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.