This course is an introduction to basic sociological concepts and principles, used in the study of human social interaction, groups, communities and societies.

This course examines the social significance of media and popular culture within the United States with particular emphasis on the sociohistorical development of media industries, the complex relationships between consumption and production, and how various media landscapes shape our understandings of gender, race, class, and sexuality. Case studies ranging from Barbie to Beyoncé, Warhol to Walmart, and media forms such as film, television, music, social media, video games, and virtual reality will be examined. Students will develop critical media literacy and viewership practices as they implement various sociological perspectives to analyze how mass media and popular culture both impacts and is impacted by individuals.

An introduction to sociological perspectives regarding society's problems, this course examines the causes of major current and historical social problems, as well as the role of social research in identifying and solving problems.

A critical examination of crime in society: how crime is defined, the extent and distribution of crime, theoretical explanations of criminal behavior, and crime control efforts.

This course examines the intersecting structure and dynamics of race, gender and class with a focus on power relationships, intergroup conflict and minority-group status. Using a variety of sociological perspectives, this course looks at these relationship dynamics in the United States and around the world. Emphasis is placed on historical and comparative analysis, distribution of power, conflict and reconciliation, and social change.

A systematic survey of crime and the administration of justice in the United States, including the organizational structures, processes, and dynamics of law enforcement, criminal adjudication, and corrections.

This course debunks the notion that sex and sexuality are natural and unchanging categories and instead examines how these categories are historically and socially constructed. Over the semester students will interrogate how the West has used sex and sexuality as vehicles in the production of what constitutes normal, permissible, and deviant identities/behaviors through primarily, but not exclusively, a Sociological Queer Studies framework. The study of sex and sexuality intersects with broader sociological questions about power, culture, social interaction, inequality, social movements, and public policy thus some of the topics addressed include: the politics of sexuality and sexual identities; forms of oppression including heterosexism, homophobia, and transphobia; queer activism; the pornography of everyday life; and the medicalization of sex and sexuality. Particular emphasis will be given to the diversity of sexuality and its intersections with race, gender, class, disability, and nation.