Graduate Courses in Sociology

Courses for Graduate Students Only

SOAA 5050. Sociology of Education (3 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. This course emphasizes the school's relationship to local, state, area, and national society, and upon human interaction in the educational system. (variable)

SOAA 5110. Contemporary Social Theory (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 5807 or permission of instructor. This course presents an overview of major schools of social theory. (spring semester)

SOAA 5210. Sociological Research ( 3 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An overview of the entire research process. Topics include theory and hypotheses, sampling techniques, research designs, and data analysis. (fall semester)

SOAA 5315. Seminar in Crime and Delinquency (3 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An advanced overview of the most important theories and problems in crime and delinquency. (variable)

SOAA 5320. Program Evaluation (3 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. This course provides a perspective on the major theoretical and conceptual approaches to program evaluation. The course will be organized around four facets of program evaluation: Program planning, program monitoring, program impacts, and cost benefit/cost effectiveness evaluations. The course will also address the purposes and uses of evaluations, the politics of evaluation, and the reporting of evaluation studies. (variable)

SOAA 5444. Applied Data Analysis for the Social Sciences (3 credits) Prerequisite: Undergraduate statistics or permission of instructor. This is a computer-intensive course designed to teach students basic skills in quantitative data analysis. Through an applied approach to data analysis and statistics, students will gain practical experience in: using a comprehensive statistical software package, selecting and applying statistical techniques, and interpreting and formally writing the results. (variable)

SOAA 5500. Topical Seminar (3 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Study of current specialized area of sociological interest. May be repeated for credit. (variable)

SOAA 5620. Sociology of Age and the Life Course (3 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. This seminar is designed as a survey of theoretical and methodological issues as well as substantive research in the area of aging and life course studies. Issues to be addressed pertain to all of the adult life span. (variable)

SOAA 5820. Skills in Applied Sociology and Anthropology (3 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An examination of how sociologists and anthropologists apply their theoretical knowledge and research skills, including in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of programs designed to solve human problems. (variable)

SOAA 5850. Supervised Internship (3-6 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of internship coordinator. Planned and supervised professional assignments in public and private organizations, business, and/or industry. Internship placement and supervision will be established in consultation with the student's advisory committee. (variable)

SOAA 5870. Internship Placement Report (3 credits) An analytical report demonstrating the varied ways in which sociological tools were applied in the internship experience. (variable)

SOAA 5900. Special Problems in Sociology (1-6 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. (variable)

SOAA 5960. Thesis (3 credits) Prerequisite: permission of graduate coordinator. A research project developed and documented in the form of a thesis under the supervision of a graduate advisory committee. No more than 6 hours of thesis may be counted toward the degree. (every semester)

SOAA 5990. Readings and Research (1-3 credits) Students who are not enrolled in other coursework but require the use of university facilities and/or faculty guidance for studies, research, or preparation of a prospectus MUST enroll for Readings and Research. Variable credits (1-3) of Readings and Research may also be used, as approved by student's advisory committee in conjunction with other coursework, to document such activities as development of research and scholarly skills that would not be appropriately covered by other types of independent study. Readings and Research credits do not count toward degree requirements. Grading of Readings and Research will be either satisfactory completion (S), satisfactory progress (SP), or unsatisfactory (U).

SOAA 5989-99. Cooperative Education (variable credits) Students must clear arrangements for this course through the Cooperative Education Office prior to registration. Businesses, industries, and government agencies provide opportunities for planned and supervised work assignments. Students may alternate between periods (usually two semesters) of full-time study and employment with a cooperative education employer. Credit received carries full academic value, and students may receive compensation as full-time employees. (every semester)

The following "5xx7"courses can be taken with the permission of the graduate coordinator:

SOAA 5027. Advanced Principles of Sociology (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 1020 or permission of instructor. A consideration of the theoretical and research applications of sociological concepts. (fall semester)

SOAA 5087. The Family in Transition (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 1020 or permission of instructor. An analysis of the changing family with an emphasis on family theory. (variable)

SOAA 5157. Sociology of the City (3 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. (variable)

SOAA 5257. Power, Wealth, and Poverty (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 1020. Examination of the theories and research concerning the distribution of power, wealth, and prestige in American society, and the impact of social class on life chances. (variable)

SOAA 5337. Social Psychology (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 1020 or permission of instructor. Study of social interaction, the development of self, and the social construction of reality. (fall semester)

SOAA 5357. Mass Communications and Popular Culture (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 1020 or permission of instructor. An examination of the impact of modern communications technology upon traditional lifestyles and world views, particularly entertainment during the 20th century. (variable)

SOAA 5507. Sociology of the Aging (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 1020 or permission of the instructor. An application of basic sociological principles, theories, and research findings to the understanding of the aging and their relationships with other segments of the population. (variable)

SOAA 5557. Population (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 1020 or permission of instructor. Major population characteristics, trends, and problems, primarily those of the United States. (variable)

SOAA 5627. Ethnographic Fieldwork Techniques (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 1020 or permission of instructor. An introduction to the information-gathering techniques and strategies employed by modern anthropologists, folklorists and qualitative sociologists, including interviewing, recording, photography, transcription, and analysis of fieldwork. Practical applications and contemporary social and cultural situations are also stressed. (spring semester)

SOAA 5807. Modern Social Theory (3 credits) Prerequisite: Sociology 1020 or permission of instructor. This course provides a comprehensive survey of key modern social theorists and theories within the historical context of the emergence of the modern world order. (fall semester)

SOAA 5957. Special Topics in Sociology/ Anthropology (1-6 credits) Prerequisite: Dependent on subject matter. Selected topics of current interest in sociology. Offered upon sufficient demand for specific subject matter. May be repeated for different topics. Consultation with the instructor is recommended before enrollment. (variable)

SOAA 5997. Current Issues in Appalachian Studies (3 credits) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Seminar surveying major issues and concerns in Appalachian Studies since the 1970s. Required for Appalachian Studies minor. (variable)