Course
|
SOC
101
Introduction to Sociology
|
|
Professor |
Roberto Vélez-Vélez |
|
CRN |
97205 |
|
Schedule |
Mon Wed 3:00 – 4:20 pm OLIN 201 |
|
Distribution |
Social Science |
Cross listed: American Studies, Environmental
Studies
The purpose of this course is to provide an
introduction to the sociological perspective. Its goal is to illuminate the way
in which social forces impinge on our individual lives and affect human
society. The course is organized into four main parts. In the first, key
sociological concepts and methods will be introduced via the study of the
`fathers’ of sociology: Durkheim, Weber, and Marx. In the second part, we will
examine the significance of various forms of social inequality, particularly
those based on class, race, and gender. We will then survey several important
social institutions: the family, the economic order, and education. The fourth
and final part of the course will focus on the inter-related issues of social
movements and social change.
Course
|
SOC
205
Introduction to Research Methods
|
|
Professor |
Yuval Elmelech |
|
CRN |
97208 |
|
Schedule |
Tu Th 1:00 -2:20 pm OLIN 301 or HDRANX 106 |
|
Distribution |
Mathematics &
Computing |
Cross-listed:
Environmental Studies, GISP, Human Rights, Social Policy
The aim of this course is to enable students to
understand and use the various research methods developed in the social
sciences, with an emphasis on quantitative methods. The course will be concerned
with the theory and rationale upon which social research is based, as well as
the practical aspects of research and the problems the researcher is likely to
encounter. The course is divided into two parts. In the first, we will learn
how to formulate research questions and hypotheses, how to choose the
appropriate research method for the problem, and how to maximize chances for
valid and reliable findings. In the second part, we will learn how to perform
simple data analysis and how to interpret and present findings in a written
report. For a final paper, students use survey data on topics such as attitudes
toward abortion, sexual attitudes, affirmative action, racism, sex roles,
religiosity, and political affiliation. By the end of the semester, students
will have the necessary skills for designing and conducting independent
research for term papers and senior projects, as well as for non-academic
enterprises.
Course
|
HIST
/ SOC 214 American Immigration
|
|
Professor |
Joel Perlmann |
|
CRN |
97020 |
|
Schedule |
Tu Th 4:00 -5:20 pm OLIN 203 |
|
Distribution |
Social Science
/Rethinking Difference |
Cross-listed: American Studies, Human Rights;
Social Policy, SRE
This course examines American immigration past
and present. It will offer a brief
history of American immigration generally, and a detailed focus on two periods:
the last great immigration before our own times (1890-1920), and the
immigration of today. Throughout, we
will ask how the present American experience is similar to, and how it differs
from, the earlier American experience as "a country of
immigrants." Major themes
include: who came and why; the immigrants’ economic impact on American
society (including the economic impact on the native-born poor); how the
children of the immigrants have fared; whiteness, multiculturalism and
assimilation; and finally immigration policy and politics. Readings
will be mostly from social science and history but will also include memoirs,
fiction, and policy debates. Students interested in this course should email
Professor Perlmann prior to registration with a brief description of their
background in American History.
Course
|
SOC
230
Sociology of Education
|
|
Professor |
Yuval Elmelech |
|
CRN |
97207 |
|
Schedule |
Tu Th 10:30 - 11:50 am OLIN 303 |
|
Distribution |
Social Science |
Cross-listed: American Studies, Gender and Sexuality
Studies, Social Policy, SRE
This course provides an introduction to the
sociology of education with a primary focus on the contemporary US
society. The aim of the course is to introduce students to key theoretical
and empirical works in the field, to present the relationships between
education and other social institutions such as the family and the labor market,
and to develop critical thinking regarding the educational issues studied.
After an overview of the key sociological theories of education, we will study
topics such as socialization and education; parental resources and
educational attainment; tracking as an organizational practice; education
and economic mobility; education in a multi-ethnic context; schooling and
marriage patterns; the status of teaching as a profession.
Course
|
SOC
242
Historical Sociology of Punishment
|
|
Professor |
Michael Donnelly |
|
CRN |
97209 |
|
Schedule |
Mon Wed 10:30 - 11:50 am OLIN 101 |
|
Distribution |
Social Science
/Rethinking Difference |
Cross-listed:
Human Rights, Social Policy
PIE
Core Course
An analysis of punishment, and the rationales for
punishing, in a variety of historical circumstances. Cases are drawn from primitive societies, Puritan New England, 18th
and 19th century western Europe, the American South, and the recent
period in the United States and Great Britain.
Comparisons among such disparate cases will suggest broad developmental
patterns in punishment, and more specific queries about the connections between
culture, social structure, and penal strategies. The case materials also offer a historical perspective on such
contemporary issues and controversies as the scope of criminal responsibility,
the appropriateness of retribution, the declining concern for rehabilitating
offenders, and the rationales for, and uses of, the death penalty.
Course
|
SOC
254
Social Movements
|
|
Professor |
Roberto Vélez-Vélez |
|
CRN |
97547 |
|
Schedule |
Mon Wed 12:00- 1:20 pm OLIN 309 |
|
Distribution |
Social Science |
The course provides an overview of the sociological
study of social movements and collective action. We begin with a survey of
theoretical and empirical work in the field. A closer examination of
four case studies organizes the remainder of the course: (1) the black
civil rights movement (1960s); (2) the Chicano movement (1960-70s); (3)
the gay and lesbian movements (1970-90s); and (4) the Vieques (Puerto Rico)
anti-military movement (1990-2000s). Our analysis of the movements will
focus on the different goals, tactics, and decisions taken by movement
organizers. More broadly we will examine interactions between the movements and
the socio-political circumstances in which they are imbedded, in order to
understand the reasons why some movements succeed and others fail.
Course
|
SOC
304
Modern Sociological Theory
|
|
Professor |
Michael Donnelly |
|
CRN |
97210 |
|
Schedule |
Mon Wed 3:00 -4:20 pm OLIN 306 |
|
Distribution |
Social Science |
Cross-listed: Human Rights
A critical investigation into the development of
modern sociological theories in the United States and Europe. The course will
examine, among other schools and traditions, functionalism, conflict theory,
exchange and rational choice theory, symbolic interactionism, feminist theory,
and critical theory. Readings include works by Talcott Parsons, Ralf
Dahrendorf, Jon Elster, George Herbert Mead, Erving Goffman, Harold Garfinkel,
Dorothy Smith, Michel Foucault, and Jurgen Habermas. Prerequisite: Sociology 203 or permission of the instructor.