Sociology (SOCI)
The department encompasses two disciplines, sociology and anthropology, and offers separate majors in each.
Sociology is the study of human social action. It emphasizes an appreciation of human diversity, social inequality, and the processes that govern groups, organizations, communities, cultures, and nation states. Because these areas of study are integral to a liberal arts education, the department encourages students with diverse majors to take courses at all levels.
Among other things, a major in sociology may assist those interested in graduate work. It also offers a background for careers in law, journalism, government and international affairs, teaching, social work, and public service.
Honors
The department strongly encourages qualified majors to consider working for honors in sociology. Such students should consult in their junior year with one or more members of the faculty of the department to begin defining a research topic and writing a proposal. Normally, during the senior year, an honors student will enroll in SOCI 319 Honors Course in Sociology and, if agreed to by the academic adviser, a second semester in SOCI 320 Honors Course in Sociology. The honors proposal is to be approved by the department chairperson and submitted to the Honors Council by mid-October of the senior year. Further information can be obtained from the student’s academic adviser, the department chairperson, and from the Honors Council.
Sociology Major
The major in sociology requires that students complete eight courses in the department, although students may count one anthropology course toward the major. No more than two 100-level courses may be counted toward the sociology major. Requirements are as follows:
| SOCI 208 | Methods of Social Research 1 | 1 |
| or SOCI 209 | Analyzing the Social World | |
| SOCI 211 | Classical Sociological Theory | 1 |
| or SOCI 212 | Contemporary Sociological Theory | |
| Two courses in sociology at the 300- or 400-level, at least one of which is a seminar. | 2 | |
| Four other courses in sociology, or three courses in sociology and one in anthropology. 2 | 4 | |
| 1 | The department strongly recommends that core courses be taken as early as possible in a student’s career in the major. Students should take at least one sociology course at the 100- or 200-level before taking SOCI 208 Methods of Social Research. SOCI 208 Methods of Social Research is not intended for first-year students or first-semester sophomores. |
| 2 | Courses that are crosslisted as sociology and anthropology courses count as sociology courses and still allow sociology majors to take one course designated solely as an anthropology course. Students may elect to have GEOG 210 Urban Condition count toward a major in sociology. |
The major in sociology provides students with an overview of the discipline and exposure to a variety of specialty areas in the field. The general major is intended for students who wish a broad exposure to social issues and sociological concerns, either as part of their liberal arts education or in preparation for graduate study in the field.
The Culminating Experience (CE) requirement will be provided for general majors in the two courses taken at the 300- or 400-level. Honors theses and supervised independent study readings or research could also meet the CE requirement on determination of the department.
With the exception of Bucknell-sponsored programs like Bucknell en France, Bucknell in Barbados, Bucknell in London, or Bucknell in Northern Ireland, courses taken off campus normally may not substitute for one of the core course requirements or for the 300- or 400-level seminar courses. The department chair may allow an exception if provided with clear information about the character and quality of off-campus courses and if these courses adequately substitute for material that would be taught on campus. No more than two off-campus courses are ordinarily counted toward the major.
Minor in Sociology
The minor in sociology requires five courses in sociology. Students may count no more than two 100-level courses toward the five courses required. Courses in anthropology may not be counted toward the sociology minor unless courses are listed as satisfying both sociology and anthropology major credit. No more than one off-campus course ordinarily counts toward the minor.
Sociology Learning Goals
Majors in Sociology will be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge of the core concepts of sociology (social structure; culture; social stratification and inequality; race, ethnicity, and gender; and globalization). (1, 6, 8, 9)
Demonstrate knowledge of the methods of sociological research. (1, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Develop knowledge of diversity within and/or between societies. (2, 3, 4, 5, 9)
Non-majors in Sociology will be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge of how sociologists define culture and/or society. (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Demonstrate knowledge of sociological principles. (4 6, 8, 9)
Apply sociological concepts and/or principles to individual experiences and/or the social world. (1, 4, 5, 6, 9)
Courses
SOCI 100. Introduction to Sociology. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
The concepts and methods sociologists use to investigate human groups. Focuses on the study of social organization, its variety and development.
SOCI 109. Sociology of Social Problems. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course offers a critical examination of major social problems in the contemporary United States within the context of wider global issues.
SOCI 110. Social Problems in the 21st Century. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Focuses on the sociological approach to social problems, studying existing problems like poverty and inequality plus new or changing problems such as war and terrorism.
SOCI 123. Law and Society. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to law and the legal system. The effects of economic, political, and other social institutions on the social organization of criminal and civil law.
SOCI 130. Medicine and Society. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Sociological analysis applied to health and medical care. Distribution of disease and services, behavior in response to illness, medical professions, hospital organization, national policy issues.
SOCI 140. American Culture and Society. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Exploration of topics including individualism, youth, culture, media, sport, health and the body, education, immigration, religion, sex, and death.
SOCI 1NT. Sociology Non-traditional Study. .5-2 Credits.
Offered Fall, Spring, Summer; Lecture hours:Varies
Non-traditional study in sociology. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 201. Field Research in Local Communities. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Participant-observation, interviewing, and other field research methods. Students will devise and conduct their own ethnographic research projects in a local community. Crosslisted as ANTH 201.
SOCI 202. Social Inequality. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
An introductory course on the topic of social stratification. Various structures and forms of inequality will be examined including social class, racial and ethnic status, and gender.
SOCI 203. Social Psychology. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Survey of major theoretical/methodological approaches in social psychology (social cognition, exchange theory, group dynamics, etc.). Emphasis on evaluation/application of each theory.
SOCI 204. Growing up Rich/Poor in America. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course bridges the sociology of inequality, culture, childhood, and politics to make sense of the growing opportunity gap between middle-class American children.
SOCI 206. Video Ethnography. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
A practicum in using video technology to conduct observational social research. Students will use archival materials to create short videos and then in the course they will shoot new footage to update the earlier material and to create a final film. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 208. Methods of Social Research. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An introduction to various paradigms of social research with emphasis on the logic of social inquiry, research design and data collection. Requires two prior sociology courses and permission of the instructor.
SOCI 209. Analyzing the Social World. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
A course in sociological data analysis, using the General Social Survey and other data sets, promoting student research. Prerequisite: SOCI 208 or permission of the instructor.
SOCI 210. Urban Condition. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Geographic and sociological inquiry into pressing urban issues of advanced industrialized societies, including inequality, housing, employment and how cities fit into the American present and future. Crosslisted as GEOG 210.
SOCI 211. Classical Sociological Theory. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
A survey of major theories and theoretical traditions in sociology from roughly 1850 to 1920. The work of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber is often the centerpiece of the course.
SOCI 212. Contemporary Sociological Theory. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course introduces students to theory construction and development in the social sciences. We will explore a range of theoretical types and traditions (e.g., evolutionary theories, functionalism, conflict theories, structuralism, exchange theories, interactionism).
SOCI 213. Race in Historical and Comparative Perspectives. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Explores the evolution of the concepts of race and racism from antiquity to the present. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 214. Movements, Markets, and the Environment. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course focuses on examining the trend toward market-based environmental strategies such as green building certification and carbon offsets from a sociological perspective.
SOCI 215. Human Service Systems. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Historical and contemporary development of social services in relation to changing political-economic structures and human needs. Emergence and impact of service organizations and professions. Recommended as prerequisite for SOCI 318.
SOCI 216. Media, Power & Social Change. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Explores how changes in media technology create/affect opportunities for social/political change.
SOCI 217. Sport, Culture and Society. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Introduces several major sociological theorists. Examine roles of athletes/fans, inequalities in sports (gender, race, class).
SOCI 218. Health and Community. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Explores how community, family, and experiences with health institutions shape and affect well being, physical problems, and health.
SOCI 219. Culture and Power. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course enables students to develop critical perspectives on the ways in which culture serves to create and sustain social, economic, and political power and justifies inequality.
SOCI 220. Environmental Sociology. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the relationship between human society and the natural environment. Focus will be on issues of environmental justice and inequality, consumption, technology, development, social movements, and the role of industry in the emergence and resolution of environmental problems.
SOCI 221. Sociology of Knowledge and Science. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to the sociological study of knowledge production, with emphasis on sociology of scientific knowledge. Examination of processes by which knowledge is produced, propagated, and sustained over time. Not open to students who have taken SOCI 321.
SOCI 225. Organizations in Society. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This class will cover topics in organizational sociology including basic organization theory. Topics to be considered may include corporate social responsibility, sector, organizational networks, markets and organizations and work/occupations.
SOCI 226. Policy Analysis. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This class will develop the skills and abilities needed to examine policy questions from a sociological perspective. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 234. Criminology. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Theories and research in criminal behavior and the societal reaction to criminality. Causes and consequences of crime, including public policy formulations.
SOCI 235. Nongovernmental Organizations. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Nongovernmental organizations in the world context. The international "nonprofit" sector including the role, importance, dynamics, politics, and patterns of change among NGOs.
SOCI 238. Brain, Mind, Self, and Society. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course presents a biosocial perspective on the human self and personality. Examination of descriptions and explanations for human consciousness, agency, behavior, and experience of self from the social sciences and neurosciences.
SOCI 239. Deviance and Identity. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Social organization and personal action; group dynamics, identity, commitment, and deviant behavior.
SOCI 240. Sociology of Religion. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Examination of the evolutionary roots of religion; the role of religion in "world-construction," social solidarity and social change; the secularization thesis; civil religion; fundamentalisms, cults, other new religious movements; terrorism.
SOCI 241. Marriages and Families in the 21st Century. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
Focusing on courtship, marriages, and families in the 21st century U.S., we explore how work and family life vary by gender, race, and social class.
SOCI 242. Poverty in Rural Communities. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3,Other:1.5
Explores dimensions of rural poverty and includes on-site experiences in local towns as class member explore the structure of community and economic inequality. Crosslisted as UNIV 242.
SOCI 243. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
Studies the concepts and social significance of race/ ethnicity and major race/ethnic groups within the United States. Emphasis on varying theoretical and methodological approaches to the sociological study of race/ethnicity.
SOCI 245. Remaking America: Latin American Immigration. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The processes and impacts of Latin American immigration on the U.S. and countries of origin. Special emphasis on how the immigration experience varies by ethnicity, location, and gender. Crosslisted as LAMS 245.
SOCI 251. Violence and Society. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The study of violent social, political, and legal institutions: domestic violence, sexual coercion, vigilantism, political conflict; the production and control of criminal violence.
SOCI 252. Faces of Death: Death in Human Nature and Culture. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course investigates the place of death in human nature and culture. We will look at death as a biological, social, and cultural fact for the human species. Funeral ritual and mourning will be studied in global and historical framework but with emphasis on the modern world.
SOCI 254. Punishment, Rehabilitation and Society. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
Introduction/overview of punishment and rehab in corrections. Gain insight about corrections and the role of punishment and rehab.
SOCI 261. Sociology of the Arts. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
An introduction to artistic work and its reception from evolutionary, social, and cultural perspectives. We will explore the reasons why humans make art, the forces that affect artistic works and careers, and the formation of artistic tastes.
SOCI 265. Culture and Politics of the 1960s. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This is a course on cultural and social movements (civil rights movement, New Left, student movement, anti-Vietnam War movement, counterculture), the change they produced in the U.S., and the consequences of that change for contemporary American society.
SOCI 270. Popular Culture. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The role of popular culture (e.g., music, television, film, and other media) in constructing individual and collective identities.
SOCI 275. Sociology of Mass Media. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Examination of mass media institutions/production and their effect on media consumers and the broader culture.
SOCI 280. Twentieth-century Afro-Caribbean and African-American Thought. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Study of the intellectual contributions and scholarly vision of people of African descent to sociological theory, social philosophy, and social change in the 20th century. Crosslisted as HIST 261.
SOCI 290. Caribbean Society Music and Ritual. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:3
Examines the history, politics, culture, society, ecology, and peoples of the Caribbean. It also focuses on the region's importance, its most pressing concerns and its future in the global political economy. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 299. Topics in Sociology. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics will vary each semester.
SOCI 2NT. Sociology Non-traditional Study. 1-4 Credits.
Offered Fall, Spring, Summer; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:Varies; Repeatable
Non-traditional study in Sociology. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 301. Conflict in Northern Ireland. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Students create story maps based on events described in our video archive.
SOCI 304. Public Service and Non Profit Organizations. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:1,Other:2
Nonprofit organizations are major settings for the delivery of social services. Government increasingly is "privatizing" services. Nonprofits often involve an orientation toward public service and community action. Using case studies they conduct, students explore these issues. Open to juniors and seniors. Crosslisted as SOCI 604.
SOCI 309. How Holocausts Happen. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
A comparative-historical analysis of genocide, politicide, and the Holocaust, from premodern colonial regimes through Darfur, examining social, psychological, political and economic determinants. Prerequisite: seniors only; juniors by permission of the instructor.
SOCI 310. The Sociology of Developing Societies. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Examines various conceptions of development and how they are implemented in selected countries. Prerequisite: any sociology or anthropology course, or permission of the instructor.
SOCI 311. Globalization, Technology, and Cultural Change. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Examination of the impact of the processes of global restructuring and the technological revolution on people, culture, and society. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 312. Globalization and Conflict. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Both WWI and WWII were supposed to be the "war that ended all war." In this class, we'll analyze today's conflicts through the lens of social scientific research to help us understand how conflicts in remote parts of the world are intimately linked to our lives.
SOCI 313. Energy and Environmental Policy. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course will examine energy and environmental policy focusing on current events and challenges within the field. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 314. Education, Class, and Achievement in America. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines education, especially schools, through the lens of social class. Focusing on habitus and cultural capital, it explores formal learning environments as sites where social mobility and social class reproduction are carried out. We will use a model where schooling, ideology, and political economy are interrelated to uncover the factors (e.g., tracking, social relations of schooling, class-based differences in linguistic codes) that sustain class distinctions.
SOCI 318. Social Services and Community: A Practicum. 1-2 Credits.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Exploration of the practicalities of work in social service institutions through supervised field work experiences, exposure to the range of social services and careers in social work, education, law, and medicine. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 319. Honors Course in Sociology. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:12; Repeatable
Each student selects a project to be developed individually. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 320. Honors Course in Sociology. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:12; Repeatable
Each student selects a project to be developed individually. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 321. Sociology of Knowledge and Science. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Social influences on the development of ideas and the distribution of information, with special emphasis on scientific knowledge and the social organization of scientists.
SOCI 322. Sociology of Medicine. 1-1.5 Credits.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:Varies
A seminar in which topics of interest to students in the area of the sociology of health, medicine, and medical policy will be discussed. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 325. Advanced Reading in Sociology. .5-2 Credits.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:12; Repeatable
Readings developed around the interest of individual students. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 326. Advanced Reading in Sociology. .5-2 Credits.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:12; Repeatable
Readings developed around the interest of individual students. individual students. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 327. Race, Citizenship and Human Rights. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course provides an understanding of the intersection of race, citizenship and human rights. It exposes students to these burning issues as they play themselves out in the world.
SOCI 328. Mating and Marrying in America. 1 Credit.
Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This is a course on changing patterns in American courtship (dating), marriage, and family life from the 20th to the 21st century. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as WMST 328.
SOCI 329. Millennials in the Workplace. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course addresses core areas of the sociology of work, focusing on the challenges faced by the Millennial Generation entering the 21st-century workforce.
SOCI 332. Women and the Penal System. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the interface between inequality, crime, punishment, and justice, with an emphasis on women in the United States; the course is populated by both Bucknell students and incarcerated students at a nearby women's prison. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as WMST 332.
SOCI 335. Topics in Cultural Sociology. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Substantive examination of particular topics/themes through the lens of cultural sociology.
SOCI 336. Energy and Environmental Policy. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course will be an introduction to energy and environmental policy focusing on current events and challenges within the field from a sociological perspective.
SOCI 351. Field Research. .5-2 Credits.
Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:Varies; Repeatable
Independent investigation in the field; formulation of hypotheses, construction of measuring instruments, data collection, data analysis, and test of hypotheses. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 354. Development, Dictators and Diaspora. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the cultural, social, and economic aspects of Latin America with investigation of both historical and contemporary forces that shaped the region of Latin America.
SOCI 370. Senior Thesis. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:9; Repeatable
Senior thesis. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 3NT. Sociology Non-traditional Study. 1-2 Credits.
Offered Fall, Spring, Summer; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:3
Non-traditional study in Sociology. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 410. Remember the Holocaust. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the Holocaust as a sociological, historical and political event, looking at memory and remembering and representing events more than 50 years later. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
SOCI 433. Seminar in Law and Society. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Structure and process of legal institutions: police, courts, prisons, lawyers, juries, and extralegal mechanisms relevant to the legal system. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as SOCI 633.
Faculty
Chair: Michelle C. Johnson
Professors: Deborah A. Abowitz, Linden F. Lewis (Associate Dean of Social Sciences), Carl Milofsky, Alexander Tristan Riley
Associate Professor: Elizabeth Durden
Assistant Professor: Jennifer Silva
Visiting Assistant Professors: Karen Altendorf, Ahrum Lee, Stephen C. Rea