Fall 2021 Sociology and Anthropology Advising Guide

Registration for the Fall 2021 semester will begin on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 and runs through Friday, April 16, 2021. Please be sure to check your PAWS account to determine when you are eligible to register.

For Fall 2021 courses, the modality (i.e., remote, Flex, or in-person sessions) that currently appears in PAWS may change prior to the start of the semester based on CDC guidelines, State of New Jersey guidelines, and/or local health conditions. It is the strong hope of TCNJ that Fall 2021 courses will be offered in-person.

*IMPORTANT DEPARTMENT UPDATE from Department Chair Dr. Li*:

IMPORTANT LINKS

Summer 2021 Course List

Fall 2021 Course List

Fall 2021 Topics in Sociology and Anthropology

Along with the Sociology and Anthropology electives being offered this semester, please consider our topics courses which give students and faculty the chance to focus on a topic that is not currently in the regular curriculum. Please note that you may register for more than one topics class and if you have already taken ANT or SOC 370 with a different topic, you may again register for ANT or SOC 370. ANT topics courses can be applied to the Anthropology Specialization. For Fall 2021, we offer the following topics courses: 

ANT 370-01: Human Culture and Technology

Dr. George Leader – Mon/Thurs 3:30pm-4:50pm

SOC 370-01: Sociology of Islam

Dr. Mohamoud Ismail – Mon/Thurs 12:30-1:50pm
This course is an introduction to the salience of Islam: as a religion, political, social and economic system in the contemporary global arena. Important in this context is exploring how both Western colonialism and today’s globalization are impacting Islamic communities in cultural, economic, and political dimensions.

Course Descriptions

ANT 110 / Intro to Cultural Anthropology

A survey of the major concepts of social-cultural anthropology.  Cross-cultural comparison will be a central concern of the course, as will the process of cultural change.

ANT 111 / Intro to Biological Anthropology

What makes us human?  Is it the use of language, the ability to manipulate material culture or the fact that we are bipedal?  This course will focus on evolutionary theory and the theory of natural selection, the behavior and anatomy of non-human primates, and the evolution of modern humans.  Students will also learn how anthropology is directly related to other disciplines including sociology, biology, ecology and geology. (Note:  this course has no lab, and while it satisfies the liberal learning requirement for a natural science course, it does NOT satisfy the requirement for a natural science with lab).

ANT 205 / Human Evolution

The study of human evolutionary past, using various methods, including archaeology and the interpretation of skeletal morphology. Evolutionary principles and processes of change  are used asa theoretical background to examine our non-human primate relatives, the human fossil record, and biological variation in modern human populations. It is recommended, but not required, that students complete ANT111 prior to enrolling in this course.

ANT 213 / Language and Culture: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology

An introduction to the Anthropological subfield of Linguistic Anthropology, which investigates the relationship between language and culture. Language permeates our lives, and yet most of us take it for granted. This course is intended to clarify your ideas about language as it is used by speakers in various social contexts across a wide range of cultures. By the end of the course you should be familiar with some of the terminology and techniques of linguistic anthropological analysis and be able to apply this knowledge to the description of different languages.

ANT 246 / Climate Justice & Social Action

This course provides the opportunity for students to develop skills to take collective action on climate change and other social issues.   Students will learn how to bring about social change by carrying out a policy change campaign over the course of the semester.  The course is based on the framework of climate justice: the acknowledgment that the people affected most by climate change are the least responsible for causing it and that addressing climate change requires addressing the societal inequalities–racial, economic, gender, among others–that force vulnerable people to bear the brunt of the effects of climate change.

ANT 361 / Human Osteology & Forensic Anthropology

The study of the human skeleton can reveal  human origins as well as support the recovery, analysis, and identification of human skeletal remains in a medicolegal context. Students in this course will be introduced to the macro- and micro-anatomy of bone, techniques for identifying and siding individual bones, and methods used to develop a biological profile from human skeletal remains. The course also examines the role of forensic anthropologists in aspects of medicolegal death investigation that include personal identification, analysis of skeletal trauma, mass disasters, and human rights violations.

ANT 370 / Topics in Anthropology

Current or specialized topics proposed by faculty or students and approved by the department.  Offered primarily for juniors and seniors.  It may not be appropriate for freshmen and sophomores.  The class may be taken for credit several times if content differs each time. SPRING 2021 Topic: Archaeology of Slavery (see description above).

SOC 101 / Intro to Sociology

Sociology explores the intersection of biography and history.  Students learn the basic foundations of sociology, including its development as a field of inquiry, early sociological theory, and methodology.  The course also analyzes social organization, addressing culture, structure, socialization, and social control. Students investigate how culture, class, race, sex, family, medicine, business, religion, education, and government affect our lives.  Special attention is paid to the impact of society on self.

SOC 281 / Sociology of Race in the US

A broad sociological study of race in the dynamics of American power, privilege, and oppression.  The course argues race, as a concept and social phenomenon, is fluid, malleable, and socially constructed and those characteristics have made it a persistent and useful feature in US historical development. Cross-listed with AAS 281.

SOC 301 / Development of Socio-Cultural Theory

The response of social theorists to the consequences of the industrial revolution and the issues of capitalism, secularism, modern consciousness, and the socio-critical enterprise, as seen through the work of such theorists as Marx, Durkheim, and Weber.  Contemporary development of these theories will also be discussed.

SOC 302 / Quantitative Research Methods

The course is designed to familiarize students with quantitative research methodology, methods of quantitative data collection, and analysis of quantitative data used in sociology.  In addition, students will learn one of the most widely used statistical software packages in the social sciences (SPSS) and conduct independent research using one of the most widely used sources of quantitative social data, the General Social Survey (GSS).  One additional 80-minute lab session is required as a co-component to this course.

SOC 303 / Gender and Activism in Global Perspective (*new title and course description)

Social movements about gender issues and identities are significant sources of social change in societies around the world. This course explores the cultural constructions and implications of gender in different global contexts by analyzing the political demands and experiences of gender-based movements.

SOC 314 / Food, Culture, and Society

Food is among the most essential elements of daily life, yet it can also be one of the most revealing constituents of social processes and social structure.  This course will probe the many dimensions and contexts of food. The primary focus will be on its interactive and relational aspects: its role in establishing our identity, preserving our memories, nurturing and sustaining our social connections, as well as potentially dividing us.

SOC 365 / Poverty and Welfare in the US

History, nature, extent, levels, causes of poverty. Effect of industrialization, urbanization, and technology. Impact upon major institutions. Ethnic and racial group problems and reactions. Governmental and private organizational programs.

SOC 370 / Topics in Sociology

Selected topics which may vary from year to year. Topic to be announced. May be repeated for credit.

SOC 398 / Sociology Capstone Internship

Capstone internship constituting a culminating experience for sociology majors. Course draws on skills and knowledge of sociology courses as well as knowledge gained from the liberal arts broadly construed to be applied to reflect deeply and examine experiences and the social world at the internship site. Must be taken as a bundle with SOC 499 Senior Seminar in Sociology (of the same section number) to fulfill the capstone requirements of the sociology major.  (0.5 course unit; Co-requisite: SOC 499; Prerequisites: SOC 301 and 302)

SOC 499 / Senior Capstone Seminar

SOC 301 and SOC 302 are prerequisites with a grade of C or better.

Senior seminar constituting a culminating experience for sociology majors. Course draws on skills and knowledge of sociology courses as well as knowledge gained from the liberal arts broadly construed. Must be taken as a bundle with SOC 398 Sociology Capstone Internship (of the same section number) to fulfill the capstone requirements of the sociology major. (0.5 course unit; Prerequisites: SOC 301 and 302; Co-requisite: SOC 398)