University of Maine at Augusta
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2. Introduction to Sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of society, social interaction and the constraints these place on our lives. In American society, we're not used to thinking about constraint -- we're used to thinking about freedom and choices of individuals alone. What if we could take a broader view? What would we see? Sociology looks above the level of any one particular individual to paint a wide-lens portrait of human experience.
Click here to review a Spring 2013 syllabus for Sociology 101.
3. Social Networks
Every time you join an organization, pass on a rumor, collect information, ask someone you know for a favor, or try to find a job, social networks play a part, affecting the spread of culture, the transmission of disease, the competition of organizations and the development of nations. Using a simple yet flexible model, social network analysts have been able to gain insights in subjects across the sociological spectrum.
Click here to visit the Spring 2013 website for Sociology 375.
4. Criminology
In the criminology course we avoid moral debates about whether various crimes are good or bad, asking analytical questions instead. What distinguishes crime from non-crime? How is the extent of crime measured in the United States and abroad? How can we explain why crime occurs, who commits crime and who is victimized by it? How have policy makers attempted to control crime and how effective have these strategies proven?
Click here to visit the Spring 2013 website for Soc/Jus 316.
5. Social Problems
Most of us have experienced events in own our lives that we would call "problems." The media regularly label "problematic" phenomena such as crime, unemployment, poverty, prejudice, family violence, pollution and substance abuse. Most of us will agree that they require some form of public attention. Some won't. Why? What makes a certain form of behavior by individuals or groups a "problem?" Who decides? What is the "solution?" These are the questions we confront in the Social Problems class.
Click here to review a Spring 2013 syllabus for Sociology 201.
