Fall 2025 Courses

Courses are subject to change. Please check for most recent updates here.

  Undergraduate Courses

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 | Wilson| TR 9:30-10:45 | FACE | CRN 63797

1110-002 | Torrez | ONLINE  | CRN 80142

1110-003 | Torrez | MWF 11:00-11:50 | FACE | CRN 63798

1110-004 | Albright | TR 12:30 -1:45 | FACE | CRN 79585

1110-006 | Setter | ONLINE | CRN 78110

1110-006 | Torrez | ONLINE | CRN 63805 | 2nd Half Course

 

SOCI 1996: T: HHMI Mentoring Workshops I

 Zerai | TBD | CRN TBD

 

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 | Vigil | TR 11:00-12:15 | FACE | CRN 78161

2120-002 | Martensen | ONLINE | CRN 80143

2120-003 | Swanagan | ONLINE | CRN 78813

 

SOCI 2210: Sociology of Deviance

This course is designed to provide an overview of the study of deviance and social control from multiple sociological perspectives. The instructor will present how sociologists research deviance and social control and the ethical issues involved in studying human subjects involved in these activities. The course also examines central sociological theories for understanding the causes of deviant behavior.

*Prerequisite required: SOCI 1110: Intro Sociology

2210-001 | Roman Alfaro | TR 2:00-3:15 | FACE | CRN 63757

2210-003 | Lowe | ONLINE | CRN 78111

 

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.

*Prerequisite required: SOCI 2120: Intro to Criminal Justice Systems OR SOCI 2210: Sociology of Deviance

312-001 | Olson | MWF 10:00-10:50 | FACE | CRN 68989

312-002 | Trujillo | TR 2:00-3:15 | FACE | CRN 77944

 

SOCI 346-001: Health & Social Inequalities I

This service-learning course provides students the opportunity to apply knowledge about social inequalities and health to working with community members to create change that improves health and reduces health disparities.

 Goodkind | TR 9-10:45 | Face | CRN 71053

 

SOCI 371: Sociological Theory

The study of how theory is constructed and applied by sociologists including traditions from 19th-century sociological founders and contemporary theoretical formulations.

*Prerequisite required: SOCI 1110: Intro Sociology

371-001 | Weddington | TR 9:30-10:45 | Face | CRN 68994

371-002 | Olson | ONLINE | CRN 80145

 

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.

*Prerequisite required: SOCI 1110: Intro Sociology

380-001 | Ragan | TR 11:00-12:15 | Face | CRN 68996

380-002 | Ragan | TR 9:30-10:45 | Face | CRN 68998

 

SOCI 381L-001: Sociological Data Analysis

Introduction to quantitative sociological data analysis using basic statistics (both descriptive and inferential) and to the use of statistical software to analyze empirical data.

*Prerequisite required: SOCI 380: Intro to Research Methods AND Math 1350: Intro Statistics

381L-001 | Park | TR 2:00-3:15 & F 12:00-12:50 | Face | CRN 68999

381L-002 | Davis | ONLINE | CRN 78112

 

SOCI 412-001: Sociology of Police & Social Control

Olson | MWF 11:00-11:50 | FACE | CRN 78175

  

SOCI 415-001: Inequality and Power

This course focuses on the contemporary dynamics of social inequalities and power in US society. It lays particular emphasis on racial, gender, and economic oppression while outlining how these intersect with other systems and institutions.

Ray | Online | CRN 75639

 

 SOCI 418-001: Social Justice in Criminology

This class explores the underlying logics of punishment and retributive justice that are foundational to the U.S. criminal legal system. The class will examine how retributive logics have allowed for social injustices, often along race, class, and gender lines. This special topics course explores various social justice-oriented alternative responses to crime/harm, including restorative justice, community accountability, and transformative justice.
See the flyer for the class here.

Martensen | TR 2:00-3:15 | FACE | CRN 80024

 

SOCI 419-001: Peers, Groups, and Gangs

Trujillo | TR 12:30-1:45 | FACE | CRN 80173

 

SOCI 420-001: Race & Ethnicity

Weddington | TR 11:00-12:15 | Face | CRN 80025

 

SOCI 426-001: Drugs, Crime, & Social Control 

Olson | TR 11:00-12:15 | Face | CRN 80395

 

SOCI 444-001: Games & Society

Thomas | TR 12:30-1:45 | FACE | CRN 80099

 

SOCI 488-001: Sociology & Criminology Internship

The Sociology and Criminology Department offers a 3 or 6 credit upper division course that gets you out in the community. If you are interested in getting some practical experience in the community either out of intellectual curiosity or for professional development or both, consider taking the Sociology and Criminology Department’s internship course. The course, taught by Dr. Colin Olson, introduces the civic and professional aspects of internships and helps students develop the skills of an organizational ethnographer. At the end of the semester students write a short ethnographic paper on their internship site.  

  • 3 and 6 credit options
  • 10-20 hours weekly field experience
  • Junior and Senior status
  • Fall/Spring Semesters
  • 1 hour hybrid weekly small group discussion of organizational ethnography
  • Taught by Dr. Colin Olson
  • For more information, contact Dr. Olson at colino@unm.edu
  • See more information here.
  • See the flyer here.

Restriction: junior or senior standing, permission of instructor, 6 hours upper division SOCI course

Olson | M 12:00-12:50 | Face | CRN 61270

 

Graduate Courses

SOCI 520: Race and Ethnicity

Envisioned as preparation for doctoral comprehensive examinations in the sociology of race and ethnicity, this graduate class is an introduction to the major theories, core concepts and debates in sociology used to interrogate racial and ethnic inequality in the U.S. and beyond. Throughout our seminar we will examine the social construction of racial and ethnic inequality through multiple theoretical frameworks, unpacking their main concepts, central assumptions, key research questions, methodological approaches, and real-world implications. I am looking forward to working with each of you as we work together to create a vibrant learning community. It is my hope that each member of our learning community feels valued and respected for their unique viewpoints, analysis, and experiences. Throughout the semester, I will be inviting you to engage a deep understanding of the social construction of race and inequality at a variety of levels and in a variety of spaces, with a special emphasis on how these inequalities manifest in today's workplaces.

Wilson | W 3:00-6:00 | Face | CRN 80196

 

SOCI 523: Proseminar

Introduces incoming graduate students to one another, the department, the broad expectations and culture of the graduate program, and to each of the department’s regular faculty members and their work. Required for all incoming PhD students.

Thomas | F 11:00-11:50 | Face | CRN 69496

 

SOCI 580: Methods

This course is designed to provide an overview and critical assessment of sociological research methodology, including exposing students to many of the methods used by sociologists and their epistemological foundations. This course provides an overview of major research designs and techniques that are the core of contemporary empirical inquiry into social phenomena. The “methods” of the course title are practices that allow us to describe and draw inferences about human life from observations of it. Sociologists explore a variety of research questions and therefore the research strategies used by sociologists are diverse. The purpose of this course is to prepare graduate students to design, implement, and evaluate sociological research by supporting the development of knowledge, skills, and experience needed to prepare and complete research proposals, theses and dissertations, and publishable journal articles, as well as to critically read published sociological research. An important aspect of these processes is to formulate researchable sociological questions and to identify appropriate research designs, methodologies, and methods to answer these questions.

Goodkind | T 3:30-6:30 | Face | CRN 80198

 

SOCI 581-002: Advanced Social Statistics

Covers the statistical methods most commonly used in social science research, from basic descriptives to multiple regression. No prior statistical training is necessary, and the emphasis is on practical use in conducting social research.

Park | M 3:30-6:00 | Face | CRN 79149

 

SOCI 585-001: Qualitative Methods

Intensive practicum on research fieldwork with specific focus on entry and observation/interviews, note-taking/doing interviews, coding and analysis, the ethics/politics of fieldwork, and finally, theory building. The class will focus primarily on ethnographic and interview methods with some focus on archival and historical research. Students will be doing hands-on work and are encouraged to come to class with an ongoing project or a project in mind.

Ray | W 12:30-3 | Face | CRN 80199

 

SOCI 595-001: Women, Gender, & Crime

This seminar provides an overview of sociological theory and research on gender and crime. Criminology traditionally ignored gender as an explanation of offending, applying male-centric theories to the understanding of women's experiences and behaviors. Contemporary understandings suggest we cannot understand crime, victimization, and criminal justice experiences without considering how society is organized by gender and how masculinities and femininities intersect with race, ethnicity, class, age, sexuality, and other social positions. Drawing on these insights, we will adopt an intersectional approach to examining gender and crime with the goal of understanding women's and men's offending through a gendered lens.

Broidy | R 3:30-6 | Face | CRN 78048