Sociology

• MET SO 100: Principles of Sociology
  This course introduces students to the basic theories and concepts associated with the study of society. Within this framework students will explore the following questions: Why are people poor? What are the dynamics of group behavior? Has modern society lost its traditional values? Do men and women think differently? What is environmental racism? What explains the achievement gap in American education? These questions and more will be discussed and analyzed through a sociological lens.
• MET SO 201: Sociological Methods
  Scientific method, measurement, experimentation, survey research, observational methods, projective techniques, and content analysis used in social science research.
• MET SO 203: Sociological Theories
  An introduction to the major theoretical perspectives used in sociological inquiry and how they apply to contemporary social life. Special emphasis on nineteenth-century European theorists such as Marx, Weber, and Durkheim.
  
  This course may not be taken in conjunction with METSO300. Only one of these courses can be counted towards degree requirements.
• MET SO 300: Applied Social Science Theory
  Applied Social Science Theory introduces students to major authors and seminal works that continue to inform theory and research in social sciences. The focus is on reading primary source materials to examine not only the major conclusions of these authors, but the arguments they use to justify those conclusions. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking, Research and Information Literacy.
  
  This course may not be taken in conjunction with METSO203 or MET CJ300. Only one of these courses can be counted towards degree requirements.
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  • Critical Thinking
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Social Inquiry II
• MET SO 302: Women and Health in the Twenty-First Century
  Examines current issues directly related to the health experiences of women in America and around the world. Topics include an historical overview of women's health and examine in depth issues such as: gender specific medicine; puberty, body image and eating disorders; contraception and the abortion issue; infertility and technology; pregnancy, childbirth and breast feeding; violence against women; incarcerated women and the female brain. Provides a framework to integrate the social variables involved in exploring the roles played by men and women as medical consumers and its affects on overall health and attitudes.
• MET SO 310: Business and the Social Environment
  The role of business in the world of politics, economics, and society.
• MET SO 311: Religion and Society
  The interrelationships of religious and social structures: denominations and social institutions, secular and sacred cultures, group behavior, ideology, and religious beliefs.
• MET SO 335: Technology, Environment, and Society
  Relationship between technology, environment, and social life. Impact of actual cases of technological development and environmental degradation. Emergence of social problems, and strategies for their solution.
• MET SO 501: Special Topics in Sociology
  SO501 is the designation for "Special Topics in Sociology". The subject matter for SO501 courses changes from semester to semester, and more than one SO501 can be offered in a given semester. For additional information, please contact the MET Applied Social Sciences Department.
  
  Fall 2018, SO501 D1: "Developing Sustainable Communities." This course is designed to explore the many challenges of achieving sustainable development through a coherent and thought provoking overview of moves towards developing sustainable communities. The course will focus on improving the quality of people's lives, on disinvested communities and on the inequitable distribution of income, wealth, and environmental hazards. It will investigate the theory of sustainable development and ask about the principles, tools, and techniques, of moving towards the ecological integrity, economic security, empowerment, responsibility and social well being characteristics of sustainable communities. Case studies will be drawn from around the world.
• MET SO 511: Understanding Moral Panics
  Introduces students to the concept of Moral Panics. Moral panics are a social phenomenon triggered by an incident or series of incidents that appear to threaten a society's culture or way of life. Policymakers, legislators, and prosecutors react to these fears despite a trivial or non-existent threat. In this course we analyze in detail five moral panics to advance our understanding of the theoretical framework and the media's role in their construction.