3.5 Course Overviews: "R", "S"
To speed your search, click on the appropriate alphabetical course reference:
RELIGIOUS STUDIES (RELS)
RELS 204
Introduction to World Religions
6Humanities
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: None.
This is a junior-level course designed to acquaint students with the major
religious traditions of the world, and to the academic discipline of religious
studies. The religions studied are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism,
Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. They are examined through a study of their
history, doctrinal concerns and development, literature, and ritual practices.
SCIENCE (SCIE)
SCIE 326
Scientific Reasoning
3Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: 12 credits of university-level science courses
(or equivalent) including at least 6 credits with laboratory components.
This course deals with both the formal and informal aspects of scientific
reasoning. Topics covered include the following: What is science?; what is
reason?; the scientific method; relations between theory and experiment;
scientific paradigms explanation and prediction; what is a scientific theory?;
principles of reasoning; systems of analytical reasoning; tools for analysis
(Venn diagrams, classification, syllogisms, Boolean logic); statistical
inference; traps and fallacies of reason; and mathematics in science are also
examined.
SCIE 495-496
Science Projects
3 eachScience
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite for SCIE 495: At least 18 credits (at least 9 at senior level) in relevant science courses and permission of the course professor.
Prerequisite for SCIE 496: SCIE 495.
These courses are suitable for senior-level students who wish to do research in
an interdisciplinary science area such as some combination of astronomy, biology,
chemistry, geology, physical geography, physics or some applied aspects of
science. The courses are based on a learning contract between each
student and an approved supervisor. By doing research, students learn to choose and define problems; obtain information from libraries or
experiments; organize facts and ideas; and report ideas and conclusions in
written form. Projects can only be done on work planned; they cannot be done on
work already completed. Contact the course professor before registering. These
courses are excluded from the Challenge for Credit Policy.
SOCIAL SCIENCE (SOSC)
SOSC 278
Human Sexuality
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study with audio component.
Prerequisite: None.
This audio-based course is a comprehensive introduction to the study of
sexuality. Topics examined in this course include sexual diversity within and
across cultures, sexuality throughout the life cycle, development of gender and
sexual orientation, sexual dysfunctions and their treatment, and sexuality and
disability. In addition to considering sexuality as an important component of
individual development, this course examines key issues of sexuality and society
including AIDS, abuses of power, and sexually explicit media.
SOSC 366
Research Methods in the Social Sciences
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or grouped study.
Prerequisite: A junior-level social science course is recommended but not
required.
Téluq equivalency: SOC 1013.
This course introduces the basic techniques of social research and provides
students with a general knowledge of the range of research methods commonly
employed in the social sciences, including the ethical guidelines within which
social research is normally conducted. Major emphasis is placed on providing a
practical knowledge of the research processes used in the social sciences and in
preparing students to undertake their own elementary research projects. Students
formulate their own research proposals and design their own research projects.
SOCIOLOGY (SOCI)
SOCI 287
Introduction to Sociology I
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or grouped study.
Prerequisite: None.
Téluq equivalency: SHS 2100.
This is the first of two courses (SOCI 287 and SOCI 288) designed to introduce
the study of social relations and prepare students for more senior courses in
the social sciences. It introduces students to the study of human society by
analysing the interaction of human groups and the dynamics of social change. It
is divided into four parts: introduction to sociology; culture, socialization,
and the family; deviance and social control; and industrial and pre-industrial
societies.
SOCI 288
Introduction to Sociology II
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or grouped study.
Prerequisite: SOCI 287 is strongly recommended but not required.
Precluded course: SOCI 288 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for SOCI 208.
This course will introduce the study of social relations and prepare students
for more senior courses in the social sciences. This course applies the theories
and concepts of sociology to a variety of contemporary social issues with
particular emphasis on Canadian topics. It is divided into six parts: modern
capitalism; social stratification and inequality; racism, ethnic groups, and
Quebec nationalism; politics and international development; work and leisure;
and collective behaviour and social change.
SOCI 300
Organizations and Society: Making Sense of Modern Organizational Life
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or grouped study.
Prerequisite: SOCI 287 or SOCI 288 is strongly recommended but not required.
This introductory course in the sociological study of organizations provides
students with a broad overview of organizations in a variety of different
socio-cultural settings. Students examine a range of different organizations
situated in a variety of settings including primitive social organization,
modern bureaucracies, fast-food franchises, mental hospitals, prisons and worker
cooperatives.
SOCI 305
Sociology and Crime
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study with video component.
Prerequisite: None.
This intermediate level course examines the problems of crime from a variety of
different sociological perspectives. Students learn by watching a series of
videotapes where leading Canadian and internationally recognized sociologists
and criminologists discuss their research and experiences. The course covers a
wide range of different topics related to crime and the criminal code in Canada
including, for example, the early history of Canadian narcotics legislation, the
analysis
of a videotaped murder confession, a Mohawk viewpoint of the Oka crisis in 1990,
the growing significance of corporate crime in Canada, as well as an analytical
look at the Canadian prison system.
SOCI 312
Women and Work in Canada
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or grouped study.
Prerequisite: an introductory course in Women's Studies, a course from another
discipline with a women's studies focus, or permission of the professor.
This course will introduce current controversies surrounding the most
appropriate ways of conceptualizing and understanding women's experience of work
in the home and the labour force. Students will be expected to practise, develop
and use critical analysis skills as they confront traditional approaches to
explaining women's work and diverse strands of feminist theory.
SOCI 316
Sociology of the Family
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or grouped study.
Prerequisite: None.
This course provides an introduction to the sociology of family organization in
Western and non-Western societies with an emphasis on the family unit in Canada.
It is designed for students with an academic interest in the family and for
those who work in family-related fields. The course provides insight into
various anthropological and sociological theories of family life by using actual
empirical studies and descriptive materials of a historical, cross-cultural, and
multicultural nature.
SOCI 321
The Sociology of Work and Industry
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or grouped study.
Prerequisite: LBST 200 or LBST 202 is recommended but not required.
Precluded course: SOCI 321 may not be taken for credit if credit has already
been obtained for LBST 321.
Téluq equivalency: SOC 2005.
This course explores a broad spectrum of questions about the changing nature of
work in Canada. In particular, it is concerned with the consequences of
different types of work arrangements with an emphasis on the underlying economic
forces that have shaped and continue to shape work opportunities. Beyond the
worksite, the course explores the basic connections between a person's paid work
and her or his family responsibilities, and the society-wide value systems that
influence employers and employees.
SOCI 329
Aging and You (I): An Introduction to Gerontology
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study with audio component.
Prerequisite: None.
This audio-based course presents aging as a normal developmental process and
aims to maximize life potential at every age by presenting the types of options
available. Students learn by listening to leading Canadian and internationally
recognized gerontologists discuss their research and experiences. Biological,
psychological, and social aging are explored along with the pros and cons of
Canadian social policies and programs. SOCI 329 is designed for students with an
academic, personal, or professional interest in aging and gerontology and for
those who work in family and health-related fields.
SOCI 330
Aging and You (II): An Introduction to Gerontology
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study with audio component.
Prerequisite: SOCI 329.
SOCI 330 examines a number of options and designs for living environments for
older people. In addition, new technologies for today's aging people, recent
developments in Canadian social policy, and a range of possible institutional
and community-based services are examined. The issues of death, dying, and
bereavement; widowhood; spirituality and religion; and the contributions of
older adults to music, art, education, and society in general are also
considered.
SOCI 335
Classical Sociological Theory: The Socio-Historical Roots of Sociology as a
Discipline
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: SOCI 287 and SOCI 288 are strongly recommended but not required.
This course, a complement to SOCI 337, examines the interplay between the
principle ideas developed by the classical sociologists and the socio-economic
conditions in which they lived, thought and wrote. A key objective of these two
courses is not only to suggest ways of analysing and criticizing social theory,
but to demonstrate how thinking about theory is relevant for understanding
modern social problems.
SOCI 337
Contemporary Sociological Theory
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: SOCI 287 and SOCI 288 are strongly recommended but not required.
Precluded course: SOCI 337 may not be taken for credit if credit has already
been obtained for SOCI 315.
This course introduces the study of sociological theory. It covers a broad range
of topics representing some of the major traditions of modern social theory
including structural functionalism, exchange theory, symbolic interactionism,
phenomenology and ethnomethodology, and a variety of Marxist and neo-Marxist
traditions. The course is intended to develop such skills as conceptual analysis,
logical argumentation, ideological criticism, and historical documentation.
SOCI 365
Sociology of Deviance
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: SOCI 287 or SOCI 288 is strongly recommended but not required.
This course gives an overview of the historical and modern theories that explain
and analyse deviant behaviour, particularly criminal behaviour. Major topics
include social norms, deviance, and deviants. The course provides an
understanding of deviant behaviour in terms of a variety of sociological
patterns and introduces skills such as essay writing and social research
techniques.
SOCI 380
Canadian Ethnic Studies
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: SOCI 287 or SOCI 288 is strongly recommended but not required.
This course introduces students to the study of ethnic and minority group
relations from a Canadian perspective. Students examine several theoretical
perspectives used in sociological research on ethnic and minority group
relations. Each of these perspectives is applied to a range of topics in
Canadian ethnic relations including social stratification and ethnic
inequalities in Canada, the myths of multiculturalism and assimilation, visible
minorities in the Canadian mosaic, Canada's Native peoples, conquest and
colonization in Quebec, and French Canadian nationalism and the politics of
separatism.
SOCI 381
The Sociology of Power and Inequality
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: SOCI 287 or SOCI 288 is strongly recommended but not required.
This course provides an overview of the general subject of social inequality and
it also serves as a foundation for more specialized courses in such areas as
gender relations, ethnic and race relations, and poverty. The course examines
how power is always exercised in various societies to the advantage of some
social groups and to the disadvantage of others.
SOCI 425
Special Projects in Sociology I
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: Permission of the professor.
This course offers an opportunity for advanced students to pursue an extended
research project under the direction of a professor. The course of study may
involve field, survey, or library research and normally results in the
production of a major paper. The first of these two special projects (see SOCI
426) helps students specify and clarify a research topic. Students will be
expected to develop a comprehensive background knowledge in the topic of their
choice. Contact the course professor for more information.
SOCI 426
Special Projects in Sociology II
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: Permission of the professor.
This course is for students who have already defined a research topic, and have
completed the background preparation for a library, survey, or field research
project. As with SOCI 425, the specific content, procedures, and evaluation
structure of the course will be negotiated between the student and the professor.
Contact the course professor for more information.
SOCI 435
Theories of Social Change
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or individualized study online.
Prerequisite: SOCI 335 or SOCI 337 and permission of the professor.
This course surveys several different theories, concepts, and categories that
sociologists have used to explain social change. In this course students will
re-appraise a series of classical and contemporary debates in order to develop
the basic analytical tools to understand, analyse, and interpret social change.
SOCI 437
Deciphering Modern Social Theory
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: SOCI 335, SOCI 337 or equivalent courses from other universities.
SOCI 437 is an advanced course in modern social theory. Students taking this
course will be expected to complete readings of a senior undergraduate or first
year graduate level of difficulty. They will also be expected to complete
several substantial written assignments at a senior undergraduate or first year
graduate level of proficiency. Only students possessing well developed reading,
writing and reasoning skills should consider registering in this course. Some
previous background in classical and contemporary sociological theory will also
be expected.
SOCI 437 introduces students to some of the more exciting and challenging
developments that have taken place in contemporary social theory over the past
ten years or more. Major topics covered in this course include: What is
sociological theory?; the domain assumptions of sociological theory; the new
functionalism; the new conflict theory; marxism and neo-marxism; critical theory;
feminism and postmodernism. This is a course not only about social theory, but
also about how to theorize about society and everyday/night life.
SOCI 445
Selected Topics in Canadian Society
Reading3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: Open to all fourth year students with 3 credits of intermediate
sociology.
This course surveys contemporary topics in Canadian society and requires
students to undertake research into a topic of their choice. The range of topics
includes such issues as unemployment, regionalism, inequality and social
mobility, gender relations, federal-provincial relations, free trade,
immigration and multiculturalism, the mass media, and the environment.
SOCI 450
Social Theory and the Environment
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study or individualized study online.
Prerequisite: 6 credits intermediate sociology or 6 credits intermediate ENVS.
This course prepares students to undertake a sociological research paper on an
environmental topic of their choice. It introduces students to sociological
studies of the following topics: the culture of consumerism; enclosure of the
global commons; bias and uncertainty in environmental science; critiques of
sustainable development; global inequality and ecological destruction; gender
and environment; and industrial forestry.
SOCIOLOGY/ANTHROPOLOGY (SOAN)
SOAN 384
The Family in World Perspective
3Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: SOCI 287 or SOCI 288 (Bachelor of Nursing students exempted).
This course examines the family in a cross-cultural context, introduces family
life in a variety of cultures, and compares a variety of family traditions.
Major topics covered include historical studies of the family in classical
antiquity, medieval Europe, and early North America; and cross-cultural studies
of non-European families in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far
East. This course provides an introduction to the comparative sociology of the
family combined with a practical understanding of the variability of
child-rearing and socialization practices in other cultures.
SPANISH (SPAN)
Note: If you have not taken Spanish courses for two or more years and have not
kept up your language skills, please contact the course professor before
registering, even though you may satisfy the prerequisites.
SPAN 200
First Year Spanish I: Destinos
3Humanities
Delivery Mode: Individualized study with video component.
Prerequisite: None.
Precluded course: SPAN 200 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for SPAN 100.
Téluq equivalency: ESP 2000.
This telecourse introduces students to the basic elements of the Spanish
language. Together with its complement SPAN 201, this course will enable a
student to speak and write simple Spanish in a range of everyday situations. By
viewing twenty-six, half-hour television programs and other material, students
will develop oral and written skills through the study of vocabulary, grammar,
and idioms. Pronunciation, comprehension, and writing are emphasized and are an
essential component of the course. Students are strongly advised not to take
SPAN 200 and SPAN 201 simultaneously.
SPAN 201
First Year Spanish II: Destinos
3Humanities
Delivery Mode: Individualized study with video component.
Téluq equivalency: ESP 2001.
Prerequisite: SPAN 200 or Span 20 (second year senior high school Spanish) or
equivalent.
Precluded course: SPAN 201 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for SPAN 101.
This telecourse continues the study of the basic elements of the Spanish
language that was begun in SPAN 200. By viewing twenty-six, half-hour television
programs and other material, students will also be introduced to the diverse
cultural contexts in which Spanish is spoken with an emphasis on the cultural
differences among Spain, Central America, and
South America.
SPAN 300
Second Year Spanish I
3Humanities
Delivery Mode: Individualized study with audio and video components.
Prerequisite: SPAN 201 or Span 30 (third year senior high school Spanish) or
equivalent.
Téluq equivalency: ESP 3001.
This course offers a comprehensive review and systematic expansion of the basic
structures of Spanish acquired in First Year Spanish. Listening, speaking, and
writing skills are further reinforced. An audiocassette program with a
laboratory manual and workbook is fully integrated with the main textbook that
emphasizes grammar and correct sentence structure. Students are strongly advised
not to take SPAN 300 and SPAN 301 simultaneously.
SPAN 301
Second Year Spanish II
3Humanities
Delivery Mode: Individualized study with audio and video components.
Prerequisite: SPAN 300 or equivalent.
Téluq equivalency: ESP 4001.
This course will further enrich a student's cultural knowledge of the Hispanic
world. It comprises four integrated components: grammar, vocabulary, culture,
and literature. The course will also further develop Spanish language skills
acquired in SPAN 300. The emphasis is on learning grammar structures and on
vocabulary acquisition. The aim of
SPAN 301 is to strengthen both written and oral skills to enable students to
communicate in a variety of contexts.
** This page is an official publication of Athabasca University **
Public Affairs