May 19, 2024  
2020-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2020-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

Core Curriculum Requirements
The Core Foundation/Proficiency attribute search terms are:

  • Civic Engagement, Diversity, Ethics, Fine Arts, Natural Science, Oral Communication, Philosophy, Physics-Based Natural Science, Quantitative Reasoning, Social Science, Theology, Writing I, Writing II

To search in the Catalog for courses that meet specific Core Foundation/Proficiency attributes, there are three options:

  1. Use the Course Filter on the Course Descriptions page. Enter your desired search term in the “Keyword or Phrase” box and check the box beneath for “Find whole word or phrase only.”
  2. Enter the desired search term, in quotes, in the Publication Search box.
  3. Use the Advanced Search feature of the Publication Search. Click on the Advanced Search button and type in the desired search term in the “Enter a keyword or phrase” field, check the box beneath for “Find whole word or phrase only.”, and leave only the Courses checkbox checked. This will ensure that only courses containing the desired search term show.

In addition, users may visit the Core Curriculum site for a listing of courses that have been approved for specific Core Curriculum requirements and/or search the Semester Course Offerings in CyberFriar.

Need assistance? Please contact the Office of the Registrar at 401.865.1033.
 

Sociology
  

  • SOC 101 - Introductory Sociology

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Social Science

    An analysis of the social bases of human behavior. Introduction to the basic concepts, perspectives, and research techniques of contemporary sociology, including topics such as social organization, culture, socialization deviance, and stratification.


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  • SOC 209 - Social Research Methods

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Quantitative

    Examines the basic logic and techniques employed by sociology in conducting empirical research and analyzing the data obtained. Although the course covers the full array of methods, the emphasis is decidedly quantitative, focusing on experimental control, sampling, and survey methodology. Part of the class is conducted in the computer laboratory using social scientific software programs. Prerequisites: SOC 101.


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  • SOC 249 - Ethnographic Research Methods

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Students will engage with canonical and contemporary texts on ethnographic research and writing, learn and practice the main ethnographic research methods/techniques, and practice ethnographic “writing.” As such, students will conduct ethnographic research during the semester, identifying a research site within PC or in nearby areas, and produce and present their ethnography by the end of the semester Same as APG 249.


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  • SOC 301 - Sociology of the Family

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Diversity; Social Science

    Family patterns and processes in selected societies. Uniformities and variations in structures are considered. The family is analyzed as a social institution and as a form of intimate behavior. Various alternatives to the family are explored, and issues related to human sexuality and gender-role behavior are examined. The course will focus on race, class, and gender. Same as WGS 303.


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  • SOC 304 - Social Movements

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    What was it like to be a part of the 1950s and 1960s U.S. civil rights movement? Examines why people join social movements, how they are organized, why they occur when they do, and why they succeed or fail, and offers a critical evaluation of current theories of social and political movements. Same as AMS 305 and BLS 304.


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  • SOC 305 - Race and Racism

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Diversity

    A critical analysis of the social history, power structures, and hierarchies of racial and ethnic groups in the United States of America and from a comparative perspective. Sociological theory and data are used to examine colonialism and the logic of white supremacy, structural racism, racial categorization, ethnic identification, nativism, and intersecting oppressions. Same as BLS 305. Prerequisites: BLS 101, SOC 101, or WGS 101.


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  • SOC 307 - Urban Sociology

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Identifies the extent of, and reasons for, such urban problems as poverty, crime, and homelessness in cities such as Providence, New York, Boston, and Chicago. In generating explanations and developing solutions, the course draws on the theories of urban sociologists and on the personal experience of those who confront urban problems. Same as AMS 308, and BLS 307.


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  • SOC 309 - Introduction to Latin American Anthropology

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Examines the way in which Latin America’s culturally and racially diverse peoples and cultures have been imagined and represented by Anthropologists. Using core research, canonical texts, case studies and analytical anthropological approaches, and focusing particularly on vernacular expressive cultural practices, we will explore issues of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, tourism, and social movements. Same as APG 309, GST 309, and LAS 309.


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  • SOC 310 - Society, Culture, and the Individual

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Explores the ways in which individuals process and then either adopt or reject competing norms and values. Scholars have used different concepts to explain this basic fact of human behavior: social psychology, symbolic interaction, culture, ideology, hegemony, interpellation, discourse, and habitus. Students will learn the advantages and disadvantages of each.


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  • SOC 314 - Black Feminisms

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    The purpose of this course is to critically analyze and understand the theoretical project of Black Feminism. Students will examine historic and contemporary Black Feminists’ conceptualizations of standpoint theory, Black nationalism, Black Marxism, intersectionality, queer theory, anti-Blackness, Afrofuturism, Black girlhood, and how Black Feminists have shaped contemporary movements and activism to bring light to their experiences of violence and oppression. Same as BLS 314, PSP 314, and WGS 314.


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  • SOC 319 - Sociology of Health and Illness

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Explores the social aspects of health and illness, the relationship of illness to the organization of society, and the organization of medical care - the distribution of correlates of mortality and morbidity, attitudes toward illness, the sick role, the organization of therapeutic settings, the economics and politics. Health delivery systems are evaluated cross-culturally and proposals for change in the American health system are critiqued. Same as HPM 319.


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  • SOC 322 - Occupations and Professions

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    A sociological investigation of occupations and professions in contemporary American society. The course is an analysis of the nature of occupations in relation to social structure, occupational differentiation, and socialization and education of occupations and professions. There is also a consideration of current issues in occupational sociology, including professionalization, sex-role differentiation, and the implications of occupation for life changes.


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  • SOC 323 - Contemporary Social Problems

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Covers the major social problems of contemporary American society. Attention is given to the problems of poverty, racism, sexism, war, the environment, overpopulation, drug use, and crime. An analysis is made of the structural causes and consequences of these issues. Same as BLS 323.


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  • SOC 324 - Sociology of Gender

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Analyzes the social, cultural, political, and economic roles of women and men cross-culturally and historically in societies such as the United States, Europe, the former Soviet Union, China, Latin America, the Middle East, and certain small subsistence-level societies. Structural and cultural causes, and consequences of different forms of gender stratification are emphasized. Same as WGS 324.


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  • SOC 337 - Criminology

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Social Science

    The study of crime as a social phenomena, including the origin of criminal law, measurement of criminal behavior, and the various categories of crime. The focus of the course is primarily on describing and explaining crime rather than formal responses to it.


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  • SOC 355 - Comparative Race and Inequality

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Examines histories and contemporary experiences of race across multiple settings, with attention to how race intersects with other social identities. Explores the relevance of race in understanding inequality, privilege, and community. Scholarly publications, autobiographies, films, non-fiction, media coverage, and community events serve as course texts. Same as BLS 355 and GST 355.


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  • SOC 360 - Justice Across Borders

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Diversity

    Focuses on the meaning of “justice across borders,” with special attention to the historical and contemporary relationship between the U.S. and its border communities. Reflection on cross-border service experience will be included in the course with opportunities to identify and develop strategies for defining and enhancing justice across borders. Same as GST & PSP 360. Prerequisites: PSP 101 or GST 101.


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  • SOC 395 - Research in Sociology

    1 semester, 1-3 credits-

    Students will learn the process of conducting social science research by working intensively with a faculty member on her/his ongoing research program. Students will learn how to conduct literature reviews, design research, collect and analyze data, and write up findings. Students may also participate in presenting research at professional meetings and contributing to papers submitted for publication in professional journals.


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  • SOC 401 - Political Economy of Race

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Examines the co-evolution of race and capitalism over the past 500 years, from racial justifications of imperialism (for an early critique see de las Casas 1552) to contemporary processes of neo-colonialism, neo-liberalism and racial capitalism. Same as BLS 401 and GST 401. Prerequisites: One of the following: BLS 101, GST 355, SOC 305, SOC 413, or permission of instructor.


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  • SOC 403 - History of Social Thought

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Classical sociological theories emerged from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries to explain certain alarming aspects of “modernity,” such as the advent of industrial capitalism and bureaucracy. This course takes the view that such theories are as relevant today as ever, particularly as tools for understanding globalization, which will be the central reference point for the course.


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  • SOC 411 - The Sociology of Disaster

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Introduces the sociological dimension of disasters and major events, which disrupt the prevailing order of society by causing injury, death, and/or property loss to large numbers of people. Possible case studies include earthquakes, heat waves, hurricanes, oil spills, chemical releases, or terrorist attacks. Examples include the September 11th terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, or the San Francisco earthquake. A service project is normally required. Same as AMS 411.


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  • SOC 413 - The Power of Whiteness

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Diversity

    Historical development of “whitenesses” within the context of colonialism, slavery, imperialism, and globalization, and their aftermaths as a way of understanding the cultural environments and processes of ethno-racial and gender-sexual identity formation today. Hegemonic whiteness is deconstructed and challenged. Whiteness is examined as an unnamed, unmarked category, “whites are just normal,” that carries powers and privileges. Same as AMS 413, APG 413, BLS 413, and WGS 413.


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  • SOC 417 - Contemporary Sociological Theory

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Whereas classical theory emphasizes the coercive aspects of modernity (e.g., capitalist exploitation), contemporary sociological theory tends to emphasize more subtle forms of power. In this course, we will read the central proponents of this “hearts and minds” orientation. To put into practice what they learn, students will be required to run a hearts and minds campaign of their own.


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  • SOC 418 - Globalization and Social Justice

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    With the fall of socialist states, capitalist markets, economic relations, and consumerism have become global. Examine the political, cultural, and economic origins, consequences, and responses (with specific concern for the prospects for social justice, democracy and equality) in the rich and poor countries of the world; impacts on workers; ecological, resource, and environmental implications; and anti-corporate globalization resistance movements. Same as AMS 418, GST 418, and WGS 418.


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  • SOC 424 - Globalization, Race, Gender, Class: A Case Study

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    This course will examine a country as a case study in the origins, evolution, and effects of globalization.  We will look at the country’s experience within the global political, economic, social and cultural system, alongside theories of globalization. Particular attention will be given to the impacts of globalization on race, gender and class relations and their relationship with the U.S.


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  • SOC 425 - African-American Women

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Diversity

    Focuses on sociological analyses of the constructions and reconstructions of African-American women, examining the interrelationships of gender, race, caste, class, racism, and sexism in the United States, past and present. Topics include the family, male-female relations, poverty, discrimination, and social movements, with particular emphasis on origins, consequences, social and individual changes and resistance to change, sociological, and feminist theories. Same as AMS 425, BLS 425, and WGS 425.


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  • SOC 440 - The Latino/a Experience in the United States

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Examines the history of Latino/as by examining the varied relationships with the United States of different Latin American countries, the current status of Latino/as in America, and the ways that Latino/as interact with social institutions.


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  • SOC 444 - The Global Food System

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    How are our food systems implicated in the global problems of hunger, obesity, climate change, and resource depletion? This seminar will examine the workings and consequences of the industrial agro-food system and the challenges and resistances to it by activists and movements dedicated to small-scale, community-based sustainable food production and consumption, with an emphasis on class discussion and student participation. Same as APG 444, BLS 444, GST 444, and WGS 444.


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  • SOC 445 - The Consumer Society

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Consumption and consumerism are driving forces sustaining the expansionist logic of advanced capitalism and globalization. Consumption of commodities has become the basis for the formation of ever-changing individual and group identities. Examines the historical development of consumerism, theoretical approaches to understanding the political, social, economic, individual and very importantly, the environmental consequences of consumerism. Same as AMS 445, GST 445, and WGS 445.


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  • SOC 446 - Gender, Health, and Technology

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    This course investigates the structures and practices of commercialized medicine in the United States today as a framework of meaning-making about the body. How do the intersecting processes and outcomes of commercialized medicine, inclusive of medical marketing and direct-to-consumer advertising, inform contemporary understandings and lived realities of health and illness, race and gender, aging and sexuality? Same as HPM 446 and WGS 446.


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  • SOC 447 - Women and Crime

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    An in-depth look at a seemingly rare phenomenon-the participation of women in crime. First seen only as victims of crime, increased attention has focused on women as criminal offenders and found that their participation in crime both mimics and differs from that of men. In addition, although the roles of crime offender and crime victim overlap generally, the connection between victimization and offending is particularly strong for women. This course examines women as criminal offenders AND victims, and examines the complex pathways between these roles. Same as WGS 447.


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  • SOC 450 - Sociology Internship

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Offers students an opportunity to use their academic knowledge and sociological and other social science skills by working in a local agency/organization. Objective: First-hand understanding of social issues and problems. Students must have their site location in place prior to the start of the semester in which they enroll in the internship. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing.


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  • SOC 451 - Women and Family Issues Internship

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    Offers students interested in Women’s Studies an opportunity to use their academic knowledge and relevant skills by working in a local agency/organization. Students must have an appropriate site location in place prior to the start of the semester in which they enroll in the internship. Same as WGS 451. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing.


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  • SOC 454 - Immigration

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Diversity

    Public discourse questions whether contemporary immigration is beneficial for society and whether today’s immigrants will assimilate similarly to previous immigrants. This course engages these debates by situating present-day U.S. immigrant experiences in historical and comparative perspectives. Topics include: theories of migration, immigrant incorporation, effects of migration on sending and receiving societies, and immigration laws and current policies. Same as GST 454.


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  • SOC 480 - Senior Capstone Seminar

    1 semester, 3 credits- Core Foundation/Proficiency: Writing II; Oral Communication

    Explores the potential and limitations of sociological investigation and explanation, how to make a sociological argument in both written and oral form, how to determine if the evidence supports or refutes an argument, and how to utilize sociological data. Integrates sociological knowledge from a number of diverse subdisciplines.


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  • SOC 490 - Independent Study

    1 semester, 3 credits-

    A project in which the student is free to pursue his or her own specialized interest in sociology. Projects could include community involvement, reading in specialized areas of sociology, and field research. Prerequisite: Consent and supervision of a faculty member.


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