Provisional University Bulletin (2024-2025)

• Minor
• Major (BA)
• Master of Arts
• Doctor of Philosophy

Undergraduate Major

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 three 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, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. The second option is a terminal joint MA in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; the third option is a joint PhD in Social Policy (Heller School for Social Policy and Management) and Sociology.

Undergraduate Major

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's, Gender, and Sexuality 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:

1. Recognize the ways in which social contexts shape individual and group behavior.
2. Rigorously engage with core questions of inequity, identity, justice, and social meaning.
3. Relate sociological frameworks to pressing social, economic, and political issues and policies.
4. 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:

1. Creatively identify, confront, and assess issues of sociological significance in a range of real-world settings.
2. Understand, develop, and extend theoretical frameworks for critically and systematically engaging with social phenomena.
3. Employ established principles of research design, data collection and analysis to rigorously address empirical research questions.
4. 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:

1. Recognize and understand how structural, cultural, and relational contexts shape systems of power, access, and inequity.
2. Develop a reflexive and ethical sense of how diversity operates in social settings
3. Respectfully engage with ethnic, religious, cultural, and political difference.
4. Collaborate with local agencies and communities to develop strategies to address pressing issues.

Graduate Program in Sociology

Master's in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

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. Since its founding, the department has enjoyed a distinct intellectual culture that links the key normative questions of democracy, social justice and the good life to critical social thought and qualitative research methods.

Students completing the MA program in Sociology and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies will develop the following competencies:

Knowledge

1. Develop familiarity with key theories and debates in Sociology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
2. Relate sociological perspectives to social, economic, and political issues and policies.

Core Skills

1. Understand and extend theoretical frameworks for critically and systematically producing knowledge about social phenomena.
2. Map links between Sociology and other disciplines relevant to Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and think in a cross-disciplinary fashion.
3. Conceptualize and design research projects, conduct data collection according to established principles, and engage in rigorous analysis.
4. Critically evaluate research in the field.
5. Conduct scholarly and professional activities according to ethical standards.

Social Justice

1. Gain knowledge and perspectives needed to participate as informed citizens in a global society.
2. Recognize and understand how structural, cultural, and relational contexts shape systems of power, access, and inequity.
3. Develop a reflexive and ethical sense of how diversity operates in social settings.
4. Be an informed and critical consumer and producer of sociological knowledge.

Master's in Passing in Sociology

Students completing the MA in passing in Sociology will develop the following competencies:

Knowledge

1. Develop familiarity with key theories and debates in Sociology.
2. Recognize the ways in which Sociology as a professional discipline develops and considers major questions, concepts, and methodologies.

Core Skills

1. Understand and extend theoretical frameworks for critically and systematically producing knowledge about social phenomena.
2. Conceptualize and design research projects, conduct data collection according to established principles, engage in rigorous analysis, and clearly write about research findings.
3. Critically evaluate research in the field.
4. Conduct scholarly and professional activities according to ethical standards.

Social Justice

1. Gain knowledge and perspectives needed to participate as informed citizens in a global society.
2. Recognize and understand how structural, cultural, and relational contexts shape systems of power, access, and inequity.
3. Develop a reflexive and ethical sense of how diversity operates in social settings.
4. Be an informed and critical consumer and producer of sociological knowledge.

PhD in 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. Since its founding, the department has enjoyed a distinct intellectual culture that links the key normative questions of democracy, social justice and the good life to critical social thought and qualitative research methods.

Our program boasts three main areas of study and expertise: gender and feminist studies; medical sociology; and culture and social change. We oblige our students to formulate questions of social and analytical importance in "big picture" terms and submit these questions to the test of rigorous research. With considerable expertise in ethnographic, interview, comparative and historical methods, our center of gravity has remained the qualitative analysis of institutional change.

Students completing the PhD program in Sociology will develop the following competencies:

Knowledge

1. Develop familiarity with key theories and debates in Sociology.
2. Develop expertise in at least three established subfields in Sociology.

Core Skills

1. Understand, develop, and extend theoretical frameworks for critically and systematically producing knowledge about social phenomena.
2. Conceptualize and design research projects, conduct data collection according to established principles, and engage in rigorous analysis.
3. Ask clear research questions, situate them in appropriate literatures, and articulate their theoretical and empirical significance.
4. Master oral communication and writing skills that allow for the clear and compelling communication of knowledge to academic peers, students in the classroom, and/or other constituents outside the academy.
5. Conduct scholarly and professional activities according to ethical standards.

Social Justice

1. Gain knowledge and perspectives needed to participate as informed citizens in a global society.
2. Recognize and understand how structural, cultural, and relational contexts shape systems of power, access, and inequity.
3. Develop a reflexive and ethical sense of how diversity operates in social settings.
4. Be an informed and critical consumer and producer of sociological knowledge.

PhD in Social Policy and Sociology

Students completing the PhD program in Social Policy and Sociology will develop the following competencies:

Knowledge

1. Develop familiarity with key theories and debates in Sociology.
2. Map links between Sociology and Social Policy, and think in a cross-disciplinary fashion.
3. Develop expertise in at least two established subfields in Sociology and one Social Policy concentration.

Core Skills

1. Understand, develop, and extend theoretical frameworks for critically and systematically producing knowledge about social phenomena.
2. Make knowledge usable and useful for policymakers and practitioners. 
3. Conceptualize and design research projects, conduct data collection according to established principles, and engage in rigorous analysis.
4. Ask clear research questions, situate them in appropriate literatures, and articulate their theoretical and empirical significance.
5. Master oral communication and writing skills that allow for the clear and compelling communication of knowledge to academic peers, students in the classroom, and/or other constituents outside the academy.
6. Conduct scholarly and professional activities according to ethical standards.

Social Justice

1. Gain knowledge and perspectives needed to participate as informed citizens in a global society.
2. Recognize and understand how structural, cultural, and relational contexts shape systems of power, access, and inequity.
3. Develop a reflexive and ethical sense of how diversity operates in social settings.
4. Be an informed and critical consumer and producer of sociological and policy-oriented knowledge.

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

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

Wendy Cadge
Sociology of religion. Sociology of culture. Health and medicine. Immigration. Sexuality. Gender. Organizations. Research methods.

Karen V. Hansen (on leave academic year 2023-2024)
Sociology of family and kinship. Historical sociology. Sociology of gender class and race-ethnicity.

Sarah Mayorga, Chair
Sociology of race and racism. Urban sociology. Latinx sociology. Whiteness studies. Qualitative methods.

Rachel McKane
Environmental justice. Environmental sociology. Urban sociology. Political economy. Quantitative and spatial methods.

Laura J. Miller
Sociology of culture. Mass communication. Urban sociology. Consumers and consumption. Cultural movements.

Chandler Rosenberger
Nationalism. Ethnicity. Sociology of culture. Sociology of religion. Political dissent and democratization.

Sara Shostak 
Sociology of health and illness. Science and technology studies. Environmental sociology. Research methods.

Michael Strand
Social theory. Culture, morality, knowledge, and historical sociology. Economic sociology.

Siri Suh, Undergraduate Advising Head
Sociology of health and illness. Sociology of reproduction. Critical studies of global health. Science and technology studies (STS). Research methods. Sub-Saharan Africa.

Gowri Vijayakumar, Director of Graduate Studies
Sociology of gender and sexuality. Social movements. Labor and labor movements.

Derron Wallace
Sociology of education. Race and ethnicity. Immigration. Social class. Masculinities. Inequality and identities.

Affiliated Faculty (contributing to the curriculum, advising and administration of the department or program)

Thomas Shapiro (Heller)
Stratification. Race.

Five semester courses are required for the minor, including the following:

A. SOC 1a.

B. SOC 10b.

C. SOC 18a, SOC 36b, SOC 46b, SOC 81a, SOC 82a, or SOC 140a.

D. Two additional sociology electives.

E. A minimum of three of the five courses required for the minor must be taught by Department of Sociology faculty.

F. No grade below a C- will be given credit toward the minor.

G. No course taken pass/fail may count toward the minor requirements.

Students must fulfill the following requirements: completion of nine semester courses, which must include:

1. SOC 1a. This course should be taken early in the curriculum.
2. SOC 10b.
3. SOC 18a, SOC 36b, SOC 46b, SOC 81a, SOC 82a, or SOC 140a.
4. At least one course in three of the following four sub-areas:
   1. Health, Illness, and Life Course: SOC 83a, 84a, 117b, 150a, 165a, 169b, 187a, 194a; ANTH 111a; HSSP 114b, 192b.
   2. Political and Social Change: SOC 40a, 112b, 113b, 141a, 146b, 148b, 154b, 155b, 162a, 168a, 175b; AMST 55a; ED 170a; HIST 181b, 183b; HS 110a; IGS 110a.
   3. Gender and Family: HIST/SOC 170b, SOC 70a, 113a, 117a, 124a, 130a, 131b, 133b, 137a, 138a; POL/WGS 125a.
   4. Institutions, Communities, and Culture: AAAS/SOC 177a, SOC 56b, 104a, 110a, 116b, 120a, 120b, 122a, 123a, 125b, 127a, 129a, 146a, 147a, 149b, 150b, 151b, 152a, 154a; IGS 130a; NEJS 164b.
5. Three additional sociology electives.
6. A minimum of six semester courses counted toward major credit must be taught by a member of the faculty from the Department of Sociology. (No more than two courses from study abroad may count toward the major requirements).
7. Foundational Literacies: As part of completing the Sociology major, students must:
   • Fulfill the writing intensive requirement by successfully completing one of the following: SOC 113a, SOC 123a, SOC 131b, SOC 146b, SOC 148b, SOC 151b, or SOC 179a.
   • Fulfill the oral communication requirement by successfully completing one of the following: SOC 112b, SOC 116b, SOC 127a, SOC 130a, SOC 138a, SOC 147a, SOC 169b, or ED 170a.
   • Fulfill the digital literacy requirement by successfully completing one of the following: SOC 18a, SOC 36b, SOC 81a, SOC 82a, SOC 110a, or SOC 140a.
8. No more than two courses cross-listed in sociology may count toward the major requirements.
9. No grade below a C- will be given credit toward the major.
10. No course taken pass/fail may count toward the major requirements.
11. Students may apply an internship course (either SOC 89a, SOC 92a, SJSP 89a, or WMGS 89a) only once toward the requirements for the major.
12. 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.

 

Program of Study

A Master's degree in Sociology can be earned in-passing as part of on-going work for the sociology PhD. Students who have completed MA requirements can apply for the MA degree at any point beyond the first year of residency.

To fulfill program requirements, students must complete eight courses. 

1. At least five of these courses must be taken in the Sociology Department at Brandeis. 
2. One course must be one full year of SOC 300a. 
3. At least two other courses must be Sociology graduate seminars (courses numbered 200 or higher). 
4. One of the eight required courses must be in research methods.
5. One of the eight required courses must be in social theory.

In addition to the above coursework, students must have fully completed and submitted the publishable paper required of all PhD students.

Language Requirement

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

A Master's degree in Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 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).

Program of Study

1. WGS 205a, the foundational course in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
2. One course in feminist research methodologies (WGS 208b, or the Feminist Inquiry course offered through the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Gender, Culture, Women, and Sexuality (GCWS)).
3. 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.
4. Three graduate sociology courses: one theory, one outside the area of gender, and one elective, which could be a directed reading.
5. One additional elective graduate course.
6. 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 WGS 299a/b, "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 (in-person). The program may take an additional one or two semesters to complete as an Extended Master's student.

Program of Study

Students entering the PhD program in sociology are expected to complete 68 credits of coursework, distributed as follows:

1. Six semesters of the program’s SOC 300a (Approaches to Sociological Research Proseminar).
2. Either SOC 200a or SOC 204a.
3. SOC 203b or another graduate seminar in research methods offered by the Brandeis sociology department.
4. Four other formal graduate seminars (numbered 200-229) offered by the Brandeis sociology department.
5. Four additional courses offered by the Brandeis sociology department, either graduate seminars, independent readings (SOC 230a/b), or upper-division (numbered 100-199) courses.
6. Four remaining courses that can be taken as the student chooses, including graduate courses at other Boston-area universities, in consultation with the student’s adviser.
7. If a student wishes to take a course numbered 100-199, the student must enhance it for graduate credit. See the GSAS Special Notes on Registration in Undergraduate Courses and the Sociology Department Graduate Handbook for details.

The initial program of study 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 two semesters of study. Each spring, students are required to complete self-evaluation forms that are reviewed by the department faculty to monitor progress.

Publishable Paper

As they near the end of coursework, students will write a single-authored publishable research paper, and submit it to a peer-reviewed academic journal.  The paper should be based on original empirical research and/or theoretical development, and be of professional quality and length.  Students will choose two faculty members of the Sociology Department, one of whom is designated as chair, to guide and review the project. Both faculty readers must approve the completed paper. This requirement can be completed any time before the end of the student’s sixth semester in the program.  The paper need not be accepted for publication in order for the requirement to be met.

Teaching Requirement

It is required that all PhD students participate in undergraduate teaching. This typically means working as teaching assistants in collaboration with individual professors. PhD students are required to serve as teaching assistants for six semesters. All students also have an opportunity to develop the craft of teaching through teaching workshops within the department and the Center for Teaching and Learning. Please see the GSAS section on Teaching Requirements for more details.

Research Assistant/Internship Requirement

During one semester in which they are not acting as a TA, normally in their eighth semester of the program, PhD students will choose one of two options: (a) work as a research assistant with a Sociology Department faculty member, or (b) work at an internship with an organization or office outside of the Sociology Department.  See the Sociology Department Graduate Handbook for details.

Residence Requirement

The minimum in-person residence for the PhD is three academic 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 (QPD) Committee, comprising two 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 with primary emphasis on the student’s two areas of specialization.  The Qualifying Portfolio Defense meeting should be completed by December 1 of the student’s fourth year, at the latest, by which point all course requirements must also have been fulfilled.

Dissertation and the Final Oral Examination

A dissertation prospectus should be submitted by May 1 of the student’s fourth year in the PhD program. The dissertation prospectus committee should consist of three members from the sociology department faculty. The dissertation examination 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 examination committee. To be granted the degree, the student is required to defend the dissertation in a public 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 PhD study at the Heller School or in the sociology department (admission is not guaranteed).

Program of Study

Students enrolled in the joint PhD program in social policy and sociology are expected to complete 76 credits of coursework, distributed as follows:

1. Either SOC 200a or SOC 204a.
2. At least three other formal graduate seminars (numbered 200-229) offered by the Brandeis sociology department.
3. Four additional courses offered by the Brandeis sociology department, either graduate seminars, independent readings (SOC 230a/b), or upper-division (numbered 100-199) courses.
4. Students must participate in SOC 300a, Approaches to Sociological Research, during each semester they are completing coursework—at least two years—following matriculation into the Joint Degree program.
5. At least nine courses must be taken within the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. A list of required courses is available from the Heller PhD program.
6. Students are also required to take a noncredit doctoral seminar at the Heller School for at least four semesters following matriculation into the joint degree program.

Residence Requirement

The minimum in-person residence for the joint degree of Doctor of Philosophy in social policy and sociology is three academic years.

Teaching Requirement

All joint PhD students must participate in undergraduate teaching. This typically means working as a teaching assistant, in collaboration with individual professors, for at least one semester.  All students also have an opportunity to develop the craft of teaching through teaching workshops within the department and the Center for Teaching and Learning. Please see the GSAS section on Teaching Requirements for more details.

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 Qualifying Portfolio and Defense process. Students elect two areas of interest and develop a contractual set of requirements with a sociology faculty member for each area. When both portfolios are completed, there is an oral examination, conducted by the two faculty committee members, with primary emphasis on the student’s two areas of specialization. This defense of the qualifying portfolio must be completed by December 1 of the student’s fourth year in the joint degree program, at the latest, by which point all course requirements must also have been fulfilled.

Dissertation and the Final Oral Examination

A dissertation prospectus should be submitted by May 1 of the student’s fourth year in the joint degree program. 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.

Every student whether or not currently in residence, must register at the beginning of each term. All sociology graduate students will be evaluated by the graduate committee, with input from the sociology faculty at large, each spring. Before this evaluation, each student must complete a self-assessment, which will be included as part of the evaluation discussion. At this evaluation the records of all graduate students will be carefully reviewed with reference to the timely completion of coursework and non-course degree requirements, the quality of the work and research in progress, the student’s overall academic performance in the program, and, if applicable, teaching.

SOC 1a Order and Change in Society
[ deis-us 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.
Staff

SOC 10b Introduction to Sociological Theory
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 100b in prior years.

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

SOC 18a Observing the Social World: Doing Qualitative Sociology
[ dl ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 118a in prior years.

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. This class focuses on how to conduct a qualitative research study, including literature review, participant observation, in-depth interviews, and coding and analysis. Usually offered every year.
Wendy Cadge or Sara Shostak

SOC 36b Historical and Comparative Sociology
[ dl ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 136b in prior years.

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.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 40a From Environmental Justice to Climate Justice: Power, Inequality, and the Natural World
[ ss ]

Students will explore the concepts of environmental justice and climate justice with a particular focus on the relationship between power, inequality, and the environment. Students will analyze the historical development and mobilization around both environmental justice and climate justice. Special one-time offering, spring 2021.
Ann Ward

SOC 46b Geographies of Inequality: Exploring Power and Space in the United States
[ deis-us dl ss ]

Through discussions focusing on the spatial nature of social life, and labs teaching students to create maps using GIS software, this course will give students the tools to ask and answer questions about society using a spatial lens. Special one-time offering, spring 2021.
Jennifer LaFleur

SOC 47b Conspiracy Culture
[ ss ]

Explores conspiracy theories through the lens of sociology of culture. It approaches conspiracy beliefs as sociocultural phenomena that are created and disseminated through social interaction. Students will learn about how people use conspiracy theories to make meaning, build communIty, and challenge (or reinforce) existing power dynamics. This class also explores conspiracy industries and conspiracy narratives in popular culture. Students will critically examine both the stigmatization of conspiracy theorists and the role that conspiracy theories may (or may not?) play in the public’s declining trust in institutions. Special one-time offering, spring 2023.

Sarah J. Halford

SOC 56b Sociology of Celebrity
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 156b in prior years.

Ahh celebrity. Fame, money and bling, right? But have you ever wondered how it actually works? What celebrity is, how celebrities are made and why we are so obsessed with them? In this course, we will answer these questions. In the process, you will learn the sociological concepts and theories related to popular culture, mass media, social psychology, social inequality, and power. Usually offered every second year.
Michael Strand

SOC 70a Violence and Intimacy
[ ss ]

SOC 81a Methods of Social Inquiry
[ dl qr ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 181a in prior years.

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.
Sara Shostak

SOC 82a Applied Research Methods
[ dl qr ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 182a in prior years.

Provides an introduction to research methods and quantitative analysis commonly used in sociology. Using quantitative data, the class explores how higher education reflects the social stratification found in U.S. society. Participants will read peer-reviewed journal articles; design their own survey and analyze the results; and conduct analysis on a national data set focused on education. The course assumes no prior knowledge of research methods, but it does assume a curiosity about why we conduct research, how research studies are designed, and a willingness to analyze the results of different research studies. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

SOC 83a Sociology of Body and Health
[ deis-us ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 189a in prior years.

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 and population health. Usually offered every year.
Sara Shostak

SOC 84a Health, Community, and Society
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 191a in prior years.

Reviews sociological theories of medicine as an institution of social control. Explores the relationships between social inequalities and health disparities. Examines how race and gender ideologies are embedded in medical and public health practice and knowledge production. Usually offered every year.
Siri Suh

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 93a Research Internship

Research under the supervision of a Brandeis Sociology faculty member. Usually offered every year.
Staff

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

AAAS/SOC 177a The Other African Americans: Comparative Perspectives on Black Ethnic Diversity
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took AAAS 177a in prior years.

Explores the identities, immigration and integration of Black Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States and United Kingdom from interdisciplinary perspectives. It examines intra-racial and inter-ethnic similarities and differences, conflicts and collaborations that animate the lived experiences of native and new Blacks. Usually offered every second year.
Derron Wallace

HIST/SOC 170b Gender and Sexuality in South Asia
[ djw nw ss ]

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor.

Explores historical and contemporary debates about gender and sexuality in South Asia; revisits concepts of "woman," "sex," "femininity," "home," "family," "community," "nation," "reform," "protection," and "civilization" across the colonial and postcolonial periods. Usually offered every second year.
Hannah Muller and Gowri Vijayakumar

SOC 104a Sociology of Education
[ deis-us 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.
Derron Wallace

SOC 110a Latinx Sociology
[ deis-us dl ss ]

Focuses on the sociology of Latinx communities within the United States. The course will cover a variety of topics that are of interest to sociologists, including race, gender, sexuality, class, family, immigration, and activism. Usually offered every third year.
Sarah Mayorga

SOC 112b Social Class and Social Inequality
[ oc ss ]

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

Karen Hansen

SOC 113a Sociology of Love
[ deis-us ss wi ]

Examines the concept of love in sociological theory and research, through the lenses of race, economy, gender, sexuality. Usually offered every second year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

SOC 113b Sociology of Race and Racism
[ deis-us ss ]

Provides an introduction to the study of race and racism and focuses on specific socio-historical issues surrounding racial inequality in the United States. A variety of media to examine topics such as the institutionalization of white privilege, the social construction of "otherness", racial formation processes, and racial segregation are used" Usually offered every third year.
Sarah Mayorga or Derron Wallace

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.
Staff

SOC 116b Social Inequalities in the Media
[ deis-us oc ss ]

Using sociological theories of media, students will examine how difference is constructed across race, gender, and sexuality and how those representations are connected to larger processes of inequality. Students are expected to complete a research project on media representations. Usually offered every second year.
Sarah Mayorga

SOC 120a Technology and Society
[ ss ]

Technologies are neither good nor bad, but are shaped by human interests and values, and shape us in return. Why and how does this happen, and how can we create the future we want? Usually offered every second year.
Staff

SOC 121a Inequality and Environmental Justice in the City
[ deis-us ss ]

Offers critical perspectives on the causes and consequences of structural and environmental inequality in U.S. cities. Examines the historic policies and practices that have created and maintained racially segregated neighborhoods and the ongoing impacts of these practices on communities and the environments they live in. Evaluates strategies for promoting environmental justice is disinvested neighborhoods. Usually offered every year.

Rachel McKane

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.
Kristen Lucken

SOC 123a Countercultures and Cultural Change
[ ss wi ]

Countercultures consist of symbols and practices that are deployed to repudiate conventional ways of life. This class explores the emergence of countercultures, how they are expressed, the ways in which they decline, and when they lead to cultural change. Usually offered every second year.

Laura Miller

SOC 124a Gender, Sexuality, and Globalization
[ djw oc ss ]

Introduces theories of gender, sexuality, and transnational feminism. Uses sociological research to examine labor, social movements, politics, and culture in global perspective, emphasizing Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Usually offered every second year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

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.
Staff

SOC 127a Religion, Ethnicity, and Nationalism
[ nw oc 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.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 129a Sociology of Religion
[ deis-us ss ]

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.
Wendy Cadge or Kristen Lucken

SOC 130a Families, Kinship and Sexuality
[ oc 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.
Karen Hansen

SOC 131b Writing Activists' Lives: Biography, Gender, and Society
[ ss wi ]

This course counts toward the completion of the joint MA degree in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Explores the relationship between individual lives, historical period, structures of inequality, and social change by examining the lives of activists in the U.S. It uses the biographical method to pose questions about voice, positionality, evidence, and “truth.” Usually offered every third year.
Karen Hansen

SOC 133b Sociology of Reproduction
[ ss ]

Explores reproduction as a social and biological set of meanings and processes through which racial, national, gender, and socio-economic inequalities have been amplified, reconfigured and contested across time and place. It locates individual reproductive experiences and outcomes in regional, national and global contexts. Usually offered every year.
Siri Suh

SOC 140a Investigating the Past: Historical Methods in Sociology
[ dl ss ]

Examines the ways historical questions are posed and answered within sociology. Using the case of U.S. history, it evaluates sources of evidence from the federal government, land maps, Native American accounts, African American oral histories, written documents and personal narratives. Usually offered every third year.
Karen V. Hansen

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.
Laura Miller

SOC 146b Nationalism and Globalization
[ ss wi ]

In an age of globalization, why does nationalism thrive? Are globalization and nationalism rivals, strangers or possibly partners? Students will trace the emergence of nationalism while also examining globalization's impact on societies such as the United States, Russia, China, and India. Usually offered every second year.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 147a Sustainable and Resilient Cities
[ 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.
Staff

SOC 148b The Sociology of Information: Politics, Power, and Property
[ ss wi ]

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.
Laura 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.
Laura Miller

SOC 150a HIV/AIDS, Society, and Politics
[ ss ]

Uses social science research and film in historical perspective to explore the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Topics include gender and sexuality, global inequalities, social movements, the "AIDS industry," and public policy related to HIV/AIDS. Usually offered every second year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

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.
Laura Miller

SOC 151b Morality and Capitalist Society
[ ss wi ]

Is the economy moral? Is it just, fair, or equitable? Is it even vulnerable to moral judgements? Living in a capitalist society, these questions become very important. This course examines them by introducing students to sociological ways of understanding the economy and morality. Usually offered every second year.
Michael Strand

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.
Sarah Mayorga or Laura Miller

SOC 154b Anger and Hate
[ ss ]

Addresses both "personal anger" and "social anger." The course will address meanings of anger, anthropological and sociological considerations, and the topics of women and anger, race and anger, masculinity and anger, class and anger, and media and anger. We will also investigate the role of anger in social change movements. Special one-timer offering, spring 2020.
Staff

SOC 155b Protest, Politics, and Change: Social Movements
[ deis-us ss ]

Introduces major sociological theories about leadership, political context, culture, and identities in social movements in transnational perspective. Examines historical and contemporary cases of social movements through the lenses of race, gender, class, and sexuality. Usually offered every year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

SOC 162a Intellectuals and Revolutionary Politics
[ ss ]

Can you change a society by changing its culture? How do writers, painters, and bloggers give their countries new visions of justice -- or even revenge? This class studies the ideas behind revolutions, who creates them, and why. Usually offered every second year.
Chandler Rosenberger

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 usually include the United States, India, and China. Usually offered every second year.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 175b Environmental Movements: Organizations, Networks, and Partnerships
[ 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 business. May be combined with internships and action research. Usually offered every year.
Staff

SOC 179a Sociology of Drugs in America
[ ss wi ]

Explores the use, misuse, and control of drugs in the United States, both legal medications and illicit "street" drugs. Examines pressing contemporary debates and dilemmas surrounding drugs in contemporary America, including the opioid crisis. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

SOC 187a Race, Health and Medicine in the African Diaspora
[ ss ]

Offers critical perspectives on race, medicine, health, and illness in the African Diaspora. Specifically, we explore how intertwining ideologies of race and gender have contributed to the (mis)management of illness and health in populations of African descent from the periods of slavery and colonization until the present day. Usually offered every year.
Siri Suh

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 year.
Christopher Gillespie

SOC 200a Contemporary Social Theory

Covers major paradigms in contemporary social analysis ranging from action theory, habitus and field, and ritual theory, to recent models in cultural sociology, the network society and globalization in Europe and the United States. Works by, Bourdieu, Collins, Giddens, Touraine, Foucault, Castells, and others are covered. Usually offered every second year.
Michael Strand

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.
Wendy Cadge or Siri Suh

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.
Laura Miller or Michael Strand

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.
Gowri Vijayakumar

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.
Karen Hansen

SOC 212b Theories of the State

SOC 213b Survey Research Methods

Prerequisite: Graduate status in a social science discipline.

Provides an understanding of the principles of survey research design, analysis, and interpretation. Prepares students to be able to use and interpret survey research across a variety of areas of inquiry. Emphasizes the development/analysis of quantitative data, but includes discussion of the use of qualitative data. Usually offered every third year.

Leonard Saxe

SOC 217a Sociology of Health and Illness

Provides a selective overview of theories and topics in medical sociology. Although the primary focus will be on medicine, health, and illness in the US, the course will also address global health as a field of sociological study. Usually offered every third year.
Siri Suh

SOC 218b Sustainable and Just Cities: Graduate Seminar

Analyzes the institutional field of sustainable cities, with an emphasis on civic participation, social movements, professional associations, urban planning and policy. Social and environmental justice are core concerns. Emphasis on U.S. cities, but also global case studies. Usually offered every third year.
Staff

SOC 220a Sociology of Race and Racism

Introduces students to major sociological approaches to studying race and racism, as well as contemporary empirical research on racial inequality. Usually offered every third year.
Sarah Mayorga

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.
Laura Miller or Michael Strand

SOC 224a Urban Sociology

Investigates sociological approaches to studying urban life and city form. Considers characteristics that shape social interaction, inequality, and opportunities for work, residence, and leisure in cities. Topics include the nature of community, the persistence of segregation, and cultural expressions of urbanism. Usually offered every third year.
Sarah Mayorga or Laura Miller

SOC 228b Gender and Sexuality in Transnational Perspective

Examines the ways in which gendered and sexual dynamics can illuminate transnational processes, such as humanitarian projects, social movements, and financial globalization, and the ways in which comparative and transnational approaches can enhance the study of gender and sexuality, using recent, primarily ethnographic and qualitative research in sociology. Usually offered every third year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

SOC 229a Economic Sociology

Engages with economic sociology from a variety of standpoints, including how sociology provides alternatives to maintream economics. Potential topics include valuation, institutions, morality and markets, capitalism, neoliberalism, culture and economy, polity and economy, credit and debt, commodification, technology, and performativity, among others. Usually offered every third year.
Michael Strand

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 292a Master's Graduate Internship

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.

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.
Laura Miller, Michael Strand, or Gowri Vijayakumar

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

ED 170a Race, Power, and Urban Education
[ deis-us oc ss wi ]

Examines the nature of urban schools, their links to the social and political context, and the perspectives of the people who inhabit them. Explores the historical development of urban schools; the social, economic, and personal hardships facing urban students; and challenges of urban school reform. Usually offered every year.
Derron Wallace

SOC 112b Social Class and Social Inequality
[ oc ss ]

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

Karen Hansen

SOC 116b Social Inequalities in the Media
[ deis-us oc ss ]

Using sociological theories of media, students will examine how difference is constructed across race, gender, and sexuality and how those representations are connected to larger processes of inequality. Students are expected to complete a research project on media representations. Usually offered every second year.
Sarah Mayorga

SOC 124a Gender, Sexuality, and Globalization
[ djw oc ss ]

Introduces theories of gender, sexuality, and transnational feminism. Uses sociological research to examine labor, social movements, politics, and culture in global perspective, emphasizing Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Usually offered every second year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

SOC 127a Religion, Ethnicity, and Nationalism
[ nw oc 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.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 130a Families, Kinship and Sexuality
[ oc 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.
Karen Hansen

SOC 147a Sustainable and Resilient Cities
[ 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.
Staff

AAAS/SOC 177a The Other African Americans: Comparative Perspectives on Black Ethnic Diversity
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took AAAS 177a in prior years.

Explores the identities, immigration and integration of Black Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States and United Kingdom from interdisciplinary perspectives. It examines intra-racial and inter-ethnic similarities and differences, conflicts and collaborations that animate the lived experiences of native and new Blacks. Usually offered every second year.
Derron Wallace

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.
Kristen Lucken

SOC 56b Sociology of Celebrity
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 156b in prior years.

Ahh celebrity. Fame, money and bling, right? But have you ever wondered how it actually works? What celebrity is, how celebrities are made and why we are so obsessed with them? In this course, we will answer these questions. In the process, you will learn the sociological concepts and theories related to popular culture, mass media, social psychology, social inequality, and power. Usually offered every second year.
Michael Strand

SOC 104a Sociology of Education
[ deis-us 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.
Derron Wallace

SOC 110a Latinx Sociology
[ deis-us dl ss ]

Focuses on the sociology of Latinx communities within the United States. The course will cover a variety of topics that are of interest to sociologists, including race, gender, sexuality, class, family, immigration, and activism. Usually offered every third year.
Sarah Mayorga

SOC 116b Social Inequalities in the Media
[ deis-us oc ss ]

Using sociological theories of media, students will examine how difference is constructed across race, gender, and sexuality and how those representations are connected to larger processes of inequality. Students are expected to complete a research project on media representations. Usually offered every second year.
Sarah Mayorga

SOC 120a Technology and Society
[ ss ]

Technologies are neither good nor bad, but are shaped by human interests and values, and shape us in return. Why and how does this happen, and how can we create the future we want? Usually offered every second year.
Staff

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.
Kristen Lucken

SOC 123a Countercultures and Cultural Change
[ ss wi ]

Countercultures consist of symbols and practices that are deployed to repudiate conventional ways of life. This class explores the emergence of countercultures, how they are expressed, the ways in which they decline, and when they lead to cultural change. Usually offered every second year.

Laura Miller

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.
Staff

SOC 127a Religion, Ethnicity, and Nationalism
[ nw oc 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.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 129a Sociology of Religion
[ deis-us ss ]

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.
Wendy Cadge or Kristen Lucken

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.
Laura Miller

SOC 147a Sustainable and Resilient Cities
[ 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.
Staff

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.
Laura 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.
Laura Miller

SOC 151b Morality and Capitalist Society
[ ss wi ]

Is the economy moral? Is it just, fair, or equitable? Is it even vulnerable to moral judgements? Living in a capitalist society, these questions become very important. This course examines them by introducing students to sociological ways of understanding the economy and morality. Usually offered every second year.
Michael Strand

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.
Sarah Mayorga or Laura Miller

SOC 113a Sociology of Love
[ deis-us ss wi ]

Examines the concept of love in sociological theory and research, through the lenses of race, economy, gender, sexuality. Usually offered every second year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

SOC 123a Countercultures and Cultural Change
[ ss wi ]

Countercultures consist of symbols and practices that are deployed to repudiate conventional ways of life. This class explores the emergence of countercultures, how they are expressed, the ways in which they decline, and when they lead to cultural change. Usually offered every second year.

Laura Miller

SOC 131b Writing Activists' Lives: Biography, Gender, and Society
[ ss wi ]

This course counts toward the completion of the joint MA degree in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Explores the relationship between individual lives, historical period, structures of inequality, and social change by examining the lives of activists in the U.S. It uses the biographical method to pose questions about voice, positionality, evidence, and “truth.” Usually offered every third year.
Karen Hansen

SOC 146b Nationalism and Globalization
[ ss wi ]

In an age of globalization, why does nationalism thrive? Are globalization and nationalism rivals, strangers or possibly partners? Students will trace the emergence of nationalism while also examining globalization's impact on societies such as the United States, Russia, China, and India. Usually offered every second year.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 148b The Sociology of Information: Politics, Power, and Property
[ ss wi ]

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.
Laura Miller

SOC 151b Morality and Capitalist Society
[ ss wi ]

Is the economy moral? Is it just, fair, or equitable? Is it even vulnerable to moral judgements? Living in a capitalist society, these questions become very important. This course examines them by introducing students to sociological ways of understanding the economy and morality. Usually offered every second year.
Michael Strand

SOC 179a Sociology of Drugs in America
[ ss wi ]

Explores the use, misuse, and control of drugs in the United States, both legal medications and illicit "street" drugs. Examines pressing contemporary debates and dilemmas surrounding drugs in contemporary America, including the opioid crisis. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

SOC 18a Observing the Social World: Doing Qualitative Sociology
[ dl ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 118a in prior years.

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. This class focuses on how to conduct a qualitative research study, including literature review, participant observation, in-depth interviews, and coding and analysis. Usually offered every year.
Wendy Cadge or Sara Shostak

SOC 36b Historical and Comparative Sociology
[ dl ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 136b in prior years.

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.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 81a Methods of Social Inquiry
[ dl qr ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 181a in prior years.

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.
Sara Shostak

SOC 82a Applied Research Methods
[ dl qr ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 182a in prior years.

Provides an introduction to research methods and quantitative analysis commonly used in sociology. Using quantitative data, the class explores how higher education reflects the social stratification found in U.S. society. Participants will read peer-reviewed journal articles; design their own survey and analyze the results; and conduct analysis on a national data set focused on education. The course assumes no prior knowledge of research methods, but it does assume a curiosity about why we conduct research, how research studies are designed, and a willingness to analyze the results of different research studies. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

SOC 110a Latinx Sociology
[ deis-us dl ss ]

Focuses on the sociology of Latinx communities within the United States. The course will cover a variety of topics that are of interest to sociologists, including race, gender, sexuality, class, family, immigration, and activism. Usually offered every third year.
Sarah Mayorga

SOC 140a Investigating the Past: Historical Methods in Sociology
[ dl ss ]

Examines the ways historical questions are posed and answered within sociology. Using the case of U.S. history, it evaluates sources of evidence from the federal government, land maps, Native American accounts, African American oral histories, written documents and personal narratives. Usually offered every third year.
Karen V. Hansen

HIST/SOC 170b Gender and Sexuality in South Asia
[ djw nw ss ]

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor.

Explores historical and contemporary debates about gender and sexuality in South Asia; revisits concepts of "woman," "sex," "femininity," "home," "family," "community," "nation," "reform," "protection," and "civilization" across the colonial and postcolonial periods. Usually offered every second year.
Hannah Muller and Gowri Vijayakumar

POL/WGS 125a Seminar: Gender in American Politics
[ deis-us ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took POL 125a in prior years.

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.
Jill Greenlee

SOC 70a Violence and Intimacy
[ ss ]

SOC 113a Sociology of Love
[ deis-us ss wi ]

Examines the concept of love in sociological theory and research, through the lenses of race, economy, gender, sexuality. Usually offered every second year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

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.
Staff

SOC 124a Gender, Sexuality, and Globalization
[ djw oc ss ]

Introduces theories of gender, sexuality, and transnational feminism. Uses sociological research to examine labor, social movements, politics, and culture in global perspective, emphasizing Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Usually offered every second year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

SOC 130a Families, Kinship and Sexuality
[ oc 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.
Karen Hansen

SOC 131b Writing Activists' Lives: Biography, Gender, and Society
[ ss wi ]

This course counts toward the completion of the joint MA degree in Sociology & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Explores the relationship between individual lives, historical period, structures of inequality, and social change by examining the lives of activists in the U.S. It uses the biographical method to pose questions about voice, positionality, evidence, and “truth.” Usually offered every third year.
Karen Hansen

SOC 133b Sociology of Reproduction
[ ss ]

Explores reproduction as a social and biological set of meanings and processes through which racial, national, gender, and socio-economic inequalities have been amplified, reconfigured and contested across time and place. It locates individual reproductive experiences and outcomes in regional, national and global contexts. Usually offered every year.
Siri Suh

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

ED 170a Race, Power, and Urban Education
[ deis-us oc ss wi ]

Examines the nature of urban schools, their links to the social and political context, and the perspectives of the people who inhabit them. Explores the historical development of urban schools; the social, economic, and personal hardships facing urban students; and challenges of urban school reform. Usually offered every year.
Derron Wallace

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.
Staff

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.
Staff

IGS 110a Religion and Secularism in French & Francophone Culture
[ hum ss ]

Tackles the persistent power of religion in France and its former colonies despite common ideals of secular nationalism. Through literature and film we will study the historical and contemporary cultural wars waged around the French notion of 'laïcité' -- its confrontation with Islam, but also the experiences of Jews, Catholics, and Protestants.
Clementine Fauré-Bellaïche

SOC 40a From Environmental Justice to Climate Justice: Power, Inequality, and the Natural World
[ ss ]

Students will explore the concepts of environmental justice and climate justice with a particular focus on the relationship between power, inequality, and the environment. Students will analyze the historical development and mobilization around both environmental justice and climate justice. Special one-time offering, spring 2021.
Ann Ward

SOC 46b Geographies of Inequality: Exploring Power and Space in the United States
[ deis-us dl ss ]

Through discussions focusing on the spatial nature of social life, and labs teaching students to create maps using GIS software, this course will give students the tools to ask and answer questions about society using a spatial lens. Special one-time offering, spring 2021.
Jennifer LaFleur

SOC 47b Conspiracy Culture
[ ss ]

Explores conspiracy theories through the lens of sociology of culture. It approaches conspiracy beliefs as sociocultural phenomena that are created and disseminated through social interaction. Students will learn about how people use conspiracy theories to make meaning, build communIty, and challenge (or reinforce) existing power dynamics. This class also explores conspiracy industries and conspiracy narratives in popular culture. Students will critically examine both the stigmatization of conspiracy theorists and the role that conspiracy theories may (or may not?) play in the public’s declining trust in institutions. Special one-time offering, spring 2023.

Sarah J. Halford

SOC 112b Social Class and Social Inequality
[ oc ss ]

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

Karen Hansen

SOC 113b Sociology of Race and Racism
[ deis-us ss ]

Provides an introduction to the study of race and racism and focuses on specific socio-historical issues surrounding racial inequality in the United States. A variety of media to examine topics such as the institutionalization of white privilege, the social construction of "otherness", racial formation processes, and racial segregation are used" Usually offered every third year.
Sarah Mayorga or Derron Wallace

SOC 121a Inequality and Environmental Justice in the City
[ deis-us ss ]

Offers critical perspectives on the causes and consequences of structural and environmental inequality in U.S. cities. Examines the historic policies and practices that have created and maintained racially segregated neighborhoods and the ongoing impacts of these practices on communities and the environments they live in. Evaluates strategies for promoting environmental justice is disinvested neighborhoods. Usually offered every year.

Rachel McKane

SOC 146b Nationalism and Globalization
[ ss wi ]

In an age of globalization, why does nationalism thrive? Are globalization and nationalism rivals, strangers or possibly partners? Students will trace the emergence of nationalism while also examining globalization's impact on societies such as the United States, Russia, China, and India. Usually offered every second year.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 148b The Sociology of Information: Politics, Power, and Property
[ ss wi ]

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.
Laura Miller

SOC 154b Anger and Hate
[ ss ]

Addresses both "personal anger" and "social anger." The course will address meanings of anger, anthropological and sociological considerations, and the topics of women and anger, race and anger, masculinity and anger, class and anger, and media and anger. We will also investigate the role of anger in social change movements. Special one-timer offering, spring 2020.
Staff

SOC 155b Protest, Politics, and Change: Social Movements
[ deis-us ss ]

Introduces major sociological theories about leadership, political context, culture, and identities in social movements in transnational perspective. Examines historical and contemporary cases of social movements through the lenses of race, gender, class, and sexuality. Usually offered every year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

SOC 162a Intellectuals and Revolutionary Politics
[ ss ]

Can you change a society by changing its culture? How do writers, painters, and bloggers give their countries new visions of justice -- or even revenge? This class studies the ideas behind revolutions, who creates them, and why. Usually offered every second year.
Chandler Rosenberger

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 usually include the United States, India, and China. Usually offered every second year.
Chandler Rosenberger

SOC 175b Environmental Movements: Organizations, Networks, and Partnerships
[ 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 business. May be combined with internships and action research. Usually offered every year.
Staff

AAAS/SOC 177a The Other African Americans: Comparative Perspectives on Black Ethnic Diversity
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took AAAS 177a in prior years.

Explores the identities, immigration and integration of Black Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States and United Kingdom from interdisciplinary perspectives. It examines intra-racial and inter-ethnic similarities and differences, conflicts and collaborations that animate the lived experiences of native and new Blacks. Usually offered every second year.
Derron Wallace

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

ED 170a Race, Power, and Urban Education
[ deis-us oc ss wi ]

Examines the nature of urban schools, their links to the social and political context, and the perspectives of the people who inhabit them. Explores the historical development of urban schools; the social, economic, and personal hardships facing urban students; and challenges of urban school reform. Usually offered every year.
Derron Wallace

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.
Staff

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.
Staff

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 second year.
Staff

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.
Steve Gulley

IGS 110a Religion and Secularism in French & Francophone Culture
[ hum ss ]

Tackles the persistent power of religion in France and its former colonies despite common ideals of secular nationalism. Through literature and film we will study the historical and contemporary cultural wars waged around the French notion of 'laïcité' -- its confrontation with Islam, but also the experiences of Jews, Catholics, and Protestants.
Clementine Fauré-Bellaïche

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.
Kristen Lucken

POL/WGS 125a Seminar: Gender in American Politics
[ deis-us ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took POL 125a in prior years.

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.
Jill Greenlee

WGS 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.
Deirdre Hunter

WGS 208b Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Research Seminar

Examines theories and practices of women's, gender, and sexuality studies as produced in various disciplines and in interdisciplinary ways, to offer students a historical and contemporary awareness, and to allow students to understand and critically analyze feminist scholarship across a range of disciplines. By the end of class, students will produce a set of research questions or proposal that will help them conceptualize their own independent research projects. Usually offered every year.
V Varun Chaudhry, Karen Hansen, Keridwen Luis, or Faith Smith

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 second year.
Staff

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.
Steve Gulley

SOC 83a Sociology of Body and Health
[ deis-us ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 189a in prior years.

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 and population health. Usually offered every year.
Sara Shostak

SOC 84a Health, Community, and Society
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 191a in prior years.

Reviews sociological theories of medicine as an institution of social control. Explores the relationships between social inequalities and health disparities. Examines how race and gender ideologies are embedded in medical and public health practice and knowledge production. Usually offered every year.
Siri Suh

SOC 150a HIV/AIDS, Society, and Politics
[ ss ]

Uses social science research and film in historical perspective to explore the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Topics include gender and sexuality, global inequalities, social movements, the "AIDS industry," and public policy related to HIV/AIDS. Usually offered every second year.
Gowri Vijayakumar

SOC 179a Sociology of Drugs in America
[ ss wi ]

Explores the use, misuse, and control of drugs in the United States, both legal medications and illicit "street" drugs. Examines pressing contemporary debates and dilemmas surrounding drugs in contemporary America, including the opioid crisis. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

SOC 187a Race, Health and Medicine in the African Diaspora
[ ss ]

Offers critical perspectives on race, medicine, health, and illness in the African Diaspora. Specifically, we explore how intertwining ideologies of race and gender have contributed to the (mis)management of illness and health in populations of African descent from the periods of slavery and colonization until the present day. Usually offered every year.
Siri Suh

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 year.
Christopher Gillespie