Graduates can work in aging/youth services, health services, community work, criminology/corrections,
government services, and teaching.
Occupational fields also include social research, teaching, personnel, industrial
relations, journalism, applied sociology or anthropology, religion, gerontology, foreign
service, and social and cultural research.
Expertise in a specific subject may be crucial to an employer, such as aging, adolescence,
demography, community organization, crime and law, health care, marriage and family,
sexuality, poverty, religion, work and occupations, and race and ethnic relations.
Employers of MTSU alumni include
- Government/international agencies
- Social service agencies
- Non-profit organizations
- Businesses/consulting firms
- Universities and colleges
Click here for more helpful career information.
Sociology
SOC 1010 - Introductory Sociology
3 credit hours
Covers the central concepts, theories, and methods of sociology. Focuses on social processes and institutions in modern societies. Assists students in understanding and applying this knowledge in their everyday lives. Counts toward General Education Social/Behavioral Sciences requirement.
SOC 2010 - Social Problems
3 credit hours
A survey of issues defined as problems by society; examines programs and agencies that address them. Problems addressed include poverty, crime, environment, energy, health, etc.
SOC 2105 - Introduction to Latin American Studies
3 credit hours
(Same as SPAN 2105, PS 2105, ART 2105, ANTH 2105, GEOG 2105.) A multidisciplinary, team-taught introduction to Latin America. Covers the cultures and societies of the region: prehistory, history, geography, politics, art, languages, and literatures. Required course for all Latin American Studies minors.
SOC 2150 - Topics in Sociology
3 credit hours
An in-depth study of a special topic or a current topic of sociological interest.
SOC 2500 - Marriage and Family
3 credit hours
Social, cultural, and personal factors relating to mate selection, intimate relationships, and family life with an emphasis on families in the United States.
SOC 2600 - Introduction to Gerontology
3 credit hours
(Same as GERO 2600.) Basic concepts, overview of the field, illustrations of problems, and applications for an aging America.
SOC 2980 - Sociology as a Profession
1 credit hour
Introduces students to the profession of sociology via lectures, readings, guest speakers, hands-on activities, small group projects, and writing assignments. Pass/Fail.
SOC 3040 - Research Methods
3 credit hours
Issues and strategies used by sociologists in their scientific studies and in their applied work in society.
SOC 3050 - Data Analysis
4 credit hours
Analysis, interpretation, and reporting of social science data. Incorporates the use of a statistical package such as SPSS or SAS. Offers fundamental applied research skills for the job market. Laboratory required.
SOC 3060 - Sociological Theory
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or SOC 2010. Theoretical foundations of sociology with emphasis on the major theories in sociology and their development. Addresses diverse intellectual traditions in both classical and contemporary theory.
SOC 3151 - Life Cycle and the Social Environment
3 credit hours
Overview of life course structure and processes examining physical, cognitive, social, and personality development including the role of institutions.
SOC 3152 - Sociology of Sex/ualities
3 credit hours
Examines sexuality, reproduction, and sexual education from a sociological viewpoint.
SOC 3210 - Drugs in Society
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010, SOC 2010, or permission of instructor. Sociological, historical, political-economic, and cultural dimensions of drugs and alcohol in society.
SOC 3250 - Social Deviance
3 credit hours
A general survey and theoretical review of the definitions, causes, and consequences of deviance and social control. Analyzes drugs, panics, sex, media violence, and emotions in society.
SOC 3300 - Diversity in the Workplace
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010, SOC 2010, or permission of department. Covers various aspects of organizational diversity, focusing primarily on the United States. Explores current patterns of social inequality in the workplace with a specific emphasis on gender, race/ethnicity, age, and family arrangements. Focuses on the link between these social patterns and workforce diversity.
SOC 3400 - Gender and Society
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010, SOC 2010, or WGST 2100. A sociohistorical and cultural exploration of the socialization patterns, relationships, expectations, influences, organizational, institutional, and aging experiences of women and men in American society.
SOC 3511 - Social Justice
3 credit hours
Analyzes social justice from a sociological perspective. Examines social justice from Marxist and feminist perspectives, critical race theory, theories of democracy, and action-oriented solutions. Engages social justice in housing, the criminal justice system, the media, the environment, and government.
SOC 3770 - Organizational Conflict, Negotiation, and Dispute Resolution
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010. Analysis of multiple approaches to assessing conflict at individual, group, and organizational levels; review of multiple negotiation processes and skills associated with successful negotiating strategies and tactics. Consideration of alternative dispute resolution domains, including mediation and arbitration. Emphasis on organizationally based conflict and skill building through exercises wherein students master analysis of conflict, practice negotiating contracts, and engage in mock mediation and arbitration activities using case study materials.
SOC 3950 - Social Organizations and Institutions
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or SOC 2010. Theory, analysis, and public policy applications for contemporary organizations (corporations and social agencies) and institutions (family, education, health, media.)
SOC 4011 - Social Inequality
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or SOC 2010. The origins, variations, and consequences of class, status, and power in society. Individual and group economic interests, social prestige, ideology, market and institutional inequality.
SOC 4020 - Sociology of Aging
3 credit hours
Demographic, social, and cultural aspects of aging with particular emphasis on the types of problems encountered by older persons in American society.
SOC 4030 - Topics in Gerontology
3 credit hours
(Same as GERO 4030.) An opportunity to integrate gerontological theory and research techniques with the practical problems of older persons.
SOC 4040 - Health Care Delivery Issues
3 credit hours
Sociological analysis of health care delivery and major issues facing providers, patients, and citizens in the twenty-first century, from the level of social interaction through the broader structures of health care systems and policies. Includes sociological approaches to health and medicine, health care institutions, insurance and reimbursement structures, and vulnerable populations, along with future issues and directions in U.S. health care delivery.
SOC 4050 - Sociology of Families
3 credit hours
Analysis of the family as a social institution with an emphasis on contemporary trends and diversity.
SOC 4100 - Work in the 21st Century
3 credit hours
Examines work, occupations, and workplaces in the U.S. including history, globalization, and various social inequalities created and reproduced through work.
SOC 4140 - Violence in the Family
3 credit hours
(Same as CDFS 4140.) The causes, dynamics, and consequences of violence in the family. Includes a discussion of violence toward children, spouses, dating partners, siblings, and elders. Emphasizes the social conditions that lead to these types of violence.
SOC 4150 - Topics in Sociology
3 credit hours
An in-depth study of a special topic which is significant in current sociological literature.
SOC 4151 - Topics in Social Justice
3 credit hours
An in-depth study of a special topic in the sociology of social justice. Interested students should contact the instructor for specifics.
SOC 4152 - Topics in Criminology
3 credit hours
An in-depth study of a special topic in criminology. Interested students should contact the instructor for specifics.
SOC 4153 - Topics in Work and Family
3 credit hours
An in-depth study of a special topic in the sociology of work and family. Interested students should contact the instructor for specifics.
SOC 4155 - Media and Emotions in Global Perspective
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or permission of instructor. Examines sociological and social-psychological perspectives on emotions, emotion management, and emotional behavior. Particular attention paid to emotions in global media.
SOC 4160 - Sociology of Gangs
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010. History of gangs in the United States, the factors that account for their formation and perpetuation, and current empirical data on gang composition, demographics, and culture. Policy strategies for prevention, law enforcement, and nonlegal intervention assessed.
SOC 4240 - Race and Ethnic Relations
3 credit hours
(Same as AAS 4240 and AST 4240.) The dynamics of race and ethnic relations in the United States from a socio historic perspective.
SOC 4300 - Criminology
3 credit hours
Theories of the causes of criminal behavior and coverage of its development and incidence; punishment and methods of control and rehabilitation.
SOC 4360 - Medical Sociology
3 credit hours
Sociological analysis of health, biomedicine, epidemiology, and disease, along with critical analysis of major issues facing providers, patients, and citizens in the twenty-first century. Focuses on social epidemiology, social determinants and patterning of disease, health care delivery, institutions, and policy in the U.S. and other nations, and major theoretical developments in the sociology of health, illness, and healing.
SOC 4361 - Contemporary Issues in Women's Health
3 credit hours
Examines the social and cultural issues that shape women's health-related experiences and disparities in health and illness in contemporary culture. Critically analyzes problems associated with medicalization, technological favoritism, and for-profit intrusion. Explores issues and experiences among women by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic class, age, sexual orientation, and abilities.
SOC 4400 - Sex Trafficking
3 credit hours
(Same as ANTH 4400.) Provides an in-depth analysis of the causes, experiences, and implications of global sex trafficking through a social science and feminist perspective. Utilizes various multimedia methods to examine sex trafficking both globally and locally; includes both an anthropological and sociological perspective, incorporating statistical analysis of-and individual narratives from-the transnational sex industry.
SOC 4420 - Embodiment: Culture and Human Anatomy
3 credit hours
(Same as ANTH 4420.) An interdisciplinary approach to understanding the interplay of both biological and social forces on the human body.
SOC 4450 - Sociology of Emotions
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: 3 hours of upper-division sociology courses. Sociological examination of the construction and management of emotions in the context of community and society.
SOC 4500 - Social Interaction and Identities
3 credit hours
Individual behavior in social contexts and symbolic interaction in groups. Includes social influences on perception, conformity, attitudes, communication, group structure, leadership, and role behavior.
SOC 4511 - Social Movements and Social Change
3 credit hours
Study of the major sociological theories of revolutions, rebellions, civil wars, and protest movements of the past and present and their relationship to significant social changes.
SOC 4520 - Population and Society
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or SOC 2010 or permission of instructor. Examines world and U.S. population trends and the impact of social forces on such demographic variables as births, deaths, migration, age, sex, education, and marital status and how these impact social conditions.
SOC 4540 - Juvenile Delinquency
3 credit hours
Social factors related to delinquency including family, peer-group, school, and community. Includes juvenile justice system and its agents.
SOC 4550 - Sociology of Religion
3 credit hours
Religion as social process and institution. An ideological, structural, and functional analysis. Specific U.S. religions examined in detail.
SOC 4560 - Organizational Structures and Processes
3 credit hours
Analysis of structure and processes of change, organizational environments, modes of power, ideologies, forms of control and resistance including alternatives to bureaucracy.
SOC 4600 - Strategies for Collaboration in Diverse Organizations
4 credit hours
(Same as MGMT 4600.) Prerequisites: SOC 3300 and MGMT 3800. Case studies and application discussions of the impact of diversity in the workplace, particularly related to organizational change and conflict/negotiation.
SOC 4640 - Health: Organizations, Policy, and Ethics
3 credit hours
(Same as SW 4640.) A resource allocation assessment of U.S. health care systems. Applied ethics topics (i.e., justice, virtue, and informed consent) included.
SOC 4650 - Sociology of Law
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or SOC 2010. Sociological examination of the relationship between law and society with a focus on how sociologists study law, legal systems, and legal actors.
SOC 4660 - Urban and Community Studies
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or SOC 2010. Focuses on the concept of community as a core idea in the historical development of sociology, concentrating on theories and historical trends of urbanization and current urban problems and policies.
SOC 4790 - Sport and Society
3 credit hours
(Same as LSTS 4790.) Behavioral approach to sport and leisure from the related perspectives of sociology and anthropology.
SOC 4800 - Special Projects
1 to 6 credit hours
Field experiences or reading courses through which special interests or needs of the student may be pursued under individual supervision. Arrangements must be made with an instructor prior to registration.
SOC 4900 - Sociology Internship
3 to 6 credit hours
Supervised independent study in which student is placed in an organization on a contractual basis as a means of applying the principles of student training in preparation for eventual employment. Arrangements should be made with the intern supervisor prior to registration.
SOC 4980 - Senior Seminar in Sociology
3 credit hours
Prerequisites: At least 18 hours of sociology, including SOC 1010, SOC 3040, SOC 3050, SOC 3060, and senior standing. Integrates coursework in the major through coverage of theory and method, analysis of critical issues, and applications to modern society.
