100. Principles of Sociology. Open to
freshmen and sophomores. Juniors and seniors must elect Soc. 400.
No credit granted to those who have completed 400. (4). (SS).
Section 001. Sociology 100 is designed to introduce students to the sociological study of society. It is also designed to help you better to understand American society. To this end, you will be exposed to important theories, concepts, and methods of sociology and expected to apply them in thinking about American society. Throughout the course emphasis will be on the vast changes in human societies that have occurred through history, and the distinctive features of our society. (Kinghorn)
Section 009. This course is designed to introduce students to the sociological perspective and then apply this perspective in analyzing the basic processes and institutions of American society. To this end, students will be exposed to the important theories, concepts and substantive concerns in the sociological study of modern society. While the course will focus on the contemporary United States, comparative and historical materials will also be utilized to help us highlight the common as opposed to the truly distinctive features of our society. Grades will be based on a midterm, final exam and written assignments. (Kimeldorf)
Section 016. To introduce you to the history, the theories, and the findings of this discipline is the main purpose of this course. The first part of this course (The Classical Tradition) explores the life and major theoretical contributions of the four founders and sociology: A. Comte, K. Marx, E. Durkheim, and M. Weber. Each one of them provides us with an interpretation of the world we now know as "modern capitalism." They explain how this social system emerged from earlier social forms and how they envision its future expansion or demise. The second part (Contemporary Problems) examines the legacy of these writers for current sociology and for the understanding of contemporary society. We will address such controversial issues as: Why do people conform? Why do they violate the rules of society? Why some people have so much more wealth than others? What is the nature of prejudice and discrimination? Why and how do people rebel? Hopefully, the substance and the manner in which this course is taught will enhance the development of a creative quality of mind which could provide you with a more insightful perspective to understand the complex relationship between the self and the world around us. (Sfeir-Younis)
101. Person and Society: An Introduction to Sociology Through Social Psychology. (4). (SS).
The aim of this course is to share some of the major ideas and applications of Social Psychology with you. Social Psychology offers us a fresh, new way of looking at our personal experiences and social encounters. By studying the ways people conceive of themselves, others, and the world around them, we suddenly perceive things which were always there but had escaped our notice and we begin to see in a new light the very world in which we have lived all our lives. Lectures, readings and films are organized around a set of intriguing and fundamental questions about our social life. What is the nature of the self? How do we learn what is right from wrong? What makes men and women different? Why do we love others? How do people change each others attitudes and behaviors? Why do some violate the rules of society? Why do people rebel? In exploring answers to these and other questions, we will examine important conceptual frameworks that have been developed to organize and investigate each one of these issues. The course will meet for three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week. A midterm, three two-page essays, class participation and a final exam will determine your grade. A textbook and a course pack cover the readings for this course. (Sfeir-Younis)
102. Contemporary Social Issues: An Introduction to
Sociology. (4). (SS). May be repeated for a total
of 8 credits.
Section 001 – Contemporary Social Issues. American society is characterized by racism, sexism, and student inequality. The purpose of this course is to explore these forms of inequality and to study social movements intent on changing inequality. The 1960's was a rich period in which social movements flourished. We will seek an understanding of both society and social movements by studying the Civil Rights, student and women's movements of the 1960's. (Morris)
Sections 008 and 015: Comparative Social Inequality. Some people have great wealth, health, and opportunities while others are much less fortunate. To a great extent, inequalities in life chances are not simply a matter of fortune, but are a product of the ways in which societies are organized. How great are the differences between countries in the amount of social inequalities people experience? What explains the existence of such inequality? How much can they be changed? Are there tradeoffs between equality and freedom? How are social classes formed and reinforced? This course provides an introduction to sociology through an in-depth analysis of such questions. The first weeks of the course will provide a brief introduction to sociology and methods of social research stressing concepts and methods helpful in studying social stratification and inequality. In the second part of the course, we will study cross-national differences in social organization and inequality in capitalist, social democratic, and Marxist-Leninist societies such as the U.S., Sweden, Yugoslavia, Hungary, the USSR, and China. In the final portion of the course, we will concentrate on social classes and inequalities in the United States. This course will concentrate primarily on comparative class-based inequalities within countries rather than on inequalities based on sex or race. Course requirements: Two hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week; two exams, an in-class essay, a couple of outside movies, and a couple of brief reports. (Simkus)
220/RC Soc. Sci. 220. Political Economy. (4). (SS).
See RC Social Science 220. (Weisskopf)
210. Elementary Statistics. (3). (SS).
The purpose of the course is to provide literacy in the evaluation of quantitative evidence as it relates to the world of alternative, testable ideas. Students are familiarized with a variety of descriptive statistics (interpretation of tables, measures of association, regression, etc.), inductive statistics (theory of sampling, significance tests) and the empirical origin of statistical data (surveys, censuses, observational studies). Several forms of decision-making based on quantitative and non-quantitative evidence are compared and contrasted. No special background or preparation is needed. Students capable of handling arithmetic have all the mathematical skills required for the course. There are two lectures and one lab scheduled each week. Problem sets are routinely assigned to illustrate the concepts of the course. Student grades are determined by performance on three examinations, two given during the term and the final exam. (Goldberg)
302. Introduction to American Society. (3). (SS).
This course will focus mostly, but not only, on current political and economic issues. Among the questions that we will raise and try to answer are the following: What does the U. S. economy look like and what are the key forces shaping it at this time? Are we a welfare state and what does that mean? How is the U. S. economy related to the world economy as a whole? How has work in the U. S. been changing? In what ways has the situation of U. S. Blacks changed in recent years? How important are migrants in U. S. society, and what role do they play? What is happening to various ethnic groups and the cultures they brought with them? How does the situation of U. S. women and men differ? What recent political developments (such as PAC's) are having a major impact on who our officials are and how they operate? How are our cities changing? What can we expect in the future? Students need no special background to take this course, and it is not part of a departmental sequence. The course will include lecture and discussion. Students will evaluate the course material through notebooks and papers. There will be no exams. (Friedenfels)
310. Introduction to Research Methods. Soc. 210. (4). (SS).
Each student will select one of several existing sets of data available in raw form. The student will perform a secondary analysis of these data, and a written report will be required at each major step of the analysis. These reports will correspond to the major sections of a technical report: (1) the research questions and hypotheses; (2) study design and methods; (3) results (with particular emphasis on the preparation of tables and figures); (4) discussion of results, implications, and suggestions for future research; (5) abstract, footnotes, and references. The student will also be required to prepare a description of the same study for a non-technical audience – in the form of either a report to the sponsoring agency or a press release. In preparing the technical report the student will be required to adhere to the stylistic conventions appropriate to the major journal in his or her major field of study. Instruction in electronic word processing will be provided. (Quinn)
330. Population Problems. (3). (SS).
This course is intended for a wide range of students who might be interested in learning more about the current population situation. It focuses on social, economic, and environmental problems associated with population growth and structure; and on problems and policies designed to deal with these problems. The course has an international perspective dealing both with less developed and more developed countries. Specific topics receiving attention include population growth, urbanization, and migration; population and development; resources and population; age structure and aging; adolescent pregnancy; and policies designed to affect birth rate. There are no prerequisites for the course nor is any special background required – although an average ability to read tables and interpret quantitative material will be assumed. (Weinstein)
336. The Study of Cities and Urbanization. (4). (SS).
This course will examine the process of urbanization as it relates to urbanism as a way of life. It will introduce students to literature on the process of urbanization and the evolution of cities. The discussion will range beyond the contemporary American city in space and time. Cross cultural comparisons will be made which will require students to assemble data on a city outside of North America. The course will consist of formal lectures for the first part. A discussion format will be followed for the remainder centered on student participation. These discussions will focus on various topics dealing with the process of urbanization in specific cross cultural settings. A student project or paper will be required along with a series of exercises and midterm and final examination. (Deskins)
389. Practicum in Sociology. Permission of instructor. May not be included in a concentration plan in sociology. (2-4). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. (EXPERIENTIAL). May be repeated for a total of 8 credits.
The practicum in sociology provides students with the opportunity for experiential learning through volunteer work in a variety of community organizations. Field placements for students are arranged through the programs of Project Community at the University of Michigan. Project Community includes the Inmate Project, the Innovative Tutorial Experience and the Medical Field Project, as well as several smaller programs which may vary each term. In addition to their work in the community, students keep logs of their work experience and write short papers integrating their field activities with sociological analyses. Speakers, weekly seminars and outside readings also are used to promote learning of general sociological principles and to broaden students' understanding of their field work. There is no preregistration for Soc. 389. Interested students should contact the Project Community Office (763-3548, 2204 Michigan Union) at the beginning of the term to add Sociology 389. overrides may be picked up at the Project Community office during the period of January 8-28. (Chesler)
393/Hist. 333/Econ. 396/Poli. Sci. 396/Slavic 396/REES 396. Survey of Eastern Europe. (4). (SS).
See REES 396. (Meyer)
426/Phil. 428/Econ. 428/Asian Studies 428/Poli. Sci. 428. China's Evolution Under Communism. Upperclass standing or permission of instructor. (4). (SS).
See Political Science 428. (Yahuda)
428. Social Institutions of Communist China. (3). (SS).
The course is a general and systematic introduction to the way Chinese society is organized today, and how it has changed since 1949. The main topics covered are the historical background, political and legal institutions and values, economic institutions, village life, the family, educational institutions, cities and stratification. No previous background on China is assumed, and the course attempts to present as thorough an understanding of contemporary Chinese social organization as possible, given the amount of time available. Readings cover a variety of points of view, and include some options for students with particular interests. The course includes a midterm and final examination, with a term paper substitutable for the final. The course attempts to understand Chinese society by frequent comparisons with traditional China, with the Soviet Union, and with other developing societies and their problems. (Whyte)
435. The Urban Community. Credit is granted for only one course from Soc. 335, 435, or 535. Does not meet sociology doctoral requirements. (3). (SS).
In this course an examination of the spatial and social factors affecting location, organization and functioning of cities is made. Although both the internal arrangements and external connections of cities are analyzed, heaviest emphasis is placed on the examination of the internal arrangements of cities within the context of social and spatial processes. Throughout the course contemporary urban problems found in the American city will be utilized as examples. Exercises, a paper and two examinations will be scheduled. (Deskins)
440. Sociology of Work. (3). (SS).
An examination of the relationship between society, social classes, and work, focusing in particular on the growing challenge to managerial authority on the job. The course will explore the historical antecedents and organizational sources of this challenge, its current manifestations, and recent employer attempts to deflect it. This raises the question of how work might be better organized. We then look at various alternatives, from job enrichment to workers' participation, in an effort to understand their emancipatory potential. With this in mind, we will also critically evaluate some of the more ambitious attempts to establish workers' control and genuine forms of industrial democracy. Grades will be based on a midterm, final exam and a collaborative research project undertaken with other students. The results of the research will be presented to the class. (Kimeldorf)
441. Social Aspects of Economic Development. (3). (SS).
The course is broadly concerned with the large scale social changes that are associated with modern economic development - or the sustained increase in human productivity and welfare. Much of the emphasis is placed upon the long historical processes of imperialism, colonialism and nationalism, that arise from western economic development and expansion, and the nature of the world economic system that this expansion has produced. We examine the major theoretical positions that currently attempt to interpret the system and the dynamics of its nation-state members. Specific attention is given to the measurement and social meaning of economic development, and the variety of modern forces – including foreign trade and aid, national development policies, national administrative systems, and population growth – which today appear to hold central positions in determining the course of national and world-wide economic development. Much of the substantive national experience is drawn from Southern Asia, but comparisons are also made with Latin America and Africa. There is a midterm and a final examination, and paper. (Ness)
444. The American Family. (3). (SS).
An historical and sociological overview of American family patterns that emphasizes change in American family life and the determinants of this change. Major questions include the impact of the expansion of educational opportunities, industrialization, urbanization, and mortality decline on family patterns. Course readings include several books and a course pack. Class meetings will be divided between lectures, discussions, and films. Grading will be by examination plus a short genealogical paper focusing on the student's family history. (Thornton)
445. Comparative Family Systems. (3). (SS).
This course is designed to introduce students to materials on how family life varies around the world. The first half of the course uses primarily cross-cultural materials dealing with pre-industrial societies. The second-half of the course is concerned with how modern changes (industrialization, urbanization, revolution, etc.) affect family life and a consideration of recent changes in family life in America. Along the way students will be presented with a variety of theories and studies designed to explain how and why family life varies; why the position of women is higher in some societies than others, why some societies allow more freedom of mate choice than others, and so forth. The course takes primarily a lecture format, with interruptions and questions encouraged. The readings include some common theoretical and descriptive studies, and sets of choices of books describing family life in particular cultures that students can work on as case studies. (Whyte)
450. Political Sociology. (3). (SS).
We will spend the first few weeks discussing alternate theoretical conceptions of the causes of political inequality and of our probable political destiny. Is inequality an inevitable feature of social and political life or is it something that we can hope to eradicate? We compare the theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Robert Michels. We will then take a close look at political life in democratic political systems. This is the kind of political system in which we live and that has dominated the political development of the western industrialized world. To what extent does this political form distribute power equally? How are power struggles resolved within democratic systems? We will examine the ways in which competing political interests are expressed, the way the system responds to them, and the normative beliefs that sustain and legitimize political arrangements. Readings will consist of journal articles and chapters from books that will be made available in a course pack. Written work will consist of three in-class exams. Each exam will consist of a short essay (you will be given the question ahead of time to think about) and a few short-answer questions (that is, each question requiring one or two paragraphs to answer). The exams will stress analysis and integration of class materials. (Jackman)
455/Rel. 455. Religion and Society. (3). (SS).
What do Bishop Tutu, Jerry Falwell, Mahatma Gandhi and Muktenanda share in common? And how can we understand the remarkable differences that mark their approach to religion and the sacred? Ultimate reality (the focus of Religion) becomes understood quite differently as people pursue religious quests within different social contexts. The course uses sociological methods of inquiry to explore the emergence of new religious movements, the ways that organizations respond to extraordinary experiences like mysticism and the ecstatic, the kinds of impact social forces have on organized religion, and the ways that religion, in turn, affects other areas of social life. (Heirich)
460. Social Change. (3). (SS).
This course will be concerned with how social movements bring about change. That is, the course will examine social movements as vehicles of change. In this regard, we will examine the civil rights, student and women's movements. We will also draw parallels between these movements and the movement occurring in South Africa today. The course will utilize both a lecture and seminar format. There will be a midterm and final examination. A fifteen-page paper on a social movement chosen by the student will also be required. (Aldon Morris)
468. Criminology. (3). (SS).
This course will be a survey of recent work in the field of Criminology. Topics will include theories of crime causation, sociology of law, the police, the courts, prisons, and the history of the use of punishment. There will be two lectures and one discussion section per week. (Rauma)
475/MCO 475 (Public Health). Introduction to Medical Sociology. (3). (SS).
This course considers a number of important issues in the sociological study of health and illness: the influence of race and sex and class on health and illness; the role of social stress and environmental factors in health and illness; the ways in which people of different social statuses respond to illness; the operations of organized health care systems, as well as professional-client/consumer interactions in health care; the economics (and alternative plans) of health care in America. Students will be expected to read and write research papers, and will be asked to make input to the course agenda. (Chesler)
496. Special Course. (2-3). (SS). May
be repeated for credit.
Section 001 – Corporate Crime in America. This course will focus on crimes of some of America's largest corporations. The course will seek to develop systematic ways of viewing and understanding "organizational crimes." Crimes include the manufacturing of defective and dangerous products, toxic wastes, price-fixing, and political pay-offs. Three broad content areas will be examined: The substance and nature of the crimes themselves; various aspects of corporate structure which influence crime; and legal and other external constraints which try to control corporate crime. Specific topics include: The crime: case-studies; the corporate executive; the cover-up; and the law. (Kinghorn)
583/Psych. 583. Introduction to Survey Research I. Introductory psychology and statistics; or permission of instructor. (3). (SS).
See Psychology 583. (Quinn)
587/Psych. 516. Advanced Laboratory in Social Psychology. Stat. 402 or 300, and prior or concurrent enrollment in Soc. 486. (3). (SS).
See Psychology 516. (Section 001 – Burnstein; Section 002 – Ezekiel)
591. Special Areas of Social Psychology. Soc.
590 or permission of instructor. (3). (SS).
Socialization and Social Control throughout the Life Cycle. This course will cover research and theory on the structure, process and content of socialization in modern society. The course will be organized as a pro-seminar with students taking a major role in introducing and discussing the readings. Grades are to be based on four writing assignments: three (3) take-home assignments and a final research paper. The take-home assignments will occur at relevant points in the coverage of course material. They will generally ask you to critique course material or develop responses to theoretical questions. The research paper (15 pages maximum) will focus on a theoretical or empirical problem falling within the subject matter of the course. This may take a number of possible forms – you may read and write on a particular problem, or you may develop a small-scale research project, involving the analysis of some form of data. This assignment should be viewed as an opportunity to work independently in an area of interest to you. You do need to speak with me about your proposed project before beginning. The presentation of your prospectus to the class (10-15 minutes) should also elicit useful advice and suggestions from others. (Alwin)
595. Special Course. (3). (SS).
Section 001 – Migration and Urbanization. This course will examine the major substantive areas of migration research drawing from the demographic, economic and geographic literature on the relationship between migration and urbanization. The main objectives of the seminar will be to familiarize participants with the existing literature of redistribution patterns and issues, to provide an overview of theories and models which have been proposed to explain migration in various contexts, and to cover the methods of analysis and availability of data that can be used to examine the migration component of population change. Students will take a midterm examination and write an end-of-term paper on a topic related to the course. (Frey)
Section 002 – Cultural Sociology. This course will investigate "the cultural construction of social reality" - the notion that social structure, social groups, social action, interests, even the individual, are constituted, at least in part, by the system of meaning that make up a culture. We will read, discuss, and criticize works representing various approaches to the problem of culture in recent social theory – for example, structuralism, symbolic anthropology, and hermeneutics. Readings will include works by Emile Durkheim, Thomas Kuhn, Claude Levi-Strauss, Michel Foucault, Clifford Geertz, Anthony Giddens, Pierre Bourdieu, Raymond Williams, Paul Ricoeur, and Louis Althusser. There will be two brief papers, one a theoretical essay and the other a practical exercise in cultural analysis. (Sewell)
596. Special Course. (3). (SS).
Section 001 – Errors and Costs in Surveys. All surveys are subject to various types of errors: coverage errors, nonresponse errors, sampling errors and measurement errors. The course reviews the interplay of errors and costs in survey designs. We will make some effort to develop a common language of survey errors and then examine one by one the different error sources. Although much of the survey methodology literature deals with one error source in isolation of others, we will try to integrate different works to explore relationships among errors. Whenever possible we will present cost implications of error reduction for the different sources. The course assumes that the basic steps of a survey research project are already known by the student. It is not a practicum in survey research, but instead presents material that reviews effects of survey design decisions. Each assignment consists of readings from articles and books relevant to the current topic. The class periods will be divided into lecture and discussion periods. Grades will be given on an equal weighting of an examination, a paper and class participation. Readings are available in a course pack and through library reserve. (Groves)
597. Special Course. (3 each). (SS).
Section 001 – Topics in Contemporary Japanese Social Organization. This is a working seminar for graduate or advanced undergraduate students with a background in Asian studies or a social science, who wish to write a major paper on Japan. The theme of the course is the impact of Japanese culture on social institutions, such as the family, education, and the work place. In particular, this year we will focus on the Japanese state and its relation to interest groups. Grades will be based on a term paper and class participation. Readings will include: Kobutai no Hongi, (in English); Nakane, Japanese Society; Lebra, Japanese Patterns of Behavior; Smith, Kurusu; Rohlen, Japan's High Schools; and Lebra, Japanese Culture and Behavior. (Broadbent)
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