[Sociology 11. American Society]
Catalog Number: 3469
Gwendolyn Dordick
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores selected aspects of contemporary American society from a sociological perspective. Topics will include gender, socialization and politics; popular culture and high culture; race and ethnicity; crime and drugs; poverty and homelessness; and the changing suburban landscape. Emphasis on the application of key concepts and approaches in social theory to understanding the workings of our social environment. Readings will focus on major works within each substantive area and will reflect a diversity of methodological approaches.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Counts for introductory concentration requirement.
[Sociology 22. Gender and Work]
Catalog Number: 7997
Barbara F. Reskin
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
An examination of how gender is related to people’s experience at work, with a focus on the U.S. Will address how conceptions of work, skill, and the logic of pay systems are gendered and how these and other factors affect the types of jobs, compensation, and career advancement opportunities of the sexes. Will assess and examine various theoretical explanations for inequaility between the sexes to consider the link between work and family. Will also consider how gender affects relations among coworkers.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Counts for introductory concentration requirement.
Sociology 25. Introduction to the Sociology of Organizations
Catalog Number: 3609
Francie L. Ostrower
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 12
Introduces the sociological study of formal organizations. Surveys basic concepts, emphases, and approaches. Attention given to processes within organizations, as well as to relationships between organizations and their environments. Topics include bureaucracy, leadership and power in organizations, interorganizational networks, and coordination among organizations.
Note: Counts for introductory concentration requirement.
[Sociology 60. Race and Ethnic Relations]
Catalog Number: 4114
Mary C. Waters
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines race and ethnic relations in the United States from a theoretical, historical, and comparative perspective. Explores the emergence of racial and ethnic minorities through such historical processes as colonialism, slavery, and immigration. Studies the current relations among racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Counts for introductory concentration requirement.
Sociology 68. Social Movements
Catalog Number: 0507
Kenneth T. Andrews
Half course (spring term). M., W., (F.), at 12. EXAM GROUP: 5
Explores the origins, dynamics and consequences of social movements from a sociological perspective. Examines a wide range of topics including: emergence of movements, recruitment and leadership, interactions of movements of the media, political elites and the broader public, tactics (e.g. nonviolent direct action, litigation), and the factors contributing to the success and failure of movements. Cases covered include the mobilization of racial and ethnic groups, women’s movements, conservative/right-wing movements and environmental activism.
Note: Counts for introductory concentration requirement. Replaces Sociology 106.
*Sociology 96. Individual Community Research Internship
Catalog Number: 7425
Mary C. Waters
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Fall: W., 7–9 p.m.; Spring: Tu., 7–9 p.m. Students wishing to enroll in this course must attend one of two sessions: Wednesday, February 2 or Thursday, February 3, from 7–9 p.m. in 455 William James Hall.
Community Research Internships give students the opportunity to use the methods and ideas of sociology in the process of learning about and trying to deal with practical problems faced by communities and other social actors in society at large. Students are individually placed with community organizations and agencies where they carry out research on topics of concern to those organizations and agencies. Classwork focuses on instruction in the methods and philosophy of fieldwork.
Note: Specific positions and projects vary from term to term, and are available largely on a first-come, first-served basis to students approved by the Head Tutor. Interested students should consult the Head Tutor’s office about the nature and availability of internships at or before the beginning of the term. Both concentrators and nonconcentrators are welcome to apply.
*Sociology 97. Sophomore Tutorial
Catalog Number: 5079
Kenneth T. Andrews
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged; attendance at first meeting is required. Wednesday, February 2, 3-5 pm.
Introduces concentrators to sociological theory. Aims to give students a critical understanding of selected classic and contemporary theories and to explore the relative merits of these theories from an empirical standpoint. In the first part of the term, students read influential statements about sociological theory and its relationship to research, and learn how researchers construct, evaluate, and modify theory. Readings focus especially on the classical theories of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. In the second part of the term, students read theoretical pieces by contemporary sociologists. Readings focus on works that particularly reflect the theoretical concerns of the earlier classic thinkers.
Note: Required of and limited to concentrators, ordinarily sophomores.
*Sociology 98. Junior Tutorial
Catalog Number: 5943
Mary C. Waters and members of the department.
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Small group research projects centered on common topics that vary by seminar and year. This year’s topics include: Fall: wealth, power, and social diversity (98o); Spring: poverty and homelessness in urban areas (98d); civil society and the voluntary sector in comparative/historical perspective (98k). Recent topics have been on migration; science and society; advancing research and social policies in Afro-America; controversies of ideology and social knowledge; ethnic and racial identity; and sex and race in employment.
Note: Required of and limited to concentrators, ordinarily juniors.
*Sociology 99. Senior Tutorial
Catalog Number: 6237
Mary C. Waters and members of the Department
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
Supervision of theses or other honors projects.
Note: Limited to concentrators, ordinarily seniors. In addition, students of Sociology 99 may also enroll in a fall term only, optional, regularly scheduled weekly group seminar for consultation and discussion about choice of problems, possible data, and research procedures.
Sociology 109. Schooling and Society
Catalog Number: 1481
Aage B. Sørensen
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 13
The social context of educational processes and their influence on inequality of educational opportunity. Includes consideration of the role of family background, race, and ethnicity; the organization of schools; and the organizational differentiation of students into tracks and ability groups. Draws on historical and comparative materials as well as contemporary U.S. studies.
*Sociology 110. Sociological Approaches to Income and Wealth: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 2404
Mariko Chang
Half course (fall term). Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Explores the sociological meaning of income and wealth and the ways in which these socially constructed meanings interact with social and economic behavior. Centered around the questions: In what ways are the economic and the social embedded? How are people’s perceptions of income and wealth shaped by social institutions such as the family, the economy, and the state? What are the sociological explanations for the distribution of income and wealth in society? What are the societal effects of growing or shrinking economic inequality?
Sociology 116. Professions and Disciplines
Catalog Number: 1305
Libby Schweber
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 3. EXAM GROUP: 8
Uses the sociological literature to trace changes in the representaton and organization of professions and disciplines in modern society. Topics include bases of professional authority, professions and ethics, public images, the consequences of bureaucratization, the relation between the professions and the state and different types of knowledge/power relations. Special attention is paid to the cases of medicine, law, and the social sciences in the United States.
[Sociology 122. Topics in Racial and Ethnic Relations: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 7851 Enrollment: Limited to 15
Mary C. Waters
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines race and ethnic relations in the United States from a theoretical, historical, and comparative perspective. Surveys topics such as discrimination, prejudice, ethnic conflict, assimilation, intermarriage, generational change, and identity formation and retention. Current controversies over affirmative action, bilingual education, multiculturalism, and immigration restriction will be considered.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Sociology 124. Social Stratification
Catalog Number: 9219
Mariko Chang
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 12
Examines individual and structural explanations for the generation and maintenance of inequality in the United States and the influence of stratification on individuals and groups. Covers status attainment and social mobility; the allocation of societal rewards according to class, race, and gender; the distribution of educational opportunities and cultural capital; and labor market segmentation by race, ethnicity, and gender.
*Sociology 128. Paradigms of Social Inquiry
Catalog Number: 5979
Kenneth T. Andrews
Half course (fall term). M., W., (F.), at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
Introduces sociological thinking—what is a sociological problem, how to pose one, what alternative answers might be, how to weigh the evidence. Case studies of sociological research and theorizing. Stresses logic and reasoning, not particular statistical methods.
Note: Prerequisite to Sociology 156. Required of Sociology concentrators. For all other students, permission of instructor required.
[Sociology 129. Political Sociology]
Catalog Number: 2495
Kenneth T. Andrews
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
An examination of the sociological approaches to power, politics, and the state. Major topics will include: state formation, revolution, nationalism, warfare, the formation and consequences of major policy initiatives, citizenship and rights, social movements, and the influence of various groups in politics.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
*Sociology 130. The Politics of Illness: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 6220
Jason A. Kaufman
Half course (spring term). Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Integrates contemporary sociological understanding of political processes with an historical understanding of the social development of medicine and the health-sciences. Specific topics of inquiry will include: political struggles over state responses to communicative disease (particularly AIDS); the sociology of scientific discovery; the social transformation of American medicine; the cognitive discovery that microbes cause disease and its ensuing impact on state formation; the role of disease in geo-political (i.e. military) conflict; the network-structure of disease pathology; mental illness and the politics of normalcy; reproductive health and gender politics; poverty, health, and politics; and future crises for the health-sciences infrastructure.
[Sociology 135. The Caribbean Experience in America]
Catalog Number: 7226
Orlando Patterson
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the migratory experiences of Caribbean peoples to the American mainland and their adjustment to American society, politics and culture. Begins with an overview of the different waves of migration of Caribbean peoples from the early l9th century to the present. The experience of different peoples from the region is then explored through case studies focusing on Jamaicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Trinidadians, and Barbardians. Special attention is paid to the economic experiences of these migrants as well as their contributions to American cultural and political life.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
*Sociology 149. Ethnicity: Comparative and Historical Perspectives: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 8242 Enrollment: Limited to 20
Orlando Patterson
Half course (spring term). Th., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 18
Ethnicity has emerged as one of the most important forces in the modern world. It is the source of collective identity, communal solidarity and nation building as well as the inspiration for resistance to colonial domination and dictatorial regimes. It has also been a major source of political, social and economic conflicts throughout the world, in some cases resulting in genocidal wars between groups. The course explores the nature of ethnicity, the main theoretical approaches to the subject, and case studies of ethnic formation and conflict around the world, paying special attention to the relationship between ethnicity and religion, language, racism, and modernization.
*Sociology 150. The Social Underpinnings of Taste
Catalog Number: 4638 Enrollment: Limited to 80
Stanley Lieberson
Half course (spring term). (M.), W., F., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
Examines current empirical and theoretical information about the social factors influencing our tastes. This includes work on naming practices, fashion, art, and pop culture. Considers how tastes are molded and changed by social class, political and social events, age cohorts, and education, as well as internal processes.
*Sociology 156. Quantitative Methods in Sociology
Catalog Number: 8958
Peter V. Marsden
Half course (spring term). M., W., (F.), at 10. EXAM GROUP: 3
Introduces quantitative analysis in social research, including principles of research design and the use of empirical evidence, particularly from social surveys. Descriptive and inferential statistics, contingency table analysis, and regression analysis. Emphasis on analysis of data and presentation of results in research reports.
Note: Required of and limited to Sociology concentrators, ordinarily sophomores.
Prerequisite: Sociology 128.
Sociology 162. Medical Sociology
Catalog Number: 5801
Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 13
Explores current topics in medical sociology, including the work of doctoring, the experience of illness, and the social distribution of health needs and health resources. Examines how medical knowledge, practice, research, and technology are culturally shaped and institutionally organized. Primarily focuses on biomedicine as a cultural system in North America; however, comparative illustrations are drawn from international medicine.
Sociology 163. Socialism and Sociology
Catalog Number: 1448
Peter M. Beilharz (LaTrobe University)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 13
Tracks the connections between theories and practices of socialism as a countercurrent in modernity from Marx to Bauman. Beginning with Bellamy and the field of utopia, revisits the idea of socialism in Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, proceeding through Bolshevism, Fabianism and Social Democracy. Examines Australian and American traditions and their outcomes, and attends to the Sombart Question of why there in no socialism in America? Includes questions of romanticism and progressivism, localism and internationalism as impulses within socialist traditions and labor movements, and questions of what comes after socialism.
[*Sociology 165. Science and Culture: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 3274 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Libby Schweber
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The last decades witnessed radical changes in the ways in which scholars think about science and culture. These include a shift from the study of high culture and ideas to the study of material culture, practices, and power. This course uses an examination of the parallel development of the Sociology of Science and Cultural Studies to examine these developments. Introduces students to key approaches—including cultural materialism, the Birmingham school, the strong program, the cultural studies of science and postmodernism. Uses this analysis to reconsider the intellectual issues at stake in the “Science Wars” and “Culture Wars.”
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Sociology 166. Poverty, Public Policy, and Controversy]
Catalog Number: 8460
Christopher Winship
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Investigates social controversies in the 1990s: how society should respond to poverty, welfare, out of wedlock births, homelessness, crime and drugs. Examines how particular responses are shaped by values and policy issues; special emphasis on what social science research has learned about poverty and related behaviors, and how such knowledge has been incorporated into the public discourse.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[*Sociology 168. Sociology of Law: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 8326
Kenneth T. Andrews
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines law from a sociological perspective. Particular attention will be given to the historical patterns that have shaped law as a social institution and profession. The relationship of law to politics, culture, and the economy will be studied. Specific topics include the role of law in shaping gender, work, race/ethnicity, and social inequality.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
*Sociology 181. Contemporary Australian Society: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 4767
Peter M. Beilharz (LaTrobe University)
Half course (fall term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Establishes and examines images and realities of Australia, working through popular and high cultural representations, political economy, and culture, and focusing on the twentieth century. Begins with problems of exploration and imperialism and the “new world experience”; shifts to Federation in 1901 via the “Social Laboratory”, the wage earners’ welfare state, protection and laborism. Examines the transformation of these institutions of historic settlement consolidated after the 1940s finally under Labor into the 1980s and Liberals into the 1990s. Explores the nature of civil society in modern Australia, its achievements and dark sides, and its responses to globalization or cross-cultural traffic between the antipodes and the United States.
[*Sociology 183. Prejudice, Politics, and Society: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 1686 Enrollment: Limited to 20
Lawrence D. Bobo
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course develops a sociological analysis of the part that race, as well as racial and ethnic prejudice, plays in politics and larger social dynamics. Models developed in social psychology and political science are also considered in detail. Specific topics of interest include public opinion, voting, and policy making with respect to issues directly concerned with race such as affirmative action, minority electoral representation, and immigration. Also examined is whether similar dynamics influence the politics of crime, welfare reform, and general social spending.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Sociology 184a. The Origins of Freedom]
Catalog Number: 0478
Orlando Patterson
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the origins, meaning and social significance of freedom in the ancient and medieval West. Attempts to understand the nature of freedom by examining what it has meant to different classes of persons through the major periods of the pre-modern West. Special attention is given to the role of slavery, political and class conflict, and gender relations, as well as Christianity, in the formation and use of freedom as an ideology. The course strongly emphasizes the interplay of socio-economic forces and ideas through analysis of selected primary texts and secondary sources.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[Sociology 184b. Freedom and Society in the Modern World]
Catalog Number: 4506
Orlando Patterson
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A comparative and historical examination of the meanings and experiences of freedom from early modern times to the present. Freedom is viewed and treated less as an idea and more as a cultural chord with institutional implications. The course examines the ways in which social context and political conflicts led to the reconstruction of the medieval heritage of freedom during critical periods of Western history from renaissance Florence down to contemporary America. It concludes with an overview of the spread of freedom in the non-Western world, and the problems of reconciling it with development strategies and traditional values.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
*Sociology 186. Comtemporary European Social Theory: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 7908
Libby Schweber
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Examines recent approaches to social theory with special focus on the problems of culture and structure, power and knowledge, processual models and the transition from modernity to post-modernity. Authors to be covered will include: Zygmut Bauman, Frederik Barth, Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, and Norbert Elias.
Prerequisite: Sociology 97, Social Studies 10 or equivalent.
*Sociology 188. Lines that Divide: Race, Class, Gender, and Ethnicity in the Ethnographic Tradition: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 6496 Enrollment: Limited to 25
Katherine Newman (Kennedy School)
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
The ethnographic tradition in sociology — its methods, substance, and theoretical contributions — will be explored through the intensive reading of qualitative literature on African-American communities in poverty, working and middle class families in the throes of economic change, elites confronting meritocratic ideologies, women and men contending with changing definitions of gender roles, and ethnic groups struggling to define the meaning (or loss of significance) of their national origins. Race, class, gender, and ethnicity will be examined as theoretical constructs, sources of division, and avenues of potential integration in American culture. Attention will be given to methods of data collection, analysis, and argument in community studies.
[*Sociology 189. Culture and Race in the Development of American Society: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 5208
Orlando Patterson
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The role of culture in the development and continuing crisis of race in America is an extremely controversial subject. This course will attempt to clarify the crucial issues in the use of culture as a mode of explanation. We will examine the role of race and culture in the development of American civilization from the period of slavery to the present, and the ways in which cultural factors both enhanced and constrained opportunities for, and the internal resources of, African-Americans.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
*Sociology 192. Elites and Organizations: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 2408 Enrollment: Limited to 15
Francie L. Ostrower
Half course (fall term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Examines basic themes and approaches in the study of social elites, considering the structure, culture, power, and transformation of elite groups. Particular attention is given to the relationship between elites and organizations, including the organizational bases of elite power, the impact of elites on organizations, leadership and organizational change, boards of directors, elites and interorganizational relations, the relationship between social class and organization, and informal elite social organization and bureaucracy. Examines current views about place of the “elite” and “upper class” concepts, as well as recent directions in elite research.
[*Sociology 194. Civic Engagement in American Democracy: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 8128 Enrollment: Limited to 15
Theda Skocpol
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Reviews theoretical debates and current research about changing patterns of civic engagement, political participation, and group activity in U.S. democracy. Examines historical patterns and transformations since the 1950’s. Case studies will be examined, including fraternal associations, the PTA, labor movements, the Civil Rights and environmental movements, the AARP, and the Christian Coalition. Each member will do research, defining a new project or continuing one already underway.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. For juniors, seniors, and graduate students.
[*Sociology 203b. Methods of Quantitative Sociological Research II]
Catalog Number: 1860
Aage B. Sørensen
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Treats longitudinal design and methods for the statistical analysis of longitudinal data with an emphasis on the analysis of change in discrete variables, or event history analysis. Includes an introduction to time series analysis. Both statistical theory and practical applications will be covered.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Intended primarily for graduate students in Sociology.
Prerequisite: Sociology 203a.
[*Sociology 203c. Analysis of Categorical Data]
Catalog Number: 2951
Christopher Winship
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Provides an introduction to methods for the multivariate analysis of categorical data. Covers loglinear analysis for the applied practitioner. Additional topics include logit and probit analysis, models for ordinal data, multinomial and conditional logit models, path analysis for categorical variables, and latent class analysis. Emphasis on empirical applications in the social sciences.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Prerequisite: Sociology 203a or permission of instructor.
*Sociology 204. Sociological Theory: Seminar
Catalog Number: 6189
Libby Schweber
Half course (fall term). M., 10–12. EXAM GROUP: 3, 4
A survey and critical analysis of 19th century social theory. The aim of the course is to introduce students to “classical” authors and to the use and interpretation of social theory. Authors include Comte, Mill, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. Readings examine their notions of law, explanation and causality; their theories of modernity and their moral/political projects for sociology.
Note: Required of first-year graduate students in Sociology.
*Sociology 207. Gender and Sexuality: Seminar
Catalog Number: 4080
David J. Frank
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Argues that “gender” and “sexuality” are neither fixed in reality nor free floating in space but rather institutionalized in a limited set of dynamic cultural and organizational arrangements, such as the state and science. The configuration of these arrangements sets the boundaries within which gender and sexuality have meaning and motivate action in society at large.
*Sociology 208. Contemporary Theory and Research: Seminar
Catalog Number: 6080
Aage B. Sørensen
Half course (spring term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Develops tools for the construction of sociological theory. Compares major contemporary sociological theories and their applications to the study of social organization. Emphasis is placed on adjudicating among competing explanations based on evidence and critical assessment of a theory’s logic.
Note: Required of and limited to first-year graduate students in Sociology.
*Sociology 209. Qualitative Social Analysis
Catalog Number: 1198
Francie L. Ostrower
Half course (spring term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Examines the main approaches and methodological assumptions in the analysis of non-numerical data by comparative, interpretive, and historical sociologists. Reviews methods of linking and presenting varied data bases and main criteria for establishing validity and reliability in the analysis of field notes, archival, published, and other kinds of qualitative data.
Note: Required of and limited to first-year graduate students in Sociology.
*Sociology 210. Issues in the Interpretation of Empirical Evidence: Seminar
Catalog Number: 2882
Stanley Lieberson
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Special problems occur in the interpretation of results based on non-experimental data — whether they are from surveys, historical research, field work, or other sources. These issues apply to both quantitative and qualitative studies, and are different from those resolved through statistical solutions. We consider the assumptions employed, their appropriateness, and various solutions.
[*Sociology 212. Methods of Historical Macroanalysis ]
Catalog Number: 3236
Theda Skocpol
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Surveys methods and practices of historical and comparative-historical research in sociology and political science, using exercises and discussions of a variety of contemporary studies. Critically examines the relationships among questions for investigation, research design, and sources of evidence. Various styles of empirical research will be considered. Participants may use this course as occasion for developing research designs for their own projects.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01. Open only to graduate students.
*Sociology 220. Globalization: Seminar
Catalog Number: 0150
David J. Frank
Half course (fall term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Argues that globalization is pervasively consequential for contemporary social life. Begins by exploring the substance of globalization, its origins and its economic, political, and cultural dimensions. Then looks at globalization’s consequences, particularly for nation-states, organizations, and persons.
[*Sociology 221. Immigration, Identity and Assimilation: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 9699 Enrollment: Limited to 15
Mary C. Waters
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the experiences of immigrants who have arrived in the United States since 1965 and their children--the second generation. Patterns of economic, political, and social assimilation, as well as ethnic identity formation will be reviewed. Recent theories and empirical research on the link between identity and economic assimilation will be discussed.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
*Sociology 224. Organizational Analysis
Catalog Number: 8202
Peter V. Marsden
Half course (fall term). M., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Surveys sociological perspectives on organizations and environments. Reviews classical and contemporary theories of bureaucracy and organization-environment relations. Attention to perspectives including ecological, institutional, resource dependence, transaction-cost, agency theory, learning theory, and organizational culture. Examination of phenomena at mutiple levels from the establishment to the organizational network or field.
[*Sociology 227. Political Sociology: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 6042
Kenneth T. Andrews
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the field of political sociology including the theoretical and programmatic statements of classical theorists and recent debates in the field. A wide range of substantive topics will be covered including the state and economy, revolution and warfare, social inequality and policy, democracy and political participation, social movements and interest groups.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[*Sociology 232. Social Movements: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 1333
Kenneth T. Andrews
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduces major theoretical approaches to the study of social movements and explores central topics of contemporary research including protest cycles, the social and cultural basis of movement participation, countermovements, repression and the state, the internal organization of movements, and the consequences of movements. Illustrative studies will be examined to reflect on the strengths and limitations of various approaches.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[*Sociology 239. Racial Identity, Politics, and Public Policy: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 3877
Lawrence D. Bobo
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will examine theory and research on the contemporary dynamics of race and ethnicity in an increasingly multicultural U.S. Topics to be covered will include work on racialization and racial formation; whiteness and white identity; identity formation and change among Blacks, Latinos, and Asians; disputes among and between racial minority groups (e.g., African-American and Korean-American conflict); political disputes over welfare reform, affirmative action and immigration policy; and the modern identity based challenges for progressive political coalitions. Course materials will span research by sociologists, political scientists, and social psychologists.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
*Sociology 249. Race and Public Policy: Seminar
Catalog Number: 5727
Orlando Patterson
Half course (fall term). Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
The seminar will examine the socio-economic and cultural dimensions of racial inequality in the United States. Both the external and institutional factors accounting for inequality as well as the internal problems of black social life and culture will be examined. We will also explore the political and economic consequences of various policies aimed at reducing inequality such as affirmative action. Particular attention will be given to family structure and gender relations and to the policies relating to them. All points of view will be considered.
[*Sociology 250. Culture: Current Issues in the Study of Taste: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 4641
Stanley Lieberson
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Reviews and evaluates both theoretical and empirical efforts to understand the social context in which tastes operate in daily life. Focus is on existing debates and new directions in this area. Although not required, students can use the seminar to develop their current projects in this area, or to develop new ones.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
[*Sociology 251. Gender and Organizations: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 4645
Barbara F. Reskin
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the role of gender in work organizations, with an emphasis on current research. Considers the effects of organizational practices on women’s and men’s work opportunities and rewards, factors that affect organizations’ sex composition, and the effects of sex composition of organizational outcomes.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing and a graduate level class in multivariate statistics.
[*Sociology 255. Social Stratification: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 3839
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Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines recent research by sociologists and economists on how family background, race, gender, cognitive skills, schooling, age, and experience affect economic status. Also contrasts economic and sociological explanations for the overall level of economic inequality.
Note: Expected to be given in 2000–01.
Prerequisite: Sociology 203a or equivalent.
*Sociology 265. New Institutionalism in Asia: Seminar
Catalog Number: 5507
Ezra F. Vogel
Half course (spring term). Th., 4–6.
Explores the nature of new institutions in Asia above the level of nation state, including formal organizations like APEC and ASEAN, new intellectual communities formed by various specialists from different Asian countries, and links between NGOs.
*Sociology 271. Sociology of Culture
Catalog Number: 5401
Jason A. Kaufman
Half course (fall term). Th., 7–9 p.m.
A review of contemporary themes and approaches in the sociology of culture. Topics will include theories of media and mass society; high-brow and low-brow in cultural consumption; class, culture, and power; the production of culture; neo-institutionalism and the dissemination of schema; culture and cognition; incorporating culture in macro-theories of social change; and current methodological strategies for the empirical study of cultural processes.
*Sociology 275. Social Network Analysis
Catalog Number: 6899
Peter V. Marsden
Half course (spring term). M., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 9
Teaches concepts and methods for studying social structure in terms of social relationships or social networks. Approaches to collection of network data; issues of data quality; analysis of total network data via graph-theoretic techniques, multidimensional scaling, block models and related methods; analysis of survey network data on interpersonal environments of individuals.
*Sociology 290. Sociological Field Methods
Catalog Number: 4613
Gwendolyn Dordick
Half course (fall term). W., 12–2. EXAM GROUP: 5, 6
An intensive exploration of strategies, practices, and problems in the sociological investigation of natural settings with a principal focus on gaining practical experience in the field. In addition to smaller excercises, students will complete two significant research projects. Classroom time will be spent analyzing and debriefing issues that arise in the course of conducting these projects.
Note: Open to all graduate students 2nd year and above.
*Sociology 296a. Proseminar on Inequality and Social Policy I
Catalog Number: 6231 Enrollment: Limited to 18
Christopher Jencks (Kennedy School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Deals with the causes of economic inequality, including demand for various kinds of skills, the supply of such skills, cultural differences, political attitudes, political institutions, and living arrangements.
Note: Jointly offered with the Kennedy School as HLE-511.
*Sociology 296b. Proseminar on Inequality and Social Policy II
Catalog Number: 0193 Enrollment: Limited to 18
Christopher Jencks (Kennedy School)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 2:30–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Deals with the reasons for changes in economic inequality, including changes in the supply and demand for skills, employment patterns, living arrangements, residential segregation by race and class, discrimination against women and minorities, immigration, the growth of the welfare state, and recent changes in welfare regulations.
Note: Jointly offered with the Kennedy School as HLE-512.
*Sociology 297. Workshop on Social Policy
Catalog Number: 0137
Katherine Newman (Kennedy School)
Half course (fall term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Students who have completed Sociology 296a or 296b may enroll in this workshop where they will develop their papers from the previous year’s course into professional presentations and publishable articles, critique fellow student papers across disciplines, and discuss at length the presentaiton of national experts who appear in the seminar on inequality and social policy.
Note: Jointly offered with the Kennedy School as HLE-513.
Prerequisite: Sociology 296a or 296b (or HLE-511 or HLE-512 at the Kennedy School) or by permission of Instructor.
*Sociology 301. Special Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 4017
Kenneth T. Andrews 3604, Peter M. Beilharz (LaTrobe University) 2146, Daniel Bell 1594, Lawrence D. Bobo 2919 (on leave 1999-00), Mariko Chang 1563, Gwendolyn Dordick 3011, David J. Frank 1893, Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good (Medical School) 7721, Christopher Jencks (Kennedy School) 2160, Jason A. Kaufman 2147, Stanley Lieberson 1937 (on leave fall term), Peter V. Marsden 1797, Katherine Newman (Kennedy School) 2651, Francie L. Ostrower 2591, Orlando Patterson 1091, Barbara F. Reskin 3640 (on leave 1999-00), Libby Schweber 3018, Theda Skocpol 1387, Aage B. Sørensen 7967, Ezra F. Vogel 2273 (on leave fall term), Mary C. Waters 1498, and Christopher Winship 3189
*Sociology 302. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 5021
Members of the Department
Members of the Department and others listed under Sociology 301 direct doctoral dissertations.
*Sociology 305. Teaching Practicum
Catalog Number: 0259
Mary C. Waters 1498 and staff
Half course (fall term). F., 2–4.
Note: Normally limited to Teaching Fellows and Section Leaders in Sociology. Attendance at first meeting is required.
*Sociology 306r. Colloquium in Sociology
Catalog Number: 4818
Libby Schweber 3018 and Christopher Winship 3189
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). F., 12–2.
A seminar for advanced graduate students that provides a forum for presentation of their research, especially dissertation research. Only graduate students in sociology may register for credit. Students registered for credit must make a seminar presentation during the term.
*Sociology 310r. Colloquium in Social Movements, Politics, and Religion
Catalog Number: 1316
Kenneth T. Andrews 3604
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Bi-weekly colloquium for graduate students that examines social movements, politics and religion. Students will participate in meetings and present original research.