Home >
- Current Students >
  - Academic Catalog >
  - Academic Programs >
  - Sociology

Sociology

Kim M. King (1989), Professor of Sociology

B.A., John Carroll University;

M.A., Ph.D., University of North Carolina

Academic Interest: Crime, sex, family, and theory

LaShawnda L. Pittman (2007), Minority Dissertation Fellow

B.S., Georgia State University;

M.A. University of Connecticut

Academic Interest: Urban poverty, Race and ethnicity, African American women

Mario A. Renzi (1970), Chair, Professor of Sociology

B.A., Illinois Benedictine College;

M.A., Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Academic Interests: Inequality, diversity, urban, and population

Department Web Site:

http://admission.hiram.edu/learn/majors/major.php?id=26

Introduction

Sociologists face the challenging task of analyzing and interpreting the social world while living in the midst of it. Hiram’s academic program is designed to provide students of sociology with the research tools and techniques essential for performing

comprehensive and accurate inquiries into the nature of human events within a societal context.

The program focuses on familiarizing students with contemporary theories of sociology and on teaching students how to conduct field related quantitative research projects. In addition, students who complete the sociology program at Hiram will have an understanding of basic sociological concepts, how these concepts interrelate, and how these concepts affect a student’s own life. Hiram’s Department of Sociology offers students foundational knowledge of anthropology, while cultivating more extensive expertise in the field of sociology. The department employs a microsociologist who specializes in the study of individualized human

interactions as well as a macrosociologist who studies larger group behaviors. This diverse proficiency among the faculty allows the department to cover a wide range of topics in the discipline.

The breadth and depth of Hiram’s sociology program prepares students for success in graduate school and the professional workforce. Recent Hiram graduates have obtained professional positions in the field of sociology as child care workers, social workers, education advocates, managing editor of a magazine, grant writer, resource development coordinator for AmeriCorps, and as a university professor.

Alumni of Hiram’s program have pursued graduate degrees in fields that include counseling, law, non-profit management, medicine, and social work at institutions such as Case Western Reserve University, the College of William and Mary, Columbia University, Kent State University, Miami of Ohio, and Ohio State University.

Requirements for Majors

A major in sociology consists of:

SOAN 155

SOAN 3XX

SOAN 452

SOAN 455

MATH 108

Plus 13 hours of electives at the 200 and 300 level

Requirements for Minors

There are two minor programs within the department, one in anthropology and one in sociology. Both minors consist of at least 20 credit hours. The sociology minor requires 155 and at least one 300 level course, the anthropology minor requires 202. Students should consult with a member of the department about additional courses required for these minors.

Capstone

Our 2 senior seminars are viewed as courses which require students to synthesize knowledge acquired in the other courses in the major. These capstone experiences require demonstration of empirical and analytical skills in the sociology.

Departmental Honors

Graduating seniors may receive Departmental Honors if they meet the following criteria:

An overall grade-point average of at least 2.8;

A departmental grade-point average of at least 3.6;

A sum of grade-point average (1 and 2) which equals 6.8.

In addition, the student must be recommended by the department for these honors

Procedures for determining departmental grade point average

The Sociology Department considers the highest grades for 33 hours. However, the required courses for the major must be included, even if they are not the highest grades. Grades for Math 108 are not included when determining the departmental GPA.

Departmental Offerings

155 Introduction to Sociology CA 4 hours

A basic knowledge of sociology; introduction to study of human society-related concepts, and content. Human behavior from the perspective of culture, groups, and organizations. Prerequisite to all advanced courses except with special permission.

201 Social Problems 4 hours

This course identifies and describes the main features of enduring societal problems, including, for example, alcohol and drug use, mental illness, poverty, crime, family disorganization, and health care. Causes are considered and solutions are proposed. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

202 Cultural Anthropology 4 hours

This course is designed to acquaint the introductory student with pre-literate and peasant cultures and their major social and symbolic institutions. A selection of ethnographies, i.e., descriptions of cultures, will be used to illustrate the variety of human cultural systems and to introduce the student to non-Western world views. prerequisite to all advanced courses except with special permission. A revised version of this course is offered for 3 credit hours as Sociology and Anthropology 203. A student may receive credit for only one of these courses.

203 Cultural Anthropology 3 hours

See Sociology and Anthropology 202 for the course description.

226 Ethnicity in America UD 3 hours

This course will take a close look at the culturally diverse groups that make up the American people. It will inquire into their origins, their contributions, and their incorporation into American society. Among the topics that will be discussed are the merits of the melting pot theory and the concept of cultural pluralism. This course will deal in depth with the experience of Euro-American, African-Americans, and Latino-Americans. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

236 Urban Sociology 4 hours

The central focus of this course is the modern city and its setting, demographic and ecological factors, social structures, institutions, and functional relationships among them. The problems of the city and social forces in the making and resolving of them are also considered.. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

239 Sex and Gender in Society UD 3 hours

This course is an introduction to the study of gender roles. By examining what it means to be male and female, we will see how different and how similar the sexes are in terms of their abilities, advantages, and the work they do. Moreover, we will look at the methods and theories social scientists use to study and explain these differences. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

245 Social Movements and Collective Behavior 4 hours

The role of social movements and collective behavior in social change is the main topic of consideration. How social institutions are maintained, modified and transformed through relatively unstructured social relations like mob and crowd reactions, fads, fashions, rumor, panic, protest groups, reform and revolution. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

251 Population Patterns: An Introduction to Social Demography 4 hours

This course is about population, the causes of population growth and change, and the consequences of population trends for human society. These issues will be analyzed from the point of view of the three components of population growth, i.e., fertility, morality, and migration, and the factors, especially social factors, which affect them. Finally, the course will investigate the ways societies and cultures respond to population change, with an emphasis on the socio-demographic future of the United States. Also listed as Management 251.

262 The Family 3 hours

Forms and functions of family life, using cross-cultural data to emphasize the particularity of the American family. The family as a social organization and dynamics of interaction within it. Prerequisite Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

265 Sociology of Religion 3 hours

Religious beliefs, practices, organizations all affect and are affected by the social order. The course content is on the social functions of religion, the nature of the variety of organizational forms of religion and trends of impact of each on the other, e.g., secularization, religious movements, and civil religion.

274 People and Cultures of the Pacific Islands 4 hours

A survey of the indigenous cultures of Oceana. The region consists of Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, each containing its own unique set of environments, peoples and ways of life. An overview of the prehistory and ethnology of the region will act as a background for examination of representative cultures through readings and films. Cultural change resulting from both colonialism and development will also be discussed.

275 Introduction to Archaeology 4 hours

From prehistoric hunter-gatherers to early civilizations to the Industrial Revolution, archaeology, a subfield of anthropology, is concerned with the study of the past through material remains. The objective of this course is to introduce the methods and theories that archaeologists use to understand past societies. It will also include a thematic discussion of some of the major events of the human past, such as the origins of tool use, the worldwide spread of the species, and the origins of agriculture and urban life.

276 North American Indians 4 hours

North American Indian cultures as they have been described since 1500 will be the subject of this course. Lecture material will follow a culture-area approach, moving historically and geographically over the North American continent (from northern Mexico up to and including Canada).

280 Seminar 1 - 4 hours

281 Independent Study: Research and Observation 1 - 4 hours

298 Field Experience 1 - 4 hours

301 The Archeological Origins of Civilized Societies 4 hours

An exploration of the anthropological theory of multi-linear evolution with respect to the development of six independent civilized traditions: Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Middle America, and Peruvian cultures. Materials will be used from the fields of prehistory ethnology, and ethno-history. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

304 Corporate Deviance 3 hours

This course will examine numerous cases of corporate and governmental wrongdoing in the areas of health care, environmental destruction, job safety, discrimination, business practices and foreign markets. Structural and societal reasons for the persistence of corporate deviance, reactions and solutions to corporate deviance will be highlighted. Prerequisite Sociology 155 or 202 or permission. Also listed as Management 304.

305 Corporate Deviance 4 hours

322 Social Inequality 3 hours

A consideration of social differences arising out of distinctions along the lines of class, race, and gender are considered as they impact the distribution of rewards in society. The focus of the study is on the United States, but other societies are also considered. Occupational, ideological, and mobility differentiation are organizing concepts in this investigation. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

323 Social Inequality 4 hours

324 Sociology of Crime and Delinquency 4 hours

An introduction to criminology and delinquency with special emphasis on patterns of crime, victimology, difficulties in acquiring crime data, theories of crime, and the role of criminal justice system. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

344 Social Psychology 4 hours

In the attempt to study the relationships between the individual and society, social psychology is the convergence of psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Issues to be studied include: language, thought and communication; identity, morality, cooperation and competition, aggression, violence and war; attitudes and attitude change, prejudice, discrimination and racism; authority, freedom, obedience, and justice; interpersonal attraction and love. Offered yearly. Prerequisite: Psychology 101 or Sociology 155. This course is also listed as Psychology 344.

363 Youth and Society 4 hours

This course examines the creation of adolescence and youth as a distinctive stage of life in Europe, England and the USA. Youth culture at various points in history will be examined. Causes and consequences of contemporary adolescent problems will be highlighted. Prerequisite Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

380 Seminar 3 - 4 hours

452 Senior Seminar: Theoretical Perspectives 4 hours

Study of selected early masters of sociological thought and contemporary theorists. Emphasis on underlying assumptions and substantive content. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

455 Senior Seminar: Methodology 4 hours

A brief review of the basic research methods used in social sciences is followed by an intensive investigation of the particular research design of survey research. Finally, there will be a utilization of this approach in a secondary analysis of available data. Students are encouraged to have a basic statistics course before enrolling. Prerequisite: Sociology 155 or 202 or permission.

481 Independent Research 1 - 4 hours

498 Internship 1 - 4 hours

Hiram College

Sociology

Additional Information