21. Introduction to Political Sociology
22. The Sociology of International Development
23. Social Movements
25. Democratization in Developing Countries
27. Organizations in Society
28. Health Care and Health Care Policy
29. The Sociology of Work
30. Deviance and Social Control
31. Youth and Society
32. Meanings of Home
33. Self and Society
46. Constructing Black Womanhood
47. Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.
48. Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
49. Special Topics Courses: Islamic Fundamentalism, Stratification, Crossing Over: Latino Roots and Transitions, Citizenship in the Modern World, Nationalism and Society, Sociology of Consumer Culture
09F: 10A
This course examines the relationship between the social and political order with a view towards identifying and examining how politics is shaped by other events in societies and in turn shapes them. Readings and discussions will focus on the close connection between the political arena and its actors and social institutions. Attention is given to sociological aspects of the family, communities, economic institutions, and political parties. Special emphasis is placed on the dynamics of political power, participation, socialization, communication, and recruitment. Dist: SOC; WCuIt: W. Dixon
09S, 10S: 12
This course will introduce students to the major sociological perspectives on economic and political development, with emphasis on developing countries. Among the views to be considered are modernization, which assumes that later developing countries will follow paths once traveled by today's advanced countries; and dependency and world system theories, which view the integration of less developed countries into the world market as problematic and, under certain conditions, even disadvantageous. We will test these theories by applying them to specific cases. A major part of the course will focus on the economic miracle of East Asian countries, as well as cases that have not been so successful. Other important topics to be studied include the influence of states, markets, and multinational corporations in economic development; the relationship between different modes of development and income distribution; and political development and the prospects for democratization. Open to all classes. Dist: INT. Parsa.
Not offered in the period 08F through 10S
This course focuses on the origins and role of social movements in shaping the structure of contemporary societies. After examining theories of social movements, we will apply them to the American civil rights movement and to revolutionary movements in developing countries. Finally, we will explore the causes of revolutions in Iran, Nicaragua, and the Philippines, and explain the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, revolutionary socialism, and democracy in these three countries. Open to all classes. Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Parsa.
09S, 10S: 10
The road to democratization in most countries in recent years has been marked by large-scale social movements. This course will begin with an examination of various theories of democracy and democratization . It will specifically analyze the role of class, culture, ideology, and religion in the democratization process. Finally, we will apply the theories to the three cases of South Korea, Indonesia, and Iran, three countries with mixed successes. Open to all classes. Dist: INT; WCuIt: NW. Parsa.
10F: 10
Much of modern life takes place within a wide variety of complex, formal organizations, from multi-national corporations, to churches, from social service agencies to volunteer organizations. In this course we will learn about the structure, internal processes, and environments of different forms of organization. Our focus is on sociological theories and empirical research, from a macro-sociological perspective. Our objective will be to learn about how organizations work, as well as to gain an understanding of the impact of organizations on society and in our lives. Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Anthony.
Not offered in the period 08F through 10S
This course examines the health care system in the United States, focusing on the roles and operations of health care institutions and providers. The objective throughout the course is to develop a comprehensive and critical perspective on current fields and issues in medical sociology. The course consists of five sections, progressing from macro-level to micro-level analyses of the delivery of health care, and returning to the macro-level to discuss recent policy changes and debates in the health care system. Dist SOC; WCult: W. Anthony.
10W: 12
This course examines the sociological dimensions of work, occupations, and employment relations. Specific topics may include: the structure of work, historical and contemporary changes in the organizational context of work, ways in which work both creates and reflects social divisions, occupations and professions, occupational socialization and choice, and the intersection of work and family. Hollister
09S: 12
Students of society seem always to have been fascinated with explaining why some members deviate from commonly accepted rules. This course examines the major sociological explanations of deviance. We will explore the identification of certain behaviors as deviant, the process of becoming deviant, the management of a deviant identity, and the development of deviant subcultures. The course concludes with an examination of societal reactions to and the treatment of deviance and deviants. Examples of deviant and social control activities that may be considered include prostitution, religious cults, youth gangs, witchcraft, the handicapped, and asylums. Open to all classes. Dist: SOC; WCuIt: W. King.
10S: 2A
This course is designed to acquaint students with selected sociological concepts, theories, and their applications to problems in the sociology of developing adolescents. We will focus on a few topics in the field providing the opportunity to analyze some highly controversial issues in a systematic and rigorous manner, and examine areas of current research interest and activity. Major topic areas include theories of achievement and educational attainment, tracking, peer interaction, minority youth, girls, adolescent sexuality, and identity. Herman.
Not offered in the period 09F through 11S
This course is an exploration of the economic, cultural, social and political dynamics of "home" in contemporary U. S. society. The concept, "home" invariably invokes multiple and sometimes conflicting ideas -- a physical dwelling, family, economic property, birthplace, nationality, environment, haven, etc.. We speak of "home sweet home," "dream home," "home is where the heart is," "sweet home Alabama" "homeland," "there's no place like home," and "homies." In the course, we will consider the home as a social context that profoundly shapes our personal and collective identities, gender roles and interpersonal relationships, class status and divisions, racial-ethnic memberships and conflicts, plus values and political ideals. The course will emphasize the homestead as economic property and the implications of its location, design, artifacts and domestic lifestyles for the cultivation of model subjects, consumers or citizens. Theoretical, empirical and interpretative materials in the course may touch on subjects as varied as housing and home ownership, shopping and hyperconsumption, food & kitchen culture, family values and the modeling of marriage and family life, the home improvement industry, and home and self makeovers on reality television. Dist: SOC. WCult: W. King
09S, 10S: 2A
Social psychology is the study of the relationships between the individual and society. It is an interdisciplinary field to which the work of sociologists, psychologists, and occasionally scholars from other disciplines is relevant. This course introduces students to social psychology primarily from a sociological perspective. The course will examine the theoretical perspectives that have been used to study social psychology. It will also explore empirical research that has been done to examine these theories. Moreover, it will provide opportunities for students to explore particular social psychological issues in greater depth both within and across particular social psychological perspectives. Finally, the course will show why sociology is important for social psychology and why social psychology is important for sociology. In sum, this course is a general survey of the field that enables students to develop a critical but constructive sense of the theoretical and methodological issues in social psychology, and an understanding of the relevance of social psychology for other aspects of sociology. Dist: SOC. Lively.
Not offered in the period 08F through 10S
This course is a critical examination of the historical and contemporary status of black women in the United States, as presented in fiction, primary accounts, and social science literature. We will explore the nature, extent, and consequences of the multiple discriminations of race, sex, and class, as the context in which these women shaped their social roles and identities within the black community and the larger society. We will consider the themes of family, motherhood, and sexuality; educational, economic and political participation; aesthetics and religious traditions; self and social images. Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. King.
United States. Its primary objective to question contemporary racial assumptions and enable students to think critically about how race, ethnicity, and diversity are constantly being constructed around and through themselves. Over a century ago W.E.B. DuBois wrote that "the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line" (1903). In the first decade of the 21st century, race remains one of the most salient features of the American experience and social geography. News of racial tensions, racial disparities in the quality of life, racial divides in public opinion, and beatings and killings based on racial animosity continue to surface regularly. The underlying message seems to be that race is conflict and if we want a good society, whether national or local, we should avoid the subject or at the very least, deflect it in favor of discussing ethnicity and social class instead. The purpose of this course is to understand this state of affairs and to question the future of racial and ethnic diversity in this country. Dist: SOC; WCult:
09S: 10
This course examines twentieth-century immigration to the United States. This course pays special attention to issues of race and ethnicity. The course begins with a brief history of US immigration and then thematically covers specific topics such as economic impacts and costs, social mobility, citizenship, transnationalism, assimilation, and religious issues and their relationship to the immigrant experience. We highlight differences within and between Latino, Asian, and European groups throughout the course. The class will be a combination of lectures, discussions, and video/film presentations. Class members are expected to have read material thoroughly and be prepared to discuss readings in class. On occasion students will be asked to present readings to the class and prepare discussion questions. Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Wright.
09F: 3A 10W: 10, 10A 09F: 3A
09F: 10A
Capitalism in the last five centuries generated great wealth and prosperity in Western societies. In the last few decades, capitalism assumed a global character affecting social and economic life of the vast majority of the people in the world. Yet, capitalism has also been plagued by economic decline and failures, causing massive human suffering. This course will study the nature of capitalism, sources of prosperity and crisis, inequality in distribution of economic and political power. Parsa
11W: 10
Social stratification refers to the unequal distribution of socially valued resources such as wealth, prestige, and power, across different groups in society. This course examines sociological research on the extent of these inequalities, how they are generated, and the consequences they bear. With an emphasis on historical and contemporary patterns of inequality in the United States, specific topics may include: wealth and income inequality; poverty; the intersection of class, race/ethnicity, and gender; educational attainment; and social change. Dixon
09X: 10A
This course focuses on the experiences of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban and Central American migrants living in the US. The literature will draw from anthropology and its neighboring disciplines in an attempt to understand the social, political and economic processes that shape the varied experiences of Latino migrants. In doing so, the class will examine Latino migrant experiences in relation to issues such as the changing character of capitalism as an international system, the organizing role of networks and families, changing patterns of gender relations, the emergence of a second generation and the cultural politics of class formation.
09F: 10 10S: 11
Classical research of citizenship investigated the inclusive properties of citizenship as a social institution. The literature discussed in this course has an opposite view of citizenship, which stresses its exclusive dimension. The development of citizenship did not only start as an exclusive political status, it also distributed unevenly between ethnic and other groups occupying the territories of states. In this course, we will discuss the types and mechanisms of the apparent classes/layers of citizenship. Herzog
10W: 2
The western geopolitical imagination maintains that institutions and organizations (the state), culture (the nation), society and the economy must perfectly overlap. Although no state exists in which the four elements truly overlap, as a subjective cultural frame, nationalism still provides a political formula for organizing the world. The clash between the perceived model (nationalism) and the social reality will be the subject of this course. Herzog
10W: 2A
This class introduces the scholarly analysis of consumer culture and encourages critical inquiry through thinking and writing about the key moral, political and practical questions concerning consumer culture. You should develop the ability to express and defend your own opinions of consumer culture as well as to question some of the cultural assumptions that many regard as natural or inevitable. Goodman
