Florida State University
General Bulletin 1998-1999
Department of Sociology
- Chair: Eberstein;
- Professors: Armer, Boyd, Eberstein, Fendrich, Hardy,
Hazelrigg, Imershein, Isaac, Kinloch, Martin, Myles,
Orcutt, Quadagno;
- Associate Professors: Bellingham, Ford, Losh, Padavic;
- Assistant Professors: Brewster, Chan, Dahms, Reynolds;
- Professor Emeritus: Nam;
- Affiliate Faculty: Chiricos, Doan, Milton, Papagiannis,
Rose, Sly
Few fields have as broad a scope as sociology, the study of
human groups and social life. The sociology majors interests
range from the nuclear family to the many types of societies,
from crime to religion, from the divisions of race and class to
the integrating symbols of culture, from the sociology of
occupations to politics. At The Florida State University, the
Department of Sociology examines all of these matters and others.
Current research is ongoing in such diverse areas as sex roles,
race relations, the welfare state, and population.
There are several reasons for pursuing a sociology degree.
First, sociology addresses circumstances and events that affect
students lives today and in the future. Second, a sociology major
provides a broad-based, liberal arts education that promotes
understanding and sharpens analytical skills. Third, a sociology
major is excellent preparation for a career in professions that
require an ability to think and write analytically. Sociology
graduates have found employment in academia, business, law,
medicine, politics, and government. Fourth, sociology prepares
students for advanced graduate work in anticipation of careers in
research and teaching.
Sociology majors learn how to analyze the employment,
termination, and promotional practices of organizations;
anticipate the changes humans will undergo in their life;
practice market research; detect social trends; analyze
statistical data; evaluate public policies; assess the impact of
technological innovations; interpret political and social change
in the world system; conduct surveys and interpret their results;
project fertility and mortality patterns; and appreciate classic
theories of social order and change.
The facilities and resources available to sociology majors
include access to the microcomputer lab in the College of Social
Sciences and opportunities to work closely with faculty on
research projects. The department provides a wide range of
courses on important aspects of social life, leading to greater
understanding of human society and a variety of skills that are
increasingly essential for citizens in a postindustrial,
information-based, and rapidly changing global society.
State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites
The State of Florida has identified common course
prerequisites for this University degree program. These
prerequisites are lower-level courses that are required for
preparation for the University major prior to a student receiving
a baccalaureate degree from The Florida State University. They
may be taken either at a community college or in a university
lower-division program. It is preferred that these common course
prerequisites be completed in the freshman and sophomore years.
The following lists the common course prerequisites or
approved substitutions necessary for this degree program:
- Sociology majors should complete two (2) lower-level
courses with the prefixes of SYA, SYD, SYG, SYO, or SYP.
Core Program
For acceptance as a sociology major, students must have
successfully completed The Florida State Universitys liberal
studies requirements with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or
better. Consult the Undergraduate Degree Requirements section of
this General Bulletin for further details.
Degrees
Students may earn a bachelor of arts (BA) or a bachelor of
science (BS) degree in sociology.
Major
Students must complete thirty (30) semester hours in
sociology, with a grade of C or better in each course, including:
SYG 1000 (Introductory Sociology), SYA 4010 Sociological Theory,
SYA 4300 Methods of Social Research, and SYA 4400 Social
Statistics. Transfer students must earn a minimum of fifteen (15)
semester hours in sociology at The Florida State University.
Transfer of the required upper-division courses (SYA 4010, 4300,
and 4400) is subject to the approval of the departmental chair.
Minor
A minor may be earned by completing any twelve (12) semester
hours in sociology with a grade of C or better in each course. At
least six (6) of the twelve (12) semester hours must be completed
at The Florida State University.
Honors in the Major
The Department of Sociology offers a program of honors in the
major to encourage talented juniors and seniors to undertake
independent and original research as part of their undergraduate
experience. For requirements and other information, see the
University Honors Program and Honor Societies section of this
General Bulletin.
Definition of Prefixes
| DEM |
Demography |
| SYA |
Sociological Analysis |
| SYD |
Demography and Area Studies |
| SYG |
Sociology: General |
| SYO |
Social Organization |
| SYP |
Social Processes |
Undergraduate Courses
Introductory Course
| SYG 1000. |
Introductory Sociology (3).
An introduction to the fundamentals of sociology.
Emphasis is placed on exposure to the basic findings of
empirical research studies in a wide range of areas
traditionally examined by sociologists. |
Sociological Theory and Methods of Research
| SYA 4010. |
Sociological Theory (3).
This course introduces the student to the kind of theory
which has developed in the field of sociology since its
foundation, moving through to the contemporary scene.
Major theoretical fields, major theorists, and dominant
theoretical issues which continue to be part of the
sociological approach to explanation are covered. |
| SYA 4300. |
Methods of Social Research
(3). Broad coverage of research design, data collection,
and data analysis. This is a required course for
sociology majors. |
| SYA 4400. |
Social Statistics (3). This
course involves the application of statistical techniques
to sociological data as illustrated in the research and
writing of social scientists. As a course for majors, it
represents an important part of the students
methodological training with respect to the statistical
analysis of data typically used by sociologists. The
student is expected to carry out a number of exercises
involving the statistical analysis of sociological data
and to interpret the results. |
| SYA 4932r. |
Tutorial in
Sociology-Undergraduate (1). Prerequisite: upper
division, sociology majors. Repeatable to a maximum of
three (3) semester hours. Selected topics in contemporary
sociology; maximum enrollment of five students in each
tutorial. |
The Family
| SYG 2430. |
Marriage and the Family (3).
This course is concerned with the processes of marriage
and family relationships in a changing society. Topics
covered include interpersonal attraction, heterosexual
love relationships, pre-marital and marital sexuality,
marital and family interaction, and alternative family
forms. The major course objective is to familiarize
students with the process of heterosexual and
parent-child interaction over the life cycle from a
sociological perspective. |
| SYO 3100. |
Family Problems and Social
Change (3). A basic sociological approach to conditions,
issues, and problems of familial organization within the
context of changing institutional structures of modern
society. Attention is given to such questions as: how
have spouse roles changed, and why? how do changes in the
organization of work affect family experience? how are
family and kinship patterns affected by an aging
population? etc. |
Personality and Society (Social Psychology)
| SYP 3000. |
Social Psychology of Groups
(3). This course represents the study of social
psychology from a sociological perspective. Specifically,
it is an analysis of the influence of the groups and the
individual on each other, including the study of norms,
group pressure, leadership, motivation, and social
personality. |
| SYP 3300. |
Collective Action and Social
Movements (3). This course focuses on episodes of
collective behavior in natural disasters and social
movements with special attention to large-scale social
movements in the United States. |
| SYP 4340. |
Public Opinion Analysis (3).
An examination of the role of the mass media influences
on public opinion, techniques of opinion measurement, and
the impact of opinion polls on attitudes and behavior. |
Population and Human Ecology
| SYD 3012. |
Population and Development
in Florida (3). Reviews the demographic trends present in
Florida and traces their causes and consequences. No
prerequisites, but either SYD 3010 or ECP 3113 is
recommended. |
| SYD 3020. |
Population and Society (3).
This course examines the causes and consequences of
population change in the United States and the world with
an assessment of the impact of demographic change on
various social institutions. |
Social Issues and Change
| SYD 3800. |
Sociology of Sex and Gender
(3). This course provides a look at the sociological
facets of gender and its effect in society. |
| SYD 4700. |
Race and Minority Group
Relations (3). An introduction to prevalent sociological
concepts and theories utilized in the study of
dominant-subordinate relationships between groups. The
social significance of minority status is emphasized.
Once introduced, concepts and theories are applied to the
experiences of several nonwhite ethnic groups in the US
with special attention being devoted to contemporary
black-white relationships. The reemergence of white
ethnicity is discussed in relation to the above. |
| SYG 2010. |
Social Problems (3). This
course represents a study of various contemporary social
problems in an urbanized society which may include such
topics as education, the family, politics, the economy,
race relations, drug use and alcoholism, over-population,
and other issues. |
| SYO 4180. |
Gender and Work (3). This
course is an introduction to the cultural and structural
mechanisms that reproduce gendered outcomes in the
workplace. It addresses occupational segregation, the
wage gap, sex differences in promotions, unpaid family
work, explanations of inequality, strategies for change
and resistance to change, and the intersections of
gender, race, and class. |
| SYO 4550. |
Comparative Sociology (3).
This course deals with variations and patterns of
development in individuals and social institutions across
societies. |
| SYP 3400. |
Social Change (3). This
course is concerned with the context, essential sources,
dynamics, and consequences of social development,
modernization, and societal change. |
| SYP 3730. |
Aging and Society (3). This
course examines the social structure of age and
age-related phenomena, with particular emphases on later
stages of the life course and on recent changes of the
situation of the elderly in industrial societies. Topics
include work and retirement, minority-group and gender
differences in old age, conditions affecting the social
construction of age categories, and social policies
concerning the elderly. |
| SYP 4570. |
Deviance and Social Control
(3). This course focuses on major theories and research
traditions, including structural and social psychological
causes of deviant behavior, processes of labeling
deviants, and social conflict over definition and
treatment of deviance. |
Social Organization
| SYO 3200. |
Sociology of Religion (3). A
basic sociological perspective on the social organization
and forms of religious life in modern society. Religious
groups are studied as organizations that contribute to
social stability, social conflict, and social change. |
| SYD 3600. |
The Community in Urban
Society (3). An introduction to the community as a
changing form of social organization with emphasis on
community field studies (ethnographies), theories of
communal organization, and the study of
community-specific processes such as power distribution
and decision making, conflict, stratification, and the
dynamics of land-use change. Special attention is given
to the study of the metropolitan community in US society
and its inner city and suburbs. |
| SYO 3530. |
Social Classes and
Inequality (3). Basic theory of social stratification is
presented and used in description of the stratification
system in the United States and other nations.
Opportunity for social mobility in the social structure
is assessed and compared with rates of mobility in other
countries. |
| SYO 4250. |
Sociology of Education (3).
This course presents a sociological approach to the study
of education as a social institution, its structure,
functions, and role in contemporary life. |
| SYO 4300. |
Sociology of Politics (3).
This course deals with American political institutions,
political organizations, pressure groups, and the publics
participation in political processes. Discussion focuses
on current political issues from a sociological
perspective. |
| SYO 4350. |
Sociology of Business,
Labor, and Government (3). The primary focus of this
course is on the interrelationships among business and
production organizations, labor interests and struggles,
and the state and state policies, from various
theoretical and historical perspectives. In addition to
critical evaluation of conventional political-economic
perspectives, the course will examine recent sociological
work on the state, the labor movement, and industry. |
| SYO 4420. |
Sociology of Health Care
(3). An introduction to the organizational, economic and
political structures and problems of American health
care. Also introduces several of the sociological
approaches that examine these issues. |
| SYP 3540. |
Sociology of Law (3). This
course examines the interrelationship between the legal
order and the social order. Limitations of civil and
criminal law for conflict management and for
implementation of social policy are considered. |
Others
| SYA 4905r. |
Directed Individual Study
(3). Consent of instructor and departmental chair
required. May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9)
semester hours. |
| SYA 4930r. |
Selected Topics in Sociology
(3). May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) semester
hours. |
| SYA 4931r. |
Honors Work (3). May be
repeated to a maximum of nine (9) semester hours. |
| SYA 4932r. |
Tutorial in Sociology (1).
Prerequisite: upper division sociology majors or minors
only. Reading and analysis of primary literature on
selected topics in contemporary sociology. May be
repeated to a maximum of three (3) semester hours. |
Graduate Courses
Sociological Theory
| SYA 5125. |
Classical Social Theory (3). |
| SYA 5126. |
Contemporary Sociological
Theory (3). |
| SYA 5205. |
Theory Construction (3). |
| SYA 6934r. |
Selected Topics in Theory
(3). |
Research Methodology
| SYA 5310. |
Qualitative Research Methods
in Sociology (3). |
| SYA 5345. |
Introduction to Research
Methods (3). |
| SYA 5406. |
Multivariate Analysis (3). |
| SYA 5407. |
Advanced Quantitative
Methods (3). |
| SYA 5455. |
Social Statistics and Data
Analysis (3). |
| SYA 5515. |
Sociological Research
Practicum (1). (S/U grade only.) |
| SYA 5516. |
Reporting Sociological
Research (3). (S/U grade only.) |
| SYA 6936r. |
Selected Topics in Research
Methods (3). |
Area Courses
| DEM 5906r. |
Directed Individual Study
(1-3). (S/U grade only.) |
| DEM 5910r. |
Supervised Research (1-6).
(S/U grade only.) |
| DEM 5930r. |
Special Topics in Demography
(3). |
| DEM 5972r. |
Masters Research Paper in
Demography (3-6). (S/U grade only.) |
| DEM 8977. |
Masters Research Paper
Defense (0).(S/U grade only.) |
| SYA 5355. |
Comparative Historical
Sociology (3). |
| SYA 6938r. |
Selected Topics in Social
Institutions, Social Organization, and Social Policy (3). |
| SYA 6939r. |
Selected Topics in Social
Psychology (3). |
| SYD 5045. |
Introduction to Demography
(3). |
| SYD 5105. |
Population Theory (3). |
| SYD 5135. |
Techniques of Population
Analysis (3). |
| SYD 5145. |
Population Policy (3). |
| SYD 5155. |
Seminar in Population
Education (3). |
| SYD 5215. |
Mortality (3). |
| SYD 5225. |
Fertility (3). |
| SYD 5235. |
Population Mobility (3). |
| SYD 5425. |
Urbanization and Population
Distribution (3). |
| SYD 5605. |
The Community (3). |
| SYD 5705. |
Intergroup Relations (3). |
| SYD 5815. |
Contemporary Theories of
Gender (3). |
| SYO 5105. |
Sociology of the Family (3). |
| SYO 5126. |
Contemporary Family Theory
(3). |
| SYO 5135. |
Comparative Family Systems
(3). |
| SYO 5185. |
Family and Work Linkages
(3). |
| SYO 5255. |
Sociology of Education (3). |
| SYO 5306. |
Political Sociology (3). |
| SYO 5335. |
Sociology of Political
Economy (3). |
| SYO 5351. |
Classical Theories of the
Labor Process (3). |
| SYO 5352. |
Contemporary Theories of the
Labor Process (3). |
| SYO 5376. |
Sociology of Gender and Work
(3). |
| SYO 5405. |
Health Institutions and
Social Policy (3). |
| SYO 5505. |
Social Organization and
Change (3). |
| SYO 5535. |
Social Stratification (3). |
| SYO 5545. |
Social Institutions and
Complex Organizations (3). |
| SYP 5105. |
Theories of Social
Psychology (3). |
| SYP 5305. |
Collective Behavior and
Social Movements (3). |
| SYP 5446. |
Sociology of National
Development (3). |
| SYP 5516. |
Sociological Theories of
Deviance (3). |
| SYP 5735. |
Sociology of Aging (3). |
| SYP 5737. |
The Dynamics of Aging and
Social Change (3). |
Others
| SYA 5907r. |
Directed Individual Study
(3). (S/U grade only.) |
| SYA 5909r. |
Directed Individual Study
(1-3). (S/U grade only.) |
| SYA 5912r. |
Supervised Research (1-5).
(S/U grade only.) |
| SYA 5946r. |
Supervised Teaching (1-5).
(S/U grade only.) |
| SYA 6933r. |
Selected Topics in Sociology
(3). |
| SYA 6937r. |
Selected Topics in Deviance
and Social Control (3). |
| SYA 8945. |
Doctoral Review Paper (3-6).
(S/U grade only.) |
| SYO 6930r. |
Selected Topics in Marriage
and Family (3). |
For listings relating to graduate course work for thesis,
dissertation, and masters and doctoral examinations and defense,
consult the Graduate Bulletin.