Department of Sociology
 

Department of Sociology
College of Arts and Letters
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-4423

Location: Nasatir Hall 203
Office Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Monday - Friday
Phone: (619) 594-4826
Fax: (619) 594-1325
Mail Code: 4423
Email: sociology@sdsu.edu

Last Update 5/9/08

Graduate>Program Information>Courses

Upper Division Courses

SOC 522: The Family in Comparative and Cross-Cultural Perspectives (3)
Prerequisite: Sociology 101.  Recommended: Sociology 421.
Comparative study of selected family systems in the past and present.  Comparative analysis of major social and demographic changes in marriage and family in post-industrial nations and less developed countries.  Cross-cultural comparisons of family arrangements in contemporary America by social classes and racial-ethnic groups.

SOC 531: Working and Society (3)
Prerequisite: Sociology 101.
Structure and change in labor force, nationally and internationally.  Social drama of work: self, roles, conflict, subcultures.  Includes exploration of student work experiences, workers in the community, literacy, and film depictions of work worlds.

SOC 537: Political Sociology (3)
Prerequisite: Sociology 101.
Social organization of political processes.  Power and authority, social class, primary groups, collective behavior, social change, and other sociological factors considered in their relationships to political processes.

SOC 539: Sociology of Education (3)
Prerequisite: Sociology 101.
Social organization of education in the United States and other societies.  Structure and functions of educational institutions.  Formal and informal education.  Class, ethnic, and other social factors affecting the educational process.  Implications of educational decision making and testing.

SOC 543: Police, Courts, and Corrections: The Sociology of Crime and Punishment (3)
Prerequisite: Sociology 101.
Historical sociology of the American criminal justice system.  Developmental and functions of police, criminal courts, prisons, parole, and probation.  Theories and ideologies of punishment and rehabilitation.  Review of contemporary research.

SOC 554: United States-Mexico Transborder Populations and Social Change (3) (Same course as Chicana and Chicano Studies 554)
Prerequisite: Sociology 101.  Recommended: Chicana and Chicano Studies 355 and/or Sociology 350.
Sociology of the population at the United States-Mexico border region.  Demographic dynamics and social change in border communities.  International migration and transmigration.  Transborder families transnational families.  Gender systems and women’s reproductive health in border communities.

SOC 555: Immigrants and Refugees in Contemporary American Society (3)
Prerequisite: Sociology 101.
Contemporary migration to the United States, especially from Latin America and Asia.  Political and economic migration.  Immigrant and refugee adaptation.  Theoretical controversies, research applications, and policy implications.

SOC 596: Current Topics in Sociology (1-3)
Prerequisite: Sociology 101.
Selected specialized, controversial or currently relevant topics in sociology.  Maximum opportunity provided for student initiative in determining course content and procedures.  May be repeated with new content.  See class schedule for specific content.  Limit of nine unites of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor’s degree.  Maximum credit of six units of 596 applicable to a bachelor’s degree.  Maximum combined credit of six units of 596 and 696 applicable to a 30-unit master’s degree.

SOC 597: Investigation and Report (3) I, II
Prerequisites: Fifteen units in sociology and consent of instructor.
Analysis of special topics in sociology. Maximum credit six units .


Graduate Courses

SOC 600: Proseminar in Sociology (3)
Prerequisite: Conditional graduate standing.
Elements of profession of sociology and sociological research procedures.  Connection between theoretical perspectives and appropriate research methods.  Practice in scientific sociological writing styles to develop a master’s thesis proposal.

SOC 601: Advanced Social Theory: Core Course (3)
Prerequisite: Conditional graduate standing, Sociology 401.
Systematic treatment of the original European and American classic sociological writing.  Focus on classical theory.

SOC 602: Advanced Research Methods: Core Course (3)
Prerequisites: Conditional graduate standing, Sociology 406, 407, or 408.
Problems and techniques in social research with stress on philosophy of science, theory building, research design, measurement, and data analysis including fundamental critiques and alternatives.

SOC 605: Contemporary Sociological Theory (3)
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Sociology 401.
Examination and analysis of original works in modern/postmodern sociological theory.

SOC 607: Advanced Quantitative Methods (3)
Prerequisite: Sociology 602.
Methods used in current sociological research, including evaluation of reported findings.  Research designs appropriate to particular types of projects.  Evaluation of research in progress.  May be repeated with new content.  See Class Schedule for specific content.  Maximum credit six units applicable to a master’s degree.  (Formerly numbered Sociology 760.)

SOC 608: Advanced Qualitative Methods (3)
Prerequisites: Undergraduate upper division general methods, undergraduate qualitative methods, graduate general methods.
Data collection, analysis, and reporting in qualitative research.  Inductive and interpretive research to ethnographic field notes and interviews to find patterns in social fabric expressing life-worlds.

SOC 695: Topics in Directed Readings (3)
Prerequisite: Credit or concurrent registration in at least one core course or one seminar.
Selected reading providing coverage of social theory, social disorganization, social organization, social institutions, social psychology (sociological approaches), community research methods, population and demography, or special topics.  Maximum credit six units applicable to a master’s degree.

SOC 696: Experimental Topics (3)
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Intensive study in specific areas of sociology.  May be repeated with new content.  See  Class Schedule for specific content.  Maximum credit of six units of 696 applicable to a master’s degree.  Maximum combined credit of six units of 596 and 696 applicable to a 30-unit master’s degree.

SOC 700: Seminar in Social Theory (3)
Prerequisites: Sociology 401 and 407.
Classics of sociology, American social theory, theory construction, application of theory to research, theoretical models, sociology of knowledge, special topics.  See Class Schedule for specific content.  May be repeated with new content.  Maximum credit six units applicable to a master’s degree.
Past seminar topics: Labor; Theory, Race, & Ethnicity; Social Class in America

SOC 710: Teaching Sociology (3)
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Techniques of lecturing, leading student-centered exercises, evaluation, teaching from a multicultural perspective, and other pedagogical skills related to teaching sociology at the college level.  Development of teaching portfolios and course materials including syllabi, examinations, and writing assignments.

SOC 730: Seminar in Social Institutions (3)
Prerequisites: Sociology 407 and 430.
The family and kinship, political organization, economic organization, religion, education, industry, occupations and professions, social stratification, special topics.  See Class Schedule for specific content.  May be repeated with new content.  Maximum credit six units applicable to a master’s degree.
Past seminar topics: Globilization & Ethics; Gender & Media; Higher Education; Political Institution

SOC 740: Seminar in Social Psychology: Sociological Approaches (3)
Prerequisites: Sociology 407 and 410.
Socialization, role theory, motivation, perception, self, social context of personality, attitude theory, interaction, language and symbolic process, social types, collective behavior, small groups, special topics.  May be repeated with new content.  See Class Schedule for specific content.  Maximum credit six units applicable to a master’s degree.
Past seminar topics: Immigration; Collective Behavior; Ethnic/National Identities

SOC 743: Seminar in Criminology and Criminal Justice Theory (3)
Prerequisites: Graduate standing, 12 graduate units, Sociology 401.
History of criminological theory and review of leading contemporary theories of crime and criminal justice with focus on interconnection among social context, theory, and policy making.

SOC 796: Field Practicum (3) Cr/NC
Prerequisites: Sociology 601, 602, and either 603 or 604.
Supervised field placement in community agency.  Application of sociological theories and methods to policy and research needs of agency.  Maximum credit six units applicable to a master’s degree.

SOC 797: Research (3) Cr/NC
Prerequisite: Sociology 407.
Independent investigation of special topics.  Maximum credit six units applicable to a master’s degree.

SOC 798: Special Study (1-3) Cr/NC/RP
Prerequisite: Consent of staff, to be arranged with department chair and instructor.
Individual study.  Maximum credit six units applicable to a master’s degree.

SOC 799A: Thesis (3) Cr/NC/RP
Prerequisites: An officially appointed thesis committee and advancement to candidacy.
Preparation of a project or thesis for the master’s degree.

SOC 799B: Thesis Extension (0) Cr/NC
Prerequisite: Prior registration in Thesis 799A with an assigned grade symbol or RP.
Registration required in any semester or term following assignment of RP in Course 799A in which the student expects to use the facilities and resources of the university; also student must be registered in the course when the completed thesis is granted final approval.

Current Course Schedule



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