SOC 3347 - Deviant Behavior

Credits: 3 hrs.

This course is about deviant behavior and what happens to those perceived as deviants. The course will first examine the relationship between deviance, conformity and social control. It will then examine the theoretical foundations of deviance, particularly the rejection of the theories of degeneracy and psychopathology, and the rise of the Labeling or Symbolic Interaction perspective in the 1960s to provide a framework for understanding deviant behavior. An attempt will be made to dispel the belief that the roots of deviant behavior can always be understood from racial or inherited qualities of individuals, and rather help students to understand the relationship between social arrangements including religion, government, family patterns, economic conditions, differential association or interactions and deviance. Finally, the course will focus on various forms of deviance including contemporary concern with hate crimes, white-collar crime, terrorism and the need to develop effective measures to control disruptive behavior. Prerequisite(s): SOC 2301 or SOC 2302.