All undergraduates at Florida State University must demonstrate basic computer skills competency prior to graduation. As necessary computer competency skills vary from discipline to discipline, each major determines the courses needed to satisfy this requirement. Undergraduate majors in sociology satisfy this requirement by earning a grade of "C–" or higher in CGS 2060, CGS 2064, or CGS 2100.

The State of Florida has identified common program prerequisites for this University degree program. Specific prerequisites are required for admission into the upper-division program and must be completed by the student at either a community college or a state university prior to being admitted to this program. Students may be admitted into the University without completing the prerequisites, but may not be admitted into the program.

At the time this document was published, some common program prerequisites were undergoing revision. Please visit http://facts23.facts.org/navigation/detail_ext/cpp_intro.do?pageId=060304 for a current list of state-approved prerequisites.

The following lists the common program prerequisites or their substitutions necessary for admission into this upper-division degree program:

1. SYA XXXX or SYD XXXX or SYG XXXX or SYO XXXX or SYP XXXX: two (2) lower level courses

Note: General requirements for all social sciences: the State University System and the Community Colleges advise students to:

1. Complete General Education 36 hours;
2. Complete Foreign Language requirement;
3. Complete Gordon Rule requirement of 24,000 words;
4. Complete Gordon Rule requirement in math by taking 2 courses, one of which must be pure math.

For acceptance as a sociology major, students must have successfully completed Florida State University's math and English requirements for liberal studies with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or better and meet "mapping" requirements. Sociology majors are encouraged to complete all liberal studies requirements before admission to the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. To fulfill the computer literacy requirement, students should complete CGS 2060, CGS 2064 or CGS 2100 with a grade of "C–" or better.

Students may earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in sociology.

Students must complete thirty semester hours in sociology, with a grade of "C–" or better in each course, including: SYA 4010 Sociological Theory, SYA 4300 Methods of Social Research, and SYA 4400 Social Statistics.

Transfer students must earn a minimum of fifteen semester hours in sociology at Florida State University. Transfer of the required upper-division courses (SYA 4010, 4300, and 4400) is subject to the approval of the departmental chair.

A minor may be earned by completing any fifteen semester hours in sociology with a grade of "C–" or better in each course. At least nine of the fifteen semester hours must be completed at Florida State University.

The Department of Sociology offers a program of honors in the major to encourage talented juniors and seniors to undertake independent and original research as part of their undergraduate experience. For requirements and other information, see the "University Honors Office and Honor Societies" chapter of this General Bulletin.

DEM—Demography

SYA—Sociological Analysis

SYD—Sociology of Demography/Area Studies/Sociological Minorities

SYG—Sociology: General

SYO—Social Organization

SYP—Social Processes

Introductory Course

SYG 1000. Introductory Sociology (3). An introduction to the fundamentals of sociology. Emphasis is placed on exposure to the basic findings of empirical research studies in a wide range of areas traditionally examined by sociologists.

Sociological Theory and Methods of Research

SYA 4010. Sociological Theory (3). This course introduces the student to the kind of theory that has developed in the field of sociology since its foundation, moving through to the contemporary scene. Major theoretical fields, major theorists, and dominant theoretical issues that continue to be part of the sociological approach to explanation are covered.

SYA 4300. Methods of Social Research (3). Broad coverage of research design, data collection, and data analysis. This is a required course for sociology majors.

SYA 4400. Social Statistics (3). This course involves the application of statistical techniques to sociological data as illustrated in the research and writing of social scientists. As a course for majors, it represents an important part of the student's methodological training with respect to the statistical analysis of data typically used by sociologists. The student is expected to carry out a number of exercises involving the statistical analysis of sociological data and to interpret the results.

The Family

SYO 3100. Family Problems and Social Change (3). A basic sociological approach to conditions, issues, and problems of familial organization within the context of changing institutional structures of modern society. Attention is given to such questions as: How have spouse roles changed, and why? How do changes in the organization of work affect family experience? How are family and kinship patterns affected by an aging population?

Personality and Society (Social Psychology)

SYP 3000. Social Psychology of Groups (3). This course represents the study of social psychology from a sociological perspective. Specifically, it is an analysis of the influence of groups and the individual on each other, including the study of norms, group pressure, leadership, motivation, and social personality.

SYP 3350. Collective Action and Social Movements (3). There have been scores of social movements in the U.S. and around the world in this century. This course explores the origins and organization of social movements, the dilemmas and challenges facing social movements, the relationship between social movements and political institutions, and the role of social movements in causing social change.

Population and Human Ecology

SYD 3020. Population and Society (3). This course examines the causes and consequences of population change in the United States and the world with an assessment of the impact of demographic change on various social institutions.

Social Issues and Change

SYD 3800. Sociology of Sex and Gender (3). This course provides a look at the sociological facets of gender and its effect in society.

SYD 4510. Environmental Sociology (3). This course examines the larger social forces that shape our natural environment; the social foundations of environmental problems; and the social responses to environmental issues, conflicts, and movements.

SYD 4700. Race and Minority Group Relations (3). An introduction to prevalent sociological concepts and theories utilized in the study of dominant-subordinate relationships between groups. The social significance of minority status is emphasized. Once introduced, concepts and theories are applied to the experiences of several nonwhite ethnic groups in the U.S. with special attention being devoted to contemporary black-white relationships. The reemergence of white ethnicity is discussed in relation to the above.

SYD 4730. African-Americans in Modern Society (3). This course examines the African-American experience in the U.S. with the goal of understanding how historical conditions and events shaped current circumstances. Focus is on African-Americans as situated in all major institutions (economy, polity, family, education, religion, welfare, military, criminal justice) and the consequences of their placement. The course applies sociological theories of race/ethnicity to past and current developments.

SYD 4794. Problems in American Society (3). This course uniquely addresses the way in which issues of inequality, poverty, labor, markets and work, urban problems, and discrimination are intertwined to produce continuing problems in American society.

SYG 2010. Social Problems (3). This course represents a study of various contemporary social problems in an urbanized society, which may include such topics as education, the family, politics, the economy, race relations, drug use and alcoholism, over-population, and other issues.

SYO 4352. The Sixties: Social Change, Social Movement (3). This course offers a detailed examination of major events and processes of the 1960's, especially the civil rights struggle, the Vietnam War and antiwar movement, and the counter culture, from a historical-sociological perspective that features the interplay of social change and social movements.

SYO 4374. Gender and Work (3). This course is an introduction to the cultural and structural mechanisms that reproduce gendered outcomes in the workplace. It addresses occupational segregation, the wage gap, sex differences in promotions, unpaid family work, explanations of inequality, strategies for change and resistance to change, and the intersections of gender, race, and class.

SYO 4402.  Medical Sociology (3). This course explains why and how social structure influences the distribution of health and illness and illustrates how the medical care system is organized and responds.

SYP 3454. The Global Justice Movement (3). This course critically examines the history, organization, strategies, ideology, opponents, culture, and future prospects of the global justice movement.

SYP 3730. Aging and the Life Course (3). In coming years, Americans will have to make important decisions regarding the consequences of population aging. This course explores how changing life course patterns have influenced retirement, health care, politics, and family structure. It also considers the policy choices that will have to be made in the twenty-first century as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age.

SYP 4550. Alcohol and Drug Problems (3). This course presents a review and analysis of sociological approaches to the study of alcohol and drug problems. It addresses theoretical perspectives on recreational and deviant drinking and drug use and introduces important empirical methods in the study of alcohol and drug problems and current debates over alcohol and drug policy.

SYP 4570. Deviance and Social Control (3). This course focuses on major theories and research traditions, including structural and social psychological causes of deviant behavior, processes of labeling deviants, and social conflict over definition and treatment of deviance.

Social Organization

SYD 3600. The Community in Urban Society (3). An introduction to the community as a changing form of social organization with emphasis on community field studies (ethnographies), theories of communal organization, and the study of community-specific processes such as power distribution and decision making, conflict, stratification, and the dynamics of land-use change. Special attention is given to the study of the metropolitan community in U.S. society and its inner city and suburbs.

SYO 3200. Sociology of Religion (3). A basic sociological perspective on the social organization and forms of religious life in modern society. Religious groups are studied as organizations that contribute to social stability, social conflict, and social change.

SYO 3460. Sociology of Mass Media (3). This course provides a sociological view of mass communications by critically examining the origin, history, and functions of the American mass media and its effect on social life.

SYO 3530. Social Classes and Inequality (3). Basic theory of social stratification is presented and used in description of the stratification system in the United States and other nations. Opportunity for social mobility in the social structure is assessed and compared with rates of mobility in other countries.

SYO 4300. Sociology of Politics (3). This course deals with American political institutions, political organizations, pressure groups, and the public's participation in political processes. Discussion focuses on current political issues from a sociological perspective.

SYO 4350. Sociology of Business, Labor, and Government (3). The primary focus of this course is on the interrelationships among business and production organizations, labor interests and struggles, and the state and state policies, from various theoretical and historical perspectives. In addition to critical evaluation of conventional political-economic perspectives, the course will examine recent sociological work on the state, the labor movement, and industry.

SYO 4370. The Changing Workplace (3). This course examines the historical development of work and employment relations in the United States. Topics covered include some of the persistent challenges of work, such as the balance between work and family life; inequalities in wages and employment; the struggle to find meaningful work; and the opportunities and challenges presented by the new economy, marked by a combination of high-end professional and technical occupations and low-wage service jobs.

SYP 3540. Sociology of Law (3). This course examines the interrelationship between the legal order and the social order. Limitations of civil and criminal law for conflict management and for implementation of social policy are considered.

Others

SYA 4905r. Directed Individual Study (3). Consent of instructor and departmental chair required. May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) semester hours.

SYA 4930r. Selected Topics in Sociology (3). May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) semester hours.

SYA 4931r. Honors Work (3). May be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) semester hours.

SYA 4932r. Tutorial in Sociology (1). Prerequisite: Upper-division sociology major or minor status. Reading and analysis of primary literature on selected topics in contemporary sociology. May be repeated to a maximum of three (3) semester hours.

Sociological Theory

SYA 5018. Classical Social Theory (3).

SYA 5126. Contemporary Sociological Theory (3).

Research Methodology

SYA 5305. Introduction to Research Methods (3).

SYA 5315. Qualitative Research Methods in Sociology (3).

SYA 5406. Multivariate Analysis (3).

SYA 5407. Advanced Quantitative Methods (3).

SYA 5455. Social Statistics and Data Analysis (3).

SYA 5515. Sociological Research Practicum (1). (S/U grade only.)

SYA 5516. Reporting Sociological Research (3). (S/U grade only.)

SYA 6936r. Selected Topics in Research Methods (3).

Area Courses

DEM 5906r. Directed Individual Study (1–3). (S/U grade only.)

DEM 5910r. Supervised Research (1–5). (S/U grade only.)

DEM 5930r. Special Topics in Demography (3).

DEM 5972r. Master's Research Paper in Demography (3–6). (S/U grade only.)

DEM 8977. Master's Research Paper Defense (0). (S/U grade only.)

SYA 5326. Injury Epidemiology (3).

SYA 5355. Comparative Historical Sociology (3).

SYA 5625. Proseminar in Sociology (0–3). (S/U grade only.)

SYA 6660. Teaching at the College Level in Sociology (3).

SYA 6912. Epidemiology Research Paper (6). (S/U grade only.)

SYA 6938r. Selected Topics in Social Institutions, Social Organization, and Social Policy (3).

SYD 5045. Introduction to Demography (3).

SYD 5105. Population Theory (3).

SYD 5134. Environmental Epidemiology (3).

SYD 5135. Techniques of Population Analysis (3).

SYD 5136. Life Course Epidemiology (3).

SYD 5137. Fundamentals of Epidemiology (3).

SYD 5138. Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3).

SYD 5139. Chronic Disease Epidemiology (3).

SYD 5215. Mortality (3).

SYD 5225. Fertility (3).

SYD 5705. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (3).

SYD 5817. Contemporary Theories of Gender (3).

SYO 5107. Sociology of the Family (3).

SYO 5177. Family Demography (3).

SYO 5306. Political Sociology (3).

SYO 5335. Sociology of Political Economy (3).

SYO 5376. Sociology of Gender and Work (3).

SYO 5405. Health Institutions and Social Policy (3).

SYO 5416. Stress and Mental Health (3).

SYO 5426. Gender and Mental Health (3).

SYO 5535. Inequalities: Race, Class, Gender (3).

SYO 5547. Race and Gender in Organizations (3).

SYO 6373. Sociology of Work and Labor Markets (3).

SYO 6407. Race, Ethnicity and Health (3).

SYO 6506r. Advanced Research Seminar in Social Organization (3–9).

SYO 6538r. Advanced Research Seminar in Stratification and Inequality (3–9).

SYP 5005. Social Interaction (3).

SYP 5006. Identity and the Self (3).

SYP 5007.  Sociology of Emotion (3).

SYP 5305. Collective Behavior and Social Movements (3).

SYP 5447. Sociology of National Development (3).

SYP 5516. Sociological Theories of Deviance (3).

SYP 5733. Social Psychology of Aging (3).

SYP 5735. Sociology of Aging (3).

SYP 5737. The Dynamics of Aging and Social Change (3).

SYP 6356. Sociology of the Contemporary Women's Movement (3).

Others

SYA 5645. Critical Thinking and Proposal Preparation (3).

SYA 5907r. Directed Individual Study (3). (S/U grade only.)

SYA 5909r. Directed Individual Study (1–3). (S/U grade only.)

SYA 5912r. Supervised Research (1–5). (S/U grade only.)

SYA 5946r. Supervised Teaching (1–5). (S/U grade only.)

SYA 6933r. Selected Topics in Sociology (3).

SYA 8945r. Doctoral Review Paper (1–12). (S/U grade only.)

For listings relating to graduate course work for thesis, dissertation, and master's and doctoral examinations and defense, consult the Graduate Bulletin.