Objectives

Sociology reveals a world about which individuals are often unaware: the social relationships, interactions, norms, values, structures, and roles that shape who we are and how we think and act. The objective of a sociology concentration is to give students an understanding of how society is organized, how it affects human interaction, and how it might be changed.

The general objective of the graduate program is to educate students in the major areas of sociology while promoting specialization in several. The program presents students with six options. The first option is a doctoral program designed for students who intend to devote themselves to teaching and research in sociology. Students pursuing the Ph.D. may, by satisfying certain requirements, also receive the M.A. degree, or may earn a joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. The second option is a terminal M.A. degree in sociology; the third option is a terminal joint M.A. degree in women's studies and sociology; the fourth option is a joint M.A. degree in Near Eastern and Judaic studies and sociology; the fifth option is a joint Ph.D. degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and sociology; the sixth option is a joint Ph.D. degree in social policy (Heller Graduate School) and sociology.

How to Become an Undergraduate Concentrator

Students can declare their concentration at any time. A sociology concentration is especially appealing to students interested in understanding the workings of society and human interaction. Students are encouraged to take SOC 1a or 2a early in their concentration.

How to Be Admitted to the Graduate Program

The general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, as specified in an earlier section of this Bulletin, apply to candidates for admission to the sociology program.

In addition, all prospective students are required to submit written material (papers, etc.) representative of their best work, which need not, however, be of a sociological nature.

Faculty

Sociology of health and illness. Deviance. Field methods.

Race and identity. Social theory. Critical race theory. Social movements. Sociology of culture.

Social movements. Organizations. Community structure. Quantitative inquiry.

Marx and Freud. Social class. Peace and conflict studies. Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Empowerment. Psychoanalytic sociology.

Women's changing roles. Sociology of the life course. Family policy. Social movements.

Feminist theory. Sociology of the family. Historical sociology. Sociology of gender.

Classical and contemporary social theory. Critical theory. Social movements. Existential sociology. Legal studies.

Disability policy. Family caregiving. Mental retardation. Human services.

Sociology of education. Gender. Aging and the life course. Professions. Work and occupations.

Jewish women's studies. History of women in sociology. Sociology of work. Qualitative and feminist methodology.

Political sociology. Social theory. Economy and society. Comparative social structures. European politics and sociology. Globalization.

Community organizing. Civic renewal and political sociology. Work. Organizations. Theory.

Medical sociology. Science and technology. Interpretative theories. Qualitative research methods. Death and dying.

International relations. Global apartheid. Development. Women/feminism in developing countries. Caribbean.

Requirements for the Undergraduate Concentration

Ten semester courses, a minimum of eight from sociology, which must include:

A. SOC 1a or SOC 2a. This course should be taken early in the curriculum.

B. At least one course each in three of the following five subareas listed below.

SOC 114a, 114b, 127a, 128a, 141a, 164a.

NEJS 170b, SOC 101a, 118a, 136b, 151b, 181a, 183a.

AAAS 121b, 122a, 122b, HS 110a, SOC 105a, 106a, 107a, 108b, 111a, 112b, 113b, 115a, 119a, 120a, 121a, 122a, 122b, 123b, 155b, 157a, 161a, 171a, 188a, 188b, 195b, POL 153a.

AAAS 116b, HIP 20a, 20b, NEJS 161a, 164b, SOC 6b, 104a, 105a, 106a, 108b, 109a, 109b, 112a, 114b, SOC 117a, 117b, 121b, 125b, 127b, 128a, 130a, 131b, 134a, 137a, 154a, 157a, 165a, 165b, 169b, 172a, 173b, 174b, 175b, 178a, 187a, 190b, 193b, 194b.

SOC 3a, 126a, 127a, 135a, 144b, 147a, 148a, 148b, 153a, 164b, 166a, 176a, 177b, 187a, 189a, 191a, 192b.

C. Four additional sociology electives, for a total of 8 sociology courses.

D. In addition, students must take two semester courses above the introductory level in other departments in the School of Social Science. This requires that either a prerequisite course be taken, 100 level or above, or cross-listed with course number over 100. Students enrolled in the Education Program may meet this requirement by taking HIST 51a and 51b.

E. The average grade of a student's concentration requirement courses must be at least a C (2.00). No course taken pass/fail may count toward the concentration requirement.

Honors candidates are required to take SOC 99d (Senior Research) in addition to the eight sociology courses and two upper-level courses in the School of Social Science. Enrollment in SOC 99d requires a minimum GPA in sociology of 3.20.

Special Notes Relating to Undergraduates

Joint Graduate/Undergraduate Senior Seminars are courses on advanced topics in sociology limited to 12 students. These courses are an opportunity for more in-depth study and are especially valuable for anyone considering graduate school. In ordinary circumstances they will be accessible only to advanced undergraduates with adequate preparatory work (SOC 1a or SOC 2a) and other sociology courses. Permission of instructor is necessary for undergraduates.

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts

The M.A. degree in sociology is designed for completion in one calendar year, with the degree awarded at the next official University degree conferral after completion of residence and requirements. Each Master of Arts degree candidate will devise a specialized program with a faculty advisor who will be assigned upon the student's acceptance to the department. The student's program must be approved by the Graduate Committee at the beginning of each semester of residence. Master of Arts degrees are usually offered in social theory and cultural studies; the sociology of health and health care; comparative social structures; sociology of gender; and social psychology. Each specialized program will include the completion of six semester courses, ordinarily in sociology at Brandeis--one in theory, one in methods, three in the substantive M.A. area--plus satisfaction of a final research requirement. For the final requirement the student, with permission of the advisor, may choose from three options--an M.A. thesis, two major seminar papers, or a qualifying examination.

The minimum residence requirement is one year.

There is no foreign language requirement for the master's degree.

Requirements for the Joint Degree of Master of Arts in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Sociology

Students will normally take seven courses each year (14 courses in total). Six of these courses must be offered by or cross-listed with the sociology department, and must include a graduate-level course in methods and one in theory. The remaining eight courses must be offered by or cross-listed with the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department, and at least six of these courses must be offered by NEJS faculty. Students may not include courses taken to prepare for the M.A. language examination among these courses.

Ordinarily, two years of full-time residence are required at the normal course rate of seven courses each academic year. Students who enter with graduate credit from other recognized institutions may apply for transfer credit for up to four courses, or, with prior approval of the M.A. advisor, candidates may receive transfer credit for up to four courses for study at a university abroad.

All candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency in Modern Hebrew or Arabic.

All candidates are required to pass an oral comprehensive examination, which is administered by a committee composed of faculty from the NEJS and sociology departments.

Students submit two graduate-level research papers, which may have been previously submitted as part of their course work. These papers are read by a faculty committee from the NEJS and sociology departments.

Requirements for the Joint Degree of Master of Arts in Sociology and Women's Studies

The joint Master of Arts degree in sociology and women's studies is a one-year (12-month) program. Requirements include the completion of seven courses to be distributed as follows: a designated foundational course in women's studies; one graduate course outside sociology listed as an elective in women's studies; one graduate sociology course listed as an elective in women's studies; plus three other regular graduate sociology courses (one methods, one theory, and one outside the area of gender). Also required are a directed study focused on student research, year-long attendance in the eight-part Women's Studies Colloquium Series (noncredit), and submission of two substantial M.A. papers or a thesis. The sociology department offers advanced undergraduate/graduate seminars that can be taken to fulfill the graduate course requirements.

One year.

There is no foreign language requirement for the joint master's degree.

Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Students entering the Ph.D. program in sociology are expected to undertake a three-year program of course work, as a part of which they are obliged to take the program's proseminar (SOC 290a) and, within the Brandeis sociology department, at least six formal graduate seminars and four additional courses as either independent readings, advanced undergraduate/graduate seminars, or upper division courses. The eight remaining courses can be taken as the student chooses, including graduate courses at other Boston-area universities, in consultation with her or his advisor. The initial program of studies is arranged in consultation with the graduate student's advisor. Consideration will be given to graduate work done elsewhere but formal transfer credit is assigned only after the successful completion of the first year of study.

It is required that all Ph.D. students participate in undergraduate teaching. This typically means leading discussion sections in one course per term, over the course of eight semesters, and using this as an opportunity to develop the craft of teaching in collaboration with individual professors and through other teaching workshops within the department and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Advanced students, and those with prize instructorships, also may have the opportunity to teach their own course and help supervise senior theses.

The minimum residence for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is three years.

There is no foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

During a student's time in residence, the specific planning, evaluation, and accreditation of his or her entire course of study will be in the hands of each student's Guidance Accreditation Committee, comprised of three faculty members. Along with the student, this committee will lay out a general course of study designed to meet the interests and needs of the student. Upon completion of this course of study, the student will take an oral qualifying examination covering general sociology and the areas of the student's special interests. The committee will report at least once a year to the Graduate Committee on the progress of the student, who is urged to fulfill accreditation by the end of his or her third year of residence.

The Ph.D. dissertation may be accepted by the program upon the recommendation of the Dissertation Committee. To be granted the degree, the student is required to defend the dissertation in a public Final Oral Examination.

Requirements for the Joint Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Sociology

Students must complete a total of 21 courses. Nine of these courses should be offered by the sociology department (comprising five graduate seminars and four other sociology courses). Among the sociology courses at least one must be a theory course and at least one must be on quantitative methods. At least nine courses must be taken within the NEJS department. The remaining three courses are open to student choice with the approval of the student's advisors. In addition, students in their first year are required to participate in a year-long, noncredit Proseminar that introduces program faculty and their research interests.

Students are assigned advisors from the sociology department and from the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department. Both advisors will work with the student to assure appropriate course coherency. An interdepartmental meeting between both advisors and the student should take place at least once a year.

Three years of full-time residence are required at the normal rate of at least seven term courses each academic year. Students who enter with graduate credit from other recognized institutions may apply for transfer credit. By rule of the Graduate School, a maximum of one year of credit may be accepted toward the residence requirement on the recommendation of the chair of the program.

Candidates are required to establish competence in Hebrew and one modern language (normally French or German, but depending on the area of research another language may be substituted). Language examinations will be administered by the student's advisors.

Candidates are required to establish competence in statistics by successful completion of an appropriate Brandeis course in statistics.

Students should also discuss with their advisors the desirability of taking courses at member institutions of the Boston Consortium.

Before proposing and writing a doctoral dissertation, students must show competence in two areas of sociology through the Graduate Accreditation Committee (GAC) process, pass a two-part written comprehensive examination in Jewish cultural literacy in the NEJS department, and pass an oral major field examination.

Candidates demonstrate Jewish cultural literacy in a two-part written examination, which has English and Hebrew components, and a follow-up oral examination. The Hebrew examination in primary sources is part of the cultural literacy examination. This examination gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their broad general knowledge of Jewish literature and cultures of the biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and early modern periods. The oral examination provides opportunity for further exploration following the written examination. Following the successful completion of the Jewish cultural literacy examinations candidates demonstrate their particular field of expertise in contemporary Jewish societies through the oral major field examination.

The Graduate Accreditation Committee (GAC) is the sociology department equivalent to comprehensive examinations. Students elect two sociological areas of interest and with the appropriate faculty member create a contract of requirements for the completion of a portfolio in the specific area. The portfolio can include such items as completed courses, papers, independent readings, or bibliographies. Faculty advisors suggest readings, written work, or independent studies. When the GAC requirement is completed there will be a comprehensive meeting to discuss the candidate's interests and direction in the field and the upcoming dissertation.

A dissertation proposal should be submitted to the dissertation committee soon after the comprehensive examinations and GACs are completed. The dissertation committee should consist of five members: two each from the sociology and the NEJS departments and a fifth member from outside those departments. After approval of the proposal by the dissertation committee it is submitted to the department faculties for approval. Two copies of the dissertation are to be deposited in the offices of the program chairs no later than March 1 of the year in which the candidate expects to earn the degree. The dissertation committee must approve the dissertation and the student must successfully defend the dissertation at a Final Oral Examination.

Requirements for the Joint Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Policy and Sociology

Students entering the joint Ph.D. program in social policy and sociology are expected to complete a total of 18 courses. At least nine of these courses must be offered by the Brandeis sociology department--six of these courses must be graduate seminars and the remaining three may be advanced undergraduate/graduate seminars or directed readings; at least one of these must be a sociology theory course. A minimum of nine courses must be taken within The Heller Graduate School and at least one of these courses must be on quantitative research methodology (e.g., HS 401b [Research Methods]). In addition, in their first year students are required to participate in a year-long, noncredit Proseminar which introduces the program's faculty and their research interests.

Students are assigned advisors from the sociology department and from The Heller School. Advisors in both departments work together with students to assure appropriate coherency in their program of courses. An interdepartmental meeting between advisors and students should take place at least once a year.

The minimum residence for the joint degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Policy and Sociology is three years.

There is no foreign language requirement for the joint Ph.D. degree.

Each student must complete a "comprehensive paper" as required in The Heller School curriculum. Students must also show competence in two areas of sociology, as certified through the Guidance Accreditation Committee (GAC) process (the sociology department equivalent of comprehensive exams). Students elect two areas of interest and develop a contractual set of requirements with a faculty member of each area. When both GACs are completed there is a meeting (typically one to two hours) to discuss the student's interests, directions in the field, and the upcoming dissertation.

A dissertation proposal should be submitted soon after the comprehensive examination and GACs are completed. The dissertation committee should consist of five members--two faculty members each from the sociology department and The Heller School and one outside member. The joint Ph.D. dissertation may be accepted by the sociology department and The Heller School upon the recommendation of the dissertation committee. To be granted the degree, the student is required to defend the dissertation in a public Final Oral Examination.

Courses of Instruction

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

[ ss ]

An introduction to the sociological perspective, with an emphasis on an analysis of problems of social order and change. Topics include gender, work and family, poverty, and inequality, race and ethnicity, democracy, social movements, community, and education. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Conrad or Mr. Sirianni

[ ss ]

Introduces the student to the foundations of sociological and social psychological explanatory systems. Analyzes the major ideas of classical and modern authors and their competing approaches and methodologies--Durkheim, Weber, Mead, Goffman, Smith, Foucault, and others. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Hayim

[ ss ]

Uses social psychological theory and research to help explain basic human processes. Questions include: What is a theory of action? How do infants become socialized? How does the self relate to community? How are deviant identities created? How do people become "old"? Usually offered every year.

Staff

Equivalent to four one-semester courses. Students taking it are expected to work out a plan of study for one semester with the help of two faculty members. This plan is to be submitted to the undergraduate committee of the department for approval. Usually offered every year.

Staff

See SOC 90a for special notes and course description. Usually offered every year.

Staff

Combines unpaid off-campus experience and social scientific inquiry. Under the supervision of a faculty sponsor, students apply sociological methods of analysis to an internship experience. Students develop a specific plan of study with a faculty member in the relevant field prior to undertaking the internship. Open to sociology majors with adequate related prior coursework and with permission of the instructor. Counts only once toward fulfillment of the concentration requirements. Usually offered every year.

Staff

See SOC 92a for special notes and course description. Usually offered every year.

Staff

Group readings and reports under the direction of a faculty supervisor. Usually offered every year.

Staff

See SOC 97a for special notes and course description. Usually offered every year.

Staff

Individual readings and reports under the direction of a faculty supervisor. Usually offered every year.

Staff

See SOC 98a for special notes and course description. Usually offered every year.

Staff

Seniors who are candidates for degrees with honors in sociology register for this course and, under the direction of a member of the faculty, prepare an honors thesis on a suitable topic. Usually offered every year.

Staff

(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

[ ss ]

Examines the role of the institution of education as a force for social change versus the idea that education's function is to reinforce prevailing social conditions. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Ms. Preston

[ ss ]

Critically evaluates the predominant theoretical approaches to understanding the oppression of women and the dynamics of sexism, racism, and classism within the sex/gender system. Uses these perspectives to explore issues in women's lives that often result in their subordination. This intermediate-level course counts toward the completion of the joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Hansen

[ qr ss ]

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of crime and punishment. Analyzes theories and empirical research around a number of problem areas in the criminal justice system, with special attention paid to street violence, domestic violence, the courts, the prison, and the different therapeutic systems. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Ms. Hayim

[ nw ss ]

Using the skewed distribution of power and wealth as an organizing and conceptual framework, explores modern inequalities, the sociology that explains them, and the social movements worldwide that seek to redress these imbalances. Multimedia use of materials: documentaries, journal articles, newspapers, and popular literature. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Williams

[ ss ]

How is our taste for works of art affected by our social class location? Are artistic geniuses born or made? How do institutional structures affect the kinds of art that get produced? This seminar explores sociological answers to these questions, and the theoretical background necessary to effectively frame them. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered fall 2001.

Staff

[ ss ]

Examines the relationship between society and politics, social processes, and political change. Theories of democracy and empowerment. Case studies on environmental movements and public interest regulation, urban and health policy, media, community organizing and development, civic journalism, and community service. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Sirianni

(Formerly SOC 212a)

[ ss ]

Examines the evolution of the field and its usefulness for understanding the gender disparities in development. Paradigms in major international agencies are contrasted with ways in which women are actively structuring their lives. Case material from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Ms. Williams

[ ss ]

Presents the role of social class in determining life chances, lifestyles, income, occupation, and power; theories of class, inequality, and imperialism; selected social psychological aspects of social class and inequality; and connections of class, race, and gender. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Fellman

[ ss ]

Introduces a set of general ideas about intergroup relations as well as focuses on specific issues surrounding racial inequality. Uses a variety of media to examine topics such as colonial domination, white supremacy, racial segregation, and gang structure in inner cities. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Cunningham

(Formerly SOC 214a)

[ ss ]

A study of Freud as a major social theorist. The role of motivation, body, sexuality, dreams, ambivalence, repression, transference, childhood, psychosexual development, and psychosocial development in understanding social organization and social dynamics and change. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Fellman

[ qr ss ]

Explores the role of property, authority, and knowledge in structuring class inequality and consciousness. Special emphasis placed on education, the expansion of intellectual labor, and the concentration of urban poverty. Has education supplanted property in status inheritance as well as attainment? Is meritocracy incompatible with class inequality, or would it further entrench it? Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1998.

Staff

[ ss ]

Comparative approach to studying cinema through its experience. Examination of evolution from early Cinema of Attractions to contemporary movie-going in western and non-western cultures. Surveys the movie-going experience through field assignments involving attending 10-15 hours of movies. Special one-time offering. Was offered in the spring of 2001.

Ms. Srinivas

[ ss ]

Focuses on the transformation of contemporary workplaces in the United States. How gender shapes inequality in the labor force, as well as idioms of skill, worth, care, and service. How women and men combine care for families with paid work. Strategies for empowerment, equity, and flexibility (comparable worth, family leave, flexible working time options, affirmative action, employee participation, new union strategies, grassroots organizing). Usually offered every year.

Ms. Reinharz or Mr. Sirianni

(Formerly SOC 217b)

[ ss ]

Provides an in-depth exploration of sociological approaches to science and technology. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Timmermans

[ ss ]

Ponders the possibility of a major "paradigm shift" under way from adversarialism and war to mutuality and peace. Examines war culture and peace culture and points in between, with emphases on the role of imagination in social change, growing global interdependence, and political, economic, gender, social class, and social psychological aspects of war and peace. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Fellman

[ ss ]

Examines and evaluates major new literature, practices, and expectations in development. Includes human development, gender equity, and human rights-based development. Familiarizes students with these paradigms and literature, and imparts appropriate analytic skills. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Ms. Williams

(Formerly SOC 219a)

[ ss ]

The transnationalization of a wide range of social relations challenges many of the assumptions of social analysis. This course, a research seminar, will explore these challenges in a series of different areas, including labor and other markets, political behavior and social movements, culture and the media, social geography, and social theory. Usually offered fourth third year.

Mr. Ross

[ ss ]

The basic programs of the "welfare state" are being challenged everywhere. Can societies such as ours support extensive public pension programs, health care, and income support for the poor and unemployed? This fundamental question is discussed with reference to contemporary American society. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Ross

[ ss ]

"Globalization" is the buzzword of our time. To clarify its meaning we first consider the evidence about economic globalization and then discuss globalization's present and future effects on politics and the state, inequality, identity, and culture in advanced societies. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Ross

[ nw ss ]

Applies hegemony (as distinct from domination) as a framework of analysis. Examines the asymmetrical relationship between the United States and several Caribbean countries, including Grenada and Haiti. The relationship with the wider region is explored through trade, finance and debt, military relations, cultural and educational ties, and immigration. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Ms. Williams

[ ss ]

An investigation of the sociological perspectives of deviance, focusing particular attention on definitional, sociopolitical, and interactional aspects as well as society's response. Includes a review of theory and current research and discussions of various forms of noncriminological deviance and social control. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the summer of 2001.

Mr. Conrad

(Formerly SOC 226a)

[ ss ]

Examines the major American theories of social psychology, using a historical perspective. Topics include classical understanding of the relation between the individual and the group, small group dynamics within the family and workplace, theories of human development, and feminist revisions of classical theories. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Ms. Reinharz

[ ss ]

Examines the experience of religion as a social and individual identity, as well as a spiritual and as a literary culture. Looks into the social-psychology of new religious movements with special attention paid to the role and character of religious consciousness in the world today. Readings cover comparative classical and contemporary thought and research. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Ms. Hayim

[ ss ]

Investigates changes in the character of American families over the last two centuries. A central concern will be the dynamic interactions between economic, cultural, political, and social forces and how they shape and are reshaped by families over time. Particular attention is paid to how experiences of men and women vary by class, race, and ethnicity. This course counts towards the completion of the joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Hansen

[ ss ]

Through the biographies and autobiographies of women intellectuals, political leaders, artists, and "ordinary" women, this seminar investigates the relationship between women's everyday lives, history, and the sex/gender system. This course counts towards the completion of the joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Hansen

[ ss ]

This research-oriented course investigates the history of selected U.S. and British female social scientists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Examines why their work has been ignored or labeled as "not sociology" and how sociology has been defined on the basis of work done by men only. Studies women of color and white women, heterosexual and lesbian women, and the relation between their sociological work, their lives, and the times in which they lived. This course counts towards the completion of the joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Ms. Reinharz

[ ss ]

Explores the relationship between sociology and history through examples of scholarship from both disciplines. The course pays close attention to each author's research strategy by looking at basic research questions, theoretical underpinnings and assumptions, and uses of evidence. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Ms. Hansen

[ ss ]

Examines gender as an organizing principle that sorts people into two separate but unequal social groups. We analyze how gender creates and recreates forms of domination and subordination in organizations, labor markets, family structures, and educational institutions. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Ms. Preston

[ ss ]

Examines recent studies and theories on how gender influences the life course of women and men. Students learn the techniques of life course research and develop an independent research project. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Ms. Preston

[ ss ]

Examines Marxian and Freudian analyses of human nature, human potential, social stability, conflict, consciousness, social class, and change. Includes attempts to combine the two approaches. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Fellman

[ ss ]

Critical analysis of bureaucratic organizations. Innovation and change in school systems, social services, corporations, nonprofits, federal and state bureaucracies, police, dynamics of democratic, feminist, multicultural, and community organizations. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Sirianni

[ ss ]

An exploration into the social psychology of experiences that have been central to religious life. Compassion, prayer, contemplation, meditation, devotion, ecstasy, and service will be examined in traditional and nontraditional settings. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Stein

[ ss ]

The course focuses on social structural and inner dimensions of feelings of helplessness, futility, hope, vision, and efficacy. Course work includes reading, writing, journal keeping, discussion, and field trips. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Fellman

[ ss ]

Examines how the patterning of relations within communities generates predictable outcomes at the individual and small-group level. Deals with cities, suburbs, and small rural communities. Special focus is given to youth subcultures typically found in each community type. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Cunningham

[ ss ]

Utilizes case studies of actual movements to examine a variety of approaches to contentious politics. Covers collective behavior, resource mobilization, rational choice, and newer interactive models. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Ms. Bery

[ ss ]

Integrates ideas related to community organization, collective action, and social change with field study of particular settings in which individuals and groups seek to effect change within their communities. Students complete semester-long projects based on data gathered at fieldwork settings. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Cunningham

[ ss ]

An introduction to Jewish and Palestinian nationalisms; relevant sociological, political, religious, resource, and population issues; social psychological dimensions; and the conflict in world politics. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Fellman

[ ss ]

Examines the ways in which power is exercised in different political regimes and social systems and considers the problem of democracy. The major focus of the course will be present-day advanced industrial societies, with particular consideration of the United States. Usually offered every fourth year.

Mr. Ross

[ ss ]

Introduces existential thought in relation to the discipline of sociology and social psychology and evaluates selected theories on human nature, identity and interaction, individual freedom and social ethics, and the existential theory of action. De Beauvoir, Mead, Sartre, Goffman, Kierkegaard, and others will be considered. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Hayim

[ ss ]

Explores the ways in which different societies shape the human experience of birth and death. Topics to be covered include Eastern attitudes towards birth and death, the Holocaust, the social implications of medical technologies, and the home birth and hospice movements. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Stein

[ ss ]

Explores dimensions of human sexuality. This course will take as its central tenet that humans are sexual beings and their sexuality is shaped by gender, class, race, culture, and history. It will explore the contradictory ways of understanding sexual behavior and relationships. The course intends to teach students about the social nature of sexual expression. This course counts toward the completion of the joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1999.

Staff

[ nw ss ]

This course will bring together an analysis of the rise, tenure, and legacies of women as national leaders; socioeconomic poverty in developing countries; and national and international politics. Students select political leaders or a feminist organization (or both) for close scrutiny and engage in an interdisciplinary search to understand women's leadership in the South. This course counts toward the completion of the joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Williams

What distinguishes a profession from other occupations. Addresses this question by examining the writings of theorists and by evaluating case studies of specific professions such as medicine, law, teaching, psychology, and the clergy. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Ms. Preston

[ ss ]

Environmental politics and policy from the 1960s to the present. Environmental movement organizations and strategies. National regulatory cultures, policy change, community-based and civic approaches to environmental problem solving. Case studies drawn from watersheds, forests, ecosystem restoration, toxics, environmental justice, the greening of industry. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1999.

Mr. Sirianni

[ ss ]

This course examines the impact of heredity or genetic theories of human problems on developing public policy, including the viability and validity of theories and evidence. Historical and contemporary cases such as gender, IQ, mental illness, and alcoholism are studied. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Conrad

[ ss ]

Explores the social context of old age by using sociological theory, empirical research, and literature. Examines such topics as aging in residential settings, the aging experience of minority groups, health and illness, the economics of aging, gender, work, and retirement. Also examines the definition of old age in other societies in order to understand the contemporary Western response to aging. Contains a field research component. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Preston

[ ss ]

This course examines how modern societies institutionalize expertise by constructing professions. The main goal is to gain an understanding of how and why professions emerge, monopolize a field, and consolidate power. Topics include the relationship of higher education to professions, the effect of bureaucratic control on professional autonomy, and current changes in the status of professions. Characteristics and trajectories of specific professions such as law, medicine, and teaching will be examined. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Ms. Preston

[ qr ss ]

Introduces students to causal logic and quantitative reasoning and research. Emphasis is on conceptual understanding, not mathematical derivations, with hands-on applications using desktop computers. No statistical or mathematical background is necessary. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Cunningham

[ ss ]

Focuses on gaining familiarity with basic tools for statistical analysis and the presentation of data, issues related to research design and construction, and the evaluation of evidence presented in quantitative models. No prior experience with statistics is assumed. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Cunningham

[ ss ]

Homicide and suicide are leading causes of death for young people. We examine the social explanations for this excess mortality. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Timmermans

[ wi ss ]

Explores theoretical considerations of the body as a cultural phenomenon intersecting with health, healing, illness, disease, and medicine. The course weaves back and forth between experiencing the body and acting upon the body. The theories are mainly interpretive and critical. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Timmermans

[ ss ]

An analysis of the structural arrangements of medical practice and medical settings, focusing on societal and professional responses to illness. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Timmermans

[ ss ]

An exploration into interrelationships among society, health, and disease, emphasizing the social causes and experience of illness. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Conrad

[ ss ]

In the latter half of the 20th century, disability has emerged as an important social-political-economic-medical issue, with its own distinct history, characterized as a shift from "good will to civil rights." Traces that history and the way people with disability are seen and unseen, and see themselves. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Ms. Krauss

[ ss ]

Explores the role of ethnicity and race in shaping experiences with health and illness. Particular attention is paid to how culture affects definitions and responses to health events by different ethnic groups in the United States and internationally. Usually offered every year.

Staff

[ ss ]

Explores the many ways in which technology enters into the structures of our lives. The course includes a historical overview of the industrial revolution in 19th- and 20th-century United States, an overview of the main theories in sociology of technology, and a discussion of some key topics in the area of technology. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1998.

Mr. Timmermans

(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students

Covers the major paradigms in contemporary social analysis ranging from role-strain theory to symbolic interactionism, globalization theory, rational choice theory, system and action theory, and recent cultural sociology in Europe and the United States. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1999.

Ms. Hayim

Examines major contributions in the history of sociological thought and identifies critical connections between the classical statements and the modern arguments, with a focus on contemporary social movements; from Weber to Habermas, and from Durkheim to Bordieu and Melucci. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Ms. Hayim

The methodology of sociological field research in the qualitative research tradition. Readings include theoretical statements, completed studies, and experiential accounts of researchers in the field. Includes exercises in specific methods and procedures of data collection (participant observation, interviewing, collaborative research, systematic observation, oral history), and data analysis. Focuses on the student's completion of his/her own research project and functions as a support group to aid in its completion. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Timmermans

Employs a hands-on approach to learning how to analyze qualitative material in the inductive grounded theory tradition. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1999.

Mr. Timmermans

Studies the evolution of the Western European and American families and the historical processes that have shaped them, especially industrial capitalism, slavery, and immigration. Explores various controversies regarding the family: the family as an economic unit vs. a group of individuals with varying experiences; the effects of the shift of activity from primarily production to consumption; increased privatization vs. increased public intervention; recent changes in family structure and fertility patterns; and resolution of the double burden associated with the second shift for women. The course will take a different topical focus each time it is taught. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Ms. Hansen

Reviews the primary schools of feminist theory, exploring how well each perspective explains the subordination of women. Examines key contemporary controversies that challenge the various perspectives: how to best integrate the study of race, class, and gender; the issue of difference; and the compatibility of postmodernism and feminist theory. Assesses the direction of feminist theory in the new millennium. This course counts towards the completion of the joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Ms. Hansen

Explores the role of social problems theory, with a strong emphasis on social constructionism. Also examines the development and dilemmas of constructionism and aligned approaches. Students are required to undertake independent studies of particular social problems. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Conrad

Explores classical sociological theory from Hobbes to Simmel, with emphasis on Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. Taught as a theory practicum, not intellectual history, with emphasis on elucidating the logical structure of an argument and applications to research. Usually offered every year.

Staff

Examines innovative forms of community empowerment developed in recent decades in the context of theoretical debates on social capital, deliberative democracy, and policy learning. Topics include community organizing and development, civic environmentalism, healthy communities, workplace organizing, public journalism, and the civic renewal movement. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Sirianni

Offers a sociocultural-historical-political perspective on the study of problems of health and illness. Accomplishes this by examining some of the basic assumptions underlying the way people conceive of and study issues in health care. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Conrad

A survey of the contemporary movements in the sociology of politics of advanced societies. Topics include pluralist and group theories, elite theory, behavioralism and voting studies, the theory of the state debate (neo-Marxist and neo-liberal variants), the "new institutionalism," theories of social movements, and rational choice modeling. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Ross

Usually offered every year. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.

Staff

A seminar meeting once a week in which faculty members introduce their interests and research. Required of all first-year graduate students. Other graduate students are welcome to attend. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Conrad

Independent research for the Ph.D. degree. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.

Staff

Cross-Listed Courses

Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations

Research on the Urban Underclass

Imagining How We Are: East and West I

Imagining How We Are: East and West II

Wealth and Poverty

American Jewish Life

The Sociology of the American Jewish Community

Analyzing the American Jewish Community

The New Europe: European Economic and Political Integration

Seminar: The Politics of the Modern Welfare State: Women, Workers, and Social Citizenship