Department of Sociology
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Graduate Courses
7004 - Topics in Sociology
Organized study of selected topics. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated with departmental consent. Prerequisites: junior standing and instructor's consent
7085 - Problems in Sociology
Directed research not leading to thesis or dissertation.
Prerequisites: 12 hours Sociology & departmental consent.
7087 - Seminar in State and Economy
Analysis of public policy and economic change in contemporary political-economic systems; growth of welfare state, capitalist planning, state socialist economics.
7100 - Expert Systems
Introduction to the use of expert system shells, designed for graduate students from any department. Students create prototype expert systems under close supervision by faculty experts.
Prerequisite: graduate standing and departmental consent
7110 - Feminist Research and Criticism
(same as Women's and Gender Studies 7110)
Examination of both feminist critiques of traditional social research and recent, feminist-oriented research that attempts to answer these criticisms. Prerequisites: graduate standing and SOCIOL 2950 or equivalent
7120 - Social Statistics
(same as Rural Sociology 7120)
Descriptive statistics and divariate quantitative analysis techniques commonly used by social scientists. Includes coverage of parametric and non-parametric methods. Introduction to computer analysis.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 2950 or graduate standing
7130 - Advanced Social Statistics
(same as Rural Sociology 7130)
Introduction to multivariate analysis for social scientists. Emphasis on non-experimental applications of analysis of variance and correlation-regression. Computer applications emphasized.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 7120 or equivalent
7200 - Social Inequalities
Examination of theories and research concerned with inequalities based on social class, gender, and race-ethnicity. M.A. core course for sociology students.
Prerequisite: graduate standing or instructor's consent
7210 - Sociology of Aging
Sociological research and theories of aging and old age; historical, demographic, comparative, social psychological and structural topics are studied in depth.
Prerequisites: 6 hours of Sociology and graduate standing
7220 - Race and Ethnic Relations
The experience of racial and ethnic minorities; inequality, assimilation, ethnic and racial conflict, accommodation.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 1000 or equivalent and junior standing
7230 - Global Perspectives on Women and Development
(same as Black Studies 4230 and Women's and Gender Studies 7230)
Examines the history and structure of "development" discourse and practices. Stresses the interconnections and impact on women globally. Reviews women's strategies in defining and instituting programs to improve quality of life in communities.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 2200, WGST 1332, BL STU 1332, or WGST 7420
7287 - Seminar in Comparative Social Institutions
Analysis of selected social institutions such as agriculture, family, economy, education, health care, law, polity, religion. Inter-institutional and international comparisons.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 4700/7700 or instructor's consent
7300 - Death and Dying
Death and dying explored from demographic, sociological and social psychological perspectives. Topics: trends and differentials; definitions of death; dying as a social process; funerals and survivors; cultural solutions to problems of death.
Prerequisite: graduate standing and instructor's consent
7310 - Advanced Social Psychology
Major theoretical fields and their application to human problems. M.A. core course.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 3310 or graduate standing
7315 - Social Demography
(same as Rural Sociology 7315)
General demographic theories; age, sex, and ethnic composition of population; fertility, mortality and migration as components of population change; social, economic and political implications of demographic trends. Prerequisites: SOCIOL 1000 or RU SOC 1100 and graduate standing
7320 - Culture, Identity, and Interaction
Examines the interplay between culture, identity, and interaction as these intersect with issues of social inequality, social control, social change ,and the everyday production of subjective's. M.A.core course.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 3310 graduate standing or instructor's consent
7335 - Social Change and Trends
(same as Rural Sociology 7335)
Nature of social change. Emphasis on sociological theories and models of social change and their application in analysis and implementation of change in social structures.
Prerequisite: graduate standing
7340 - Self, Language, and Social Life
Examines the interplay between self, language, and social life. Particular attention is paid to how the everyday construction of inner lives relates to diverse social worlds. The effects of situational and institutional conditions as they shape identity and social interactions are important considerations.
Prerequisite: graduate standing
7370 - Environment and Society
(same as Rural Sociology 7370)
An interdisciplinary examination of domestic and international environmental issues focusing on social, cultural, and policy dimensions. Perspectives of the social sciences and humanities are included.
Prerequisites: junior, senior or graduate standing
7387 - Seminar in Sociology of Work
Recent developments in the sociological study of occupations and professions. Surveys alternative theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. Deals with rationalization, professionalization, alienation, class consciousness, self management.
7400 - Sociology of Health Systems
Analyzes organization of U.S. health system and systems in the developed and developing world. Special attention to reform movements, universality, effectiveness, quality, and efficiency.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 2950, 3440, and 3100 or graduate standing
7410 - Sociology of Education
Contexts, structures and processes of schooling; effects on class, race, ethnicity and gender; social change, educational policy, and organizational dynamics; higher education and the economy.
7446 - Community Social Structure
(same as Rural Sociology 7446)
A comparative study of communities in different nations and in urban and rural areas. A primary focus of the course will be on social change in communities, in response to changing economic, political, social, cultural, and ecological factors.
7487 - Seminar in Sociology of Organizations
Recent developments in the sociological analysis of complex organizations, including corporations, public bureaucracies, educational organizations, religious organizations, etc. Surveys alternative theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches.
7500 - Sociology of Social Policy
(same as Rural Sociology 7500)
Sociological theories and methodologies focused on social policy; policy as process; contextual and critical policy analyses; assessing policy effects and consequences.
Prerequisite: graduate standing
7510 - Social Movements and Conflicts
Survey of approaches and research on social movements and social change. Historical and contemporary social movements in the US; collective protest and violence; political revolutions. M.A. core course.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 3520, 3700, or 3320 or graduate standing
7520 - Political Sociology
(same as Peace Studies 7520) Social bases of power and politics, economic and political elites, the political economy of the advanced societies, sources of political conflict and change. M.A. core course.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 3200, 3510, 3520, or 3700 or graduate standing
7530 - Social Organization of Industrial Societies
The organizational and inter organizational structure of modern capitalist and socialist societies, including examination of alternative models such as technocracy, bureaucratic society, state capitalism, state socialism, organized capitalism.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 3700 or 3710 or graduate standing
7587 - Seminar in Culture and Mass Media
Sociological examination of culture and mass media, including institutional character, production and distribution, audience effects, relation of social structures. Current research, theories, methods.
7600 - Contemporary Corrections
Development of concepts of punishment, treatment. Contemporary penal and correctional institutions; problems of custody, classification, education, industry and treatment program; probation, parole.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 2200 and 3600 or graduate standing
7610 - Society and Social Control
The concept of social control is analyzed from both micro and macro theoretical perspectives. Focus is on patterns of social domination. M.A. core course.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 3700 or 3710 or graduate standing
7687 - Seminar in Family Sociology
Research and theory on family structure and family life; in-depth study of a selection of topics and issues.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 7210 or instructor's consent
7700 - Social Organization
Survey of approaches to the analysis of social organization emphasizing complex organizations, division of labor, social inequality, politics and the state, social change. M.A. core course.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 3700 or 3710 or graduate standing or instructor's consent
8085 - Professional Perspectives
Problems of teaching, nonacademic employment professional organization, ethics. Required of all M.A. and Ph.D. candidates new to the program.
8087 - Seminar on Race Relations
Critical examinations of social research methods and sociological theories applied to the study of race relations in the United States.
8100 - Theories of Society
Fundamental theoretical developments in modern sociology seen as an empirical discipline. Required for M.A. students.
Prerequisites: graduate standing or instructor's consent
8110 - Research in Sociology
Research not expected to terminate in thesis or dissertation.
Prerequisite: instructor's consent
8120 - Research Methodology
Meta-theoretical and conceptual issues at the core of design decision making, questionnaire construction, qualitative field techniques, interviewing, scaling, panel analysis, computer applications to qualitative data; experimental, survey and case study designs, ethics. Required for M.A. student.
8187 - Seminar on Interview Theory and Technique
The seminar has three goals: First is the consideration of literature dealing with recent theoretical formulations of the interview. This will provide a basis, second, for critically examining a number of popular interview guidebooks. The third goal is to offer the opportunity to put theory and technique into practice by analyzing selected interview material.
Prerequisite: doctoral standing
8287 - Seminar in Social and Economic Development
(same as Rural Sociology 8287)
Analysis of world economy and societal development: assessment of contemporary and historical bases of international economic and political stratification.
8387 - Seminar on Narrative and Identity
Prerequisite: graduate standing required; instructor's consent required
8425 - Communication and the Diffusion of Information
(same as Rural Sociology 8425)
Factors conditioning communication and diffusion of ideas and practices; exercise of personal influence; role of change agents and agencies in the process of change.
8687 - Seminar in Criminology and Deviant Behavior
Survey of empirical research and sociological theory in criminology and deviant behavior. May be repeated once with instructor's consent.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 3600 and graduate standing or instructor's consent
9090 - Research
Advanced work leading to thesis or dissertation.
Prerequisite: consent of major advisor. Graded on a S/U basis only.
9187 - Seminar in Sociological Theory I
Traces development of sociological theory from the "generation of 1890" through the 1940s, including the work of Durkheim, Weber, Parsons and others.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 8100 or equivalent
9287 - Seminar in Qualitative Methods in Sociology
(same as Rural Sociology 9287)
Examination of various qualitative methods of research, including problem-formulation, access and interpretation of data, theory-generation, and preparation of research reports.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 8120 or instructor's consent
9300 - Social Interaction Research
Seminar on research methods in social interaction.
Prerequisites: PSYCH 8310 or instructor's consent
9487 - Seminar in Sociological Theory II
Theoretical developments in sociology in Europe and United States since 1950. Recent formulations, controversies.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 8100 or equivalent
9587 - Topical Seminar in Contemporary Sociological Theory
Critical evaluation of selected points of view in current sociological theory.
May be repeated with departmental consent.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 8100 or equivalent
9687 - Topical Seminar in Historical Sociology
Methodological approaches to sociological explanation of historical phenomena; related sociological theories of historical development, including Weberian, Marxist and other perspectives applied to a topical historical problem.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 8100 or equivalent
9787 - Seminar in Sociological Theory Construction
Philosophy and structure of science, critical examination of selected methods, models and theories with special concern for theory construction.
Prerequisite: SOCIOL 8100 or equivalent
9837 - Seminar in Multivariate Analysis Techniques
(same as Rural Sociology 9837)
Examination of various qualitative techniques of data analysis.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 8120 or instructor's consent
9887 - Seminar in Sociology of Gender
Analysis of recent research in which gender is a major focus. This research is chosen to exemplify a variety of theoretical perspectives, research strategies, and substantive topics.
9920 - Independent Readings in Preparation for Comprehensive Examinations
Independent readings for Ph.D. comprehensives. Open only to Ph.D. candidates who have passed qualifying examinations.
Prerequisite: consent of major advisor
9987 - Seminar in Sociological Reasoning and Research Development
Systematic development of sociological research integrating theory, method, and contributions to knowledge. Formulations of sociological problems, conceptual frameworks, research programs analytical strategies.
Prerequisites: SOCIOL 8120 or equivalent, doctoral standing
Consult the Course Catalog for more courses.
312 Middlebush Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211-6100
(573) 882-8331
Fax: (573) 884-6430