| Class Schedules Index | Course Catalogs Index | Class Search Page |
| Sociology | |
| SOC 1010 | Introductory Sociology (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Studies the fundamental concepts and principles of sociology with special attention to sociological theory and research methods. Survey of the diverse substantive fields in the discipline with a primary emphasis on the institutions in contemporary American society. Course was offered Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Summer 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Summer 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Summer 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Summer 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 1559 | New Course in Sociology (3) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. | |
| SOC 1595 | Special Topics in Social Issues (3) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. | |
| SOC 2052 | Sociology of the Family (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Comparison of family organizations in relation to other social institutions in various societies; an introduction to the theory of kinship and marriage systems. Course was offered Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Summer 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 2055 | Law and Society (3) |
| Introduces the sociology of law and covers major topic areas within it. Examines what we mean by "law," how aspects of society influence law, and how aspects of law in turn influence society. Emphasis is placed on law in the United States, but some comparisons will be made to other societies. Course was offered Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 2056 | The Sociology of Culture (3) |
| Examines the role of meaning in social life, with a focus on how different theories of culture allow analysis of the relationship of culture to exchange, authority, solidarity, and domination. Analysis of key cultural artefacts (movies, texts, monuments, etc.) is combined with the study of theories of social performance, fields of cultural production, and semiosis. The role of culture in social transformation is also considered. | |
| SOC 2220 | Social Problems (3) |
| Analyzes the causes and consequences of current social problems in the United States: race and ethnic relations, poverty, crime and delinquency, the environment, drugs, and problems of educational institutions. Course was offered Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 2230 | Criminology (3) |
| Studies socio-cultural conditions effecting the definition, recording, and treatment of delinquency and crime. Examines theories of deviant behavior, the role of the police, judicial and corrective systems, and the victim in criminal behavior. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 2241 | Crime and Punishment in Britain and the United States (3) |
| This course is organized around two main themes: understanding the causes of crime and how societies respond to it. All topics are approached from sociological, philosophical, historical and empirical perspectives, with the aim that students will gain an analytically sophisticated understanding of some of the key contemporary issues in criminology and penology on both sides of the Atlantic. | |
| SOC 2280 | Medical Sociology (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | This course examines how the medical system is shaped by cultural and societal forces, analyzing unique dimensions of medicine from varying perspectives prominent in the discipline of Sociology. Topics will focus upon the interaction of social categories (e.g., socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender/sexuality) upon the distribution of diseases, experiences of illness, and relationships between patients and medical professionals. |
| SOC 2320 | Gender and Society (3) |
| Gender and Society Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 2442 | Systems of Inequality (3) |
| This course will examine various types of inequality (race, class, gender) in the US and abroad. We will discuss sociological theories covering various dimensions of inequality, considering key research findings and their implications. We will examine to what extent ascriptive characteristics impact a person's life chances, how social structures are produced and reproduced, and how individuals are able or unable to negotiate these structures. Course was offered Spring 2024, Summer 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Summer 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 2470 | American Society and Popular Culture (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | This course is an early level course, which aims to introduce students to a sociological perspective on popular culture, and to examine the working of selected sociological concepts in several examples of popular culture. A familiarity with introductory level sociology is suggested, but not required. The course has two parts. In the first we will become acquainted with sociological perspectives and theories on culture; in the second we will look at several popular novels and movies and discuss how they might be interpreted sociologically. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2021, Summer 2019, Spring 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 2500 | Special Topics in Sociology (J Term Course) (3) |
| Topics vary each J-Term session and will be announced. Course was offered January 2019, January 2018, January 2017, January 2016, January 2015, January 2014, January 2013, January 2012, January 2011, January 2010 | |
| SOC 2520 | Topics in Death & Dying (3) |
| This course covers sociological approaches to death and dying. Topics include social theory and theorists as they relate to death, American culture history, and contemporary issues regarding death and dying. | |
| SOC 2559 | New Course in Sociology (1 - 4) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. Course was offered Summer 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Summer 2019, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 2595 | Special Topics in Sociology (3) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. Course was offered Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2015, Fall 2014 | |
| SOC 2596 | Special Topics in Sociology (3) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. | |
| SOC 2630 | Environment & Society (3) |
| This course is an introduction to the topic of environmental sociology. Our central focus will be the relationship between human society and the natural world, with particular attention to axes of social location, such as race, class, and where people live. We will consider these distinctions in understanding how people are differently affected by, imagine, or influence the natural world. Course was offered Spring 2018 | |
| SOC 2680 | Introduction to Demography (3) |
| Demography is the scientific study of human populations. We will emphasize fertility, mortality, and migration, and the social and economic factors that affect them. | |
| SOC 2701 | Health and Welfare in Britain and America: Policy and Practice (3) |
| This course has two aims: to examine key themes in the sociology of health and illness through an exploration of the delivery of health-care in Britain and the United States; and to discuss some of the major global debates in the political economy of health. The course will cover health and health systems, health inequalities, and contemporary issues in the political economy of health. | |
| SOC 2730 | Computers and Society (3) |
| Studies the impact of electronic data processing technologies on social structure, and the social constraints on the development and application of these technologies. Review of how computers are changing 'and failing to change' fundamental institutions. Provides an understanding of computers in the context of societal needs, organizational imperatives, and human values. Course was offered Summer 2013 | |
| SOC 2820 | Sociology of Ignorance (3) |
| People often mistake ignorance as the mere lack of knowledge or that which we do not yet know. They fail to consider that ignorance exists in a variety of different forms, or that ignorance is often produced and maintained through sets of practices--whether intentional or not. This course investigates both ignorance and the consequences that particular forms of ignorance have upon our society. | |
| SOC 2870 | Immigration and Society (3) |
| Migration results from inequality, whether internal to societies or between countries. People migrate to better their lives, moving from poorer countries to wealthier ones in search of upward mobility. This makes migration a virtually unstoppable force, but it crashes into the immovable object known as the state. The resulting border conflicts and immigrant struggles to assimilate define the problem of immigration in the US. Course was offered Spring 2024 | |
| SOC 2900 | Economy & Society (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Markets, firms, and money are part of everyday experience. Economists insist that they should work similarly independently of their social context. The central idea of economic sociology is that economic institutions are 'embedded' in social relations. We will study what embeddeness means, and what it implies. We look at how institutions constitute markets; how rationality varies; and how money interacts with social relations in unexpected ways. Course was offered Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2013, Fall 2010 |
| SOC 2950 | "The Wire" - Sociology Through TV & Film (3) |
| This course uses HBO's series "The Wire" (2002-2008) as the course "text" to illustrate and analyze the intersection of economy, education, class, race, crime, and politics within the lives of the urban underclass. Special emphasis is placed upon the significance of television and film as a form of communication that illustrates the complex interplay of social structure and social problems. Course was offered Spring 2014 | |
| SOC 3020 | Introduction to Social Theory (3) |
| Introduces the major theoretical issues and traditions in sociology, especially as developed in the writings of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. Sociology majors are expected to take this course in their third year. Course was offered Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Summer 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Summer 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Summer 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Summer 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 3056 | Culture and Power (3) |
| This course examines sociological theories of power and their intersections with culture. It focuses on oppression and social change in the 20th and 21st century U.S. through the lens of cultural expression, beliefs and meaning. It includes close reading of social theories of power and empirical studies of social institutions and social identities. Prerequisite: Six credits in Sociology or permission of instructor Course was offered January 2024, Fall 2023, January 2023, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, January 2021, Fall 2019, Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 3059 | Sociology of Science & Knowledge (3) |
| Ideas refer to anything which is said to exist, from people to planets to God. Sociology of knowledge describes and explains variation in ideas across different social settings. This course will familiarize students with theoretical and empirical work on the behavior of ideas, and convey the major accomplishments, shortcomings, and prospects of the subfield using the history & philosophy of science, and the workings of science as an institution. | |
| SOC 3090 | Philosophical Foundations of Social Theory (3) |
| This course pursues the question of the ways in which classical social theory is rooted in, and indebted to, philosophy and metaphysics. This will be shown through four cases: Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason', Hegel's 'Phenomenology of Spirit', Nietzsche's 'Will to Power', Heidegger's 'Being and Time'. Problems central to all sciences and modes of cognition, such as knowledge & truth, theory & ideology, and agency vs. causality will be covered. Course was offered Spring 2019, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013 | |
| SOC 3100 | Feminist Theory (3) |
| Feminist Theory offers a focused exploration of ways that late 20th Century and early 21st Century feminist theorists challenge, alter and deploy central concerns and paradigms of Western cultural assumption. Although Feminist Theory as a category incorporates interdisciplinary and global perspectives, the slant of this course is a focus on Western culture and Feminist Social Theory. | |
| SOC 3110 | Introduction to Survey Research Methods (3) |
| Surveys are everywhere these days, but good surveys are not easy to do. Learn how to conduct a successful, high-quality sample survey. Understand the main sources of survey error and learn about ways to achieve high quality measurement and representative results. Learn best practices in designing samples, writing questions, constructing questionnaires, conducting interviews and implementing surveys via mail, telephone, or the Internet. | |
| SOC 3120 | Sociology Research Workshop (4) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Introduces data analysis and data processing, as well as the conceptualization of sociological problems. Emphasizes individual student projects. Course was offered Summer 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Fall 2014, Summer 2014, Fall 2013, Summer 2013, Fall 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2011, Summer 2011, Fall 2010, Summer 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 3130 | Introduction to Social Statistics (4) |
| Studies elementary statistical methods for social science applications. Topics include summarizing data with graphs and descriptive measures, generalizing from a sample to a population as in opinion polls, and determining the relationship between two variables. No special mathematical background is required, and students will be taught basic computer techniques. Three hours of lecture, two hours of laboratory work. Majors are expected to take this course in their third year. Prerequisites: SOC 3120 Course was offered Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Summer 2023, Spring 2023, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Summer 2013, Spring 2013, Summer 2012, Spring 2012, Summer 2011, Spring 2011, Summer 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 3180 | Sociology of Emotions (3) |
| The course explores the role of emotions in social interaction as well as how societies and cultures shape emotional expression. The objective is to decode the subtle rules of emotional display implicit in many social interactions and excavate the cultural meanings of particular emotions such as love, sympathy, shame, boredom, and sadness. Readings include theoretical and empirical work from sociologists, anthropologists,and social psychologists. Course was offered Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Spring 2016, Summer 2012, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 3260 | Prozac Culture (3) |
| The pharmacological revolution, symbolized by drugs such as Prozac and Ritalin, is a cultural as well as a medical phenomenon. The course explores the history of the revolution and the confluence of social changes driving it forward. Also considered are its implications for self, the definition of psychic distress, and the norms and values that structure how we live. J-term courses require approval for SOC major/minor credit. Course was offered January 2024 | |
| SOC 3290 | Sociology of Childhood (3) |
| The class introduces the 'new social studies of childhood' and the idea that the experience of childhood is a social construction, not a string of biological facts. Topics include: how caring for children varies across time & space, and considering childhood in the context of Western cultural trends - increasing inequality, unequal distribution of overwork, poverty, war, liberty, decreasing privacy, consumerism, sexualization, networked society. | |
| SOC 3306 | Sexuality, Gender, Class and Race in the Teen Film (3) |
| The focus of this class will be on viewings and analyses of films featuring images of teens produced between 1930 and the present, focusing on the following questions: what is adolescence (and how has it been defined in American film)? What is the range of experience that characterizes American adolescence across gender, race, and class lines? How does it make sense to think about the social influence of films on individuals and society? Course was offered Spring 2013 | |
| SOC 3310 | Sociology of Self (3) |
| What is the difference between individual and self? Do we carry a fixed, unchangeable self inside, or do we have as many selves as the situations in which we commonly find ourselves? Can we go as far as saying that the self comes from the outside, and if so, when do we internalize it? At birth, once and for all? Or repeatedly and in everyday life? We will explore these questions and more as we venture into an exciting field-sociology of the self. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 3320 | Sociology of the Body (3) |
| This course will provide an understanding of how sociologists interpret the body in modernity. Topics will include the body in consumer culture, the gendered body, body modification, identity and the body, technology and the body, the regulation of bodies, and vulnerable bodies. Students will be able to understand the central issues and concepts used by sociologists who study embodiment and the relationship between the body and society. Course was offered Spring 2023 | |
| SOC 3350 | Drugs in American Society (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | This course focuses on drug use and drug control in contemporary American society. This course examines how race and class relate to patterns of drug use and addiction, as well as to drug policy, legislation, and enforcement. Further, the course highlights the political economy of drug control by studying the ongoing "war" on drugs, the recent legalization of marijuana, and the current opioid "epidemic." Also covers drug culture. |
| SOC 3371 | Merit, Privilege and American Higher Education (3) |
| This course examines how merit and privilege intersect at one of our most powerful institutions: higher education. How did we get here? What are we doing? And where are we going? We will address these questions at both individual and institutional levels, exploring how notions and realities of meritocracy and inequality shape experiences within and beyond the classroom. | |
| SOC 3390 | Sex, Power, Film (3) |
| In this class we will examine the ways in which popular film in the U.S. has historically helped to define dominant cultural ideas about gender identities and differences. We will also look at the ways in which feminists and gender and sexuality activists have criticized popular film, and created new media products in response to these definitions. Course was offered Spring 2023 | |
| SOC 3400 | Gender and Sexuality (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Focuses on the construction of gender and sexuality, and of the many ways human groups regulate and attach meanings to these categories. Some general themes addressed will be: contemporary and historical definitions of gender, sex, and sexuality; gender socialization; the varieties of sexual identities and relationships; embodiment, childbearing, and families in the contemporary United States.
Prerequisite: At least 3 credits in Sociology or permission of instructor. Course was offered Spring 2021, Summer 2014, Summer 2013, Fall 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2011, Summer 2011, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 3410 | Race and Ethnic Relations (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Introduces the study of race and ethnic relations, including the social and economic conditions promoting prejudice, racism, discrimination, and segregation. Examines contemporary American conditions, and historical and international materials. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Summer 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Summer 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Summer 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Summer 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 3440 | Chinese Society (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | This seminar provides a survey of Chinese society and social changes in the reform-era (1979 to the present). It uses sociological analysis to comprehensively examine various aspects of contemporary Chinese society including: economic development, social inequality, governance, political reform, nationalism, religion, ethnicity, and popular culture. |
| SOC 3450 | Women, Islam and Modernity (3) |
| The global Islamic revival is often considered an obstacle to gender equality. So how are we to understand women's involvement in Islamic movements? And what can these phenomena tell us about gender and modernity? This class will read ethnographic accounts of Muslim women in various parts of the world. We will discuss these ethnographies with an eye for how they speak to and challenge sociological theories of gender, identity, and globalization. Prerequisites: Student must have taken at least one course on gender, or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 3460 | Future Cities (3) |
| This course conceives alternative possibilities for our cities. It will include such lines of inquiry as the challenges of equality and justice; sustainability and environmental change; the potential and limits of technology; and the impact of the changing global context. We will examine currently emerging urban forms as well as attempts to imagine new forms of urban life. | |
| SOC 3470 | Sociology of Development (3) |
| This study of the development of human societies explores the five major 'techo-economic bases' that have characterized our species' history (hunting-gathering, horticultural, agrarian, industrial and information/biotech) and examines how contemporary macrolevel trends affect our lives at the microlevel. Course was offered Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 3480 | Sociology of Globalization (3) |
| This course will explore the determinants, nature, and effects of the increase in cross-border flows of goods, services, capital and people that we have come to associate with the term "globalization". We will investigate how globalization affects domestic & world inequality, the role of institutions, and world & local cultures. The course will include readings from economics, history, world-system theory, and cultural analysis. Course was offered Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2014, Fall 2013 | |
| SOC 3490 | Cities and Cultures (3) |
| Explores the ways in which physical environments shape and are shaped by social life. Examines the relationship between urban space and culture in different historical and social settings, though there is a particular focus on the rise and development of modernity as expressed through the experience of particular cities. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 3510 | Topics in Applied Data Science (3) |
| This course, broadly speaking, will introduce students to principles of data science through the hands-on study of core problems in social research. This course represents an ideal site for the analysis of the intersection between sociological theory and empirical research, and will include numerous opportunities for hands-on engagement with data. Course was offered Fall 2015 | |
| SOC 3559 | New Course in Sociology (1 - 4) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. Course was offered Spring 2022, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Summer 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 3595 | Special Topics in Sociology (3) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. Course was offered Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2013, Fall 2011, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 3596 | Special Topics in Sociology (3) |
| Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced. | |
| SOC 3620 | The Afterlives of Communism (3) |
| The course will explore the changes and challenges confronting communist and post-communist countries in different regions of the world. The focus is on the everyday lives of ordinary people. Topics include the changing meanings of work and consumption; family and gender; personhood and identity; memory and nostalgia; and new urban visions in thought and practice. Course was offered Spring 2015 | |
| SOC 3640 | Human Society in History (3) |
| Human societies exist in time.This course will examine the historical development of a variety of societies from earliest times to the present. Its focus will be on the relation of the West to the rest of the world. The course is particularly intended for social scientists, to make them aware of the historical dimension to human society; but it is open to all. | |
| SOC 3650 | Latinxs in US Society (3) |
| This course introduces the Soc of Latinxs in the US. Topics explore how Latinxs experience systems & institutions in the US, like education, immigration, work, & the criminal punishment system. Theories of structural racism, racialization, racial formation, as well as histories of colonization & intersectional frameworks ground course learning. Attention is paid to the histories & experiences of Afro-Latinx and Indigenous communities. Course was offered Spring 2023 | |
| SOC 3660 | Environment, Globalization, and Development (3) |
| This course provides a sociological overview of Earth's changing environment, starting with the impact of past disasters that affected climate and living beings. Then it considers growing evidence of accelerating climate change and its impact on environment, humans and other species, while also considering initiatives to combat it. It combines relevant sociological and other literature with student searches of major newspapers and periodicals. | |
| SOC 3700 | Health and Society (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | This course explores the social dimensions of health and illness, focusing especially on the social experience of illness, the social determinants of disease, and the role and meaning of medicine and public health in modern U.S. society. The class examines how we define health problems and their solutions, and it considers the ways in which race, gender, class, age, and sexuality matter for understanding health-related experiences and discourses. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014 |
| SOC 3710 | Organizations (3) |
| Many goals require the combined efforts of multiple individuals, from developing a new product to providing health care to the poor. Yet individuals have their own interests, so how do organizations keep them coordinated? And what are the impacts of organizations on social inequality and social institutions such as democracy? This course introduces the study of organizations in their cultural, economic and political environments. | |
| SOC 3730 | Creativity and Innovation: A Sociological Approach (3) |
| Innovation and creativity are universally celebrated aspects of modern life. We celebrate geniuses and innovators because they reject tradition and produce ideas that are intuitively innovative. In this course we challenge these myths and develop the tools to understand innovation and creativity sociologically, and to explain why creativity and innovation tend to be rare, celebrated, and valued. | |
| SOC 3820 | Social Movements (3) |
| Social movements are an historical and global phenomenon of great complexity and variety. Because the topic can be so broad, the course is organized around case studies of civil rights, the industrial workers' movement, environmentalism, religious fundamentalism, and the counter movements to globalization. These cases will be used to illustrate variety of themes and principles, and you'll learn about specific events, personalities, organizations, and dynamics that shaped these movements. By this method, you will gain specific knowledge about important social movements, as well as an overview and general orientation to the sociology of this dynamic area of social life. Prerequisite: SOC 1010 or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2010 | |
| SOC 3860 | Religion & Secularization (3) |
| Are we witnessing today the crisis of secularisms? If so, what are its causes -challenges of revived religions or secularism's unfulfilled promises? Are the clashes between religions and secularisms inevitable? To address these questions, we'll discuss the ideas of the prophets of religious decline (Marx, Durkheim, Weber), and consider the problems and the potential of the religious-secular encounters in a global perspective. Course was offered Spring 2013 | |
| SOC 4010 | Sociology of Music (3) |
| Students will consider ways in which social communities intersect with, respond to, and create musical communities. Musical taste will be interrogated as a point of identification and self-presentation that is neither given nor natural, but contingent and constructed. Students will engage foundational critical texts in the
sociology of music, and examine both the continuities and the disjunctures represented by our era of digital social media.
Prerequisites: six credits of Sociology or permission of instructor Course was offered Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Summer 2011, Spring 2011 | |
| SOC 4052 | Sociology of Religious Behavior (3) |
| Course will focus on established traditions in the United States including evangelical and mainline Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, black Protestantism, and Orthodox Judaism. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4053 | Sociology of Education (3) |
| Analyzes education as a social institution and its relationship to other institutions (e.g., the economy, the stratification system, the family). Emphasizes the role of education in the status attainment process. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2019, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Spring 2011 | |
| SOC 4054 | Political Sociology (3) |
| Political sociology focuses on the social foundations and patterns of political behavior and the socio-historical mechanisms for political stability and political change. Its focus is not restricted to the formal rules that characterize a given political system, such as laws, regulations, or electoral systems: political sociology rather emphasizes how power, in its multifaceted and complex nature, is socially configured and reproduce global power. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Fall 2013, Spring 2011, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 4055 | Law, Inequality and Social Change (3) |
| This course will consider the social-science perspective on law and legal institutions; theories of laws and legal institutions that trace their origin to social consensus or social inequality; how social inequality influences how people think about law, why they obey it, and whether they mobilize it to resolve disputes; and whether law is an effective tool for social change. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Fall 2020, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 4057 | Family Policy (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Studies the relationship between family and society as expressed in policy and law. Emphasizes the effects of formal policy on the structure of families and the interactions within families. The American family system is examined as it has responded to laws and policies of government and private industry and to changes in society. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Spring 2020, Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014 |
| SOC 4058 | Unequal Families (3) |
| Family inequality is an enduring feature of American family life--both within and between families in the US. This seminar will focus on the ways in which class, race, and gender structure inequality within and between families--and the effects of that inequality on the social, emotional and financial well-being of men, women and children. We will also explore the causes and consequences of growing class-based inequality in marriage.
6 credits of Sociology or obtain permission of instructor Course was offered Fall 2021 | |
| SOC 4059 | Conflict (3) |
| Theoretical exploration of the social causes of conflict about right and wrong and the social factors that explain the handling of these conflicts in diverse settings across the world. Topics include individual and collective violence, avoidance, third-party intervention such as mediation and adjudication, therapy, and the evolution of conflict and morality across history. | |
| SOC 4070 | Sociology of Art (3) |
| A discussion-based seminar covering material from a wide range of perspectives in an attempt to understand the social context and effects of visual and other arts. Students are expected to have introductory level familiarity with sociological thinking.
Prerequisite: 6 credits of sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2022, Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 4078 | Racism and Democracy (3) |
| William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (Feb 23, 1868-Aug 27, 1963) was a uniquely American scholar and activist whose work has renewed significance today. His analysis of the US reveals both the social causes and consequences of racial stratification, while his political activism offers possible solutions. A controversial figure in his time, he helped to found the American sociological discipline and yet was marginalized within it. | |
| SOC 4090 | Sociology of Literature (3) |
| An upper-level seminar in the sociology of literature. Students should be familiar with general sociological concepts and theory. Covers material from a wide range of perspectives in an attempt to understand the social context of written language and of literature. Student groups will be responsible for leading general class discussion on one or more occasions. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2013, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 4100 | Black Community Life (3) |
| Study of a comprehensive contemporary understanding of the history, struggle and diversity of the African-American community. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2010 | |
| SOC 4140 | Sociology of Consumption (3) |
| This course considers the nature and effects of consumer society; it explores the theories, practices, and politics of modern consumption. Topics include the historical development of consumer society; the role of consumption in creating personal and political identities; the cultural and social meanings of seemingly impersonal objects like money; the commodification of social life; and the politics of consumption. | |
| SOC 4170 | Theoretical Sociology (3) |
| This course surveys eight major strategies used to explain human behavior in sociology and related social sciences. It also addresses several broader issues pertaining to the nature and goals of sociological science. Prerequisite: one course in sociology or permission of instructor. | |
| SOC 4180 | The American Dream and Its Limits (3) |
| In 1932, referring to the American dream, James Truslow Adams portrayed America as a nation in which life can be "better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement." To subsequent generations of Americans and immigrants this meant endless upward mobility and material prosperity but, also, the denial of persistent social inequality. This course examines both sides of the American Dream. Course was offered Fall 2022 | |
| SOC 4190 | Gender and Work (3) |
| Considers major theories of gender-based inequality at work. Explores gender, disparities in key dimensions of work, such as entry into occupations and jobs; promotion, rank, and authority in organizations; earnings; and conflicts between work and family. Emphasizes the contemporary United States, but includes some cross-national comparisons.
Prerequisite: 6 credits of Sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4230 | Deviance and Social Control (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Examines a variety of deviant behaviors in American society and the sociological theories explaining societal reactions and attempts at social control. Focuses on enduring conditions such as drug addiction, alcoholism, and mental illness. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2011 |
| SOC 4260 | Race, Crime and Punishment (3) |
| This course is an exercise in critical thinking and writing. We will investigate connections between race and crime in contemporary America. To do so, we will explore constructions of crime and race and patterns of victimization, criminality and punishment. We will uncover shifting definitions of crime and the ways that institutions, policies and practices shape patterns of punishment. | |
| SOC 4280 | Sociology of Mental Health and Illness (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | This course explores mental health and illness in social context, focusing especially on the history, definitions, social and cultural determinants, and consequences of conceptualizations and treatment of mental illness. It includes an examination of perceptions of mental illness in popular culture, and the spread of psychiatric ideas in more global context. Pre-requisite: six credits of Sociology |
| SOC 4290 | Sociology of Money (3) |
| With the expansion of the financial sector as a backdrop, sociology of money has developed two trajectories. This course provides an introduction to both perspectives: money is created by an authority as a system of accounting for value - those who are subject to the authority then have to accept it, and money is created as individuals negotiate the potentially contradictory logic implied by self-interested, market based exchange and morality.
Prerequisite: Six Credits of Sociology Course was offered Fall 2016 | |
| SOC 4310 | Sociology of Compassion: Inequality and the Social Heart (3) |
| This course will focus on compassion as a cultural practice with political implications. What are the roots of solidarity across social inequalities, occupational groups and political cultures? When does compassion simply stop at feeling, when does it produce individual action, and when might it turn into social change? The course culminates in an analysis of how compassion intersects with social justice and notions of deserving and need. Prerequisite: six credits of Sociology or permission of instructor | |
| SOC 4350 | Comparative Gender Stratification (3) |
| Examines gender stratification - the relative level of equality of men and women in a given group - in comparative and cross-historical perspective. Several theories are presented to explain the variations, from gender-egalitarian to highly patriarchal groups.
Prerequisite: Six credits of Sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2021, Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 4370 | Hate Groups (3) |
| Hate groups are defined by their extreme antipathy towards minority groups of all types, especially racial groups. Typically, they are particularly active when dominant groups feel threatened because minority groups gain power. Hate groups exist to reassert this dominance through fear and terror. This course analyzes the origins, manifestations, and behavior of hate groups from a theoretical, historical, and sociological point of view. Course was offered Spring 2022 | |
| SOC 4380 | Violence & Media (3) |
| The course takes a theoretical approach to interpreting images of violence in photography, film and written text, following the work of theorists such as Roland Barthes, Mieke Bal, Teresa de Lauretis, Geoffrey Batchen. The course raises questions about differences between representing violence as documentary, testimony, or entertainment, the ethics of representing violence, and cultural patterns for viewing violent images in contemporary society.
Prerequisite: 6 credits of Sociology or Permission of Instructor | |
| SOC 4400 | Sociology of Empires (3) |
| Empires -- large, multinational, territorially-dispersed political entities - have been pervasive in human history. This course will examine a number of them, ancient and modern, Eastern and Western, land and overseas empires. It will seek to find out what principles and practices might be common to all of them, and what, on the contrary, might distinguish them from each other. Six credits of Sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2023 | |
| SOC 4410 | Sociological Phenomenology (3) |
| Explores the various ways in which phenomenology has shaped micro-sociological discourse on subjectivity, agency, and the lifeworld. Pre-requisites: Six credits of Sociology or permission of instructor. Course was offered Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2014, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 4420 | Sociology of Inequality (3) |
| Surveys basic theories and methods used to analyze structures of social inequality. Includes comparative analysis of the inequalities of power and privilege, and their causes and consequences for social conflict and social change. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2021, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2013, Spring 2012, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 4430 | Love, Sex and Sociology (3) |
| This course explores the social construction of love and sexualities. Beginning with historical perspectives, the class also compares the organization of intimate life in the United States and other countries. Students evaluate the impact of social inequalities in gender, class and race on the construction of choice and commitment. The class considers how consumer capitalism, the state, and culture interact to shape our intimate practices. | |
| SOC 4480 | Sociology of Professions (3) |
| What is a profession? Why do professions play such a prominent role in society? This course examines the complex nature of professional work, the problem of professional ethics, the influence of professions as political actors, and sources of inequality in professional earnings and prestige. Requisites: 6 credits of sociology or obtain permission from the instructor. | |
| SOC 4510 | Topics in Sociology of Work (3) |
| Studies the division of labor, occupational classification, labor force trends, career patterns and mobility, occupational cultures and life-styles, and the sociology of the labor market. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4520 | Topics in Religion and Society (3) |
| This course focuses on various aspects of religion and society such as American culture, gender and the family, politics, science, religious diversity and pluralism, violence, and other emerging issues. Course was offered Fall 2023, Spring 2022 | |
| SOC 4530 | Topics in Sociology of Health (3) |
| This course delves into sociological approaches to health, including the social construction of health and wellness, medicalization, the intersections of culture, power and inequality with systems of diagnosis and treatment, the social determinants of health, and the subjective experiences of health and disability/illness. Prerequisite: Six credits of Sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4540 | Topics in Politics and Society (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | This course explores the relationship between politics and society via a focus on historical and/or contemporary issues. Themes may include political power, the role of the state, collective behavior and social change, and civic culture and citizenship. Course was offered Spring 2023, Spring 2022 |
| SOC 4550 | Topics in Ethics and Society (3) |
| This course considers various ethical aspects of society in such areas as race, family, work, the economy, and memory. It focuses on sociological approaches to ethical and moral questions in modern society, drawing on empirical examples and case studies.
Prerequisite: six credits of Sociology or permission of instructor Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2015, Spring 2014 | |
| SOC 4559 | New Course in Sociology (1 - 4) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Janiuary 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 4560 | Topics in Sociology of Science and Knowledge (3) |
| This course explores the relationship between science, technology, and society through a topical focus on particular subjects or issues. It uses a variety of sociological approaches to understand the embeddedness of science and technology in society, the social impact of particular scientific or technological developments, or other dynamics of the science, technology, and society interface. Course was offered Spring 2023 | |
| SOC 4600 | Gender and Culture (3) |
| Studies how the social definition of gender affects and is affected by cultural artifacts such as literature, movies, music, and television. Students are expected to be familiar with general sociological concepts and theory and be regularly prepared for participation in a demanding seminar. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2017, Spring 2015 | |
| SOC 4640 | Urban Sociology (3) |
| Examines both classic and contemporary debates within urban sociology and relates them to the wider concerns of social theory. Topics include public space and urban culture, social segregation and inequality, the phenomenon of the global city, and the effects of economic change or urban social life. Six credits of Sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4660 | Sociology of Power and Authority (3) |
| Examines the questions of power and authority in society, with a focus in particular on the historical changes in power relations from the 18th century to the present. Particular foci include: variation in how elites access and justify power; the relationship between culture and interests; power, the body, and the self; and performative approaches to power. Students are asked to write their own analyses of contemporary power relations. Course was offered Fall 2018, Summer 2017 | |
| SOC 4680 | Sociology of Everyday (3) |
| This course explores concepts and theories of the everyday developed in sociology and related disciplines. Drawing on concrete examples it examines how societies are created and reproduced by the apparently mundane practices of everyday life. Among the topics to be discussed are the rules and rituals of everyday life; home, work, and leisure; the temporalities and rhythms of the everyday; patterns of mobility, and power and resistance. | |
| SOC 4690 | Scientists and Intellectuals in Society (3) |
| The history of modern science, from the 17th century to the present, & the division of scholarship into different realms (e.g. "the humanities" versus "the sciences") is a history of tremendous social & political conflict over the nature and purpose of knowledge production. We will examine these conflicts, and their relationship to the central organizational principles of modern societies, with a particular focus on recent American history. Course was offered Spring 2018 | |
| SOC 4720 | Nations and Nationalism (3) |
| Despite the frequent predictions of its demise, nationalism continues to thrive in the modern world. Why is that so? What is nationalism, and what are the sources of its appeal? This course will consider leading accounts of the origins, growth, and persistence of nationalism. Topics to be considered are: the nation and national identity; ethnicity and nationalism; empire and the nation-state; gender and nation; globalization and the nation-state.
Prerequisites: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission | |
| SOC 4730 | Race, Ethnicity and Nation from a Global Perspective (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Our current notions of race, ethnicity and nation were developed in conjunction with nation-states. As such, people use them as a basis through which to define territorial, social, ethical and emotional boundaries. In this course, we will leverage a global comparative perspective to better understand the organizing principles of modern nations and nation-states and how they affect the ways we act, classify, think and feel. |
| SOC 4740 | Sociol Persp on Trauma, Atrocity, & Responsibility (3) |
| Scholars have characterized the 20th century as an epoch of trauma and atrocity. Previous epochs were brutal also, but the nature of brutality and our vocabularies with which to understand it have been transformed dramatically over the last century. This course explores events (e.g. holocaust, genocide, atomic bombings) and institutional factors (e.g. media,law,philosophy) that have transformed our sense of vulnerability and our responses to it.
Prerequisites: 6 credits of Sociology or permission of instructor Course was offered Spring 2016, Spring 2015 | |
| SOC 4750 | Racism (3) |
| Racism, the disparagement and victimization of individuals and groups because of a belief that their ancestry renders them intrinsically different and inferior, is a problem in many societies. In this course we will examine the problem of racism by investigating the workings of these sociological processes theoretically, historically, and contemporaneously. | |
| SOC 4780 | The Politics of Data (3) |
| This course examines the many uses of data from the Federal Statistical System for governance, environmental and human health, and private sector uses. We will examine how the data are produced and disseminated and how assertions of data manipulation may be evaluated. We will examine characteristic data errors and how social scientists and data scientists identify and possibly correct data errors. | |
| SOC 4850 | Media, Culture and Society (3) |
| Studies the linkage between mass communications and social life. Particular emphasis will be placed upon how electronic media affect public discourse and how electronic media affect behavior by rearranging social situations. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology courses or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2024, Summer 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2018, Summer 2012, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 4860 | Sociology of Religion (3) |
| This course explores the role of religion in modern societies. It provides a broad comparative cultural and historical perspective, drawing on examples from America, Western Europe, and former communist countries of Eastern Europe. Topics include classic sociological theories of religion, church-state relations, civil religion, and religion and nationalism. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2019, Summer 2014 | |
| SOC 4870 | Immigration (3) |
| Examines contemporary immigration into the United States from the point of view of key theoretical debates and historical circumstances that have shaped current American attitudes toward immigration.
Prerequisite: Six credits of Sociology or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 4970 | Special Studies in Sociology (1 - 6) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | An independent study project conducted by students under the supervision of an instructor of their choice. Prerequisite: Fourth-year students with a minimum GPA of 3.2 in sociology (or overall GPA of 3.2 for non-majors) and instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Summer 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 4980 | Distinguished Majors Thesis Research (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Analyzes issues in sociological research and supports the writing of a Distinguished Majors thesis under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Prerequisites: SOC 3120 and Admission to the Distinguished Majors Program in Sociology. Course was offered Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 4981 | Distinguished Majors Thesis Writing (3) |
| Writing of the DMP thesis under the supervision of a DM faculty adviser. Prerequisite: SOC 4980 Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 5020 | Introduction to Statistics (3) |
| SOC 5020 will serve as an introduction to multivariate regression, with an emphasis on applications in the 'eld of sociology. Along the way we will review basic concepts related to probability and inference. More specifically, this course will cover ANOVA, t tests, OLS regression, and logistic regression. In sum, the course is designed to teach graduate students in sociology how to use basic statistics to address concrete sociological problems. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014 | |
| SOC 5030 | Classical Sociological Theory (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | A seminar focusing on the writings of Marx, Weber, Durkheim and other social theorists. Open to students in related disciplines. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. |
| SOC 5056 | Sociology of Culture (3) |
| Examines the most recent theoretical and methodological developments in the sociology of culture. Examines the influence of structuralism, phenomenology, critical theory, and cultural anthropology on contemporary sociological theory and practice. Considers the ways cultural analysis can be applied to a variety of pressing empirical problems. Course was offered Fall 2023, Spring 2021, Fall 2018, Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2011 | |
| SOC 5057 | Sociology of Family (3) |
| This course analyzes the ways in which societies address needs of intimacy, care and provisioning -- the tasks commonly assumed by families -- under varying circumstances and in different contexts, including from historical and comparative perspectives. Prerequisite: Six credits in sociology or permission from the instructor. Course was offered Fall 2011 | |
| SOC 5059 | Sociology of Science (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Topics include science as a major institution in modern society; interrelations of science and society; social organization of science; the scientific career (socialization and professionalization); status, roles, and characteristics of science; science policy studies as an emerging discipline; and technological assessment. Prerequisite: SOC 5120 or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2019, Spring 2012 |
| SOC 5060 | Contemporary Sociological Theory (3) |
| Considers the nature and purpose of sociological theory, and a survey of the most important contemporary theories and theorists. Prerequisite: SOC 5030, six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 5080 | Comparative Historical Sociology (3) |
| This course will focus not so much on methodological as on substantive issues of macro sociological inquiry. Among the topics covered will be: the state, power, revolution, nationalism and class formation. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2019, Spring 2017, Fall 2014, Spring 2012, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 5086 | Media Sociology (3) |
| In a reading and discussion-intensive seminar experience, students will examine key schools of theory, research, and criticism, both in sociology and in related social sciences and humanities traditions that have helped shape the development of the interdisciplinary field of Media Sociology. Units will include: semiotics of texts; audience studies; media organizations; media globalization; new media and social transformation. Course was offered Spring 2016, Fall 2013 | |
| SOC 5100 | Research Design and Methods (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Studies the steps necessary to design a research project including searching the literature, formulating the problem, deriving propositions, operationalizing concepts, constructing explanations, and testing hypotheses. Prerequisite: SOC 3120, or graduate standing, six credits of sociology; or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Fall 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 5110 | Survey Research Methods (3) |
| Covers the theory and practice of survey research. Topics include surveys as a scientific method; applied sampling of survey populations; the construction, testing, and improvement of survey instruments; interviewer training; the organization of field work; coding and data quality control; data analysis; and the preparation of survey reports. Prerequisite: SOC 3120 or graduate standing, six credits of sociology or health evaluation sciences, or instructor permission. Course was offered Spring 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2016, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 5120 | Intermediate Statistics (4) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Studies the social science applications of regression models for quantitative and categorical dependent variables. Prerequisite: SOC 5020 and graduate standing or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 |
| SOC 5140 | Qualitative Methods (3) |
| Studies the theory and practice of qualitative, non-statistical methods of sociological inquiry including field work, interviewing, textual analysis, and historical document work. Students practice each method and design larger projects. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission; open to advanced undergraduates. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 5150 | Time and Memory (3) |
| This course surveys the field of memory studies, and is centered in particular on the concept of "collective memory." What are the varieties of practices 'including commemoration, recollection, collecting, museification, monument building, reminiscence, etc. through which we represent the past, and what difference do these practices make' Further topics include reputations, public history, transitional justice, and trauma. Course was offered Spring 2011 | |
| SOC 5200 | Teaching Sociology Workshop (1) |
| This course is designed to help graduate students make the transition into the classroom by shadowing current teaching assistants in a range of settings. Students will be asked to come together periodically over the course of the semester to reflect on their experiences, as well as to participate in a series of workshops focusing on topics related to setting up a class, engaging students, and fostering equity and inclusion in the classroom. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023 | |
| SOC 5320 | Sociology of Gender (3) |
| This course will explore the social construction and consequences of gender, covering such topics as work, care, sexuality, identity, politics and inequality. Readings will include the classics as well as newer works in the field.
Prerequisite: Graduate status; six credits in sociology or permission from the instructor. | |
| SOC 5370 | Inequality in Higher Education (3) |
| Why is there so much inequality in college entry and completion? How can higher education provide opportunity while sorting, selecting, and certifying students? What is the relationship between higher education and economic prosperity? By addressing these, and related questions, we will examine the complex interplay between inequality and opportunity and the relationship between higher education and the society at large. | |
| SOC 5420 | Social Stratification (3) |
| Studies the distribution of rewards and punishments and the resulting social inequalities in cross-cultural and historical perspective. Analyzes negative liabilities such as arrest, imprisonment, unemployment, and stigmatization, and positive assets such as education, occupation, income, and honor. Draws on the literature of both stratification and deviance/criminology. Focuses on the distributive aspects of power and the resulting social formations such as classes, and status groups. Prerequisite: SOC 5030, 7130 or their equivalent, or instructor permission. | |
| SOC 5559 | New Course in Sociology (1 - 4) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. | |
| SOC 5610 | Memory Studies (3) |
| This seminar will provide a broad interdisciplinary overview of the field of memory studies. Participants will include graduate students from UVa along with "virtual" participants from around the world. Leading figures in the field will participate as guest instructors. Enrollment is by instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2021 | |
| SOC 5900 | Economic Sociology (3) |
| This course surveys the classic and contemporary research literature in economic sociology. The course explores this literature's central claims that economic action is embedded in social relationships and shaped by social institutions, and considers the economy in comparative and historical perspective. Prerequisite: Graduate status; six credits in Sociology or instructor permission. Course was offered Fall 2022, Spring 2019 | |
| SOC 7070 | Sociology of Art (3) |
| This graduate-level course covers the major theories and methods from the sociology of art subfield. Topics include contexts of creativity, artists' communities, individual and institutional "gatekeepers," and processes of production and reception. Visual art, music, and literature are some of the subfield's key domains of creative production. Essential concepts will be examined through a range of texts. Course was offered Spring 2020 | |
| SOC 7102 | Qualitative Methods in Media Audience Research (3) |
| This course is designed to be a practical introduction to how to do audience research in the field of culturally-oriented communication study. The primary work students will be doing is to prepare research projects illustrating the in-depth application of one (or possibly multiple) methods of research employed in studying the cultural audience. Course was offered Spring 2011 | |
| SOC 7130 | Intro to Social Statistics (3) |
| Intro to Social Statistics | |
| SOC 7470 | Sociology of Development (3) |
| This Graduate level course provides a survey to the subfield of the sociology of development. We will focus on how sociologists seek to explain broad patterns of sociocultural change and economic growth, with particular attention to how the key explanator factors privileged in sociological explanations of development and underdevelopment have changed over time. We will review a range of contending theoretical perspectives and approaches. | |
| SOC 7480 | Sociology of Globalization (3) |
| Globalization continues attracting the attention of scholars and social critics, but its theoretical foundations and empirical aspects remain blurry. Some contest its adequacy as a concept; others praise its evocative nature. This course will guide you through many of these debates. We will look at the political economy of globalization, the institutions that promote it, the movements that contest it, and the cultures that permeate it. Course was offered Fall 2016 | |
| SOC 7559 | New Course in Sociology (1 - 4) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. | |
| SOC 7980 | Graduate Research Workshop (3) |
| This class is designed to help graduate students write professional, sociological articles. Students will come in with (at a minimum) a solid literature review plus data collected and analyzed, and leave with a submission-ready manuscript. We will discuss each article section, present and critique work, consider audience, sharpen arguments and improve writing. Required of 3rd year students; open to others later in the program. | |
| SOC 8030 | Sociological Issues (1) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Studies contemporary issues effecting sociology as a science, as an academic discipline, and as a profession. Frequent guest lecturers. |
| SOC 8031 | Sociology ProSeminar (3) |
| The ProSeminar provides an introduction for first year graduate students to the discipline and profession of Sociology, as well as to the Sociology Department. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015 | |
| SOC 8040 | Sociological Issues (1) |
| Studies contemporary issues effecting sociology as a science, as an academic discipline, and as a profession. Frequent guest lecturers. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 8051 | Sociology of Work (3) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Studies the division of labor, occupational classification, labor force trends, career patterns and mobility, occupational cultures and life-styles, and the sociology of the labor market. |
| SOC 8052 | Sociology of Religion (3) |
| Classical and contemporary theories and empirical research are examined to illuminate the changing role of religious belief and religious institutions in the Western World. Emphasizes the methodological problems of studying religion. | |
| SOC 8053 | Sociology of Education (3) |
| Analysis of education as a social institution and its relationship to other institutions, e.g., the ecology, the stratification system, the family. Special attention is devoted to the role of education in the status attainment process. | |
| SOC 8054 | Political Sociology (3) |
| Studies the relationships between social structure and political institutions. Discusses competing theories on power structures, political participation, ideology, party affiliation, voting behavior, and social movements in the context of recent research on national and local politics in the United States. | |
| SOC 8410 | Race & Ethnicity (3) |
| Studies pivotal issues relating to race in contemporary American society from a theoretical and historical point of view. These include such topics as the contested meaning of the term "race", the relationship between race and ethnicity, assimilation, the relationship between race and inequality, and crime. | |
| SOC 8470 | Sociology of Knowledge (3) |
| Studies the social foundations of knowledge, including formal systems of knowledge to the realities of everyday life. Includes classical and contemporary literature on the subject. Course was offered Spring 2013, Fall 2009 | |
| SOC 8542 | Selected Topics in Sociology (3) |
| Advanced graduate seminars. Offerings are given in a semester determined by faculty and student interest. | |
| SOC 8559 | New Course in Sociology (3) |
| This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of sociology. | |
| SOC 8562 | Selected Topics in Sociology (3) |
| Advanced graduate seminars. Offerings are given in a semester determined by faculty and student interest. Course was offered Fall 2015 | |
| SOC 8710 | Sociology of Organizations (3) |
| Examines formal organizations in government, industry, education, health care, religion, the arts, and voluntary associations. Considers such topics as power and authority, communication, 'informal' relations, commitment, and alienation. | |
| SOC 8870 | Immigration (3) |
| This course examines migration from global and historical perspective, with a special focus on American immigration policy from 1900 to the present. Course was offered Spring 2023 | |
| SOC 8998 | Non-Topical Research, Preparation for Research (1 - 12) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | For master's research, taken before a thesis director has been selected. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 8999 | Non-Topical Research (1 - 12) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | For master's thesis, taken under the supervision of a thesis director. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 9010 | Directed Reading (1 - 12) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | Independent study with a faculty member. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 9050 | Research Apprenticeship (1 - 12) |
| Provides practical research experience through close collaboration with a faculty member. (Faculty members propose project and chose apprentices from the pool of applicants.) Student apprentices will be junior colleagues, involved in all phases of the project. This collaborative effort will lead to a distinct scholarly product, usually a co-authored paper suitable for publication. | |
| SOC 9060 | Research Apprenticeship (1 - 12) |
| Provides practical research experience through close collaboration with a faculty member. (Faculty members propose project and chose apprentices from the pool of applicants.) Student apprentices will be junior colleagues, involved in all phases of the project. This collaborative effort will lead to a distinct scholarly product, usually a co-authored paper suitable for publication. Course was offered Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010 | |
| SOC 9510 | Advanced Topics in Culture (3) |
| This course covers selected topics in the sociological study of culture. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019 | |
| SOC 9520 | Advanced Topics in Social Inequality (3) |
| This course covers selected topics in social inequality across various dimensions and contexts. | |
| SOC 9530 | Advanced Topics in Race, Ethnicity and Migration (3) |
| This course covers selected topics in sociology of race, ethnicity, and migration. | |
| SOC 9540 | Advanced Topics in Economic Sociology and Organizations (3) |
| This course covers selected topics in economic sociology and sociology of organizations. | |
| SOC 9550 | Advanced Topics in Development and Globalization (3) |
| This course covers selected topics in sociology of development and globalization. | |
| SOC 9560 | Advanced Topics in Political and Comparative-Historical Sociology (3) |
| This course covers selected topics in political sociology and comparative-historical sociology. | |
| SOC 9570 | Advanced Topics in Gender and Sexuality (3) |
| This course covers selected topics related to gender and sexuality. Course was offered Spring 2021 | |
| SOC 9580 | Advanced Topics in Family (3) |
| This course covers selected topics related in sociology of the family. Course was offered Spring 2024, Spring 2021 | |
| SOC 9998 | Non-Topical Research, Preparation for Doctoral Research (1 - 12) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | For doctoral research, taken before a dissertation director has been selected. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 |
| SOC 9999 | Non-Topical Research (1 - 12) |
| Offered Fall 2024 | For doctoral dissertation, taken under the supervision of a dissertation director. Course was offered Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Summer 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Summer 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Summer 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Summer 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Summer 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Summer 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Summer 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2011, Summer 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Summer 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009 |