[Sociology 19. Reinventing Boston: The Changing American City]
Catalog Number: 9395
Christopher Winship
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 1–2:30.
American cities have changed in extraordinary ways. Once projected to be doomed to a future of blight and decay, Boston has become a model of urban renaissance. Using Boston as a case, this course considers issues of: technology booms, economic change and inequality, political governance, elite relations, cultural institutions, race and ethnic relations, immigration, gentrification and suburbanization. Weekly guest speakers. Requirements: 3 short group papers and individual term paper.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. May be counted for introductory concentration requirement, if letter-graded.
[Sociology 22. Gender and the Economy]
Catalog Number: 7997
Mary C. Brinton
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Familiarizes students with central issues and theoretical perspectives regarding gender inequality in the workplace. Focuses first on long-term changes in women’s economic participation and in the gendered division of labor as societies undergo processes of industrialization and post-industrialization, then more specifically on the US and on recent changes in workplace inequality and in the family-work interface.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. May be counted for introductory concentration requirement, if letter-graded.
Sociology 24. Introduction to Social Inequality
Catalog Number: 9417 Enrollment: Limited to 25.
Jason Beckfield
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines individual and structural explanations for the generation and maintenance of inequality in the US with comparisons to other societies. The consequences of inequality for individuals and groups are studied.
Note: May be counted for introductory concentration requirement, if letter-graded.
Sociology 25. Introduction to the Sociology of Organizations
Catalog Number: 3609
Frank Dobbin
Half course (fall 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: May be counted for introductory concentration requirement, if letter-graded.
Sociology 43. Social Interaction - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9625
Timothy Nelson (Kennedy School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Drawing from social psychology and symbolic interaction, this course focuses on social interactions, from everyday activities like conversations and parties to demonstrations and riots. Emphasizes outside observation of various kinds and components of social interaction. The University’s resident halls, classrooms, finals clubs, and the cities of Cambridge and Boston will serve as our laboratory. Students will record their observations and analyses in journal entries.
Note: May be counted for introductory concentration requirement, if letter-graded.
[Sociology 60. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity]
Catalog Number: 4114
Mary C. Waters
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines race and ethnic relations in the US 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 US.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. May be counted for introductory concentration requirement, if letter-graded.
[*Sociology 67. Visualizing Social Problems In Documentary Film and Photography]
Catalog Number: 8622
Tamara Kay
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores social problems as they are presented and constructed in documentary film and photography. Topics include crime an deviance, poverty, race and gender inequalities, environmental degradation, immigration, urbanization and globalization, and war and terrorism. Examines a variety of documentary film and photography genres such as historical, biographical, ethnographic, satire, and political expose. Compares the processes by which filmmakers and photographers engage in social documentation.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Limited enrollment. May be counted for introductory concentration requirement, if letter-graded.
*Sociology 95 (formerly *Sociology 96j). Research for Nonprofits
Catalog Number: 0136
Jason Beckfield
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Supports students in carrying out a research project for a nonprofit organization that they are currently working with or have an interest in. Examines how research is used in the nonprofit sector. Course combines guest lectures, discussion, and student project presentations.
Note: There will be a required discussion meeting lasting 1 hour immediately following the course presentation each week. Both concentrators and non-concentrators are welcome to apply. First meeting required. Students should bring a completed copy of the enrollment form (available on the course website) to the first class meeting.
*Sociology 96r. Community Based Research
Catalog Number: 7425
Jason Beckfield
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
One of the few courses at Harvard that integrates students’ participation in activities outside the University with course work. Course integrates readings with hands-on research projects in the Boston area. Topics vary; refer to course website for details. Previous topics have included: immigration, marginalization, adolescents, civic activity.
Note: Both concentrators and non-concentrators are welcome to apply. Required first meeting.
Sociology 97. Tutorial in Sociological Theory
Catalog Number: 5079
Jason Beckfield
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduction to sociological theory, providing a critical understanding of selected classical and contemporary theorists, including Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Parsons, Foucault, Butler, Bourdieu, and Giddens.
Note: Required of concentrators, ordinarily sophomores, and secondary concentrators. Required first organizational meeting, fall term, Friday, September 19 @ 11.
*Sociology 98. Junior Tutorial
Catalog Number: 5943 Enrollment: Limited to 8.
Jason Beckfield, Filiz Garip (spring term), Vani S. Kulkarni (Public Health) (fall term), Michèle Lamont (fall term), Orlando Patterson (spring term), Harold J. Toro-tulla (spring term), Bruce Western (fall term) and Members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). 98K, fall, W., 1-3 pm; 98L, fall, T., 1-3pm; 98W, fall, Th., 3-5 pm. Spring term tutorials by assignment.
Small group research projects centered on common topics that vary by seminar and year.
Note: Required of and limited to concentrators, ordinarily juniors.
Prerequisite: Sociology 97.
*Sociology 99. Senior Tutorial
Catalog Number: 6237
Jason Beckfield and members of the Department
Full course. Fall: W., 5–7 p.m.
Supervision of theses or other honors projects.
Note: Limited to concentrators, ordinarily seniors. In addition, students of Sociology 99 may also participate in a fall term only, optional, regularly scheduled weekly group seminar for consultation and discussion about choice of problems, possible data, and research procedures.
Prerequisite: Sociology 98.
Sociology 109. Leadership and Organizations
Catalog Number: 8260 Enrollment: Limited to 80. Enrollment by lottery.
David L. Ager
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 10.
Focus on the sociological study of leadership emphasizing leadership in organizational settings. Topics covered: how leadership, power, influence, and social capital are interrelated; organizations as complex social systems; politics and personalities in organizational life; organization design and culture; leadership of organizational change and transformation; and creating sustainable organizations.
Note: Open to students in all fields. Course relies heavily on the case study method for learning similar to the approach used at the Harvard Law and Business Schools.
[*Sociology 119. Learning from Social Settings: Observing and Talking to People: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 2570
David L. Ager
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the practice of conducting qualitative research: collecting, analyzing, and interpreting original observational and interview data. Emphasis will be on the development of skills that are employed by academics and practitioners (e.g. consultants, teachers, medical professionals, organizational leaders) to conduct qualitative field research in organizations and other social settings. Specifically the course will focus on negotiating entry, observation and note taking, interviewing, data analysis, and reporting of data.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Sociology 128. Models of Social Science Research
Catalog Number: 5979
Mary C. Waters
Half course (fall term). M., W., (F.), at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
Reviews sociological methods and the questions to which each is best suited. Readings exemplify statistical, ethnographic, and historical approaches. Stresses logic and reasoning, not particular statistical methods.
Note: Required of concentrators, ordinarily Sophomores, and secondary concentrators.
[Sociology 129. Education and Society]
Catalog Number: 6298
Mary C. Brinton
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the key role played by the education system in reproducing and transforming modern society. The course considers what purposes education serves; to what extent factors such ability, effort, intelligence and luck determine educational success; why educational attainment is socially stratifies by social class origin, gender, ’race’ and ethnicity; and how educational attainment and outcomes are shaped by differences in character and quality between and within schools.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Sociology 130. Black Youth Culture] - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 7125
Orlando Patterson
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Sociology 134. Theories of Power and Postcommunist Societies - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0041
Laura L. Adams
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 15
Introductory course in contemporary social theory with thematic focus on the concept of power (broadly defined), and an empirical focus on socialist and post-socialist societies including the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, and Cuba. Each week will pair readings from a particular school or theorist (Bourdieu, Foucault, Gramsci, etc.) with readings by authors who employ that theoretical perspective in their research. Topics covered will include class, colonialism, culture, gender, and resistance.
Sociology 137. Money, Work, and Social Life - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 1589 Enrollment: Limited to 50.
Filiz Garip
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 5
Offer an account of production, consumption, distribution, and transfer of assets. Examining different sectors of the economy from corporations and finance to households, immigrants, welfare, and illegal markets, we explore how in all areas of economic life people are creating, maintaining, symbolizing, and transforming meaningful social relations. Economic life, from this perspective, is as social as religion, family, or edution.
Sociology 140. The Sociology of U.S. Foreign Policy - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 1189 Enrollment: Limited to 60.
Jocelyn Viterna
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Addresses sociological questions about political power and global social change. Students will read a series of case studies describing US actions toward other nations since the World War II, then explore: (1) why the US government chose these actions, (2) how the US public responded, and (3) the consequences of US actions for issues of class, race, and gender in the affected nations. Case studies will be drawn primarily from non-Western regions of the world (Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa), and theories of globalization, development, collective action, transnational norms, elite power, and social psychological decision-making processes will be central to class discussions.
Sociology 145. Urban Social Problems - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8737
Kathryn Edin (Kennedy School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 2. EXAM GROUP: 16
Examines first the process by which social phenomenon come to be identified as social problems, then turns to how sociologists have studied social problems from the beginning of the 20th century and onward. We conclude with a discussion of contemporary social problems in U.S. cities (poverty, family structure, neighborhoods, labor markets, crime, and education), how they are framed, and policy solutions.
Sociology 155. Class and Culture
Catalog Number: 8934
Timothy Nelson (Kennedy School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Examines the intersection of social class and culture--both popular culture and "culture" in the anthropological sense. Focus on "class consciousness" as well as the cultural views of the class system, how social class is embedded in various high and popular cultural products such as art, music books, movies and material goods, and finally the question of how class is reproduced through culture. There will be several short research/analysis projects.
*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.
Sociology 157. Gender and Social Policy: The US in Comparative Perspective: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 3030
Mary Ruggie (Kennedy School)
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Examines the role of various actors and venues (including governments, courts, interest groups, employers) on the development and implementation of policies on health, labor market, family, welfare and violence. Policies in the US are compared with those in selected European countries. Theoretical perspectives are drawn from the literature on the welfare state and feminist legal theory.
Note: Open to undergraduate and graduate students.
Sociology 159. Social Entrepreneurship - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9611 Enrollment: Limited to 60. , by lottery.
David L. Ager
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Focuses on the efforts of private citizens, for-profit and not-for-profit initiatives, to respond to social needs through creative solutions. Topics covered: defining social good, assessing market, philanthropy, and government responses; developing an organizational mission; recognizing specific opportunities for social improvement; forming an enterprise that responds to those opportunities; developing organizational funding strategies; evaluating performance; leading the enterprise; and creating positive and sustainable social value.
Sociology 160. Medicine, Health Policy and Bioethics in Comparative and Global Perspective: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 3456
Mary-Jo Del Vecchio Good (Medical School)
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Complements Sociology 162. Examines the culture and political economy of biomedicine and health care institutions in the US and internationally. Analysis of current debates on medical education and the new professionalism; clinical narratives, the medical imaginary and the biotechnical embrace; cultural diversity, disparities and inequalities in medical and mental health care; medical error and quality of care; just use of societal resources; and bioethical dilemmas in clinical practice, medical missions and interventions, and international research and health policies.
[Sociology 162. Medical Sociology]
Catalog Number: 5801
Mary-Jo Del Vecchio Good (Medical School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores current topics in medical sociology organized around the theme of global and local environments of risk and trust in medicine and health care. Examines how medical education, knowledge, practice, research, technology, and health policies are culturally shaped and institutionally organized. Analyzes the culture and political economy of American medicine through comparative and global perspectives, utilizing country specific illustrations and global health examples.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Sociology 163. Science, Technology & Society - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9293
Claude Rosental
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduces students to the concrete ways in which scientific knowledge and technologies are produced and managed, and to the structures of the relationship between science, technology and society at large. Examines how scientific work and the production of innovations are socially organized. Focuses on the roles of various elements such as institutions, norms, competitive and cooperative practices, material and cognitive cultures, or information technologies. Assumes no prior scientific or technical knowledge.
Sociology 165. Inequalities in Health Care
Catalog Number: 8272
Mary Ruggie (Kennedy School)
Half course (fall term). M., W., (F.), at 3. EXAM GROUP: 8
Asks why certain social groups are at greater risk for more severe health problems (eg., infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, cancer) and yet receive unequal health care in the US. Examines selected health disparities around the world and what best practices foster adequate delivery of healthcare services, mutual respect between patient and provider, and healthy living.
[*Sociology 167. Visualizing Rights and Social Change in Documentary Photography and Film]
Catalog Number: 6911 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Tamara Kay
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores role of documentary photography and film in promoting rights and advocating social change, particularly in the realm of human rights. Examines history of documentary film and photography in relationship to politics and the development of concerns in sociology with inequality and social justice. Looks at how individual documentarians, non-profit organizations and social movements use film and photography to further their goals and causes. A variety of documentary film and photography genres such as historical, biographical, ethnographic, satire, and political expose will be examined and compared to processes by which filmmakers and photographers engage in social documentation.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Sociology 171. Sociology of Crime and Punishment
Catalog Number: 9922
Bruce Western
Half course (spring term). M., W., (F.), at 2. EXAM GROUP: 7
The U.S. penal population now numbers more than 2.2 million people and nearly a third of all African American men will be sentenced to prison at some time in their lives. This course studies these and other crime and criminal justice trends, analyzing them from a sociological perspective. From this perspective crime and state responses to crime are historically variable and often rooted in conflicts over the status of marginal social groups.
Sociology 172. Canada, Quebec & U.S. as Nations of New World - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6652
Gérard Bouchard
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Surveys, through a comparative framework and a mix of theory and empirical analysis, the formation and evolution of these three national cultures over four centuries. An emphasis is put on the collective imaginary as a set of collective myths through which basic and lasting contradictions are (hopefully) overcome. Special attention is also given to the discursive, symbolic strategies designed to build appealing national identities. The lessons will draw on overviews of a large array of publications (literature, political ideologies, historical writings, and the likes).
Sociology 173. Friendly Foes: Canada & Quebec - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3156
Gérard Bouchard
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduces the students to the political and cultural history of Canada and Québec up to the present time, within the North American environment. A major part of the course is devoted to issues like national identity, memory, interethnic conflicts, and the great "American threat". Chief among them, the difficult relationship between Canada and Québec will serve as an analytical background. The movement for Québec sovereignty and the Canadian responses will be addressed.
Sociology 174. Contemporary Central Asian Societies
Catalog Number: 5060
Laura L. Adams
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
A sociological introduction to Central Asia, focusing on Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and also including nearby Muslim societies such as Afghanistan and Xinjiang in Western China. Explores contemporary topics such as religion, politics, civil society, globalization, gender, demography, migration, and culture.
[Sociology 176. Immigration and the Transformation of American Society]
Catalog Number: 5953
Mary C. Waters
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
How are new immigrants and their children being incorporated into the US? How is American society changing as a result of immigration? Examines social, cultural, economic, political, and linguistic trends. Focuses on the US, with comparisons to other immigrant receiving countries.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Sociology 177. Hurricane Katrina: Disaster and Its Aftermath - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 7253 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Mary C. Waters
Half course (fall term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Examines Hurricane Katrina through the lens of the social sciences. Reviews the history of New Orleans, the sociological literature on disasters, and examines how race, class and gender shaped the experiences of the storm and its aftermath. We will review research on the survivors and on the city of New Orleans and debate public policy solutions.
[Sociology 179. Crime, Justice, and the American Legal System]
Catalog Number: 3962
----------
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the causes and consequences of the crime problem in America. Key actors in the legal system, such as police, courts, and prisons will be covered and the role of these institutions in crime prevention will be assessed. Particular attention will be paid to drugs, guns, gangs and other urban crime problems as well as controversial topics in criminal justice, such as racial profiling and the death penalty.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Offered jointly with the Kennedy School as CCJ-103.
[*Sociology 184. Freedom in America: An Historical Sociology: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 9740
Orlando Patterson
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Examines the social construction and practice of freedom in America from early colonial times to the present. Freedom explored not simply as an idea, but as a cultural system that both shapes and is shaped by changing socio-economic contexts. Special attention paid to the ways in which constructions of freedom vary by class, gender and ethnicity, and the role of slavery, the revolution, the civil war, and the Civil Rights movement in the development of this ideal.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
*Sociology 185. Race and Crime in America
Catalog Number: 4244
Lawrence D. Bobo
Half course (fall term). M., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Examines sociological thinking and research on race and crime. General theories of involvement in crime and deviance will be discussed with special attention to issues of youth gangs, to impact of poverty and of racial residential segregation on involvement in crime, and the impact of high rates of incarceration on minority communities. The course will address the tightly inter-connected politics of race and crime as well the role the media plays in fostering fear of crime and racial stereotypes. Finally, the course will engage the major public policy questions raised by the now historic high rates of incarceration of minority youth.
[Sociology 189. Law and Social Movements]
Catalog Number: 2421
Tamara Kay
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores the relationship between law and social movements in the US (with some international and transnational comparisons). Analyzes how the law shapes and structures social movements, how social movements mobilize the law to create social change, and how they engage in legal reform. Examines and compares a variety of social movements including the civil rights, human rights, labor rights, environmental, anti-globalization, women’s rights, and indigenous rights movements.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Sociology 190. Life and Death in the US: Medicine and Disease in Social Context
Catalog Number: 0021
Nicholas A. Christakis (Medical School, FAS)
Half course (spring term). M., W., at 3. EXAM GROUP: 8
Explores how biological and social factors jointly conspire to determine the health of individuals and populations. Examines how medical care, social networks, and socioeconomic inequality influence illness, recovery, and death.
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core requirement for Social Analysis.
[*Sociology 191. The Politics of Law, Labor and Globalization in the Americas]
Catalog Number: 1423 Enrollment: Limited to 28.
Tamara Kay
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the history of U.S.-Latin American union relations and traces the development and strategies of labor movements in Latin America in relationship to different political regimes, economic development policies, labor laws and labor rights. Focuses also on the effects of globalization and regional economic integration on workers and labor movements in the Americas, focusing on the impacts of regional governance institutions, trade, and immigration. Explores the limitations and possibilities for labor transnationalism in response to globalization, and efforts to frame labor rights as human rights across the Americas.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[*Sociology 193. Crime, Community, and Public Policy: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 8651
----------
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines criminal justice from the perspective of local communities. Questions of how local communities affect and are affected by crime and criminal justice will be addressed. A central concern will be the discussion of characteristics of neighborhoods that lead to high rates of criminality and how federal, state, and local policies not directly concerned with crime policy may nonetheless bear on crime rates. The City of Boston will be used as a laboratory in which to study these issues.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Sociology 194. Knowledge Production & Evaluation in the Social Sciences: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 6917
Michèle Lamont
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Focus on ethnographic and historical research on practices of knowledge making, use and evaluation in the social sciences. We will survey frontier literatures in science studies to consider potential for cross-fertilization and future empirical investigation. The overall goal will be to study similarities and differences in social processes across disciplines and potential for coordinated research agendas.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Sociology 198. Crime & Disorder in the City: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 5382 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Robert J. Sampson
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The concepts of disorder and disorganization have long been the subject of sharp intellectual disagreement, especially in accounts of crime in the city. After touching on classic approaches to these notions, we will focus on contemporary debates and research, including the social ecology of crime and urban inequality, community social (dis)organization, broken-windows theory, street life and violence in the inner city, symbolic meanings of disorder, and competing visions for order in public spaces.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
*Sociology 203a. Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
Catalog Number: 3315
Christopher Winship
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10–12. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Matrix approach to regression analysis with an emphasis on the assumptions behind OLS. Instrumental variables, generalized least squares, probit and logit models, survival analysis, hierarchical linear models, and systems of equations are studied.
Note: Required of, and ordinarily limited to, first-year graduate students in Sociology.
Prerequisite: Sociology 202 or basic course in regression analysis.
[*Sociology 203b. Analysis of Longitudinal Data: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 1860
Peter V. Marsden
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. Includes introduction to time series analysis. Statistical theory and practical applications covered.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Primarily for graduate students in sociology.
Prerequisite: Sociology 203a.
Sociology 204. Sociological Theory: Seminar
Catalog Number: 6189
Michèle Lamont
Half course (fall term). M., 10–12. EXAM GROUP: 3, 4
Introduction to the ideas of and socio-intellectual contexts that were formative for Tocqueville, Durkheim, Marx, Weber, Simmel, and Mead. Consideration of their significance for contemporary sociological theory.
Note: Required of and limited to first-year graduate students in Sociology.
*Sociology 205. Sociological Research Design
Catalog Number: 8972
Frank Dobbin
Half course (fall term). W., 10–12. EXAM GROUP: 3, 4
Note: Required of, and ordinarily limited to, first-year graduate students in Sociology.
Sociology 206. The Sociology of Development: Seminar
Catalog Number: 9026
Martin K. Whyte
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Examines debates surrounding the nature of the process of economic development. Major attention is devoted to rival theories of where and why development occurs and to a variety of social consequences of economic development.
[*Sociology 208. Contemporary Theory and Research: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 6080
Mary C. Brinton
Half course (spring term). W., 10–12. EXAM GROUP: 3, 4
Develops tools for the construction of sociological theory. Compares major contemporary sociological theories and their applications. Emphasis is placed on adjudicating among competing explanations based on evidence and critical assessment of a theory’s logic.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Required of and limited to second-year graduate students in Sociology.
*Sociology 209. Qualitative Social Analysis: Seminar
Catalog Number: 1198
Orlando Patterson
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Examines approaches to non-numerical data used by social scientists to obtain valid, reliable, and meaningful insight into the social world through the analysis of ethnographic field notes, interview transcripts, and archival and other interpretative 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 either qualitative or quantitative results based on non-experimental data--whether from surveys, historical research, or field work. These issues differ from those that can be resolved through statistical solutions.
[Sociology 217. Sociology of Families and Kinship: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 8522
Martin K. Whyte
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines research on family patterns, combining a focus on how family patterns vary and change over time and how individuals differ in their experience of life course transitions, such as marriage, divorce, and retirement.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[*Sociology 221. Immigration, Identity and Assimilation: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 9699 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Mary C. Waters
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Examines the experiences of recent immigrants and their children — the second generation. Review of Economic, political, and social assimilation, and ethnic identity formation. Discussion of recent theories and research on the link between identity and economic assimilation.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Sociology 224. Organizational Analysis: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 8202
----------
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Reviews classical and contemporary theories of organizations, including ecological, institutional, resource dependence, transaction-cost, agency theory, learning theory, and organizational culture. Examines phenomena at multiple levels from the establishment to the organizational network or field.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Sociology 225. Historical Sociology: Studying Continuity and Change: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 8750
Orlando Patterson
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the main approaches to the interface of history and sociology. Major theoretical traditions and methodological strategies (both quantitative and qualitative) are appraised mainly through the exploration of exemplary studies.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Sociology 231. Neighborhood Effects and Community-Level Social Processes]
Catalog Number: 6611
Robert J. Sampson
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines contemporary research on the role of neighborhoods in modern city life. Topics include segregation and neighborhood social isolation; social networks and trust; spatial forms of racial inequality; and the role of institutions in generating collective action.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Sociology 236. Selected Topics in Culture and Inequality
Catalog Number: 0582
Michèle Lamont
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduction to cultural sociology, particularly as it intersects with the study of inequality. Topics: Symbolic boundaries, cultural capital, cultural consumption, identity, race and class cultures, anti-racism, cultural repertoires, explanation, interpretation, and comparative research strategies.
Sociology 237. Contemporary Chinese Society: Seminar
Catalog Number: 4320
Martin K. Whyte
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
A seminar devoted to the intensive analysis of a particular aspect of contemporary Chinese society. This year the focus will be on trends in inequality and stratification in China.
Sociology 243. Economic Sociology
Catalog Number: 2022
Filiz Garip
Half course (fall term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Introduction to economic sociology at the graduate level. Surveys economic inequality and the ways that economic behavior and outcomes are shaped by social institutions such as markets, networks, organizations, the family, the state, and culture.
[*Sociology 249. “Race,” Culture, and Social Structure: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 5727
Orlando Patterson
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines socio-economic and cultural dimensions of racial inequality in the US. External and institutional factors accounting for inequality and internal problems will be examined. Political and economic consequences of various policies aimed at reducing inequality such as affirmative action will be explored, giving attention to family structure and gender relations and to the policies relating to them.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Sociology 252. Sociology of Gender - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9968
Jocelyn Viterna
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
Examines (1) the biological and social bases of gender; (2) feminist theories; (3) how gender both affects, and is affected by, major social institutions; and (4) gender in the global south.
*Sociology 255. Social Stratification: Seminar
Catalog Number: 3839
Jason Beckfield
Half course (fall term). Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
Examines theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding the sources, structure and consequences of persistent social inequalities.
[*Sociology 260. The Sociology of Global Health]
Catalog Number: 6585
Mary-Jo Del Vecchio Good (Medical School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the historical transformation and social organization of the modern global health movement, its political economy and diverse cultural contexts. Cases include institutional architecture and financing, medical humanitarianism, mental health, and gender /reproductive health initiatives.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Instructor’s permission required.
[Sociology 263. Globalization and Comparative Inequality]
Catalog Number: 6503
Jason Beckfield
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Focuses on globalization and inequality, in comparativeand cross-national perspective. We begin by reviewing the basicconceptualizations of globalization, and we then turn to consider howglobalization can be connected to inequality.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Sociology 266. Social Foundations of Justice]
Catalog Number: 1660
Christopher Winship
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Why and how do people come to see a situation as just. This research seminar explores work in sociology, psychology, political science, and philosophy. The goal is for students to launch their own research project.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[*Sociology 271. Sociology of Culture: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 5401
----------
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Reviews contemporary themes and approaches in the sociology of culture. Topics will include media and mass society; class, culture, and power; the production of culture; neo-institutionalism; culture and cognition; macro-theories of social change; and methodology.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[*Sociology 275. Social Network Analysis: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 6899
Peter V. Marsden
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Concepts and methods for studying social structure using social networks. Approaches to collecting network data; data quality; graph-theoretic, statistical, and visual approaches to analyzing network data, including blockmodels and multidimensional scaling.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
*Sociology 301. Special Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 4017
David L. Ager 5142, Jason Beckfield 5612, Lawrence D. Bobo 2919, Mary C. Brinton 4567 (on leave 2008-09), Nicholas A. Christakis (Medical School) 4459, Frank Dobbin 4622, Filiz Garip 5887, Mary-Jo Del Vecchio Good (Medical School) 7721, Christopher Jencks (Kennedy School) 2160, Tamara Kay 5611 (on leave 2008-09), Michèle Lamont 4634, Stanley Lieberson 1937, Peter V. Marsden 1797 (on leave fall term), Orlando Patterson 1091, Robert J. Sampson 4546 (on leave fall term), Theda Skocpol 1387 (on leave fall term), Jocelyn Viterna 5860, Mary C. Waters 1498, Bruce Western 5763, Martin K. Whyte 3737, William Julius Wilson 2401, and Christopher Winship 3189 (on leave spring term)
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
*Sociology 302. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 5021
Members of the Department
*Sociology 303a. Advanced Topics in Quantitative Research
Catalog Number: 5636
Christopher Winship 3189 (on leave spring term)
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines current methodological scholarship in the social sciences with an eye to assessing its quality and potential for advancing quantitative methods. Recently published and unpublished work by local scholars examined.
*Sociology 304. Culture and Social Analysis Workshop
Catalog Number: 2809
Michèle Lamont 4634
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., 4–6.
A venue for those working on topics such as meaning-making, identity, collective memory, symbolic boundaries, cultural capital, class cultures, popular culture, media, disciplinary cultures, and the impact of culture on inequality.
*Sociology 305. Teaching Practicum
Catalog Number: 0259 Enrollment: Indivisible
David L. Ager 5142
Full course (indivisible). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Required of and limited to graduate students in Sociology. Attendance at first meeting is required.
[*Sociology 306r. Colloquium in Sociology]
Catalog Number: 4818
----------
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Tu., 12–2.
Provides a forum for advanced graduate students for presentation of their research. Only graduate students in sociology may register for credit. Students registered for credit must make a seminar presentation during the term.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
*Sociology 307. Workshop on Inequality and Social Policy III
Catalog Number: 0137
William Julius Wilson 2401
Half course (fall term). M., 2–4.
Students develop previously completed papers from Sociology 296a or 296b into professional presentations and publishable articles, critique peer papers across disciplines, and discuss presentations of national experts.
Note: Offered jointly 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 308. Workshop on Economic Sociology
Catalog Number: 0086
Frank Dobbin 4622
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). W., 3:30–5.
Presentations and discussions of new research by members of the community and visiting scholars. Students are exposed to the major paradigms in the field, and see how research articles are developed and refined.
*Sociology 309. Migration and Immigrant Incorporation Workshop
Catalog Number: 9932
Mary C. Waters 1498
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Tu., Th., 12–2.
Bi-weekly colloquium for graduate students that examines international migration and the incorporation of migrants into host societies . Students participate in meetings and present original work in progress.
*Sociology 310a. Qualifying Paper A
Catalog Number: 0085
Filiz Garip
Half course (spring term). .
Guides students through the process of producing an original research paper of high quality. Readings and discussion cover the identification of appropriate research problems, the nature of causal reasoning, and data analysis and write-up.
Note: Required of, and ordinarily limited to, second-year graduate students while writing the qualifying paper. Prerequisite to 310b, to be offered fall term.
[*Sociology 310b. Qualifying Paper B]
Catalog Number: 4625
Robert J. Sampson
Half course (fall term). .
Guides students through the process of producing an original research paper of high quality. Readings and discussion cover the identification of appropriate research problems, the nature of causal reasoning, and data analysis and write-up.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Required of, and ordinarily limited to, third-year graduate students while writing the qualifying paper.
Prerequisite: 310a
[*Sociology 311. Family and Childhood Research Workshop]
Catalog Number: 1062
Martin K. Whyte 3737
A venue for the presentation of works-in-progress by those with an interest in family formation and dissolution, child well-being, youth development, and the impact of the social environment on families and children.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
*Sociology 390. Health and Social Structure
Catalog Number: 6282
Nicholas A. Christakis (Medical School) 4459
Full course (indivisible). Th., 1–3.
Considers advanced topics in how supra-individual factors, such as social networks, neighborhoods, and health care organizations, contribute to individual health and longevity. Students undertake a substantial piece of original research.