19231

SOC 101 A Introduction to Sociology

Amy Ansell

M . W . .

1:30 pm -2:50 pm

RKC 101

SSCI

Cross-listed: Environmental Studies The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the sociological perspective. The goal is to illustrate the ways in which different social forces that impinge on our daily life affect our society. The approach of the course is that of inquiry, the driving force of the discipline, and will touch on topics such as: theory and key concepts (socialization, culture, power), difference (race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality), institutions (state, media, citizenship), and social change (public sphere, civil society, civic engagement, social movement).

19283

SOC 101 B Introduction to Sociology

Roberto Velez-Velez

M . W . .

10:30 -11:50 am

OLIN 205

SSCI

19276

HIST / SOC 213 Immigration and American Society

Joel Perlmann

. T . Th .

4:00 pm -5:20 pm

OLIN 203

HIST

See History section for description.

19151

SOC 242 Historical Sociology of Punishment

Michael Donnelly

M . W . .

12:00 pm -1:20 pm

OLIN 203

SSCI/DIFF

Cross-listed: Human Rights, Social Policy An analysis of punishment, and the rationales for punishing, in a variety of historical circumstances. Cases are drawn from primitive societies, Puritan New England, 18^th and 19^th 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.

19232

SOC 246 Race & Ethnicity: Key Concepts

Amy Ansell

. T . Th .

1:00 pm -2:20 pm

OLIN 301

SSCI/DIFF

Cross-listed: Africana Studies, American Studies, Human Rights, SRE (core course) Although it is popular today to celebrate the existence of a “post-racial” world, many in the academy concur that it is a world still in the making. Race continues to affect the social world and the people who inhabit it in multiple ways. Given the unfulfilled promises of a post-racist world and the sheer ubiquity of race matters, it is more crucial than ever to carefully understand the variety and particularity of meanings and uses with which the concepts have been historically associated. The course aims to situate the study of race and ethnicity within its own historical and intellectual context and, in so doing, expose students to the broad diversity of scholarship in the field and convey the excitement and challenge of the enterprise. Its purpose is to provide students with an understanding of the conceptual evolution of key terms, the variety of meanings with which the concepts have been historically associated, and the differing ways in which the concepts are deployed or remain pertinent in current debates. Key concepts surveyed include: race formation, ethnic identity, assimilation, racism, race and science, racial categorization, race and politics, gendered racism, segregation, discrimination, and whiteness.

19154

SOC 247 The American Family: Continuity and Change

Yuval Elmelech

. T . Th .

10:30 -11:50 am

OLIN 201

SSCI

Cross-listed: American Studies, Gender Studies, Social Policy How do we choose the people we date and eventually marry? Why do people divorce and remarry? What effect does marital separation have upon the success of children later in life? This course uses sociological literature to study these questions. Focusing primarily on family patterns in the United States, the course examines the processes of partner selection, the configuration of gender and family roles, and the interrelationships among family and household members. Topics include explanations of religious and racial/ethnic inter-marriage; household and work roles; divorce and remarriage; parenthood and single parenthood; intergenerational relationships.

19284

SOC 254 Social Movements

Roberto Velez-Velez

M . W . .

1:30 pm -2:50 pm

OLINLC 118

SSCI

Cross-listed: Gender & Sexuality Studies; Human Rights, LAIS The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the study of social movements and collective action. The course will include both theoretical and empirical work from the leading scholars in the field, and will follow a vision of continuity among social movement efforts. We will take a closer look at four social movements from the United States: the black civil rights movement of the 1950s-60s, the Chicano movement of the 1960s-70s, the gay and lesbian movement of the 1970s-90s, and the Vieques anti-military movement of the 1990s-2000. Beyond the fact that each movement seeks different goals and that each occurred under different circumstances, we will focus our attention on two main areas: On the one hand, we will identify and study the tactics, strategies, and decisions taken by the movements’ organizers. On the other hand, we will look at the types of actions, their ways of protests and how these relate to the environment (political and social), their goals (long and short term), and their success or failure. More current topics will be part of the discussion to tie-in long term ramifications and debates.

19150

SOC 304 Contemporary Sociological Theory

Michael Donnelly

M . W . .

3:00 pm -4:20 pm

OLIN 307

SSCI

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.

19380

SOC/ HIST 329 Irish & Germans in America, 1830-1930: Immigration and Ethnicity

Joel Perlmann

. . W . .

4:20 pm -6:40 pm

OLIN 205

SSCI

See History section for description.

19153

SOC 332 Seminar on Social Problems

Yuval Elmelech

.T . . .

4:00 pm -6:20 pm

OLIN 202

SSCI/DIFF

Cross listed: American Studies, Human Rights, Social Policy, SRE We often read alarming stories about segregated and failing schools, the proliferation of poor immigrant children, the weakening of the American family, and numerous other problems in contemporary American society. While these accounts provide a sensational and superficial treatment of various social problems, what do researchers really know about the causes of and solutions for these problems? This course provides a critical survey and analysis of the varied social and structural factors that facilitate and help perpetuate social problems in the U.S. Topics include: schools and education; wealth and poverty; lifestyle preferences; violence and abuse; social mobility; teenage childbearing; racial segregation; immigration and assimilation; gender inequality; work and socioeconomic attainment. The course will also provide framework for developing the skill of academic writing, and the appropriate use of theories, research questions and hypotheses. In particular, this seminar will serve social science majors and other advanced students who are developing their research and writing skills for term papers and senior projects.