Courses
Course numbers are listed in ( ) after the course title. All courses are three credits unless otherwise noted. To see the degree requirements for a bachelor's degree in Sociology, please click here.
Crime and Deviance (2300)
Why do crime? Why violate the trust of others? Why kill loved ones, or risk everything to steal a few dollars? Beginning with evolutionary theory and ending with a look at white collar crime in the electronic workplace, we take an explicit and often shocking look at many forms of deviance and the advantages that people gain by flouting conventions and breaking laws.
Criminal Justice (3700)
Why make laws? Why punish others for being free? Why humiliate people for following their consciences? Beginning with Mosaic law and ending with current moral panics over drug use, school shootings, and child molestation, we learn why every society must have crime, why we so often erupt into terror over crime waves that don't exist, and why we take so much pleasure in persecuting each other. We also study the criminal justice system: the history of policing, prisons, and criminal law.
Criminology (3800)
The study of motives for and situations conducive to crime, this course reviews major theories of crime and methods for its study. Focus on specific crimes may vary by semester, but the role of inequality in the shaping of crime remains central.
Cultural Theory (2010)
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or Instructor's Consent. This course lays the theoretical foundation for understanding contemporary cultural phenomena. Explanations of the production and consumption of culture, along with those of symbolic boundaries and authenticity will be examined in tandem with an analysis of modern and postmodern cultures. The goal of this course is to provide a foundation that facilitates more effective studies of specific cultural milieus.
Deviance (2300)
This course focuses on dissidents, those labeled mentally ill, sexual and religious minorities, gamblers, addicts, and other non criminal deviants. It studies the role of public stigma in the maintenance of both solidarity and inequality, as well as the consequences for those labeled deviant.
Emotions (2990)
We study the ways in which people inspire and constrain emotional display. This includes conflicts over what counts as 'natural' vs. 'sick' expression, and the different levels among groups of sympathy, pride, shame, and anger. Some people draw more respect, and others endure more shame. We study who, why, and what that means for their lives. [Not regularly offered]
Environment (3600)
We study the ways in which society and nature don't always work in perfect harmony. The course will cover such topics as ecological sustainability, economic development, environmental destruction and crises. We read documents central to the emergence of environmentalism, take field trips relevant to problems, and study concepts relevant to finding solutions.
Family Problems and Social Change (3260)
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or Instructor's consent. This course in family problems is sociological in focus and specifically addresses how families are influenced by the social and economic context in which they exist. It will address major historical transformations in society (i.e. social change) and corresponding family change. This course is organized in three main sections. The first section of the course approaches families historically and geographically, examining Western family patterns prior to the Industrial Revolution. It examines changes in family forms beginning with the 18th century and resulting in the nuclear family form of the 19th century. In reviewing families of the 20th and 21st century, we will discuss patterns of fertility, divorce, remarriage, 'singlehood,' women's labor force participation, and accompanying structural and cultural changes that coincide with these changing patterns of organization. The second section examines multiple family forms, including but not limited to variations based on ethnicity/race, class, and sexual orientation. The final section of the course examines specific problems contemporary families face, including family violence, child and elder care, and equitable division of labor in the home.
Food and Culture
This course studies the ways in which people organize eating. Topics include dieting, addiction, fat, religious rituals, health, body images, and great recipes.
Gender (3200)
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or Instructor's consent. What does it mean to be a 'real man' or a 'real woman' in the contemporary United States? How does that meaning vary across societies or historical eras? How are masculinities and femininities shaped by social factors such as race/ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation? Gender plays and important part of our lives as individuals, but also structures life within U.S. society and throughout the world. This course will focus on gender socialization, practices, and inequalities in the United States and globally. Specifically, we will examine the influence of gender in interpersonal relationships, at work, in education, in families, and in other areas of social life.
Inequality (3400)
Prerequisites: SOC 1010, SOC 2200 or instructor's consent. An analysis of the dimensions of stratification in American society, namely, race, class, and gender. It will also discuss occupational prestige, class and social change, socialization and values, structural opportunities for social mobility, class consciousness and class conflict, and the underclass and American public policy.
Introduction to Sociology (1010)
Sociology is the study of human groups, organizations, and societies and the patterns of similarity and difference among them. It includes but is not limited to the study of culture, inequality, gender, race, religion, the economy, sexuality, and family life. This course will explore sociological ways of seeing the world, provide you with tools for understanding your own social position and the context in which you live, and fuel your passion for a just, peaceful, and diverse society.
Law and Society (2450) (proposed course)
This course is designed to utilize sociological concepts and methods to examine the relationship between the legal system and other institutions in society. We will consider the importance of law in shaping our social existence and explore the way laws are structured by people, ideas, and social conditions. During the semester, you will be given the opportunity to: (1) examine historical influences on the role of law in society3 (2) isolate contexts and social forces which shape the creation of laws; (3) analyze compatible and competing theoretical explanations used to justify laws, and (4) perfect and demonstrate meaningful exchange of ideas through both written and verbal communication skills.
Men, Masculinity, and the Movies (3020)
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or Instructor's consent. This course examines men and masculinities from a sociological perspective. It uses cultural representations of boys/men from a variety of media (e.g., music videos, magazines, television, and film) as a framework for analyzing boys'/men's lived experiences (e.g., in interpersonal relationships, at work, in education, in families). It examines the processes by which boys, men, and masculinities are shaped within different socio-historical contexts and by social factors such as race/ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation. Ultimately, it offers theoretical explanations related to the social construction of masculinities.
Politics of Knowledge (3100)
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or Instructor's consent. This course looks into how the media shapes our knowledge of politics. The symbolism and layers of meaning embedded in political and other types of media commentary will be analyzed using various theoretical frameworks such as the sociology of knowledge, social constructionism, structuralism, critical theory, and postmodernity. Foundational works taken up could include readings by Foucault, Merton, Mannheim, and Habermas along with more contemporary readings of politics, media, and popular culture.
Popular Culture (3650)
Our mass media carry our most popular ideas. What do our modern myths suggest about our collective conscience? How can we study them and the effects that might they have? This course stresses structural genre study and features an unblinking look at some of the most controversial elements of our shared culture. It's not for the faint of heart. Themes vary by term.
Practicum in Sociology (4900)
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor required. A specially arranged course designed to give the student practical experience in work settings related to sociology. Students are assigned to an area of interest to them and their work is supervised by a field supervisor and the course supervisor. A minimum of 100 hours in the agency is required. Grading is on a Pass/ Fail basis. Only three hours of practicum may be applied to the minor.
Race and Ethnic Relations (3450)
Diversity of people gives creativity and strength to U.S. society, but also the most passionate conflicts and acute suffering of many of our citizens. This course will examine a number of racial and ethnic groups including African Americans, American Indians, Latinos, and Asian Americans, to determine the major patterns of conflict and accommodation with the dominant culture. We will use social science perspectives to gain insight into the personal, group, and larger social structural issues related to ethnicity and ethnic violence and cleansing. We will see how we can reduce racial and ethnic tensions and discrimination, and enjoy and celebrate our diversity.
Religion (3220)
All societies have religion, and all depend upon it for solidarity. How does religion provide this and why does it also generate conflict? We examine the elements common to all world religions and focus on the relationship between Protestantism and its competitors.
Research Methods (2250)
Prerequisites: SOC 1010 and MTH 115, or instructor's consent. An introduction to the basic skills necessary in conducting empirical research in the social sciences. Topics covered will include the logic of science in sociology, literature reviews, design and measurement, use of primary and secondary data, ethical issues in research, and writing research reports. This course will be offered every spring.
Schools & Society: The Sociology of Education (3000)
Prerequisite: SOC 101 or consent of instructor. The role of education in modern industrial life. The contributions of various theories to understanding how schools affect the individual and relate to the economy, families, race, ethnicity, and social class.
Social Movements (3350)
Societies usually change by virtue of technological progress and economic thrusts into new markets. Sometimes these changes come packaged in the form of mass protest. Who joins such protests and why? What makes them effective? This course takes a hard look at controversial disruptions of racial caste systems, sexual exploitation, the labor market, and family life.
Social Problems (2020)
Pre or co requisite: SOC 1010. Throughout American history, social critics have perceived aspects of social life as 'problematic.' Things are no different today, although what we define as 'social problems' has changed. This course is designed as an introduction to the sociology of social problems with a focus on social problems within contemporary U.S. society (although some problems will be examined within a global context). Topics may include crime, rape, poverty, AIDS, drug use, eating disorders, and war, among others. Our emphasis will be on analyzing and understanding social problems (and the discourse about them) from various theoretical perspectives. The central theme of the course concerns power and inequality. We will examine how people 'create' social problems by constructing and reproducing social relationships of power and domination over others, especially via race, class, and gender. We will specifically address the social construction of problems by the media and how people create a collective understanding of social problems.
Social Psychology (3300)
Prerequisites: PSY 110 and PSY 240 or SOC 225 or SWK 205. (Same as PSY 330. See PSY 330 for course description.)
Sociology of Film (3140)
This course examines the history of the film industry and the significance of films in the cultural history of the United States. In particular, it focuses on the influence of social conditions on the film industry and the content of films.
Sociology of Health and Illness (3230)
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or instructor's consent. People often view illness and disease as individual issues. Individuals get sick, get diseases, and are treated by (individual) physicians. However, social contexts shape the way we view and experience illness. For experience, our social context affects our ability to obtain health insurance, our chance of contracting contagious diseases, and the type of health behaviors (e.g., cigarette smoking, healthy eating) that we practice. Topics include but are not limited to: The history of medical sociology, the subjective experience of health, the organization of health care, inequality in health care access by race, class, age, or gender, health and illness behavior, disability and mental illness, alternative medicine, birthing and midwifery, health policy, death and dying, HIV/AIDS, and medical ethics.
Sociology of Music (3120)
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or Instructor's consent. Several sociological perspectives are used to understand the role of music in society including how music is produced, the social meaning people give it, the role of music as a marker of social status, how people of diverse backgrounds cooperate to make music, and the scenes that foster innovative music. Together these will help us generate hypotheses about the future of music. Music of diverse sorts, from disco to country, jazz, classical, hip-hop, and techno, will be used to show these and related processes. The main focus of this course will be on the development of popular music over the last half of the century.
Sociology of Photography and Social Change (3160)
In this course, students observe various communities with needs in the Nashville area such as soup kitchens, prisons, retirement homes, homeless shelters, schools, and so on. Students document the experiences of those within these communities through photographic essays. Moreover, they link their observations/documentation with key readings about social problems. Students are encouraged to think of themselves as agents of social change.
Special Topics in Criminal Justice (3890) (proposed course)
This course designation offers focused study of special topics, such as the sociology of prisons, media violence, terrorism, corrections, policing in society, or the relations between deviance and particular forms of inequality. It seems wise to designate a specific CJ course number for the CJ special topics courses to differentiate them from the culture special topics courses (listed as Soc 3900). This distinction will help us avoid processing sub forms unnecessarily since CJ majors need CJ classes, specifically.
Special Topics in General Education: Sociology (1100)
These courses are designed to provide special topic classes in sociology approved for the general education program.
Theories of Deviance (2150) (proposed course)
An examination of the social causes and consequences of delinquency, criminality, addiction, insanity, social unconventionality, and other deviant behavior. The course also explores differing views on the subject throughout history.
Theory (2200)
Prerequisite: SOC 1010. An analysis of macro-social theories including Marx, Durkheim, and Weber, and micro-social theories including symbolic interaction, role theory, and social exchange theory. This course will be offered every fall.
The Urban Community (3550)
Prerequisite: SOC 101. Sociology as a discipline links history and biography in an attempt to understand the larger structural phenomena in place. In this class, the social phenomena is the urban community. You will be asked to explore the way in which history and biography link to a particular area of the Nashville community, specifically addressing concerns of space, place and identity provided through art, in the development of the urban community. This course is an introduction to experiencing and understanding the relationship between culture and community, while specifically highlighting the role of art and the urban identity. Students will examine their role as participants in the culture of design---through production, consumption and interpretation---and should gain a heightened appreciation for the complex ways that aesthetics, the creative process, and the discipline of design itself affect their knowledge of all aspects of visual culture.
