The Senior Capstone Experience in sociology is asignificant piece of independent research,generally in the form of a thesis, undertaken byeach senior with the guidance and mentorship of adepartment faculty member. The SCE integrates thediverse learning that students have accomplishedthroughout their undergraduate years, not onlywithin the major, but also across the liberal artsand sciences. The range both of topics and methodsis broad. The Capstone Experience is based on atopic of the student's choosing, with the guidanceof a faculty member to assure that it is bothsignificant and capable of completion in the timeavailable. Work on the Sociology Capstone issupported by some of the work of the SociologySenior Seminar, SOC 491, taken during the fallsemester. A more extensive description of the SCEis available from the department chair. Discussionof a joint thesis, undertaken by a student withtwo majors, can be found in the section DoubleMajors, Minors, andConcentrations/Specializations within theAcademic Program portion of this Catalog.

Introduction to basic concepts and theories insociology concerning the nature of society,culture, and personality. Consideration of socialprocesses, groups, and institutions found inmodern American society. Specific topics includedeviance and social control, social networks,bureaucracy, families, education, race, socialclass and gender.

This course introduces the major concepts, tools,and debates of Public Health through anexploration of issues in this interdisciplinaryfield including health inequities, historical andongoing strategies for control of communicable andnoncommunicable diseases, and connections betweensocial structures and the distribution of diseasefrom a Public Health perspective. Students acquirebasic knowledge, attitudes, and skills that areimportant for Public Health practice. This courseis one of the two required courses for the PublicHealth minor.

Topics not regularly offered in a department'snormal course offerings, chosen based on currentstudent interest and faculty expertise. Graded A-Fand Pass/Fail.

This course studies historical aspects of familyformation and function as well as contemporarypatterns of the institution and individualexperiences. Theory and research dealing withcourtship, marriage, children and parenting, anddisorganization of the modern family is examined.

Course examines sex, gender, sexuality, and theirintersections with other statuses. The effects ofgender on individuals' statuses and opportunitystructures is considered as are the impacts ofinteractions and institutional patterns. Focus oncontemporary American responses to sex and gender.

This course examines the structure of socialstratification in the U.S. from variousperspectives and from micro- and macro-levels ofanalysis. This course is based on the sevenstatuses (race, social class, gender,physical/mental ability, religion, sexualorientation and age) that most significantlydetermine who gets what in American society.Historical and contemporary examples highlightedin readings and discussion range from medicine,law, education, the family, the military, housing,food security, and other.

An overview of how scholars of sociology andcriminology analyze and understand the frequencyof crime, criminal patterns, varieties of criminaloffending, characteristics of criminal offenders,and theories of criminal offending. This coursecovers the core concepts related to criminologicalstudy, the nature and frequency of crime, patternsof criminal offending, victims, public fear ofcrime, criminological theory, and the criticalevaluation of different types of crimes includingviolent, economic, public disorder, and terrorism.

Examines reciprocal relationships of society andthe individual, and of the nature of face-to-facehuman interaction. Introduces key concepts,theories, and methodologies of sociologicalsocialpsychology. Students read, analyze, and performresearch that explores the ways in which societyaffects individuals and groups; how individualsand groups, reciprocally, influence society; howindividuals interpret and negotiate the socialworld; and the influence individuals and groupshave on others.

Global Health Disparities offers a cross culturalcomparative analysis of the definitions of healthand health care delivery, as well as an overviewof specific chronic and acute health issues. Thecourse addresses global health broadly and focuseson global health disparity. We analyze disparitywith a multidisciplinary perspective, evaluatingthe political, economic, and sociocultural aspectsof health inequality. This course is one of thetwo required courses for the Public Health minor.

The department encourages students with priorcourses in sociology to develop, with a member ofthe department, internship opportunities. Studentsinterested in pursuing internships should readInternships and Other opportunities, in thisCatalog. In addition to the requirements listedthere, interns should expect to write a paperdescribing their experiences, as relevant tosociology, and connected to a reading list to bedeveloped and agreed upon by the intern and thesupervising faculty member. Prerequisite:Sociology 101 and permission of the departmentchair. 45 hours are required per credit.

Topics not regularly offered in a department'snormal course offerings, chosen based on currentstudent interest and faculty expertise. Graded A-Fand Pass/Fail.

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty memberand a student, researching a topic of interestthat is relevant to a student's major or minor.Research is conducted on campus. Students must beenrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-For Pass/Fail.

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty memberand a student, researching a topic of interestthat is relevant to a student's major or minor.Research is conducted on campus. Students must beenrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-For Pass/Fail. 45 hours are required per credit.

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty memberand a student allowing the student to study atopic of interest that is presently not offered atWC. 45 hours are required per credit.

The study of the leading social thinkers from1800 to the present and the associated theoreticalperspectives with an emphasis on contemporaryapplications of sociological theory.

Introduction to the methods used in studyingsociety. Selection of research topic,experimentaldesign, sampling, methods of data collection,statistical analysis of findings.

Washington Center Interns participate in anevening seminar selected from a variety of topicsoffered during the semester. STudents engage inclass discussion and may also research seminartopics, prepare written asignments, and takeexaminarions. Required of and limited to studentsenrolled in SOC 327. Three credits.

Washington Center Interns participate in lectures,site visits, small group discussions, briefings,and other required events designed to help themunderstand the connection between their academicand professional goals and the special educationalopportunities available through living and workingin Washington, DC. Evaluations of theseexperiences are included in the student portfolio.Required of and limited to students enrolled inSOC 327. One credit.

Victimology broadens criminological scholarship byfocusing on the vitims, rather that theperpetrators of crime. Students are introduced tothe multifaceted issue of victimization in theU.S. including victimization theories, trendsin criminal victimization, treatment of victimsin the criminal justice system, victim supportissues, and the victimization of certainsubgroups in the population.

This course explores variant behavior in a varietyof contexts including crime, body modifications,gender and sexual identity, and health behaviors.We regard deviance not as bad behavior, but asbehavior contrary to norms. Deviance is examinedas a conceptual category that is sociallyconstructed by interactions and reactions tocertain types of behavior be they biological,social, or both. Students analyze the processesand social agencies that define, detect, andsanction variant behavior over time.

This course examines four major questionsassociated with punishment in the United States:1.) Why do we punish? 2.) Who do we punish? 3.)How do we punish? 4.) What are the consequences ofpunishment? To answer these questions, studentsexplore ideas related to sociology, criminologyphilosophy, law, history, to assess the ethics andutility of punishment and the problems punishmentcreates for society and offenders.

This course places women at the forefront whenexamining all facets of crime, victimization, andthe institutions that handle both victims andoffenders. To fully explore the issue, this courseis split into four units that explore women asvictims, women as perpetrators, women who are incustody of the criminal justice system, and womenwho work in the criminal justice system.

This course explores a broad range of topicsrelated to gang activity in the United States andabroad. Topics include: historical, theoreticaland socioeconomic processes leading to gangformation, gang activities and typologies, gangmembership and organization, gender roles withingangs, and social problems associated with gangs.

A sociological exploration of youth, crime, andthe juvenile justice system in the United States. A wide variety of topics are covered, includingthe history, philosophy and contemporary contextof the juvenile court, shifting patterns andtrends relative to juvenile offending and crime,sociological theories accounting for involvementand deterrence from juvenile delinquency, theapplication of the rule of law to juvenileoffending, and the effectiveness of rehabilitativeprogramming in response to youthful offenders. Thecourse covers the history of adolescence, youthculture, explanations for delinquency, the effectsof race, class, and gender on delinquency, therelationship between institutions, particularlyfamily and school, and delinquency and theinteraction between juveniles and the criminaljustice system.

This course will apply the sociologicalperspective to various topics regarding mentalhealth and illness. The course will cover topicssuch as the social construction of mental illness,the social epidemiology and epidemiology of mentalillness, labeling and stigma of those with amental illness, and mental healthpolicy/treatment.

This class explores the human dimension ofecosystem science. We use environmental sociologyas a framework for understanding the dynamicrelationship between humans and the environment,trends in environmental policy and public opinion,environmentalism as a social movement,human-induced environmental decline, andenvironmental justice. Students explore howchanges in ecosystems influence the achievabilityand sustainability of societal values such assecurity from natural disasters, health, goodsocial relations, and freedom to pursue personaland cultural interests.

This course offers students a broad understandingof contemporary social problems and the socialwelfare policies, programs and services designedto address them. The history, individual andsocial consequences, and programmatic approachesto the amelioration of each social problem area isexplored. A primary goal of this course is tointroduce students to the profession of socialwork: its fields of practice, values and ethics. This course integrates core social workcompetencies and has particular relevance tostudents considering practice, administrative orpolicy careers in the helping professions.

The department encourages students with priorcourses in sociology to develop, with a member ofthe department, internship opportunities. Studentsinterested in pursuing internships should readInternships and Other opportunities, in thisCatalog. In addition to the requirements listedthere, interns should expect to write a paperdescribing their experiences, as relevant tosociology, and connected to a reading list to bedeveloped and agreed upon by the intern and thesupervising faculty member. Prerequisite:Sociology 101 and permission of the departmentchair. 45 hours are required per credit.

Topics not regularly offered in a department'snormal course offerings, chosen based on currentstudent interest and faculty expertise. Graded A-Fand Pass/Fail.

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty memberand a student allowing the student to study atopic of interest that is presently not offered atWC. 45 hours are required per credit.

This course examines the expectations,opportunities, and rewards as well as thelimitations that men and women face in paid andunpaid labor. The historical contexts of work,the intersection of race and gender, the balancingof paid and unpaid labor, and global patterns ofwork with respect to gender are studied.

This course evaluates the social, psychological,and biological changes that occur with aging andhow these changes affect interactions betweenolder people and their family, friends, home,community, and society. Special attention is givento the sociological aspects of aging and theimpact the increasing older adult population hason the US today. The course takes classroomlearning and apply it to real world experiencesthrough a significant service-learning project.Students should be prepared to spend 20 hours in acommunity-based project during the course of thesemester.

An examination of bodies as a source of power,repression, and subjugation, a medium forexpression, and an entity to be controlled. Thiscourse investigates how the body is influenced bysocial forces, the meanings attached to the bodyand particular body parts, the ways in which weexperience our own bodies in contemporarysociety,and the significance of the body for thediscipline of sociology. Includes study ofcharacteristics such as body size, physicalability, race, and sex as well as various formsofelected or forced body modification.

A study of the organization and operation ofsocial agencies. Field experience in welfare workunder professional supervision.

A study of the organization and operation ofsocial agencies. Field experience in welfareworkunder professional supervision.

The department encourages students with priorcourses in sociology to develop, with a member ofthe department, internship opportunities. Studentsinterested in pursuing internships should readInternships and Other opportunities, in thisCatalog. In addition to the requirements listedthere, interns should expect to write a paperdescribing their experiences, as relevant tosociology, and connected to a reading list to bedeveloped and agreed upon by the intern and thesupervising faculty member. Prerequisite:Sociology 101 and permission of the departmentchair. 45 hours are required per credit.

Students will meet for 75 minutes each week in thefall semester of their senior year for generalguidance in the Capstone process, for integrationof the undergraduate educational experience, andfor guidance in the transition from undergraduatestudy to employment and to post-BA academic work.Participation in the Senior Seminar is arequirement of the major and counts towards theoverall SCE grade.

Topics not regularly offered in a department'snormal course offerings, chosen based on currentstudent interest and faculty expertise. Graded A-Fand Pass/Fail.

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty memberand a student, researching a topic of interestthat is relevant to a student's major or minor.Research is conducted on campus. Students must beenrolled before the research can begin. Graded A-For Pass/Fail. 45 hours are required per credit.

An agreement between a sponsoring faculty memberand a student allowing the student to study atopic of interest that is presently not offered atWC. 45 hours are required per credit.