Master of Science (M.S.) Major in Dementia and Aging Studies (Practitioner Concentration)

LTCA 5302. Elder Abuse and Mistreatment.

This course provides an introductory overview of key theories, concepts/principles, issues, practices and challenges in elder abuse and mistreatment (EA/M). Course content includes: definitions and theories, incidence and prevalence, risk/protective factors, assessment, prevention, intervention, factors affecting screening/reporting, and the impact of EA/M on victims, caregivers, family and society.

LTCA 5305. Environmental Design for Dementia.

The potential of the physical environment to play an active role in supporting independence, stimulation, and life quality for individuals with dementia will be explored in this course. Emphasis will be placed on principles behind environmental design and the importance of utilizing the physical environment as a therapeutic tool.

LTCA 5322. Environmental Management in Long Term Care.

Students will compare performance analyses of long-term care facilities with a focus on organizational culture, and internal and external customer satisfaction. Plans of managerial action to maximize customer satisfaction will be examined.

LTCA 5323. Governance Management in Long Term Care.

Focuses on regulations for the operation of long term care facilities as promulgated by state and federal governments. Reviews the minimum requirements for licensure and the standards for Medicaid certification in Texas. Also examines specific activities and functions regarding accountability and enforcement procedures.

LTCA 5324. Personnel Management in Long Term Care.

An examination of management issues in long-term care primarily in the critical areas of human resources, public relations, and marketing. Examples include staff recruitment and retention programs, training needs analysis, and marketing plan formulation.

LTCA 5325. Resident Care Management in Long Term Care.

Administratively oriented content related to nursing care, quality indicator, and geriatric pharmacology utilized in long term care facilities. The course content reflects the relative legislative requirements mandated for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

LTCA 5335. Financial Management in Long Term Care.

Students will examine the fiscal performance of selected facilities utilizing data from annual Medicaid cost reports with a focus on revenue enhancement and census development. Students will contrast various systems for determination of reimbursement and use reimbursement issues in a strategic planning sense.

LTCA 5681. Internship in Long Term Care.

This course is an internship where the student works directly with an administrator in a licensed nursing facility and is exposed to aspects of facility operation and management. Students are required to complete 1,000 hours. To meet 1,000 hour licensure requirement, this course can be repeated up to two semesters.

SOCI 5105. Practicum in Teaching Sociology.

An introduction to key concepts and practices in the teaching of college course in Sociology. Provides regular in-service training and planned periodic evaluations of instructional responsibilities. Required for first-year teaching and instructional assistants in the Sociology Department. This course does not earn graduate degree credit. Repeatable with different emphasis.

SOCI 5110. Proseminar in Sociology.

This course will orient new graduate students to the department and the profession. Topics include presentations at professional meetings, academic writing and publishing, and putting together curriculum vitae.

SOCI 5198B. Applied Research Practicum II.

This course represents a student’s continuing enrollment to complete the practicum project. The student continues to enroll in this course until the practicum project is approved by the practicum committee.

SOCI 5199B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollment. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

SOCI 5299B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollment. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

SOCI 5300. Foundation Studies in Sociology.

This course provides prerequisite knowledge required for success in graduate-level coursework in Sociology. Course content varies depending on academic preparation. This course does not earn graduate degree credit. Repeatable up to 12 hours with different emphasis. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

SOCI 5306. Sociological Theory Seminar.

This graduate theory course examines the role of social theory in the historical and contemporary quest for knowledge and understanding of society. The first half of the course emphasizes the European Classics. The second half of the course is devoted to contemporary theory. Emphasis throughout will be on using theory to better understand current events and everyday life experiences. (MULT).

SOCI 5307. Advanced Statistics for the Social Sciences.

Application of advanced statistical theory and methods to the analysis of social data. Prerequisite: SOCI 3307 with a grade of “B” or better.

SOCI 5308. Seminar in Quantitative Research Methods.

The application of research methods to social science with emphasis on direct, practical experience in research. Prerequisite: SOCI 5307 with a grade of "C" or better.

SOCI 5309. Seminar in Qualitative Research Methods.

This course examines qualitative methods in Sociology. Topics include examples of classical and modern qualitative research, and issues related to qualitative research. Students critique qualitative studies and conduct and defend a qualitative project. Departmental approval needed for non-majors.

SOCI 5316. Seminar in Deviation and Social Problems.

A systematic analysis of contemporary social problems and various types of social deviation. Emphasis is on the socialization process as it relates to social problems and human deviation. The sociological explanation of underlying factors will be stressed. (MULT).

SOCI 5318. Seminar in Advanced Data Applications.

This course will cover the application of various statistical techniques, such as chi-square, correlation, and regression while introducing statistical analysis to students using software such as SPSS. Prerequisite: SOCI 5307 with a grade of "C" or better.

SOCI 5319. Seminar in Social Psychology.

A critical appraisal of the major theories and theorists found in Social Psychology with emphasis on their application to contemporary social and psychological issues.

SOCI 5320. Seminar in Demography.

A seminar in the study of population with emphasis on sources of demographic data, techniques of demographic analysis, and population composition and forecasts. (MULT).

SOCI 5322. Impact Analysis Research.

This course is designed to introduce students to the assessment of organizational impact. It addresses both the historical development and social functions of evaluation, as well as practical application of assessment research. Emphasis will be on appropriate research design, implementing the design, and analysis of data.

SOCI 5323. Grant Writing for the Social Sciences.

This course offers an applied approach to developing grant-writing skills for the social scientist. It will cover all aspects of proposal development including idea generation, funding source identification, project description, project plan, project management, evaluation methods, and budget preparation strategies.

SOCI 5350. Seminar on the Sociology of Gender.

This course is a graduate level seminar on the study of gender in sociology with a focus on issues of race, ethnicity, social class, and sexuality. We will examine the major contemporary scholarly debates about gender and explore how gender issues are embedded in different institutions and organizations. (MULT).

SOCI 5351. Introduction to Dementia Studies.

This course is an introduction to the social-scientific study of the causes and consequences of dementia, as well as to issues related to the care of persons with dementia.

SOCI 5352. Dementia and Caregiving.

This course for the Dementia and Aging Studies degree covers current research on policy and support for caregivers of persons with dementia, with an emphasis on the applied sociological focus of caregiver training and education. The course also addresses broader public sociology issues of caregiving and healthcare.

SOCI 5353. Seminar in the Community.

A study of contemporary urban society with emphasis on understanding the social structure as a prerequisite to planning and problem solving at the community level. (MULT).

SOCI 5354. Theoretical Perspectives in Aging and Dementia.

This course discusses theories of aging from biological, psychological, and social science perspectives. The course also demonstrates how these theories can be applied to analyzing various aging issues, particularly the social care of persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

SOCI 5355. The Social Psychology of Dementia.

This course analyzes the social construction of dementia and salient social psychological theories, concepts, and research in dementia studies. It investigates the social psychology of dementia in relation to mind, identity, stereotypes, prejudice, attributions, socialization, emotions, social interaction and the impact of institutions on the self.

SOCI 5356. End of Life Care.

This course focuses on issues of dying and death. Topics covered include symptom management, palliative care, hospice, pain control, life-sustaining treatment and spiritual, legal and ethical issues related to dying and death. Also covered will be different religious views on euthanasia, dying, death, and funerals.

SOCI 5357. Gender and Aging in Society.

This course is a seminar on the study of gender and aging. This seminar will examine issues of aging identities, the aging body, sexuality, health and medicine, and caregiving among older adults. This course emphasizes the aging experience in our culture as a fundamentally gendered phenomenon. (MULT).

SOCI 5359. Seminar in Drugs and Society.

A sociological examination of the use of legal and illegal drugs in society, with emphasis on topics such as the “war on drugs,” the pharmaceutical industry, and drugs as technologies of medicalization, as well as incentives to social change. (MULT).

SOCI 5361. Aging and Dementia: Racial and Ethnic Minorities.

This course provides an analysis of how race and ethnicity affect aging and dementia, with particular emphasis on the United States. The course examines health and quality of life of racial and ethnic minorities in later life, social factors that influence these differences, and means of intervention. (MULT).

SOCI 5362. Rural Aging and Dementia.

This graduate course examines aging and dementia issues in rural America. Demographic trends, cultural and economic changes, and intervention strategies will be examined.

SOCI 5363. Seminar in Medical Sociology.

A seminar on selected topics of human health and health care organizations. Topics to be stressed include: social causes and consequences of morbidity and mortality, professionalization and socialization of health care practitioners, organization of health institutions, and demographic changes in health problems and needs. (MULT).

SOCI 5364. Clinical Gerontology: Interventions for Elders and Persons with Dementia.

This course takes a clinical sociology perspective in studying the issues of the aged and persons with dementia. The approach is humanistic and multidisciplinary, seeking to improve the quality of older persons' lives by assessing situations and reducing problems using analysis and intervention.

SOCI 5366. Social Inequality: Race, Class, and Gender in the United States.

This course investigates the topic of social inequality. The intersections of class, race and gender as they produce inequality are explored, along with theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence informing the study of social inequality.

SOCI 5367. Seminar in Sustainable Cities.

This course analyzes the complex relationship between urbanization and environmental change from a sociological perspective. Overarching themes include sustainabiilty and environmental justice. (MULT).

SOCI 5368. Seminar in Environmental Sociology.

This course situates societies within their ecological context and vice versa. Focusing upon social and environmental interactions, including the interactions of social organization, inequality, and policy, provides a comprehensive understanding of the physical and social milieu. (MULT).

SOCI 5370. Seminar in Sociology of Racial and Ethnic Relations.

This course examines the dynamics of dominant and subordinate social groups. The course focuses on racial, ethnic, and class differences. (MULT).

SOCI 5371. Directed Study.

Course of independent study open to individual students only at the invitation of the faculty member with the approval of the department chair and the graduate advisor. Repeatable for credit. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

SOCI 5383. Seminar on Aging.

This course provides graduate students with an opportunity to examine national and global issues involved with the aging process and population aging from a social scientific and multicultural perspective. (MULT).

SOCI 5388F. Seminar in Poverty.

This course is a graduate seminar on the sociological study of US poverty and social mobility. We will examine poverty measurement and trends, poverty-related social policies, theories for explaining poverty and mobility, and the intersection of poverty and social mobility with issues of gender, race, family structure, and place. (MULT).

SOCI 5388G. Seminar in Food and Society.

This graduate course focuses on the sociological study of food. It examines the current food system and its interactions with macro-level social institutions, as well as individual identity and well-being. (MULT).

SOCI 5388H. Advanced Statistical Analysis II.

The focus of this course is advanced data analysis. This course will cover topics such as regression, limited dependent variables analysis, and time series analysis. A secondary aim is to demonstrate data analyses using popular software packages. Prerequisite: SOCI 5307 with a grade of "B" or better.

SOCI 5388J. Applied Survey Research.

This course offers an applied approach to learning about survey methods. The course links research on survey construction and implementation to practical applications in which students solve problems associated with real-world survey instruments. Students will learn appropriate survey research terminology, as well as how to communicate in an effective and non-technical manner to others in need of survey assistance.

SOCI 5390. Seminar in Globalization and Development.

This seminar explores issues related to socioeconomic development and change, particularly in the “Global south.” The course will focus on factors affecting development and underdevelopment around the world. (MULT).

SOCI 5395. Global Insecurity.

This graduate seminar covers global, socially constructed risks perceived as threats to sustainable development. Topics include theories of globalization and insecurity; an assessment of threats to democracy and human rights, the environment, food security, public health and safety; as well as local, national and international responses to these threats. (MULT).

SOCI 5398A. Applied Research Practicum.

Directed impact analysis project in a government agency, business, or non-profit organization requiring the student to apply skills and demonstrate knowledge gained in course work. The project topic will be determined jointly by the faculty supervisor, the student, and the research site. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

SOCI 5398B. Applied Research Practicum.

Directed impact analysis project in a government agency, business, or non-profit organization requiring the student to apply skills and demonstrate knowledge gained in course work. The project topic will be determined jointly by the faculty supervisor, the student, and the research site. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

SOCI 5399A. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s initial thesis enrollment. No thesis credit is awarded until the student has completed the thesis in SOCI 5399B.

SOCI 5399B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollment. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

SOCI 5599B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollment. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.

SOCI 5999B. Thesis.

This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollment. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding.