Courses of Study
Sections
Department of Sociology
Last updated: August 14, 2014 at 4:31 p.m.
The undergraduate curriculum provides students with the tools for understanding and critical analysis of a broad array of institutions and cultures, from the everyday level of interpersonal and community interaction to large-scale political and social systems and public policies. Students are engaged as active learners and encouraged to develop knowledge that can make a difference in the world, including the potential for leadership development and action for social justice.
Undergraduate study in sociology prepares students for a wide array of careers in human services, education, law, health, public service, communications, business, and social-change organizations.
Graduate Program in Sociology
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 five 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 PhD may, by satisfying certain requirements, also receive the MA, or may earn a joint MA in Sociology & Women's and Gender Studies. The second option is a terminal MA degree in Sociology; the third option is a terminal joint MA in Sociology & Women's and Gender Studies; the fourth option is a joint PhD in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Sociology; the fifth option is a joint PhD in Social Policy (Heller School for Social Policy and Management) and Sociology.
Sociology focuses on core questions of group and societal organization to explore how order is maintained and how social change occurs. Our department seeks to develop what C. Wright Mills referred to as the “sociological imagination,” by investigating how broader social forces shape life trajectories, how social categories such as race, class, gender, and sexuality structure social experiences, and how individuals and groups confront, and sometimes alter, institutionalized systems of power.
Sociological inquiry is central to many of Brandeis’ interdisciplinary programs, including Health: Science, Society, and Policy; International and Global Studies; Peace, Conflict, and Coexistence Studies; Religious Studies; Social Justice and Social Policy; and Women and Gender Studies. The department focuses on five core areas: theory and methods; gender and feminist studies; institutions, culture and religion; sociology of health and illness; and politics and social change. In each of these areas, students integrate critical scholarly analysis, foundational research techniques, and “hands-on” experiential learning to hone their abilities to engage in the community and the world as active, self-reflective change agents.
Knowledge:
Students completing the major in Sociology will understand how to:
- Recognize the ways in which social contexts shape individual and group behavior
- Rigorously engage with core questions of inequity, identity, justice, and social meaning
- Relate sociological frameworks to pressing social, economic, and political issues and policies
- Locate the ways in which Sociology as a professional discipline develops and considers major questions, concepts, theories, and methodologies
Core Skills:
The Sociology major emphasizes core skills in critical thinking, theory development, research design, data collection and analysis, and writing. Sociology majors from Brandeis will be well prepared to:
- Creatively identify, confront, and assess issues of sociological significance in a range of real-world settings
- Understand, develop, and extend theoretical frameworks for critically and systematically engaging with social phenomena
- Employ established principles of research design, data collection and analysis to rigorously address empirical research questions
- Clearly communicate theories, ideas, and analyses, both orally and in writing
Social Justice:
The Sociology curriculum provides graduates with knowledge and perspectives needed to participate as informed citizens in a global society. Conceptions of justice, in particular the relationship between theory and action, are at the heart of the Brandeis Sociology experience. Sociology majors will have ample opportunity to:
- Recognize and understand how structural, cultural, and relational contexts shape systems of power, access, and inequity
- Develop a reflexive and ethical sense of how diversity operates in social settings
- Respectfully engage with ethnic, religious, cultural, and political difference
- Collaborate with local agencies and communities to develop strategies to address pressing issues
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.
David Cunningham, Chair
Social movements. Comparative and historical sociology. Community structure. Research methods.
Wendy Cadge
Sociology of religion. Sociology of culture. Health and medicine. Immigration. Sexuality. Gender. Organizations. Research methods.
Peter Conrad (on leave spring 2015)
Sociology of health and illness. Deviance. Field methods.
Gordon Fellman
Marx and Freud. Social class. Peace, conflict, and coexistence studies. Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Empowerment. Psychoanalytic sociology. Masculinities.
Karen V. Hansen, Undergraduate Advising Head
Sociology of family and kinship. Historical sociology. Sociology of gender class and race-ethnicity.
Gila Hayim
Classical and contemporary social theory. Critical theory. Social movements. Existential sociology. Legal studies. Sociology of religion.
Laura J. Miller, Director of Graduate Studies
Sociology of culture. Mass communication. Urban sociology. Consumption and marketing.
Shulamit Reinharz
History of women in sociology. Qualitative and feminist methodology. Group dynamics. Jewish women's studies.
Chandler Rosenberger
Nationalism. Ethnicity. Sociology of culture. Sociology of religion. Political dissent and democratization.
Thomas Shapiro (Heller School)
Stratification. Race.
Sara Shostak (on leave spring 2015)
Sociology of health and illness. Science and technology studies. Body and society. Research methods.
Carmen Sirianni
Civic engagement and innovation. Environment and climate action. Collaborative governance. Public policy for democracy. Political sociology. Work. Organizations. Theory.
Ana Villalobos
Sociology of family. Gender. Education. Qualitative research methods. Social psychology of the self.
Affiliated Faculty (contributing to the curriculum, advising and administration of the department or program)
Thomas Shapiro (Heller)
A. SOC 1a or SOC 3b. This course should be taken early in the curriculum.
B. At least one course in three of the following five sub-areas:
Theory and Methods
SOC 118a, 125b, 136b, 141a, 145bj, 146a, 164a, 181a, 182a; ANTH 81a; HIST 181b, 183b; HOID 100a.
Health, Illness, and Life Course
SOC 117b, 165a, 176a, 177b, 189a, 191a, 193a, 194a, 196a; ANTH 111a; HSSP 114b, 120bj, 192b.
Political and Social Change
SOC 111a, 112b, 119a, 123b, 148b, 153a, 155b, 157a, 162a, 175b; AMST 55a; HIST 115a, 172a; HS 110a.
Gender and Family
SOC 115a, 117a, 124a, 125a, 130a, 131b, 132b, 137a, 138a; AMST/SOC 125a; POL 125a.
Institutions, Communities, and Culture
SOC 104a, 104aj, 108bj, 116a, 120b, 122a, 126a, 127a, 129a, 147a, 149b, 150b, 152a, 154a, 156aj; AMST 143b; IGS 130a; NEJS 163b, 164b.
C. Five additional sociology electives. SOC 1a and SOC 3b may not be used as electives.
D. At least seven of nine semester courses must be taken in the sociology department. (No more than two courses from study abroad may count toward the major requirements).
E. No more than two courses cross-listed in sociology may count toward the major requirements.
F. No grade below a C- will be given credit toward the major.
G. No course taken pass/fail may count toward the major requirements.
H. Students may apply an internship course (either SOC 89a, SOC 92a, SJSP 89a, or WMGS 89a) only once toward the requirements for the major.
Honors candidates are required to take SOC 99a and b (Senior Research) in addition to the nine sociology courses. Enrollment in SOC 99a and b requires a minimum overall GPA of 3.20, or a 3.50 in sociology.
Sociology Research Track
Students may also elect to participate in the Sociology Research Track, which provides concentrated training focused on professional sociological research. To enroll in the Research Track, students can meet with the department’s Undergraduate Advising Head at any point, though it is strongly encouraged that interested students declare prior to their final year at Brandeis. Students in the Research Track must complete the following requirements:1. Earn a grade of B- or better in a Sociology research methods course (either SOC 118a, 136b, 181a, 182a, 182aj, or 183a). Students should complete this methods requirement by the end of their junior year, or successfully petition to fulfill the requirement during their seventh semester.
2. Successfully complete either a Senior Honors Thesis (SOC 99a and b) or a Senior Research Paper (SOC 98a or 98b).
3. Earn a grade of B- or better in the Sociology Capstone Seminar (SOC 199b). Research Track participants will receive major credit for the capstone course, as well as for SOC 98a or b or SOC 99b.
Additionally, Research Track participants will have opportunities to attend specialized meetings with visiting colloquium speakers and to give a guest lecture or presentation in an undergraduate Sociology course, the Approaches to Sociological Research graduate proseminar, and/or the New England Undergraduate Sociology Research Conference.
Program of Study
A Master's degree in Sociology can be earned either as a "stand-alone" degree or in-passing as part of on-going work for the sociology PhD (at any point beyond the first year). The stand-alone MA degree in Sociology is designed for completion in either two or three semesters, with the degree awarded at the next official University degree conferral after completion of residence and requirements. Each MA degree candidate will devise a specialized program with a faculty adviser. In both the fall and spring semesters, stand-alone MA students should submit a proposed course schedule for approval to his or her adviser no later than the end of the first full week of classes.
To fulfill program requirements for either the stand-alone or in-passing MA, students must complete eight courses. At least five of these courses must be taken in the Sociology Department at Brandeis. One course must be the MA proseminar OR one full year of SOC 300a, (available to students working toward the in-passing MA.) At least two other courses must be Sociology graduate seminars (courses numbered 200 or higher) or joint undergraduate/graduate seminars. One of the eight required courses must be in research methods and one must be in social theory. The research methods and theory classes can be taken in any department with the approval of the Graduate Committee. One course must be an independent study through which students are working on their final project OR an exam preparation course which students enroll in the semester before they complete the MA exam. One course may be an internship (SOC 292a). For upper-division courses (numbered 100 or higher) to be given graduate level credit, they should be supplemented by additional meetings, readings, and/or written work; the form that this enhancement will take should be worked out with the course instructor in the first two weeks of the course.
All MA students will complete either a Master's project or the MA exam. Students completing the program in two semesters will take the exam. Students completing the program in three semesters will complete the project.
The MA exam is a take-home examination given in the last week of classes of the spring semester. Two Sociology Department faculty members, either from the Graduate Committee or selected by the Graduate Committee, will draft the exam. These same faculty members will read the exam, which will be graded on a pass/fail basis. The exam will include two questions that draw on the coursework students have taken in theory and research methods as well as on their substantive interests. The exam will be given to the students at noon on the last day of class and will be due 72 hours later to the faculty who are administering it. The completed exam can be no longer than 15 pages double spaced, Times New Roman 12 point type, 1 inch margins. Students will be notified of their grade on the exam within two weeks of handing in the paper. Any student who fails the exam will be given the option to retake it once – the following spring.
The MA project may be a research paper of professional quality and length or a project a student develops in consultation with her or his adviser and the Graduate Committee. Students completing a Master's project will choose two faculty members of the Sociology department, one of whom is designated as chair, to guide and review the project. Both faculty members must communicate their approval of the project to the department Graduate Administrator before the University deadline for certifying degree requirements.
Students enrolled in the stand-alone MA program will be assigned a faculty adviser when they begin the program. At the start of the first semester, students are required to submit their plan of study for the year (agreed on with their adviser) to the Graduate Committee for approval. They must submit an update to that plan, including more specific details about the final project or decision to take the MA exam, to the Graduate Committee before the end of the add-drop period of the spring semester.
Language Requirement
There is no foreign language requirement for the Master's degree.
Residence Requirement
Nine months. The program may take an additional one or two semesters to complete as an Extended Master's student.
Requirements for the Joint Degree of Master of Arts in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
A. WMGS 205a or another course designated as a graduate foundational course in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
B. One course in feminist research methodologies (WMGS 208b, the Feminist Inquiry course offered through the Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies, or an alternate).
C. Two elective graduate courses in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: one inside and one outside the sociology department. Normally, only one of these courses may be a Directed Reading course.
D. Three graduate sociology courses: one theory, one outside the area of gender, and one elective, which could be a directed reading.
E. Completion of a Master's research paper of professional quality and length (normally twenty-five to forty pages) on a topic related to the joint degree. The paper will be read by two faculty members, one of whom is a member of the Sociology department, and one of whom is a member of the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies core or affiliate faculty. In consultation with the primary advisor, a student may register for WMGS 299, "Master’s Project." However, this course may not count toward the eight required courses.
Language Requirement
There is no foreign language requirement for the joint Master's degree.
Residence Requirement
One year. The program may take an additional one or two semesters to complete as an Extended Master's student.
Students entering the PhD program in sociology are expected to complete six semesters of the program’s SOC 300a (Approaches to Social Research Proseminar), as well as fifteen additional courses. At least six of these courses must be formal graduate seminars offered by the Brandeis sociology department. Four additional courses must be completed within the Brandeis sociology department, either as graduate seminars, independent readings, advanced undergraduate/graduate seminars, or upper-division courses. The five remaining courses can be taken as the student chooses, including graduate courses at other Boston-area universities, in consultation with her or his adviser. The initial program of studies is arranged in consultation with the graduate student’s adviser. 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. Each spring, students are required to complete self-evaluation forms that are reviewed by the department facuty to monitor progress.
Teaching Requirement
It is required that all PhD students participate in undergraduate teaching. This typically means leading discussion sections or otherwise working in collaboration with individual professors. PhD students receiving stipends are required to serve as teaching fellows (TF) or research assistants (RA) during their first eight semesters in residence. All students also have an opportunity to develop the craft of teaching through teaching workshops within the department and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Residence Requirement
The minimum residence for the PhD is three years.
Language Requirement
There is no foreign language requirement for the PhD.
Qualifying Examinations
The specific planning, evaluation, and accreditation of a student's course of study will be in the hands of each student's Qualifying Portfolio and Defense Committee (QPD), comprising three Brandeis sociology 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 the plan, the student will take an oral qualifying examination covering general sociology and the areas of the student's special interests.
Dissertation and the Final Oral Examination
A dissertation proposal should be submitted soon after the QPD is completed. The dissertation committee should consist of three members from the sociology department faculty and an outside reader chosen with the advice of the committee members and approved by the graduate committee and the dean of the graduate school.
The PhD 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 twenty-one courses. Nine of these courses should be offered by the sociology department (comprising at least four graduate seminars plus SOC 300a (Approaches to Social Research Proseminar), which is required during each semester of course work following matriculation into the joint degree program). At least one of these sociology courses must be in theory. Additionally, at least nine courses must be taken within the NEJS department. In NEJS, students in their first year are required to participate in a weekly for-credit graduate Proseminar (NEJS 231a) during the fall semester and a biweekly noncredit Proseminar in the spring. The remaining three courses are open to student choice with the approval of the student’s advisers.
Advising
Students are assigned advisers from the sociology department and from the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department. Both advisers will work with the student to assure appropriate course coherency. An interdepartmental meeting between both advisers and the student should take place at least once a year.
Teaching Requirement
As part of the graduate training program in NEJS, all PhD students are required to fulfill five semester-length teaching fellow or research assignments during the first four years of their programs, serving as apprentices to faculty mentors. All incoming NEJS/SOC doctoral students are to take the university writing pedagogy seminar in their first year (preferably in their first semester). Students will serve as teaching fellows in at least one university writing course. In addition, the department holds an orientation program for all new students and sponsors colloquia on teaching. Their faculty mentors evaluate students' teaching fellow work each semester. Students' teaching portfolios are in part drawn from these evaluations.
Residence Requirement
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.
Language Requirements
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 advisers. Statistics can be substituted for a modern language. Candidates are required to establish competence in statistics by successful completion of an appropriate Brandeis course in statistics.
Consortium
Students should also discuss with their advisers the desirability of taking courses at member institutions of the Boston Consortium.
Comprehensive Examinations and Graduate Accreditation
Before proposing and writing a doctoral dissertation, students must show competence in two areas of sociology through the Sociology graduate requirement 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 Qualifying Portfolio and Defense(QPD) 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 advisers suggest readings, written work, or independent studies. When the QPD requirement is completed, there will be a comprehensive meeting to discuss the candidate's interests and direction in the field and the upcoming dissertation.
Dissertation and Final Oral Examination
A dissertation proposal should be submitted to the dissertation committee soon after the comprehensive examinations and Sociology requirements 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.
The PhD in social policy and sociology is a joint degree of the Department of Sociology and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. This option is available to students only after completion of at least one year of graduate study at the Heller School or in the sociology department (admission is not guaranteed).
Program of Study
Students entering the joint PhD program in social policy and sociology are expected to complete a total of eighteen courses. At least nine of these courses must be offered by the Brandeis sociology department (comprising at least four graduate seminars plus the Approaches to Social Research Proseminar, which is required during each semester of coursework following matriculation into the joint degree program). At least one of these sociology courses must be in theory. Additionally, a minimum of nine courses must be taken within the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and at least one of these courses must be in research methodology (e.g., HS 401b [Research Methods]). Students are also required to take a noncredit dissertation seminar at the Heller School for two semesters.
Students are assigned advisers from the sociology department and from the Heller School. Advisers in both departments work together with students to assure appropriate coherency in their program of courses. An interdepartmental meeting between advisers and students should take place at least once a year.
Residence Requirement
The minimum residence for the joint degree of Doctor of Philosophy in social policy and sociology is three years.
Teaching Requirement
All joint PhD students must participate in undergraduate teaching. This typically means leading discussion sections or otherwise working in collaboration with individual professors. PhD students also have an opportunity to develop the craft of teaching through teaching workshops within the department and the graduate school of arts and sciences.
Language Requirement
There is no foreign language requirement for the joint PhD degree.
Qualifying Examinations
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 QPD 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 portfolios 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.
Dissertation and the Final Oral Examination
A dissertation proposal should be submitted soon after the comprehensive examination and QPDs 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 PhD 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
SOC
1a
Order and Change in Society
[
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.
Ms. Cadge, Mr. Cunningham or Mr. Sirianni
SOC
3b
Social Theory and Contemporary Society
[
ss
]
Provides an introduction to social theory and ways that core sociological concepts are used to understand social interaction, social problems, and social change. Students read classic works including, Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and Mead, as well as more recent empirical studies. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
90a
Independent Fieldwork
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
SOC
92a
Internship and Analysis in Sociology
Combines 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 course work and with permission of the instructor. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC
97aj
Group Readings and Research
Offered as part of JBS program.
Staff
SOC
97b
Group Readings and Research
Staff
SOC
97bj
Group Readings and Research
Beginning in week 3 of the JBS, students will work in pairs in one of six county field sites. In collaboration with students from the University of Mississippi and other local colleges and universities, as well as with local community partners, JBS students will undertake interviews, archival research, and content analysis of digitally-recorded community proceedings. This field work will be supervised by Brandeis faculty and graduate assistants as well as by Winter Institute staff, and each JBS student will be required to attend a weekly individual debriefing session. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Cunningham
SOC
98a
Individual Readings and Research in Sociology
Individual readings and reports under the direction of a faculty supervisor. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC
98b
Individual Readings and Research in Sociology
Individual readings and reports under the direction of a faculty supervisor. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC
99a
Senior Research
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
SOC
99b
Senior Research
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
AMST/SOC
125a
History of U.S. Feminisms in a Global Context
[
ss
]
An investigation of the development and politics of women's rights in the United States. Explores the internal and external coalitions and conflicts at the nexus of race, ethnicity, sexuality, and religion. Examines the transnational shift to organizing for human rights. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Antler and Ms. Hansen
HS
143a
Social Justice and Philanthropy
[
ss
]
May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 143a in prior years.
Examines the role of philanthropy in American society including individual, institutional, and societal-level factors that affect philanthropic efforts to create social change and the relationship between social justice and philanthropy. Students explore philanthropy from both theoretical and practical perspectives using an academic framework grounded in sociological theory and a semester-long experiential learning exercise in real-dollar grantmaking. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC
104a
Sociology of Education
[
ss
]
Examines the role of education in society, including pedagogy, school systems, teacher organizations, parental involvement, community contexts, as well as issues of class, race, and gender. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC
104aj
Sociology of Education
[
ss
]
Examines the role of education in society, including pedagogy, school systems, teacher organizations, parental involvement, community contexts, as well as issues of class, race, and gender. Offered as part of the JBS program.
Staff
SOC
108bj
Immigration, Youth and Education
[
ss
]
Through sociological literature, videos, speakers, and site visits, we explore the relationship between immigrants and education and learn how education impacts first- and second-generation immigrants' long-term welfare in the United States. Field research is an important aspect of this class. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Lucken
SOC
111a
Political Sociology
[
ss
]
Social and institutional bases of public life (social capital, interest groups, movements, communities, parties, urban regimes, collaborative governance) and relationships to politics and policy at local and national levels. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC
112b
Social Class and Social Change
[
ss
]
Presents the role of social class in determining life chances, lifestyles, income, occupation, and power; theories of class, inequality, and globalization; selected social psychological aspects of social class and inequality; and connections of class, race, and gender. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Fellman
SOC
115a
Masculinities
[
ss
]
Men's experiences of masculinity have only recently emerged as complex and problematic. This course inquires into concepts, literature, and phenomenology of many framings of masculinity. The analytic schemes are historical, sociological, and social-psychological. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Fellman
SOC
116a
Work, Employment and Unemployment: Sociological Approaches
[
ss
]
Considers work, employment, and unemployment in the U.S. using a sociological framework. It offers a broad overview of the role work has played in society historically and currently, and the changing nature of work in the 21st century. Special one-time offering summer 2014.
Ms. Chaganti
SOC
117a
Sociology of Work and Gender
[
ss
]
Many people think gender differences in work are disappearing. Yet gender segregation by job type is pervasive and women predominate in the lower paid, lower status jobs, particularly in the care sector. Women are also still doing disproportional amounts of domestic and parenting labor at home, which exacts a great cost from them in the paid workforce. This course examines gender disparities in both paid an unpaid work, and how that affects women’s and men’s lives, work/family conflicts, and society at large. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Villalobos
SOC
117b
Sociology of Science, Technology, and Medicine
[
oc
ss
]
From the moment we are born, to when we die, our lives are shaped by science, technology, and medicine. This course draws on both historical and contemporary case studies to examine how science and medicine enter into our ideas about who we are as individuals and members of social groups (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity), understandings of health and illness, and ideals regarding what constitutes a good life, and a good death. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Shostak
SOC
118a
Observing the Social World: Doing Qualitative Sociology
[
ss
wi
]
Observation is the basis of social inquiry. What we see--and by extension, what we overlook or choose to ignore--guides our understanding of social life. We practice interviews, social observation and analysis of print and visual media. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Cadge or Ms. Shostak
SOC
119a
Deconstructing War, Building Peace
[
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
SOC
120b
Globalization and the Media
[
ss
]
Investigates the phenomenon of globalization as it relates to mass media. Topics addressed include the growth of transnational media organizations, the creation of audiences that transcend territorial groupings, the hybridization of cultural styles, and the consequences for local identities. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
122a
The Sociology of American Immigration
[
ss
]
Most of us descend from immigrants. Focusing on the United States but in a global perspective, we address the following questions: Why do people migrate? How does this affect immigrants' occupations, gendered households, rights, identities, youth, and race relations with other groups? Usually offered every second year.
Staff
SOC
123b
The Welfare State and Nonprofit America
[
ss
]
Studies major programs of the welfare state in social security, health, and welfare, as well as local nonprofits in youth development and other human services, national foundations, social entrepreneurism, AmeriCorps, and other forms of community service. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Sirianni
SOC
124a
Gender and Human Rights
[
ss
]
Examines the challenges and opportunities posed by framing women's rights within an international human rights discourse. Utilizes global case studies to explore how gender shapes major social structures, including education, work, the economy, the state and religion. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
SOC
125a
Sport and Society: A Sociological Perspective
[
ss
]
Explores how the institution of sport relates to: other social institutions (such as religion or the media), the construction of social categories (like race, gender, class), and socio-cultural beliefs/values (e.g. positive socialization versus social problems. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Fair
SOC
125b
Self and Society: Who Am I Really?
[
ss
]
What is a self? Are you your biographical story? The sum of your identities? How you present yourself? This social-psychological course delves into these questions experientially, using sociological, psychological, and religious conceptualizations of selfhood to investigate who you really are. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Villalobos
SOC
126a
Sociology of Deviance
[
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 in the summer term.
Mr. Conrad and Staff
SOC
127a
Religion, Ethnicity, and Nationalism
[
nw
ss
]
Examines three sources of identity that are influential in global affairs: religion, ethnicity and nationalism. Considers theories of the relationship among these identities, especially "secularization theory," then reviews historical examples such as Poland, Iran, India, and Pakistan. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Rosenberger
SOC
129a
Sociology of Religion
[
ss
wi
]
An introduction to the sociological study of religion. Investigates what religion is, how it is influential in contemporary American life, and how the boundaries of public and private religion are constructed and contested. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Cadge
SOC
130a
Families and Kinship
[
ss
]
Counts toward the completion of the joint MA degree in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Investigates changes in the character of American families over the last two centuries. A central concern will be the dynamic interactions among 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. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hansen
SOC
131b
Biography, Gender, and Society
[
ss
]
This course counts toward the completion of the joint MA degree in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Through reading biographies of intellectuals, political leaders, artists and "ordinary" people and exploring the biographical method, this seminar investigates the relationship between everyday life, history, social patterns of behavior, and the sex/gender system. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Hansen
SOC
132b
Social Perspectives on Parenting
[
ss
]
This course counts toward the completion of the joint MA degree in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Explores how parenting, the seemingly most intimate and personal of experiences, is deeply influenced by economic structures and culture. Highlights gender: why childcare falls disproportionately to women, and how this affects the lives and outcomes of women and men, and society more broadly. Also addresses how racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and class differences correspond to different parenting experiences. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Villalobos
SOC
136b
Historical and Comparative Sociology
[
ss
]
Explores the relationship between sociology and history through examples of scholarship from both disciplines. Using historical studies, the course pays close attention to each author's research strategy. Examines basic research questions, theoretical underpinnings and assumptions, and uses of evidence. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Rosenberger or Ms. Hansen
SOC
137a
Gender and the Life Course
[
oc
ss
]
Explores how individual development across the life course is shaped by gender and the interconnecting influences of historical period, social and cultural context, life stage, and the generational cohort into which a person is born. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
SOC
138a
Sociology of Gender, Race, and Class
[
ss
]
Examines gender as an individual and institutional factor that organizes societies. Uses a variety of media to analyze how gender and race (re)create forms of domination and subordination in labor markets, family structures, realms of cultural presentation (e.g., media), and social movements. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
SOC
141a
Marx and Freud
[
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.
Mr. Fellman
SOC
145bj
Applied Research Methods in Portraiture
[
ss
]
Studies portraiture, a social science method of inquiry that fuses science and art. It enables researchers to develop complex and nuanced understanding of social phenomenon. Portraits may be a person, a relationship, a small group, an institution, a process, or a concept. Offered as part of the JBS program.
Ms. Shavarini
SOC
146a
Mass Communication Theory
[
ss
]
An examination of key theories in mass communication, including mass culture, hegemony, the production of culture, and public sphere. Themes discussed include the nature of media effects, the role of the audience, and the extent of diversity in the mass media. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
147a
Sustainable Cities and Communities
[
oc
ss
]
Studies innovations in the U.S and around the world that enhance urban sustainability, healthy communities, environmental justice, climate resilience and adaptation. Grassroots sustainability and climate movements, as well as environmental, health, and urban planning practice are examined. May be combined with internships and action research.. May be combined with internships and action research. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC
148b
The Sociology of Information: Politics, Power, and Property
[
ss
]
Examines the claim that information is a key political and economic resource in contemporary society. Considers who has access to information, and how it is used for economic gain, interpersonal advantage, and social control. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
149b
Social Production of Food
[
ss
]
Examines the social context influencing the everyday and industrial production of food and its cultural meanings. Includes a consideration of debates related to food preferences, the work of food preparation and production, and efforts to commodify and regulate food. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
150b
Culture of Consumption
[
ss
]
Examines the historical development and social significance of a culture of consumption. Considers the role of marketing in contemporary society and the expression of consumer culture in various realms of everyday life, including leisure, the family, and education. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
152a
Urban Life and Culture
[
ss
]
An analysis of the social and cultural dimensions of life in urban environments. Examines how various processes, including immigration, deindustrialization, and suburbanization, affect neighborhoods, public spaces, work, shopping, and leisure in the city. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
153a
The Sociology of Empowerment
[
ss
]
Course does not participate in early registration. Attendance at first class meeting mandatory. Students selected by essay, interview, and lottery.
This class combines reading, exercises, journal keeping, and retreats (including a weekend one) to address activism and how sociological constructs affect feelings of helplessness, futility, hope, vision, efficacy, hurt, fear, and anger. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Fellman
SOC
154a
Community Structure and Youth Subcultures
[
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.
Mr. Cunningham
SOC
155b
Protest, Politics, and Change: Social Movements
[
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.
Mr. Cunningham
SOC
156aj
Social Change in American Communities
[
ss
]
Provides a theoretical foundation for understanding social movement dynamics, with a particular emphasis on the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. Topics will include modes of civil rights organizing, the mobilization of social, cultural, and material resources, the development of strategic and tactical repertoires, determinants of individual participation, and varieties of anti-civil rights enforcement. The central aim is to provide a historically-contextualized and theoretically-informed sense of the trajectory of the civil rights struggle in the U.S. South. We will pay particular attention to sources of local variation, to understand the interplay among community-level contexts, individual action, and socio-political legacies. Offered as part of JBS program.
Mr. Cunningham
SOC
157a
Sociology of the Israeli-Palestinian Confrontation
[
ss
]
An introduction to Jewish and Palestinian nationalisms; relevant sociological, political, religious, and resource issues; social psychological dimensions; and the conflict in world politics. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Fellman
SOC
162a
Intellectuals and Revolutionary Politics
[
ss
]
Examines the role of intellectuals in modern politics, especially their relationship to nationalism and revolutionary movements. In reading across a range of political revolutions (e.g. in Central Europe, colonial Africa and Iran), students will have the chance to compare the relative significance of appeals to solidarity based on class, religion, ethnicity, and national identity. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Rosenberger
SOC
164a
Existential Sociology
[
ss
]
Introduces existential themes 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 agency and action. Mead, Sartre, Goffman, Kierkegaard, De Beauvoir, Elizabeth Beck, Taylor, and others will be considered. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hayim
SOC
165a
Living and Dying in America: The Sociology of Birth and Death
[
ss
]
Not open to first year students. Not open to students who had a death in their immediate family in the past year.
This course introduces the tools and concepts central to the sociological study of birth and death in the United States. It is discussion-based and includes guest speakers, field trips, and interactive assignments. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Cadge
SOC
168a
Democracy and Inequality in Global Perspective
[
ss
]
Can democracy survive great inequalities of wealth and status? In authoritarian countries, does inequality inspire revolution or obedience? What role does culture play in determining which inequalities are tolerable and which are not? Cases include the United States, India, and China. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Rosenberger
SOC
175b
Environmental Movements: Organizations, Networks, and Partnerships
[
oc
ss
]
Studies environmental movement organizations and field strategies, national advocacy organizations, as well as community-based and civic approaches to environmental problem solving. Case studies draw from sustainable and climate resilient cities, watersheds, coastal adaptation, forests, ecosystem restoration, environmental justice, renewable energy, and the greening of industry. May be combined with internships and action research. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC
176a
Nature, Nurture, and Public Policy
[
ss
]
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
SOC
177b
Aging in Society
[
ss
]
Explores the social context of aging 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 aging in other societies in order to understand the contemporary Western response to aging. Contains a field research component. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
SOC
181a
Methods of Social Inquiry
[
ss
]
Prerequisite: SOC 1a or SOC 3b. Registration priority given to juniors and seniors.
Introduces students to qualitative and quantitative approaches to social research. Throughout the course emphasis is on conceptual understanding, with hands-on applications and exercises. No statistical or mathematical background is necessary. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Cadge or Mr. Cunningham
SOC
182a
Applied Research Methods
[
qr
ss
]
Provides hand-on training in social science research methodology, covering issues related to research design, data collection, and causal analysis within the context of a large-scale collaborative research project. Students will operate as a member of a research team with responsibility over a component of a broader project tied to real-world social justice initiative. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Cunningham
SOC
189a
Sociology of Body and Health
[
ss
]
Explores theoretical considerations of the body as a cultural phenomenon intersecting with health, healing, illness, disease, and medicine. Focuses on how gender, race, class, religion, and other dimensions of social organization shape individual experiences and opportunities for agency and resistance. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Shostak
SOC
191a
Health, Community, and Society
[
ss
]
This course offers a 2-credit optional practicum.
An exploration into interrelationships among society, health, and disease, emphasizing the social causes and experience of illness. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC
193a
Environment, Health, and Society
[
ss
]
This course draws on sociological perspectives to examine two key questions: (1) How does social organization enter into the production of environmental health and illness? and (2) How do scientists, regulators, social movement activists, and people affected by illness seek to understand, regulate, and intervene in relationships between the environment and human health? Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Shostak
SOC
194a
Sociology of Mental Health and Illness
[
ss
]
Examines sociological approaches to mental health and illness. The focus is on the history, definitions, social responses and consequences of conceptualizations and treatment of mental illness. This will include some discussion of social factors related to mental disorder and types of mental health treatment. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC
196a
The Medicalization of Society
[
ss
]
Prerequisite: SOC 1a or SOC 3b. Registration priority given to juniors and seniors.
Examines the origins and consequences of the medicalization of human problems in society. Includes investigations of medicalization of madness, childbirth, addictions, anorexia, menopause, ADHD, domestic violence, and other issues, as well as cases of demedicalization. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC
199b
Senior Capstone Seminar: Sociology in the World
[
ss
]
Enrollment limited to senior Sociology majors.
Provides an opportunity for senior Sociology majors to consider in depth how sociologists engage with the research process to inform both academic and public debate over pressing social issues. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Cunningham
(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students
SOC
201a
Classical and Critical Theory
Examines major contributions in the history of sociological thought and identifies critical connections between the classical statements and the modern complex reality; new critical theory and identity, social movements and globalization: from Hegel and Weber to Habermas, Marcuse, Foucault, Luhmann, Kellner, Melucci, Frazer, and others. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Hayim
SOC
203b
Field Methods
Provides an introduction to the methodology of sociological field research in the Chicago School 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 and analysis. Each student will design and conduct his/her own independent research project. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Cadge or Ms. Shostak
SOC
204a
Foundations of Sociological Theory
Studies classic theoretical texts that have been foundational for sociology. Particular attention is paid to works of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. Identifies questions and perspectives from these theorists that continue to be relevant for sociological thinking and research. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
206b
Advanced Topics in Family Studies
This course counts toward the completion of the joint MA degree in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Studies 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 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.
Ms. Hansen or Ms. Villalobos
SOC
208a
Social Problems Theory and Research
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 second year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC
209b
Social Movements
Provides a detailed examination of the literatures related to social movements and collective action. The focus is on reviewing past and current attempts to explain various aspects of contentious political activity, as well as introducing newly emerging explanatory models. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Cunningham
SOC
210b
Gender, Class, and Race
Examines primarily gender, class, and race, but also addresses inequality as structured by citizenship status and sexuality. Examines how U.S. and other societies distribute resources accordingly, shape discourse and ideology, and foster individual and group identities. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Hansen
SOC
211b
Advanced Topics in the Sociology of Religion
An overview of the sociology of religion as a subfield in sociology. Classic and contemporary theoretical and empirical works are read and linked to current debates in the field. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Cadge
SOC
217a
Problems and Issues in the Sociology of Health and Illness
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 third year.
Mr. Conrad
SOC
218a
Inequality and Health
Analyzes quantitative and qualitative studies of health outcomes, the social conditions that are related to the health of populations, and some of the mechanisms through which these patterns are produced. Explores implications for both research and policy. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Shostak
SOC
220b
Seminar on the Sociology of Politics
A survey of the contemporary perspectives in the sociology of politics of advanced societies. Topics include pluralist and group theories, the new institutionalism, policy feedback, social movements, and theories of governance. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Sirianni
SOC
221b
Sociology of Culture
Surveys theoretical perspectives and substantive concerns in sociological studies of culture. Examines debates regarding how to define and study culture, and considers the ways in which culture is related to power, stratification, integration, identity, and social change. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
230a
Readings in Sociological Literature
Usually offered every year. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Staff
SOC
230b
Readings in Sociological Literature
Usually offered every year. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Staff
SOC
250a
Master's Program Proseminar
Provides students in the Sociology MA program with professional workshops, talks given by visiting speakers, and opportunities to discuss research. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
292a
Master's Graduate Internship
Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC
294a
Exam Preparation
Exam preparation course for students preparing for the MA exam. Spring semester only. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC
294b
Paper Preparation
Independent study for MA students working on a final paper or project. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC
300a
Approaches to Sociological Research
Yields half-course credit. Required of graduate students for six semesters during the first three years of their course of study. Formerly offered as SOC 240a.
A seminar designed to guide graduate students through the process of producing sociological research. The course will be based on students' development of their own independent research and on considerations of larger professional issues related to research and publication. Usually offered every semester.
Ms. Cadge, Mr. Cunningham, and Ms. Shostak
SOC
392a
Graduate Internship
Graduate internship for PhD candidates. Usually offered every year.
Staff
SOC
401d
Dissertation Research
Independent research for the PhD. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.
Staff
Cross-Listed in Sociology
AMST
55a
Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in American Culture
[
ss
]
Provides an introductory overview of the study of race, ethnicity, and culture in the United States. Focuses on the historical, sociological, and political movements that affected the arrival and settlement of African, Asian, European, American Indian, and Latino populations in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Utilizing theoretical and discursive perspectives, compares and explores the experiences of these groups in the United States in relation to issues of immigration, population relocations, government and civil legislation, ethnic identity, gender and family relations, class, and community. Usually offered every year.
Staff
AMST
143b
The American Tourist
[
ss
]
Tourism is more than sun and sand frivolity. It's a major cultural and economic force shaping our world and how we experience it. This course is designed to provide students with a multidisciplinary overview of tourism studies and American touristic encounters. Special one-time offering, spring 2014.
Ms. Powers
ANTH
81a
Conducting Ethnographic Fieldwork: Methods and Practice of Anthropological Research
[
ss
]
Formerly offered as ANTH 181aj.
Examines principal issues in ethnographic fieldwork and analysis, including research design, data collection, and ethnographic representation. Students will develop a focused research question, design field research, and conduct supervised fieldwork in a variety of local settings. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Anjaria
ANTH
111a
Aging in Cross-Cultural Perspective
[
nw
ss
wi
]
Examines the meanings and social arrangements given to aging in a diversity of societies, including the U.S., India, Japan and China. Key themes include: the diverse ways people envision and organize the life course, scholarly and popular models of successful aging, the medicalization of aging in the U.S., cultural perspectives on dementia, and the ways national aging policies and laws are profoundly influenced by particular cultural models. This course offers a 2-credit optional Experiential Learning practicum (EL 94a) Sages and Seekers, Aging and the Real World. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Lamb
HIST
115a
History of Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations
[
ss
]
Explores and understands the origin and nature of racial and ethnic differences in the United States, South Africa, and Brazil. Explores how theoreticians explain and account for differences, and how race and ethnicity relate to economic class and social institutions. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
HIST
172a
20th Century Social Movements in the Americas
[
ss
]
Examines social movements in Latin America in the 20th and 21st centuries, covering feminism, labor activism, ethnic mobilization, peasant rebellion, environmental defense, resistance to dictatorship, anti-imperialism, and related topics. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
HIST
181b
Red Flags/Black Flags: Marxism vs. Anarchism, 1845-1968
[
ss
]
From Marx's first major book in 1845 to the French upheavals of 1968, the history of left-wing politics and ideas. The struggles between Marxist orthodoxy and anarchist-inspired, left Marxist alternatives. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Hulliung
HIST
183b
Community and Alienation: Social Theory from Hegel to Freud
[
ss
]
The rise of social theory understood as a response to the trauma of industrialization. Topics include Marx's concept of "alienation," Tönnies's distinction between "community" and "society," Durkheim's notion of "anomie," Weber's account of "disenchantment," and Nietzsche's repudiation of modernity. Usually offered every fourth year.
Mr. Hulliung
HOID
100a
Introduction to Critical Theory
[
hum
]
How should we understand the cultural contradictions of modern society? This course will explore the evolution of Critical Theory as developed by the early Frankfurt School, with a specific focus on the works of Adorno, Benjamin, Horkheimer, and Marcuse. Special one-time offering, fall 2014.
Mr. Gamsby
HS
110a
Wealth and Poverty
[
ss
]
Examines why the gap between richer and poorer citizens appears to be widening in the United States and elsewhere, what could be done to reverse this trend, and how the widening disparity affects major issues of public policy. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Shapiro
HSSP
114b
Racial/Ethnic and Gender Inequalities in Health and Health Care
[
ss
]
An examination of the epidemiological patterns of health status by race/ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status. Addresses current theories and critiques explaining disparities in health status, access, quality, and conceptual models, frameworks, and interventions for eliminating inequalities. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Jefferson
HSSP
120bj
Health Care Landscapes
[
ss
wi
]
Focuses on developing skills and understanding of health care landscapes, with an emphasis on experiential learning in specific communities. Offered as part of JBS program.
Ms. Zincavage
HSSP
192b
Sociology of Disability
[
ss
]
In the latter half of the twentieth 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 disabilities are seen and unseen, and see themselves. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Gulley
IGS
130a
Global Migration
[
ss
]
Investigates the social, cultural, religious, political, and economic forces that shape global migration. More than 200 million people now live outside their countries of birth. Case studies include Europe, the U.S. and Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Africa, and China's internal migration. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Lucken
NEJS
163b
Half-Jews, Queer-Jews, and Bu-Jews: Mapping Jewish Identities in America
[
hum
]
Examines the various contours of Jewish identity in America from a sociological perspective. It begins with three fundamental assumptions: 1) that identities, including Jewish identity, are fluid, dynamic, and constantly in production 2) that identities are socially constructed and historically contingent and 3) that the discourse on religion, race, ethnicity, and gender shapes the production of Jewish identities. The class is designed to probe the multiple and often contradictory identities of contemporary American Jews, paying particular attention to the margins where Jewish identity is most contested and creatively remade. Central to this course are a series of assignments that ask you to think critically about the everyday experience of Judaism in America. Special one-time offering, fall 2014.
Ms. Sigalow
NEJS
164b
The Sociology of the American Jewish Community
[
hum
ss
]
Open to all students.
A survey exploring transformations in modern American Jewish societies, including American Jewish families, organizations, and behavior patterns in the second half of the twentieth century. Draws on social science texts, statistical studies, and qualitative research; also makes use of a broad spectrum of source materials, examining evidence from journalism, fiction, film, and other cultural artifacts. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Fishman
POL
125a
Women in American Politics
[
ss
]
Addresses three major dimensions of women's political participation: social reform and women-identified issues; women's organizations and institutions; and women politicians, electoral politics, and party identification. Covers historical context and contemporary developments in women's political activity. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Greenlee
SJSP
89a
Social Justice, Social Policy Internship
To obtain an internship for the fall term, students must discuss their placements with the SJSP internship instructor by April 15.
Supervised internship in a social justice, social service, social policy, or social research organization. Students will meet as a group and will complete research assignments. Usually offered every year in the fall semester.
Ms. Stimell
WMGS
89a
When Violence Hits Home: Internship in Domestic Violence
Combines fieldwork in domestic and sexual violence prevention programs with a fortnightly seminar exploring cultural and interpersonal facets of violence from a feminist perspective. Topics include theories, causes and prevention of rape, battering, child abuse, and animal abuse. Internships provide practical experience in local organizations such as rape crisis, battered women's violence prevention, and child abuse prevention programs. Usually offered every fall.
Ms. Hunter
Courses of Related Interest
POL
200b
Quantitative Methods for Social Science
Open to GSAS students.
Introduces graduate students in the social sciences to statistics and quantitative methods, including purposes and objectives of statistical inference, graphical and visual display of data, significance testing, and regression analysis. Usually offered every second year.
Staff