add.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.
Repeatable for Credit.

SOC 491. Topical Seminar in Sociology. 3 Credits.

Special topics in theory or methodology. Topics announced in advance.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 491 requirement: Permission of instructor; juniors and seniors only.
Consent: Permission of the Department required to add.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.
Repeatable for Credit.

SOC 492. Senior Seminar in Sociology. 3 Credits.

Preparation of senior research paper.
Pre / Co requisites: SOC 492 requires a prerequisite of senior status as a sociology major.
Gen Ed Attribute: Writing Emphasis.
Typically offered in Spring.