UG Course Descriptions

Introduction to the analysis of sociocultural behavior; emphasis is upon the development of the social individual, collective and group behavior, social institutions and culture. The presentation of basic terms, concepts, and theories provide an understanding of the functioning of society and society’s impact on the individual.

This course will explore the different types of trauma, its impact on communities, families, and special populations such as children, transition age youth and criminal justice. Students will gain knowledge on how to beceom a trauma informed care champion as well as learn about evidence based models and community/natural resources that support victims of trauma.

This course examines adolescents struggling with addictions from a biopsychosocial perspective. This serves as the theoretical framework for understanding challenges and various interventions to facilitate recovery. Social institutions that influence the adolescent such as the family, the courts, and education will be dissected and we will explore various treatment issues and recovery models. Socioeconomic factors will also be analyzed.

This course will benefit students planning careers in helping professions and those providing services to diverse populations. Foundations of the Western philosophical tradition regarding ethical concepts and human nature will be examined in the first part of the course, with special emphasis given to key thinkers. The second part will involve both examination and application of the process of ethical decision-making, with strong focus upon the types of current ethical issues that workers face.

A broad overview of the operations of the administration of justice and a description of the criminal justice system from arrest to parole, examining the issue of crime and focusing on the specific agencies and actors who constitute the system of criminal justice – police, courts, and correctional agencies.

Therapeutic work with clients dealing with grief and loss will be viewed within a developmental framework for different age groups. Students will learn how grief is influenced by biological, psychological and sociological responses to grief. Topics include ambiguous loss, disenfranchised loss, and spiritual losses in the mourning stages. Developmental issues, coping mechanisms, and identification of poor coping skills and risky behavior during grief and loss stages for each age group will be addressed.

This course contains an in-depth study of the systematic social inequality in the access of opportunities, resources, and rewards. The focus is on social stratification in the United States with some comparisons to other industrialized nations. A historical structure of how stratification has varied throughout history will be included, as well as the consequences of the future of a stratified world.

Environmental Sociology is an introductory course that examines the interactions between humans and their environment. Sociological theories will be applied as well as looking at these interactions from a micro and macro perspective. Past, present and possible future events will be analyzed in order to identify viable positive solutions to the environmental issues faced by societies, as well as the potential impact of not implementing those solutions.

A study of the history and values underlying American responses to human needs. Emphasis on the individual’s rights to services and the dilemmas that now confront American social policy.

Addresses social concerns experienced in the work environment with emphasis on using the sociological perspective to find solutions to these concerns. (Also offered in accelerated format)