Sociology Minor

An introductory course to the scientific study of crime as a social phenomenon with a focus on how crime in our society is related to the collective aspects of human life.

Using a Christian approach to marriage, this course will study the family and its intimate environment, including a discussion of courtship and role relationships within the family as a social institution with an emphasis on the changing nature of the family, family problems, and family strengths.

This course will analyze ethnicity in contemporary urban society including the relationship between subcultural communities and the larger society and examine the factors and processes in the formation of minority groups as well as strategies for changing dominant-minority patterns.

This course will examine selected social theories and theorists and the history and development of social theory, including the following: the formulation and evaluation of social theories such as social systems, evolutionary, formal, phenomenological, symbolic interaction, social action, and exchange theories; sociology of knowledge; and functionalism. Offered in alternate years.

This course will introduce the sources, functions, and dynamics of the unequal distribution of wealth, power, knowledge, and prestige in an historical, comparative perspective.

This course will offer a multidisciplinary perspective to understanding women's roles along with an analysis of the status of women in Western society from a cross-cultural perspective, including gender stereotypes, the theories of male domination, male-female relationships, women's liberation, and the role of women in the church.

An introductory course to the study of aging from a sociological perspective with attention given to current research, problems faced by the elderly, the impact of an increasingly aged population on society, and the resulting implications for policy and social intervention. Offered in alternate years.