This course is an opportunity to examine major issues facing society. In addition to analyzing the roots of social problems, the course addresses social policy concerns and explores solutions.

This course examines the development of cultural, society, and self-understanding by exploring the social construction of race in the United States. The course explores how social constructions of race affect interpersonal relations, laws, policies, and practices in various racial and ethnic communities.

Requirement: ANTH 100, PLSC 102, PSYC 100 or SOCL 101 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later. No requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of Anthropology, Department of Criminal Justice, Department of Economics, Department of Psychology, Department of Political Science, the Department of Sociology, Human Services or the School of Nursing. This course examines the connections between the media of mass communication and multiple forms of popular art and culture. Topics considered include the social, political and cultural organization of mass communication and its impact on values, expectations, and life styles of contemporary society.

This course explores the development of Chicago metropolitan region from the 1830's to the present day. Students will explore the urban area not only through texts, but also through fieldwork.

This course helps students who are volunteering at local congregations and agencies better understand the communities and issues they will encounter in Chicago. It emphasizes the analysis of " social solutions" to social problems as well as personal reflection and action.

This course examines how religion and society interact.

This course explores the social organization of sex and gender.

This course examines classical and contemporary sociological theories and uses them as frameworks for understanding modern society. Such social theories attempt to explain and understand the world, as well as inspire further research and theory.

This course is an introduction to the basic research methodologies of sociology. A variety of methods used in sociological analysis and data generation will be considered. Students learn how to select and use methodologies appropriate for various research projects. They will be able to critically evaluate existing research and select appropriate techniques to undertake original research.

This course looks at the nature of work through the lens of gender. It considers how male and female labor force participation has changed over time. It examines the ways working families are transformed when women combine employment with domestic responsibilities and child care, or when men's jobs no longer provide a family wage.

Students are taught to examine the relevance of criminological theories to patterns of criminal activity, to efforts to control criminals, and to prevent crime.

This course trains students to examine the law as a sociological concept and to look at the relationship between the legal system and society. A critical concern is whether changes in the legal system reflect societal change or do changes in the legal system stimulate change in society.

The threat of violence is a significant concern for individuals in many societies. In this course, violence will be studied as a social phenomenon. Topics of particular concern include: family violence, gang violence and terrorism.

An examination of the stages of the life cycle (childhood, young adulthood, parenthood, later adulthood, etc) and how such stages are defined and interpreted by social and institutional forces.

Life course studies emerged in response to the sociological need to understand how social change intersects with the aging process. Social and cultural contexts, individual experience and agency, and historical time and place are elements in the construction of a life and the social relationships that make it up.

In this course, students learn to think critically about the character, causes and responses to poverty in American society, using both historical and contemporary evidence.

This course examines the sociology of health care with particular attention to: social and psychological factors; health care professionals; inter-personal relations in health care; the organization and use of health services; and the relationship between aging and health.

This course serves as a broad introduction to the social study and analysis of science and technology in society. It examines how scientific knowledge and technologies are created and constructed and how they influence and are influenced by society.

A sociological inquiry into the historical and contemporary experience of African-Americans. Social movements and social change, urban and institutional processes, social values and collective behavior, and African-Americans and public policy are among the topics explored.

This course examines the relationships between the self as a social product and the larger society in which that self is socialized, develops and expresses itself. Various theories of selfhood are explored.

This course looks at the social construction of childhood, the impact of parents, the media, peer groups, and educational institutions as well as changing social attitudes about the place of children in society.

This course studies the historical emergence of cities, focusing on the ecological, demographic, and organizational processes involved in the continuing growth and change of metropolitan areas and in the relationship of a metropolitan area to the surrounding region.

This course examines communities sociologically, both as a concept and as they exist in society. The course covers urban, racial/ethnic, religious, territorial, utopian, ideological and web-based communities, and their strengths and limitations in a rapidly changing global world.

This course introduces the study of demography by examining trends of fertility, work, marriage, migration and mortality.

Work involving high levels of expertise--medical, legal, technical, and much else- is a critical component of modern society. This course examines how professional work is structured, the way professionals are trained and organized, the privileges and responsibilities of professional work, and the role of conflicts over expertise in modern society.

Using an intersectional lens, students learn about how privilege, power, and oppression shape ourselves, perceptions of others, and our social world. They consider how ourselves and others are shaped by and operate within the larger social system. Students explore their identities, values, and biases. Students engage in self-reflection to increase self-awareness.

Contemporary family structures encompass a variety of living arrangements and social relationships. This course considers differences and similarities among the various family types and explores the social, cultural and economic forces structuring family life.

This course is a rigorous introduction into the scholarly traditions and contemporary research developments in the sociology of education. Topics include: educational stratification and inequality, how educational institutions function and with what policy implications, and social psychology/human development.

This course examines the social production, consumption, and use of culture and cultural objects, especially in the fields of literature, art, music, mass media and religion.

This course examines the manner in which contemporary society is divided by race, ethnicity, class, sexuality and gender, and the impact of social institutions on these divisions. An emphasis will be placed on income/wealth differences, status differences, class conflict and social conflict over time.

This class introduces China's cultural diversity and unity as a whole. It provides a general overview of cultural mappings in China, and a detailed study of significant ethnic minorities.

This course examines inequality on a global scale, focusing on the impact of globalization processes on race, class and gender inequalities here and abroad.

This course is a socio-historical look at definitions of deviant behavior and individuals, an examination of techniques of social control, and an analysis of specific forms of deviant behavior such as crime and mental illness.

This course focuses on sociological theories and case studies of power, authority, and social change. It explores the ways in which power relations perpetuate social inequality and the ways in which social conflicts and power struggles transforms society.

This course examines the dynamics of collective behavior and movements promoting social change.

This course focuses on movements for social justice and human rights from the 1960s to the present.

This course examines historical and contemporary movements pursuing political, economic and social reforms in China. It studies both state-sponsored and voluntary movements.

This course examines the nature of contemporary globalization and considers how it influences communities, nations and the world. The course examines the positive and negative consequences of globalization and the global justice movements that have emerged seeking more equality, tolerance and environmental stewardship.

This course examines change and development in modern China from the late Qing period to the present, focusing on the movement from a planned economy to a market-based economy.

Italy Today traces the nation's extraordinary transformation from the ashes of World War II to the leading economic and cultural power it is today and analyses a broad range of issues in contemporary Italy, such as Catholicism, gender, family, emigration and immigration, regional identities, media and material culture.

This course examines science as a distinctive form of knowledge and social organization.

This course examines the distinctively social aspect of the relationship of people to their environments, both built and natural.

This course examines the profound ways society and individuals have been transformed by the abundance of consumer goods and mass media that encourage buying these good.

Explores the impact of globalized economic, political, and social relationships through the prism of food. Considers the cultural and ideological dimensions of food, the structure of food production and consumption, and responses to the global food system.

This course addresses the underlying social, economic, political, and cultural mechanisms driving some of the leading issues in global health today; including the rise of non-communicable diseases in low and middle income countries, neglected infectious diseases, human resources for health, and access to global pharmaceuticals.

The course examines selected contemporary sociological issues. Topics addressed represent specialized or newly developing areas of sociological inquiry. Topics will vary from semester to semester.

This class is an opportunity to examine selected reform and innovation movements facing health professional education and training. Sophomore standing or above is required.

The course is a comprehensive introduction to statistical analysis in social research. Topics include: univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis, computer statistical applications and interpretation of results.

An introduction to the major qualitative methods of social inquiry. Participant observation, interviewing, historical analysis, and content analysis, as well as ethical issues of field research are studied.

This course focuses on global civil society groups (both advocacy groups or apolitical) and on social movements that seek to fight injustices. We discuss a variety of examples of civil society projects ranging from monitoring government corruption and promoting micro-credit to organizing transnational protest campaigns.

This course provides an interdisciplinary overview of the international development system and issues related to development in those countries variously referred to as third world, developing, underdeveloped, or peripheral countries.

Students explore how cities work through texts, field trips, and guest speakers, and help find solutions to pressing urban issues. They fulfill civic engagement core value requirement.

In this capstone course, each student designs and conducts an empirical research project resulting in a senior research paper.

Using a seminar format, the course undertakes an in-depth study of selected contemporary sociological issues in depth. Topics addressed represent specialized or newly emerging areas of sociological inquiry and will vary from semester to semester.

Independent study of a selected body of sociological literature on a topic defined by the student in collaboration with a faculty advisor.

Supervised field experience for students working in a selected community organization, government agency, social agency, or business.

An internship in an interreligious or multireligious setting. The student will also write an analysis of the ways diverse religious traditions interact in practical settings. Restricted to IRIF minors.

Independent study of a topic delineated by the student in collaboration with an individual faculty member.

Independent research done in collaboration with a faculty member on a sociological topic defined by the student in consultation with a faculty member.

Advanced independent research in collaboration with a faculty member on a sociological topic relevant to the student. Limited to senior Sociology majors.

Important theoretical and methodological concerns will be discussed with particular attention paid to how these concerns affect substantive areas in sociology.

Faculty will discuss their intellectual biographies and work that is of current interest to them.

This course looks at the intellectual roots and expressions of the foundations of sociological theory in the 19th and early 20th century.

This course examines some of the dominant perspectives and trends of modern social theory.

This course explores the structures of sociological research, analyses, and explanations. Several major types of data collection will be examined and evaluated.

This course is an introduction to the major qualitative methods of social inquiry and the ethical issues raised by qualitative research.

The class examines theoretical issues and past research relating to a particular social topic and then designs and completes a collective research project. Topics vary.

After a review of bivariate regression and cross-tabular analysis, the course provides an extended treatment of the general linear model. Topics include model construction, interpretation of results, partitioning of variance, tests of statistical significance and interactions.

The course extends the applications of the general linear model to topics including path analysis, logistic regression, factor analysis and spatial and cluster analysis.

This course examines the basic techniques used to assemble, analyze, and present demographic information. It also examines U.S. and world demographic trends and the causes and consequences of such demographic change.

The course will critically appraise major theories of social change and examine different methodologies on both the macro- and micro-sociological levels.

This course will use case studies of contemporary social movements to examine collective efforts to promote social or cultural change. They will gain an understanding of the recursive relationship between empirical research and theory development.

This is an empirical and theoretical inquiry into the causes, consequences, and dynamics of social inequality in modern societies.

This course surveys sociological and related scholarship on women and gender relations.

The course examines major theories of political action and change. Particular attention is paid to policy development.

This course examines the development of poverty and social welfare efforts over time in the United States, with some comparisons to other industrial societies.

This course examines the relationships between the individual and larger social structure and social trends.

This course traces the nature of socialization and development of the individual through the life cycle.

The older adult population and adult development is examined from social and cultural perspectives.

This course explores families, their changing internal structures, and their roles in contemporary societies.

Contemporary communities are examined from a sociological perspective. Both geographic communities and communities of interest are studied.

This course examines the structures and processes that typify contemporary organizations, with particular attention to how organizations change.

This course studies the relationship between religion and society, and explores central topics in the sociology of religion.

This course will explore the complex reciprocal relationship between religion and historical processes of social change.

This course focuses on the relationship between knowledge, expertise and power in societies and how this relationship has consequences for the structure of knowledge and the organization of society.

This course will examine the relationship between social phenomena and cultural expressions, and the various ways sociologists have conceived of those relationships.

This course will serve as an introduction to the sociology of things, most notably the sociology of technology, design and the built environment.

Formal organizations treated comparatively and systematically as major components of modern social organization are featured.

This course focuses on the structure of paid work in modern society, and its relationship to unpaid work and to self-employment. Special attention is given to the role of skills and knowledge in the structuring of work.

This course explores the construction, meaning, uses and consequences of racial and ethnic identity in American society over time.

This course examines urbanization and its consequences through social theory and empirical studies emphasizing the modern European and American experience.

This course examines the relationship between social life and the natural environment.

This course is a socio-historical look at definitions of forms of deviant behavior and the identification of individuals as deviant.

This course examines modern and traditional theories of criminology and their implications for social control, with emphasis on current work in criminology theory, social planning, and evaluation research.

This course will examine critical factors affecting mortality and morbidity; mental health; health services; community health; cross-cultural differences; aging and the strategy and conduct of socio-medical research.

This course focuses on the social processes that affect both the means and ends of education. It has three units: Schools as Organizations; Inequality in Education; and Education and Cultural Reproduction. Open to all Graduate students.

Students will learn to identify good teaching practices, to practice relevant skills, and to begin a lifelong process of professional development. They will develop materials for an undergraduate course.

This focuses on special issues for methods used by applied sociologists, and topics vary from semester to semester. Most workshops involve presentations by faculty or applied sociologists from outside the university.

The course examines the nature of sociological argumentation in existing scholarly and popular literature and in the students' own writing.

Placements are typically in non-academic settings, e.g., government agencies, community organizations, businesses, or labor organizations. Students are expected to work a minimum of 100 hours and write an internship report.

Students registered for independent study will meet as a workshop, under the guidance of a faculty member, at least three times per semester. These skills are important for expeditious completion of proposals, theses, and dissertations.

This course examines the use of sociology in determining and selecting alternative social policies.

This is a seminar in which students and faculty will examine in detail particular controversies that are emerging in theoretical approaches to sociology. Topics will vary.

Advanced methodology seminar in special topics.

Various topics in the study of modern society

The seminar will expose participants to comparative approaches in defining issues, topics or institutions, researched by comparative sociologists and cultural anthropologists. Specific topics for consideration will vary.

This course explores current issues in cities and in the sociological study of cities.

This course explores a specialized topic in the sociology of health and medicine. Restricted to Graduate Students.