RYERSON UNIVERSITY
CURRENT STUDENTS
MY.RYERSON.CA (RAMSS)
  Ryerson Home > Current Students > Academic/Course Calendars > Undergraduate Calendar 2010-2011
2010-11 Undergraduate Calendar
HOME
IMPORTANT NOTICE
SIGNIFICANT DATES
COLLECTION AND USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
ADMISSION PROCEDURES AND POLICIES
THE REGISTRAR'S OFFICE
GENERAL ACADEMIC INFORMATION
FEES/FINANCIAL INFORMATION
PROGRAMS AND ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS
MINORS
LIBERAL STUDIES
COURSES
SERVICES FOR STUDENTS - OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST, STUDENTS
OTHER SERVICES
THE G. RAYMOND CHANG SCHOOL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
ADMINISTRATION
RYERSON HONORARY DOCTORATES AND FELLOWSHIPS
INVESTING IN RYERSON'S FUTURE
2010-2011 Undergraduate Calendar
HOME COURSES Sociology (SOC)

Sociology (SOC)
SOC 11A/B The Social World
This course introduces students to the basic sociological frameworks used to investigate social behaviour, culture, and institutions. It involves an examination of culture, work, inequality, social class, education, mass communication and ideology, the state, and the impact of technology and change in modern society in a socio-historical context. The course assumes that knowledge of social structure and process is essential for understanding human experience.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Antirequisites: SOC 103, SOC 104, SOC 105, SOC 107
Course Weight: 2.00
Billing Units: 1/1
back to top
SOC 25A/B Media and Society
The relationship between media and contemporary society is complex and important. The structure, power and influence of dominant mass media is examined with a particular focus on film and TV. Special attention is paid to issues of imagery and the definition of reality, the construction and significance of the news and advertising, concentration of ownership, the production of spectacle and diversion, the "wired" society, narrative and the construction of reality, and the globalization of media.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 104 or SOC 105
Course Weight: 2.00
Billing Units: 1/1
back to top
SOC 31A/B Sociology of Health
This course examines fundamental topics which relate to health and health care in our society. It uses historical, cross-cultural and contemporary perspectives to examine theoretical issues and research strategies, the relationship between social structures, health and health care, and health care professions and occupations. It also focuses on such important issues as the individual and health, occupational and environmental health, health issues in the Third World, women and health care, and health and health care in the future.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 104
Course Weight: 2.00
Billing Units: 1/1
back to top
SOC 102 Human Origins
This course is a general survey of the prehistoric record of humankind. It emphasizes those aspects of the record- anthropological, archaeological, paleontological, and biological-which promote a greater understanding of contemporary societies and the future of the species. Topics include: the principles of evolution, food production and the rise of civilization, the nature of "human nature", sex and gender, racial and cultural diversity, and conflict and cooperation. Restriction: Criminal Justice, Politics and Governance, Psychology, Sociology, Undeclared Arts.
LL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 103 How Society Works
This course provides an introduction to some of the major issues in sociology. It examines how societies come into existence, how they are organized and maintained, and how they change. The major sociological perspectives are used to understand the relationship between culture, institutions and social behaviour; the process of socialization; globalization and the political-economic structure of Canadian society; and the resulting social inequalities of class, race and gender. Restriction: Criminal Justice, Politics and Governance, Psychology, Sociology, Undeclared Arts.
LL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Antirequisites: SOC 11A/B, SOC 104, SOC 105, Restriction: UP001, UP002, UP003, EC001, EC003, NU001, NU002, NU003, CY001, CY002
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 104 Understanding Society
This course provides an introduction to some of the major issues in the discipline of sociology. Topics include: the major theoretical debates of classical sociology; research methods and problems; culture and socialization; the evolution of human societies; and the structure of Canadian society. Professionally-related examples are used throughout the course.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Antirequisites: SOC 11A/B, SOC 103, SOC 105
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 105 Introduction to Sociology
This course provides an introduction to some of the major issues in the discipline of sociology, for students specializing in sociology or enrolled in the Social Science platform. Topics include: research methods and problems; the major theoretical debates of classical sociology; the evolution of human societies; culture and socialization; and the structure of Canadian society. Professionally-related examples are used throughout the course.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Antirequisites: SOC 11A/B, SOC 103, SOC 104
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 107 Sociology of Everyday Life
A sociological perspective allows us to see generality in particularity, and strangeness in the familiar. This course gives the students a sociological perspective useful for investigating ordinary, common everyday activities and interaction that most of us find routinely engaging. Some concentration is provided to the urban experience of everyday life. Through examining seemingly mundane behaviours--eating, chatting, watching TV, etc., students study underlying structures that shape social behaviour and learn about historical and qualitative social research methods.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 202 Popular Culture
This course brings sociological insights to popular culture in its complex and multiple dimensions. Focusing on electronic media, popular music, film, fashion, and cyberspace it examines how contemporary sights, sounds and images impact on human beings and their awareness. Special attention is given the cult of the celebrity, popular culture and social control, and the mediated event. Restriction: Criminal Justice, Politics and Governance, Psychology, Sociology, Undeclared Arts.
LL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 203 Social Class and Inequality
This course examines the distribution of power and wealth in society. As a social reality, inequality leaves no one untouched, whether or not we are conscious of it. This course traces the origins of social inequality and reflects on the various interpretations of social stratification. At the macro level, analysis examines how patterns of inequality are reproduced and altered over time. At the micro level, analysis considers how inequality shapes individual career choices and other experiences. Restriction: Criminal Justice, Politics and Governance, Psychology, Sociology, Undeclared Arts.
LL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 300 The Sociology of Diversity
Canada has experienced a rapid increase in cultural, racial, ethnic and national diversity. On one hand, there is the development of expanding globalization and its attendant pressures toward social and cultural homogeneity. On the other hand, there is the reaction to these pressures manifested in the growing significance of primordial loyalties based on traditional variables. Socially and individually, the tension between globalization and communalism is potentially disruptive and fraught with conflict, competing demands and much misunderstanding.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Antirequisite: SOC 507
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 302 The City and Society
The origins and significance of the city in human history are explored in the context of contemporary sociological theories of urban development. From this basis the course examines such issues as the rise of differing forms of social inequality, the rural/urban split, the global city, democratic process, urban growth/decay, and their impact on social life.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 104 or SOC 105
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 305 Sociology of Deviance
This course examines various explanations of deviance. Definitions of what constitutes "normal" and "abnormal" are discussed from a cross-cultural and historical perspective. Specific attention is given to the labelling process and societal reaction to labelling people "deviant". Areas to be examined include sexuality, mental illness, substance use, and crime. These areas are examined from a critical sociological perspective, emphasizing social class as a key variable.
LL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 319 Sociological Perspectives on Crime
This course examines the social context of crime in Canadian society. Issues include the social construction of crime, problems of measuring crime, the major sociological explanations of crime, and the social role of the police professional.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 402 The City and Social Problems
The city today exists in crisis and promise. The sociological perspective sheds light on issues and problems that face cities both locally and globally. Issues covered include: homelessness and poverty; immigration and physical mobility; the ecological crisis; economic development vs. decline; housing; segregation; crime; and the meaning of community in an urban context.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 104 or SOC 105
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 411 Intro to Quantitative Data Analysis
This course develops an understanding of quantitative data in social research. No familiarity with statistics is assumed. Students will gain the skills and procedures needed to explore social issues using statistics, as well as read, understand and critically evaluate published quantitative research. Students will learn statistical software designed for social science. Emphasis will be on practical applications of techniques and on interpretation of results rather than their mathematical derivations.
Lect: 2 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Prerequisites: (ACS 301 or SSH 301) and SOC 105
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 470 Toronto: The Changing City
Toronto, the most diverse city in the world, provides the perfect opportunity for studying and better understanding metropolitan life. This course is an introduction to the study of city life with emphasis on Toronto's changing social climate. It offers a look at both local and global issues that touch the lives of this city's dwellers. Among other things, this course provides an introduction to the study of communities, transportation, crime, health, and housing.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 103 or SOC 104 or SOC 105
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 472 Sociology of Work and Occupations
This course offers an overview of different approaches to work settings and complex organizations in urban industrial society. We will discuss classical theories of bureaucracy, the managerial tradition, and critical perspectives drawn from contemporary Sociology, including studies focusing on diversity in the workplace. Also examined are the modern enterprise, state and government, community/volunteer organizations and social movements, and alternatives to dominant organizational forms.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 473 Classical Sociological Theory
This course offers a critical overview of the formation of theoretical orientations used within the social sciences. Students will be given a grounding within classic sociological theories, ranging from the micro level to the macro level, and including functionalism, conflict theory, feminism, Marxism, and symbolic interactionism. Students will be introduced to the works of, among others: Burgess, Comte, Cooley, Durkheim, Mannheim, Marx, Merton, Michels, Mills, Park, Parsons, Spencer, and Weber. The emphasis is on thorough analysis and critical evaluation of a few theories, rather than on a short review of many theories.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 474 Immigration, Minorities and Citizenship
Most immigrants that come to Canada end up in one of the three largest metropolitan centres: Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto. This course provides an overview of immigration policies and trends, with a specific emphasis on immigration to Toronto. This course looks at who came, when, and why. It also looks at this city's benefits and drawbacks, obstacles and opportunities for new and not-so-new arrivals.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 103 or SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 475 Contemporary Sociological Theory
This course introduces students to social theories of the contemporary era through secondary accounts and primary materials by men and women in diverse social and political locations. We will attempt to relate these ideas and insights to the social world that we inhabit in Toronto in the early 21st century. We will pay particular attention to the processes of globalization and how they are affecting our local and global contexts.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 473
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 476 Sociology of Fear
"There's nothing to fear but fear itself." This course provides a critical analysis of 'real' issues that make our skin crawl, cause us to lock our door securely behind us, prevent us from helping a stranger in need. How much of our fear is warranted? To what extent is socially structured fear a product of urbanization? How vulnerable are we? We assess the social impact of moral panic versus under-reporting of the many real hazards we face every day. Among other things, the course looks at crime, terrorism, urban myths, conspiracy theory, environmental and health risks.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 477 Sociology of Advertising
Advertisements are deeply embedded in our everyday lives, yet we are rarely concerned about the messages and information we learn from exposure to them. Ads confront us everywhere in our increasingly urban lives, from sidewalks to rooftops. This course addresses the social role of advertising in physical and virtual spaces throughout contemporary society. Special emphasis is given to the historical rise of advertisements, ideological content, economic forces and mechanisms of persuasion, and current social controversies over advertising effects on human behaviour and socialization.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 478 Sociology of Fun
This course examines different dimensions of fun and the multiple ways we spend time outside work and other commitments. What makes fun possible in an organized society? What is the relationship between work and fun? How do different social groupings engage in the pursuit of fun? What kinds of fun are more socially acceptable than others? How is fun organized differently in rural and urban environments? The course will situate fun and pleasurable pursuits in the context of contemporary capitalism and the globalization of culture.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 479 Communities and Social Networks
This course provides an in-depth analysis of social, spatial, and virtual communities, as they exist in modern urban environments. The course looks at the plurality and complexity of face-to-face communities and virtual spaces. These include a variety of groupings and social groupings based on common identity, social position, and roles.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 481 Survey Design and Analysis
This course builds on introductory courses in methods, by focusing on survey design and analysis. Competencies include sampling, measurement, designing questions, validity, reliability, statistical inference, and hypothesis testing. A substantial portion of the course will focus on data analysis using SPSS. Emphasis will be placed on understanding social statistics, including measures of central tendency, dispersion, and multiple regression analysis, among other things.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: (ACS 301 or SSH 301) and (ACS 401 or SOC 411)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 482 Sociological Methods of Media Research
With a specific focus upon critical media research, this course offers an introduction to the study of the scientific method as applied to sociological research. It is an overview to the methodological approaches commonly utilized in media studies, such as content and narrative analysis, discourse analysis, frame analysis, network analysis, interviews, media surveys, and ethnographic approaches. General methodological topics to address include the relationship between theory and hypothesis development, data collection and analysis, and concept formation and generalization. Practical examples and assignments will draw upon the urban mediascape.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: (ACS 301 or SSH 301) and (ACS 401 or SOC 411)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 483 Advanced Research and Statistics
This course is designed to build upon the student's existing research and analysis skills by focusing on more advanced topics in social data analysis. Our approach emphasizes statistics as tools for solving research problems associated with understanding urban life rather than as an end in itself. The course provides a hands-on approach to statistics through the use and analysis of Statistics Canada datasets. The city and urban issues remain our focus as we explore modern statistical applications.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 481
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 490 Sociological Practice I
This course will provide students with the opportunity to develop a structured program of study using sociological tools and concepts to investigate contemporary issues. Students will produce a project exploring an issue that is linked to their own sociological learning and their vision for the future.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: SOC 482 and SOC 483
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 491 Independent Senior Research Project
Students will develop their social research under the guidance of their faculty supervisor. Students will "learn by doing," where they apply the knowledge gained in Sociological Practices I to their own research on a theme with some application to social experience. They will provide an in-depth analysis of a current social issue through their research project. Students will make a methodical plan for their project before proceeding to research and interpretation in a final research paper.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Departmental consent required
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 500 Youth and Society
This course examines youth in contemporary society, their behaviour, roles, hopes, expectations and attitudes. It places young people within a sociological framework that emphasizes contemporary social, economic and political realities. The variables of social class, race and ethnicity, and gender are stressed; and key issues such as youth and media, the law, the family, employment and education are explored in depth.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 501 Sociology of Work
This course examines work as a central social activity. Particular emphasis is given to problems and conflicts arising from present forms of organization and authority in industrial and other workplaces. Topics include: historical development and effects of the division of labour; alienation and anomie, with special attention to work satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Restriction: BM001, BM002, IE001
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 502 Violence and the Family
This course explores the nature of violence, its manifestations in family life, its root causes, its consequences, and the social reaction to this violence. The family is viewed as a major social institution that is affected by the changes that occur within society. The primary goal is to facilitate students' understanding of violence and its relationship to family life within the socio-cultural context.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107 or Direct Entry
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 503 Sociology of Education
This course analyzes the functions of schooling and training in contemporary society. Using sociological frameworks, this course explores such topics as the history of education, society's impact on access to education, the relationship of opportunity to education, the content of curriculum, pedagogical styles and their impact on learning, the role of teacher, parent and learner in an educational environment, and the future of education in Canada.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 504 Children and Society
Children are at the centre of many social institutions and forces. Families, schools and media have a direct effect on children's lives. The power of these institutions on children is examined within the larger social contexts of culture and class. Children, however, are not merely passive witnesses of social life; they are also participants, so their perceptions, interests and experiences will be explored.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107 or Direct Entry
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 505 Sociology of Sport
This course examines sociological issues related to the nature of play, games, and sport in contemporary society. The course focuses on current structures of sport as both liberating and limiting human social possibilities. Sociological theories are used to analyze such topics as: the relationship between sport and social institutions such as the family, the state, and the economy; the social organization of sport; sport and violence; sport and gender relations; and sport and racism.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 506 Health and Society
The health care system in Canada is in crisis. Using relevant contemporary sociological theory, this course examines the historical evolution of modern medicine and the medical model, and their implications for society, health, and health care today. Topics include: the distribution of health and illness within Canadian society, environmental and occupational health, aging and health, gender issues in health care, and medical technology and ethics.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 507 Race and Ethnicity in Canadian Society
This course provides an introduction to the concepts, theories and research methods most relevant to the study of racism and ethnicity in everyday life. The development of multicultural societies and the historical context of "racial" and ethnic groups in Canada are examined. The role and impact of governmental and non-governmental policies (on immigration, employment and affirmative action, for example), will be discussed in the context of a variety of social institutions such as schools and the judicial system.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Antirequisites: SOC 300, POG 313, Restriction: JO001, JO002
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 525 Media and Images of Inequality
This course examines the relationship between the representation of inequality on film and television and contemporary social structure. Students will study media, culture, socialization, power and inequality, critically examining images of disability, race, age, ethnicity, gender, social class and sexual orientation. Strategies and responses of various groups will be considered along with an analysis of cultural and social change.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 103 or SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 11A/B or DST 501 or INT 902
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 595 Women and Aging
This course analyzes issues concerning middle-aged and older women in a changing society. The course focuses on women's experiences of family life, work, intergenerational relations, widowhood, poverty and health in the context of social class, ethnicity, and race, as well as age and gender.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 600 Globalization and Health
What effects will globalization have on population health? How will it affect the delivery of health care for providers and consumers? These questions are examined in the context of an emerging literature of medical and political sociology. Three theoretical frameworks will be used to explore multi-national corporations and the main agents of globalization-The World Trade Organization, The International Monetary Fund, and The North American Free Trade Agreement-and the impact of their agendas on health.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 601 Sociology of Occupations
This course examines the major trends affecting the structure of occupations in Canada. Topics include: occupational control and career patterns; occupations and social power; professionalization; and the relationship of the labour movement to the rise of new professional and semi-professional occupations.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 603 Sociology of Gender
This course examines the historical and cross-cultural expressions of gender inequality, and its consequences for both men and women. Emphasis is also placed on issues related to gender inequality in contemporary Canada, including gendered divisions in the workplace and the family, the role of governments in equity issues, and the process of socialization. The course concludes with an examination of prospects for the future.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 605 Canadian Families: Myth and Legal Reality
In everyday life we are bombarded with idealized and romanticized images of what family life is all about. In reality, family life is shaped and constrained by social, economic, and legal forces. This course critically assesses some myths and misconceptions about families and looks at how Canadian laws and policies shape everything from the definition of family to mate selection, child rearing, step families, divorce, and remarriage. Equivalent to first half of SOC 21A/B.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 104 or SOC 105 or Direct Entry, Antirequisite: SOC 21A/B
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 606 Work and Families in the 21st Century
A central issue at the beginning of the 21st century is integration of family life and employment responsibilities. This course introduces social, historical and theoretical backgrounds to address diversity of family structures, the provision of care to dependent children and adults, the effects of care-giving on family providers, new trends in policies affecting families, and the emerging roles of public and private supports for families.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 11A/B or Direct Entry, Antirequisite: SOC 21A/B
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 608 Feminism and Society
This course examines the development and impact of the Canadian feminist movement, its theories, issues, organizations, and strategies on the lives of females and males in Canada. Globalization and issues of inequality and diversity among girls and women frame the exploration of the Canadian female condition in the paid and unpaid work realms, from the 1800s to the present.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 11A/B or Direct Entry, Antirequisite: SOC 28A/B
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 609 Women and Human Rights
This course examines the abrogation of fundamental rights and the social control of girls and women in historical, contemporary and cross-cultural perspectives. The patriarchal policies and practices of the state are examined around issues of law and public policy, marriage, same-sex relationships and custody, sexual violence and pornography, sexuality and reproductive control, education and healthcare. The role of religion and media in legitimizing and maintaining patriarchal structures and in denying rights are also explored.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 11A/B or Direct Entry, Antirequisite: SOC 28A/B
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 633 Sexualities, Identities, and Society
Discussions about sexual practice raise questions about what it is, who does it, and how. Sexuality is regulated according to the dominant power relations in society. In this course, students will investigate societal debates about sexuality, examining the ways that race, sexual orientation, aboriginality, and/or disability operate in sexual discourses. Academic and popular cultural written and visual texts will be critically analyzed, with attention to historical, social, and political constructions of sexual identities and citizenship.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Antirequisite: SWP 910
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 656 Fashion and Society
What is the purpose of fashion? What do your clothes reveal about you as a person? This course will critically explore the social construction of the fashion industry, utilizing sociological theories of fashion, consumer culture, and identity. Among other topics it will analyze issues surrounding ethics, social representation (race, gender, class, age), cultural notions of beauty, the global economy and exploitation, power and status as implied by fashion, and the implications of fashion for youth cultures.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: FSN 123 or FSN 223
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 700 Men and Masculinities in the 21st Century
This course examines cross cultural contemporary forms of masculinity in the 21st century. It critiques the relationship between biology and cultural expressions of maleness and the consequence for men and their relationships with other men, women and children. Topics include male power; militarization and globalization; sports and war; sex, sexuality and violence; race and hierarchies of masculinities; and the male gendering of political and economic processes, healthcare, education, city planning, and media.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 701 Social Change: Canadian Perspectives
This course deals with the general characteristics and underlying causes of social change. The focus is on the historical emergence of, and development within, capitalist societies, especially Canada, and the concerns around which social movements have arisen seeking to bring about social change. These include increased militarization and the rise of the peace movement, the adoption of new technologies in industry and the response of labour, economic and social crises worldwide and the development of the "New Right."
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 702 Anatomy of Human Conflict
This course examines the central question of why humans war. Analysis critically explores the conventional wisdom regarding the nature of human aggression and destructiveness, and provides some alternative explanations. Biological and social theories are explored. The analysis will make extensive use of materials from a variety of disciplines.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 703 Women and Development
This course examines the role of women in developing societies. Women's roles and responsibilities, stresses and problems, are examined within a cross-cultural and historical framework, using sociological models to explain contemporary realities for women in the non-industrial world. Topics include: women and the family; women and the economy, in agriculture and newly emerging industry; women and education and health; and women's role in policy and future transformations.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 704 Aging, Culture and Society
Aging is a social as well as a biological phenomenon. This course uses social, historical, legal, ethical and literary insights to examine four main themes: the meaning of aging, the personal experience of aging, the societal phenomenon of aging, and the future of an aging society. A humanistic approach provides an understanding of aging and the issues which arise in the face of aging and death.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 705 Law and Justice
In our highly regulated society, law has become an increasingly significant element. The course analyses the nature and functions of law in society, how law influences social behaviours, and how social values and actions shape law. The degree to which justice is served by law is a central question. The course focuses primarily on Canadian law but comparative materials are also used.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 706 Sociology of the Global Economy
This course will contribute to the comprehension of the global economy and international economic relations by using recent sociological theories of social change to analyze socio-economic processes, social relations, social structures, and global economic institutions. Topics discussed will include post-industrial, post-fordist, and post-modern society; patterns of restructuring the economy and the state; the global city; global and local cultures; the global consumer; and fragmentation and inequality in global space.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 707 Religion, Meaning, and Power
From a sociological perspective religion is one of the ways humans construct meaning, identity and community. It intersects with other sources of social location such as race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. Religion is also a source of authority and power which can be used to bolster or challenge the status quo.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 708 Environmental Sociology
Environmental sociology is the study of the reciprocal interactions between the physical environment, social organization, and social behavior. In the course, attention is paid to the social processes by which certain environmental conditions become socially defined as problems, including concerns regarding the inequitable distributions of environmental risks.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 800 Theories of Society
The sociological tradition includes many different theories of society. Ranging from micro- to macro-level, from modernist to postmodernist and postcolonial, theories have conceptualized power, inequality, conflict, solidarity, community, communication and ideology in varying ways. Contemporary theories highlight diversity, relativism, pluralism, subjectivity and the body, reflecting the vitality and relevance of sociological thought in a constantly changing world. This course explores sociological theory form Adam Smith and Vilfredo Pareto to Dorothy Smith and bell hooks, focusing on these themes.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 801 Social Change: International Perspectives
This course examines the process of social change as it is occurring in the Third World. The focus is on the origins and consequences of underdevelopment, and how responses to it affects both the underdeveloped and developed nations. Discussion covers the impact of imperialism and neo-colonialism as well as the growth of national liberation movements.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 802 Issues in War and Peace
This is an introduction to theories and contemporary issues in the study of war and peace, coupled with forays into the past as needed. Its goal is to help students develop an understanding of what war is, what causes it, what its effects on society are, and whether it could be overcome.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 808 Food and Foodways
This course reviews complex cultural, economic, and political arrangements in the production, distribution, and consumption of food. Examining the diversity in historical and cultural arrangements in "foodways" the course offers insights into broader social and economic structures, class and gender relations, politics and ideologies of access to food and images and discourses of food. Table manners, food taboos, diets, food crazes and fast food are some of the topics to be studied.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Restriction: FN001, HT001
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 880 Information Technology and Society
Information technology is now one of the major influences in modern life. Given the unprecedented rates of change, how do we formulate reasonable expectations? How do we make choices when we don't know what the future of technology holds? To answer questions such as these, we need to learn more about the interaction between technology and society. This course looks at the use and impact of information technology in areas such as engineering, medicine, manufacturing, education and law. It looks at issues such as privacy, personal dignity, and the kind of life we want to lead. The course provides a historical framework and ideas which may be applied to other areas of technological change.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Antirequisite: COCR 941, Restriction: Computer Science and Information Technology Mgt.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 885 Women and Islam
This course will explore the position of women and gender relations in contemporary Muslim societies and North American Muslim communities, introducing a comparative perspective to the issues of Muslim women in their homelands and diaspora. Our discussions will focus on comparing different controversial issues within Islam, such as Muslim women's identity, veiling, Muslim family life, Muslim women in the war zones, and Muslim women's activism in their homeland and in the United States and Canada.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 902 Hollywood and Society
This course will explore ideas and issues related to Hollywood as both a centre of cultural production and a general cultural idea and ideal. The history, structure and organization of the motion picture industry and its relationship to prevailing cultural, ideological and institutional forces will be examined. The Hollywood "system" with its emphasis on celebrity, globalization, film images, audience responses, and production itself are just some of the topics to be considered.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Restriction: IM001, IM002, IM003
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 903 Action Cinema and Modernity
This course will focus on blockbuster action cinema in terms of global marketing, complex production strategies, and internationally accessible screen imagery which establishes an ideological, and fictionally 'urbanized,' terrain for high consumption. Such filmmakers as Woo, Tarantino, McTiernan, Cameron, the Wachowski Bros., and others will be studied in the context of critical theories of modernity. Screen identity, and group identity construction will have focus.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 904 Women in Popular Culture
From the good mother to the new female action hero, popular culture has given us many messages about women and their lives in the modern--especially urban--world. This course explores the complex ways in which women and popular culture intersect and overlap in our society. Topics include the stereotyping of women as a group in popular culture, the rise of new stereotypes surrounding women, women as consumers of popular culture, women in the city as depicted in popular culture, and women's location in the media industry as producers. Special attention is given to issues surrounding diversity among women, using Canada as the focus.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 931 Western Perspectives on Consumerism
This course provides a forum for exploring the rise of consumerism in Western culture and its broader social, environmental, economic, and political implications. Topics include: the historical development of department stores, shopping malls, and advertising; the integration of personal identity formation with consumer goods; the relationship between capitalist economic systems and consumerism; the growing practice of utilizing consumption as a political tool; and the effect of increasing rates of consumption on the degradation of the environment.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 932 The Entertainment Industry
This course explores the socio-economic structure that shapes and controls the entertainment industry, with specific focus on the relation between social structure and the marketing and production of materials in film, music, television, popular literature, popular journalism, and web-based forms. Attention is paid to consumerism, class, and inequality as shaping factors that affect the way our entertainment culture is produced and enjoyed.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 103 or SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107 or SOC 202, Antirequisite: ITC 191
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 941 Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Studies
This course reviews concepts, theories, ideologies, discourses, and policies dealing with race and ethnic relations in Canada. The course will focus on social and cultural policies affecting aboriginal peoples, founding cultures, immigrants, and visible minorities through reviewing various historical examples. Various social forces, structures, and institutional arrangements and their impact on ethnic and racial relations in Canada will be examined in historical and cross-cultural context.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 942 Women and Structural Change
This course examines the condition of women, focusing on structures of power and processes of change. Historical and cross-cultural expressions of sexual inequality are explored, although emphasis will be placed on current issues facing women in Canadian society, including their relationships with men, children and other women. Policy formation and institutional change in health care, media, education, and other areas will be studied.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top
SOC 943 Poverty Issues
This course will examine the distribution of power and wealth in Canada and the persistence of poverty within industrial capitalism despite its creation of unprecedented wealth. Among the issues to be discussed are: technical problems of defining poverty; various explanations of the causes of poverty and its persistence; the experience of poverty; and global perspectives on poverty and underdevelopment. Attention will be given to low- and no-income populations and generational differences.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 105 or SOC 107
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
back to top


©2010 Ryerson University | 350 Victoria Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B 2K3
416-979-5000 | www.ryerson.ca

Web Policy     Privacy Policy     Accessibility     Terms & Conditions