Apr 19, 2024  
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2021-2022 
    
Catalog Navigation
  Bulletin Home
  The University
  Admission to the University
  Financial Aid
  Tuition and Fees
  Academic Degrees and Programs
  Academic Degree Requirements and Policies
  Course Descriptions
  University Core Curriculum
  Academic Awards and Commencement Honors
  University Honors Program
  LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
  LMU College of Business Administration
  LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts
  LMU Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering
  LMU School of Education
  LMU School of Film and Television
  Aerospace Studies
  Center for Undergraduate Teacher Preparation
  LMU Extension
  Graduate Division
  Academic Programs and Services
  University Administration and Faculty
HELP
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2021-2022 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

 

Sociology (SOCL)
  

  • SOCL 1000 Principles of Sociology

    4 semester hours

    Development of the perspectives, concepts, and methodologies needed for objective, analytical thinking about human interaction. Relationships explored in terms of the development of the self through interaction, basic types of social organization, collective behavior, types of institutions, and aspects of the total social system such as social change and population phenomena.

    University Core fulfilled: Explorations: Understanding Human Behavior; Flag: Quantitative Literacy.
  

  • SOCL 1998 Special Studies

    1 TO 4 semester hours

  

  • SOCL 1999 Independent Studies

    1 TO 4 semester hours

  

  • SOCL 2000 Qualitative Research Methods

    4 semester hours

    An introduction to research design and qualitative methodologies in the social sciences, with special emphases placed on conceptualization and operationalization processes and data collection strategies. Qualitative research methods such as interviews, focus groups, content analysis, and ethnography will be covered in the course.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Information Literacy.
  

  • SOCL 2100 Quantitative Research Methods

    4 semester hours

    An introduction to basic inferential and descriptive statistics commonly used in the social sciences. Among the topics covered are: table construction; central tendency; variation; probability, sampling distributions, and the normal curve; hypothesis testing; and measures of association.

    University Core fulfilled: Foundations: Quantitative Reasoning.
  

  • SOCL 2998 Special Studies

    1 TO 4 semester hours

  

  • SOCL 2999 Independent Studies

    1 TO 4 semester hours

  

  • SOCL 3000 Sociological Theory

    4 semester hours

    This course will introduce students to a selection of important classical and contemporary theorists and theoretical perspectives that have contributed to the development of 20th and 21st century sociology.
  

  • SOCL 3100 Metropolitan Los Angeles

    4 semester hours

    An overview of the social, economic, political, environmental, and spatial characteristics and dynamics of Metropolitan Los Angeles in the context of contemporary urbanization in the United States.
  

  • SOCL 3110 Sociology of Sport

    4 semester hours

    An examination of the social nature of sport in society. Topics may include the interrelation of sport and culture, sport and the socialization process, deviance and violence in sport, sport and race, the status of women in sport, and the political and economic ramifications of sport.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Writing.
  

  • SOCL 3120 Social Organization

    4 semester hours

    The study of large-scale, highly structured groups, such as athletic teams, local school systems, colleges and universities, hospitals, businesses, and governmental agencies.
  

  • SOCL 3130 Sociology of Law

    4 semester hours

    A survey of the important theoretical and research traditions and recent empirical developments in sociology of law. A variety of law-related topics will be covered, including law and social structure, the economy and culture, law and inequality, law and social control, courts and alternative dispute resolution, and the legal profession.
  

  • SOCL 3140 Sociology of Popular Culture

    4 semester hours

    The study of the artifacts of everyday life–newspapers, films, sports, music and such–as important sources of sociological knowledge.
  

  • SOCL 3141 Media: The Empire of Illusion

    4 semester hours

    An examination of the social role of the media in our lives and our society. Topics include: culture, race, class, and gender, as well as alternative media and the political struggles over social change and the media system.
  

  • SOCL 3150 Sociology of Health and Illness

    4 semester hours

    Development of the field of medical sociology, with emphasis on changing patterns in the health care and delivery systems, doctor-patient relationships, and health care.
  

  • SOCL 3152 Women’s Bodies, Health, and Sexuality

    4 semester hours

    The body has been imagined as the basis for personal identity, a source of knowledge, a source of power, an object targeted by power, the mind’s subordinate, the flesh to the spirit, a discourse, and a relation. In this course, we examine the multiple modes by which the body has been understood and imagined. We will read empiricist accounts of the body from medical and scientific sources alongside critiques from queer, feminist, disability, and critical race studies. In addition, we will explore the political implications of how the body is theorized. The course will culminate in an assignment that applies principals of universal design to a broad understanding of access mindful of how bodies are racialized, marked by health, illness, or queerness, and how these constructions advance or prohibit inclusion.
  

  • SOCL 3160 Sociology of Marriage and Families

    4 semester hours

    A study of marriage and family as social institutions, including normative aspects, socialization activities, value orientations, family structures and behavior, and societal influences on families.
  

  • SOCL 3200 Deviant Behavior

    4 semester hours

    A social interactionist approach to the study of deviant behavior; an examination of the process whereby society defines and labels an act as deviant, trends in deviance theory, deviant careers, and the mechanisms involved in confronting the label.
  

  • SOCL 3210 Gender and Society

    4 semester hours

    An examination of processes resulting in socio-cultural sex role differences and the cultural consequences relating to opportunity, power, and prestige in society. An attempt to understand the effects of social organization and change on the status of women and men.
  

  • SOCL 3211 Men and Masculinities

    4 semester hours

    An exploration of masculinity through critical examination of men, women, gender, politics, identity, and social change from a social scientific perspective. Topics include: gender socialization, the diversity of masculinities, race and ethnicity, class, age, sexuality, and men’s social movements.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Oral Skills.
  

  • SOCL 3221 Race and Ethnic Relations

    4 semester hours

    An examination of the interaction between ethnic and racial minorities and the majority group in the light of current sociological theories of social conflict and social change.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Oral Skills.
  

  • SOCL 3222 Sociology of the Black Community

    4 semester hours

    A survey of the effects of long-standing discrimination and deprivation upon family structure, occupational patterns, health and education conditions, motivation, and personal as well as group identity. An analysis of the black power concept and its influence upon the concept of Afrocentrism and the focus on community control.
  

  • SOCL 3223 Race in Latin America

    4 semester hours

    The colonial encounter of Europeans, indigenous, and African populations has led to a complex system of racial stratification across Latin American societies. This course offers an in-depth understanding of how nationalist ideologies and discourses of raceand mestizajehave shaped, and been shaped by, the historical and contemporary experiences of Blacks and Indigenous groups in Latin America. Readings draw on the work of historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and political scientists and provide a substantive grasp of the following topics, including: nation building and racial formation, racial representations in film, art and music, skin color and class stratification, racialized gender, migration and social inequality, how race and ethnicity are used as a basis for political mobilization, and resistance. Throughout this class, we will critique and deconstruct our assumptions about racial categories in Latin America and assess these in comparison to the United States. This course also makes use of documentary film, small group discussions, and group presentations. 
  

  • SOCL 3231 Social Stratification

    4 semester hours

    An examination of the historical roots and contemporary patterns of social and economic inequality in the United States. Distribution of income and wealth, social mobility, life chances, education, and race and ethnicity will be discussed.
  

  • SOCL 3232 Community

    4 semester hours

    This course examines a wide range of American community studies, ranging from the 1920s to the present. Primary attention is directed toward an understanding of the scope of change in community structure and process in industrial society.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Quantitative Literacy.
  

  • SOCL 3233 Political Sociology

    4 semester hours

    An analysis of the relationship between forms of social organization and the exercise of power in society. Among the subjects considered are: types of political regimes, cross-cultural patterns of voting, voluntary associations, social classes, social movements, and revolution.
  

  • SOCL 3240 Sociology of Aging

    4 semester hours

    A general introduction to the study of physiological, psychological, and sociological aspects of aging. The focus is on the individual in society throughout the adult phase of the lifespan.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Engaged Learning.

     
  

  • SOCL 3250 Health and Social Justice

    4 semester hours

    This course examines how social, political, and economic conditions shape the distribution of health and disease among different populations in the United States and elsewhere. Using a social justice framework, it explores how social inequalities, prejudice, and discrimination contribute to inequalities in health and disease.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Engaged Learning.
  

  • SOCL 3260 Human Trafficking

    4 semester hours

    Human trafficking–the trade in people and their parts within and across borders–is a problem that has captured the attention of academics, activists, government officials, and the general public over the last 25 years. This course focuses primarily on labor and sex trafficking in local, regional, and global contexts. We review and critically assess diverse sociological and social science scholarship on human trafficking with an emphasis on the structural significance of political, economic, and cultural conditions that contribute to trafficking: gender, racial/ethnic and class dynamics, and the development of anti-trafficking efforts.
  

  • SOCL 3270 Poverty and Place

    4 semester hours

    This course will guide participants in an examination of the multi-faceted aspects of poverty, including geographic landscapes, primary catalysts, and both commonly accepted and alternative means of measurement through the lenses of race, space, place, and scale. Additionally, it will expose us to and guide us through several historical and contemporary debates, as well as discussions regarding relevant social policies and resulting societal impacts. Finally, we will also address myths, stereotypes, and widely held perceptions of the poor. 
  

  • SOCL 3290 Social Inequalities

    4 semester hours

    This course addresses how power, prestige, and wealth is distributed in society and focuses primarily on the U.S., but also uses global examples. The course examines theories that explain the causes of social inequality and addresses the consequences of social inequality, how it affects a person’s life chances, and how and why it persists. Special attention will be paid to race/ethnicity, gender, and class in the different topics covered.
  

  • SOCL 3300 Urban Sociology

    4 semester hours

    An examination of the basic historical processes which have shaped cities, including spatial differentiation. Topics may include the formation of community, metropolitan deconcentration, urban poverty, housing segregation, and third world urbanization.
  

  • SOCL 3310 Demography and Population Analysis

    4 semester hours

    An analysis of major international population trends, problems of overpopulation, and population control, with an introduction to the methods and techniques of demographic and ecological analysis.
  

  • SOCL 3320 Social Psychology

    4 semester hours

    The interrelationships between individual behavior and the larger social order. Language and communication, the self, interaction and interactional strategy, aggression, perception and attribution theory, prejudice and discrimination, and collective behavior.
  

  • SOCL 3321 Sociology of Emotions

    4 semester hours

    This course examines how culture and society influence our feelings yet also leave us with the ability to change how we feel, individually and collectively.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Writing.
  

  • SOCL 3340 Social Movements

    4 semester hours

    Social Movements examines the role of people-driven social change throughout the globe. We examine how and why social movements emerge, such as the Civil Rights and Feminist Movements, as well as what makes them successful.
  

  • SOCL 3341 Politics, Faith, and Civic Engagement

    4 semester hours

    The broad objective of this class is to introduce students to studying religion and its impact in the social world, including politics, social policy, community services, and social movements. We will examine the relationship between religion and society, taking into consideration both how religion is shaped by society and how religion shapes society, with an emphasis on religion in the U.S. Additionally, we will look at emerging religiously based social movement and political action.

    University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections; Flag: Engaged Learning.
  

  • SOCL 3350 The Life Course

    4 semester hours

    This course explores theories and experiences of the Life Course, a perspective that focuses on developmental trajectories and transitions throughout one’s life. Additionally, the course addresses the concepts of social contexts, linked lives, structure, and agency for individuals and groups.
  

  • SOCL 3351 Sociology of Adolescents

    4 semester hours

    An examination of the adolescent society with particular focus on the high school. Topics to be discussed: peer socializations, cliques and crowd formations, lifestyles, fads and fashions, and changing patterns and relations resulting from globalization.
  

  • SOCL 3360 Environment and Society

    4 semester hours

    Using sociological theories and concepts, this course examines the relationships between human societies and physical environments. Topics covered include: the meaning and significance of “nature,” environmental policies, and environmental social movements.
  

  • SOCL 3370 Sociology of Globalization

    4 semester hours

    Examines major approaches to and continuing debates about globalization, including the implications for people in their everyday lives. Topics address economic, political, and cultural dimensions of globalization and may include transnational capitalism and corporations; global inequality; migration and the new global labor market; transnational social movements and global civil society; and globalization and culture, including ethnicity and gender.

    University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections; Flag: Writing.
  

  • SOCL 3371 Gender and Global Migration

    4 semester hours

    Studies the globe’s migrants and how their movements shape gender in their everyday lives, families, and workplaces–as well as ours–and in the global economy.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Oral Skills.
  

  • SOCL 3372 Sociology of U.S. Immigration

    4 semester hours

    An investigation into current and historical immigration trends as they encompass the economy, education, language, identity, politics, and culture. There is a particular focus on globalization and Los Angeles as an immigration center.

    University Core fulfilled: Flags: Oral Skills, Writing.
  

  • SOCL 3373 Immigration and Los Angeles

    4 semester hours

    (See APAM 4350 .)
  

  • SOCL 3390 Work and Economic Justice

    4 semester hours

    Explores the social dynamics of work and occupations in terms of culture, ideology, race, class, and gender. Topics will include the day-to-day experiences of the workplace, the politics of the economic system, and the social changes related to globalization and the international economy.
  

  • SOCL 3998 Special Studies

    1 TO 4 semester hours

  

  • SOCL 3999 Independent Studies

    1 TO 4 semester hours

  

  • SOCL 4100 Criminal Justice

    4 semester hours

    An introduction to the system of criminal justice in contemporary America with a focus on how criminal behavior is processed by the system’s agencies: police, courts, and correctional institutions. Legal concerns such as the rights of the accused and due process will also be discussed in terms of their application in each of these areas.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Oral Skills.
  

  • SOCL 4101 Criminal Law

    4 semester hours

    This course examines the criminal law in the U.S. from a sociological perspective, as a set of “social control” processes by which norms are transmitted and enforced. Topics include how the law defines crime and particular forms of crime, drug abuse, and alcohol-related crime, and various legal defenses available to the accused.
  

  • SOCL 4103 Social Psychology and the Law

    4 semester hours

    This course will examine the law the legal process through the use of concepts, methods, and research from sociology, psychology, and social psychology. The course will address such topics as: criminal profiling, the analysis of eyewitness identification and line-up procedures, pretrial publicity, the social psychology of criminal trials, expert forensic testimony, criminal sentencing and the death penalty, the insanity defense, social and psychological “syndrome defenses,” child abuse victims and witnesses, juvenile offenders, legal restrictions on the practice of psychology/psychiatry, and civil commitment law and procedures.

    University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections.
  

  • SOCL 4110 Religion, Culture, and Society

    4 semester hours

    The study of religion as an expression of culture, its diverse subcultural characteristics as a social institution, and the interrelationships of religion and other social institutions.
  

  • SOCL 4120 Science, Technology, and Society

    4 semester hours

    This course examines science and technology as products of social, political, and historical processes. It challenges students to think critically about how we define science and the impacts of science and technology on social life. Students will be introduced to central ideas in the field of science and technology studies.
  

  • SOCL 4202 Crime and Delinquency

    4 semester hours

    An introduction to the nature and dynamics of criminal and delinquent behavior from a sociological viewpoint. Topics to be covered: the nature of crime and the criminal law, the measurement of crime, major theories–both historical and contemporary, and patterns of criminal and delinquent behavior.
  

  • SOCL 4500 Internship

    4 semester hours

    Students complete a supervised internship in an appropriate agency including social services, law, education, health services, and other relevant fields.

    Approval of instructor required.

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Engaged Learning.
  

  • SOCL 4900 Sociology Seminar

    4 semester hours

    Designed as a senior seminar for sociology majors. Stress will be on organization and integration of sociology studies, bringing together in a meaningful way sociological facts, understandings, and knowledge.

    Students must have 90 semester hours completed at time of registration.

    Senior majors only.

    Prerequisites: SOCL 2000  and SOCL 3000 .

    University Core fulfilled: Flag: Writing.
  

  • SOCL 4998 Special Studies

    1 TO 4 semester hours

  

  • SOCL 4999 Independent Studies

    1 TO 4 semester hours