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Courses

Information on sociology courses can also be found in the university’s Undergraduate Course Catalog.

Required Courses for All Majors | Electives | Honors Course | First-Year Writing Seminars

Required Courses for Sociology and Environmental Sociology Majors and Minors

SOC 1010 Introduction to Sociology: The study of human society; the nature of culture and its organization. Processes of communication, socialization, mobility, population growth. [3] (SBS)

SOC 1010W Introduction to Sociology—Writing Seminar: The study of human society; the nature of culture and its organization. Processes of communication, socialization, mobility, population growth.

SOC 1020 Contemporary Social Issues: Social change, conflict, and inequality in modern societies. Basic sociological concepts and methods as they apply to social issues and policy. Focus varies by section.

SOC 1020W Contemporary Social Issues—Writing Seminar: Social change, conflict, and inequality in modern societies. Basic sociological concepts and methods as they apply to social issues and policy. Focus varies by section. [3] (SBS)

SOC 1030 Environment and Society: Inequality, population, social change, technology, and the state. Application of concepts from general sociology and environmental sociology to environmental problems across institutional sectors such as food, water, energy, health, and transportation. [3] (SBS)

SOC 2100 Statistics for Social Scientists: Descriptive and inferential statistics with social science research applications. Sampling issues; describing data with measures of central tendencies and dispersion; hypothesis testing using categorical and continuous indicators; multivariate techniques for continuous, categorical, and time dependent data. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3001 Sociological Perspectives: Major classical and contemporary sociological perspectives such as symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict sociology. Attention to the orientation and style of outstanding representatives of each perspective. Analysis in terms of basic concepts, central questions, substantive themes, methodology, and bearing on contemporary social issues. [3] (P)

SOC 3002 Introduction to Social Research (or) SOC 3003 Research Practicum: Overview and evaluation of research strategies. Interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data. Research methods and design. Evaluate research ethics, research hypotheses, and literature reviews. Prerequisite: 1010, 1010W, 1020, 1020W, or 1030. Open only to sociology, environmental sociology, and public policy majors. [3] (SBS)

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Elective Courses by Core Area

SOC 3201 Cultural Consumption and Audiences: How audiences and consumers engage with art and culture - from popular music to film, classical art, fashion, and food. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3202 Cultural Production and Institutions: The production of culture. The role of artists, firms, and markets in creating cultural objects, ideas, and practices, including novels, television and news, science, music, visual arts, and food. [3] SBS

SOC 3203 Art in Everyday Life: Art and the public sphere. Cultural analysis, critical theory, art production and reception, curation, ethnography. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3204 Tourism, Culture, and Place: Nature of tourist encounters. Marketing and displaying culture to tourists. Implications for urban economies and landscapes, and for tourists and locals. Ethics and dilemmas. Nashville as case study. Field-trip based learning. Frequent travel off-campus will pose scheduling conflicts with other classes immediately prior or after. Prerequisite 1010 or other Sociology class. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3205 Seeing Social Life: History, theory, and ethics of visual images in sociological research. Truth status of visual data. How individuals and groups use photographs to make sense of social worlds. Race, ethnicity, gender, social class, and their visual documentation. Methods for collection and analysis of visual data, especially photographs. Prerequisite: SOC 1010, 1010W, 1020, 1020W, 1041, 1041W, or ANTH 1101. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3207 Popular Culture Dynamics: Examination of theories and research that link culture and society. Consideration of the mass media arts with particular emphasis on popular music. Focus on creators, industry, and audiences. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3213 Artists, Community, and Democracy: Communities of diverse artists, minority viewpoints, and cultural pluralism in a democratic society. Contemporary United States with cross-cultural and historical comparisons. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3221 The Family: Study of the relationship of family structure to social organization. Comparative and historical approaches to the family. Recent changes in the American family. Courtship, marriage, marital adjustment, parenthood, and family dissolution in relation to contemporary American society. [3] (P)

SOC 3222 Sociology of Religion: Theories of the nature, function, and structure of religion. Religion in America, including fundamentalism, the Black Church, and cults. How religion changes and is changed by secular society. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3223 Schools and Society: The Sociology of Education): How schools affect individuals and relate to institutions: the government, the economy, social classes, and families. How social attributes, including race and class, affect academic achievement. Controversies such as desegregation and intelligence testing. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3224 Sociology Through Baseball: Baseball as a social institution. Group dynamics; baseball as work and business. Free agency and law; race and ethnic relations. Globalization. Serves as repeat credit for students who have earned credit for 3224W. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3224W Sociology Through Baseball—Writing Seminar: Baseball as a social institution. Group dynamics, baseball as work and business. Free agency and law, race and ethnic relations, and globalization. Serves as repeat credit for students who have earned credit for 3224. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3233 Contemporary American Society: Shifts in the political, economic, and social structure of the United States; changes in technology, demography, and social mores. [3] (US)

SOC 3615 Human Behavior in Organizations: Organizations are treated as resources in the production and distribution of goods and services. Case analyses from the economy are reviewed to diagnose "organizational pathologies" and to understand reciprocal impacts among organizational structures, leaders, and citizens. [3] (SBS) (Also counts toward Politics, Law & Society core area)

SOC 3301 Society and Medicine: Cultural and social factors in the perception, definition, diagnosis, treatment, and distribution of disease. Doctor-patient relations; role of nurses and other health professions. Social consequences of hospitals, medical technology, medical specialization, and health insurance. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3302 Poverty, Health, and Politics: Politics of poverty, health, and social welfare policy in the U.S. from the 1930s to the present. Profiles of poverty and health. Social change, social movements, advocacy, and social enterprise. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3303 Social Dynamics of Mental Health: Definition and classification of mental health and mental illness. Emphasis on social factors affecting mental health. Different ways of responding to persons in poor mental health and consequences of particular responses. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3304 Race, Gender, and Health: Effect of racial and ethnic background, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, and age or generation on the experiences of health, illness, medical institutions, and work in the health professions. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3306 Gender and Medical Work: Gender inequality in the health professions. Relationship between gender inequality and other forms of inequality in health care work. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3311 Climate Change and Society: The sociology of climate change, including efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and problems caused by climate change. Comparative analysis of how governments and businesses develop strategies to adapt to climate change. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3312 Environment and Development: Relationship between economic development and the natural environment. Implications of development on our contemporary ways of life and the environmental conditions of our planet. Different models of development for both Western industrial and developing societies, from early imperialism to contemporary globalization. Current global environmental crises, problems of environmental inequality and injustice, and social movements for alternative development initiatives. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3313 Sociology of Health and Environmental Science: Basic concepts in the sociology of science and their applications to controversies in the health and environmental sciences. Toxins and risk, nutrition, and health. Health and environmental aspects of emerging technologies. Case studies to develop generalizable social-science hypotheses. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3314 Environmental Inequality and Justice: Relationships between social inequalities and environmental degradation, both in the U.S. and internationally. Distribution of environmental hazards across race and class, natural resource rights and management, urban health and sustainability, climate injustices, and environmental justice movements. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3315 Human Ecology and Society: Demography, social organization, technology, and the global environment. Shifting energy systems; sustainable industries; food production. Growth vs. development. Affluence, waste, and recycling. [3] (INT)

SOC 3316 Business, Civil Society, and the Environment: Environmental sustainability and social responsibility; interactions among private sector, civil society, state, and consumers. Social movements and industry, politics of green consumption, and rise of third-party certification movements and private governance. Agriculture, fishing, and forestry industries. [3] (SBS)

 

SOC 3317 Energy Transitions and Society: Comparisons of contemporary societies' transition to low-carbon energy systems. Emphasis on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Perspectives include both wealthy and poor countries. [3] (INT)

SOC 3318 Sociology of Green Jobs: Comparative, historical, and theoretical perspectives of the contemporary transformation of work and employment in green jobs. Emphasis on the U.S. economy. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3319 NGOs, Society, and the Environment: Integrated sociological, political science, and nonprofit studies' perspectives on the roles and operation of nonprofits and environmental NGOs (ENGOs). NGOs as agents of social and environmental change. ENGOs as setters and implementers of environmental governance agendas and regimes. ENGOs as complex organizational actors. Internal logics and operation of NGOs. Basics of nonprofit management. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3321 Population and Society: The mutual influence of demographic factors and social structure. Trends in fertility, mortality, population growth, distribution, migration, and composition. Population policy and national development. [3] (INT)

SOC 3322 Immigration in America: Theories of international migration, with an emphasis on migration as a social process. Economic and social impact, including assimilation, immigrant incorporation, and the second generation. The migrant experience, including transnational practices, and how immigration redefines race, ethnicity, and gender. Immigration history of the United States. Current U.S. immigration law and policy. Debate on open borders. [3] (SBS)

MHS 2310 Chinese Society and Medicine: Medicine and health in contemporary China. Social organization of medical care, social determinants of health and disease, social construction of health and disease, and health-related social problems. [3] (SBS)

MHS 2430 Social Capital and Health: Theoretical approaches to social capital and their applications to the social production of disease and illness. Theoretical background of social capital; the conceptualization and measurement of social capital; and the multiple roles of social capital as a social antecedent of health. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3601 Self, Society, and Social Change: Problems and prospects for individual participation in social change; volunteering, community service, and philanthropy; role of individuals and voluntary associations in social change. [3] (SBS) (Also counts toward Race, Ethnicity, and Gender core area)

SOC 3602 Change and Social Movements in the Sixties: Mid-1950s to mid-1970s. The rise and influence of social movements in the 1960s, including civil-rights, student, anti-Vietnam War, feminist, and countercultural. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3603 Women and Social Activism: History of women's participation in social movements. Women's citizenship, environmentalism, second- and third-wave feminism, hate movements, and global feminist activism. Theories of mobilization, collective identity, strategy, and movement outcomes. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3604 American Social Movements: Key social movements in American society. Mobilization, strategy, and effects of movements such as civil rights, LGBT+, feminism, environmental, and labor movements. [3] (US)

SOC 3605 Law and Social Movements: Social activists and their relationship to the law and legal institutions. Activist litigation, movement legislative influence, protest policing, government surveillance of activists, and rights consciousness. Civil rights, women's, LGBT, environmental, and labor movements. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3611 Women and the Law: History of laws in the U.S. subordinating women. Efforts by feminists to achieve substantive and procedural equity. Employment, educational, reproductive, and criminal law, and women's role in the legal profession. [3] (P)

SOC 3612 Class, Status, and Power: Analysis of the competition for jobs, advancement, and income. The influence of social background, education, politics, race, sex, changes in national economy, and other factors will be considered. Theoretical and empirical analysis focusing on the United States. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3613 Law and Society: Law, inequality, and racial, ethnic, gender, and economic groups in society. Operation of the legal system, including lawyers, courts, and police. Advantages and disadvantages in law. Law's role in social change. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3614 Politics, State, and Society: The relationship between state and society; the nature and distribution of power in democratic society; the social conditions necessary for democracy; social movements and protest in political change; and the politics of public policy making. Attention to political actions, definitions of citizenship, and political ideology. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3615 Human Behavior in Organizations: Organizations are treated as resources in the production and distribution of goods and services. Case analyses from the economy are reviewed to diagnose "organizational pathologies" and to understand reciprocal impacts among organizational structures, leaders, and citizens. [3] (SBS) (Also counts toward Culture, Institutions & Socialization core area)

SOC 3616 Women and Public Policy in America: A study of public policies as they affect women in contemporary American society. Issues considered include participation of women in the labor force; effects of employment patterns on the family; birth control, abortion, and health care policies; child care; participation of women in political processes; divorce, child support, and custody; affirmative action policies; present governmental remedies and proposed alternatives. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3621 Criminology: The nature, distribution, causes, and control of crime with emphases on contemporary American society and a broad range of types of crime. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3622 Delinquency and Juvenile Justice: The nature, distribution, causes and control of juvenile delinquency and the operation of the juvenile justice system in contemporary American society. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3623 Deviant Behavior and Social Control: The social causes of, and societal reactions to, several types of deviant behavior (e.g., juvenile delinquency, crime, sex deviance, mental illness). Examines the probable consequences of suggested solutions to reduce different types of deviant behavior. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3624 Prison Life: Prison life from the perspective of prisoners, officials, and the society in which they operate. [3] (SBS)

JS 2560 Social Movements in Modern Jewish Life: How social movements shape contemporary American Jewish culture and politics. Explores movements internal to Judaism and those bringing religion into the public sphere. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3601 Self, Society, and Social Change: Problems and prospects for individual participation in social change; volunteering, community service, and philanthropy; role of individuals and voluntary associations in social change. [3] (SBS) (Also counts toward Politics, Law, and Conflict core area)

SOC 3701 Racial Domination, Racial Progress: Racial and ethnic relations in contemporary American society. Impact of race and ethnicity on education, economics, politics, family, and health. Study of Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans. Color-blind ideology. [3] (SBS)

 

SOC 3702 Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the United States: Status of blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and other minorities. Migration, identity and association, and strategies to improve group status and reduce intergroup tensions. Comparisons to other countries. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3703 Social Psychology of Prejudice: Prejudice and its amelioration. Problems of relations between blacks and whites in the United States. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3704 Race, Gender, and Sport: Manifestations of race and gender in sport. Emphasis on race and gender ideologies and the associated inequalities in sport in America. International comparisons for context. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3711 Women, Gender, and Globalization: Globalization and its impact on women and gender relations. Multinational corporations, economic development, and inequality; new forms of work; human rights; feminist movements for change. [3] (INT)

SOC 3722 Gender in Society: Theoretical approaches to gender relations with a focus on the contemporary U.S. Evolution of gender stereotypes, gender socialization over the life course, gender in social interactions, institutional sources of gender inequality, and intersections of gender with race, social class, and sexual identity. Topics include work, school, families, health, and intimate relationships. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3723 Gender, Sexuality, and the Body: The body is a physical marker of gender and sexuality. Biological reproduction is saturated with social meanings - shaping ideas about masculinity, femininity, the gender division of labor, and heterosexuality. In this course, we will look at the body as reflexive project and as the site of historical and ideological significance. We address race, ethnicity, physical abilities, and class in explaining variations in cultural ideals. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3724 Gender Identities, Interactions, and Relationships: Gender identities form and influence interactions in friendships, intimate relations, families, education, and other institutions. Changes and continuities in gender roles within the United States and ways in which race, class, and sexual orientation intersect processes of gender relations. [3] (SBS)

JS 2400 American Jewish Life: Diversity, individualism, and change in Jewish life. Food and culture, memory and identity, gender and assimilation, Reform-Conservative-Orthodox culture wars. [3] (SBS)

JS 2450 The Jewish Diaspora: Changing Jewish communities, especially outside the United States and Israel, in macro-historical context. Post-communist European Jewish identity. New global diasporas and their relationship to the largest Jewish communities in Israel and the United States. [3] (INT)

Environmental Sociology Core

SOC 3311 Climate Change and Society: The sociology of climate change, including efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and problems caused by climate change. Comparative analysis of how governments and businesses develop strategies to adapt to climate change. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3312 Environment and Development: Relationship between economic development and the natural environment. Implications of development on our contemporary ways of life and the environmental conditions of our planet. Different models of development for both Western industrial and developing societies, from early imperialism to contemporary globalization. Current global environmental crises, problems of environmental inequality and injustice, and social movements for alternative development initiatives. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3313 Sociology of Health and Environmental Science: Basic concepts in the sociology of science and their applications to controversies in the health and environmental sciences. Toxins and risk, nutrition, and health. Health and environmental aspects of emerging technologies. Case studies to develop generalizable social-science hypotheses. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3314 Environmental Inequality and Justice: Relationships between social inequalities and environmental degradation, both in the U.S. and internationally. Distribution of environmental hazards across race and class, natural resource rights and management, urban health and sustainability, climate injustices, and environmental justice movements. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3315 Human Ecology and Society: Demography, social organization, technology, and the global environment. Shifting energy systems; sustainable industries; food production. Growth vs. development. Affluence, waste, and recycling. [3] (INT)

SOC 3316 Business, Civil Society, and the Environment: Environmental sustainability and social responsibility; interactions among private sector, civil society, state, and consumers. Social movements and industry, politics of green consumption, and rise of third-party certification movements and private governance. Agriculture, fishing, and forestry industries. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3317 Energy Transitions and Society: Comparisons of contemporary societies’ transition to low-carbon energy systems. Emphasis on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Perspectives include both wealthy and poor countries. [3] (INT)

SOC 3318 Sociology of Green Jobs: Comparative, historical, and theoretical perspectives of the contemporary transformation of work and employment in green jobs. Emphasis on the U.S. economy. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3319 NGOs, Society, and the Environment: Integrated sociological, political science, and nonprofit studies’ perspectives on the roles and operation of nonprofits and environmental NGOs (ENGOs). NGOs as agents of social and environmental change. ENGOs as setters and implementers of environmental governance agendas and regimes. ENGOs as complex organizational actors. Internal logics and operation of NGOs. Basics of nonprofit management. [3] (SBS)

SOC 3321 Population and Society: The mutual influence of demographic factors and social structure. Trends in fertility, mortality, population growth, distribution, migration, and composition. Population policy and national development. [3] (INT)

SOC 3604 American Social Movements: Key social movements in American society. Mobilization, strategy, and effects of movements such as civil rights, LGBT+, feminism, environmental, and labor movements. [3] (US)

SOC 3605 Law and Social Movements: Social activists and their relationship to the law and legal institutions. Activist litigation, movement legislative influence, protest policing, government surveillance of activists, and rights consciousness. Civil rights, women’s, LGBT, environmental, and labor movements. [3] (SBS)

ENVS 4101 Society and the Environment Capstone: The relationship between society and the environment. Sustainability, adaptation, climate science, and policy. Open only to junior and senior ESOC Majors and ENVS minors. [3] (SBS)

ENVS 4101 Society and the Environment Capstone—Writing Seminar: The relationship between society and the environment. Sustainability, adaptation, climate science, and policy. Open only to junior and senior ESOC Majors and ENVS minors. Repeat credit for students who have completed ENVS 4101. [3] (SBS)

For more information about the environmental sociology courses labeled EES, visit the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences website.

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Honors Course

SOC 4981 (Honors Research): Research and writing supervised by department staff culminating in the Senior Honors Thesis. Work consists of both background reading and active research. May be repeated for a total of 12 credits if there is no duplication in topic, but students may earn only up to 6 credits per semester of enrollment. Open only to Honors candidates. Prerequisite or corequisite: 3002. [3-6; maximum of 12 credits total for all semesters of 4981] (No AXLE credit)

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First-Year Writing Seminars

SOC 1111 FYWS: Artistic Dreams, Communities, and Pathways: Freelance arts professionals, in our enterprising age, assume multiple roles. They strive to become artists, entrepreneurs, and advocates and “network” feverishly to pursue their careers. Yet, as freelancers in risky labor markets, they have volatile incomes and often lack health insurance. This seminar addresses sociologically how arts professionals’ dreams inspire and how their artistic communities enable them to seize opportunities and confront risk. We will focus on scholarly works and on transcripts of original interviews with 72 Nashville music artists, entrepreneurs, and advocates that the instructor and his research team conducted for the Nashville Music Careers research project. [3] (SBS)

SOC 1111 FYWS: The Artist and the City: This seminar takes a sociological approach to understanding the relationship between urban living and artistic expression. We will examine how creativity may be conceived as not only a property of individuals, but also something that is nurtured in particular ways by concrete social circumstances. [3] (SBS)

SOC 1111 FYWS: Black Health Matters: This class will provide a sociological lens through which to understand health and healthcare challenges experienced by individuals of African descent living in the United States. The topic of health concerns among Black Americans is especially relevant given the contemporary backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial unrest attributable to police brutality, and the response of the Black Lives Matter Movement, as well as racial politics that emerged from the 2020 election. Throughout this course, we will explore topics pertaining to the health of Black Americans through classic sociological texts, empirical research publications, news articles, research briefs, and documentaries. [3] (SBS)

SOC 1111 FYWS: Mass Incarceration in the United States: Why does the U.S. have the highest incarceration rate in the world? We will begin our study of U.S. prisons with the period at the end of the Civil War, and consider several historical eras. We will give particular attention to the period from the 1970s to the present, when rates of incarceration rose sharply, especially among African-American men. Throughout the course, we will examine sociological explanations for the changing role of incarceration in the U.S. and for the effects of mass incarceration on society. [3] [SBS]

SOC 1111 FYWS: War and American Capitalism after WWII: Since World War II, the United States has been involved in 76 military interventions on foreign soil, including 12 actions taking place since September 11, 2001. Although the causes of war are complex, one of the central forces that influences why, whom, and how we fight is the relationship between military force and corporate interests. With focus on the post-WWII United States, this course takes a sociological approach to understanding this connection between capitalism and war. [3] (SBS)

SOC 1111 FYWS: Women and Social Activism How have women struggled collectively to bring about social change in a variety of areas, including women’s legal rights, family protection, environmentalism, and land rights? We will analyze women’s movements in the United States and in developing nations, including transnational feminist networks, African American women in the civil rights movement, working-class women’s mobilizations, women environmentalists, and women in right-wing hate movements. Students will develop an understanding of social activism from a sociological as well as activist perspective. Questions asked include why do women participate in social activism? Why and when do women’s movements emerge and how do they organize themselves? [3] (SBS)

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