Senate Document Number 0800S
Date of Senate Approval 1/20/2000
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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:
APC Document #4: Changing Title and Course Description for SOC 225, Deleting SOC 450, and Adding SOC 310
Effective Date: Fall semester 2000
1. New title and course description for SOC 225
A. Delete: Title and course description for SOC 225
B. Add: SOC 225 Social Theory I (3)
Examines key concepts and ideas of a number of important contributors to social theory.
Course introduces students to major theoretical perspectives which will be further
discussed and analyzed through the study of empirical phenomena, past and present.
Prerequisite: SOC 100. Fall and Spring.
C. Impact Statement:
No impact on staffing needs or other departments. No concurrences required.
D. Rationale:
As part of the department's curriculum revision, it was decided that the current courses and
their sequencing constitute an artificial and confusing separation between "classical" and
"modern" sociological or social theory. Among others, this separation created unnecessary
difficulties for students in their comprehension as well as approach to social theory.
The revised SOC 225 Classical Sociological Theory, now SOC 225 Social Theory I, will continue to focus on key concepts, assumptions of social theory, but it will differ from the old course in that it makes use of a wider theoretical perspective (i.e. inclusion of more theoretical approaches to social theory) as well a more "applied" approach (i.e. underline a given theoretical perspective with real life issues, concerns and/or problems).
2. New title, course number and course description for SOC 450.
A. Delete: Title and course description for SOC 450
B. Add: SOC 310 Social Theory II (3)
Examines theoretical perspectives on the basis of principles of theorizing. By applying
them to social phenomena, this course will help students learn how to theorize the human
social world. Prerequisites: SOC 100, 225. Fall and Spring.
C. Impact Statement:
No impact on staffing needs or other departments. No concurrences required.
D. Rationale:
As part of the department's curriculum revision, it was decided that the current courses and
their sequencing constitute an artificial and confusing separation between "classical" and
"modern" sociological or social theory. Among others, this separation created unnecessary
difficulties for students in their comprehension as well as approach to social theory.
The revised SOC 450 Modern Sociological Theory, now SOC 310 Social Theory II, will continue to focus on key concepts and assumptions of social theory, but it will differ from SOC 450 in that it no longer makes use of already introduced (through SOC 225) theoretical paradigms. This will help avoid repetition which in the past has tended to confuse students by creating an artificial separation of theoretical perspectives. In addition, being a 300 level course instead of a 400 level course, this new course will in all likelihood be taken earlier by students, thereby reducing the time span between SOC 225 and SOC 310. This will help tighten the overall Sociology curriculum, essentially contributing more to make 300 level courses a useful platform from which to continue further study at the expanded 300 and 400 levels.