Faculty
Professor and Chair, G. Hooks; Professors, M. Allen, D. Dillman, L. Freese, L. Gray, G. Rosa, A. Wharton; Associate Professors, L. Catanzarite, C. Horne, L. McIntyre, C. Mosher, T. Rotolo, N. Van Dyke; Assistant Professors, I. Beattie, M. Johnson, A. Jorgenson, J. Kmec, M. Konty, K. Lloyd, H. Ono, J. Schwartz; Instructors, C. Oakley, S. Rial.
Program
The graduate program in Sociology prepares candidates for professional roles by offering the degrees Master of Arts in Sociology and Doctor of Philosophy. Specialized programs exist in deviant behavior, sociology of the family, social psychology, and environmental sociology. Other specializations cover a broad range of sociological interests, such as demography, human ecology, social policy and evaluation research, community organization, social stratification. Advanced work in all specializations includes courses in theory, statistics, and research methods. Although the program prepares graduates for academic positions, increasing numbers are being placed in government and private agencies as applied sociologists.
Resources of special note which are available to students include the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center, which coordinates a variety of interdisciplinary projects including a Public Opinion Laboratory equipped for large-scale telephone surveys; a small groups research laboratory with observation rooms; a Data Processing Center with access to the campus Computing Center, and technical programming assistance. The University Library has a wealth of materials necessary for sociological study and research including the Human Relations Area files, professional journals and monographs.
Undergraduates contemplating graduate study in sociology are advised to obtain as broad an education as possible, as well as basic preparation in sociology, statistics, and research methods. Admission requirements include submission of GRE scores, three letters of recommendation and a general “Statement of Purpose.”
Sociology
510 Development of Social Theory 3 Examination of the foundations of sociological theory.
511 Theories of Social Organization 3 Major theories of social organization in historical perspective.
512 Theory Construction and Formalization 3 Testing; formalization of theoretical systems; adaptation of general models to specific problems.
517 Seminar in Contemporary Sociological Theory 3 Recent developments in sociological theory, analysis, application and appraisal of specific theoretical systems.
519 International Development and Human Resources 3 Same as Anth 519.
520 Research Methods in Sociology 3 Methodology of social research at the professional level.
521 Regression Models 3 Prereq Soc 421. Simple and multiple regression, structural equation models, non-linear applications, applications for discrete dependent variables.
522 Advanced Sociological Methods 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 12 hours. Prereq Soc 521. Scaling theory, sampling theory, experimental design, measurement of association, multivariate analysis, current methods and techniques.
523 Qualitative Methods Practicum 3 Prereq graduate standing. Introduction to qualitative research methods as used in social sciences; epistemological underpinnings and empirical techniques.
524 Sociology and Public Policy 3 Sociological theories used to consider the rationale for public policy; development of tools for policy analysis.
525 Practicum in Survey Research 3 Prereq Soc 520. Practical experience in design and implementation of telephone and mail surveys; participation in all aspects of conducting a survey.
530 Demography 3 Population studies; causes, effects, and measurement of changes in fertility, mortality, and migration; population estimation and projection.
531 Human Ecology 3 Ecosystem context of human life; change viewed ecologically; sociological use and misuse of ecological concepts; issues in theory and research.
532 Environmental Sociology 3 Societal-environmental interactions; impacts of human societies on the physical environment; environmental impacts on human behavior and social organization.
533 Social Impact Assessment 3 Sociology’s contribution to environ-mental impact assessments; methods, contents, and contexts of assessing social impacts of proposed developments. Cooperative course taught by WSU, open to UI students (RRT 504).
534 Energy and Society 3 Energy and societal evolution; energy consumption patterns and quality of life; social impacts of energy shortages and alternative energy systems.
535 Technology and Society 3 Prereq graduate standing. Analysis of sociotechnical systems; effects of technology on society; the social shaping of technologies and their environmental impacts.
536 Special Topics in Environmental Sociology V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 9 hours. Special Topics in Environmental Sociology.
542 Social Stratification: Class, Race and Gender Inequalities 3 Theoretical and empirical research in both classic stratification literature and recent scholarship on class, race/ethnicity and gender.
544 Sociology of Religion 3 Role of religion in social structure, process and change; analysis of religious behavior.
545 Sociology of Community 3 Community stability and change: inter-action processes; decision-making; societal linkages; effects on well-being.
546 Medical Sociology 3 Social influence on the perceptions of health and illness; construction of health professionals; analysis of the health care system and current policy proposals.
548 Political Sociology 3 Systematic survey of theories and the major research literature in political sociology.
550 Survey of Social Psychology 3 Survey of theories, findings, and methods; self and identities, interaction processes, socialization, emotions, gender relations, group processes and network relations.
553 Social Organization and the Family 3 The family as a social institution; principles of social organization applied to family relationships; macro-level analyses of family structure.
554 Social Psychology of the Family 3 The family as an interacting group; social psychological theories and research applied to family relationships; effects of families on individuals.
555 Sociology of Gender 3 Sociological theory and research on gender and gender inequality in American society.
556 Sociology of Aging and the Life Course Theory and research on the changes individuals undergo over the life course; influences of history, social structure, agency and social relations on lives. Cooperative course taught jointly by WSU and UI (Soc 431).
560 Problems of Deviance Theory 3 Development of theories of deviant behavior; new issues in the study of deviance.
561 Sociology of Law 3 Social factors affecting the development and maintenance of legal structures and the process of administration of justice.
567 Seminar in Crime and Delinquency 3 Contemporary theory and research in crime and delinquency.
568 Adolescent Deviance 3 Contemporary sociological theory and research in adolescent deviance; action programs, and emerging issues.
572 Socialization 3 Theories of childhood and adult socialization; personality development; symbolic interaction; learning; agents of socialization.
573 Group Processes 3 Sociological theory and research dealing with overt behavior in human interaction settings and its cognitive antecedents.
580 Sociology of Race Relations 3 Analysis of race/ethnic relations; historical and current theoretical explanations of race/ethnic relations.
590 Special Topics in Sociology 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 9 hours.
591 The Sociology Profession 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 2 hours. Requirements, operations, problems, and possibilities of the sociology profession. S, F grading.
592 Special Topics in Sociology 3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 9 hours.
593 Special Topics in Sociology V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 hours. Special topics in sociology.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study Variable credit. S, F grading.
700 Master's Research, Thesis, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
702 Master's Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination Variable credit. S, F grading.