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Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology
College of Liberal Arts


 

At Jackson State University, our Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology is dedicated to fostering a deep understanding of the intricacies of society, crime, and justice. OUr mission is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities needed to excel in these dynamic fields.

Undergraduate Sociology Courses

SOC 214 (3) Introduction to Sociology. An introduction to the basic concepts and generalizations in the field of sociology and a descriptive study of culture, societal processes, social institutions, and the significance of group behavior. (F, S, Sum)

SOC 216 (3) Modern Social Problems. A brief survey of some of the social problems prevalent in contemporary America. Attention will be given to their nature, type, causes, and collective action toward them. (S, Sum)

SOC 301 (3) Community Organization. A study of the historical evaluation of community organizations, methods of securing community support, the ecological characteristics, the social processes and interactional patterns. Attention is given to agency organization and functions. Student participation in organizational practices and professional supervision. (D)

SOC 302 (3) Basic Issues in Mental Health. This course will examine basic issues in the mental health service delivery system. Emphasis will be placed upon clients rights, mental health laws, goals of mental health systems, and areas of specialization. Students will study selected interdisciplinary literature as related to: (a) the psychosocial and historical context of mental illness and community mental health services, (b) problems and needs of target populations, and ( c) implications for health practice. (D)

SOC 310 (3) Introduction to Alcohol and Drugs. Encompasses factual and scientific information on alcohol and drug use, misuse and non-use. The physiological, psychological and social manifestations of the use of mind altering substances will be explored. (F)

SOC 318 (3) Women in Contemporary American Society. To examine the interrelationship of sex-role stereotypes and the translation of sex-roles into social institutions. It will provide a description and an analysis of the experiences of women in social and individual roles-the social structure and social institution which both serve and are served by the differential treatment of the female/male roles. (D)

SOC 320 (3) Counseling the Chemically Dependent. Explores the philosophy and principles of the helping relationship including the theoretical orientation to counseling, techniques of counseling, counseling approaches and overview of counseling theories and techniques. (D)

SOC 321 (3) Personality and Culture. This course is designed to study the role of culture in the development of personality and the range of personal adjustments in the light of cultural variability. (D)

SOC 322 (2) Alcohol/Drug Seminar. This course focuses attention on basic alcohol content and exposure to the state-of-the-art alcohol/drug research. (S)

SOC 323 (3) Introduction to Anthropology. An introduction to basic anthropological concepts and a descriptive and analytical study of selected cultural traits, patterns and themes found among contemporary preliterate culture groups, with emphasis focused on cultural similarities and differences. (D)

SOC 324 (3) Social Psychology of Women. Will be designed to offer insight into the socialization process of women. It is to pursue the process of adaptation, which starts at birth and continues for a considerable period in the life of the individuals. It will also focus on stress techniques used by women in every day life. (D)

SOC 325 (3) Cultural Anthropology. An introduction to basic anthropological concepts and a descriptive and analytical study of selected cultural traits, patterns and theme found among contemporary preliterate folk, and literate culture groups, with emphasis focused on cultural similarities and differences. (F)

SOC 326 (3) Social Psychology. A study of processes of interrelationships and of stimuli as they affect individual and group reactions and behavior such as fashions and social movements. (F, S)

SOC 327 (3) Social Stratification. An analysis of American social structure. Topics to be considered include criteria for differentiation, types of stratification, the composition of strata and status systems, mobility and consequences of stratification. (D)

SOC 328 (3) Urban Sociology. Special attention is given to types of cities. Consideration is given also to the rise of urbanism, suburbanism, the culture of cities, segregated ethnic areas, community and neighborhood organization and disorganization. (D)

SOC 329 (3) Social Change. Concern with the basic principles and theories of social change, trends in the major societal institutions, e.g., family, government, religion, economics, and education, special emphasis on the roles that technology and invention play as factors in social change. (F, S)

SOC 330 (3) Urban and Rural Transportation Concepts. Sociological implications of urban-rural transportation network systems interfacing with the ecological, social political and other established social institutions in America. (D)

SOC 331 (3) Marriage and the Family. Prerequisite: Junior standing. The marriage-family system, a critical approach to the study of courtship, marriage and the family modern functions, characteristics, and maladjustments. (F, S)

SOC 332 (3) Rural Sociology. The characteristics of agricultural communities in the United States. A comparative analysis of rural America prior to World War I and World War II emphasizing specific problems of Black Americans. (D)

SOC 333 (3) Criminology. Prerequisite: Junior standing. Theories of the genesis of criminal behavior in terms of the person and the group; theories of crime and punishment. (F)

SOC 334 (3) Sociology of Deviant Behavior. Review of sociological perspective used in the study of deviance and deviants. Examines societal reactions to deviance and consequences for people defined as deviant. Analysis of selected forms of deviance, such as mental illness, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuses and sex workers. (D)

SOC 420 (3) Black Female and the Family. To enhance the existing interrelated concepts of the family and women studies. It will offer a descriptive account of how women have, and still are, a significant force in implementing the major functions of the family which include: replacement of the species, e.g., nurturing its offsprings, initial status ascriptions tension management, household maintenance, cultural transmission, and informal education. Special attention will be given to black women heads of household with a relationship or the lack of a relationship to a “culture of poverty thesis.” (S)

SOC 427 (3) Urban Anthropology. Prerequisite: Senior standing. Special focus on the problems of rural-urban migration of ethic minority groups and subsequent adaptation of them within the United States explored in terms of methods and perspective of anthropology. (D)

SOC 428 (3) Seminar in Urban Social Problems. A critical examination of contemporary social issues which have produced unrest in the cities. Emphasis will be upon urban problems in Mississippi. The topics to be studied will include poverty, housing, racism, riots, power structure, educational problems, and the community organizing. (D)

SOC 430 (3) Family Treatment. This course will deal with the utilization of social work intervention techniques necessary in working with the family as a unit. Emphasis is placed on services to the family in crisis. (D)

SOC 433 (3) Laboratory/Research Center-Based Internship. During the three-month internship attention will be given to research conceptualization, implementation, design, data collection and analytical procedures. (D)

SOC 442 (3) Collective Behavior and Social Movements. Conditions giving rise to crowds, mobs, riots, and social unrest. Natural history of reform and revolutionary movements, referring to public opinion, propaganda, tactics, strategy, and leadership. Sectarian movements, general social movements.

Emergence of the mass society in the United States. (D) SOC 443 (3) Population and its Problems. Prerequisite: Senior standing. A systematic investigation of the qualitative and mobile aspects of the human composition of the various nations. Special attention is given to the United States and those areas experiencing population pressure. (D)

SOC 445W (3) Methods of Social Research. Prerequisite: Junior standing. Consideration is given to the essential tools of sociological research; field work is given to the student to orient him/her in collecting, presenting, analyzing, and interpreting sociological data. (S)

SOC 446 (3) Development of Social Theory. Prerequisite: Senior standing. A comparative and historical survey of a basis concepts and theories in sociology, a critical analysis of trends in theory construction of early European and American pioneers in sociological theories from Comte through Weber. (S)

SOC 447 (3) Sociology of the Family. A sociological analysis of the development of the modern family, its structure, its interrelationships in society, and its sociological functions. (D)

SOC 448 (3) Comparative Family Systems. Prerequisite: Senior standing. A study of family structures, kinship patterns, social relationships, comparative functions and variations in the family organization in selected culture. (D)

SOC 451 (3) Social Statistics. Prerequisite: Senior standing. Basic methods of presenting, analyzing and interpreting social data through statistical methods with concentration on statistical series, frequency distributions, normal curve, measures of central tendency, dispersion, variability, correlation, and such analysis of variance as chi-square. (F, S)

SOC 453 (3) Women and Employment: Selected Topics of Concern. Will be both academic and research oriented. It will cover such issues as: how women combine the work role with other major roles, the matching of workers to jobs including both women’s own career decision and organizational process of placement, and the problems and rewards associated with nontraditional occupations. (D)

SOC 455 (3) Race and Ethnic Relations. A description and analysis of the race and ethnic characteristics of groups within the United States, with special emphasis on patterns of racial and ethnic relationship and factors influencing them. (F, S)

SOC 458 (3) Group Dynamics. Emergence of social organization from unorganized collect behavior. Conditions giving rise to crowds, mobs, riots, panic, social unrest. Attentions to dynamics of small group behavior, patterns of leadership, and formation of public opinion. (D)

SOC 460 (3) Honors Independent Reading and Research. Prerequisites: Cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and 3.3 in all sociological courses and permission of instructor. Emphasis will be focused on giving highly individualized guidance to the student interested in exploring in depth a selected independent reading or research area in sociology for either one or two semesters. (D)

SOC 470 (3) Seminar in Sociology. Prerequisites: Senior standing and completion all required sociology courses through the First Semester, Senior year with a minimum of 2.00 average and a grade of “C” or better in all sociology courses. Critical analysis of research papers presented by the students. Methods of finding and organizing source and secondary materials. (S)

SOC 490 (3) Special Topics in Sociology. Varying advanced topics selected by the instructor for study in depth. May be repeated for a maximum of nine hours provided registrations cover different topics, Topics announced in advance. (D)

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For more information, please contact us at 601-979-2031.  We look forward to meeting with you and seeing how our program can help you achieve your goals.

DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND SOCIOLOGY

Location

Dollye E. Robinson Building
Jackson State University
1400 John R. Lynch Street
Jackson, MS 39217

Contact

Phone: 601-979-2031