Sociology

Professors Linda Haas, John T. Liell (Emeritus), Suzanne K. Steinmetz, Joseph T. Taylor (Emeritus), Colin Williams

Associate Professors Robert Aponte, David Ford, Carol Gardner, William Gronfein, Ain Haas, David Moller, Timothy Owens, Robert White, Patricia Wittberg

Assistant Professors Wan-Ning Bao, Jay Howard, Eric Wright

Adjunct Professors Professor J. Herman Blake, Assistant Professor Elfriede Wedam

Lecturer James Hunter

Academic Advising: Cavanaugh Hall 303, (317) 274-8981

The Department of Sociology has a two-fold mission: (1) to provide courses in sociology to all segments of the university, thereby acquainting the general student with the unique perspective and uses of sociology; and (2) to prepare sociology majors for advanced study or careers in sociology or related fields.

The courses of the department are designed to take advantage of the unique resources of an urban campus. The curriculum emphasizes the applied aspects of sociology as well as those segments of sociology necessary for advanced study. Courses in sociology serve to broaden the understanding of all students and should be of particular interest to students preparing for careers in professional social science, education, government, law, criminal justice, urban affairs, social service, medical service fields, and business. In an ever-changing environment, the Department of Sociology strives to provide students with diverse educational experiences, including traditional education and fieldwork and/or survey research experience. Undergraduate majors are encouraged to participate in internships and research projects as part of their educational experience.

Major in Sociology

Requirements

Minors in Sociology

Requirements

The minor requires 15 credit hours of course work (6 of which must be completed at IUPUI), with a grade of C (2.0) or better:

Minor in Medical Sociology

Requirements

Courses

R121 Social Problems (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Selected current ''problems'' of American society are analyzed through the use of basic sociological data and the application of major sociological frameworks. Policy implications are discussed in the light of value choices involved in various solutions.

R220 The Family (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. The family as a major social institution and how it relates to the wider society. Formation of families through courtship, marriage, and sexual behavior; maintenance of families through childrearing and family interaction; and dissolution of families by divorce or death. Social change and the emergence of new familial patterns.

R234 Social Psychology (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Sociological approach to human character, with emphasis on the psychology of the individual in social situations. Topics include socialization and the self, language and communication, interpersonal relations, attitude formation, conformity and social influence, and group processes.

R239 Alienation and Anxiety in Modern Society (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. A review of alienation as a concept of social criticism. Using classical thinking and contemporary literature, this course evaluates the sociological tradition that argues modern humans are alienated and desperate.

R240 Deviance and Social Control (3 cr.)
P: R100 or consent of the instructor. An introduction to major sociological theories of deviance and social control, analyzes empirical work done in such areas as drug use, unconventional sexual behavior, family violence, and mental illness. Explores both ''lay'' and official responses to deviance, as well as cultural variability in responses to deviance.

R251 Social Science Research Methods (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor and sophomore standing. A survey of methods and techniques used by sociologists and other social scientists for gathering and interpreting information about human social behavior.

R285 AIDS and Society (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. This course examines the HIV/AIDS epidemic from a sociological perspective. Students will explore how social factors have shaped the course of the epidemic and the experience of HIV disease. The impact of the epidemic on health care, government, and other social institutions will also be discussed.

R295 Topics in Sociology (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Exploration of a topic in sociology not covered by the regular curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester. Topics to be announced.

R305 Population (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Focus on study of people in terms of relative numbers, geographic distribution, and factors influencing change. Included are considerations of population theory, values related to population questions, an overview of basic techniques of analysis, and mortality, fertility, migration, and growth trends.

R312 Sociology of Religion (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Examination of religion from the sociological perspective. Religious institutions, the dimensions of religious behavior, the measurement of religious behavior, and the relationship of religion to other institutions in society are examined.

R315 Sociology of Power (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Analysis of the nature and basis of political power on the macro level-the community, the national, and the international arenas. Study of formal and informal power structures and of the institutionalized and noninstitutionalized mechanisms of access to power.

R316 Society and Public Opinion (3 cr.)
P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Analysis of the formulation and operation of public opinion. Although the course may focus on all aspects of opinion and behavior (including marketing research, advertising, etc.), most semesters the course focuses on political opinion and behavior. Special attention will be given to two aspects of opinion in our society: its measurement through public opinion polls and the role of mass communication in manipulating public opinion. The distortions in the popular press's reports of the results of survey research are considered in depth.

R317 Sociology of Work (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Analysis of the meaning of work, the dynamic social processes within work organizations, and environmental constraints on organizational behavior.

R320 Sexuality and Society (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Provides a basic conceptual scheme for dealing with human sexuality in a sociological manner.

R321 Women and Health (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. A review of the relationships among cultural values, social structure, disease, and wellness, with special attention focused on the impact of gender role on symptomatology and access to health care. Selected contemporary health problem areas will be examined in depth. Alternative models of health care delivery will be identified and discussed.

R325 Gender and Society (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. A sociological examination of the roles of women and men in society, analysis of the determinants and consequences of these roles, and assessment of forces likely to bring about future change in these roles. Although focus will be on contemporary American society, cross-cultural variations in gender roles will also be noted.

R327 Sociology of Death and Dying (3 cr.)
P: R100 or the consent of the instructor. This course examines inevitable and salient features of the human condition. Historical evaluation of images and attitudes toward death, the medicalization of death, the human consequences of high-tech dying, the role of the family in caring for dying loved ones, the emergence and role of hospices, the social roles of funerals, grief and bereavement, euthanasia and suicide, the worlds of dying children and grieving parents, and genocide are major issues that are addressed. Two of the major themes of the course revolve around the idea that the way we die is a reflection of the way we live; and, that the study of dying and death is an important way of studying and affirming the value of life.

R329 Urban Sociology (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. The social dynamics of urbanization, urban social structure, and urban ecology. Theories of urban development; the city as a form of social organization; macroprocesses of urbanization both in the U.S. and other countries.

R330 Community (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Social, psychological, and structural features of community life. Topics include microphenomena such as the neighborhood, networks of friendship and oppositions, social participation, community power structure, and institutional framework.

R335 Sociological Perspectives on the Life Course (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Focuses on the human life course as a product of social structure, culture, and history. Attention is given to life course contexts, transitions, and trajectories from youth to old age; work, family, and school influences; self-concept development, occupational attainment, and role acquisition over the life course.

R338 Comparative Social Systems (3 cr.)
P: R100 or consent of the instructor. History and general theories of comparative sociology. Major focus on comparative analyses of social structure, kinship, policy and bureaucracy, economics and stratification, and institutionalized belief systems. Some attention is given to culture and personality and to cross-cultural methodology.

R344 Juvenile Delinquency and Society (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Legal definition of delinquency, measurement and distribution of delinquency. Causal theories considered for empirical adequacy and policy implications. Procedures for processing juvenile offenders by police, courts, and prisons are examined.

R345 Crime and Society (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Examination of the creation, selection, and disposition of persons labeled criminal. Emphasis on crime as an expression of group conflict and interest. Critique of academic and popular theories of crime and punishment.

R346 Control of Crime (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. History, objectives, and operation of the crime control system in relation to its sociopolitical context. Critical examination of philosophies of punishment and programs of rehabilitation.

R349 Practicum in Victimology (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. The role of the victim in the criminal justice system is examined through both course work and practical experience as a volunteer with the Marion County Prosecutor's Witness-Victim Assistance Program. Recommended for students with interest in deviance, criminology, law, criminal justice, and social service.

R356 Foundations of Social Theory (3 cr.)
P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Examination of the fundamental issues and perspectives in classical theories. Special focus will be on analysis of the major nineteenth-century theories that influenced later sociological thought.

R357 Contemporary Sociological Theory
(3 cr.) P: R100, R356, or consent of the instructor. Emphasis on theoretical developments of the twentieth century and the relationships of current theories to classical theories.

R359 Introduction to Sociological Statistics
(3 cr.) P: R100, R251, or consent of the instructor. Measures of central tendency, dispersion, standardizing and normalizing procedures, and simple index numbers. Simple notions of probability as related to statistical inference (means, proportions, binomial distribution, chi-square, simple regression).

R381 Social Factors in Health and Illness
(3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Examines the social aspects of health and illness, including variations in the social meanings of health and illness, the social epidemiology of disease, and the social dimensions of the illness experience.

R382 Social Organization of Health Care
(3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Surveys the nature of and recent changes in the health care delivery system in the United States. Patient and professional roles and the characteristics of different health care settings are explored. Current debates about the nature of the professions and professional work are emphasized.

R410 Alcohol and Society (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. This is a survey of the use and abuse of alcohol, including extent of use, history of use and abuse, ''biology'' of alcohol, alcoholism as a problem, legal actions, and treatment strategies.

R415 Sociology of Disability (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. An examination of current models of disability and of disability at the interpersonal and societal level. Topics include recent legal, social, and educational changes; the ways in which people with disabilities interact with the nondisabled; the role played by relatives and caregivers; and the image of people with disabilities in film, television, and other media. Recommended for students in nursing, education, physical and occupational therapy, and social work, as well as for the medical sociology minor. Available for graduate credit.

R420 Sociology of Education (3 cr.) P: R100
or consent of the instructor. A survey of sociological approaches to the study of education, covering such major topics as
(a) education as a social institution, (b) the school of society, (c) the school as a social system, and (d) the sociology of learning.

R425 Gender and Work (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. This course examines the changing world of women's paid and unpaid work, primarily in the United States. The impact of race and social class on women's work will be covered, as will women's experiences as activists for social change.

R430 Families and Social Policy (3 cr.)
P: R100 and R220 or consent of the instructor. This seminar explores how the state and labor market currently affect family structure and the quality of family life in the U.S. and the role the state and labor market could play in the future. Family policies in other parts of the world will be considered for possible applicability to the U.S.

R461 Race and Ethnic Relations (3 cr.)
P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Comparative study of racial, ethnic, and religious relations. Focus on patterns of inclusion and exclusion of minority groups by majority groups. Discussion of theories of intergroup tensions-prejudice and discrimination-and of corresponding approaches to the reduction of tensions.

R463 Inequality and Society (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Presentation of conservative and radical theories of class formation, consciousness, mobility, and class consequences. Relevance of social class to social structure and personality. Emphasis on the American class system, with some attention given to class systems in other societies.

R467 Social Change (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Basic concepts, models, and individual theories of social change; historical and contemporary analysis of the structural and psychological ramifications of major social trends.

R476 Social Movements (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Study of the origins and dynamics of contemporary social movements in American society, with some attention to cross-national movements. Coverage of progressive and regressive movements aimed at changing the social, economic, and political structure of the society. Case studies of expressive and ideological movements, including fads, cults, and revolts and revolutions.

R478 Formal Organizations (3 cr.) P: R100 or consent of the instructor. Sociological inquiry into the nature, origin, and functions of bureaucratic organizations. Emphasis on bureaucratic organizations as the predominant mode of contemporary task performance and on their social-psychological consequences. Theoretical and empirical considerations in organizational studies from Weber to contemporary findings.

R480 Sociology and Social Policy (3 cr.)
P: R100 or consent of the instructor. This course is a broad review of the increasing
use of sociology in the formulation and implementation of social policy. Specific case studies will be examined. Recommended for students with an interest in medicine, law, education, social service, urban affairs, etc.

R481 Evaluation Research Methods (3 cr.)
P: R100, R251, R359, or consent of the instructor. A comprehensive study of research techniques and practical applications in the area of the evaluation of social programs. Recommended for students with an interest in social research concerning medicine, law, education, social service, urban affairs, etc.

R485 Sociology of Mental Illness (3 cr.)
P: R100 or consent of the instructor. A survey of current problems in psychiatric diagnosis, the social epidemiology of mental illness, institutional and informal caregiving, family burden, homelessness, and the development and impact of current mental health policy. Cross-cultural and historical materials, derived from the work of anthropologists and historians, are used throughout the course.

R490 Survey Research Methods (3 cr.)
P: R100, R251, R359 or consent of the instructor. In this practicum, students will design and conduct a survey, learn how to code survey results, enter data, and analyze data with the mainframe computer. A report will also be written. The advantages and disadvantages of survey methodology will be highlighted and ethical issues will be discussed.

R493 Practicum in Sociological Fieldwork
(3 cr.) P: R100 and R251, senior standing or consent of the instructor. Role of systematic observation as a sociological method. Training in fieldwork techniques and the application of sociological concepts to actual social situations. The core of this course will involve a supervised fieldwork research project in some area of social life.

R494 Internship Program in Sociology
(3-6 cr.) P: R100, 9 cr. of sociology with a C (2.0) or better, junior standing with consent of the instructor. This course involves students working in organizations where they apply or gain practical insight into sociological concepts, theories, and knowledge. Students analyze their experiences through work logs, a paper, and regular meetings with the internship director.

R495 Topics in Sociology (3 cr.) P: Variable with topic. Exploration of a topic in sociology not covered by the regular curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester. Topics to be announced.

R497 Individual Readings in Sociology (3 cr.) P: consent of instructor and 9 credit hours of sociology courses with at least a C grade. Investigation of a topic not covered in the regular curriculum that is of special interest to the student and that the student wishes to pursue in greater detail. Normally available only to majors through arrangement with a faculty member.

Graduate Courses

S500 Proseminar in Sociology (1 cr.)
P: graduate standing and/or consent of the instructor. Introduction to current sociological research interests and concerns through the work of departmental members.

R515 Sociology of Health and Illness (3 cr.) Surveys important areas of medical sociology, focusing on social factors influencing the distribution of disease, help-seeking, and health care. Topics covered include social epidemiology, the health-care professions, socialization of providers, and issues of cost and cost containment.

R525 Gender and Work (3 cr.) P: graduate standing and 6 credit hours of sociology, or consent of the instructor. This course explores the historical and contemporary trends in women's paid and unpaid work, and the causes and consequences of sex segregation in the labor force and in the home. An emphasis will be placed on understanding and critically analyzing contemporary theory and research on the subject.

S526 The Sociology of Human Sexuality
(3 cr.) P: graduate standing and consent of the instructor. This is a one-semester graduate-level course in the sociology of human sexuality. This course will provide (a) a detailed examination of the development of sex research, (b) a sociological perspective on and critique of this corpus, and (c) an opportunity for students to develop research of their own.

R530 Families and Social Policy (3 cr.)
P: R100, R220, graduate standing. This seminar will explore how the government and labor market affect family structure and the quality of family life. Students will study the implications of family research for social policy and learn to develop theoretical frameworks for evaluating social policies affecting families.

S530 Introduction to Social Psychology (3 cr.) P: graduate standing or consent of the instructor. Examines the broad range of work in social psychology. Emphasis is placed on the relation between the classic and contemporary literature in the field.

R551 Sociological Research Methods (3 cr.)
P: graduate standing or consent of the instructor. This course surveys the major techniques for investigating current sociological problems. It emphasizes the relationship between theory and practice in understanding and conducting research. Although methods intended for rigorous hypothesis-testing through quantitative analysis will be of major concern, the course will also examine issues in field research essential to a full understanding of a research problem.

R556 Advanced Sociological Theory I:
The Classical Tradition (3 cr.) P: graduate standing or consent of the instructor. This is the first part of a two-semester graduate course in contemporary sociological theory and theory construction. The first semester will involve the student in detailed study and analysis of sociologists belonging to the positivist tradition in sociology. Students will be expected to comprehend contemporary sociology in terms of its historical roots and to demonstrate their understanding of theory construction.

R557 Advanced Sociological Theory II:
The Modern Tradition (3 cr.) P: graduate standing or consent of the instructor. Reading and exercises will involve the student in close analysis and criticism of sociologists belonging to the idealist tradition of sociology. In this second part of a two-semester course in theory and theory construction in sociology, students will be required to demonstrate their mastery of the theorists studied, as well as to demonstrate their own abilities in theory design and construction.

R559 Intermediate Sociological Statistics
(3 cr.) P: R359 or equivalent. Basic techniques for summarizing distributions, measuring interrelationships, controlling extraneous influences, and testing hypotheses are reviewed, as students become familiar with the computer system. Complex analytical techniques commonly applied in professional literature are examined in detail, including analysis of variance, path diagrams, factor analysis, and log-linear models.

R585 Social Aspects of Mental Health and Mental Illness (3 cr.) This is a graduate-level course which focuses on the sociology of mental illness and mental health. Provides a thorough grounding in the research issues and traditions that have characterized scholarly inquiry into mental illness in the past. Students will become familiar with public policy as it has had an impact on the treatment of mental illness and on the mentally ill themselves.

R593 Applied Fieldwork for Sociologists
(3 cr.) This course will provide students with both a theoretical and methodological background in the different types of qualitative analysis used in sociological fieldwork. Students will have the opportunity to study and to evaluate representative examples of qualitative studies and to complete by themselves a project done with qualitative methods.

S610 Urban Sociology (3 cr.) P: graduate standing or consent of the instructor. Historical and contemporary causes, trends, and patterns of urbanization throughout the world. Various approaches to studying the process of urbanization, including ecological, social organizational, and political perspectives. Current developments and problems in urban planning.

S612 Political Sociology (3 cr.) P: graduate standing or consent of the instructor. An analysis of the nature and operation of power in a political system. Topics may include classical theories of power, political behavior and campaigns, the role of mass media in sustaining power, the state as a social institution, and political movements.

S613 Complex Organizations (3 cr.) Theory and research in formal organizations: industry, school, church, hospital, government, military, and university. Problems of bureaucracy and decision-making in large-scale organizations. For students in the social sciences and professional schools interested in the comparative approach to problems of organization and their management.