Sociology (SOCI)
SOCI 101 - INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: Introduction to the principal concepts, theories and methods of sociology. Required (normally) for sociology majors and minors. Enrollment in section 003 of this course is reserved for new matriculants only.
SOCI 102 - QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES: SOCIOLOGY LAB
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY STATISTICS LAB
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Laboratory
Credit Hours: 0
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: This lab companion course to SOSC 302: Quantitative Analysis for the Social Sciences involves sociology-specific applications of statistical analysis. The lab focuses on the use of software to analyze data from research in psychological sciences. Students who enroll in this lab section must also enroll in SOSC 302 during the same semester.
SOCI 231 - SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Short Title: SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: This course will confront "social problems" in everyday life by focusing on contemporary issues, situations, behaviors, and ideas in national and international contexts. The course will focus primarily on case studies in contemporary issues including racism, religion, politics, classism, sexism, and heterosexism. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 231 if student has credit for SOCI 338.
SOCI 238 - SPECIAL TOPICS
Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Internship/Practicum, Lecture, Laboratory, Lecture/Laboratory, Seminar, Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1-4
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: Topics and credit hours may vary each semester. Contact Department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 299 - EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION IN SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION IN SOCI
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Internship/Practicum
Credit Hour: 1
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level
Description: This course provides one hour of university credit for faculty-directed and approved internship. Students must obtain approval from a member of the department’s undergraduate committee and must submit a letter from the internship provider indicating completion and satisfactory performance. Department Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 301 - SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Short Title: SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course investigates the causes and consequences of social inequality in the U.S., focusing on inequality by class, race, and gender. We will discuss different measures of inequality, the extent of inequality, as well as classical and modern theories for why it has been increasing since the 1970s. In addition, we will discuss how much inequality is justifiable and which redistributive programs work.
SOCI 302 - THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
Short Title: THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Students in this course will examine the research questions sociologist ask, the methods they use, and how they draw evidence-based conclusions by reading and critically evaluating some of the most critically acclaimed books in the field. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 302 if student has credit for SOCI 201.
SOCI 303 - INEQUALITY, MOBILITY & SCHOOLS: EDUCATION IN A STRATIFIED SOCIETY
Short Title: INEQUALITY, MOBILITY & SCHOOLS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Education is heavily impacted by social inequalities, but it also has the power to exacerbate, reproduce, or reduce these inequalities. Students will analyze social science research on problems, methods, and substantive findings about inequality, mobility, and education as they consider ways to make education and society more just.
SOCI 304 - ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: RICE INTO THE FUTURE
Short Title: ENVIRON ISSUES: RICE IN FUTURE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Laboratory
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Students use the campus as a laboratory for learning about sustainability through group projects to reduce Rice's environmental impact or resolve environmental issues. Cross-list: ENST 302.
SOCI 305 - RACE, SPACE, PLACE
Short Title: RACE, SPACE, PLACE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Students in this course will examine theoretical and empirical work about race and racism in U.S. society, focusing primarily on the co-construction of race and space. We will also discuss placemaking as a form of resistance to spatialized racism.
SOCI 306 - SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Relationship between gender and social role. Development of the contemporary sexual division of labor and process of socialization with reference to family, education, media, and occupations. Cross-list: SWGS 324.
SOCI 307 - INTERSECTIONALITY
Short Title: INTERSECTIONALITY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will use intersectionality and Black Feminist Thought as frameworks to examine inequality and oppression in U.S. society. Students will consider how various axes of inequality – race, social class, gender, sexuality, and disability – intersect to shape identity, opportunity and experience.
SOCI 308 - HOUSTON: THE SOCIOLOGY OF A CITY
Short Title: HOUSTON: SOCIOLOGY OF A CITY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Houston as an exemplar of contemporary urban change. The "golden buckle of the sunbelt"; recovery from the oil boom collapse of the 1980s into a restructional economy and a demographic revolution; the changing politics of education, quality-of-life issues, and interethnic relations, as they interact to shape the urban future. Guest lectures, field trips.
SOCI 309 - RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS
Short Title: RACE & ETHNIC RELATIONS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Historical and contemporary issues and theories of race and ethnic relations in the United States. The key groups covered will be European Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Mexican Americans. Group patterns of assimilation and conflict inform a basic tenet that race and ethnicity are organizing features of society.
SOCI 310 - URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Study of urban development, form, and heterogeneity; and the conditions of life associated with living in cities. Examines the rise of cities, their growth and purposes in the U.S. and internationally. Examines behavioral adaptations required by city life, and considers urban subcultures.
SOCI 311 - SOCIOLOGY OF ASIANS AND ASIAN AMERICANS
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF ASIANS AND ASIAN
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will explore sociological research that centers on the social construction of Asian America and the lived experiences of Asian Americans. This course invites students to ask critical questions about the immense diversity within this growing demographic, the intersectional inequalities that Asian Americans encounter, and the legacies of community-led activism.
SOCI 313 - DEMOGRAPHY
Short Title: DEMOGRAPHY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Introduction to the study of the dynamics of population change. Includes demographic data sources, components of population change, mortality patterns, family planning, the measurement of migration flows, and population-economic models. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 513. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 313 if student has credit for SOCI 513.
SOCI 314 - SCIENCE AT RISK? OUT OF THE LAB AND INTO PUBLIC SPHERE
Short Title: SCIENCE AT RISK
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: What happens when science enters the public sphere and when the public sphere enters science? Through the lens of sociology (alongside other disciplines) we will examine some of the most controversial issues facing science today, including biotechnology, science and religion, US knowledge of science, the need to increase the race and gender diversity of the science workforce and corporate funding of science. This course is welcome to students from all majors. It has no prerequisites.
SOCI 316 - ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA: GAMING THE ENVIRONMENT
Short Title: ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA
Department: Environmental Studies
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Explores the ways film and other media represent the environment and environmental issues (food, water, energy, waste, environmental justice, sustainability), and both expresses and shapes environmental values. We will view and analyze a variety of genres, as well as read supplementary material. Distribution 1 credit effective Fall 2022.
SOCI 319 - SOCIOLOGY OF WORK AND OCCUPATIONS
Short Title: WORK AND OCCUPATIONS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Work is a central part of our lives. We will examine how work is structured in occupations and industries and how it changes over time. We will focus on understanding the lives of workers: work and inequalities between men and women, racial/ethnic inequalities, and relations between work and family.
SOCI 320 - SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Short Title: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will explore some of the main themes and theories in the study of social movements. Using sociological concepts, we examine a variety of movements in the United States and beyond and explore the ways in which social movements are studied, discussed, and understood in sociological literature.
SOCI 321 - CRIMINOLOGY
Short Title: CRIMINOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Study of criminal behavior. Includes social construction of crime, elementary forms of crime, empirical patterns of crime, and theories of crime. Field work required.
SOCI 325 - SOCIOLOGY OF LAW
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF LAW
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will explore law and legality utilizing a sociological perspective. We place law within its social and political context, and examine how law influences everyday life. We explore sociological theories of law, empirical studies of law, legal institutions, and how social characteristics influence legal outcomes. Fieldwork required.
SOCI 327 - SUPERVISED RESEARCH I
Short Title: SUPERVISED RESEARCH I
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1-4
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course offers the opportunity to work with a faculty member on that faculty member's existing research project. The course involves intensive pedagogy and mentoring including a pedagorical plan developed in conjunction with the sponsoring faculty member. Instructor Permission Required.
SOCI 328 - SUPERVISED RESEARCH II
Short Title: SUPERVISED RESEARCH II
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1-4
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course offers the opportunity to work with a faculty member on that faculty member's existing research project. The course involves intensive pedagogy and mentoring including a pedagorical plan developed in conjunction with the sponsoring faculty member. Please contact the Department for a description of the section you are registering for. Instructor Permission Required.
SOCI 329 - MULTIRACIAL AMERICA
Short Title: MULTIRACIAL AMERICA
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Multiracial America examines the phenomenon of race mixing (e.g. interracial interaction, multiracial identity) from a sociological perspective. The course covers the legal, political, and cultural contexts of interracial interaction and how these impact current understanding of what it means to be "mixed race." Recommended Prerequisite(s): SOCI 101
SOCI 333 - SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Study of religious beliefs, symbols, actions, organizations, roles, and various interrelationships between religion and society. Includes new religious movements, secularization, and fundamentalism. Field work required.
SOCI 334 - SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will teach students the important influences and consequences of American family life. We will consider issues such as sex and sexualities, marriage and cohabitation, divorce, family structure, same-sex marriage, domestic violence, and household labor. We will also examine the role of social institutions and social inequality in shaping family norms and constraints on family behaviors. Cross-list: SWGS 325.
SOCI 340 - SOCIOLOGY OF IMMIGRATION
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF IMMIGRATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Sociology of Immigration traces the migration process from initiation through its long-term consequences using theories of initiation (e.g. economic and sociological models) and adaptation (e.g. segmented assimilation, new assimilation theory). It also explores the effects of immigration policies.
SOCI 341 - QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Short Title: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course examines qualitative methodological approaches for conducting social science research. Particularly, students will examine how qualitative methods allow social scientists to analyze the symbolic, religious, gendered, socio-economic, policies and historical forces and contexts that underlie and motivate beliefs, ideologies, practices and social change. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 541. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 341 if student has credit for SOCI 541.
SOCI 342 - SOCIOLOGY OF GLOBALIZATION
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF GLOBALIZATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course explores how the process of global integration transforms human life with specific emphasis on: the global economy and economic development; transnational political organizations; culture an identity; the effect of globalization on social stratification, including gender/race/ethnic inequalities; transnational migration; environmental change; and transnational social movements.
SOCI 343 - RACE, SOCIETY AND POPULATION CHANGE
Short Title: RACE, SOCIETY & POPULATION CHG
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: The U.S. population is more diverse than ever before - how did that happen? This course looks at how race and ethnicity patterns demographic processes. This course explores demographic techniques and collection of racial data. Topics include: Roots of racial diversity, collecting racial data, immigration and population growth, and population polices. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 543. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 343 if student has credit for SOCI 543.
SOCI 344 - SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL HEALTH
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL HEALTH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course investigates the meaning and significance of mental health, with heavy emphasis on the social construction of mental illness; positive psychology and psychological well-being; psychiatric epidemiology; stigma and labeling; and culture and social control. Social determinants of mental health are also discussed.
SOCI 345 - MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will explore the relationship between social factors and health, illness, and mortality, with a heavy emphasis on experiences of illness, the doctor-patient relationship, and the socialization of medical students and new doctors. Social determinants of health, cultural determinants of health, and the ethics surrounding conception, birth, and death will also be discussed.
SOCI 348 - ORGANIZATIONAL SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: ORGANIZATIONAL SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: From congregations to corporations to colleges, organizations surround us. While the prominence of organizations in our daily lives is an indicator of their success, we know that organizations can be impersonal, unresponsive and even corrupt. This course will visit social scientists' best attempts to figure out what makes organizations tick.
SOCI 349 - CRIME, LAW & JUSTICE IN POPULAR CULTURE
Short Title: CRIME LAW JUSTICE IN POP CULT
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This class will critically explore cultural imaginaries of deviance, crime, law and justice. How are these portrayed (historically and contemporarily) in popular culture, including television, film, social media outlets, newspapers and magazines, novels, and 'art.' Well also interrogate has these images and portrayals interact with perceptions, personhood (identity), and policy.-
SOCI 350 - URBAN TRANSPORTATION
Short Title: URBAN TRANSPORTATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Moving people and goods within cities is the stuff of legendary challenge and the life blood of urban areas. In this course we study the transportation systems used in European and US cities, examine advantages and disadvantages of different systems, and consider whether major transformations in urban transportation are on the horizon.
SOCI 358 - CRIME, PUNISHMENT AND SOCIETY
Short Title: CRIME, PUNISHMENT AND SOCIETY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: A multi-faceted exploration of crime. We explore how crime is socially defined, perceived and portrayed. Next we analyze empirical patterns and theories of crime. Lastly, we examine societal responses, focusing on policing and punishment. Material will encompass both classical/foundational and contemporary scholarship, and a mix of empirical and theoretical work.
SOCI 363 - AFRICAN AMERICAN-JEWISH RELATIONS: RACE, RELIGION, POLITICS, AND POPULAR CULTURE
Short Title: AFRICAN AMER-JEWISH RELATIONS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course examines African American-Jewish relations in the United States from colonial times to the present day. Through readings, music, images, and films, we will explore constructions of racial identity, arenas of religious and cultural interaction, and the politics and politics that have shaped African American-Jewish relations in urban neighborhoods.
SOCI 364 - MUSLIMS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
Short Title: MUSLIMS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course unearths the history of Muslims in America from the 15th century to present-day. Students will have the opportunity to explore the experiences of African, Middle Eastern, European, South Asian, Hispanic, and black/white Muslims. In studying these communities, students will question what it means to be Muslim in America.
SOCI 365 - POLITICS OF REPRESENTATION: HOW WE UNDERSTAND "WAR" AND "THE RACIAL OTHER"
Short Title: POLITICS OF REPRESENTATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Does media show how things really are? This class explores the politics of representation, particularly in times of social mayhem, revolution, and war. Although we will focus primarily on cultural and political representations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this class will also put this dispute in comparison with other global events. Cross-list: ANTH 365.
SOCI 366 - HOUSING AND SCHOOLS: THE SOCIAL LOCATIONS OF INEQUALITY
Short Title: HOUSING AND SCHOOLS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: A persistent link between families’ residential location and children’s school enrollment in the U.S. plays a significant role in the perpetuation of social inequality. This course examines the factors that shape housing and school opportunities for families, and the policies and interventions attempting to change these opportunities.
SOCI 367 - ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course focuses on the foundations of environmental sociology and takes a social and historical approach to examine how humans affect the environment and the environment affects humans. Topics include: agricultural sustainability, resource extraction and climate changes; environmental racism/sexism; globalization and development; population, and consumption, and environmental movements. Cross-list: ENST 367.
SOCI 368 - SOCIOLOGY OF DISASTER
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF DISASTER
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will cover social dimensions of disasters stemming from natural and human hazards. Emphasis will focus on social, economic and political forces that put people unequally at risk as well as how vulnerable social groups experience and adjust to these risks and associated hazards.
SOCI 374 - SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF PREJUDICE
Short Title: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF PREJUDICE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course investigates the meaning, durability and significance of prejudice based upon social psychological literature addressing intergroup and interpersonal conflict and its resolution. Problems of relations between racial groups in contemporary society are also discussed.
SOCI 376 - ART AND ACTIVISM: CRITICAL STUDY OF HOPE IN TIMES OF CRISIS
Short Title: ART AND ACTIVISM
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course explores art and social change in times of mass displacement, racial oppression, and war. It surveys the efforts involved in achieving justice and the possible implications of remaining historically mute and hopeless. The class will host contemporary activists and artists concerned with radical visions of hope in Houston. Cross-list: ANTH 376.
SOCI 377 - HEALTH DISPARITIES IN THE UNITED STATES
Short Title: HEALTH DISPARITIES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This class will explore patterns and explanations surrounding health disparities in the United States based on key status characteristics (socioeconomic status, race/ethnic identity, nativity, gender, and sexual orientation). We will draw on interdisciplinary scholarship covering diverse fields (e.g., medical sociology, social demography, public health, public policy) and methodologies.
SOCI 380 - SOCIAL THEORY
Short Title: SOCIAL THEORY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course engages and analyzes the foundational texts of social theory from its classical roots to its contemporary branches. Students will explore theoretical approaches that inform current sociological research and during the course will examine social phenomena of particular interest to them from the perspective of two major theorists.
SOCI 381 - RESEARCH METHODS
Short Title: RESEARCH METHODS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: An introduction to the methods sociologists use to study human societies and their members. Hypothesis formulation and research design; qualitative studies through observation and interviews; historical and comparative approaches; sample surveys and the statistical analysis of quantitative data, political and ethical issues in social research.
SOCI 382 - SOCIAL STATISTICS
Short Title: SOCIAL STATISTICS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Emphasizes the practical uses of statistics to answer the types of questions sociologists ask. We learn sample description, sampling and probability, sampling theory, and how to make inferences from samples to populations. We study and apply common univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics. Because most statistical analysis is done with the aid of computers, we also learn how to use a common statistical package.
SOCI 389 - RACE, GENDER, CLASS IN FILM
Short Title: RACE, GENDER, CLASS IN FILM
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course explores how race, gender, and class-based differences are presented in the body of American film. We will explore these images as raw materials to understand sociological concepts of identity, bias, and stratification as well as the cultural narratives, or frames, that guide how the public defines these concepts.
SOCI 396 - LAW AND RESISTANCE IN THE EVERYDAY
Short Title: LAW AND RESISTANCE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will explore how people interact with the law in their everyday lives – in the U.S. and elsewhere. Examples will include how individuals experience and respond to policing, examining the effects of immigration and border security policies, and tracing how people and groups mobilize to challenges laws perceived as unjust. Cross-list: ANTH 396.
SOCI 401 - RELIGION SEMINAR
Short Title: RELIGION SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: A course that explores the theories, tools, concepts, and major debates that are central to the sociology of religion. Specific attention is devoted to religious practices, communities, and identities as well as how the sociology of religion relates to other sub-fields within the broader discipline. Instructor Permission Required. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 501. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 401 if student has credit for SOCI 501.
SOCI 402 - RACE AND FAMILY SEMINAR
Short Title: RACE AND FAMILY SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: What features of family life are marked by race? This course examines the question and gauges whether differences are a matter of culture or do they reflect issues of structure (or access to opportunities) and what are the implications for race/ethnic inequality? Topics include racial socialization and ethnic identity. Instructor Permission Required. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 502. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 402 if student has credit for SOCI 502.
SOCI 403 - INDEPENDENT STUDY
Short Title: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1-6
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Directed reading and written papers on subjects not regularly offered; advanced study of subjects on which courses are offered. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 404 - INDEPENDENT STUDY
Short Title: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1-4
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Directed readings and essay writing on special subjects. Includes advanced study in subjects from other courses, if desired. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 405 - ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
Short Title: ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course provides an overview of the theoretical frameworks for ethnographic methods. Coverage includes ethics, entry, observation, field notes, interviewing, and data analysis. Students will learn ethnographic skills through lectures, readings, and fieldwork in social settings. Finally, we also consider the place of ethnography in an era of large-data collection in the social sciences. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 505. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 405 if student has credit for SOCI 505.
SOCI 406 - BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES
Short Title: BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: The course provides a survey of basic demographic methods for assessing population change, fertility, mortality, and (im)migration and characteristics such with age, gender, race/ethnicity, household/family composition, marital status, economic, employment, and educational. Emphasis placed on the use of the methods in a variety of demographic and other settings. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 406 if student has credit for SOCI 506.
SOCI 407 - GENDER SEMINAR
Short Title: GENDER SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: An overview of the construction and reproduction of gender as a social category. Course will compare various conceptualizations of gender and discuss structural-, interactional-, and individual-level processes that reproduce gender inequality. Will also explore interactions of gender with other axes of social difference, such as sexuality, race/ethnicity and social class. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 607. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 407 if student has credit for SOCI 607.
SOCI 408 - ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH II
Short Title: ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH II
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 405
Description: Continuation of theoretical frameworks for ethnograpic and other qualitative research methods including ethics, entry, observation, field notes, interviewing, data analysis and writing reports. Field projects can be conducted in group, classroom, campus or community settings. Instructor Permission Required.
SOCI 409 - SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
Short Title: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course examines how scarce resources unequally distributed among individuals, groups, and societies. Social stratification is a key concept in sociology that examines income and wealth inequality, occupational and class hierarchies, inequality of educational opportunity, poverty, and the consequences of inequality. Examples will drawn from US and international cases. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 509. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 409 if student has credit for SOCI 509.
SOCI 410 - RELIGION, GENDER, AND INEQUALITY
Short Title: RELIGION, GENDER, & INEQUALITY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course examines intersections of gender and religion in contemporary social life. Using sociological tools, we will examine how religion addresses and causes gender inequalities within the law, politics, medicine, and science, as well as religious institutions themselves. Recommended Prerequisite(s): RELI 101 and/or SOCI 101
SOCI 411 - COMMUNITY AND URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: COMMUNITY AND URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Study of urban development, form, and heterogeneity; and the conditions of life associated with living in cities, their growth and purposes globally and locally. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 511. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 411 if student has credit for SOCI 511.
SOCI 412 - PERSPECTIVES ON RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IN AN INTOLERANT AGE
Short Title: UG SEMINAR RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hour: 1
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: How do we understand religious pluralism in the midst of religious traditions that seem inherently at odds? Is religion more likely to bring peace or conflict? Through readings form the humanities and the social sciences and short lectures, this weekly undergraduate seminar will address these issues and more. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 512. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 412 if student has credit for SOCI 512.
SOCI 414 - CRITICAL RACE THEORY
Short Title: CRITICAL RACE THEORY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group II
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will examine critical race theory. It will provide students an opportunity to evaluate what it is and is not, its origins and central tenets, and its impact today across multiple fields including sociology. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 514.
SOCI 415 - THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT
Short Title: THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Examines the environmental movement in the U.S. and globally. After a historical overview, we will use a social movement perspective to examine mobilization, organizations and tactics, ideologies and identities, as well as exploring aspects of contemporary environmentalism (e.g. green building and slow flood, wildlife management/biodiversity, sustainable development, environmental justice). Cross-list: ENST 415.
SOCI 416 - SOCIAL MOVEMENTS SEMINAR
Short Title: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course explores advanced topics in sociology of social movements. Drawing on cases in the US and beyond, we discuss theories and empirical studies of social movements. Students will work on a research project and they will present and write a final paper based on their research. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 516.
SOCI 421 - RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS
Short Title: RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course provides a foundational understanding of research-practice partnerships (RPPs) in education, an emerging way for education researchers and practitioners to work together on pressing problems of practice. Topics include launching an RPP, theories of action, supporting research use, communications, sustainability, and measuring RPP effectiveness. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 421 if student has credit for SOCI 521.
SOCI 422 - SOCIAL AUTOPSIES: HOW SOCIETY KILLS US
Short Title: SOCIAL AUTOPSIES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course explores mortality, and how long we live, as a social process. Though we often reflect on the biological, physiological, and genetic conditions that play parts in the length of our lives, we will explore evidence suggesting that social conditions shape mortality prospects for all of us. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 522. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 422 if student has credit for SOCI 522.
SOCI 423 - SOCIOLOGY OF FOOD
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF FOOD
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course examines the production, distribution, and consumption of food as a medium to understand the relations between large social processes and the practices of everyday life. Topics include: food policy; commodification of food; food security and hunger; food, health and the body; cultural food practices; and alternative food systems. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 523. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 423 if student has credit for SOCI 523.
SOCI 424 - RACE AND ETHNICITY SEMINAR
Short Title: RACE AND ETHNICITY SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Overview of the sociological study of race and ethnic relations; identifying the major contributions made to the sociological study of race and the ethnicity; and the major areas in need of new thinking and research . Focus on theoretical formulations, historical understandings, and causes and consequences of race and technical relations globally Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 524. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 424 if student has credit for SOCI 524.
SOCI 425 - POPULATION HEALTH SEMINAR
Short Title: POPULATION HEALTH SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Course is a graduate level overview of population health, including the social determinates of morbidity and mortality, fertility and birth outcomes, health disparities, and contextual determinants of health. Course will cover major theoretical perspectives in the field, including fundamental cause theory, life course theory, and theories of stress and resilience. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 525. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 425 if student has credit for SOCI 525.
SOCI 426 - CONTEMPORARY THEORY
Short Title: CONTEMPORARY THEORY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course builds foundational understanding of the diverse theoretical traditions of the last half-century that underlie much of the work currently being undertaken in sociology. Theories include: symbolic interactionism, critical theory, structuralism, power and social control, neo-institutionalism, feminist theory, and cultural theory. Evaluation based on papers, memos and seminar participation. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 526. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 426 if student has credit for SOCI 526.
SOCI 430 - DEATH, SEX, AND OTHER POPULATION PROCESSES
Short Title: POPULATION PROCESSES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Population Processes is an introductory course in demographic research theory and methods. The primary objective of the course is to learn how demographers theorize about—and measure—population growth, mortality, fertility, and migration. It is designed to be taught to two groups of students: upper-level undergraduates and graduate students. For some, the course will be their only class on population. For others, the course will provide an overview of demography before they go on to graduate or professional school. Readings and lectures will be informative and challenging to both groups. Demographic processes are increasingly referenced in political discourse related to immigration, reproductive rights, elder care, and racial inequality. Students who enroll in this course will have a better understanding of what population statistics represent and how they are being used to inform public and policy debate. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 530. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 430 if student has credit for SOCI 530.
SOCI 436 - RESEARCH SEMINAR: THE HOUSTON AREA SURVEY
Short Title: HOUSTON AREA SURVEY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Continuation of the series of annual surveys on how Houston residents are reacting to the ongoing economic and demographic changes. Includes sampling procedures, questionnaire construction, interviewing, data analysis, and the logic and skills of survey research. Culminates in a research report that develops empirical hypotheses and tests their validity with the survey findings. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 536. Recommended Prerequisite(s): SOCI 381 & SOCI 382. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 436 if student has credit for SOCI 536.
SOCI 437 - SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Analyzing educational inequality in the U.S. using concepts of educational equality and inequality and analysis of the factors that shape schooling outcomes. Addressing the role of students, families, neighborhoods, schools, school organizations and teachers. Special topics: education of immigrants, school segregation, accountability, higher education and the future of educational inequality. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 537. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 437 if student has credit for SOCI 337/SOCI 537.
SOCI 438 - FAMILY SEMINAR
Short Title: FAMILY SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will cover the history of the family and key theoretical and empirical debates about family formation, stability, and dissolution. Ultimately, we will seek to answer the question: is the American family in decline? Instructor Permission Required. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 538. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 438 if student has credit for SOCI 538.
SOCI 451 - IMMIGRATION IN A GLOBAL WORLD
Short Title: IMMIGRATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course compare 20th century immigration to the US (and other countries) with more recent migratory flows. Topics will be related to the transnational identities of immigrants, ethnic discrimination, and the impact of immigrants on civic and religious institutions. A central part of the course is a semester-long research project. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 551. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 451 if student has credit for SOCI 551.
SOCI 453 - RACE, MIGRATION, AND HEALTH SEMINAR
Short Title: RACE, MIGRATION, AND HEALTH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: In this class we will examine the relationship between racial identity, nativity, and health status. Through readings and class discussion we will examine how racial identity and generational status shape health-related resources, stressors, behaviors, and supports. We will also consider how these factors relate to health care access and use. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 553. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 453 if student has credit for SOCI 553.
SOCI 459 - RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE
Short Title: RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course will use the tools of social science to understand how religion shows up on in public life, both in the US and around the globe. Topics include: epistemology and methodology of public religion; how religion shapes views on politics, gender, families, science, race, immigration, education, the workplace; the challenges of religious diversity and crossing sociopolitical divides. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 559. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 459 if student has credit for SOCI 559.
SOCI 460 - SPATIAL ANALYSIS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Short Title: SPATIAL ANALYSIS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Introduction to the core concepts and tools for analyzing spatial data. Students will gain hands-on experience creating spatial data (including georeferencing, geocoding, and merging data sources), producing and interpreting maps, and describing and analyzing spatial patterns and relationships. Drawing on examples in housing, health, education, public policy, and urban studies, students will learn how to apply spatial concepts and methods to study the geographic distribution of social phenomena, the spatial organization of communities, and the relationship between society and the environment. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 560. Recommended Prerequisite(s): The course uses R software for spatial data management and analysis. Students should have introductory-level knowledge of R and basic statistics prior to taking the course. Students can make use of online resources (e.g., https://www.datacamp.com/) to gain experience prior to the start of the course. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 460 if student has credit for SOCI 560.
SOCI 465 - GENDER AND HEALTH
Short Title: GENDER AND HEALTH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This seminar explores the relationship between gender and health (longevity, physical illness and functioning, mental health, and health behavior). Specific topics include masculinity, disease expression, medical research, health care use, stress and social relationships, and intersectionality (race/ethnicity and sexuality) as they relate shaping health outcomes among men and women. Cross-list: SWGS 465. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 665. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 465 if student has credit for SOCI 665.
SOCI 469 - COMMUNITY BRIDGES TRAINING
Short Title: COMMUNITY BRIDGES TRAINING
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 2
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course is the precursor for the spring course, SOCI 470, Inequality and Urban Life. Only students accepted into the Community Bridges Program may enroll in this course, where we do preparatory readings, trainings and workshops for the spring community internships. Instructor Permission Required.
SOCI 470 - INEQUALITY AND URBAN LIFE
Short Title: INEQUALITY AND URBAN LIFE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This course combines classroom study with seven hours of fieldwork per week, working on projects with a local organization. We study how urban areas generate wealth and poverty, the experience of inequality, and issues of community development. Enrollment is by permission only. Instructor Permission Required.
SOCI 477 - SPECIAL TOPICS
Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Internship/Practicum, Seminar, Lecture, Laboratory
Credit Hours: 1-4
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Topics and credit hours may vary each semester. Contact department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 483 - DATA ANALYSIS
Short Title: DATA ANALYSIS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: This graduate course introduces students to multivariate regression methods. It assumes previous coursework in elementary statistics and the use of STATA. We will cover regression analysis for continuous dependent variables and move in to intermediate and some advance analysis for categorical dependent variables, commonly referred to as generalized linear models.
SOCI 485 - IDENTITIES IN A DIVERSE WORLD
Short Title: RACIAL IDENTITIES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: How have shifts in ethnic and race diversity affected the way we answer the question, "who am I?" "Identities in a Diverse World" is a seminar dedicated to answering this core question by exploring the new frontiers of understanding race and ethnicity. Topics include: Racial Passing, Transracial adoption, Whiteness, and Immigration. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 585. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 485 if student has credit for SOCI 585.
SOCI 492 - DIRECTED HONORS RESEARCH
Short Title: DIRECTED HONORS RESEARCH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Sociological research under faculty supervision. Includes first-semester review of relevant literature and the preparation of an outline for planned research, followed by second-semester research and the writing of an honors thesis. Open only to students in sociology honors program. Instructor Permission Required.
SOCI 493 - DIRECTED HONORS RESEARCH
Short Title: DIRECTED HONORS RESEARCH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.
Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level
Description: Sociological research under faculty supervision. Includes first-semester review of relevant literature and preparation of outline for planned research, followed by second-semester research and the writing of an honors thesis. Open only to students in sociology honors program. Instructor Permission Required.
SOCI 500 - SUMMER RESEARCH
Short Title: SUMMER RESEARCH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1-15
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Sociological research for graduate students in sociology. Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 501 - GRADUATE RELIGION SEMINAR
Short Title: GRADUATE RELIGION SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: A graduate level course that explores the theories, tools, concepts, and major debates that are central to the sociology of religion. Specific attention is devoted to religions practices, communities, and identities as well as how the sociology of religion relates to other sub-fields with the broader discipline. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 401. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 501 if student has credit for SOCI 401.
SOCI 502 - RACE AND FAMILY SEMINAR
Short Title: RACE AND FAMILY SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: What features of family life are marked by race? This course examines the question and gauges whether differences are a matter of culture or do they reflect issues of structure (or access to opportunities) and what are the implications for race/ethnic inequality? Topics include racial socialization and ethnic identity. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 402. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 502 if student has credit for SOCI 402.
SOCI 503 - TEACHING SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: TEACHING SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hour: 1
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course will examine different approaches to teaching sociology at the university level, including core curriculum, a syllabus, and different forms of presenting material and evaluating students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Sociology department faculty will discuss their particular approaches to teaching sociology.
SOCI 505 - ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
Short Title: ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Beginning with the theoretical frameworks for ethnographic and other qualitative research methods, the course will cover ethics, entry, observation, field notes, interviewing, data analysis, and writing reports. It will offer a hands-on approach combining lectures, research through lectures, readings, and fieldwork. Field projects can be conducted in group, classroom, campus, or community settings. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 405. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 505 if student has credit for SOCI 405.
SOCI 506 - BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES
Short Title: BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: The course provides a survey of basic demographic methods for assessing population change, fertility, mortality, and (im)migration and characteristics such with age, gender, race/ethnicity, household/family composition, marital status, economic, employment, and educational. Emphasis placed on the use of the methods in a variety of demographic and other settings. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 506 if student has credit for SOCI 406.
SOCI 509 - SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
Short Title: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course examines how scarce resources unequally distributed among individuals, groups, and societies. Social stratification is a key concept in sociology that examines income and wealth inequality, occupational and class hierarchies, inequality of educational opportunity, poverty, and the consequences of inequality. Examples will drawn from US and international cases. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 409. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 509 if student has credit for SOCI 409.
SOCI 510 - RELIGION AND SOCIETY
Short Title: RELIGION AND SOCIETY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This seminar focuses on the ways in which religion is impacted by society, how society is shaped by religion, and the functions, uses, and meanings of religion in the modern world. We rely on the sociological perspective for understanding religion. Field work required.
SOCI 511 - COMMUNITY AND URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: COMMUNITY & URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Study of urban development, form, and heterogeneity; and the conditions of life associated with living in cities, their growth and purposes globally and locally. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 411. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 511 if student has credit for SOCI 411.
SOCI 512 - PERSPECTIVES ON RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IN AN INTOLERANT AGE
Short Title: GR SEMINAR RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hour: 1
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: How do we understand religious pluralism in the midst of religious traditions that seem inherently at odds? Is religion more likely to bring peace or conflict? Through readings form the humanities and the social sciences and short lectures, this weekly undergraduate seminar will address these issues and more. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 412. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 512 if student has credit for SOCI 412.
SOCI 513 - DEMOGRAPHY
Short Title: DEMOGRAPHY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Study of the dynamics of population change. Includes demographic data sources, components of population change, mortality patterns, family planning, the measurement of migration flows, and population-economic models. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 313. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 513 if student has credit for SOCI 313.
SOCI 514 - CRITICAL RACE THEORY
Short Title: CRITICAL RACE THEORY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course will examine critical race theory. It will provide students an opportunity to evaluate what it is and is not, its origins and central tenets, and its impact today across multiple fields including sociology. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 414.
SOCI 516 - SOCIAL MOVEMENTS SEMINAR
Short Title: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course explores advanced topics in sociology of social movements. Drawing on cases in the US and beyond, we discuss theories and empirical studies of social movements. Students will work on a research project and they will present and write a final paper based on their research. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 416.
SOCI 521 - RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS
Short Title: RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIPS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course provides a foundational understanding of research-practice partnerships (RPPs) in education, an emerging way for education researchers and practitioners to work together on pressing problems of practice. Topics include launching an RPP, theories of action, supporting research use, communications, sustainability, and measuring RPP effectiveness. Cross-list: SOPE 510. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 521 if student has credit for SOCI 421.
SOCI 522 - SOCIAL AUTOPSIES
Short Title: SOCIAL AUTOPSIES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course explores mortality, and how long we live, as a social process. Though we often reflect on the biological, physiological, and genetic conditions that play parts in the length of our lives, we will explore evidence suggesting that social conditions shape mortality prospects for all of us. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 422. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 522 if student has credit for SOCI 422.
SOCI 523 - SOCIOLOGY OF FOOD
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF FOOD
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course examines the production, distribution, and consumption of food as a medium to understand the relations between large social processes and the practices of everyday life. Topics include: food policy; commodification of food; food security and hunger; food, health and the body; cultural food practices; and alternative food systems. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 423. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 523 if student has credit for SOCI 423.
SOCI 524 - RACE AND ETHNICITY SEMINAR
Short Title: RACE AND ETHNICITY SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Overview of the sociological study of race and ethnic relations; identifying the major contributions made to the sociological study of race and the ethnicity; and the major areas in need of new thinking and research . Focus on theoretical formulations, historical understandings, and causes and consequences of race and technical relations globally Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 424. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 524 if student has credit for SOCI 424.
SOCI 525 - POPULATION HEALTH SEMINAR
Short Title: POPULATION HEALTH SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Course is a graduate level overview of population health, including the social determinates of morbidity and mortality, fertility and birth outcomes, health disparities, and contextual determinants of health. Course will cover major theoretical perspectives in the field, including fundamental cause theory, life course theory, and theories of stress and resilience. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 425. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 525 if student has credit for SOCI 425.
SOCI 526 - CONTEMPORARY THEORY
Short Title: CONTEMPORARY THEORY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course builds foundational understanding of the diverse theoretical traditions of the last half-century that underlie much of the work currently being undertaken in sociology. Theories include: symbolic interactionism, critical theory, structuralism, power and social control, neo-institutionalism, feminist theory, and cultural theory. Evaluation based on papers, memos and seminar participation. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 426. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 526 if student has credit for SOCI 426.
SOCI 528 - GIS FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH
Short Title: GIS FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE RES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course will focus on integrating spatial concepts into social science research using GIS software. Topics include: data acquisition, structure and management; principles of exploratory data analysis and cartographic visualization; and exploratory spatial data analysis (spatial auto correlation).
SOCI 530 - DEATH, SEX, AND OTHER POPULATION PROCESSES
Short Title: POPULATION PROCESSES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Population Processes is an introductory course in demographic research theory and methods. The primary objective of the course is to learn how demographers theorize about—and measure—population growth, mortality, fertility, and migration. It is designed to be taught to two groups of students: upper-level undergraduates and graduate students. For some, the course will be their only class on population. For others, the course will provide an overview of demography before they go on to graduate or professional school. Readings and lectures will be informative and challenging to both groups. Demographic processes are increasingly referenced in political discourse related to immigration, reproductive rights, elder care, and racial inequality. Students who enroll in this course will have a better understanding of what population statistics represent and how they are being used to inform public and policy debate. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 430. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 530 if student has credit for SOCI 430.
SOCI 534 - BLACK SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHT
Short Title: BLACK SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHT
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course is a graduate level survey seminar on black sociological thought. It will familiarize enrolled students with classic and contemporary work addressing the meaning and consequence of racism with particular emphasis on the black experience in the United States.
SOCI 536 - RESEARCH SEMINAR: THE HOUSTON AREA SURVEY
Short Title: HOUSTON AREA SURVEY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Continuation of the series of annual surveys on how Houston residents are reacting to the ongoing economic and demographic changes. Includes sampling procedures, questionnaire construction, interviewing, data analysis, and the logic and skills of survey research. Culminates in a research report that develops empirical hypotheses and tests their validity with the survey findings. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 436. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 536 if student has credit for SOCI 436.
SOCI 537 - SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
Short Title: SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Analyzing educational inequality in the U.S. using concepts of educational equality and inequality and analysis of the factors that shape schooling outcomes. Addressing the role of students, families, neighborhoods, schools, school organizations and teachers. Special topics: education of immigrants, school segregation, accountability, higher education and the future of educational inequality. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 437. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 537 if student has credit for SOCI 337/SOCI 437.
SOCI 538 - FAMILY SEMINAR
Short Title: FAMILY SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course will cover the history of the family and key theoretical and empirical debates about family formation, stability, and dissolution. Ultimately, we will seek to answer the question: is the American family in decline? Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 438. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 538 if student has credit for SOCI 438.
SOCI 540 - USING R FOR INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS
Short Title: USING R FOR STATISTICS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This graduate level course will provide graduate students opportunities to learn R. They will also learn introductory statistical concepts deployed and techniques used typically by social scientists, broadly defined.
SOCI 541 - QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Short Title: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course examines qualitative methodological approaches for conducting social science research. Particularly, students will examine how qualitative methods allow social scientists to analyze the symbolic, religious, gendered, socio-economic, policies and historical forces and contexts that underlie and motivate beliefs, ideologies, practices and social change. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 341. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 541 if student has credit for SOCI 341.
SOCI 543 - RACE, SOCIETY AND POPULATION CHANGE
Short Title: RACE, SOCIETY & POPULATION CHG
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: The U.S. population is more diverse than ever before - how did that happen? This course looks at how race and ethnicity patterns demographic processes. This course explores demographic techniques and collection of racial data. Topics include: Roots of racial diversity, collecting racial data, immigration and population growth, and population polices. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 343. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 543 if student has credit for SOCI 343.
SOCI 544 - RACE AND RACISM
Short Title: RACE AND RACISM
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course is a graduate level survey seminar on race and racism. It will familiarize enrolled students with diverse literature addressing the interpersonal and intergroup meaning and consequence of race and racism with particular emphasis on the United States.
SOCI 551 - IMMIGRATION IN A GLOBAL AGE
Short Title: IMMIGRATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course compare 20th century immigration to the US (and other countries) with more recent migratory flows. Topics will be related to the transnational identities of immigrants, ethnic discrimination, and the impact of immigrants on civic and religious institutions. A central part of the course is a semester-long research project. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 451. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 551 if student has credit for SOCI 451.
SOCI 553 - RACE, MIGRATION, AND HEALTH SEMINAR
Short Title: RACE, MIGRATION, AND HEALTH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: In this class we will examine the relationship between racial identity, nativity, and health status. Through readings and class discussion we will examine how racial identity and generational status shape health-related resources, stressors, behaviors, and supports. We will also consider how these factors relate to health care access and use. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 453. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 553 if student has credit for SOCI 453.
SOCI 559 - RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE
Short Title: RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course will use the tools of social science to understand how religion shows up on in public life, both in the US and around the globe. Topics include: epistemology and methodology of public religion; how religion shapes views on politics, gender, families, science, race, immigration, education, the workplace; the challenges of religious diversity and crossing sociopolitical divides. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 459. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 559 if student has credit for SOCI 459.
SOCI 560 - SPATIAL ANALYSIS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Short Title: SPATIAL ANALYSIS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Introduction to the core concepts and tools for analyzing spatial data. Students will gain hands-on experience creating spatial data (including georeferencing, geocoding, and merging data sources), producing and interpreting maps, and describing and analyzing spatial patterns and relationships. Drawing on examples in housing, health, education, public policy, and urban studies, students will learn how to apply spatial concepts and methods to study the geographic distribution of social phenomena, the spatial organization of communities, and the relationship between society and the environment. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 460. Recommended Prerequisite(s): The course uses R software for spatial data management and analysis. Students should have introductory-level knowledge of R and basic statistics prior to taking the course. Students can make use of online resources (e.g., https://www.datacamp.com/) to gain experience prior to the start of the course. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 560 if student has credit for SOCI 460.
SOCI 580 - CLASSICAL THEORY
Short Title: CLASSICAL THEORY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course engages and analyzes the foundational texts of social theory from its classical roots to its contemporary branches. Students will explore theoretical approaches that inform current sociological research and during the course will examine social phenomena of particular interest to them from the perspective of two major theorists.
SOCI 581 - QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Short Title: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1-3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Designed as a graduate level overview of quantitative research methods, with a focus on survey construction and design. The class moves through the stops of the research design process, and discusses mixed-methods and meta-analysis research. Class also includes a strong focus on writing, critique, peer review, and the publishing process.
SOCI 582 - QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS I
Short Title: QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS I
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: An introduction to statistics and data analysis for graduate students in sociology. Topics include descriptive statistics, visual representation of data, univariate and bivariate tests, as well as an introduction to multiple regression. Techniques for visualizing data will be discussed throughout. Familiarity with the statistical package Stata is assumed. Instructor Permission Required.
SOCI 583 - QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS II
Short Title: QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS II
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course introduces students to multiple regression methods - a set of models that relate an outcome (also referred to as response or dependent) variable to a set of explanatory or independent variables. Students should have a previous coursework on descriptive statistics, bivariate regression, as well as familiarity with Stata.
SOCI 584 - QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS III
Short Title: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS III
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 1-3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 582 and SOCI 583
Description: The course will give an overview of several advanced statistical techniques commonly used in Sociology.
SOCI 585 - IDENTITIES IN A DIVERSE WORLD
Short Title: RACIAL IDENTITIES
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: How have shifts in ethnic and race diversity affected the way we answer the question, "who am I?" "Identities in a Diverse World" is a seminar dedicated to answering this core question by exploring the new frontiers of understanding race and ethnicity. Topics include: Racial Passing, Transracial adoption, Whiteness, and Immigration. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 485. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 585 if student has credit for SOCI 485.
SOCI 586 - MULTILEVEL MODELING
Short Title: MULTILEVEL MODELING
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 582 and SOCI 583
Description: This course is an introduction to multilevel modeling methods for data with complex clustering. The major topics include two-level models for continuous, categorical, and count outcomes, three-level models, multilevel models of change and models for imperfectly nested data. Instructor Permission Required.
SOCI 587 - LONGITUDINAL DATA ANALYSIS
Short Title: LONGITUDINAL DATA ANALYSIS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 582 and SOCI 583
Description: This course introduces students to the nature of longitudinal data and illustrate the applicability of techniques for the analysis using such data. The subject matter consists of regression models for data collected on the same subjects over time, as well as methods of analyzing event histories.
SOCI 596 - STATISTICAL PROGRAMMING
Short Title: STATISTICAL PROGRAMMING
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course will provide a thorough introduction to the statistical software package Stata. The emphasis will be on important skills for quantitative research that are not typically covered in statistics classes. Topics will include: data management, creating graphs, presentation of results, workflow, and documenting one's work.
SOCI 600 - GRADUATE INDEPENDENT STUDY
Short Title: GRADUATE INDEPENDENT STUDY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: SECTION ONE: This course focuses on the sociology of global cities, especially on their comparative study. It examines their rise and development as central nodes in the world system, the means to their centrality and the threats to maintaining their status. A required end product of the course will be a publishable research paper using a comparative analysis of global cities. SECTION TWO: This course explores the relationship between social factors and health, illness, and mortality, with a heavy emphasis on equalitative experiences of illness, the doctor-patient relationship, and the socialization of medical students and new doctors. SECTION THREE: This course examines the causes and consequences of societal stratification in different institutional spheres. Students will be expected to examine key theoretical perspectives as well as understand and critique different methodological approaches to the study of social stratification. SECTION FOUR: Designed to familiarize students with the historical and contemporary theoretical explanations of the formation of, identification with, and implications of racial and ethnic categories in the United States and globally. Additionally, this course will cover empirical studies that investigate the perpetuation of racial and ethnic inequality in comparative, international perspective. SECTION FIVE: This course focuses on the mechanisms that lead to and/or perpetuate marginalization of social groups (e.g. racial, socioeconomic, religious, etc…) in urban areas. In particular, this course examines policies (i.e. public housing, cash welfare, corporation tax breaks, zoning laws) that increase or decrease the generational marginalization of groups. SECTION SIX: This course will delve extensively into criminology. The course will cover four broad areas: 1) how crime is imagined and portrayed, 2) empirical patterns of crime, 3) theories of crime causation and victimization, and 4) societal responses to crime, encompassing studies of social control, policing, the legal system, and punishment. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 601 - CLASSICAL THEORY II
Short Title: CLASSICAL THEORY II
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: The student will go beyond the basic graduate level theory course, doing advanced readings in theories, related to a substantive area in which the student concentrates.
SOCI 602 - QUANTITATIVE METHODS
Short Title: QUANTITATIVE METHODS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: The student will do advanced work in an area of statistical interest with a faculty member who specializes in the techniques.
SOCI 603 - DIRECTED READING IN URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Short Title: URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This reading course covers foundational readings in the area of urban sociology.
SOCI 604 - MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION FOR GENERALIZED LINEAR MODELS
Short Title: GENERALIZED LINEAR MODELS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Explores useful statistical models beyond standard linear regression. Topics covered are logit and probit models for both binary and ordinal dependent variables, even count models, models for heteroskedastic regressions, and more. Maximum likelihood unifies these models by providing a single, coherent approach to estimation and about how data are generated.
SOCI 605 - NON-THESIS GRADUATE RESEARCH
Short Title: NON-THESIS GRADUATE RESEARCH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1-9
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Individual research not for thesis credit. Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 606 - THESIS RESEARCH
Short Title: THESIS RESEARCH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Thesis Research Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 607 - GENDER SEMINAR
Short Title: GENDER SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: An overview of the construction and reproduction of gender as a social category. Course will compare various conceptualizations of gender and discuss structural-, interactional-, and individual-level processes that reproduce gender inequality. Will also explore interactions of gender with other axes of social difference, such as sexuality, race/ethnicity and social class. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 407. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 607 if student has credit for SOCI 407/SOCI 504.
SOCI 608 - GRADUATE RESEARCH DESIGN
Short Title: GRADUATE RESEARCH DESIGN
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This required graduate seminar in sociological research design focuses on the logic of inquiry within the discipline, including practices of advanced empirical and theoretical contribution. Topics will span state-of-the-art analyses and their exemplars.
SOCI 609 - GRADUATE INDEPENDENT STUDY
Short Title: GRADUATE INDEPENDENT STUDY
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1-9
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Sociological independent study under faculty supervision. Only open to graduate students. Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 610 - PROFESSIONALIZATION WORKSHOP
Short Title: PROFESSIONALIZATION WORKSHOP
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hour: 1
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This professionalization workshop is designed to introduce graduate students to professionalization topics such as: giving a conference presentation, writing a fellowship or grant proposal, and the reviewing process of journals. Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 611 - CRAFTING A DISSERTATION
Short Title: CRAFTING A DISSERTATION
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This course will enable students to receive instructor and peer feedback on dissertation proposals and dissertation chapters. Topics covered will include how to write a dissertation, start to finish. Students must have successfully completed at least one comp exam by August 31st to be eligible.
SOCI 620 - QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR CASUAL INFERENCE
Short Title: CASUAL INFERENCE
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture/Laboratory
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 582 and SOCI 583
Description: This course will introduce sociology graduate students to causal inference and common threats to causal identification. We will cover a variety of quantitative methods intended to strengthen causal identification, including fixed effects, propensity score matching, and instrumental variables, among others. Department Permission Required.
SOCI 625 - MASTER'S THESIS SEMINAR
Short Title: MASTER'S THESIS SEMINAR
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: The Master's Thesis Seminar is intended for second and third year sociology Ph.D. students working on a M.A. thesis. The seminar employs a supportive structure and collaborative learning environment to help students conduct and complete an independent project. Students at various stages of the thesis research and writing process will engage in developing a research question and research design, collecting appropriate data, becoming familiar with relevant literature, and writing the thesis (under the direction of a faculty advisor). Some students will complete the research and writing of the thesis by the end of the semester, however this is not a requirement of the course. Other students may have already defended their thesis and will work towards submitting it to a peer-reviewed journal. The course will be run as a workshop and will require significant student participation. Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 665 - GENDER AND HEALTH
Short Title: GENDER AND HEALTH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: This seminar explores the relationship between gender and health (longevity, physical illness and functioning, mental health, and health behavior). Specific topics include masculinity, disease expression, medical research, health care use, stress and social relationships, and intersectionality (race/ethnicity and sexuality) as they relate shaping health outcomes among men and women. There are additional requirements for Graduate students. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: SOCI 465. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for SOCI 665 if student has credit for SOCI 465.
SOCI 677 - SPECIAL TOPICS
Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Internship/Practicum, Laboratory, Lecture, Lecture/Laboratory, Seminar, Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1-4
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate or Visiting Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Topics and credit hours vary each semester. Contact department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.
SOCI 700 - DISSERTATION RESEARCH
Short Title: DISSERTATION RESEARCH
Department: Sociology
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1-15
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
Course Level: Graduate
Description: Dissertation research credit. Repeatable for Credit.