(file last updated: [8/10/1998 - 15:27:58])
Undergraduate Concentration
Sociology reveals a world aboutwhich individuals are often unaware: the social relationships,interactions, norms, values, and roles that shape who we are andhow we think and act. The objective of a sociology concentrationis to give students an understanding of how society is organized,how it affects human interaction, and how it might be changed.
Graduate Program in Sociology
The general objective of thegraduate program is to educate students in the major areas ofsociology while promoting specialization in several. The programpresents students with six options. The first option is a doctoralprogram designed for students who intend to devote themselvesto 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'sstudies. The second option is a terminal M.A. degree in sociology;the third option is a terminal joint M.A. degree in women's studiesand sociology; the fourth option is a joint M.A. degree in NearEastern and Judaic studies and sociology; the fifth option isa joint Ph.D. degree in Near Eastern and Judaic studies and sociology;the six option is a joint Ph.D. degree in Social Policy (HellerGraduate School) and sociology.
Students can declare theirconcentration at any time. A sociology concentration is especiallyappealing to students interested in understanding the workingof society or human interaction. Students are encouraged to takeSociology 1a or 2a early in their concentration.
The general requirements foradmission to the Graduate School, as specified in an earlier sectionof this Bulletin, apply to candidates for admission tothe sociology program.
In addition, all prospectivestudents are required to submit written material (papers, etc.)representative of their best work, which need not be, however,of a sociological nature.
Peter Conrad, Chair
Sociology of health and illness.Deviance. Field methods.
Gordon Fellman, UndergraduateChair
Marx and Freud. Social class.Peace and conflict studies. Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Empowerment.
Janet Zollinger Giele
Women's changing roles. Sociologyof the life course. Family policy. Social movements.
Karen Hansen, Graduate Chair
Feminist theory. Sociologyof the family. Historical sociology. Sociology of gender.
Gila Hayim
Sociological theory and culturalstudies. Critical theory. Social psychology. Existential sociology.Legal studies.
Marty Wyngaarden Krauss
Disability policy. Family caregiving.Mental retardation. Human services.
Matthew Lawson
Religion. Culture. Theory.Inequalities. Quantitative methods.
Jo Anne Preston
Education. Social gerontology.Gender. Professions. Work and occupations.
Shulamit Reinharz
Qualitative research methods.Social gerontology. Feminist research. Social psychology. Groupdynamics. History of women's contributions to sociology.
George Ross
Political sociology. Socialtheory. Economy and society. Comparative social structures.
Eli Sagan
Social psychology. Feministpsychoanalytical theory. Social evolutionary theory. Paradoxesand contradictions of Modernity. History of childrearing. Sociologyof religion.
Carmen Sirianni, GraduateAdvising Head
Community organizing. Civicrenewal. Work. Organizations. Theory. Time. Comparative sociology.Political sociology.
Maurice Stein
Communities. Culture. Consciousness.Theory. Education.
Stefan Timmermans
Medical sociology. Scienceand technology. Interpretative theories. Qualitative researchmethods. Death and dying.
Dessima Williams, UndergraduateAdvising Head
International relations. Globalapartheid. Development. Women/feminism in developing countries.Caribbean.
A.Eight semester courses in sociology, which must include:
1. SOC 1a or SOC 2a. This courseshould be taken early in the curriculum.
2. At least one course in eachof three subareas from among those listed.
Theory
SOC 108b, 114a, 114b, 127a,141a, 164a.
Methods and Fieldwork
NEJS 170b, SOC 101a, 136b,151b, 181a.
Political and Legal Sociology
AAAS 121b, 122a, 122b, PAX104a, SOC 105a, 106a, 107a, 108b, 111a, 112b, 115a, 119a, 120a,122a, 122b, 123b, 155b, 157a, 161a, 171a, 188b, 195b.
Sociology of Institutionsand Cultures
AAAS 116b, HIP 20a, 20b, NEJS161a, 164b, SOC 6b, 104a, 105a, 106a, 108b, 109a, 109b, 112a,114b, SOC 117a, 117b, 121b, 125b, 127b, 128a, 130a, 131b, 134a,157a, 165a, 165b, 169b, 172a, 173b, 174b, 175b, 178a, 190b, 193b,194b.
Social Psychology and SocialPsychiatry
SOC 3a, 126a, 127a, 135a, 144b,147a, 148a, 148b, 153a, 164b, 166a, 176a, 177b, 189a, 191a, 192b.
B.Two semester courses above the introductory level in other departmentsin the School of Social Science. This requires that either a prerequisitecourse be taken, 100 level or above, or crosslisted with coursenumber over 100. Students enrolled in the Education Program maymeet this requirement by taking HIST 51a and 51b. The averagegrade of a student's concentration requirement courses must beat least a C (2.00).
C.Honors candidates are required to take SOC 99d (SeniorResearch) in addition to the eight sociology coursesand two upper-level courses in the School of Social Science.
The following courses are Graduate-seniorseminars: SOC 101a, 112a, 114a, 117a, 117b, 122a, 122b, 127a,134a, 136b, 173a.
Graduate-senior seminars arecourses on advanced topics in sociology limited to 12 students.They are meant to provide sociology majors in their last yearat Brandeis with the experience of graduate level education anddiscussion of frontier issues in sociological inquiry. In ordinarycircumstances they will be accessible only to fourth year undergraduateswith adequate preparatory work in other sociology courses. Permissionof instructor is necessary for undergraduates.
Program of Study
The M.A. degree in sociologyis designed for completion in one calendar year, with the degreeawarded at the next official University degree conferral aftercompletion of residence and requirements. Each Master of Artsdegree candidate will devise a specialized program with a facultyadvisor who will be assigned upon the student's acceptance tothe department. The student's program must be approved by theGraduate Committee at the beginning of each semester of residence.Master of Arts degrees are usually offered in social theory andcultural studies; the sociology of health and health care; comparativesocial structures; sociology of gender; and social psychology.Each specialized program will include the completion of six semestercourses, ordinarily in sociology at Brandeis--one in theory, onein methods, three in the substantive M.A. area--plus satisfactionof a final research requirement. For the final requirement thestudent, with permission of the advisor, may choose from threeoptions--an M.A. thesis, two major seminar papers, or a qualifyingexamination.
Residence Requirement
The minimum residence requirementis one year.
Language Requirement
There is no foreign languagerequirement for the master's degree.
Program of Study
Students will normally takeseven courses each year (14 courses in total). Six of these coursesmust be offered by or cross-listed with the sociology department,and must include a graduate level course in methods and one intheory. The remaining eight courses must be offered by or cross-listedwith the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department, and at leastsix of these courses must be offered by NEJS faculty. Studentsmay not include courses taken to prepare for the M.A. languageexamination among these courses.
Residence Requirement
Ordinarily, two years of full-timeresidence are required at the normal course rate of seven courseseach academic year. Students who enter with graduate credit fromother recognized institutions may apply for transfer credit forup to four courses, or, with prior approval of the M.A. advisor,candidates may receive transfer credit for up to four coursesfor study at a university abroad.
Language Requirement
All candidates are requiredto demonstrate proficiency in Modern Hebrew or Arabic.
Comprehensive Examination
All candidates are requiredto pass an oral comprehensive examination, which is administeredby a committee composed of faculty from the NEJS and sociologydepartments.
Thesis papers
Students submit two graduate-levelreserach papers, which may have been previously submitted as partof their course work. These papers are read by a faculty committeefrom the NEJS and sociology departments.
Program of Study
The joint Master of Arts degreein sociology and women's studies is a one-year (12-month) program.Requirements include the completion of seven courses to be distributedas follows: a designated foundational course in women's studies;one graduate course outside sociology listed as an elective inwomen's studies; one graduate sociology course listed as an electivein women's studies; plus three other regular graduate sociologycourses (one methods, one theory, and one outside the area ofgender). Also required are a directed study focused on studentresearch, year-long attendance in the eight-part Women's StudiesColloquium Series (noncredit), and submission of two substantialM.A. papers or a thesis. The sociology department offers advancedundergraduate/graduate seminars that can be taken to fulfill thegraduate course requirements.
Residence Requirement
One year.
Language Requirement
There is no foreign languagerequirement for the joint master's degree.
Program of Study
Students entering the Ph.D.program in sociology are expected to undertake a three-year programof course work, as a part of which they are obliged to take theprogram's proseminar (SOC 290a) and, within the Brandeis sociologydepartment, at least six (6) formal graduate seminars and four(4) additional courses as either independent readings, advancedundergraduate/graduate seminars, or upper division courses. Theeight (8) 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 ofstudies is arranged in consultation with the graduate student'sadvisor. Consideration will be given to graduate work done elsewherebut formal transfer credit is assigned only after the successfulcompletion of the first year of study.
Residence Requirement
The minimum residence for thedegree of Doctor of Philosophy is three years.
Language Requirement
There is no foreign languagerequirement for the Ph.D. degree.
Qualifying Examinations
During a student's time inresidence, the specific planning, evaluation, and accreditationof his or her entire course of study will be in the hands of eachstudent's Guidance-Accreditation Committee, comprised of threefaculty members. Along with the student, this committee will layout a general course of study designed to meet the interests andneeds of the student. Upon completion of this course of study,the student will take an oral qualifying examination coveringgeneral sociology and the areas of the student's special interests.The committee will report at least once a year to the GraduateCommittee on the progress of the student, who is urged to fulfillaccreditation by the end of his or her third year of residence.
Dissertation and the FinalOral Examination
The Ph.D. dissertation maybe accepted by the program upon the recommendation of the DissertationCommittee. To be granted the degree, the student is required todefend the dissertation in a public Final Oral Examination.
Program of Study
Students must complete a totalof 21 courses. Nine of these courses should be offered by thesociology department (comprising five graduate seminars and fourother sociology courses). Among the sociology courses at leastone must be a theory course and at least one must be on quantitativemethods. At least nine courses must be taken within the NEJS department.The remaining three courses are open to student choice with theapproval of the student's advisors. In addition, students in theirfirst year are required to participate in a year-long, noncreditProseminar that introduces program faculty and their researchinterests.
Advising
Students are assigned advisorsfrom the sociology department and from the Near Eastern and JudaicStudies department. Both advisors will work with the student toassure appropriate course coherency. An interdepartmental meetingbetween both advisors and the student should take place at leastonce a year.
Residence Requirement
Three years of full-time residenceare required at the normal rate of at least seven term courseseach academic year. Students who enter with graduate credit fromother recognized institutions may apply for transfer credit. Byrule of the Graduate School, a maximum of one year of credit maybe accepted toward the residence requirement on the recommendationof the chair of the program.
Language Requirements
Candidates are required toestablish competence in Hebrew and one modern language (normallyFrench or German, but depending on the area of research anotherlanguage may be substituted). Language examinations will be administeredby the student's advisors.
Research Methods Requirement
Candidates are required toestablish competence in statistics by successful completion ofan appropriate Brandeis course in statistics.
Consortium
Students should also discusswith their advisors the desirability of taking courses at memberinstitutions of the Boston Consortium.
Comprehensive Examinationsand Graduate Accreditation
Before proposing and writinga doctoral dissertation, students must: show competence in twoareas of sociology through the Graduate Accreditation Committee(GAC) process; pass a two-part written comprehensive examinationin Jewish cultural literacy in the NEJS department; and pass anoral major field examination.
Candidates demonstrate Jewishcultural literacy in a two-part written examination, which hasEnglish and Hebrew components, and a follow-up oral examination.The Hebrew examination in primary sources is part of the culturalliteracy examination. This examination gives students the opportunityto demonstrate their broad general knowledge of Jewish literatureand cultures of the biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and early modernperiods. The oral examination provides opportunity for furtherexploration following the written examination. Following the successfulcompletion of the Jewish cultural literacy examinations candidatesdemonstrate their particular field of expertise in contemporaryJewish societies through the oral major field examination.
The Graduate AccreditationCommittee (GAC) is the sociology department equivalent to comprehensiveexaminations. Students elect two sociological areas of interestand with the appropriate faculty member create a contract of requirementsfor the completion of a portfolio in the specific area. The portfoliocan include such items as completed courses, papers, independentreadings, or bibliographies. Faculty advisors suggest readings,written work, or independent studies. When the GAC requirementis completed there will be a comprehensive meeting to discussthe candidate's interests and direction in the field and the upcomingdissertation.
Dissertation and Final OralExamination
A dissertation proposal shouldbe submitted to the dissertation committee soon after the comprehensiveexaminations and GACs are completed. The dissertation committeeshould consist of five members: two each from the Sociology andthe NEJS departments and a fifth member from outside those departments.After approval of the proposal by the dissertation committee itis submitted to the department faculties for approval. Two copiesof the dissertation are to be deposited in the offices of theprogram chairs no later than March 1 of the year in which thecandidate expects to earn the degree. The dissertation committeemust approve the dissertation and the student must successfullydefend the dissertation at a Final Oral Examination.
Program of Study
Students entering the jointPh.D. program in social policy and sociology are expected to completea total of 18 courses. At least nine of these courses must beoffered by the Brandeis sociology department--six of these coursesmust be graduate seminars and the remaining three may be advancedundergraduate/graduate seminars or directed readings; at leastone of these must be a sociology theory course. A minimum of ninecourses must be taken within The Heller Graduate School and atleast one of these courses must be on quantitative research methodology(e.g. HS 401b [Research Methods]). In addition, in their firstyear students are required to participate in a year-long, noncreditProseminar which introduces the program's faculty and their researchinterests.
Students are assigned advisorsfrom the sociology department and from The Heller School. Advisorsin both departments work together with students to assure appropriatecoherency in their program of courses. An interdepartmental meetingbetween advisors and students should take place at least oncea year.
Residence Requirement
The minimum residence for thejoint degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Policy and Sociologyis three years.
Language Requirement
There is no foreign languagerequirement for the joint Ph.D. degree.
Qualifying Examinations
Each student must completea "comprehensive paper" as required in The Heller Schoolcurriculum. Students must also show competence in two areas ofsociology, as certified through the Guidance-Accreditation Committee(GAC) process (the sociology department equivalent of comprehensiveexams). Students elect two areas of interest and develop a contractualset of requirements with a faculty member of each area. When bothGACs are completed there is a meeting (typically one to two hours)to discuss the student's interests, directions in the field, andthe upcoming dissertation.
Dissertation and the FinalOral Examination
A dissertation proposal shouldbe submitted soon after the comprehensive examination and GACsare completed. The dissertation committee should consist of fivemembers--two faculty members each from the sociology departmentand The Heller School and one outside member. The joint Ph.D.dissertation may be accepted by the sociology department and TheHeller School upon the recommendation of the dissertation committee.To be granted the degree, the student is required to defend thedissertation in a public Final Oral Examination.
SOC 1a Order and Changein Society
[ ss ]
An introduction to the sociologicalperspective, with an emphasis on an analysis of problems of socialorder and change. Topics include gender roles, socialization,social class and inequality, race and ethnicity, social movements,community, and deviance. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Conrad and staff
SOC 2a Introduction to SociologicalTheory
[ ss ]
Introduces the student to thefoundations of sociological and social psychological explanatorysystems. We analyze the major ideas of classical and modern authorsand their competing approaches and methodologies--Durkheim, Marx,Weber, Mead, Freud, Foucault, and others. Usually offered everyyear.
Ms. Hayim
SOC 3a Self and Society
[ ss ]
Uses social psychological theoryand research to help explain basic human processes. Questionsinclude: What is a theory of action? How do infants become socialized?How does the self relate to community? How are deviant identitiescreated? How do people become "old"? Usually offeredevery year.
Staff
SOC 6b American Society:The Democratic Promise
[ ss ]
Introduction to a criticalanalysis of power and inequality in American society, with a focuson education, work, gender, poverty, race, media, and politics.How the democratic promise and participatory politics have shapedefforts at reform and renewal. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC 90a Independent FieldWork
Signature of the instructorrequired.
Equivalent to four one-semestercourses. Students taking it are expected to work out a plan ofstudy for one semester with the help of two faculty members. Thisplan is to be submitted to the undergraduate committee of thedepartment for approval. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC 90b Independent FieldWork
See SOC 90a for special notesand course description. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC 92a Internship and Analysisin Sociology
Signature of the instructorrequired.
Combines unpaid off-campusexperience and social scientific inquiry. Under the supervisionof a faculty sponsor, students apply sociological methods of analysisto an internship experience. Students develop a specific planof study with a faculty member in the relevant field prior toundertaking the internship. Open to sociology majors with adequaterelated prior coursework and with permission of the instructor.Counts only once toward fulfillment of the concentration requirements.Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC 92b Internship and Analysisin Sociology
See SOC 92a for special notesand course description. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC 97a Group Readings andResearch in Sociology
Signature of the instructorrequired.
Group readings and reportsunder the direction of a faculty supervisor. Usually offered everyyear.
Staff
SOC 97b Group Readings andResearch in Sociology
See SOC 97a for special notesand course description. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC 98a Individual Readingsand Research in Sociology
Signature of the instructorrequired.
Individual readings and reportsunder the direction of a faculty supervisor. Usually offered everyyear.
Staff
SOC 98b Individual Readingsand Research in Sociology
See SOC 98a for special notesand course description. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC 99d Senior Research
Signature of the instructorrequired.
Seniors who are candidatesfor degrees with honors in sociology register for this courseand, under the direction of a member of the faculty, prepare anhonors thesis on a suitable topic. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC 101a Quantitative ResearchMethods
(Formerly SOC 202a)
[ qr ss ]
Prerequisites: SOC 1a or2a. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduate admission.Signature of the instructor required.
Designed to involve studentsin survey and archival data collection and analysis. Technicaltraining is coupled with explorations of methodological issuescentering on the integration of theory and empirical research.Through hands-on assignments, students learn to use a varietyof modeling techniques and associated computer software. Althoughthe methods are quantitative, the emphasis is not on their mathematicalderivation but on conceptual understanding and hands-on (userfriendly) application. No statistical background is presumed.Usually offered in even years.
Staff
SOC 102a Social Psychiatry
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructorrequired.
Peer counseling. Drawing onelements of SOC 135a (Group Process), SOC 148a (Social Psychologyof Consciousness), and SOC 165a (Sociology of Birth and Death),this course will use silence, awareness, and interpersonal observationto examine the nature of self in the context of relationship.The classroom itself will be a practical laboratory. Usually offeredin even years.
Staff
SOC 104a Sociology of Education
[ ss ]
Examines the role of the institutionof education as a force for social change versus the idea thateducation's function is to reinforce prevailing social conditions.Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Stein or Ms. Preston
SOC 105a Feminist Critiquesof American Society
[ cl12 cl46ss ]
Critically evaluates the predominanttheoretical approaches to understanding the oppression of womenand the dynamics of sexism, racism, and classism within the sex/gendersystem. Uses these perspectives to explore issues in women's livesthat often result in their subordination. This intermediate-levelcourse counts toward the completion of the joint M.A. degree insociology and women's studies. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hansen
SOC 106a Issues in Law andSociety
[ cl6 qrss ]
Enrollment limited to 25.
An interdisciplinary approachto the study of crime and punishment. We analyze theories andempirical research around a number of problem areas in the criminaljustice system, with special attention paid to street violence,domestic violence, the courts, the prison, and the different therapeuticsystems. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hayim
SOC 107a Global Apartheidand Global Social Movements
[ cl12 cl29nw ss ]
Using the skewed distributionof power and wealth as an organizing and conceptual framework,this course explores modern inequalities and the social movementsworldwide that seek to redress these imbalances. Multimedia useof materials: documentaries, journal articles, newspapers, andpopular literature. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Williams
SOC 108b Modern Societyin Transition
[ cl34 ss]
Studies the dynamics and impacton our lives of the theory and practice of new cultural modelsin communications and information systems, ecology, education,gender, and identity. Evaluates the contemporary debate aroundthese issues. Bordieu, Gergen, Luhmann, Melucci, and others willbe considered. Usually offered every third year. Last offeredin the spring of 1995.
Ms. Hayim
SOC 109b Sociology of Culture
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: SOC 1a or2a. Signature of the instructor required.
How is our taste for worksof art affected by our social class location? Are artistic geniusesborn or made? How do institutional structures affect the kindsof art that get produced? This seminar explores sociological answersto these questions, and the theoretical background necessary toeffectively frame them.
Mr. Lawson
SOC 111a Political Sociologyand Democratic Empowerment
[ cl20 ss]
Examines the relationship betweensociety and politics, social processes, and political change.Theories of democracy and empowerment. Case studies on environmentalmovements and public interest regulation, urban and health policy,media, community organizing and development, civic journalism,and community service. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC 112a Topics on Womenand Development
(Formerly SOC 212a)
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: SOC 1a or2a. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduate admission.Signature of the instructor required.
We examine the evolution ofthe field and its usefulness for understanding the gender disparitiesin development. Paradigms in major international agencies arecontrasted with ways in which women are actively structuring theirlives. Case material from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and CentralAmerica. This course counts toward the completion of the jointM.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usually offeredin odd years.
Ms. Williams
SOC 112b Social Class andSocial Change
[ ss ]
Presents the role of socialclass in determining life chances, life-styles, income, occupation,and power; theories of class, inequality, and imperialism; selectedsocial psychological aspects of social class and inequality; andconnections of class, race, and gender. Usually offered in evenyears.
Mr. Fellman
SOC 114a PsychoanalyticalSociology
(Formerly SOC 214a)
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: SOC 1a or2a, and 141a. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduateadmission. Signature of the instructor required.
A study of Freud as a majorsocial theorist. The role of motivation, body, sexuality, dreams,ambivalence, repression, transference, childhood, psychosexualdevelopment, and psychosocial development in understanding socialorganization and social dynamics and change. Usually offered ineven years.
Mr. Fellman
SOC 114b Modern Capitalism:Society and Economy
[ ss ]
A review of theories aboutthe production and reproduction of capitalist societies such asours, focusing on relationships between major social groups, productiveorganizations, the state in dynamic perspective, inequality, andsocial solidarity. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Ross
SOC 115a Class Structureand Consciousness
[ qr ss ]
Explores the role of property,authority, and knowledge in structuring class inequality and consciousness.Special emphasis placed on education, the expansion of intellectuallabor, and the concentration of urban poverty. Has education supplantedproperty in status inheritance as well as attainment? Is meritocracyincompatible with class inequality, or would it further entrenchit? Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Lawson
SOC 117a Sociology of Work
[ cl15 ss]
Focuses on the transformationof contemporary workplaces in the United States. How gender shapesinequality in the labor force, as well as idioms of skill, worth,care, and service. How women and men combine care for familieswith 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.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC 117b Sociology of Scienceand Technology
(Formerly SOC 217b)
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: SOC 1a or2a. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduate admission.Signature of the instructor required.
Provides an in-depth explorationof sociological approaches to science and technology tailoredto the interests of the enrolled students. Usually offered everythird year. Last offered in the spring of 1996.
Mr. Timmermans
SOC 119a War and Possibilitiesof Peace
[ cl29 cl40wi ss ]
Ponders the possibility ofa major "paradigm shift" under way from adversarialismand war to mutuality and peace. Examines war culture and peaceculture and points in between, with emphases on the role of imaginationin social change, growing global interdependence, and political,economic, gender, social class, and social psychological aspectsof war and peace. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Fellman
SOC 120a Sociology of Underdevelopment
[ ss ]
This course introduces studentsto the ways in which theorists and institutions have conceptualizedvarious processes inherent in the advancement or development ofsocieties. These processes include economic growth, meeting basichuman needs, and holistic development. The approaches of OXFAMAmerica, the United Nations, and micro-level projects will becompared. Usually offered in even years.
Ms. Williams
SOC 122a Advanced Topicsin Political Sociology
(Formerly SOC 219a)
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: SOC 1a or2a. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduate admission.Signature of the instructor required.
The transnationalization ofa wide range of social relations challenges many of the assumptionsof social analysis. This course, a research seminar, will explorethese challenges in a series of different areas, including laborand other markets, political behavior and social movements, cultureand the media, social geography, and social theory. Usually offeredevery third year.
Staff
SOC 122b Advanced Topicsin Political Sociology: Social Movements
(Formerly SOC 219b)
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: SOC 1a or2a. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduate admission.Signature of the instructor required.
Different contemporary approachesto the study of social movements are reviewed, including collectivebehavior, rational action, resource mobilization, and European"new social movements" theory. Empirical monographsabout specific social movements are considered. Usually offeredin odd years.
Mr. Ross
SOC 123b Crisis of the WelfareState
[ ss ]
Cross-national comparisonsof the growth and impact of the welfare state are used to illuminatelarger theoretical questions about the compatibility, complementarity,and tension between capitalism and democracy. Have democraticpressures gone "too far," paralyzing the "invisiblehand"? Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Ross
SOC 125b U.S.-CaribbeanRelations
[ cl3 cl24nw ss ]
This course applies hegemony(as distinct from domination) as a framework of analysis. Thecourse examines the asymmetrical relationship between the UnitedStates and several Caribbean countries, including Grenada andHaiti. The relationship with the wider region is explored throughtrade, finance and debt, military relations, cultural and educationalties, and immigration. Usually offered in even years.
Ms. Williams
SOC 126a Sociology of Deviance
[ ss ]
An investigation of the sociologicalperspectives of deviance, focusing particular attention on definitional,sociopolitical, and interactional aspects as well as society'sresponse. Includes a review of theory and current research anddiscussions of various forms of noncriminological deviance andsocial control. Usually offered every third year. Last offeredin the summer of 1993.
Mr. Conrad
SOC 127a Theories in SocialPsychology
(Formerly SOC 226a)
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: SOC 1a or2a. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduate admission.Signature of the instructor required.
Does the development of thepsyche have an impact on the nature of society? Do changes insociety promote a transformation of the nature of the self? Thathypothetical space where society and psyche/self meet is the subjectof this course. The work of a dozen major theorists will be studied.Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Sagan
SOC 127b Cults, Sects, andModernity
[ ss ]
Religious cults and sects continueto flourish in the United States. We examine some of these movements,and the explanations for their existence, with special attentionto their relation to life in the modern world. We consider Weber'sthesis that Protestant sects spawned capitalism; the conditionsfor periodic waves of cult activity; whether Christian fundamentalismis pro- or anti-modern; and the characteristics that unify diversesect and cult groups.
Mr. Lawson
SOC 128a Topics in the Sociologyof Religion
(Formerly SOC 221b)
[ ss ]
Examines the interpenetrationof religion and society: how each transforms the other. Startingwith the religious beliefs and rituals of the simplest societiesand ending with 20th-century "modern" religious thought,we examine the works of 10 of the most important writers on socialand religious life. Usually offered every third year. Will beoffered in the fall of 1998.
Mr. Lawson
SOC 130a Families
[ cl11 ss]
Enrollment limited to 70.
Investigates changes in thecharacter of American families over the last two centuries. Acentral concern will be the dynamic interactions between economic,cultural, political, and social forces and how they shape andare reshaped by families over time. Particular attention paidto how experiences of men and women vary by class, race, and ethnicity.This course counts towards the completion of the joint M.A. degreein sociology and women's studies. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hansen
SOC 131b Women's Biographyand Society
[ cl36 ss]
Enrollment limited to 12.
Through the biographies andautobiographies of women intellectuals, political leaders, artists,and "ordinary" women, this seminar investigates therelationship between women's everyday lives, history, and thesex/gender system. This course counts towards the completion ofthe joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usuallyoffered every year.
Ms. Hansen
SOC 134a Women and IntellectualWork
[ cl15 ss]
Prerequisite: SOC 1a or2a. Seniors and juniors have priority for admission. Signatureof the instructor required.
This research-oriented courseinvestigates the history of selected U.S. and British female socialscientists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We examinewhy their work has been ignored or labelled as "not sociology"and how sociology has been defined on the basis of work done bymen only. We study women of color and white women, heterosexualand lesbian women, and the relation between their sociologicalwork, their lives, and the times in which they lived. This coursecounts towards the completion of the joint M.A. degree in sociologyand women's studies. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offeredin the fall of 1994.
Ms. Reinharz
SOC 136b Historical andComparative Sociology
[ ss ]
Prerequisites: SOC 1a or2a. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduate admission.Signature of the instructor required.
Explores the relationship betweensociology and history through examples of scholarship from bothdisciplines. The course will pay close attention to each author'sresearch strategy by looking at basic research questions, theoreticalunderpinnings and assumptions, and uses of evidence. Usually offeredin odd years.
Ms. Hansen
SOC 141a Marx and Freud
[ wi ss ]
Examines Marxian and Freudiananalyses of human nature, human potential, social stability, conflict,consciousness, social class, and change. Includes attempts tocombine the two approaches. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Fellman
SOC 147a Organizations andSocial Change
[ ss ]
Critical analysis of bureaucraticorganizations. Innovation and change in school systems, socialservices, corporations, nonprofits, federal and state bureaucracies,high-risk systems. Dynamics of democratic, feminist, multicultural,and community organizations. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC 148a Social Psychologyof Consciousness I
[ cl5 ss]
Signature of the instructorrequired. Admission by consent of the instructor on the basisof an interview.
An exploration into the socialpsychology of experiences that have been central to religiouslife. Compassion, prayer, contemplation, meditation, devotion,ecstacy, and service will be examined in traditional and nontraditionalsettings. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Stein
SOC 148b Social Psychologyof Consciousness II
[ cl5 ss]
Signature of the instructorrequired. Admission by consent of the instructor on the basisof an interview.
Explores various senses ofthe self and society as described in contemporary social psychologyand in traditional Eastern culture. Focus will be on knowing theworld in terms of the self's relation to it as exemplified insociological fieldwork and meditation. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Stein
SOC 151b Fieldwork in SocialSettings: Environmental Fieldwork
[ ss ]
Provides students with an opportunityto do firsthand research in a setting of their choice. This couldbe in terms of a specific research project. Qualitative researchtechniques will be presented along with appropriate methods fordata analysis. Usually offered in even years.
Staff
SOC 153a The Sociology ofEmpowerment
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructorrequired. Students selected by essay, interview, and lottery.
The course focuses on socialstructural and inner dimensions of feelings of helplessness, futility,hope, vision, and efficacy. Course work includes reading, writing,journal keeping, discussion, and field trips. Usually offeredevery year.
Mr. Fellman
SOC 155b Protest, Politics,and Change: Social Movements
[ ss ]
Examines "new social movements"such as the civil rights movement, the Greens, the new feminism,and student movements. Social protest will be considered as oneimportant form of change-oriented political behavior. Usuallyoffered in even years.
Mr. Ross
SOC 157a Sociology of theIsraeli-Palestinian Confrontation
[ ss ]
An introduction to Jewish andPalestinian nationalisms; relevant sociological, political, religious,resource, and population issues; social psychological dimensions;and the conflict in world politics. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Fellman
SOC 161a Society, State,and Power: The Problem of Democracy
[ cl29 ss]
Examines the ways in whichpower is exercised in different political regimes and social systemsand considers the problem of democracy. The major focus of thecourse will be present-day advanced industrial societies, withparticular consideration of the United States. Usually offeredevery year.
Mr. Ross
SOC 164a Existential Sociology
[ cl4 cl21cl23 ss ]
Introduces existential thoughtin relation to the discipline of sociology and evaluates selectedtheories on human nature, identity and interaction, individualfreedom and social ethics, and the existential theory of action.De Beauvoir, Mead, Sartre, Goffman, Kierkegaard, and others willbe considered. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hayim
SOC 165a Sociology of Birthand Death
[ cl1 cl48ss ]
Enrollment limited to 40.
Explores the ways in whichdifferent societies shape the human experience of birth and death.Topics to be covered include Eastern attitudes towards birth anddeath, the Holocaust, the social implications of medical technologies,and the home birth and hospice movements. Usually offered in oddyears.
Mr. Stein
SOC 166a Freud, Women, andSociety
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructorrequired.
What can Freudian psychoanalysisteach us about the nature of society? Most particularly, can ithelp us to explain why, and if, as Nancy Chodorow has said,"Hitherto, all sex-gender systems have been male dominated"?Four crucially important areas of psychosocial action will beinvestigated: aggression, morality, symbolic transformation, and(with heavy emphasis) gender. This course counts toward the completionof the joint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usuallyoffered in odd years.
Mr. Sagan
SOC 169b Issues in Sexuality
[ cl46 ss]
Enrollment limited to 20.
Explores dimensions of humansexuality. This course will take as its central tenet that humansare sexual beings and their sexuality is shaped by gender, class,race, culture, and history. It will explore the contradictoryways of understanding sexual behavior and relationships. The courseintends to teach students about the social nature of sexual expression.This course counts toward the completion of the joint M.A. degreein sociology and women's studies. Usually offered in odd years.
Staff
SOC 171a Women Leaders andTransformation in Developing Countries
[ cl12 cl37nw ss ]
This course will bring togetheran analysis of the rise, tenure, and legacies of women as nationalleaders; socioeconomic poverty in developing countries; and nationaland international politics. Students select political leadersor a feminist organization (or both) for close scrutiny and engagein an interdisciplinary search to understand women's leadershipin the South. This course counts toward the completion of thejoint M.A. degree in sociology and women's studies. Usually offeredevery year.
Ms. Williams
SOC 173a Issues in the Sociologyof Professions
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: SOC 1a or2a. Seniors and juniors have priority for undergraduate admission.Signature of the instructor required.
What distinguishes a professionfrom other occupations. We address this question by examiningthe writings of theorists and by evaluating case studies of specificprofessions such as medicine, law, teaching, psychology, and theclergy. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in thefall of 1998.
Ms. Preston
SOC 175b Environmental Sociology
[ cl14 ss]
Environmental politics andpolicy from the 1960s to the present. Environmental movement organizationsand strategies. National regulatory cultures, policy change, community-basedand civic approaches to environmental problem solving. Case studiesdrawn from watersheds, forests, ecosystem restoration, toxics,environmental justice, the greening of industry. Usually offeredevery year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC 176a Nature, Nurture,and Public Policy
[ cl28 ss]
Enrollment limited to 30.
This course examines the impactof heredity or genetic theories of human problems on developingpublic policy, including the viability and validity of theoriesand evidence. Historical and contemporary cases such as gender,IQ, mental illness, and alcoholism are studied. Usually offeredevery year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC 177b Aging in Society
[ cl1 ss]
Explores the social contextof old age by using sociological theory, empirical research, andliterature. We examine such topics as aging in residential settings,the aging experience of minority groups, health and illness, theeconomics of aging, gender, work, and retirement. We also examinethe definition of old age in other societies in order to understandthe contemporary Western response to aging. Contains a field researchcomponent. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Preston or Ms. Reinharz
SOC 178a Sociology of Professions
[ ss ]
This course examines how modernsocieties institutionalize expertise by constructing professions.The main goal is to gain an understanding of how and why professionsemerge, monopolize a field, and consolidate power. Topics includethe relationship of higher education to professions, the effectof bureaucratic control on professional autonomy, and currentchanges in the status of professions. Characteristics and trajectoriesof specific professions such as law, medicine, and teaching willbe examined. Usually offered in odd years.
Ms. Preston
SOC 181a Quantitative Methodsof Social Inquiry
[ qr ss ]
Introduces students to causallogic and quantitative reasoning and research. Emphasis is onconceptual understanding, not mathematical derivations, with hands-onapplications using desktop computers. No statistical or mathematicalbackground is necessary. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Lawson
SOC 189a Sociology of Bodyand Health
[ cl22 ss]
The purpose of this courseis to explore theoretical considerations of the body as a culturalphenomenon intersecting with health, healing, illness, disease,and medicine. The course weaves back and forth between experiencingthe body and acting upon the body. The theories are mainly interpretiveand critical.
Mr. Timmermans
SOC 190b Caring in the MedicalCare System
[ cl22 qrss ]
An analysis of the structuralarrangements of medical practice and medical settings, focusingon societal and professional responses to illness. Usually offeredevery year.
Messrs. Conrad or Timmermans
SOC 191a Health, Community,and Society
[ cl47 ss]
An exploration into interrelationshipsamong society, health, and disease, emphasizing the social causesand experience of illness. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC 192b Sociology of Disability
[ cl1 ss]
In the latter half of the 20thcentury, disability has emerged as an important social-political-economic-medicalissue, with its own distinct history, characterized as a shiftfrom "good will to civil rights." We will trace thathistory and the way people with disability are seen and unseen,and see themselves. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
SOC 194b Technology andSociety
[ cl34 ss]
Explores the many ways in whichtechnology enters into the structures of our lives. The courseincludes a historical overview of the industrial revolution in19th- and 20th-century United States, an overview of the maintheories in sociology of technology, and a discussion of somekey topics in the area of technology.
Mr. Timmermans
SOC 200b Topics in SocialTheory
The class will use social theoryto explore selected aspects and processes of postmodern society.Usually offered in even years.
Mr. Stein
SOC 201a Classical and CriticalTheory
Examines major contributionsin the history of sociological thought and identifies criticalconnections between the classical statements and the modern arguments,with a focus on contemporary social movements; from Weber to Habermas,and from Durkheim to Melucci. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hayim
SOC 203b Field Methods
The methodology of sociologicalfield research in the qualitative research tradition. Readingsinclude theoretical statements, completed studies, and experientialaccounts of researchers in the field. Includes exercises in specificmethods and procedures of data collection (participant observation,interviewing, collaborative research, systematic observation,oral history) and data analysis. Focuses on the student's completionof his/her own research project and functions as a support groupto aid in its completion. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Conrad, Ms. Reinharz, orMr. Timmermans
SOC 205b Qualitative DataAnalysis
Employs a hands-on approachto learning how to analyze qualitative material in the inductivegrounded theory tradition. Usually offered every four years.
Mr. Timmermans
SOC 206b Advanced Topicsin Family Studies
Studies the evolution of theWestern European and American families and the historical processesthat have shaped them, especially industrial capitalism, slavery,and immigration. Explores various controversies regarding thefamily: the family as an economic unit vs. a group of individualswith varying experiences; the effects of the shift of activityfrom primarily production to consumption; increased privatizationvs. increased public intervention; recent changes in family structureand fertility patterns; and resolution of the double burden associatedwith the second shift for women. The course will take a differenttopical focus each time it is taught. Usually offered every thirdyear.
Ms. Hansen
SOC 207a Feminist Theory
Reviews the primary schoolsof feminist theory, exploring how well each perspective explainsthe subordination of women. Examines key contemporary controversiesthat challenge the various perspectives: how to best integratethe study of race, class, and gender; the issue of difference;and the compatibility of postmodernism and feminist theory. Assessesthe direction of feminist theory in the 1990s. This course countstowards the completion of the joint M.A. degree in sociology andwomen's studies. Usually offered in even years.
Ms. Hansen
SOC 211a Theory Workshop
Explores classical sociologicaltheory from Hobbes to Simmel, with emphasis on Marx, Weber, andDurkheim. Taught as a theory practicum, not intellectual history,with emphasis on elucidating the logical structure of an argumentand applications to research. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC 215b Citizenship, SocialTheory, and Institutional Change
Participation in politicaland social theory: pluralist, feminist communitarian, postmodern,civic republican, radical, and critical theory. Theoreticallyinformed case studies in journalism, health, law, environment,and other areas. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC 217a Problems and Issuesin the Sociology of Health and Illness
Offers a sociocultural-historical-politicalperspective on the study of problems of health and illness. Weaccomplish this by examining some of the basic assumptions underlyingthe way we conceive of and study issues in health care. Usuallyoffered every other year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC 218b Advanced Topicsin Social Theory and Methods
Usually offered every thirdyear. Last offered in the spring of 1995.
Staff
SOC 220b Seminar on theSociology of Politics
A survey of the contemporarymovements in the sociology of politics of advanced societies.Topics include pluralist and group theories, elite theory, behavioralismand voting studies, the theory of the state debate (neo-Marxistand neo-liberal variants), the "new institutionalism,"theories of social movements, and rational choice modeling. Usuallyoffered in even years.
Mr. Ross
SOC 221a Advanced Topicsin Sociological Theory: French Social Thought
Modern French social theoryis reviewed in the context of French social history and the sociologyof intellectuals. Readings include Existentialists-Marxists (Sartre,Merleau-Ponty), Structuralists (Levi-Strauss, Althusser, Poulantzas),Liberals (Aron, Crozier, Boudon and others), and post-1968 figures(Foucault, Touraine, Bourdieu, Derrida, Iragaray, and Lyotard).Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of1995.
Mr. Ross
SOC 230a and b Readingsin Sociological Literature
Usually offered every year.Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Staff
SOC 290a Proseminar
A seminar meeting once a weekin which faculty members introduce their interests and research.Required of all first-year graduate students. Other graduate studentsare welcome to attend. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC 401d Dissertation Research
Independent research for thePh.D. degree. Specific sections for individual faculty membersas requested.
Staff
Comparative Race and EthnicRelations
Research on the Urban Underclass
Imagining How We Are: Eastand West I
Imagining How We Are: Eastand West II
American Jewish Life
The Sociology of the AmericanJewish Community
Analyzing the American JewishCommunity
The New Europe: European Economicand Political Integration
Seminar: The Politics of theModern Welfare State: Women, Workers, and Social Citizenship