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2019-2020 Academic Catalog 
    
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2019-2020 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

Course Numbering System

The following lists include all courses normally offered at Albion College. However, not all courses are offered every year. When possible, courses offered in alternate years are designated. For details, students should consult the Class Schedule for each semester, available online at: www.albion.edu/registrar. The College reserves the right to add or withdraw courses without prior announcement, as conditions may require.

Unless otherwise stated, 100 level courses are intended for freshmen, 200 level for sophomores, 300 and 400 level for juniors and seniors.

A list of courses which meet the core and category requirements, organized by departments, is available online at www.albion.edu/registrar.

Further information may be obtained at the Registrar’s Office in the Ferguson Student, Technology, and Administrative Services Building.
 

Sociology
  

  • SOC 101: An Introduction to Sociology

    (1 Unit)
    Provides students with the analytic tools for adopting a sociological perspective in order to better understand their own lives and the lives of others. Emphasis on how sociologists think about the social world, how they research that world, and what we know about the social world based on sociological research. From our most personal experiences such as our identities and our interactions with others to the broader organization of institutions such as family, government, media, religion, economy and education, students will be encouraged to explore how social forces shape their own experiences and life chances and the experiences and life chances of others. Melzer, Verduzco-Baker, Staff.
  

  • SOC 187: Selected Topics

    (1/4 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SOC 188: Selected Topics

    (1/2 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SOC 189: Selected Topics

    (1 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SOC 222: Sociology of Childhood

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101  or ANTH 105 or permission of instructor.
    Uses sociological theory and research findings to examine childhood and adolescence as historical constructs and social contexts (rather than developmental moments) and children as social actors in their own right (not only adults in the making). Pays particular attention to how race, class and gender shape experiences of childhood as we investigate what it means to be a child or adolescent in the United States, how children’s lives are shaped by their social contexts and how children as social actors shape the worlds in which they live. Verduzco-Baker.
  

  • SOC 225: Criminology

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101  or ANTH 105 or permission of instructor.
    An introduction to the sociological study of crime, including varying definitions, causes, consequences, and societal responses. Scrutinizes multiple criminological theories (structural and interactionist), research methods, patterns in crime data, and public perception/media coverage, placing crime in a socio-historical context. Issues include criminal occupations, property crime, victimless crime, organized crime, white-collar crime, gangs, sex offenders, intimate violence and capital punishment. Melzer.
  

  • SOC 228: Cities & Urban Life

    (1 Unit)
    ANTH 105 or SOC 101, or permission of instructor.
    Today, over half of the world’s people live in urban areas, and there is every indication that the future of human society will be dominated by cities. Increasingly, then, the study of society is the study of urban society. This course examines the spatial organization of contemporary cities, their internal structure, their place in the world system, the persistent issue of concentrated urban poverty and other social problems endemic to modern cities. Special attention will be given to the experiences of inner-city minority populations. Schoene.
  

  • SOC 230: Men and Masculinities

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101 , or Women’s and Gender Studies 111, or permission of instructor.
    Examines how people are transformed into boys/men who interact in the social world through shared gendered meanings. Analyzes various socio-historical constructions of masculinity both in the United States and beyond, paying particular attention to how these differ over time, across cultures and within subcultures. Focuses on gender as a central organizing principle of society, and how this socially constructed characteristic affects individuals, society and, quite literally, the world. Discusses structural inequalities, cultural similarities and differences, intersectionality, and individual issues related to masculinities. (This is an Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program course, whereby Albion College students travel to a local correctional facility to join incarcerated students for a semester long seminar.) Melzer.
  

  • SOC 235: Global Transformations

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: ANTH 105  or SOC 101 or permission of instructor.
    Is “globalization” just a marketing slogan or does it actually describe a process involving profound change in life on this planet? Topics include communication and transportation technologies, political and economic developments, commerce and consumerism in the modern world. Considers relationships between the global and the local and explores whether the changes associated with globalization are best considered as progress or problem. Staff.
  

  • SOC 247: Sociology of Terrorism

    (1 Unit)
    ANTH 105 or SOC 101, or permission of instructor.
    Terrorism has emerged as one of the major destabilizing elements of globalization, and remains a persistent problem in the modern world. This course serves as an introduction to the sociological study of terrorism. Topics include the economic, environmental, cultural and social conditions that lead to terrorism, the behavior of terrorist actors, cross-national networks of terror, the relationship between terrorists and mass media, and the world’s response both to ideologies of terror and specific incidents of terror. Schoene.
  

  • SOC 280: Children of Immigrants

    (1 Unit)
    SOC 101 or ETHN 103 or ANTH 105 or permission of instructor.
    Same as ETHN 280 . Verduzco-Baker, Staff.
  

  • SOC 287: Selected Topics

    (1/4 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. May be taken more than once for credit. Staff.
  

  • SOC 288: Selected Topics

    (1/2 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. May be taken more than once for credit. Staff.
  

  • SOC 289: Selected Topics

    (1 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. May be taken more than once for credit. Staff.
  

  • SOC 312: Sociological Theory

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101  and junior standing, or permission of instructor.
    An overview of sociological theory from classical to contemporary, and an assessment of how these theories frame research and analysis. Theorists range from the foundational work of Marx, Durkheim and Weber, to the more recent work of Parsons, Goffman and a number of critical and post-structuralist authors. Highly recommended for students who intend to do graduate work in the social sciences. Verduzco-Baker.
  

  • SOC 323: Qualitative Social Research

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101  and junior standing, or permission of instructor.
    An overview of qualitative social research methods with a focus on three key forms: ethnography, document analysis and interview. Examines research design and a variety of types of data collection and analysis as well as considering ethical issues in social research. Students design and carry out their own research project based on that semester’s theme. Verduzco-Baker.
  

  • SOC 324: Quantitative Social Research

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101  and junior standing, or permission of instructor.
    An overview of quantitative social research methods and statistics. Topics include problem formulation and connection between theories and research; research designs, measurement and sampling techniques; ethical issues in research; data processing and data analysis with discussion of descriptive statistics; hypothesis testing and chi-square tests of significance; correlation; and multiple regression models. Students design and carry out their own independent research projects in addition to an extensive application of SPSS in laboratory assignments using secondary data. Staff.
  

  • SOC 328: Global Urbanism

    (1 Unit)
    ANTH 105 or SOC 101, or permission of instructor.
    Over half of the world’s population currently resides in cities. Furthermore, 90% of all future population growth is projected to take place in cities of the developing world. This course serves as an examination of global urban development with a special focus on the geopolitical South. Topics include the divergent development pathways of Western and Global cities, post-colonial cities, urban labor markets, rural-urban migration, cities in crisis, slum housing, urban infrastructure, urban governance and others. Students will have the opportunity to carry out their own project analyzing a social problem in a city of their choosing. Schoene.
  

  • SOC 333: The Sociology of Sex and Gender

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101  or ANTH 105  or WGS 111, or permission of instructor.
    Examines the social construction and social consequences of gender difference and gender inequality with a specific focus on the United States. Gender theory and research will be used to explore masculinity and femininity as identities, as behavioral expectations and as organizing features of social life. Covers belief systems; broad social institutions such as family, employment, media and health; experiences of sexuality and violence; and individual behavior such as personal styles and modes of interacting with others. Focuses on how gender as an organizing feature of social life benefits some and is disadvantageous to others, paying special attention to how race, ethnicity, class and sexuality intersect with gender. Gender theory and research will be used to explore masculinity and femininity as identities, as behavioral expectations and as organizing features of social life. Melzer.
  

  • SOC 345: Race and Ethnicity

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101  or ANTH 105  or ETHN 103 or permission of instructor.
    Alternative theories of racial and ethnic relations, and their application to groups within the United States. Particular attention will be focused on the reasons for ethnic conflict and strategies for conflict resolution. Verduzco-Baker.
  

  • SOC 352: European Integration

    (1 Unit)
    SOC 101 or ANTH 105 and junior standing or permission of instructor.
    This course provides an in-depth examination of contemporary European issues post-1989. Of special interest will be the social challenges of integrating vastly disparate societies into an economic, political and social union. Europe, both as a continent and an idea, stands at a crossroads. The course will begin with an overview of the purpose of new Pan-European intuitions and the competing forces of integration and resistance. Next, the course explores various social problems Europe as a whole must confront: peace & security, economic crisis, belonging and exclusion, fertility and others. Finally, the course concludes by examining the potential future of European society. Schoene.
  

  • SOC 356: Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101  and junior standing or permission of instructor.
    The study of the relationship between personal experiences and society. Explores how our sense of self, identity, subjective experience, feelings, beliefs, and relationships to and interactions with others are shaped by and influence social life. Focuses on theoretical traditions and trends within micro-sociology and their applications and usefulness for empirical research. Special attention will be paid to connecting the micro-workings of social life to larger institutional, cultural and political processes and issues. Melzer.
  

  • SOC 360: Intimate Violence

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisites: SOC 101  or WGS 111 and junior standing or permission of instructor.
    Examines violence between intimates, primarily (but not solely) within the United States, covering a range of interpersonal relationships (children, parents, spouses, partners, acquaintances, siblings, etc.) as well as various forms of abuse (emotional, physical, neglect, sexual assault/rape, etc.) Traces intimate violence socio-historically, including theoretical, methodological, empirical and applied issues and debates within the field. Analyzes the incidence and prevalence of intimate violence, and, in the process, attempts to identify causes and solutions. Focuses on the importance of structural gender inequality in shaping individuals’ violent behavior and the degree to which gender inequality influences various forms of violence. Melzer.
  

  • SOC 370: Social Mobility and Inequity

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: SOC 101  or ANTH 105  and junior standing or permission of instructor.
    An examination of the changing patterns of social stratification within the U.S. since World War II. Topics include income and wealth inequality, education and social mobility, the reorganization of the workplace, poverty and social welfare. Verduzco-Baker.
  

  • SOC 387: Selected Topics

    (1/4 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SOC 388: Selected Topics

    (1/2 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SOC 389: Selected Topics

    (1 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • SOC 391: Internship

    (1/2 Unit)
    Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Staff.
  

  • SOC 392: Internship

    (1 Unit)
    Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Staff.
  

  • SOC 401: Seminar

    (1/2 Unit)
    Staff.
  

  • SOC 402: Seminar

    (1 Unit)
    Staff.
  

  • SOC 408: Senior Paper

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: Senior standing, a major in the department.
    An intensive study and written paper emphasizing a topic in either anthropology or sociology. Staff.
  

  • SOC 411: Directed Study

    (1/2 Unit)
    Staff.
  

  • SOC 412: Directed Study

    (1 Unit)
    Staff.