15382

SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology

Peter Klein

. T . Th .

11:50am-1:10pm

OLIN 205

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

15447

SOC 120 Inequality in america

Yuval Elmelech

. T . Th .

10:10am- 11:30am

OLIN 202

SSCI/DIFF

Cross-listed: American Studies, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Human Rights Why do some people have more wealth, more power, and receive greater respect than others? What are the sources of this inequality? Is social inequality inevitable? Is it undesirable? Through lectures, documentary films and discussions, this course examines the ways by which socially-defined categories of persons (e.g., women and men, Blacks and Whites, rich and poor, native- and foreign-born) are unevenly rewarded for their social contributions. Sociological theories are used to explain how and why social inequality is produced and maintained, and how it affects the well being of individuals and social groups. The course will focus on two general themes. The first deals with the structure of inequality while studying the unequal distribution of material and social resources (e.g., prestige, income, occupation). The second examines the processes that determine the allocation of people to positions in the stratification system (e.g. education, intelligence, parental wealth, gender, race). Class size: 18

15381

SOC 121 Environment and Society

Peter Klein

. T . Th .

4:40pm-6:00pm

OLIN 203

SSCI/DIFF

Cross-listed: Environmental & Urban Studies, Human Rights, Science, Technology & Society The world’s environmental problems and their solutions are not merely technical. These are profoundly social issues as well. Beyond identifying the growing list of today’s environmental difficulties, this course will challenge students to critically assess the relationship between society and the environment at local and global scales. We will do so by examining three topics that are central to environmental sociology. First, the course explores how people collectively understand and frame environmental issues. In other words, how do we know an environmental issue when we see one? Second, we will examine how the natural world and its changes shape social organization, the distribution of power, and decision-making. Third, we will analyze how social structures, political and economic institutions, and individual human actions produce and respond to environmental change. Students will learn about the unequal distribution of the benefits and burdens of environmental change, as well as the ways that people are responding to the many contemporary environmental challenges. Class size: 22

15448

SOC 213 Sociological Theory

Sarah Egan

M . W . .

10:10am- 11:30am

RKC 103

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 thereby 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, JurgenHabermas, 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

15380

SOC 236 Wealth

Yuval Elmelech

. T . Th .

3:10pm-4:30pm

OLIN 205

SSCI/DIFF

Cross-listed: American Studies, Global & Int’l Studies The objective of the course is to explore the roots and consequences of the immense concentration of personal wealth in advanced industrialized nations. To this end, we will begin with an overview of the classic literature on elites and the ruling class. We will then examine institutional, social and cultural explanations for wealth creation, and explore the link between family background and privilege. Finally, we will assess the extent to which the wealthy and those less privileged differ in their work experiences, personality traits, social networks and consumption patterns. Topics also include the portrayal of wealth and poverty in the media, the “one percent” and how they acquire their fortunes, the wealth-happiness paradox and the role of luck in economic success. Class size: 22

15437

SOC 262 Sexualities

Allison McKim

M . W . .

3:10pm-4:30pm

OLIN 204

SSCI/DIFF

Cross-listed: Gender & Sexuality Studies; Human Rights; Related interest: Science, Technology & Society Although sexuality is often considered to be inherently private and individual, this course examines sexuality as a social phenomenon. It asks how sexual identities and social categories of sexuality come to be and how they are maintained or changed over time. It examines how historically specific social contexts shape the meaning of sexual experiences and how we use sexuality to define ourselves, produce social hierarchies, and mark moral boundaries. We will begin with an introduction to theories of sexuality and consider the essentialist / constructionist debate. Then we use a historical perspective to look at the social institutions that help to produce, construct, and control sexual practice and identities, paying special attention to the role of gender, race, and class inequality. This will provide a basis for looking at the development of modern sexual communities, identities, and politics, including controversies over commodified sexuality and feminist debates about prostitution and pornography. Throughout the course will consider the important role of gender in the social organization of sexuality. We will also address how these social processes shape notions of personal identity and the self. Class size: 22

15449

SOC 266 Sociology of Social Movements

Sarah Egan

M . W . .

1:30pm-2:50pm

HEG 106

SSCI

Cross-listed: Human Rights This course introduces students to the sociological study of social movements. Using historical and contemporary empirical cases from the US and abroad, we will ask and answer questions about the origins, activities, and consequences of movements organized to produce or promote social, political, and cultural change. The course will also consider the intellectual history of the study of social movements, and will include approaches to social movement research from micro level social-psychological accounts, through middle range organizational analyses, and macro-level political process theories. Class size: 22

15431

SOC 332 Seminar on Social Problems

Yuval Elmelech

. . . . F

10:10am- 12:30pm

OLIN 202

SSCI/DIFF

Cross listed: American Studies, Human Rights 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. Fulfills American Studies Junior Seminar requirement. Class size: 15

15160

PSY 220 Social Psychology

Kristin Lane

. T . Th .

11:50am-1:10pm

RKC 101

SSCI

See Psychology section for description.

15541

SOC / HIST 2015 WHEN RACE MORPHED: UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1900 TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA

Joel Perlmann

. T . Th .

4:40pm-6:00pm

OLIN 201

HIST/DIFF

See History section for description.

15450

SOC / PS 353 The End of TRADE UNIONISM

David Kettler

M . . . .

10:10am- 12:30pm

OLIN 101

SSCI

See Political Studies section for description.