17520

SOC 135

Sociology of Gender

Allison McKim

M W 3:10pm-4:30pm

OLIN 202

D+J

SSCI

DIFF

Cross-listed: American Studies; Gender and Sexuality Studies The primary goal of this course is to develop a sociological perspective on gender. We will examine how gender becomes an organizing principle of social life as well as consider how social structures and practices construct gender identities. We will investigate how gender is built into social structures, institutions, and cultures, and how different groups experience this gendered order. The course is organized according to different institutional and interactional contexts, including families, workplaces, schools, the state & politics, sexuality, culture, and identity. Our discussions will be guided by both theoretical approaches to gender and a variety of empirical research. A second goal of this course is to become familiar with various sociological theories of gender difference and inequality. A third goal is to learn how gender inequality is intertwined with other axes of power such as race/ethnicity, class, and sexuality and how to conduct such “intersectional” analysis of social life. In addition, students will learn to identify and evaluate various forms of sociological evidence and arguments. Class size: 22

17521

SOC 213

Sociological Theory

Laura Ford

T Th 1:30pm-2:50pm

HEG 308

SSCI

Cross-listed: Human Rights This class introduces students to classical and contemporary sociological theories. It considers foundational theories that emerged from the social upheavals of modernization in the 19th Century, including those of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Simmel, and DuBois. The course thus introduces many enduring themes of sociology: alienation and anomie; social structure and disorganization; group conflict and solidarity; secularization and individualism; bureaucracy and institutions, the division of labor, capitalism, and the nature of authority. We then follow these conversations into the contemporary era, examining traditions such as functionalism, conflict theory, rational choice, symbolic interactionism, feminist theory, and critical theory, including thinkers such as G.H. Mead, Robert Merton, Pierre Bourdieu, Jürgen Habermas, and Michel Foucault. Students will learn the key concepts of major theoretical approaches in sociology, and will consider questions such as the relationship between theory and research, and the relationship of social conditions to the production of knowledge. Class size: 22

17522

SOC 224

Punishment, Prisons, and Policing

Allison McKim

M W 11:50am-1:10pm

HEG 106

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

17525

SOC 235

Law and Society

Laura Ford

T Th 3:10pm-4:30pm

OLIN 301

SSCI

Cross-listed: American Studies This class introduces students to the foundational roles that law has played, and continues to play, in our political communities, our social institutions, and our everyday lives. Our focus will be on American law, both in its historical development and in its contemporary, lived reality. Where did those funny legal instruments called “derivatives” come from, which were so important in the 2008 Financial Crisis? What explains variations between states in the laws of self-defense? What is “corporate personality,” and why is it so controversial in our contemporary world? Do intellectual property laws really give people property rights to abstract ideas? How have the roles of legal professionals in American society changed across time? These are the types of questions that we will ask in this class. In seeking answers to these questions, we will draw on perspectives from sociology, from legal history, and from contemporary socio-legal studies. Class size: 22

17526

SOC 245

Inter-Racial, inter-Ethnic and inter-faith Unions and their descendants in american society

Joel Perlmann

T Th 4:40pm-6:00pm

OLIN 204

D+J

SSCI

DIFF

Cross-listed: Historical Studies; Jewish Studies ‘Intermarriage’ implies crossing a boundary, violating a prohibition (of law or custom) against certain kinds of unions. In this course we will focus on the three forms of ‘boundary crossing’ mentioned in the course title – race, ethnicity and faith. Thus, part of our concern will be with the experiences of those who cross the relevant boundaries -- through shorter dating relationships or long-term ones like marriage. But some of the most intriguing implications of such unions do not concern only the couples themselves but their descendants as well. These descendants will have a big impact on group continuity or group melding (‘assimilation’) in America’s future. A crucial example: America is expected to soon have a ‘non-white’ majority. And yet most children of Asian and Hispanic immigrants are also expected to be descendants of ‘whites.’ What criteria should be used to define the ‘white’ or ‘nonwhite’ status of these descendants -- and of the new majority? Specific topics include: the legacy of European ('white') immigrant and ethnic boundaries and their decline; institutional and cultural explanations for such decline; inter-faith marriages among Muslims, Jews, Catholics, etc.; Asian and Hispanic American patterns; the distinctive situation of African Americans; and the impact of all these upon our understanding of a new American majority. Class size: 22

17598

SOC 269

Global Inequality & Development

Peter Klein

M W 10:10am-11:30am

OLIN 203

D+J

SSCI

DIFF

Cross-listed: Environmental & Urban Studies; Global & International 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

17597

EUS / SOC 319

EUS PRACTICUM: Hudson Valley Cities and Environmental (In)Justice

Peter Klein

W 1:30pm-4:30pm *

FISHER ANNEX

D+J

SSCI

DIFF

See Sociology section for description.

17528

SOC 332

Seminar on Social Problems

Yuval Elmelech

T 10:10am-12:30pm

OLIN 309

D+J

SSCI

DIFF

Cross-listed: American Studies; Human Rights We often read alarming stories about segregated and failing schools, the increasing concentration of wealth, 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; racial and ethnic inequality; teenage childbearing; residential segregation; immigration and mobility; 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. Fulfills American Studies Junior Seminar requirement.

Class size: 15

17527

SOC 333

tricks of the trade: Qualitative Research Practicum

Allison McKim

Th 10:10am-12:30pm

OLIN 309

SSCI

Cross-listed: American Studies; Environmental & Urban Studies; Global & International Studies To study social life, researchers often turn to methods of inquiry based on observing everyday life, talking to people, and unpacking the meanings of public discourse such as ads and news coverage. This course gives students instruction in how to conduct this kind of qualitative research. It focuses on ethnography (participant observation), in-depth interviewing, and discursive/content analysis. The course is ideal for students from various majors who plan to use these methods for their senior project or those interested in pursuing social research in the future. It offers both conceptual grounding and practical training. This means the class engages epistemological questions about how we create knowledge and the nitty-gritty aspects of how to design and carry out a study. We will address debates about reflexivity, objectivity, power, and perspective in research. We will also learn various approaches to designing studies and drawing conclusions from qualitative data. The course offers training in research ethics and human subjects (IRB) review. In the class, students will develop and conduct a qualitative research project and learn practical techniques for taking field notes, conducting interviews, picking case studies, and interpreting and analyzing qualitative data. (Note: this course does not fulfill the sociology program 300-level seminar requirement. It does count as an elective. "Related interest" American studies). Class size: 15