Maria Mouritidis, Ph.D., Chair
Ashley Fundack, M.S.
Catherine Sacarellos, M.S.
The Sociology Program of Study in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business, offers a Minor in Sociology to Women’s College students. The scientific study of society, sociology examines the interworkings of different social institutions, the order of social interaction in groups, and the politics of social reality. Many sociologists address social problems such as crime, education, poverty, immigration, institutional discrimination and prejudice. The Sociology Program provides students with a perspective on the world best described as sociological mindfulness or, put simply, a way to tune in to the social world. It gives students the opportunity to investigate society and better understand their respective roles in it.
Summary
Women's College
Offered as a Minor and as a foundation for the Criminology Major, the Sociology curriculum provides both a micro- and macro- perspective on society. Its courses expose students to peer-reviewed research based on surveys, field work, comparative/historical reviews and experimentation.
A Sociology Minor is an excellent way to round out the student’s experience at Notre Dame. Sociology courses that satisfy the General Education Requirement in social science: SOC-101. Sociology courses that fulfill the requirement for cross-cultural studies: CRM-209. Sociology courses that fulfill the requirement for gender: SOC-215.
All courses credited toward the Minor must be completed with a C grade or higher.
Program of Study
The Minor in Sociology consists of seven courses as indicated below.
Minor in Sociology
Required courses:
SOC-101 Introduction to Sociology (3)
SOC-209 Race, Class and Gender (3)
PSY-210 Research Methods I (4)
SOC-350 Social Theory (3)
Two electives chosen from:
CRM-101 Introduction to Criminology (3)
SOC-202 Sociology of the Family (3)
SOC-215 Gender Roles or SOC-271 Honors: Sociology of Gender Roles (3)
SOC-220 Self and Society (3)
SOC-222 Social Problems or SOC-371 Honors: Social Problems (3)
SOC-231 Medicine and Society (3)
SOC-250 Sociology of Sport (3)
SOC-315 Sociology of Law (3)
SOC-340 Sociology of Deviance (3)
SOC-360 Sociology of Work (3)
SOC-390 Sociology of Education (3)
PSY-340 Quantitative Methods (4)
One senior experience chosen from:
SOC-411 Advanced Topics in Sociology (3)
CRM-461 Criminology Practicum (4)
SOC-463 Sociology Independent Study (3)
Note: Those who wish to Major in Criminology and Minor in Sociology must take three elective Sociology courses instead of two due to the overlapping requirements of SOC-101, SOC-209, and PSY-210. The electives cannot have a dual purpose of also fulfilling the electives used for the Criminology Major. A separate Senior Experience course also should be chosen to fulfill the requirement for a Minor in Sociology. For example, if SOC-411 serves to fulfill the senior elective for the Criminology Major, it cannot also be used to fulfill the elective for the Sociology Minor. Please contact the faculty advisor to tailor an appropriate course schedule.
CRM-101 Introduction to Criminology
Provides an examination of the nature, causes and social significance of crime. Emphasizes the major explanations of criminal behavior and typologies of crime and examines crime and crime prevention strategies as they relate to theory, policy and practice. Serves as a gateway course for students interested in the field of criminology. Fulfills general education requirement in social science. [3 credits]
CRM-105 Applied Defensive Techniques in Criminology
Introduces the principles and practices employed by law enforcement personnel for the purpose of self defense in the field. Provides a holistic approach to the control of subjects through both classroom instruction and the practice and performance of the necessary physical skills. Emphasis is placed on the social context of violence as well as the personal, psychological, and physical control of aggression. [3 credits]
CRM-130 Criminology At the Movies
Explores the impact of criminological themes and theories on popular movies. Consists of an intensive, didactic experience that introduces the student to related criminological research and applications. [3 credits]
CRM-203 Theories of Crime and Social Deviance
Examines major paradigms, models and theories of criminology. Students critically review explanations of criminal behavior and analyze past, current and future trends in criminal activity. Theories in deviance and criminology from multidisciplinary perspectives provide a foundation for discussion. Prerequisite:
CRM-101. [3 credits]
CRM-205 Policing and Society
Focuses on the history, structure, role, and function of policing in American society. Types of policing and police-community relations will be explored. Students will examine the functions of policing including patrol, order maintenance, investigation and community policing. A number of contemporary police problems will be presented including corruption, discretion, deadly force and minority relations. Course will include an exploration of cross-national comparisons. Prerequisite:
CRM-101 or
SOC-101. [3 credits]
CRM-230 Terrorism and Homeland Security
Examines terrorism with a focus on the contemporary societal experience, although historical perspectives will provide context as well. Differentiating characteristics of domestic and international terror groups will be identified. Legal implications of anti-terrorist measures and homeland security enforcement will be reviewed. Prerequisite:
CRM-101. [ 3 credits ]
CRM-240 Corrections in America
This course provides an examination into corrections in America. We will differentiate the purpose and operation of jails versus prisons. Additionally, we will look at the use of non-custodial corrections alternatives such as community service, probation and parole. In this course, the history of corrections as well as contemporary issues in corrections will be examined. [ 3 credits ]
CRM-303 Theories of Crime and Social Deviance
Examines major paradigms, models and theories of criminology. Students critically review explanations of criminal behavior and analyze past, current and future trends in criminal activity. Theories in deviance and criminology from multidisciplinary perspectives provide a foundation for discussion. Prerequisite:
CRM-107. [ 3 credits ]
CRM-310 The Criminal Justice System
Examines the American criminal justice system. Introduces students to the workings of police, courts and corrections in American society, and how each functions as a mechanism of social control. Explores local, state and federal agencies as individual components of the comprehensive and interrelated system of justice. Prerequisites:
CRM-101;
PSY-210 or
CRM-360. [3 credits]
CRM-311 Topics in Criminology
Uses empirical evidence to provide a contemporary approach to analyzing and evaluating crime and social deviance through a critical theoretical framework or uses empirical evidence to provide a contemporary approach to examining specific areas within criminology. Topics will vary. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 6 credits. Prerequisites:
SOC-101 and
CRM-101. [3 credits]
CRM-315 Victims of Crime
Examines the impact of crime on its victims, including identification of victim types, victim compensation and reduction of victimization. The course focuses on the relationship of criminology and the criminal justice system to victims themselves. Prerequisite:
CRM-101. [ 3 credits ]
CRM-320 Juvenile Delinquency
Examines delinquency as a form of socially deviant or criminal behavior engaged in by minors. Topics include definitions of delinquency, long- and short-term trends, explanations of delinquent behavior, drug use, gangs and school violence. Possible interventions, treatment and prevention strategies are also addressed. Prerequisite:
SOC-101;
PSY-210 or
CRM-360. [3 credits]
CRM-325 Violence Against Women
Examines violence against women through a wide range of socially institutionalized and individually perpetuated political, social, economic and physical frameworks. Violence against women takes place within socially constructed race-ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, and class specificities, as well as socio-historical contexts. The course examines how race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-historical constraints and shifts perpetuate systems of domination and oppression. It looks at ways in which these forces shape how women experience economic, social, sexual, class and gender domination and exploitation. Prerequisite:
CRM-101 or
SOC-101. Fulfills the general education requirement in gender studies. [3 credits]
CRM-360 Research Methods and Crime Analysis
Provides framework for the critical and empirical analysis of social science data relating to crime and social deviance, including experimental and quasi-experimental research design, crime analysis, ethical issues, quantitative and qualitative statistical methods and scientific report writing. Students learn how to use the statistical package for the social sciences and compute descriptive, inferential statistics and multivariate analysis. This course instructs students on the relationship between theory and scholarly inquiry, the nature of causation, and how to formulate and test hypotheses using a variety of empirical methods. Students learn a range of research approaches including surveys, experiments, field work, case studies and unobtrusive measures typically employed in the criminology and criminal justice fields. Students develop a research question and appropriate research methodology, empirically evaluate a hypothesis and write a research report. Prerequisites:
MAT-215; and either
CRM-101,
PSY-101, or
SOC-101. [4 credits]
CRM-360L Lab: Research Methods
Lab associated with CRM 360 Research Methods and Crime Analysis.
CRM-411 Topics in Criminology
Provides a context for understanding the broad focus of the discipline of criminology. As an upper-level course in the criminology major, reviews key criminological writings from an advanced, informed perspective. The student uses these scholarly resources to develop a paper that synthesizes her particular knowledge of criminological theory, research and applications. Students also develop their abilities to analyze their personal experiences from a sociological perspective and explore options for continued study or employment related to their sociological training. Topics will vary, though recent topics have included: Corporate Crime, Violence Against Women, Social Inequality in the Criminal Justice System, and Policing. Prerequisites: PSY-210, CRM-203 or SOC-350, and junior/senior status. [3 credits]
CRM-461 Criminology Practicum I
Integrates field experience with an academic seminar. Students are required to find a placement (internship) in social service, criminal justice or social action agencies consistent with their abilities and interests. This placement must be approved by the student's advisor and practicum coordinator prior to beginning the course. Prerequisites:
PSY-210 or
CRM-360, and conference with the coordinator. Limited to majors of at least junior status. Not open to liberal arts majors. [4 credits]
CRM-463 Independent Study in Criminology
Provides a student with an opportunity to pursue a scholarly project under the direction of a faculty member. Work may include directed readings, literature review, clinical study, or data collection and analysis. Prerequisites:
PSY-210 or
CRM-360 and acceptance for supervision by a department faculty member. [ 3 credits ]
SOC-101 Introductory Sociology
Uses the sociological imagination to help explain what sociology is and how it is relevant to everyday life. Examines culture, social structure, socialization, social institutions, social inequality and social change. Topics include gender roles, deviance and social control, class, race and ethnic inequality, family, and work. Serves as a foundation course for students interested in the field of sociology and criminology. Fulfills general education requirement in social science. [3 credits]
SOC-202 Sociology of the Family
Examines the historical development and transformation of the American family. Explores marriage and alternatives to traditional arrangements. Students will analyze issues relating to parenting, divorce, remarriage and grandparenting, paying special attention to class and race, as well as ethnicity, gender differences and sexual orientation. Fulfills general education requirement in social science. Prerequisite:
SOC-101 or permission of instructor. [3 credits]
SOC-209 Race, Class and Gender
Explores the intersecting systems of inequality, race, ethnicity, social class and gender. Examines the construction of identity categorizations and links them to our current experiences and conceptions of self. Covers the nature of privilege and its reproduction in social institutions such as the workplace, education, and the criminal justice system. Fulfills general education requirements in social science and cross-cultural studies. Prerequisite:
SOC-101 or permission of instructor. [3 credits]
SOC-215 Gender Roles
Addresses the social construction of gender roles. Demonstrates patterns of inequality and power relations through historical and cross-cultural data. Explains concepts such as sexism, gender socialization, and gendered institutions. Examines the consequences of division of labor in marital relations, the family and the workplace. Fulfills general education requirement in social science and gender roles. Prerequisite:
SOC-101 or permission. [3 credits]
SOC-222 Social Problems
Examines how social conditions come to be defined as social problems. Surveys the causes of, theoretical explanations for, and possible interventions to resolve social problems. Provides students with opportunities to analyze in-depth such social concerns as substance abuse, family violence, environmental issues, discrimination, crime and terrorism. Fulfills general education requirement in social science. Prerequisite:
SOC-101 or permission. [3 credits]
SOC-250 Sociology of Sport
Examines sport as a social phenomenon. Particular attention is given to comparing and contrasting cultural variances in sport. The course uses sports to study social shifts, the politics of inequality, and power structures across cultures. Topics include community identity as defined by the culture of sport; the construction of morality through sport; politics and sport; the role of gender and sexuality in sport; and the role of sport in economic development. Fulfills general education cross-cultural requirement. Crosslisted with
PED-250. Prerequisite:
SOC-101. [3 credits]
SOC-271 Honors: Sociology of Gender Roles
An analysis of the social sources and psychological mechanisms that shape gender role differentiation. Special attention will be given to the political, ideological behavior and social construction of gender. Historical and cross-cultural data will be used to demonstrate patterns of inequality. The psychological and social impact of gender inequality will be examined. Prerequisite: Morrissy scholar or permission. Fulfills general education requirements in social science and gender studies. [3 credits]
SOC-301 Social Justice
Overviews social injustice in American society and in American social institutions. Addresses issues of prejudice, racism and sexism, as well as discrimination based on sexual orientation, religious preference and disability. Provides students with opportunities to evaluate problem-solving procedures for social service agencies and the community at large. Prerequisite:
SOC-101,
PSY-210,
CRM-101 or
SOC-222. [3 credits]
SOC-315 Sociology of Law
Studies criminal law from a sociological perspec-tive with an emphasis on the United States Constitution. Examines the impact of the social usages of law as an instrument of social policy, social control and social regulation. Prepares students to interact professionally with the legal system. Prerequisites:
PSY-210,
SOC-101 or
CRM-101. [3 credits]
SOC-340 Deviance and Social Control
Examines how we come to define attitudes, behavior, and characteristics as "normal" or "deviant" in society. Explores the construction of categories of difference with an eye toward the idea that labeling people or ideas as deviant is often a way to maintain the status quo. Addresses "deviant" behavior as an agent of social change as well as a source of social stability. Applies various sociological paradigms to such topics as social movements, crime and delinquency, and mental illness. Prerequisite:
PSY-210,
SOC-101 or
CRM-101. [3 credits]
SOC-350 Sociological Theory
Provides an overview of the theoretical foundations of the discipline. First exposes students to the works of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber-the "fathers" of sociology-and then provides current theoretical considerations. Analyzes various sociological perspectives in explaining social phenomena, such as structural functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interaction, and feminist sociology. Explores every day applications of sociological paradigms. Prerequisites:
SOC-101. [3 credits]
SOC-360 Sociology of Work
Analyzes social relations in the workplace as well as the dynamics of the labor market. Identifies the units of analysis in the study of work and changes to each in U.S. industrial shifts. The demographics of the labor market are analyzed in the context of the Great Migration, the dual labor market, control systems, flexible firms, occupational sex segregation, and globalization. Public policies that influence work relations such as the National Labor Relations Act and the Civil Rights Act are couched in labor market dynamics. Interpersonal dimensions of work are also addressed including the negotiation between family, intergenerational mobility and work and job satisfaction. Prerequisites:
SOC-101 and
PSY-210 or
CRM-360. [3 credits]
SOC-371 Honors: Social Problems
Considers how social conditions come to be defined as social problems. Reviews causes and theoretical explanations for their origins and possible interventions to resolve social problems. Topics include substance abuse, family violence, environmental issues, discrimination, crime and terrorism. Prerequisite: Morrissy scholar or permission. [3 credits]
SOC-390 Sociology of Education
Provides an overview of sociological theories and research about education in modern societies. Education is analyzed as a social institution that both challenges and reflects social stratification and institutionalized racism. The course addresses the reciprocal relationship between education and other social institutions such as family and the economy. The course considers education at a variety of levels, from preschool to university and its influence on human capital accumulation. Prerequisites:
SOC-101 and
PSY-210 pt
CRM-360. [3 credits]
SOC-411 Advanced Topics
Provides a context for understanding the broad focus of the discipline of criminology. As an upper-level course in the criminology major, reviews key sociological and criminological writings from an advanced, informed perspective. The student uses these scholarly resources to develop a paper that synthesizes her particular knowledge of criminological theory, research and applications. Students also develop their abilities to analyze their personal experiences from a sociological perspective and explore options for continued study or employment related to their sociological training. Topics will vary, though recent topics have included: Corporate Crime, Violence Against Women, Social Inequality in the Criminal Justice System, and Policing. Prerequisites:
PSY-210,
CRM-203 or
SOC-350, and junior/senior status. [3 credits]
SOC-463 Independent Research/Independent Study
Provides a student with an opportunity to pursue a scholarly project under the direction of a faculty member. Work may include directed readings, literature review, clinical study, or data collection and analysis. Prerequisites:
PSY-210,
PSY-340 or
CRM-360 and acceptance for supervision by a department faculty member. [3 credits]
