Contact Information
Instructor: Professor Melinda Milligan
Email: melinda.milligan@sonoma.edu
Phone: (707) 664-2254
Office: 2084-N Stevenson Hall

Course Description & Objectives

Sociology 498 focuses on student completion of independent research projects with an emphasis on the investigation of human-built environment relationships. (The built environment refers to “physical space” or, more specifically, to space that has been physically and socially constructed.) Each student will design and complete an original research project, including the collection and analysis of primary data. The course will include such topics as the sociological examination of place attachment, sense of community, identities and spaces, public space, architecture, urban planning, urban policy and decision-making, and many others. Additionally, since the course is the “capstone” of the sociology degree, it will review basic sociological concepts and perspectives.

The first few weeks of the semester will be devoted to the development of student research topics. Class meetings will be divided more or less evenly between discussion of the course topic (the built environment) and discussion of student research projects. The course is designed as a seminar, which means student participation is central to its success. Class meetings will emphasize discussion of readings and student research topics.

Students must have completed Sociology 300, Sociology 375, and, ideally, a Methods Seminar before enrolling in Sociology 498. Permission to repeat the course must be granted by the instructor. Students must attend the first class meeting (January 31) or they risk being dropped from the course.

Required Texts
Warner, Carol A.B. and Tracy Karner. 2005. Discovering Qualitative Methods: Field Research, Interviews, and Analysis. Roxbury Publishing.
Sorkin, Michael (ed.). 1992. Variations on a Theme Park: The New American City and the End of Public Space. Noonday Press.
Conley, Dalton. 2000. Honky. Vintage Press.
Additional Readings (Available on hard copy and electronic reserve at SSU library)

Course Requirements & Weighting of Final Course Grade
Class Participation 15%
Discussion Questions 25%
Midterm Exam 20%
Original Research Project 40%

The research project is divided into a series of assignments:
5% Project Proposal
5% Preliminary Literature Review
5% Interview Guide/Survey Questionnaire/Observation Strategies
5% Progress Report and Preliminary Data Analysis
5% Class Presentation
15% Final Research Paper

DEPARTMENT NEWS

KATZ JOINS DEPARTMENT

C. WRIGHT MILLS AWARD APPLICATION 07-08

Sociology Department

Sociology 498-01 Senior Seminar Topic: The Sociology of the Built Environment

Sociology 498-01
Senior Seminar
Topic: The Sociology of the
Built Environment