Professors: Norman Fainstein (Dean of the
Faculty), Eileen Leonard, Marque Miringoffab;
Associate Professors: Pinar Batur-VanderLippe, Diane
Harriford, William Hoynes (Chair), Robert McAulay;
Assistant Professors: Seungsook Moon, Leonard
Nevarez.
Requirements for Concentration:
101/2 units, including Sociology 151,
247, 254, 3 units at the 300-level, including Sociology
300a-301b.
After declaration of major, no NRO work is permissible in
the major.
Senior-Year Requirements: Sociology 300a-301b (for
a total of 1 full unit of credit), a senior thesis under the
supervision of a member of the department.
Recommendations: Field Work 290.
Advisers: The department.
I. Introductory
151a or b. Introductory Sociology (1)
An introduction to the concepts of sociology rooted in
the ideas and thinkers of the classical tradition, exploring
their historical meaning and contemporary relevance. The
department.
Open to all classes. Required of majors.
180a. Social Problems (1)
W.E.B. Dubois asserted that the color lines was the
problem for the 20th Century. Is there a similar problem for
the 21st Century? This course examins contemporary social
problems and ways that classical and contemporary
sociologists have chosen to address them.
Sociology 151 is a prerequisite for all intermediate
courses.
206b. Social Change in the Black Community (1)
(Same as Africana Studies 206b)
[208b. Sociology of the Afro-American Family]
(1)
(Same as Africana Studies 208)
Not offered in 2000/01.
[215b. Perspectives on Deviance] (1)
This course analyzes the concept of deviance within a
historical and comparative framework. Various forms of
behavior traditionally labeled as "deviant'' are examined.
Mr. McAulay.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[224b. Race and Ethnicity from a Global
Perspective] (1)
This course is designed to explore diverse approaches to
race, ethnicity and the racial and ethnic experience, and to
provide a comparative analysis of race and ethnicity from a
global perspective. It has two major aims: the first is to
offer a historical perspective and examine theoretical
debates on race and ethnic relations. The second is to
provide current examples from the United States, the Middle
East, Africa, and Asia, to develop insights into the
complexities of race and ethnic relations. Ms.
Batur-VanderLippe.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[234a. Disability and Society] (1)
(Same as Science, Technology and Society 234a) This
course addresses classic and contemporary conceptualization
of disability in modern society. The course begins with
Goffman's concept of stigma, then analyzes the conflict
between the more traditional perspective of disability, as
deviance, and the more modern concept of disability as a
civil rights issue. Public policy analyses will include the
origins of the civil rights movement in section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the passage and
implementation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Finally cultural issues of disability are addressed,
including the arts, literature, and film. Ms. Miringoff.
Not offered in 2000/01.
236b. Women, Men, and Social Change in East Asia
(1)
This course examines meanings and practices of femininity
and masculinity in the context of rapid social change in
East Asia in the twentieth century. Drawing upon case
studies from China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, it
focuses on such sites of social change as work,
marriage/family and popular culture. Its aim is also to gain
critical understanding of the politics of cross cultural
studies that produce Eastern (the self) and Western (the
other) representation of East Asia in various forms of
knowledge produced about the region. Ms. Moon.
Not offered in 2000/01.
240b. Law and Society (1)
Law is analyzed in its social context focusing on the
relationship between law and social control, and law and
social change. Topics discussed include psychiatry and the
law, Blacks and the law, and women and the law. The criminal
justice system is examined in a comparative framework,
emphasizing the role of judges, juries, and particularly
lawyers, in society. Ms. Leonard.
[243a. Birth, Death, and Public Policy]
(1)
(Same as Science, Technology and Society 243a) An
examination of social factors and public policy affecting
birth, death, and population distributions. Special
attention to such issues as contraception, sterilization,
eugenics, genocide, genetic engineering, abortion, and
population control. Coverage includes China's one-child
family program and other international policies. Ms.
Miringoff.
Not offered in 2000/01.
247a. Modern Social Theory: Marx, Durkheim, and Weber
(1)
(Same as Anthropology 247a) This course focuses on a
comparison of the principal assumptions and the central
concepts contributing to the formation of modern social
theory. Readings include selections from Marx, Durkheim, and
Weber. Ms. Leonard.
250a. Sex, Gender, and Society (1)
In the context of general sociological theory, the course
analyzes sex roles in various institutional settings. Topics
include: the effect of social, cultural and scientific
change on traditional notions of male and female; the social
construction of masculine and feminine; implications of
genetic engineering; interaction of sexual attitudes, sexual
practices, and social policy. Ms. Harriford.
254b. Research Methods (1)
Examines dilemmas of social inquiry. On what basis are
sociological generalizations drawn? What are the ethics of
social research? Course includes a critical analysis of
research studies as well as an introduction to and practical
experience with participant observation, interviewing,
questionnaire construction, sampling, experimentation, and
available data. Mr. Nevarez.
256b. Mass Media and Society (1)
This course takes a critical approach to the study of the
production and consumption of mass media, focusing primarily
on the United States. Using case studies, the course
examines the economic and social organization of mass media,
the content of media messages, and the impact various media
have on the public. Topics may include: the political
economy of television, gender and Hollywood film, music
television, competing theories of media spectatorship, the
politics of romance novels, the role of noncommercial media.
Mr. Hoynes.
257b. Class, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity in Asian
American (1)
Communities
Based on sociological theory of class, gender,
race/ethnicity, this course examines complexities of
historical, economic, political, and cultural positions of
Asian Americans beyond the popular image of "model
minorities." Topics include the global economy and Asian
immigration, politics of ethnicity and panethnicity,
educational achievement and social mobility, affirmative
action, and representation in mass media. Ms. Moon.
[258a. Race and Ethnicity] (1)
(Same as Africana Studies 258) An examination of racial
and ethnic minorities in the United States. Focus is on the
social forces behind institutional dominance and minority
group responses, assimilation versus cultural pluralism, and
collective movements for social change. Policy
implementation of affirmative action, busing, I.Q. testing,
genetic screening and birth control. Ms. Harriford.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[259a. Social Stratification] (1)
How social prestige and power are unequally distributed
in various societies of the past and the present. The role
of the propriety of the means of production and of the
military is stressed. The formation of classes as
subcultural units, status symbols, class consciousness and
class struggles are analyzed. Ms. Harriford.
Not offered in 2000/01.
The course consists of a consideration of the nature and
scope of criminology as well as an historical treatment of
the theories of crime causation and the relation of theory
to research and the treatment of the criminal. Ms.
Leonard.
264a. "The Nuclear Cage": Environmental Theory and
Nuclear Power (1)
(Same as Environmental Studies 264) The central aim of
this course is to explore debates about the interaction
between beings, including humans, animals, plants and the
earth within the context of advanced capitalism by
concentrating on the production, distribution, consumption,
and disposal of nuclear power. The first question concerning
the class is how does Environmental Theory approach nuclear
power and its impact on the environment. The second question
deals with how this construction interacts with other forms
of debate regarding nuclear power, especially concentrating
on the relation between science, market and the state in
dealing with nature, and how citizens formulate and
articulate their understanding of nuclear power through
social movements. Ms BaturVanderLippe.
[265b. News Media in America] (1)
This course joins the ongoing debate about the meaning of
press freedom and explores the relationship between news and
democracy. It will examine how the news media operate in
American society and will assess how well the current media
are serving the information needs of citizens. Topics may
include: the meaning of "objectivity," the relationship
between journalists and sources, news and public opinion,
ownership of news media, the relationship between news and
advertising, propaganda and news management, and the role of
alternative media. Mr. Hoynes.
Not offered in 2000/01.
268b. Sociology of Black Religion (1)
(Same as Africana Studies 268 and Religion 268)
270b. Drugs, Culture, and Society (1)
An examination of drug use and its symbolic importance in
American society viewed in light of pertinent historical and
cross-cultural material. Includes discussion of problems
linked with licit and illicit, recreational, social control,
and medicinal use of drugs, as well as with political and
legal dimension of drug controversies. Mr. McAulay.
[271a. Forms of Social Conflict] (1)
An analysis of mass social behavior under conditions of
stress or unpredictability, with special attention to urban
social conflicts. Theorists may include Le Bon, Freud,
Smelser, Coser, Feagin. Case materials may include the 1919
Chicago race riots, the Kerner Commission Report,
Bensonhurst, Howard Beach, Crown Heights, Korean grocer
boycott, L.A. riots. Ms. Miringoff.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[272b. Genocide and Social Theory] (1)
Ralph Lemkin defined a new word, genocide, as a response
to the atrocities of World War II. As a crime against
humanity, this concept has become integral to the
conceptualization of the killing of millions, and massive
total destruction. It has also become synonymous with the
rise of totalitarianism and the dissolution of the
Enlightenment project. As Theodor Adorno asked, "How is
poetry possible after Auschwitz?" This course is an
examination of the complex discourse on genocide, focusing
on debates about understanding the past and preventing
genocide in the present and future. Ms.
Batur-VanderLippe.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[273a. High-Technology and Society]
(1)
(Same as Science, Technology and Society 273a) Technology
is not distinct from society; indeed, technology embeds,
mediates, and gives meaning to human culture and
organization. Although computers and the internet make this
ever more apparent, humans have always had this relationship
with technology high and low. This course is divided into
three sections. First, we engage classic sociological
understandings of technologies with case studies of assembly
lines, nuclear power, space exploration, and biotechnology.
Next, we address the role of technology in various processes
of globalization. Finally, we focus on how high-technology
has transformed human identity and community. Mr.
Nevarez.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[274a. Urban Sociology: Building the City]
(1)
(Same as Urban Studies 274a) The city is home for many,
but it is also a source of profit, a market for goods and
services, a site of leisure, and an arena of power. As these
environments combine to constitute the city, political,
economic, and cultural forces collide, often in conflicting
ways. How this happens, and who wins or loses, sit he
subject of this course. With a comparative and international
focus, we examine the changing roles of urban growth and
development, architecture, and planning, urban social
movements, the natural environment, crime and security,
globalization, and entertainment in the city. Mr.
Nevarez.
Not offered in 2000/01.
281a. Political Sociology (1)
This course investigates the role of politics in society
by focusing on the core sociological debates about the
relationship between the state, capital, and social
movements. Can grassroots movements change state policy or
are state policies determined by ruling elites? We compare
classic debates among class, elite, and pluralist
perspectives with emerging theories rooted in post-modernism
that redefine politics in terms of culture and everyday
behavior. Case studies from the United States and abroad
explore such developments as the rise of conservative
radicalism and the effect of neo-liberal globalization.
282a. Cities and Urbanization in Latin America
(1)
(Same as Geography, Latin American Studies and Urban
Studies 282) This course investigates the role and structure
of the city in the context of Latin America. Beginning with
a brief review of urban theory, we trace the development of
the city from the pre-colonial period through the present
day. Particular attention is placed on the challenges of
rapid urbanization in the late 20th century emerging from
the dependent development patterns of the region, and the
competing role of urban planners and the urban informal
sector.
283b. The Urban Informal Economy in Latin America
(1)
(Same as Latin American/Urban Studies 283) The vast
majority of the poor in Latin American cities survive
outside the formal economic system through casual labor and
self-employment in the informal sector. This course
investigates the role and significance of this sector in the
economic, social and political development of this world
region in the context of globalization. Is it a sign of
stagnation, or an avenue of progress? Is it a product of
exploitation and weakness, or a form of entrepreneurship and
resistance? Theoretical approaches deriving from liberal
modernization theory, neo-Marxist dependency theory, and
world systems theory are applied to the study of specific
case studies. Mr. Cross
284b. Domestic Violence (1)
This course provides a general overview of the prevalence
and dynamics of domestic violence in the United States and
its effects on battered women. We examine the role of the
Battered Women's Movement in both the development of
societal awareness about domestic violence and in the
initiation of legal sanctions against it. We also explore
and discuss, both from a historical and present day
perspective, ways in which our culture covertly and overtly
condones the abuse of women by their intimate partners. Ms.
Callan.
285b. Immigration to the United States The Post-1965
Experience (1)
This course examines the post-1965 wave of immigration to
the United States in light of scholarly perspectives on the
immigration phenomenon. We explore the experiences of recent
immigrant groups, highlighting the causes of immigration,
the diverse characteristics of immigrant groups in
comparison with each other and their historical counterparts
at the turn of the century, the impact of immigration on
native workers and local communities, and the diversity of
modes of incorporation into American society. Ms.
Kaufman.
290a or b. Field Work (1/2 or
1)
Individual project of reading or research. The
department.
May be elected during the college year or during the
summer.
Special permission. Unscheduled.
298a or b. Independent Work (1/2
or 1)
Individual project of reading or research. The
department.
May be elected during the college year or during the
summer.
Special permission. Unscheduled.
Sociology 151 and 1 unit of 200-level work are
prerequisites for all 300-level courses.
300a-301b. Senior Thesis
(1/2)
310b. Comparative Cultural Institutions (1)
This course examines a variety of cultural institutions
including the family, religion, education, politics, and art
within selected societies. Methods of comparative analysis
are examined and applied. Ms. Leonard.
350b. New York City as a Social Laboratory (1)
(Same as Sociology 350b) Topic for 2000/01b: Urban
Poverty and Inequality:
[353a. Sociobiology] (1)
(Same as Science, Technology, and Society 353a) This
course examines ways in which sociobiology and evolutionary
psychology endeavor to explain patterns of human social
behavior in the areas of sex, race, and crime. Key topics
include controversial arguments regarding the biological
basis of gender roles and homosexuality, patterns of
criminal behavior (infanticide, homicide, rape), as well as
racial and ethnic conflict. Discussions also address whether
or not sociobiology is inherently sexist and/or racist, if
evolutionary approaches are conservative or can be
politically progressive, and to what extent a feminist
sociobiology is possible. Recent work on racial differences
(e.g., The Bell Curve, and J. Phillipe Rushton's
Race, Evolution and Behavior) is critically analyzed.
Mr. McAulay.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[356a. Culture, Commerce, and the Public
Sphere] (1)
This course examines the culture and politics of the
public sphere, with an emphasis on the changing status of
public spaces in contemporary societies. Drawing upon
historical and current analyses, we explore such issues as
the relationship between public and commercial space and the
role of public discourse in democratic theory. Case studies
investigate such sites as mass media, schools, shopping
malls, cyberspace, libraries, and public parks in relation
to questions of economic inequality, political
participation, privatization, and consumer culture. Mr.
Hoynes.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[357b. Labor, Work, and Social Change]
(1)
A sociological analysis of how the global economy has
affected the nature of work in modern society. Key issues
include downsizing, the increase in service sector
employment, the contingent economy, the working poor,
sweatshop labor, historical and contemporary issues in labor
union organizing, alienation in the workplace, and the
current debate over workfare. Ms. Miringoff.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[364b. Social Welfare and Social Policy]
(1)
The course examines the social philosophies and social
movements underlying the development of social welfare
policy. Issues include the English Poor Laws, the ideology
of American philanthropy, the Progressive Era, the
Settlement House Movement, the New Deal, the Great Society,
and "The Safety Net.'' International comparisons are also
used throughout. Contemporary problem areas to be examined
include homelessness, hunger, and the "feminization of
poverty.'' Ms. Miringoff.
Not offered in 2000/01.
365a. Class, Culture, and Power (1)
This course examines central debates in the sociology of
culture, with a particular focus on the complex intersection
between the domain of culture and questions of class and
power. Topics include: the meaning and significance of
"cultural capital," the power of ideology, the role of the
professional class, working class culture, class
reproduction, gender and class relations, and the future of
both cultural politics and cultural studies. Readings may
include Gramsci, Bourdieu, Gitlin, Aronowitz, Fiske, Willis,
and Stuart Hall. Mr. Hoynes.
366b. Racism and Intellectuals (1)
Racism is now a global mode of thought, and racial
inequality has become a permanent part of global existence
through the racial ideologies and discriminatory practices
of institutionalized racism. The primary aim of this class
is to explore intellectuals' approaches to race and racism,
to examine the connection between ideological racism and
scientific racism, and the "discourse of confrontation." Ms.
Batur-VanderLippe.
367a. Mind, Culture, and Biology (1)
(Same as Science, Technology and Society 367a)
Increasingly in recent years sociobiology and evolutionary
psychology have emerged at the center of modern sciencebased
opposition to social constructionist and post-modernist
thinking. Nowhere is this challenge more pointed than in the
use of evolutionary approaches to account for patterns of
human culture including standards of beauty, ethical
systems, and religious belief. This course examines and
analyzes basic arguments regarding the biological basis of
deception, self interest, cooperation, and morality.
Advanced topics include the feasibility of Darwinian history
and literary analysis, the study of Judaism as an
evolutionary strategy, challenges posed by evolutionary
thinking to the social construction of gender, as well as
intriguing efforts to synthesize postmodernist and
evolutionary perspectives. Mr. McAulay.
[368b. Toxic Futures: From Social Theory to
Environmental Theory] (1)
The central aim of this class is to examine the
foundations of the discourse on society and nature in social
theory and environmental theory to explore two questions.
The first question is how does social theory approach the
construction of the future, and the second question is how
has this construction informed the present debates on the
impact of industrialization, urbanization, statebuilding and
collective movements on the environment? In this context,
the class focuses on how social theory informs different
articulations of Environmental Thought and its political and
epistemological fragmentation and the limits of praxis, as
well as its contemporary construction of alternative
futures. Ms. BaturVanderLippe.
Not offered in 2000/01.
369b. Social Construction of Race in the U.S.
(1)
This course examines the social construction of race in
the United States from the beginning of the nineteenth
century to the present. The course focuses on changing
racial meanings and identities of specific sociohistorical
groups and the ways in which social institutions interpret
and reinterpret race over time. Contemporary issues
addressed include: the construction of "whiteness," the
making of model minorities, and the emergence of the "mixed
race" category. Readings may include Cooper, DuBois, bell
hooks, Omni and Winant, Gilroy and Roediger. Ms.
Harriford.
382a. Reenvisioning Women in the Third World
(1)
This course examines the forces that have shaped the
lives of women, their willful responses in the Third World,
defined in terms of historical and social conditions rather
than geographical locations. Topics include colonialism,
nationalism, politics of representation and the production
of knowledge in international development, environmental
movement, global factory work, reproductive rights, and the
sex industry in international tourism. Ms. Moon.
[383a. Militarism and Society: A Comparative
Perspective] (1)
This course examines theories of militarism and the
centrality of war and war preparation to the organization of
contemporary societies. Issues include militarism and
economic development, militarism and environment, militarism
and nationalism, the role of the military in organizing
gender and sexuality, feminism and the peace movement, and
militarism in "post-military" society in the West. Readings
include N. Elias, R. Luxemburg, M. Mann, B. Reardon, S.
Rudnick, M. Shaw and M. Weber. Ms. Moon.
Not offered in 2000/01.
388a. Corporate Power (1)
This seminar investigates how business exerts political
power over society. We review the competing theories and
methodologies with which social researchers have explained
the power of business. With minor departures, the course is
divided in two parts. In the first half, we examine
corporate power in the national arena: federal government,
social policy, the workplace, mass media, and so on. In the
second half, we focus on the role of business in community
settings, particularly regarding local government, economic
development, and civic organizations. Mr. Nevarez.
399a or b. Senior Independent Work
(1/2 or 1)
Individual project of reading or research. May be elected
during the college year or during the summer. The
department.
Special permission. Unscheduled.
Anthropology-Sociology concentration, see page
88.
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