Sociology
Chair: Keith Guzik
Program Assistant: Anne Beard
Office: Lawrence Street Center, Suite 420
Telephone: 303-315-2148
Fax: 303-315-2149
Overview
Undergraduate Information
Sociology is the scientific study of groups, social processes, social institutions and behavior. Graduates with a Sociology BA are employed in a variety of professional areas, including health and social services, business, state and local government, criminal justice, and education. They also fill a variety of roles, including directors, managers, human resources, service specialists, policy analysts, consultants, nurses, teachers, social workers, and attorneys.
The major in sociology prepares students for either immediate entry to the workforce or continued graduate study through training in data analysis, research methods, and conceptual thinking. The introductory Career Success in the Social Sciences and capstone Worklife Practices & Policies courses offer essential resources in preparing for either path. Four certificate options allow students to specialize in critical fields of practice: Criminology; Families and Social Welfare; Community Health and Medicine; and Justice, Allyship, Diversity, and Equity (JADE). All students majoring in sociology, regardless of whether they pursue a certificate (or multiple certificates), develop a strong foundation in the basics of the discipline, including the use of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and theory.
The department has developed the following rationale for courses offered:
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Lower-division courses (for majors and non-majors)
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1000-level courses provide an introduction to the broad sociological perspective as it applies to social life, social systems and society.
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2000-level courses introduce students to somewhat more specific content areas: social psychology, deviant behavior and social inequalities, etc.
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Upper-division courses (3000 and 4000)
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3000-level courses serve as advanced surveys of some specific area of concentration. They are designed to acquaint students with the issues, methods, concepts and theoretical frameworks employed in the content area. Such courses as medical sociology, criminology, sociology of family, and race and ethnicity are offered at this level. Many of these courses are open courses, in that students from other departments and colleges are encouraged to enroll in them.
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4000-level courses are devoted to a more detailed in-depth examination of specific issues, approaches and concepts within the previously identified content areas. These are advanced courses and are geared more directly to sociology and social science majors.
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Sophomore standing is required for enrollment in all 3000-level courses, and junior standing is required for enrollment in 4000-level courses.
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The department requires that SOCY 1001 Understanding the Social World be completed prior to any of the major’s core requirements (SOCY 2001 Inequalities in Social World, SOCY 3115 Quantitative Methods & Analysis, SOCY 3119 Qualitative Methods, SOCY 3140 Sociological Theory and SOCY 4830 Senior Capstone: Worklife Practices & Policies).
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Major in Sociology.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Minor in Sociology.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Undergraduate Certificate in Criminology.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Undergraduate Certificate in Families and Social Welfare.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Undergraduate Certificate in Community Health and Medicine.
Click here to learn about the 4+1 BA to MA program.
Departmental Honors
Students wishing to graduate with departmental honors in sociology (cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude) must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (while enrolled at the University of Colorado Denver) and a 3.2 or higher in all sociology courses. Additionally, departmental honors requires the student to complete 6 hours of SOC 4880, Directed Research or SOCY 4910, Research Practicum, under the supervision of a Sociology faculty member. This independent research is spread over at least 2 semesters and serves as the basis for the honors thesis. The thesis is presented in a departmental colloquium at least six weeks before the end of the semester in which the student intends to graduate. Interested students are encouraged to contact the Undergraduate Program Director, Dr. Maren Scull, prior to the beginning of their senior year if they intend to pursue departmental honors.
Graduate Information
Please go to the Graduate catalog to read about our graduate programs.
Programs Offered
- Sociology, BA
- Sociology - Gender and Society Concentration, BA
- Sociology, 4 + 1 BA/ MA
- Sociology Minor
- Community Health and Medicine Undergraduate Certificate
- Criminology Undergraduate Certificate
- Families and Social Welfare Undergraduate Certificate
- Justice, Allyship, Diversity and Equity Undergraduate Certificate
Faculty
Professors:
Keith Guzik, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jennifer A. Reich, PhD, University of California, Davis
Associate Professors:
Adam M. Lippert, PhD, The Pennsylvania State University
Esther Sullivan, PhD, University of Texas at Austin
Assistant Professors:
Edelina Burciaga, PhD, University of California-Irvine
Associate Professors, Clinical Teaching Track:
Maren T. Scull, PhD, Indiana University
Jenny Vermilya, PhD, University of Colorado Boulder
Jenny Vermilya, PhD, University of Colorado Boulder
Senior Instructors:
Kari Alexander, PhD, University of Colorado Boulder
Instructors:
Carlos Reali, MA, University of Colorado Denver
Professors Emeritus:
Sharon K. Araji, PhD, Washington State University
Teresa M. Cooney, PhD, The Pennsylvania State University
Karl H. Flaming, PhD, Syracuse University
Associate Professor Emeritus:
Richard H. Anderson, PhD, University of Oregon
Candan Duran-Aydintug, PhD, Washington State University
Sociology (SOCY)
SOCY 1001 - Understanding the Social World (3 Credits)
This survey course provides an introduction to the sociological study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture. Typical course topics include socialization, the family, criminology, deviance, inequalities, sex and gender, race and ethnicity, health and medicine, self and identities, and globalization. Students gain an understanding of how organizations, institutions, and structures of society shape individual and group experiences. Max hours: 3 Credits. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-SS3.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Social Sciences; GT courses GT Pathways, GT-SS3, Soc Behav Sci:Hmn Behav, Cul.
SOCY 1011 - From Killer Apps to Killer Bots: Technology and Social Change (3 Credits)
A young college student updates her social media page to stay in touch with family and high school friends while making new friends on campus. An upstart automobile manufacturer builds a factory manned by robots to produce electronic vehicles designed to reduce the environmental impact of automobiles. The military deploys battalions of unmanned drones to engage with adversaries without risking the lives of their soldiers. Technology mediates nearly all aspects of social life, from reproduction and parenting to crime control and heath care. This course is designed to provide students an introduction to the different social dimensions of technological innovation as well as the theoretical and methodological tools sociologists use to study them. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Social Sciences.
SOCY 1111 - First Year Seminar (3 Credits)
Restriction: Restricted to Freshman level students. Term offered: spring, fall. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Freshman level students
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 1212 - Career Success in the Social Sciences (3 Credits)
Introduction to careers and planning for career success in sociology and the social sciences for all beginning sociology majors or those considering the major. Discussions about career opportunities, the various sociology undergraduate and graduate degree paths, research being conducted within the sociology department, and strategies for being a successful and engaged sociology major. Prereq: SOCY 1001, Preferred: Current or anticipated SOCY major. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: SOCY 1001
Typically Offered: Fall.
SOCY 2001 - Inequalities in Social World (3 Credits)
Introduces students to critical sociological perspectives on social inequality. Major sociological factors contributing to the production and reproduction of inequality in various social organizations and institutions are analyzed. Prereq: SOCY 1001 or permission of the instructor. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: SOCY 1001
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 2440 - Deviance and Social Control (3 Credits)
This class explores different forms of deviance and ways in which deviant categories are created,and examines sociological theories of deviance, social order, and social power. The course also addresses how different groups gain control over social definitions and the consequences these definitions have in the form of norms, laws, and informal social sanctions. The impact of these definitions for individuals also is considered, namely for how people construct and manage their identities. Topics covered include drug smuggling, gang membership, computer hacking, shoplifting, homelessness, eating disorders, transability, BDSM, self-injury, and sex work. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 2462 - Introduction to Social Psychology (3 Credits)
Studies the development and functioning of persons, especially within a group context, and the dynamics of small groups. Emphasis on the import of symbols for human behavior, development of self-concepts, and processes of competition and cooperation in group dynamics. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-SS3
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Social Sciences; GT courses GT Pathways, GT-SS3, Soc Behav Sci:Hmn Behav, Cul.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
SOCY 3001 - Urban Sociology (3 Credits)
Explores U.S. cities as built environments, cultural spaces, and sources of community. Topics include the history of urbanization; social and spatial organization of cities; race and residential segregation; suburbanization; and urban problems such as crime, environmental hazards, and gentrification. Prereq: Sophomore standing or higher. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 3010 - Sociology of Human Sexuality (3 Credits)
Increases the understanding of differences in views of sexuality, specifically the link between sex and reproduction and its role as the motivation for gender roles and sex acts. Explores the history of sexuality, cross-cultural studies and primate modeling. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with WGST 3010. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 3020 - Race and Ethnicity in the U.S. (3 Credits)
A sociological examination of race and ethnicity in contemporary U.S. society. Includes a focus on the nature and causes of prejudice and discrimination. Dominant-minority relations are examined, with an emphasis on current status of minority groups and issues. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Cultural Diversity.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
SOCY 3040 - Drugs, Alcohol & Society (3 Credits)
Explores our culture's relationship with drugs and alcohol from a sociological perspective, investigating all spheres of substance use: recreational, medicinal, instrumental, & religious. Examines our long turbulent history with these chemicals, and ways in which they have shaped our society. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Term offered: spring. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 3050 - Sociology of Education (3 Credits)
Drawing from theories in the sociology of education, this course evaluates the relationship between race, ethnicity, gender, class, immigration status and educational experiences, aspirations, and outcomes. Topics include socialization, tracking, educational policy, college access, and educational equity. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 3080 - Sex and Gender (3 Credits)
Causes and consequences of sex role differentiation at the individual, group and societal levels. Current issues related to changing norms and values concerning gender in modern society are examined. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with WGST 3080. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 3115 - Quantitative Methods & Analysis (4 Credits)
This course provides students with a basic understanding of survey methods and statistical analysis. In addition to learning the basics of inferential statistics and sampling methods, students will conduct their own survey research, analyze data, and produce reports. Prereq: SOCY 1001 with a C- or higher. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 4 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: SOCY 1001 with a C- or higher.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
SOCY 3119 - Qualitative Methods (4 Credits)
This course focuses on the development of skills involved in designing qualitative research studies, collecting and analyzing qualitative data and evaluating qualitative research. Primary focus is on ethnography, in-depth interviewing, and content analysis. Students read, analyze, and conduct qualitative research. Prereq: SOCY 1001 with a C- or higher. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 4 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: SOCY 1001 with a C- or higher.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 3140 - Sociological Theory (3 Credits)
An overview of major sociological theories and concepts. The emergence of the discipline and the contemporary development of sociological theories are examined. Prereq: SOCY 1001. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: SOCY 1001
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 3330 - Social Problems (3 Credits)
Explores how societies define and attempt to solve “social problems.” Possible topics: income disparities, race/ethnic relations, gender inequality, and sexuality, in addition to the relationship between these issues and social institutions such as education, religion, health care, and criminal justice. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Social Sciences.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 3440 - Medical Sociology (3 Credits)
This course covers key issues in population health and emphasizes how sociological perspectives both challenge and augment biomedical perspectives on health and health care. We also discuss the social causes and consequences of race/ethnic, sex, and socioeconomic disparities in health. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with PBHL 3440. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
SOCY 3490 - Criminology (3 Credits)
Theories, nature and causes of crime as a social phenomenon. Processes of making laws, breaking laws, and reaction toward the breaking of laws. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 3500 - Topics in Sociology (1-3 Credits)
Special topics in sociology to be selected by the instructor. Note: Can be taken more than once when topics vary. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY 3510 - Topics in Sociology (1-3 Credits)
Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY 3520 - Topics in Sociology (1-3 Credits)
Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY 3530 - Topics in Sociology (1-3 Credits)
Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY 3540 - Topics in Sociology (1-3 Credits)
Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY 3550 - Topics in Sociology (1-3 Credits)
Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY 3570 - Death & Dying: Social & Medical Perspectives (3 Credits)
Focusing on death, dying and bereavement using medical and social perspectives, this course explores how illness, prolonged dying and sudden death impact care providers, families and communities. Discussion, film, readings and music address the connection of social and medical issues. Cross-listed with HEHM 3570. Term offered: fall. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Fall.
SOCY 3650 - Sociology of Music (3 Credits)
Focuses on the meaning/use of music in society. Explores censorship, organization of the recording industry, sociocultural contexts in which music is produced/distributed/listened to and the relationship between music and technology along with musical applications and associations. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 3697 - Contemporary Asian American Experience (3 Credits)
Examines the contemporary Asian American experience, including the adaptation of new immigrants or refugees, economic and educational problems, ethnic identity, intermarriage, anti-Asian discrimination and other civil rights issues, and recent political activism. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with ETST 3697. Term offered: spring. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 3700 - Families and Society (3 Credits)
This course explores multiple dimensions of family as a social institution. Using a critical approach, we examine historical, cultural, and political views about families. We consider multiple forms of contemporary families, discuss the many issues facing families, and study how families and family life have become politicized. Cross-listed with WGST 3700. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
SOCY 3720 - Global Perspectives on Social Issues (3 Credits)
Various cultural and social frameworks are used in a sociological examination and international comparison of select social issues, such as globalization, terrorism, inequality and discrimination. Analysis of selected issues across cultures explores how societal and cultural characteristics shape these issues. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, International Perspectives.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
SOCY 3750 - Animals and Society (3 Credits)
An examination into the category of “animal” as a social construct and the relationship between humans and non-human animals, which produces consequences of difference and subsequent inequality. The course utilizes different sociological perspectives to examine the social patterns, processes, and institutions that establish our lived experiences with non-human animals. Prereq: Sophomore standing or higher or by instructor permission. Max hours: 3 Credits
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY 3840 - Independent Study: SOCY (1-3 Credits)
Prereq: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY 3939 - Internship (1-3 Credits)
Designed experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. Note: students must work with the Experiential Learning Center advising to complete a course contract and gain approval. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher or permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher.
SOCY 3995 - Global Study Topics (3-6 Credits)
This course is reserved for CU Denver faculty-led study abroad experiences. The course topic will vary based on the location and course content. Students register through the Office of Global Education. Department consent required. Repeatable. Max hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.
Additional Information: Global Education Study Abroad.
SOCY 4020 - Race, Culture and Immigration (3 Credits)
In this course, we will consider the social and legal construction of race and immigration. We will also explore how immigrants have been racialized both historically and in the current moment. In addition, we will consider the role of culture in shaping the immigrant experience and immigrant outcomes. Restriction: Junior standing or higher or instructor permission. Cross-listed with SOCY 5020, ETST 4020 and ETST 5020. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4050 - Health Disparities (3 Credits)
This course focuses on social, economic, and political factors that shape the uneven distribution of health and illness in the United States. Social determinants of health are explored, including socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, neighborhood environments, social relationships, and gender. Cross-listed with SOCY 5050. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4110 - Sociology of Health Care (3 Credits)
Examines U.S. health care institutions and issues such as rising costs, the effects of class, racial and gender inequality, professionalization and monopolization of roles, construction of illness and health, managed care, for-profit health care, and ethics of health care decisions. Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5110. Term offered: fall. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Fall.
SOCY 4220 - Population Change and Analysis (3 Credits)
Concepts of population change, methods of analysis, and applications to contemporary social issues. Topics include age and sex distributions, fertility, mortality, and migration, and the social causes and consequences of these phenomena. Prereq: Junior standing or permission of the instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5220. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4270 - Social Meanings of Reproduction (3 Credits)
Reproduction involves more than biological processes, assuming symbolic, political, and ideological meanings. This course examines contested meanings of reproduction, including how people experience reproduction, controversies over who should reproduce (and under what circumstances), and how public policy mediates these conflicts. Prereq: Junior standing or permission of the instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5270, WGST 4270 and WGST 5270. Term offered: fall. Max hours 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Fall.
SOCY 4290 - Aging, Society and Social Policy (3 Credits)
A sociological examination of central issues (e.g., work, retirement, family support, health) pertaining to the aging population. Heterogeneity in aging, as shaped by gender, race, ethnicity and social class is addressed, as well as policies pertaining to the adult population. Prereq: Junior standing or permission of the instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5290. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4340 - Juvenile Delinquency (3 Credits)
Factors involved in delinquent behavior. Problems of adjustment for delinquents, and factors in treatment and post-treatment adjustment. Major theories covered include strain theory, social learning theory, control theory, and labeling theory. Course also reviews methods for testing these theories. Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of the instructor. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4440 - Poverty and Social Inequality (3 Credits)
Investigates the distribution of wealth, income, and economic power in the United States with a focus on social institutions and factors that shape inequality. Prereq: Junior standing or permission of the instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5440. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4460 - Hate Groups and Group Violence (3 Credits)
Social sciences help us understand the phenomena of hate groups and group violence and contribute toward their elimination. Examples are examined using theoretical perspectives on different levels of analysis and within different areas of research. Prereq: Junior standing or permission of the instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5460. Term offered: fall. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Fall.
SOCY 4590 - Crime, Justice, and the City (3 Credits)
In this course, we will ask why inequality, crime, and police are unevenly spread across cities. We will examine why crime varies by neighborhood, whether place-based policing is racially biased, and why prisons are filled with people from just a few zip codes. We will study racial and economic segregation, gentrification, white flight, and suburbanization in the context of criminal justice. Spatial analysis is a growing field combining geography, sociology, and criminology. We will study it by reading cutting-edge researchers who use mapping, interviews, statistical analysis, and ethnography. Restriction: Restricted to students with Junior standing or higher or with instructor permission. Cross-listed with SOCY 5590. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
SOCY 4610 - Sociology of Religion (3 Credits)
This course introduces students to the nature and functions of religion in society, emphasizing western religions in the U.S. Students will develop and apply an understanding of classic and modern sociological theories of religion to current events and disciplinary developments. Cross-listed with SOCY 5610, RLST 4020, RLST 5020. Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of instructor. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4640 - Sociology of Childhood and Adolescence (3 Credits)
An in-depth overview of the theories and research regarding the life course understanding of infancy, childhood and adolescence. Children's lives and cultures in relation to adults and their transition from childhood to adolescence are studied. Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5640. Term offered: fall. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Fall.
SOCY 4650 - Sociology of Adulthood and Aging (3 Credits)
Examination of the adult life course—post-adolescence to death, focusing on key social transitions of adulthood (e.g., independence from parents, marriage, retirement), and historical, institutional, and social factors that create variation in their timing, meaning, and individuals’ role experiences. Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5650. Term offered: spring. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4690 - Crime and Inequality Over the Life Course (3 Credits)
Life-course perspective on inequality and crime. Studies transitions, trajectories and turning points as key features of the life course. Considers how inequalities and criminal behavior are shaped by timing of experiences, historical and geographic contexts, others' lives, and human agency. Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree majors. Cross-listed with SOCY 5690. Term offered: fall. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Graduate and Graduate Non-Degree Majors
Typically Offered: Fall.
SOCY 4700 - Sociology of Law (3 Credits)
Consideration of the formulation, interpretation, and legitimacy of legal rules within the context of social organization. The examination of a major social institution in modern society. Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of instructor. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4740 - Courts & Society (3 Credits)
Courts are a centerpiece of modern legal systems that mediate social relationships and people’s relationship to the state. This course explores the connection between courts and democratic society by considering the operation and evolution of courts in the U.S. Cross-listed with SOCY 5740. Restriction: Restricted to Junior standing or above. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Spring.
SOCY 4770 - Advanced Topics in Sociology (1-3 Credits)
Advanced study of special topics in sociology to be selected by the instructor. Note: May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5770. Repeatable. Max hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
SOCY 4774 - Advanced Topics in Sociology (3 Credits)
Advanced study of special topics in sociology to be selected by the instructor. Note: May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Prereq: Junior standing or permission of the instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
SOCY 4780 - Violence in Relationships (3 Credits)
Course focuses on the study of violence among individuals involved in intimate relationships; factors in society such as norms, laws and institutions that are related to creating violence among intimates; and social policies, prevention, intervention and treatment programs. Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with SOCY 5780, WGST 4780 and WGST 5780. Term offered: fall. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Typically Offered: Fall.
SOCY 4830 - Senior Capstone: Worklife Practices & Policies (3 Credits)
Introduces students to tools and develops skills to facilitate internship and job search. Students gain understanding of work contexts, exploring employment laws and policies, dynamics of race and gender in job searching, and research on careers and job negotiation. Prereq: Must have earned a minimum of 75 credits. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
SOCY 4840 - Independent Study: SOCY (1-3 Credits)
Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
SOCY 4880 - Directed Research (1-6 Credits)
Students will engage in original research projects supervised and mentored by faculty. Students must work with faculty prior to registration to develop a proposal for their project and receive permission to take this course. Prereq: junior standing or higher. Repeatable. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
SOCY 4910 - Research Practicum (1-6 Credits)
Practical experiences for undergraduates in application of principles of research design and data processing to a social research problem selected by the instructor. Prereq: junior standing or higher or permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
SOCY 4995 - Global Study Topics (3-6 Credits)
This course is reserved for CU Denver faculty-led study abroad experiences. The course topic will vary based on the location and course content. Students register through the Office of Global Education. Department consent required. Repeatable. Max hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.