2008-2009 Catalog - Virginia Wesleyan College

SOCIOLOGY/CRIMINAL JUSTICE167criminal justice and law enforcement; introduction toforensics; and criminal law. May be repeated for credit asdesignated topics change. Prerequisite: junior/senior statusor consent. Offered as topics become available.420 Criminal Law: The Appellate Process (3) WProvides students with an understanding of a criminalappeal. While reviewing an actual criminal trial transcript,students are required to develop legal issues for an appeal.After discovering the precise legal issues, students prepare alegal brief for an appellate court’s review. An emphasis isplaced on the students’ ability to create a well-reasonedargument within the context of a written legal brief.Prerequisites: CJ 387, junior/senior status, and consent.Offered fall of odd-numbered years.460 Readings in Criminal Justice (1-3)Students select a topic concerning criminal justicetheory or research, survey the relevant literature, anddiscuss their findings with their major professor. (One orthree semester hours depending on the scope of theproject.) May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: priorconsent of the project adviser. Offered each semester.483 Internship Preparation Course (1)Identical to SOC 483.484 Internship in Sociology andCriminal Justice (9)Identical to SOC 484.489 Senior Integrative Assessment (3) (I)Criminal justice and sociology majors draw upon theirfour years of study to focus on the integration and synthesisof their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Students assess andanalyze the connectedness of their academic learning inlight of their future goals. Contemporary topics take aholistic and systematic perspective focusing on a variety ofissues such as justice, ethics, and community needs.Prerequisite: junior/senior status. Limited to sociology andcriminal justice majors. Students must register for thiscourse in the spring semester of the year in which theyintend to graduate. Juniors will need consent from theinstructor. (Note: juniors may be eligible if there is ananticipated scheduling problem because of theirinternship.) Offered each spring.SOCIOLOGY COURSES (SOC)100 Introduction to Sociology (3)An introduction to sociology as a behavioral science andway of viewing the world. Students are introduced to basicconcepts of sociological investigation and interpretationand to critical thinking. In the study of society, students notonly see how individual behavior is shaped by group life buthow group life is affected by individuals. Students learn toapply a sociological imagination to examining social issues.Common sense notions are replaced by a critical analysis ofsocial issues. Offered each semester.110 Cultural Anthropology (3) (S)Study of the nature of culture; comparative analysis ofsocial, religious, economic, and political institutions inspecific preliterate and modern cultures; the culturaldimensions of behavior. Offered each fall.188 Sociology in Film and Music (3) WA survey of basic concepts of sociology as they areportrayed in selected popular motion pictures and music.The course can serve either as an introduction to sociologyor as a systematic application and review. Offered eachsemester.224 Social & Cultural Change (3)Focuses on the processes and consequences of changearising from various types of collective action, fromspontaneous collective behaviors (e.g., rumors or disasterreactions) to planned institutional actions such as the civilrights movement. Prerequisite: any 100-level sociologycourse. Offered fall of odd-numbered years.230 Understanding Other Cultures (3) (S)A study of traditional culture patterns, religious beliefsand practices, political and economic behavior, and artforms of a selected ethnic group or geographic area.Prerequisite: any 100-level sociology course. Offered eachspring.240 Community Systems (3)A futures course which examines urban and ruralcommunities as forms of social life and fields for varioussocial system interactions. Theory, research, and thepractical application of both are viewed in the context ofpatterns of exchange, the planning and development ofcommunity action and social change. Prerequisite: SOC100 or 188. Offered intermittently.270 Social Problems (3) (S)A critical investigation of selected current socialproblems—their issues, causes, development, andalternative solutions. Offered each spring.275 Sociology of Sport (3)An examination of the individual, social, and culturalsignificance of athletic endeavors and organized sports,including the larger social conditions in which they areembedded. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or 188. Offered fall ofeven-numbered years.303 Small Groups (3) (C)An experiential course in which sociological theoriesand methods are used to analyze the structure and processesof small social groups. Prerequisite: any 200-level sociologycourse. Cannot be taken concurrently with PSY 324.Offered each fall.