Sociology Courses

The PVCC Sociology Department offers courses that:

  • Help students meet their General Education Degree requirements.
  • Give Sociology majors the opportunity to fulfill some of their B.A./B.S., requirements at a community college.
  • Stimulate the interest of students who are still exploring career options.

COURSES INCLUDE:

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY (SOC 101)

This course helps us to understand ourselves and our relationships, everyday life, and place in the world.  In this class, current personal, local and global events are examined. Official Course Description:  The systematic study of social behavior and human groups, particularly the influence of culture, socialization, social structure, stratification, social institutions, differentiation by region, race, ethnicity, sex/gender, age, class, and socio/cultural change upon people's attitudes and behaviors. Prerequisites: None.

GENDER AND SOCIETY (SOC 212)

This course helps us to consider our identity and personal, workplace and cultural relationships to broaden our understanding of gender.  In this class, current personal, local and national events are examined.  Official Course Description:  A sociological analysis of the way culture shapes and defines the positions and roles of both men and women in society. Major emphasis on social conditions which may lead to a broadening of gender roles and a reduction of gender role stereotypes and the implications of these changes. Prerequisites: None.

RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS (SOC 241)

This course helps us to understand race and how it has been constructed by our interactions with the gender, class, and religion of people.  In this class, intersections of power and privilege, seen in current local and national events, are examined.  Official Course Description: Examines how the social construction of race shapes social interaction and social institutions. Explores the consequences of power, privilege and oppression among major ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Prerequisites: None.

THE SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS (SOC 270)

This course helps us to consider healing, health, and health care in a cross-cultural and global perspective.  In this class, current personal, local, national and global events are examined.  Official Course Description: Roles of health care providers and patients, various modalities of treatment and prevention, and the history, current status, and future trends in medicine and medical technology, and complementary health approaches from a cross-cultural and global sociological perspective. Prerequisites: None.