Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Sociology

Undergraduate Degrees

Students of sociology examine the patterns of social life, focusing on the relationship of individuals to society and the interaction of culture, economy and politics in shaping social life. The greater Los Angeles area provides a natural laboratory for students to explore such sociological themes as race relations, work and workplace, immigration, the family in a changing society, population trends, globalization, religion, and the criminal justice system.

Matching the special strengths of our faculty and cutting edge research in the discipline, USC’s sociology program offers two central areas of concentration — social inequality, and social change and public policy. Many of our undergraduate courses include opportunities to engage actively with the community and to pursue multi-faceted independent research projects.

Honors Program

Seniors with 3.5 GPAs in the major and 3.25 overall are encouraged to participate in the sociology honors program consisting of two intensive senior honors seminars (SOCI 494 and SOCI 495). Under faculty guidance, honors students design and complete a significant piece of original sociological research.

Juniors and seniors who have made substantial progress toward completion of the program and have achieved a 3.3. GPA in sociology and a 3.0 GPA overall are eligible for the Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honors Society.

Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

Nine courses (36 units) are required to complete the major.

All sociology majors must complete the four core courses of sociology:

Core courses		Units
SOCI 200	Introduction to Sociology	4
SOCI 313	Sociological Research Methods	4
SOCI 314	Analyzing Social Statistics	4
SOCI 370	Sociological Theory	4

Five additional courses are required for the major. These are to be chosen from the elective upper-division sociology courses grouped into two theme areas:

• Theme Area I: Social Inequality
• Theme Area II: Social Change and Public Policy

All students are required to take at least one course from each of the two theme areas.

All students must achieve an overall average of C (2.0) or better in the nine courses required for completion of the major.

Theme Areas and Theme Area Specialization

Students who complete four upper-division courses in a single theme area will receive departmental recognition and documentation of their “expertise” in their chosen area of specialization — social inequality, or social change and public policy.

Social Inequality — courses address the character, causes and consequences of social inequality, paying particular attention to immigration, race, ethnicity, gender, sexualities and/or class. These courses include:

Social Inequality courses		Units
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
SOCI 305	Sociology of Childhood	4
SOCI 342	Race Relations	4
SOCI 350	Social Exclusion, Social Power, and Deviance	4
SOCI 355	Immigrants in the United States	4
SOCI 356	Mexican Immigrants in Sociological Perspective	4
SOCI 360	Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power	4
SOCI 366	Chicana and Latina Experiences	4
SOCI 375	Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity	4
SOCI 376	Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communities	4
SOCI 430	Work and the Workplace	4
SOCI 432	Racial and Ethnic Relations in a Global Society	4
SOCI 435	Women in Society	4
SOCI 437	Sexuality and Society	4
SOCI 460	Key Issues in Contemporary International Migration	4
SOCI 464	Sociology of Gender and Work	4
SOCI 470	Development and Social Change in the Third World	4
SWMS 385	Men and Masculinity	4

Social Change and Public Policy — courses address the character, causes and consequences of social change, paying particular attention to the role of human agency, grassroots organizing and/or political action, as well as the implications for public policy. These courses include:

Social change and public policy courses		Units
JS 382	Judaism as an American Religion	4
SOCI 320	Social Psychology	4
SOCI 331	Cities	4
SOCI 335	Society and Population	4
SOCI 340	Organizations: Bureaucracy and Alternatives to Bureaucracy	4
SOCI 351	Public Policy and Juvenile Justice	4
SOCI 353	Public Policy and Criminal Justice	4
SOCI 365	Visual Sociology of the City and Its Residents	4
SOCI 369	The Family in a Changing Society	4
SOCI 385	Population, Society, and Aging	4
SOCI 408	Volunteers, Non-Governmental Organizations, and Everyday Politics	4
SOCI 420	Sociology of Violence	4
SOCI 425	Crowds, Publics, and Social Movements	4
SOCI 475	Medical Sociology	4

Bachelor of Arts in Non-Governmental Organizations and Social Change

This interdisciplinary program focuses on the roots of social conflict, on theories and methods for understanding them, and on the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and nonprofits that address them. To remedy social problems, we need to examine their economic, political and social roots, as well as the varied forms of organizations that aim to fix them. Students will engage in various methods of analysis, from investigations of everyday interactions to explorations of larger economic, political and social structures. In classrooms and internships, students will learn how people in NGOs and nonprofits promote new forms of citizenship and governance, aiming to protect the environment and to lessen the suffering of people around the world.

The major requires nine courses (36 units) chosen from the specific lists of requirements below. As with all interdisciplinary majors, students may double-count no more than three courses from this degree to satisfy any other major.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS		units
A. Lower division requirement
Choose one course (4 units) from the following list:
AMST 252	Black Social Movements in the U.S.	4
COMM 201	Rhetoric and the Public Sphere	4
ECON 238x	Political Economy and Social Issues	4
ENST 150x	Environmental Issues in Society	4
ENST 255	American Environmentalism	4
ENST 270	Introduction to Environmental Law and Politics	4
GEOL 108L	Crises of a Planet	4
IR 101x	International Relations	4
IR 210	International Relations: Introductory Analysis	4
PHIL 141g	The Professions and the Public Interest in American Life	4
POSC 248	International Human Rights	4
POSC 255	Cultures, Civilizations and Ethnicities in World Politics	4
POSC 265	Environmental Challenges	4
SOCI 100	Los Angeles and the American Dream	4
SOCI 150	Social Problems	4
SOCI 200	Introduction to Sociology	4
SOCI 225	Sociology of Health and the Body: Social Perspectives	4
SOCI 255	Sociology of Globalization	4
SWMS 210	Social Issues in Gender	4
SWMS 215	Gender Conflict in Cultural Contexts	4

B. Core methods
Choose one course (4 units) from the following two:
SOCI 313	Sociological Research Methods	4
SOCI 314	Analyzing Social Statistics	4

C. Core theory
Choose one course (4 units) from the following four:
PHIL 337	History of Modern Political Philosophy	4
PHIL 437	Social and Political Philosophy	4
POSC 380	Political Theories and Social Reform	2-4
SOCI 370	Sociological Theory	4

D. Perspectives on NGOs
Choose one course (4 units) from the following three:
IR 371	Global Civil Society: Non-State Actors in World Politics	4
SOCI 250	Grassroots Participation in Global Perspective	4
SOCI 408	Volunteers, Non-Governmental Organizations, and Everyday Politics	4

E. Analyzing and identifying roots of social conflict
Choose two courses (8 units):
ANTH 355	Urban Anthropology	4
ANTH 316	North American Indians in American Public Life	4
ANTH 357	Culture of Genocide	4
ANTH 371	Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs	4
ANTH 380	Sex and Gender in Anthropological Perspective	4
BISC 427	The Global Environment	4
ECON 340*	Economics of Less Developed Countries	4
ECON 344*	Economic Development of Sub-Saharan Africa	4
ECON 350*	The World Economy	4
GERO 340	Policy, Values, and Power in an Aging Society	4
GERO 483	Global Health and Aging	4
HIST 323	The Holocaust in 20th Century Europe	4
HIST 372	Modern Latin America	4
IR 308	Globalization: Issues and Controversies	4
IR 315	Ethnicity and Nationalism in World Politics	4
IR 323	Politics of Global Environment	4
IR 324	Multinational Enterprises and World Politics	4
IR 325	Rich and Poor States in the World Political Economy	4
IR 344	Developing Countries in World Politics	4
IR 349	International Law and Politics	4
IR 364	Political Economy of Latin American Development	4
IR 367	Africa in International Affairs	4
PHIL 340	Ethics	4
POSC 320	Urban Politics	4
POSC 321	Urban Political Problems	4
POSC 345	International Law	4
POSC 347	Environmental Law	4
POSC 350	Politics of Latin America	4
POSC 363	Cities and Regions in World Politics	4
POSC 381	Sex, Power, and Politics	4
POSC 436	Environmental Politics	4
SOCI 362	Global and Transnational Sociology	4
SOCI 402	Human Trafficking	4
SOCI 429	Immigration, Work, and Labor	4
SOCI 430	Work and the Workplace	4
SOCI 432	Racial and Ethnic Relations in a Global Society	4
SOCI 460	Key Issues in Contemporary International Migration	4
SOCI 464	Sociology of Gender and Work	4

F. Addressing social conflict and organizing advocacy.
Choose two courses (8 units):
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
BAEP 491	Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship	4
BUCO 485	Business Communication Management for Nonprofits	4
COMM 322	Argumentation and Advocacy	4
COMM 366	Designing Media and Communication Projects for Social Change	4
COMM 402	Public Communication Campaigns	4
COMM 412	Communication and Social Movements	4
COMM 413	Propaganda, Ideology and Public Controversy	4
COMM 487	Communication and Global Organizations	4
GERO 350	Administrative Problems in Aging	4
GERO 451	Policy and Program Development in Aging	4
IR 306	International Organizations	4
IR 318	Conflict Resolution and Peace Research	4
IR 337	The Impact of Remittances on Development in Mexico	4
JS 360	Identity, Community, and Service: Jews and Other Americans	4
POSC 323	Applied Politics	4
PPD 318	Financial Accounting in Public and Nonprofit Organizations	4
PPD 353	Introduction to Philanthropy and Grant-writing	4
SOCI 340	Organizations: Bureaucracy and Alternatives to Bureaucracy	4
SOCI 445*	Political Sociology	4
SOCI 425	Crowds, Publics, and Social Movements	4
SOWK 350	Adolescent Gang Intervention	4
THTR 488	Theatre in the Community	4

G. Internship experience
One course (4 units) required
SOCI 450	Non-Governmental Organizations/Non-profits Field Practicum	4

Total course requirements: 36 units

Sociology Minor Requirements

Five courses (20 units) are required to complete the minor in sociology.

All minors are required to take at least two of the core courses in sociology:

Core courses		Units
SOCI 200	Introduction to Sociology	4
SOCI 313	Sociological Research Methods	4
SOCI 314	Analyzing Social Statistics	4
SOCI 370	Sociological Theory	4

The remaining three courses may be chosen from among the upper-division courses in the two theme areas — social inequality, and social change and public policy (see sociology theme areas listed above).

Minor in Forensics and Criminality

The interdisciplinary minor in forensics and criminality was designed for students interested in the study of law, deviant behavior or careers in the criminal justice system. In this program, students study psychological and/or ethical issues related to criminal behavior, consider criminality in the context of social class analysis, and learn about the American system of criminal justice. Twenty units are required, 4 at the lower-division and 16 at the upper-division level. Contact Dornsife College Advising for further details.

Students should choose a curriculum for their minor based on their academic interests. Those students interested in white collar crime, for example, might choose POSC 130 Law, Politics, and Public Policy at the lower-division level, REL 375 Conflict and Change and the Ethics of Business, SOCI 350 Social Exclusion, Social Power, and Deviance, PHIL 340 Philosophy of Law and PPD 342 Crime and Public Policy.

Those who are interested in the criminal justice system might choose LAW 200x Law and Society, REL 341 Ethics in a Technological Society, SOCI 351 Public Policy and Juvenile Justice, POSC 340 Constitutional Law and POSC 432 The Politics of Local Criminal Justice.

Those interested in individual and social determinants of deviancy might take PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology, PSYC 360 Abnormal Psychology, or PSYC 463 Criminal Behavior, or PSYC 465 Introduction to Forensic Psychology; SOCI 360 Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power, LAW 402 Psychology and Law and SOCI 353 Public Policy and Criminal Justice.

Lower-division requirement (4 units)		units
Choose one course from:
AMST 101	Race and Class in Los Angeles	4
LAW 200x	Law and Society	4
PHIL 140	Contemporary Moral and Social Issues	4
POSC 130	Law, Politics and Public Policy	4
PSYC 100	Introduction to Psychology	4
PSYC 165L	Drugs, Behavior and Society	4
SOCI 142	Diversity and Racial Conflict	4
SOCI 150	Social Problems	4
SOCI 200	Introduction to Sociology	4

Upper-division requirements (16 units)		units
Choose one course from each group below:
The Individual in Society
LAW 404	Law and Psychology: Examining the Criminal Justice Process
LING 412	Linguistic Interpretation of the Law	4
LING 450	New Horizons in Forensic Speaker Identification	4
PSYC 355*	Social Psychology, or
SOCI 320	Social Psychology	4
POSC 441	Cultural Diversity and the Law	4
PSYC 360*	Abnormal Psychology	4
PSYC 463*	Criminal Behavior	4
PSYC 465*	Introduction to Forensic Psychology	4
REL 341	Technology, Culture, and Ethics	4
REL 375	Conflict and Change and the Ethics of Business	4

Social Class and Criminality
ANTH 371	Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs	4
SOCI 350	Social Exclusion, Social Power, and Deviance	4
SOCI 351	Public Policy and Juvenile Justice	4
SOCI 360	Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power	4
SOWK 350	Adolescent Gang Intervention	4

The System of Criminal Justice
LAW 402	Psychology and Law	4
LAW 403	Mental Health Law	4
PHIL 430	Philosophy of Law	4
PHIL 437	Social and Political Philosophy	4
POSC 340	Constitutional Law	4
POSC 426	The United States Supreme Court	4
POSC 444	Civil and Political Rights and Liberties	4
PPD 340	The American System of Justice	4

Crime and Punishment
POSC 432	The Politics of Local Criminal Justice	4
PPD 342	Crime and Public Policy	4
SOCI 353	Public Policy and Criminal Justice	4

Total requirements: five courses (20 units)

Minor in Managing Human Relations

This interdisciplinary minor is intended for students in all schools with an interest in human relations as a subject of study or professional goal. In addition to course work in organizational behavior, social psychology and management, this minor includes attention to questions of ethics and leadership.

As with all minors, students must include at least four upper-division courses and four courses dedicated exclusively to this minor (not used for credit toward a major, another minor or general education requirements). Finally, students must select four courses outside their major department. Students seeking the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology must choose four courses outside of sociology; those seeking the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration must choose four courses outside the USC Marshall School of Business.

Requirements		units
Choose one course from the following (4 units):
BUAD 304	Organizational Behavior and Leadership	4
PSYC 355*	Social Psychology	4
SOCI 320	Social Psychology	4

Choose one course from the following (4 units):
MOR 431*	Interpersonal Competence and Development	4
PSYC 457*	Applied Social Psychology	4
SOCI 340	Organizations: Bureaucracy and Alternatives to Bureaucracy	4
SOCI 342	Race Relations	4
SOCI 345	Social Institutions	4

Choose one course from the following list of classes on leadership (4 units):
CLAS 370	Leaders and Communities: Classical Models	4
IR 303	Leadership and Diplomacy	4
MDA 325	Case Studies in Modern Leadership	4
MDA 365	The Art and Adventure of Leadership	4
MOR 470*	Global Leadership	4
PHIL 335	Theoretical Models of Leadership	4

Choose one course from the following list of classes on ethics (4 units):
BUCO 425*	Public Communication in Ethics and Research	4
MOR 421*	Social and Ethical Issues in Business	4
PHIL 340	Ethics	4
REL 341	Technology, Culture, and Ethics	4
REL 375	Conflict and Change and the Ethics of Business	4

Choose one of the following three capstone classes (4 units):
ECON 332*	Contracts, Organizations, and Institutions	4
ECON 471*	Economics of Labor Markets and Human Capital	4
MOR 471	Managing and Developing People	4
SOCI 340	Work and the Workplace	4

Total requirements: five courses, 20 units

Minor in Photography and Social Change

This minor explores the potential of photography as an instrument of social change that allows individuals to document their circumstances, share their stories and change their lives. Students have the opportunity to examine the impact of images and the power of storytelling both in the classroom and in the field and study the issues raised by this kind of social exploration and commentary.

Students learn techniques of digital photography and theories of culture to help them understand diverse cultural phenomena and navigate their own cultural biases. In the field, students apply these techniques and theories by developing their own body of work. In addition, students can mentor individuals in the community to use photography and digital media to share their personal narratives, thus empowering community members to reflect critically upon their circumstances and to participate in their visual representation.

This interdisciplinary minor brings together students from schools and majors across the USC campus, allowing them to interact with one another and with scholars, artists and professionals associated with key organizations such as the Institute for Photographic Empowerment and Venice Arts.

Lower-division Requirement		units
Select one course, based on prior preparation (4 units):
AHIS 255	Culture Wars: Art and Social Conflict in the USA, 1900–Present	4
ANTH 240	Collective Identity and Political Violence: Representing 9/11	4
FAIN 210	Introduction to Digital Photography	4
SOCI 250	Grassroots Participation in Global Perspective	4

Upper-Division Requirements		units
Select two courses in each category below, from different departments (16 units):

Understanding Culture and Change
(8 units, in 2 courses — each from a different department)
AMST 348	Race and Environmentalism	4
AMST 357	Latino Social Movements	4
COLT 303	Globalization: Culture, Change, Resistance	4
IR 371	Global Civil Society: Non-State Actors in World Politics	4
JS 330	Jewish Power, Powerlessness, and Politics in the Modern Era	4
POSC 323	Applied Politics	4
POSC 441	Cultural Diversity and the Law	4
REL 336	Re-viewing Religion in Asian America	4
REL 366	Religion and Social Change	4
SOCI 360	Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power	4
SOCI 470	Development and Social Change in the Third World	4

Media and Message
(8 units, in 2 courses — each from a different department)
AHIS 373	History of Photography	4
AHIS 469	Critical Approaches to Photography	4
ANTH 472	Visual Techniques in Anthropology: Stills	4
COLT 487	Critical Image	4
COMM 366	Designing Media and Communication Projects for Social Change	4
COMM 451	Visual Communication and Social Change	4
JOUR 422	Visual Journalism	4

Students in this program will also have opportunities for special access to USC Annenberg’s Public Diplomacy classes.

Total requirements: 20 units

Minor in Science, Technology, and Society

The beginning of the 21st century has witnessed a number of public controversies at the intersection of science, technology and society. Such discussions are characterized by divergent views on the role of science and technology in contemporary life. Over the next decades many of the most crucial challenges we face will require the integration of societal values with scientific and technological developments — whether in managing end-of-life care, preserving the environment, or continuing to nurture scientific innovation. This minor introduces students to a number of approaches to these questions, taking advantage of the diverse offerings in this area at USC.

Lower-division Requirement (4 units)

SOCI 210 Science, Technology and Social Conflict (4)

Upper-division Requirement (minimum 16 units)

Four or five* classes, selected from at least two of the three categories:

Science as a Social Institution		Units
AHIS 429	Studies in Art, Science and Technology	4
ANTH 373	Magic, Witchcraft, and Healing	4
CLAS 339	Ancient Science	4
HIST 329	Madness and Society in the Modern Age	4
HIST 330	Drugs, Disease and Medicine in History	4
PHIL 385	Science and Rationality	4
PHIL 486	Methodologies of the Sciences	4
REL 442	Religion and Science	4
SOCI 475	Medical Sociology	4

Technology and Modern Life		units
COLT 474	Desire, Literature, Technology	4
COMM 306	Innovation, Entertainment, and the Arts	4
COMM 340	The Cultures of New Media	4
COMM 345	Social and Economic Implications of Communication Technologies	4
CTCS 478	Culture, Technology and Communications	4
ENGL 375	Science Fiction	4
REL 319	Religious and Ethical Issues in Death and Dying	4
REL 341	Technology, Culture, and Ethics	4
REL 360	Ethical Issues in the New Medical Revolution	4

Health, Environment and Science Policy		units
CE 469*	Sustainable Design and Construction	3
CE 473*	Engineering Law, Finance and Ethics	3
HP 412	Health Promotion and Prevention Policy	4
LAW 403	Mental Health Law	4
POSC 436	Environmental Politics	4
PPD 330	Introduction to Health Care Systems	4
PPD 360	Urban Transportation Planning and Policy	4
PPD 413	Administration of Health Care Organizations	4
REL 460	Senior Seminar: Medical Ethics	4

Total requirements: five or six courses (minimum 20 units)

University Requirements for All Minors

To satisfy the university’s minor requirements, students must choose at least four courses (16 units) outside their major department and at least four courses (16 units) of upper-division course work. In addition, at least four courses (16 units) must be dedicated to the minor (not counting for credit toward a major, another minor or USC core requirements).

Interdisciplinary Minors

American Studies and Ethnicity (see American Studies and Ethnicity).

Law and Society (see Political Science).

Race, Ethnicity and Politics (see Political Science).

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