is an introduction to the concepts, principles, and topics of Sociology. This course is a prerequisite to most departmental courses.

introduces students to criminological and sociological models and research methods for understanding the phenomenon of “crime”. As a background for developing theory, this course familiarizes students with the challenges associated with defining and researching “crime”. Along with a critical examination of the different theories and methods in criminology, students consider the implications for policy.

introduces students to the fundamentals of research design and the bridge between research and theory. Using the concept of the sociological imagination, students learn how this informs how we think about the social world and how we study the social world.

introduces the subject of social inequality and stratification, examines social inequalities in historical perspective, reviews major theories about social inequalities, and considers key social developments in contemporary societies in the area of social inequalities.

as its principle task, explores different links that exist between economy and society. Emphasis will be put on embeddedness of economic processes in a broader social context. Several approaches to the study of the embeddedness will be discussed: economic sociology, institutional economics, law and economics, and others. Do we really live in a network society, where the most important thing is to ‘get connected’? How important is it to trust people in everyday life and to what extent? What role do power and coercion play in our everyday lives? The course will provide guidelines for finding tentative answers to these questions.

is an examination of the role of technology in society and society's role in shaping technology. Topics may include the emergence of modern technological society, the impact of new technologies on social organization and culture, and the institutionalization of science and the production of scientific knowledge. The course also explores the ideological functions of science and technology.

examines and questions the dominant political-economic logics and social control strategies used to manage homelessness. It explores common strategies that attempt to supervise, regulate, and integrate impoverished populations into civil society and the market. This course also proposes promising future directions for homeless governance in Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador.

is an examination of verbal and non-verbal systems of communication, and the influence of language on human cognition.

focuses on the social and cultural aspects of contemporary island Newfoundland.

is a descriptive and analytic approach to the development of Canadian society and culture.

is a sociological analysis of contemporary world issues and global social problems. All sections of this course follow International Studies guidelines available at www.mun.ca/hss/IS.

is a comparative and historical study of the family, and the range of variation in its processes and structure.

introduces students to contemporary sociological approaches to the study of the relationship between human and non-human animals.

explores the relationships among science, technology, and society (STS). It is premised on the idea that science and technology affect our social, cultural, economic, and political lives. Equally, scientific research and technology development are shaped by their social, cultural, economic, and political contexts. This course draws upon the fields of anthropology, sociology, geography, history, and cultural studies, as STS is an interdisciplinary field.

considers the idea that who you know matters, and shows how the structure of networks relates to everyday life. Students will learn how connections impact outcomes in areas such as health, employment, business, and critically examine how forms of social inequality like gender, ethnicity and class influence who we get to know. Students will be introduced to network analysis through the collection and analysis of their own networks.

is an introduction to the sociological foundations of political life. Topics to be examined include voting behaviour, comparative power systems, ideologies, mass movements, parties, voluntary associations, and bureaucracies. Attention is given to the concepts of class, status, command, power, authority, and legitimacy.

will familiarize students with the procedures for understanding and conducting quantitative social science research. It will introduce students to the quantitative research process, hypothesis development and testing, and the application of appropriate tools for analyzing quantitative data. All sections of this course follow Quantitative Reasoning Course Guidelines available at www.mun.ca/hss/qr.

introduces qualitative methodological approaches in sociology. The course covers qualitative research design, inductive reasoning, and qualitative data analyses such as/including qualitative interviews and ethnography and other related methods of inquiry. Students will gain “hands on” experience, gain knowledge of the purposes and strengths of qualitative research, and learn about ethical considerations when conducting research with human participants.

examines sociological perspectives on social psychology: the physiological and psychological basis of sign and symbol use, the context and emergence of self, identity, role, encounters, social relationships, altercasting.

provides a critical overview of the major social and cultural aspects of modern gambling in terms of leisure, work and economic development, social inequality, health and illness, deviance and crime, and policy. Special attention is directed at the promotion of modern gambling by the state (lotteries, casinos, video lottery terminals, slot machines, and horse racing).

examines the major social movements that have driven social changes related to gender equality, social justice, human rights, and the environment. The course asks why people become involved in social movements, and what factors contribute to movement success. The course also examines social movements’ use of mass media and new media technologies as tools for reaching the public and provoking social and cultural transformation.

is an introduction to the work of major 19th and early 20th-century social theorists including Marx, Durkheim, and Weber.

is an exploration of selected topics from issues in contemporary social theory, including theories of feminism, the state, the environment, culture, organization, and communication.

examines the nature of ethnocultural group status in society and various examples of ethnocultural groups in past and present societies, reviews theoretical perspectives on racial and ethnic inequality, and explores various aspects of the relationship between ethnic groups in Canada.

is an introduction to demography, the scientific study of human populations, their size and composition, and the processes by which they change over time: nuptially, fertility, mortality, and migration. Includes analyses of past and present Newfoundland and Labrador populations.

is an historical and comparative perspective on the cultural and social organization of work, its determinants and human implications.

is an examination of theories of development including a critical analysis of international case studies. All sections of this course follow International Studies guidelines available at www.mun.ca/hss/IS.

examines major sociological theories and methodological techniques central to the study of deviance and crime. The distribution, attributes and explanations of a variety of forms of deviance are examined, which may include violence, sexual deviance, delinquency, addiction, mental disorder, theft, organized crime, political deviance and corporate deviance.

will have a topic of current interest and importance, announced by the Department for each term, such as racial and ethnic relations, sociology of religion, health, art, language, conflict, stratification, knowledge, selected social problems.

provides an introduction to the youth justice system. The course examines the evolution and impact of youth justice philosophy and legislation in Canada and the experiences of youth at various stages within the system. Topics may include: youth crime measurement, the social profile of youth involved in the justice system, information sources about youth crime, theories of youth delinquency, and issues affecting young people (e.g. homelessness, substance use, mental illness, gang involvement).

examines the social construction of disability, and explores the intersection of disability, disability studies, and disability activism with major areas of sociological focus that often fail to address disability (e.g. race, gender, work, sexuality, identity, globalization and knowledge production). By critically unpacking concepts of ‘accommodation’, ‘inclusivity’ and ‘accessibility’ this course explores how constructions and discourses of disability shape our social world and ways of knowing.

is an examination of the sociology of the Western oil industry and of the social and cultural implications of oil activities for those regions in which they occur. Particular attention will be paid to North Atlantic societies: Scotland. Norway, and Atlantic Canada.

is an Introduction to the study of aging from a social and cultural perspective. Distinctions between the biological and social elements of the aging process will be examined. The overview of social and cultural gerontology Includes social, economic and political influences on later life, as well as the culture-based needs and aspirations of the aged.

is an examination of the recourse to violence as a recurring phenomenon in social and political movements. Consideration will be given to problems of classifying and explaining various forms of "terrorism", and to discussing their consequences for society.

provides an introduction to the criminological and sociological perspectives on our system of formal social control (police, courts, corrections). Special attention is directed at how social structure and social inequality (class, ethnicity and race, gender) influence criminal justice decisions. Topics discussed include public opinion on crime and criminal justice, offenders and victims in the system, consensus and conflict in the creation of criminal law, finding a delicate balance between police powers for crime control and democratic rights, types of sentencing options and rationales, and the dual and conflicting goals of prisons and alternatives to incarceration.

explores the social construction of youth and reviews major theoretical approaches to the study of youth within Western Society. The course examines youth in relation to culture and identity, place and space, social inequalities, and social institutions.

is an analysis of functions of physical activity and sport in Canadian and North American society. Physical activity and sport will be viewed through social organization, social processes, social problems, socialization and stratification, and violence.

provides a comprehensive introduction to the major themes, theories and research questions addressed by sociologists studying ‘gender’. The economic, social, cultural and political aspects of gender formations, in comparative Canadian and transnational contexts, will be examined.

will explore non-print means for recording social behavior and will utilize various forms of the media as a descriptive and an analytic tool.

will explore problems of development in post-Soviet countries, examining them in a broader context of modernization. 'Catch-up' modernization gives rise to a set of problems related to institutional importation, e.g., a gap between formal and informal institutions. These problems exist in Russia as well as in a number of other less-developed countries.

is a comparative examination of major contemporary sociological texts on the relationship between culture, broadly understood as symbolic systems, and social structure

provides more advanced undergraduate-level study and practice in a variety of qualitative and quantitative sociological research methods. It will cover stages from conceptualization to empirical studies. The seminar format may include lectures, discussion and a range of research methods exercises.

will cover topics which may include: cultural concepts of illness and health; theories of disease causation; relationships between social life and illness patterns; symbiotic use of illness; variations in philosophies of treatment and in practitioner/patient relationships; the social organization of medicine.

is about ritual and ceremony, as both analytic and descriptive concepts, in both industrial states and subsistence-oriented societies. Topics examined could include: the universality of ritual and ceremony; essential differences between ritual and ceremony; their relative importance in non-industrialised and industrialised societies; the place of symbolism in ritual and ceremony; and the relationship between ritual, ceremony, religion and the sacred.

- inactive course.

covers an array of theoretical and empirical developments in sociology and criminology that cross boundaries within the diverse systems of criminal justice, the community and society more broadly. Special emphases will be placed on the experiences of those in the criminal justice system - as victims, offenders, and professionals - and theories of desistance, as well as the intersection of gender with race, ethnicity and class.

is an advanced seminar which will consider some selected topics dealing with the petroleum industry and its implications for economic development and social change. A comparative approach will be taken, using material from developed, underdeveloped and intermediate regions of the world.

is a seminar which examines assumptions about what constitutes 'social theory', the history of social thought as it applies to issues of gender, and the debates surrounding the intersection of gender and social theory. The goal is to understand more about ways in which social theory has illuminated relations between gendered categories, the social world and its diverse inhabitants.

is a seminar course focusing on theoretical and empirical explanations of development (e.g. international development, foreign aid, and trade). The course provides students with an understanding of how the theories, actors, and ongoing challenges of development shape societies globally. All sections of this course follow International Studies guidelines available at www.mun.ca/hss/IS.

is a seminar which examines the origins and impacts of unemployment and underemployment in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and globally. It examines the core concepts in the sociology of unemployment and underemployment and then moves to consider the consequences for societies, communities and individuals.

will have the content announced when offered.

introduces students to the sociological study of the victims of crime. Along with examining the history of victimology and the current official data on victims, the course considers the individual and social consequences of victimization and the victims’ responses to those consequences. This includes a critical examination of the role and impact of various official agencies and the psychiatric profession in processing victims.

is a part-time, one-semester internship course, and is normally an unpaid supervised field placement for academically strong sociology majors. The goal is to help give students basic skills required for employment in non-profit organizations in the social services and arts management.

is advanced analysis from a sociological perspective of issues pertaining to specific social institutions.

provides a selective overview of some of the sociological debates surrounding the modern Western state. Topics may include the history and development of the modern Western state; sociological theories of the state; the state and the economy; and the state and globalization. Through this course, students will learn how the distribution of power in societies influences the character of the state and government decision making.

examines the social forces that drive environmental degradation and responses to environmental issues. The course explores how environmental issues, such as climate change, fisheries collapse, or deforestation, are intertwined with systems of social power and inequality. Through this course, students will learn how a sociological perspective helps address the causes and potential solutions for environmental problems and conflicts.

investigates the effects of technology in feminist social movements and technologies that exemplify feminist values and ideologies, particularly as they pertain to the Earth. Topics could include: ecofeminism and technology; assessing, designing, and building technologies from a feminist perspective; the gender politics of social-technological systems; information technologies in science; feminist geography; biotechnology and ecology; development in architecture and design. The course combines seminar discussions of reading with hands-on activities.

will have topics to be studied announced by the Department.

is a seminar course that critically examines how gender structures risk factors and health outcomes and shapes how we experience and understand bodies and minds in relation to health and risk. Topics may include transgender and transsexual health, masculinities and femininities, the body, mental health, leisure and sport, the health care system, and occupational health and safety.

is a seminar class exploring the social construction of time. Questions addressed include: What do we make of the past, present, and future? What are the meanings of time-reckoning systems? What role do these systems serve? The course will also expose students to how different sociological lenses have been applied to the sociology of time through key studies in the field.

examines the migration and involvement of Indigenous Peoples to urban centres. Students will critically consider nationhood, affiliation, ethnicity, gender, and class as these structures relate co Indigenous Peoples, urban living, identity and culture. Students will further decolonize their understanding of Indigenous Peoples and participation in urban society.

is a critical sociology seminar using an intersectional approach to examine issues confronting the wide diversity of people living in poverty in the contemporary Canadian welfare state. Topics include pathways to poverty, health and quality of life, impact of gender and other social locations on poverty, civil society responses, social policy and actions, and the provision of financial, human, and social program resources in Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador.

is an advanced seminar that explores how sexual violence toward youth is constructed as a social problem. Topics include: theoretical and methodological explanations of child sexual abuse (including methodological issues on collecting data on youth, cross-cultural research), relationships between adult sexual violence and child sexual abuse, sexual perpetrators and pedophiles, the place of children in contemporary society, the experiences of child victims and professional responses to child sexual abuse.

is a seminar course exploring the role policing plays in society, the social, economic, and political factors that shape policing; and the policies to improve policing. Topics may include popular views of the police, the use of force in arrest and public protest, investigative myths and effectiveness, community policing, police socialization, policing problems such as family violence, police misconduct, gender and diversity in police services and the expansion of private policing.

explores the socially constructed nature of sexuality, and examines how concepts of sexuality are used in the current North American context as well as across different times and cultures. The course explores sex and sexuality in connection to community and identity, social problems, social control, and political resistance.

is a seminar course focusing on theoretical and empirical explanations of how global development processes affect gender inequality and relations between men and women. The course provides students an understanding of how the theories, actors, and ongoing challenges of development interact with and work to shape socially constructed gender relations in a global perspective. Special attention is paid to how globalization influences gender in the international development context. All sections of this course follow International Studies guidelines available at www.mun.ca/hss/IS.

is a senior-level seminar course that focuses on the interaction between sociological research and theory on the one hand and government policymaking and implementation on the other with respect to social and economic development in Newfoundland and Labrador.

is a part of the honours program.

introduces students to criminological and sociological models and research methods for understanding the phenomenon of “crime”. As a background for developing theory, this course familiarizes students with the challenges associated with defining and researching “crime”. Along with a critical examination of the different theories and methods in criminology, students consider the implications for policy.

introduces students to the Correctional Systems in Canada and their role in Canadian Criminal Justice. Topics covered in this course include: the evolution of punishment and corrections in Canada, the purpose of prison, the classification of federal prisoners, the prisoner subculture or ‘inmate’ code, violence inside prisons, and community corrections after full custody incarceration.

examines and questions the dominant political-economic logics and social control strategies used to manage homelessness. It explores common strategies that attempt to supervise, regulate, and integrate impoverished populations into civil society and the market. This course also proposes promising future directions for homeless governance in Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador.

will introduce students to different theories and models of policing as a profession and area of research. It will examine the organization of police services, their mandate and operation and provide an overview of the history and development of policing in Canada. Examples from Newfoundland and Labrador will be used where appropriate, and the various roles and responsibilities of the police in society will be discussed. Other topics of study include police decision making, exercise of powers, use of discretion, recruitment and training, the professional role, organizational and operational stress and policing in a diverse society.

will provide an opportunity to explore contemporary victim issues, in particular, as they relate to enhancing police and criminal justice responses and sensitivity to the needs of victims. The course will explore different types of victimization, encourage critical analysis and understanding of the impact of the CJS on victims and the role of the victim in bringing about progressive and positive changes in the CJS. It will consider recent legislative developments, programs, services and emerging issues and discuss how victim engagement can promote public confidence in the administration of justice.

examines the gendered aspects of criminal offending, victimization, criminal justice responses (police, courts, corrections), and workers in the criminal justice system.

examines major sociological theories and methodological techniques central to the study of deviance and crime. The distribution, attributes and explanations of a variety of forms of deviance are examined, which may include violence, sexual deviance, delinquency, addiction, mental disorder, theft, organized crime, political deviance and corporate deviance.

provides an introduction to the youth justice system. The course examines the evolution and impact of youth justice philosophy and legislation in Canada and the experiences of youth at various stages within the system. Topics may include: youth crime measurement, the social profile of youth involved in the justice system, information sources about youth crime, theories of youth delinquency, and issues affecting young people (e.g. homelessness, substance use, mental illness, gang involvement).

provides an introduction to the criminological and sociological perspectives on our system of formal social control (police, courts, corrections). Special attention is directed at how social structure and social inequality (class, ethnicity and race, gender) influence criminal justice decisions. Topics discussed include public opinion on crime and criminal justice, offenders and victims in the system, consensus and conflict in the creation of criminal law, finding a delicate balance between police powers for crime control and democratic rights, types of sentencing options and rationales, and the dual and conflicting goals of prisons and alternatives to incarceration.

will introduce students to investigative interviewing. It covers a range of topics that will help develop and/or improve the interviewing skills of those working in various disciplines where professional interviewing skills are essential.

provides discussion of aspects of policing, including powers of search and seizure, arrest and release, interviewing and interrogation, in light of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Police misconduct, abuse of power, the police role in false confessions and wrongful convictions, and techniques that contribute to these will also be examined. Topics include knowledge required for different types of offences (e.g. drugs, cybercrime, sex work), monitoring special events, and policing diverse communities.

examines the ethical challenges, dilemmas and issues involved in different aspects of policing both at the individual and organizational level. Different philosophical theories are reviewed along with the research literature on police deviance and crime. Problems of definition and measurement are considered along with the policy implications of research for achieving higher and more consistent standards of police ethics.

covers an array of theoretical and empirical developments in sociology and criminology that cross boundaries within the diverse systems of criminal justice, the community and society more broadly. Special emphases will be placed on the experiences of those in the criminal justice system - as victims, offenders, and professionals - and theories of desistance, as well as the intersection of gender with race, ethnicity and class.

introduces students to the sociological study of the victims of crime. Along with examining the history of victimology and the current official data on victims, the course considers the individual and social consequences of victimization and the victims’ responses to those consequences. This includes a critical examination of the role and impact of various official agencies and the psychiatric profession in processing victims.

will cover special topics related to policing and will be announced by the Program Director.

is a seminar course exploring the role policing plays in society, the social, economic, and political factors that shape policing; and the policies to improve policing. Topics may include popular views of the police, the use of force in arrest and public protest, investigative myths and effectiveness, community policing, police socialization, policing problems such as family violence, police misconduct, gender and diversity in police services and the expansion of private policing.

is part of the honours program.