Sociology (SOC)
An introductory course dealing with the basic concepts and methods of sociology applied to societies, groups and individuals. Students will gain an understanding of basic social processes such as socialization, social exchange, deviance and conformity, social change and basic social institutions such as the economy, the polity, the family, religion, education.
This course will introduce students to the study of crime and criminal justice. It will examine the various criminological theories, types of criminal behaviour, and the criminal justice system.
A description of the structure of Canadian society with its social, political and economic tensions.
An introduction to some of the basic theories of deviance and social control and their application to selected social problems.
An introduction to the structure and processes of rural society. This course deals with diverse topics such as agrarian movements, the rise of the agro-industrial complex, the role of the state in agriculture, the question of community, and rural environmental issues. A comparative perspective is cultivated, although the primary emphasis is on Canadian society.
This course provides students with an introduction to the nature and dimensions of the environmental crisis by examining knowledge systems and their relationships with the environment. These foundations are intended to enable respective, respectful, reciprocal, and meaningful engagement between Indigenous and science-based knowledge systems in cross-cultural environmental stewardship/governance. Issues to be examined may include climate change and variability, nuclear energy, environmental toxins, species extinction, and population growth pressures.
An examination of the persistent bases of social inequalities such as wealth, income, power and prestige including class formation, class consciousness, political activity and social mobility.
This course will examine the development of criminological theory from the late 1700s to contemporary times.
This course will review legal definitions of homicide, statistical trends in homicide-both in Canada and internationally-and theoretical explanations of homicide. The course will also examine the key criminological/ sociological empirical research studies on the various types of homicide, such as: femicide, familialcide, serial and mass murder.
An interpretation of the political process and its relationship to other aspects of the social structure, including such topics as political parties, movements, factions, citizen participation, power structures and the process of political exchange.
This course outlines and evaluates the major theories in use today. A central aspect of the course is instruction in the application of these theories.
This course deals with the relationship between the individual and society through close examination of social interaction in a variety of settings. Students will be exposed to a range of theories, methods and concepts from cognitive, micro, dramaturgical, and interpretive sociologies, and will learn to apply these to the analysis of personal relationships, intercultural encounters, institutional life, collective action, and everyday life-worlds.
This course examines the social basis of law. Specific topics include the law as an instrument of stability or change, and the role of law makers, law enforcers and interpreters, including the legal profession, the police, judges and courts.
This course examines concerns about youth crime in Canada and elsewhere. It examines the history of legislation to control youth crime, criminal justice processing and practices, public reactions and concerns about youth crime and theoretical models used to explain youth crime.
This course is an introduction to the social processes involved in the court, particularly the criminal court. Typical concerns will be the place of courts in society, public opinion and confidence in courts, purposes and principles of sentencing, sentencing reforms and disparities (e.g., across gender and race), the role of criminal records, juries, the roles of judges, and alternatives to criminal courts.
This course will examine the current state of knowledge regarding the role of corrections and penology. It will examine such specific issues as public perception and reaction to the criminal justice system's methods of punishment and treatment of criminal offenders, the effectiveness of sentencing options and policies, including fines, probation, prison sentences and parole. It will also examine the various theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of courts, corrections and penology.
This course will examine the role of police in society. It will examine theories of policing, the history of policing and such issues as police citizen interaction, relations with visible minorities, methods for controlling police behaviour, and the effectiveness of the police in carrying out specific policy directives.
This course will be offered as a structured seminar on various topics depending upon the interests of the faculty member teaching the course. Topics will be announced and course outlines will be available at course selection. The availability of third and fourth year seminar courses will vary. Students must check with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology to see when seminar courses are available.
This course will be offered as a structured seminar on various topics depending upon the interests of the faculty member teaching the course. Topics will be announced and course outlines will be available at course selection. The availability of third and fourth year seminar courses will vary. Students must check with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology to see when seminar courses are available.
This special study option/reading course is designed to provide advanced undergraduates with an opportunity to explore independently the frontiers and foundations of a field of knowledge. Under supervision, the student will study in greater depth topics related to regular upper-level courses offered in the department which the student has taken or is taking. Permission of the instructor who will be supervising the study is required.
This course will focus on the changing nature of violence in our society by critically evaluating theory, research and public policy on the causes and control of violence. The links among structural, institutional and interpersonal violence will be examined as well as the social construction of violence, particularly why some forms of violence are considered to be more serious social problems than others.
This is an in-depth study of selected issues in criminology.
This advanced seminar offers an in-depth study of the nature of violence in our society.
This course will focus on understanding the impact of crime, the needs of victims, and victims' experiences in the criminal justice system. Students will explore topics such as the social and media constructions of victimization and victimhood, victimological theories, gender and victimization, victimization in childhood and adolescence, physical and mental health outcomes of victimization, and resilience.
This course is a sociological exploration of youth violence, considering current explanations of youth violence, the sociological implications of Canada's juvenile justice system and policies impacting youth, and the influence of media, family and school. Reform initiatives and justice alternatives aimed at youth will also be examined.
This course examines the premise that violence against women and gendered violence are the products of historical and institutional inequalities linked to structural and symbolic processes, and will pay attention to the role of gender not as an identity, but as a social structure that intersects with other structures of inequality.
This is an in-depth study of issues in criminal justice.
This course will provide an opportunity for sociology majors to consider in detail the integration of theoretical and methodological issues at an advanced level. It is meant to engage students in the latest developments in a particular area of the discipline. Course topics will be announced and course outlines will be available at course selection time. This course is highly recommended to students who are considering graduate work in sociology.
This advanced seminar offers an in-depth study of issues in criminal justice.
This course will explore procedures used by various criminal justice actors to assess their potential for producing errors in justice, consider the implications of balancing the rights of the accused with crime control, and discuss existing redress mechanisms to remedy miscarriages of justice and provide suggestions for policy change. Students will consider the psychological, familial, emotional, and economic consequences of wrongful convictions.
This course will critically examine selective issues related to the way women (including young women) as offenders, victims/survivors, and practitioners/professionals in the criminal justice system are theorized, researched, represented in media and attended to in policy and practice. Students will consider the role of age, race, class, gender, abilities, sexualities and the media in the shaping of public opinion and public policy about women and crime.
This course will examine sociological perspectives on substance use behaviour and related policy discussions about drugs. Students will examine theoretical and substantive contributions on an array of topics-from the concept of addiction to historical and recent experiences of users of a variety of drugs.
In this course students will critically assess the transformation of women's work in contemporary society. A range of topics pertaining to women's work will be explored with particular attention paid to the processes through which class, gender, race, ethnicity, and age shape divisions of work. The course will also focus on theories that have attempted to explain the transformation of women's work.
This course is directed towards upper level students in sociology and related disciplines who wish to consider the variety of contentious issues surrounding food in the contemporary world. The course will encourage a sociological approach to food systems that is both historically informed and comparative in scope.
This course uses the full range of sociological theory to suggest what alternative ways of organizing society might be possible. Students will examine different accounts of theories of why outcomes are not equal from functionalist theories of stratification to theories of class domination and exploitation to economic market accounts to feminist accounts based on patriarchy. This course will allow students to bring together for themselves a wide range of theories used in other courses and apply them to how their own ideals might be implemented.
This advanced seminar offers an in-depth study of selected issues in criminology.
This course offers an in-depth, critical analysis of youth crime and deviance. The purpose of the course is to provide students with an up-to-date overview of sociological theory and empirical research in the field of youth crime and social/criminal justice policy.
This course introduces students to contemporary literature and critical perspectives on the evolving concept of moral regulation by examining theoretical and substantive contributions, with particular attention to Canadian examples. Potential topics of discussion include sexual behaviour, drug consumption, public health, and the moral regulation of the poor.
This course is designed to teach students how to test criminological theory with self-report survey data. Special attention will be given to the conceptual logic involved in linking theory with data, in addition to understanding the technical skills that are required to undertake this approach to criminological research.
This course is designed to introduce students to the ways in which socially excluded populations (e.g., homeless people) encounter the criminal justice system. Students will review a range of topics, statistical trends, and theory and research on the ways in which socially excluded groups come into contact with the police, courts and correctional system.
This course will be offered as a structured seminar on various topics depending upon the interests of the faculty member teaching the course. Topics will be announced and course outlines will be available at course selection. The availability of third and fourth year seminar courses will vary. Students must check with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology to see when seminar courses are available.
This course will be offered as a structured seminar on various topics depending upon the interests of the faculty member teaching the course. Topics will be announced and course outlines will be available at course selection. The availability of third and fourth year seminar courses will vary. Students must check with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology to see when seminar courses are available.
This special study/reading course option is designed to provide advanced undergraduates with an opportunity to explore independently the frontiers and foundations of a field of knowledge. Under supervision, the student will study in greater depth topics related to regular upper-level courses offered in the department which the student has taken or is taking. Permission of the instructor who will be supervising the project is required.
This special study/reading course option is designed to provide advanced undergraduates with an opportunity to explore independently the frontiers and foundations of a field of knowledge. Under supervision, the student will study in greater depth topics related to regular upper-level courses offered in the department which the student has taken or is taking. Permission of the instructor who will be supervising the project is required.
Development and design of an honours thesis proposal conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. Recommended to Honours students.
Completion and presentation of honours thesis.