50. Sociology of Law (formerly 20) (course
syllabus)
09W: 11
This course will consider the relationship between law and society,
analyzing law as an expression of cultural values, a reflection of social and
political structure, and an instrument of social control and social change.
Complimenting this general perspective will be a more detailed examination of
selected legal institutions, such as the court system, the police, regulatory
agencies, and the legal profession. Readings will include both theoretical
works and empirical studies. Prerequisite: Sociology 1 or 2, or permission of
the instructor. Dist: SOC; WCult: W. King.
51. Prisons: The American Way of Punishment (formerly 31) (course
syllabus)
10S: 12
Prison as a place of confinement, punishment and rehabilitation is the focus
of this survey of the history, philosophies, structure and operation of
corrections in the U. S. The course critically examines the concept of prison
as a total institution and its panopticism as a model of social control that
extends to other social contexts. The course will explore the world of inmates
and their strategies of subcultural adaptations to and resistance against
incarceration; as well as the role of the prison staff. Particular attention
will be paid to how gender, race, economics and politics structure prison
policies and dynamics. Specific topics may include cultural representations of
prison life, implications of current sentencing practices, privatization and
the prison-industrial complex, incarcerated mothers, capital punishment,
juvenile justice, and alternatives to incarceration. Open to all classes. DIST:
SOC; WCult: W. King.
53. Power, Politics, and State (formerly 23) (course
syllabus)
Not offered in the period from 08F through 10S
In response to economic globalization, distrust of government, inequality,
budget deficits, inflation, unemployment and other problems, the United States
experienced a conservative shift in domestic policy during the 1980s and 1990s.
This course explores the political struggles over these problems that led to
the "right turn" in U.S. policy. To that end it explores several theoretical
perspectives and research findings. In particular, the course examines how
political and economic institutions, business, union, citizens, political
elites, think tanks and political parties affected national policy in these
problem areas. To highlight the unique features of the American case we will
occasionally examine how other advanced capitalist countries tried to cope with
similar problems. Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Campbell.
55. Poverty, and Public Policy (formerly 39) (course
syllabus)
09W, 10W: 2A
The most obvious solution to the problem of poverty is to give someone a
job. More than four decades of employment programs have shown, however, that
this is not as easy as it sounds. Recent changes in the economy (downsizing,
globalization, technological change) make this situation even more challenging.
This course examines the past and future of employment policies as poverty
alleviation strategies. It brings together theories of poverty and employment,
an analysis of current trends in the economy, and an overview of past and
current employment programs. Hollister.
57. Identity and Social Interaction of Multiracial Americans (formerly 40)
(course
syllabus)
09S: 10A
The 2000 Census revealed that nearly 4% of youth and 2% of adult Americans
belong to more than one racial category. What are the social, historical, and
biological meanings of the term multi-racial? What are the challenges and
benefits associated with belonging to more than one race group? How do
multi-racial youth negotiate the path to developing a healthy identity
differently than mono-racial youth? How has the social context of race changed
the way multiracial people identify? We will consider how schools, families,
peer groups, and neighborhoods influence the development of biracial Americans.
Herman.
58. Education and Inequality (formerly 24) (course
syllabus)
10S: 10A
This course is a survey of selected sociological concepts, theories,
and their applications to problems in the sociology of education. The
field of sociology of education is too broad to cover in a single quarter
course. Instead we will focus on a few topics in the field. This
focus will provide 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, inequality in school, inequality in the
classroom, school organization, public vs. private: the great voucher debate,
and race. Not open to Freshmen. Prerequisite: one introductory Social Science
course. Dist: SOC. WCult: W. Herman.
60. Dangerous Intersections: Race, Class and Gender (formerly 43) (course
syllabus)
Not offered in the period through 08F through 10S
Race, class or gender have, to varying degrees, traditionally been employed
within the academic disciplines as separate variables or distinct categories of
analysis. Increasingly, however, there are calls for and attempts at
understanding the relationships among systems of race/ethnicity, sex/gender and
class differentiation. Through engaging both theoretical and empirical works,
this course will examine the ways in which the simultaneous and interdependent
dynamics between these systems shape identity formation and life changes,
relationships of marginality and privilege, social continuity and social
conflict. It will critically explore the challenges and advantages of
inersectional analysis in such contexts as play and leisure, economic roles,
sexuality, and law. Dist: SOC. King.
63. Trust in Society (formerly 26) (course
syllabus)
10W: 2
Social Science and popular press literature of the past decade suggests that
trust is the cause of many "good" things, such as the source of group
cooperations, the basis of democracy, the foundation of the market economy, the
source of national economic power, the key, even, to morality itself. Given its
relation to all things good, it is not surprising that some commentators speak
with alarm when they claim that "trust is declining" in society. Is trust
declining? What exactly is trust anyway, and why does it matter? In this course
we explore the concept of trust by reading and discussing theoretical and
empirical research from across the social sciences. Prerequisite: Sociology 1
or 2 and one other Sociology course. Dist: SOC. Anthony.
64. The Sociology of Emotion (formerly 48)
09S, 10S: 10A
Most people think of emotions as a purely internal experience, composed
solely of physiological elements. Recently, however, sociologists have
begun to emphasize and explore the social side of emotion—for example, how
emotions are shaped socially and culturally, how emotions are socially
controlled, and the consequences of emotion for social life. We will
examine these and other sociological aspects of emotional experience in this
course, including exploring current debates about the social functions of
emotions, especially as they pertain to the substantive areas of work and
family. Topics include the social causes of emotion; cultural variations
in feeling and expression norms (especially in regard to love and anger);
changes in American norms over time; the shaping of children’s emotions through
socialization; individual and social techniques of emotion management; the
social distribution of emotional experience; the social functions of emotion;
emotional deviance; and the individual and social consequences of emotional
display. Lively.
66. Markets and Management (formerly 22) (course
syllabus)
09W: 11
What is money? How do people find jobs? Are markets competitive or
cooperative? This course examines these and other questions about how economic
behavior is organized, operates and changes historically. It recognizes that
economic activity is socially organized and guided by political, cultural and
normative as well as economic principles. It explores how economic activity
takes many forms, including groups of small competitive firms, large and
powerful corporations, and diffuse networks of companies tied together through
inter-firm alliances, business associations and other sorts of cooperative and
competitive relations with each other, unions, government agencies and
universities. It examines the organization and operation of different kinds of
markets, different theories of how economic activity is organized, and the
social factors that contribute to economic success or failure. It also
investigates how managers, unions, policy makers and governments are coping
with recent economic challenges, such as those posed by technological change
and the globalization of economic activity. Because this is a course in
economic sociology-not economics-no background in economics is required. Dist:
SOC; WCult: W. Campbell.
68. Global Health Systems (formerly 39) (course
syllabus)
08F: 2
Health care systems are unique to the culture and history of each nation.
However, all face similar challenges. This course examines health systems
across developed and developing nations. Comparisons will be made in terms of:
(a) population health, (b) health care organization, (c) health care financing,
(d) health professionals and their patients, and (e) health system performance
and reform strategies. Understanding how health care is delivered around the
world will lead to a better understanding of the relative merits and
limitations of various systems. The course is structured as a seminar in which
students will be expected to discuss course readings in-depth, as well as
develop and present their own research on specific countries of interest.
Anthony.
69. The Sociology of Globalization (course
syllabus)
10W: 11
The international scope of political, economic, and cultural activity has
increased dramatically during the late twentieth and early twenty first
centuries. But how extensive has the trend toward "globalization" been? Is it
really a new phenomenon? Has globalization changed societies? If so, how? If
not, why not? Are societies becoming more alike because they experience common
globalization pressures or do they retain their unique national
characteristics? This course examines these questions and more. Specifically,
we will look at how globalization has affected business, states, labor
movements, social inequality, social welfare, citizenship rights, the
environment, culture, national security, and other aspects of society. Dist:
SOC or INT. Campbell.
80. Independent Study
All terms: Arrange
By permission of a Sociology Faculty member PRIOR to
registration.
This course offers the qualified student an opportunity to pursue a subject
of special interest, under the direction of a faculty adviser assigned to the
student for periodic (usually weekly) conferences. Ordinarily at least one
formal paper embodying the results of the reading or research is required. In
special situations students may work as a team on a single project.
Occasionally credit may be given in Sociology 80 for a research project done in
an off-campus term, provided arrangements are made well in advance and adequate
off-campus supervision can be assured. Although every effort will be made to
accommodate qualified students desiring to carry an independent study, there is
no guarantee that independent study can be arranged for any given student in
any given term, and preference is given to senior and junior Sociology majors.
Normally no student may take Sociology 80 more than twice during the
undergraduate career.
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