Academic Catalog

Sociology

Office: 2228 Faculty/Administration Building; 313-577-2930
Chairperson: David Merolla
https://clas.wayne.edu/sociology/

The graduate programs offered by the Department of Sociology are designed to prepare students for the academic job market or other professional careers through a challenging, comprehensive, and integrated curriculum that trains graduate students to 1.) theorize from a variety of sociological perspectives and 2.) analyze using a variety of methodologies. The programs require course work in the general areas of sociological theory and sociological research methods, including qualitative and quantitative methodologies. In addition to core classes, students have flexibility in pursuing specialized coursework designed to concentrate on specific areas. Graduate students can choose to specialize in areas including: Sociology of Health and Illness (SOHI); Race, Ethnicity, and Gender (REG); and Global, Transnational and Comparative (GTC).

The research interests and methodological approaches of the faculty are diverse. Faculty have studied and written about a wide range of sociological topics including: aging and life course, development, disabilities, environment, fetal alcohol syndrome, gender and work, immigration, international political economy, mental health, menopause and midlife, precarity and informal employment, military, racial politics, religion, racial discrimination in the consumer markets, race disparities in education, racialization of American Indians, sustainability, welfare state, and work-family policy. Faculty research these issues in local, national, and international (e.g., Canada, China, Japan, and Mexico) contexts. The faculty directory and information about current faculty research can be found on the department's website.

BREWSTER, ZACHARY W.: Ph.D., North Carolina State University; M.A., Western Kentucky University; B.S., Grand Valley State University; Associate Professor

BROWN, R. KHARI: Ph.D., M.S.W., University of Michigan; B.A., Wayne State University; Professor

BRUMLEY, KRISTA M.: Ph.D., M.A., M.P.H., Tulane University; B.A., State University of New York at Oswego; Associate Professor

DUQUETTE-RURY, LAUREN: Ph.D., University of Chicago; B.A., University of North Carolina; Associate Professor

FASENFEST, DAVID: Ph.D., M.A., University of Michigan; B.A., City University of New York; Associate Professor

GOTTFRIED, HEIDI: Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison; M.A., B.A., University of Michigan; Associate Professor

HANKIN, JANET: Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison; M.A., B.A., Case Western Reserve University; Professor Emeritus

JACOBS, MICHELLE R.: Ph.D. and M.S., Kent State University; B.S. University of Akron; Assistant Professor

KENTOR, JEFFREY D.: Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University; M.A., Antioch University; B.A. George Washington University; Professor

MEROLLA, DAVID M.: Ph.D., M.A., B.A., Kent State University; Associate Professor and Chair

MONTAZER, SHIRIN: Ph.D., M.A., B.A., University of Toronto; Associate Professor

MORTON, PATRICIA: Ph.D., M.A., Purdue University; B.S., Texas State University; Assistant Professor

SWIDER, SARAH C.: Ph.D., M.A., University of Wisconsin; M.S., Cornell University; B.A., Saint Michael's College; Associate Professor

TRUJILLO-PAGAN, NICOLE: Ph.D., University of Michigan; B.A., Emmanuel College; Associate Professor

WANG, CHENG: Ph.D., M.A., University of Notre Dame; B.A., Nanjing University; Assistant Professor

SOC 6050 Sociological Theory I Cr. 3

Sociological theorists before 1920, their thought and the historical context in which such thought developed. Offered Yearly.

Prerequisite: SOC 2000 with a minimum grade of C-

SOC 6060 Sociological Theory II Cr. 3

Historical and theoretical analysis of sociological thought in the present century. Current trends in sociological theory. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisite: SOC 6050

SOC 6070 Sociological Analysis Cr. 3

An intensive examination of a wide range of sociological studies, designed to acquaint the student with how sociologists deal with important theoretical issues, using a variety of methods and sources of data. Particular attention will be paid to the logical coherence of the studies and to the fit between data and interpretation. Offered Every Other Year.

Prerequisite: SOC 6050 with a minimum grade of B

SOC 6280 Social Statistics Cr. 3

Basic techniques for organizing and describing social data, measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability theory and hypothesis testing, tests of significance and confidence intervals, measures of association for two variables, analysis of variance. Offered Yearly.

SOC 6750 Sociology of Urban Health Cr. 3

Review of theories and research on health status and health care delivery issues in urban communities. Offered Intermittently.

SOC 7000 Internship in Applied Sociology Cr. 3

Guided internship with Detroit metropolitan private and public organizations arranged and supervised through the Program in Applied Sociology and Urban Studies. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7010 Special Topics Cr. 1-16

Topics to be announced in Schedule of Classes . Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 16 Credits

SOC 7290 Advanced Social Statistics Cr. 3

Multiple and partial correlation and multiple regression, dummy variable analysis, analysis of covariance, causal models for multi-dimensional contingency tables, path analysis techniques, introductory factor analysis, Markov chains, selected additional topics. Offered Yearly.

Prerequisite: SOC 6280 with a minimum grade of B

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7050 Comparative Schools of Sociological Theory Cr. 3

This course will analyze and compare diverse theories and schools from a broad perspective. It examine early origins of sociological thought and progression of sociological theory of the 19th and 20th centuries. By studying the writings of classical social theorists like Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Du Bois, and early feminists, it will connect with 20th century social theorists (e.g., Simmel, Mead, Cooley, Parsons, Goffman, Bourdieu, Foucault) and major schools of thought (e.g., structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, phenomenology). Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7030 Introduction to Graduate Studies in Sociology Cr. 1

Introduction to the profession of sociology and areas of specialization. Workshops include conference presentations, mentoring, external grants, proposal development, academic job market and publishing. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Sociology; enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7100 Women and Health Cr. 3

Analysis of sociological issues surrounding women and health, including gender differences in morbidity and mortality, the use of health services, interaction with providers, gender differences in mental disorder, alcoholism, drug abuse, gender roles and the professions of physicians and nurses. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7200 Advanced Survey of Approaches and Techniques of Social Research Cr. 3

Advanced conceptual treatment of the primary concerns of social research: perspectives and types of social research, research designs, sampling techniques, data-gathering techniques and instrument construction, data analysis and presentation, interpretation and reporting of the results. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7220 Seminar in Survey Research Methods Cr. 3

Hands-on approach to understanding the strengths and potential pitfalls of the survey method. Topics include: design of survey research (including theory, measurement and ethics), sampling (including special populations), questionnaire development and survey administration. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisite: SOC 6800 with a minimum grade of C and SOC 7200 with a minimum grade of C

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7260 Qualitative Sociology Cr. 3

Introduction to qualitative theories and methods through a series of research projects. Students collect their own data, process and analyze it. Projects are presented in class; relevant literature and debates are read and discussed. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7270 Analysis of Evaluation Data Cr. 3

Focuses on the analysis of causal effects for program evaluation data using both experimental and observational data. Models for the estimation of causal effects from experimental design are presented, including models for individual and cluster-level randomized trials, models for factorial and fractional experimental designs, and models for implementation fidelity. Models for the estimation of causal effects from non-experimental observational data include regression discontinuity analysis, propensity score methods, inverse probability weighting, sensitivity analysis to estimate selection bias and the estimation of effect bounds. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: SOC 6280 with a minimum grade of B, SOC 7200 with a minimum grade of B, SOC 7260 with a minimum grade of B, and SOC 7290 with a minimum grade of B

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7280 Analysis of Complex Survey Data Cr. 3

Provides students the tools for analyzing complex, and often longitudinal, data sets with the use of statistical software packages such as SPSS and SAS. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: SOC 6280 with a minimum grade of B, SOC 7200 with a minimum grade of B, SOC 7260 with a minimum grade of B, and SOC 7290 with a minimum grade of B

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7500 Advanced Qualitative Methods Cr. 3

Advanced analysis of qualitative methods, including but not limited to in-depth interviewing, focus groups, ethnography, discourse analysis, field research, narrative analysis. Stages of sampling, data collection, coding, and data analysis. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisite: SOC 7260 with a minimum grade of B

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7510 Advanced Statistics II Cr. 3

Explores three of the most widely used advanced statistical methods in the social sciences: hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), also known as multi-level modeling; event history analysis (EHA); and structural equation modeling (SEM). We will also learn logistic regression and possible extensions to other categorical outcome techniques. Each of these techniques has been developed to handle situations, data structures, outcomes, and research questions that are difficult, inappropriate, or impossible to handle using typical regression models (both linear and categorical). Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisite: SOC 6280 with a minimum grade of B and SOC 7220 with a minimum grade of B and SOC 7290 with a minimum grade of B

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7520 Advanced Field Research Cr. 3

This graduate course is designed as a practice oriented, interactive seminar. Students are expected to select their own social group or geographic location in the Detroit Metro area and perform both participant observations and interviewing. We explore issues and dilemmas encountered in ethnographic research, including ethics, choosing a site, entry/access/exit, analyses, and writing about your data. This course is far more focused on the practice of doing ethnography than it is on exploring the philosophical or methodological justifications of this approach over other methodologies. Consequently, students should begin this course with an idea for a qualitative study so the material is relevant to a particular project. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisite: SOC 7260 with a minimum grade of B

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7760 Health and Life Course Cr. 3

Focuses on life course theory, methods, and their application. Working from a life course perspective, students will learn various theoretical and methodological approaches to analyze health as well as explain health inequality and disparities. Key concepts, such as age, period, and cohort, found in the life course literature will be covered. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7770 Seminar in Medical Sociology Cr. 3

Converging issues of theory, research and practice in general hospitals, mental hospitals, and nursing homes. Structure of institutions and the adaptation of individuals within them. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7780 Topics in the Sociology of Health and Illness Cr. 3

Considers the influence of social environment and social experience on health and illness, emphasizing the unique perspectives sociology offers in the larger inter-disciplinary discussion of health and focusing on differences in health across social groups. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 9 Credits

SOC 7800 Topics in the Sociology of Sex and Gender Cr. 3

Explores the sociology of gender, as one of the most basic organizing mechanisms in society. Covers a broad overview of gender,including the following: themes: feminist theory, bodies, masculinities, work, work & family, families, migration, and politics. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 9 Credits

SOC 7810 Race Relations in Urban Society Cr. 3

Covers the historical and contemporary effects of racial segregation on racial inequality in U.S. urban environments, with a special focus on Metro Detroit. The course also assesses the role social institutions like religious organizations, politics, economics, education, and the family have played in pushing for greater racial and social equality in the region. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7820 International Migration Cr. 3

Offers a comprehensive overview of the key current theoretical and empirical debates in the study of international migration. The goal is to explore the possibilities of a comparative (historical and cross-national) research program in the field, linking North America, European and other global experiences of migration. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7990 Directed Study Cr. 1-6

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

SOC 7995 Directed Teaching in Sociology Cr. 1

Students work under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty; planning lectures, handling class discussions, preparing exams, and grading introductory sociology students. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 7999 Master's Essay Cr. 1-3

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment limited to students with a class of Candidate Masters; enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 8200 Mixed Methods Cr. 3

Exposes students to research on mixed methods including methodologies, research design, and empirical applications in published work. Half of the course will focus on learning about the most commonly utilized qualitative and quantitative methodologies and the other half will focus on mixed methods approaches. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisite: SOC 6280 with a minimum grade of B and SOC 7200 with a minimum grade of B and SOC 7260 with a minimum grade of B

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 8250 Longitudinal Data Analysis Cr. 3

Examines common models of longitudinal data analysis in sociology, which are also commonly used within the broader social sciences. Key topics covered in this class include linear panel analysis, event history analysis, and the analysis of repeated cross-sectional data. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisite: SOC 6280 with a minimum grade of B and SOC 7200 with a minimum grade of B and SOC 7290 with a minimum grade of B

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 8700 Seminar in Social Inequality Cr. 3

Sociological framework for analyzing several inequalities in contemporary U.S. society. Race, class, and gender as individual topics and as they intersect in society; inequalities in personal life experience. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 8710 Advanced Seminar in Race/Ethnicity Cr. 3

Topics include advanced theoretical and methodological debates in the sociology of race and ethnicity, an analysis of the social construction of race, and the structural implications of subordination, discrimination and privilege. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 8720 Advanced Seminar in Sex/Gender Cr. 3

Topics include advanced theoretical and methodological debates in the sociology of sex and gender, an analysis of the social construction of gender, and the structural implications of subordination, discrimination and privilege. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 8801 Topics in the Sociology of Labor Cr. 3

Seminar: advanced topics in sociology of work and labor. Topics will include: social nature of work, transformation of the labor process, forms of control in the workplace, resistance, gender and race in the workplace. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

SOC 8802 Topics in Urban Sociology Cr. 3

Seminar: topics in the area; may include: urban enclaves, suburbanization, world cities, gentrification, integration/segregation, urban environmentalism, health in cities. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

SOC 8803 Globalization, Gender, and Work Transformations Cr. 3

Reviews recent scholarship on globalization, gender and work transformation in the global north and south. Putting gender at the center of globalization discourses highlights the historical and cultural variability of gender relations intersecting with class, race and nationality, and highlights the impact of restructuring on workers, organizations and institutions at the local, national and regional levels. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 8990 Directed Study Cr. 2-6

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

SOC 8999 Master's Thesis Cr. 1-8

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment limited to students with a class of Candidate Masters; enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

SOC 9990 Pre-Doctoral Candidacy Research Cr. 1-8

Research in preparation for doctoral dissertation. Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 12 Credits

SOC 9991 Doctoral Candidate Status I: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 9992 Doctoral Candidate Status II: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: SOC 9991 with a minimum grade of S

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 9993 Doctoral Candidate Status III: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: SOC 9992 with a minimum grade of S

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 9994 Doctoral Candidate Status IV: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: SOC 9993 with a minimum grade of S

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

SOC 9995 Candidate Maintenance Status: Doctoral Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 0

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Material Fees: $416.08

Repeatable for 0 Credits

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