91945

SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology

Allison McKim

M . W . .

3:10 pm -4:30 pm

HEG 106

SSCI/DIFF

Cross-listed: American Studies, Environmental & Urban Studies Sociology is the systematic study of social life, social groups, and social relations. The discipline views the individual in context of the larger society, and sheds light on how social structures constrain and enable our choices and actions. Sociologists study topics as varied as race, gender, class, religion, the birth of capitalism, democracy, education, crime and prisons, the environment, and inequality. At its most basic, the course will teach students how to read social science texts and evaluate their arguments. Conceptually, students will learn basic sociological themes and become familiar with how sociologists ask and answer questions. Most importantly, students will come away from the course with a new understanding of how to think sociologically about the world around them, their position in society, and how their actions both affect and are affected by the social structures in which we all live. Class size: 22

91947

SOC 138 Introduction to Urban Sociology

Peter Klein

. T . Th .

3:10 pm -4:30 pm

OLIN 205

SSCI

Cross-listed: American Studies; Environmental & Urban Studies More than half the world’s population now lives in urban areas. Thus, the study of social and political dynamics in urban centers is crucial if we are to understand and address the pressing issues of the contemporary world. This course will allow students to explore these dynamics through an introduction to urban sociology: the study of social relations, processes, and changes in the urban context. We will begin by reading perspectives on the development of cities, followed by an examination of how the city and its socio-spatial configuration affect and are affected by social interactions, particularly across gender, race, and class lines. The course will then consider the relationship between globalization and the modern city before concluding with a few examples of how citizens address the challenges in their communities. Throughout, we will explore the diverse methods that social scientists use to understand these dynamics, and students will have the opportunity to utilize some of these methods in an investigation of a local “urban community.” Class size: 22

91949

SOC 224 Punishment, Prisons, & Policing

Allison McKim

M . W . .

11:50 am -1:10 pm

RKC 111

SSCI

Cross-listed: American Studies, Human Rights This course introduces students to the sociology of punishment and crime control. The amount and type of punishment found in society is not a simple, direct result of crime patterns. Rather, to understand how and why we punish, we must examine the ways that historical processes, social structures, institutions, and culture shape penal practices as well as how systems of punishment shape society. This course draws on sociological and historical research to explore the social functions of punishment, its cultural foundations and meanings, what drives changes in how we punish, the relationship between penal practices and state power, and the role of crime control in reproducing race, gender, and class inequality. The class also delves deeply into the theoretical and empirical debates about the punitive turn in American criminal justice over the last 4 decades. We consider the causes and consequences of mass incarceration, the racial disparities in the system, the drug war, changes in policing, the politicization of crime, and the role of criminal justice in the welfare state. Class size: 22

91908

SOC / HIST 2307 The American Dream

Myra Armstead

. T . Th .

1:30 pm -2:50 pm

OLIN 202

HIST

See History section for description.

91948

SOC 246 A CHANGING AMERICAN RACIAL ORDER? Race, Ethnicity & Assimilation

Joel Perlmann

. T . Th .

4:40 pm -6:00 pm

OLIN 203

SSCI/DIFF

Cross list: American Studies, Human Rights; The changes in the racial order during the past half century have been staggering. What will they be like in the next half century? As to the recent past, consider: first black gains since the Civil Rights era (political, economic, social – however incomplete); second, Hispanics and Asians transforming what it means to be non-white; and third, the virtual disappearance of earlier rigid divisions among Euro-American ethnics such as Irish, Italians, Jews and Slavs. We will explore the meaning of contemporary race, ethnicity and assimilation with these recent American patterns in mind. We will also spend a substantial part of the course on the growing efforts by thoughtful Americans, mostly social scientists, to think about the directions that these patterns of group life may take in the coming few decades. Topics include: social mobility and economic wellbeing, interracial marriage, political power, discrimination, the impact of immigration, group identity and culture, the expected racial transformation to a non-white American majority. Class size: 22

91946

SOC 269 Global Inequality & Development

Peter Klein

. T . Th .

11:50 am -1:10 pm

RKC 115

SSCI/DIFF

Cross-listed:  Environmental & Urban Studies, Global and Int’l Studies (core course), Human Rights  One of the most pressing challenges of the twenty-first century is understanding and advancing social, economic, and political development in marginalized places. Why does global inequality persist and why does a large share of the world’s population continue to live in abject poverty, despite tremendous efforts made over the last half-century? Through the lens of specific topics, such as unequal impacts of environmental change, informal urban settlements and economies, and growing energy demands, this course examines such questions from two perspectives. First, we look at globalization and other structural forces that create and perpetuate global inequality. Second, we examine the goals and practices promoted by governments, development agencies, non-governmental organizations, and communities. This course will push students to think critically about the meanings and consequences of development, as well as about the challenges and possibilities we face in addressing some of the major social problems of our time. Class size: 22

92056

SOC 325 (Re)Imagining protest: the changing face of democracy

Peter Klein

. . . . F

10:10 am -12:30 pm

OLIN 309

SSCI

Cross-listed: American Studies, Global & Int’l Studies, Human Rights, Political Studies This course is based on the premise that democracy is comprised of much more than voting. We will thus think outside the ballot box and discuss traditional forms of activism, such as taking to the streets to protest and riot; newer forms of engagement, including online activism and social entrepreneurship; how the law and the courts have emerged as a potential avenue to increase democratic possibilities; and innovative efforts by local and national governments to give citizens opportunities to directly participate in decision-making processes. We will utilize a broad range of historical precedents and contemporary case studies—including controversies over education, the environment, healthcare, police violence, and other topics guided by student interest—to examine how these forms of engagement emerge, if and how they are transforming the meanings of democracy and citizenship, and how evolving understandings of race, class, and gender influence democratic processes. Most broadly, this course challenges students to think about what agency means and where the limits to agency reside within the changing face of democracy. Class size: 15

91867

SOC / ANTH 349 Political Ecology

Yuka Suzuki

. T . . .

10:10 am -12:30 pm

OLIN 306

SSCI/DIFF

See Anthropology section for description.