Sociology/Anthropology

http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/sociology/

Interim Chair, 2000-01: Carolyn R. Anderson, identity, kinship, theory, gender; Native North America, Western Europe, Scandinavia

Faculty, 2000-01: Christopher Chiappari, religion, theory, international development, Guatemala, and Latin America; Raymond G. DeVries, medical sociology, occupations and professions, sociology of ethics; Michael R. Leming, religion, death, family, Thailand, and Southeast Asia; Phyllis Myers, sociology of sports and religion; Bruce Nordstrom-Loeb, gender, family, race and class; Samiha Sidhom Peterson, development sociology, family, gender, education, global interdependence, Arab World; James F. Tallon, Jr., crime and delinquency, law, deviance, theory, modern Ireland

Sociology and anthropology share the belief that society and culture shape us in powerful ways and that we can only know ourselves when we understand our social and cultural context. Our personalities and choices reflect who we are, but so do the groups and social institutions to which we belong (peers, family, religion, politics, occupations).

Sociology grew out of efforts to understand the nature and problems of modern industrial societies, while anthropology grew out of Europe's encounters with diverse world cultures. Both seek to explain the relationships among individuals, groups, institutions, culture, and meaning; both seek insights into the pressing personal and social issues of our day.

Sociology and anthropology contribute to other educational and occupational goals: current debates in politics, philosophy, and theology - about multiculturalism, environment, gender, inequality, "Third World" development, welfare reform, immigration - require clear understanding of life's social and cultural dimensions. Occupations drawing on sociological and anthropological knowledge include policy research and planning, human resources and industrial relations, public and international relations, law, medicine, ministry, counseling, education, management, and marketing. Both disciplines also help prepare students for social service and justice work.

General Education Credit

First-year students are encouraged to explore their interest in sociology and anthropology by enrolling in Sociology/Anthropology 121, 126, or 128. Sociology/Anthropology 121 and 126 meet the HBS and MCS-D requirements; Sociology/Anthropology 128 meets the HBS and MCS-G requirements. Although many Level II courses (numbered 200-289) meet the HBS requirement, students are encouraged to complete an introductory course before entering a Level II course.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR

The major in Sociology/Anthropology requires completion of at least nine courses distributed as follows: One introductory course (121 or 126 or 128); four core courses (291, 371, 372 or 373, 399); four elective courses, including at least one course from the area and topical groups (230s, 240s, 250s) and one from the social institutions group (260s). Majors are also required to take Statistics 110 (offered by the Mathematics Department). Statistics 110 is best taken simultaneously with Sociology/Anthropology 371. Students are permitted to take one of the four elective courses, but not a core course, S/U.

Students who study abroad on a St. Olaf program that includes a sociology or anthropology course may petition to have this course count toward their major. One independent study/research course or an off-campus field internship supervised by department faculty may also count toward the major.

Special Programs

A Social Studies Education major with an area of emphasis in Sociology/Anthropology is available (see Index). Faculty in the Sociology/Anthropology Department may be petitioned to provide academic supervision of internships that students arrange in community agencies (see Sociology/Anthropology 294 and 394). For details on off-campus programs, see the Index. The Sociology/Anthropology Department is a core participant in the following interdisciplinary majors: American Studies, American Racial and Multicultural Studies, Asian Studies, Hispanic Studies, Social Work, and Women's Studies. The Sociology/Anthropology Department also contributes towards the Africa and the Americas and the Mideast Studies Concentrations.

COURSES

INTRODUCTORY COURSES

121 Introduction to Sociology

This course helps students explore the connections between society and their own lives. Students answer challenging questions such as "Do we have a 'human nature'?" "Why does social inequality exist?" "What is race?" "How do societies change?" In answering these questions students will learn to develop a sociological imagination. In doing so they will review the various research methods and theories that form the sociological tradition. Offered Fall and Spring Semesters. GE: HBS, MCS-D.

126 Social Problems and Social Change

With poverty and inequality as central issues, the course explores related problems: crime, homelessness, population and environmental pressures, race and ethnic conflict, and the changing structure of the workplace. Students focus primarily on the U.S., while seeking to understand these problems in the context of global change. Social science outlooks on problems are compared with those emanating from everyday electronic and print journalism. Offered Fall and Spring Semesters. GE: HBS, MCS-D.

128 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

How do anthropologists study other cultures? Peoples around the world create different realities through the ways they conceptualize experience (cultures) and how they organize themselves to do what they need to do (societies). Anthropologists describe and compare cultures and societies, focusing on different aspects such as family and kinship; inequality and power; religion and values; economy and technology; cultural and social change. Offered Fall and Spring Semesters. GE: HBS, MCS-G.

141 Native America Today: Sovereign Nations, Determined Peoples

Case studies and writings by Native Americans focus on issues such as the workings of tribal governments, environmental justice, treaty rights, stereotyping of Native Americans, and legal issues. The class includes field trips to the Prairie Island Indian Community (Dakota), the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and the Minneapolis urban Indian community. How Native Americans see themselves is an important component of the course. Offered during Interim. GE: HBS, MCS-D.

142 Museums in America

This course examines the role of museums in American society and culture, focusing on art and history museums as collectors and exhibitors of objects that symbolize our cultural heritage. Topics include: how museums developed; their educational function; socioeconomics of museums; who visits museums and why; how museums work; how non-dominant cultures are represented; political issues affecting the museum world. Students do research and develop exhibits. Offered during Interim. GE: HBS AREA COURSES

231 Modern Ireland: Conflict and Change in a Postcolonial Society (abroad)

Ireland, renowned for scenic vistas, literary and musical heritage, is also the site of important post-colonial social change. This course examines changes in Irish culture and institutions coinciding with European/Global restructuring and "troubles" in Northern Ireland. We begin in the western (Gaeltacht-Irish speaking), rural Counties Galway and Mayo, move to the Northern Irish city of Derry, and conclude in urban Dublin. Offered during Interim. GE: HBS.

235 Contemporary Native American Issues

What do self-determination and cultural identity mean for Native American peoples today? Students examine the impact of colonization on Native American peoples, including federal policies, treaty rights, and sovereignty. Issues include economy and politics on reservations, family and gender roles, orality and literacy, persistence and revitalization of religious life and culture, urban life, and recent social movements and organizations. Offered Fall or Spring Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-D, ORC

236 Arabs and the Middle East

Focusing on present day Arab and Middle Eastern countries, the course will explore the role of the institutions of family and religion in maintaining continuity, while also identifying sources of change such as the colonial experience, regional and global interdependence, the social impact of oil, fundamentalist movements, and the co-existence of traditional and "modern" values. Offered Spring Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-G.

237 Forging a Latin American Culture

This course explores the forces that shape contemporary Latin America society, including material and cultural interactions with Europe, Africa and the U.S. Emphasis is placed on understanding the formation of the region in terms of the responses of key groups of actors (indigenous peoples, women, peasants, workers, the poor, revolutionaries), to the actions of outside and/or more powerful forces and institutions (conquerors, the state, the military, missionaries, multinational corporations). Offered Fall or Spring Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-G.

TOPICAL COURSES

241 Global Interdependence

Approaching the world as a "global village," the course will focus on the development of the world as an interdependent entity, the relationship between the "developed" and "developing" world, alternative explanations for planned social change, and new institutions for this international world. Some global challenges such as the information revolution, population, the status of women, and migration will be analyzed to illustrate this interdependence. Offered Fall Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-G.

243 Social Movements

Students explore social, political, and religious movements, focusing on case studies of struggles utilizing both violent and nonviolent tactics. The course emphasizes the historical and cultural contexts of social movements, including tradition, ritual and symbolism; colonialism, national borders, and indigenous peoples. The role of cultural identities in the creation of communities of resistance and movements for social change is also a central issue. Offered Fall or Spring Semester. GE: MCS-D.

244 Race and Class in American Culture

Students explore the continuing significance of color, class, and immigration in the U.S., with a focus on the experiences and concerns of African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Asian-Americans. The course examines the nature and functions of prejudice; the relationship among race, class, and gender; the persistence of racism and inequality; and social policies and social movements intended to create greater social justice. Offered Fall Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-D.

245 Social Deviance

Social factors contribute significantly to deviational problems: mental disorders; drug, alcohol, and gambling addictions; suicide; sexual deviations, and physical and learning disabilities. This course seeks to interpret socially deviant behavior in the light of a well-developed body of social theory and to demonstrate the value of empirical research in these areas. (This course complements but does not duplicate Sociology/Anthropology 246). Offered Fall or Spring Semester. GE: HBS.

246 Crime and Delinquency: Sociological Views

Crime is a perennial concern. Sociological criminology offers a body of knowledge about such topics as the legal definitions of crimes, the interpretation of crime statistics, and the range of alternatives regarding crime control. Among the conventional crimes studied are violent crimes, property crimes, white collar crime, and organized crime, as well as delinquency and gangs. (This course complements Sociology/Anthropology 245 and Sociology/Anthropology 266). Offered Spring Semester. GE: HBS.

248 Sociology of Dying, Death, and Bereavement

This class investigates death-related behavior from an American and cross-cultural structural perspective, seeking to understand patterns of social interaction surrounding and giving meaning to dying, death, and bereavement. Topics include: death meanings and anxiety, religion and death-related customs, the dying process, hospice as a social movement, biomedical issues, the funeral industry and death rituals, and the social understanding of the bereavement process. Offered Fall or Spring Semester. GE: HBS.

249 Endangered Cultures

Hunters and gatherers, herders and agriculturalists who have developed successful strategies for utilizing natural resources while maintaining ecological balance are in danger of losing their ways of life. Deforestation, dams, pollution, global warming, desert expansion and population pressure - the products of globalization and economic development - are threatening the loss of invaluable cultural knowledge as well as sustainable adaptations. Students explore humans and the environment and the survival of indigenous peoples. Offered Fall or Spring Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-G.

250 Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Using a comparative and historical sociological approach, the course introduces students to international social and cultural human rights and examines their implications for planned social change. In addition, students analyze debates such as the demand to apply a universal standard of rights versus the demand that societies determine their own standards; and the relationship between the rights of the individual and the rights of the collective. Offered Spring Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-G.

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS COURSES

260 Marriage and the Family

This course provides a social science understanding of the "contemporary American family" and analysis of marriage and family issues from a cross-cultural perspective. Students discuss issues of dating and mate selection, marital and parent-child relationships over the family life cycle, gender issues, work and family roles, and problem-related issues affecting families (divorce, violence and death) caused by rapid changes in society. Offered Fall and Spring Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-D.

261 Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Students compare gender in various cultures around the world and its fundamental importance to social institutions, especially family and kinship. How do cultural conceptions of gender vary? Why are gender roles different in different societies? Why do some societies have more gender equality than others? How do economic and political change impact gender differentiation? What is the value of feminism for studying gender cross-culturally? Offered Fall Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-G.

263 Karen of Northern Thailand (abroad)

Through interviews with tribal leaders and village residents and the reading of written materials concerning the Sgaw Karen, students will gain an understanding of the Karen people, Thailand's largest minority group. Students taking this class will live near the Sgaw Karen village of Tee Mae Ker Lah, situated 120 miles northwest of Chiang Mai (Thailand's second largest city). Offered during Interim. GE: HBS, MCS-G.

265 Religion, Culture, and Society

This course examines and analyzes religious beliefs, meanings, rituals, and organizational patterns from an empirical perspective. Students study the social organization and functions of religion, the process of secularization in society, the practice and function of civil religion, religious conversion and defection, and sectarian religious movements. Offered Fall or Spring Semester. GE: HBS.

266 Law and Society: Sociological Interpretations

Law comprises a body of rules and a set of public institutions. Sociology of law analyzes their social and cultural foundations and how law functions in modern society. Topics include the legal professions, disputing processes, compliance to law, law in conditions of religious and ethnic diversity, and legal rights and social dependency (delinquency, mental illness, welfare). (This course complements but does not duplicate Sociology/Anthropology 245 and Sociology/Anthropology 246). Offered Spring Semester. GE: HBS, MCS-D.

269 Work and Career in Modern Society

What is the meaning of work at the beginning of the 21st century? Students examine work as vocation and career; the relationship of work and lesiure; the growth of complex, bureaucratic workplaces, the nature and responsibilities of the professions; the globalizaion of work; and the transformation of work in the future. Offered Fall or Spring Semester. GE: HBS

CORE COURSES/ INDEPENDENT STUDY/ INTERNSHIPS

291 History of Sociological Theory T

his course provides an overview of the major thinkers who sought to create a science of human society, the ideas they found fundamental to a science of society, and how human society changes through history. Classical thinkers such as Marx, Durkheim, Simmel, Weber, and Mead are studied along with the schools of theory which they inspired: positivism, interpretive and critical conflict theory. Offered Spring Semester. GE: HWC.

294 Internship

298 Independent Study

371 Foundations of Social Science Research: Quantitative Methods

Students are given the skills necessary to critically evaluate and conduct quantitative research. Students learn the underlying theoretical assumptions and orientations of quantitative research, including research design, sampling techniques, strategies for data collection, and approaches to analysis. Students use existing data to do original analysis and also gain practical experience by doing limited research projects that begin with a small, original survey and continue through statistical analysis and report writing. Offered Fall Semester.

372 Survey Research and Statistical Analysis

This course provides guided practice in data collection and analysis and prepares students to critically review social research. Students are introduced to methods of data collection, univariate and multivariate analysis, computer programs for statistical analysis, and techniques of evaluation research. Each student develops a testable hypothesis, collects empirical data that bear on that hypothesis, analyzes the data, and prepares a scholarly report of the findings. Prerequisite: Sociology/Anthropology 371. GE: MAR. Offered Spring Semester.

373 Foundations of Social Science Research: Qualitative Methods

Students learn to design and conduct qualitative research in the tradition of sociological and anthropological ethnography. Students discuss theoretical approaches to ethnography and learn data collection methods through case studies and fieldwork assignments. Students use their own research to gain experience in interpreting field notes, doing analysis, and writing an ethnographic interpretation of their research findings. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Offered Spring Semester.

394 Internship

398 Independent Research

399 Senior Seminar

This seminar offers in-depth reading, writing and discussion on a selected topic from areas common to sociology and anthropology with an emphasis on contemporary analysis. Specific content will vary from year to year. The seminar is open to senior majors only. Offered Spring Semester.