Summer 2023
SOCI 2120: Intro Criminal Justice Systems
Prerequisite: Sociology 1110 [SOC 101], or consent of the instructor. This course focuses on the study of crime, the criminal justice system and crime-related public policy. Discussion of key criminological concepts, the measurement of crime and delinquency, the distribution of crime in society, victimization, public opinion, the criminal justice system, and crime control strategies and policies.
2120-001 | Sabbath | Online | CRN 29421
SOCI 1110: Intro Sociology
It seems fitting to begin this course with a quote from “The Promise” by a famous sociologist, written in the early 1960s. It refers to changes which occur in a society and the effect of these changes on the individual. During this past 18 months we have certainly witnessed significant changes in our society, and C. Wright Mills’ “The Sociological Imagination” will provide insight to these changes and their effect on society and the individual.
This course will introduce students to the fundamental concepts and principles of sociology. Topics include the study of cultures, patterns of social values, social institutions, stratification, and social change.
1110- 001 | Torrez | Online | CRN 29955
SOCI 312: Causes of Crime & Delinquency
A survey of criminological theories exploring why some people are more likely to engage in crime than others and why crime rates vary over time and space and across social groups. Attendant policy issues will also be discussed.
312-001 | Painter-Davis | Online | CRN TBD
SOCI 380: Intro to Research Methods
A survey of the major methods of social research: foundations of social research, research design, sampling and measurement, quantitative and qualitative research methods and data analysis.
380-001 | Olson | Online | CRN 29956
SOCI 424-001: Race, Class, & Crime
Black, Latinx, Native American/American Indian and other “non-White” Americans are over-represented in criminal legal institutions in this country. We examine this well-established phenomenon in U.S. society, focusing on two broad and sometimes competing explanations for racial and ethnic disparities in crime and justice. The first explanation is that racial and ethnic groups are exposed differentially to “criminogenic” factors that lead to criminal involvement because of contemporary and historical racialized structural racism and inequality. We explore this premise during the first part of the course. A second, and often alternative, explanation is that the criminal legal system—beginning with the definition of what constitutes crime and continuing through the process of arrest, trial, and sentencing— is subtly if not explicitly racially and classed biased. Drawing on contemporary research and theory, we will explore the premise of systemic bias during the second half of the course. In the process of comparing and contrasting these explanations, we will gain a more sophisticated understanding of the complex historical, social, economic, and political forces shaping the relationships between race/ethnicity, class, crime, and punishment in the U.S.
Olson | Online | CRN 29957
SOCI 340: Sociology of Medical Practice
An introduction to the delivery of health care in the U.S. and selected other countries is pursued with an emphasis on the interaction of patients, professionals and health care institutions.
