This course offers an introduction to the body of research and understanding about race and diverse identities and cultures, particularly in the context of the United States. Students will identify and describe terminology relating to race and diversity and will explore and describe the concepts of race, culture, class, sex, and gender identity as social constructs. Students will be asked to think critically about assumptions related to race- and sex-based hierarchical ideas and the effects of those assumptions on equitable economic, social, and political participation in the United States. Students will explore, and explain, the meaning of intersectionality as it relates to diverse identities (e.g. race, ethnicity, sex and gender, etc.).

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1. Identify and describe key terminology and concepts related to race and diversity.
2. Describe the meaning of a social construct as a sociological phenomenon and apply its principles to a given example related to race, culture, class, or gender identity.
3. Evaluate the effect of psychological and sociological race- and sex-based hierarchies on individuals or groups in terms of their equitable inclusion in economic, social, and political participation in the U.S.
4. Explain the meaning of intersectionality as it relates to the connection between diverse forms of identity (e.g., race, ethnicity, sex and gender identities, etc.) and describe how it applies to an example where there are interdependent methods of discrimination.
5. Describe a situation in which there is evidence of discrimination according to race, ethnicity, sex, or gender identity and provide analysis of the indicators that support these claims.

This course provides a basis for analyzing alternatives in the relationships between men and women by looking at the roles women play in widely different societies; for example, in peasant, socialist, and capitalist industrial societies. The range of women's and men's roles in a variety of cultures is explored through readings, discussions, films, and slides.

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1. Pursue an interdisciplinary approach to learning about and discussing gender roles in societies.
2. Articulate the impact of culture, history, and biography on how men and women perceive themselves and each other in relation to the rest of the social world and describe how they act on these perceptions.
3. Research and explore how race, class, and ethnic differences complicate shared gender experience.
4. Describe what similarities exist across the boundaries of groups.

This course examines evolving family structures in contemporary American society. The functions which a family serves are reviewed. The stages of family life and development, a variety of communication patterns and the causes of breakups are addressed. The focus of the course is on helping students develop an ability to assess the strengths of a family system, evaluate the decision-making processes used by a family and discuss the resiliency of the family. The course reviews a range of intervention methods which can be used to improve family relationships.

This course examines the characteristics of both healthy and troubled families as they progress through each developmental stage. Change is a constant in each person’s life; the family’s response to change and the resulting stress is reviewed. A family’s ability to manage extraordinary stressors, from both external and internal sources, is discussed. There is an emphasis on maladaptive patterns including family violence, runaways, and self-harming patterns.

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1. Describe the essential tasks of the family, the stages of development through which families pass, and characteristic patterns of family functioning.
2. Utilize systems theory to analyze how well an individual family is functioning.
3. Explain the typical changes a family must make to adapt to each stage of the developmental sequence.
4. Examine how normal stressors can cumulatively damage some family’s adaptive mechanisms.
5. Describe how extraordinary stressors such as job loss, economic downturns, or military actions can impact a family’s stress levels.
6. Analyze several maladaptive strategies used by family members including violence, running away, and substance abuse.
7. Compare and contrast strategies of effectively functioning families with maladaptive strategies, focusing on aspects of family life such as parenting, communication, and support networks.
8. Inventory local community resources available to support family functioning.
9. Develop a plan to help foster resilience in family systems with their local community.

The course introduces the physical, psychological, economic and social aspects of aging. Attention is given to these key aspects of aging and their relationship to the characteristics of our aging population in the United States. The course also explores the impact of culture, family structure, and societal values on the elderly in our society.

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1. Identify and define the following four aspects of aging: social, psychological, physical, and economic.
2. Analyze the relationship among and between the four aspects of aging and their impact on the individual and group within society.
3. Recognize the role of societal norms and values in determining the attitudes toward the elderly in America.
4. Relate the diverse social and cultural values of the elderly to the social, economic, physical, and psychological aspects of aging.
5. Identify and discuss the demographics of the United States’ aging population.
6. Discuss findings from major research studies in the field of aging and gerontology and apply to case studies and readings.
7. Examine factors that have an impact on the well-being of the elderly including program funding, health care, housing, and retirement.

This course explores the diversity of life experiences in contemporary America and assesses structured inequality in terms of socioeconomic, racial, gender, and sexuality differences. Using the theoretical framework of the social construction of race, gender, economic class, sexual orientation, and disability in historical contexts, the course examines how and why stratification systems emerge and are reproduced. Students then consider alternatives to the categories of difference and the processes, philosophical developments, institutions, and conditions that lead to and rely on power and privilege in modern society.

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1. Summarize the interdisciplinary approach to understanding structured societal inequalities.
2. Analyze the theoretical framework of the social construction of race, gender, economic class, and sexual orientation in historical contexts.
3. Articulate the ways in which individuals are circumscribed by their position in the social stratification system.
4. Critically evaluate and propose alternatives to categories of difference, social institutions, and conditions that lead to and rely on power and privilege in modern society.