Department of Sociology, St. Lawrence University

Courses

Current from the St. Lawrence University Catalog, 2006-2007

101. Principles of Sociology.

An introduction to how and why particular groups of people act, think and feel as they do from a social rather than psychological perspective. The course explores different kinds of sociological explanations as well as a variety of substantive areas within the discipline, including deviance, power, social inequality, the family, collective behavior, formal organizations and others. The substantive areas emphasized vary by instructor. Not open to seniors.

110. Global Problems.

This course introduces students to the sociological perspective through examination of global actors, processes and problems. The course focuses on the process of the consolidation of the world into a single economy. The dynamics of global interdependences are not played out on a level playing field. While some people and some regions have benefited greatly, others have suffered tremendously. In this class we look at how social disparities take actual shape and figure out the reasons they are justified. Not open to seniors. Also offered through Global Studies.

112. Inequality.

An introductory course that examines forces behind the unequal distribution of economic, political, social, cultural and psychological rewards in contemporary U.S. society and globally. The course also examines the consequences of this distribution for both individuals and societies. Students are encouraged to take a closer look at social inequality through fieldwork projects and autobiographical reflections. Not open to seniors. Also offered through U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies.

115. Images of Deviance and Social Control.

In this class we will explore the battle story between "normal" and "abnormal," between "good" and "bad," between "deviant" and "acceptable," and the social control mechanisms employed in that struggle in both historical and contemporary social contexts. We will sociologically analyze how acts and people come to be defined as "deviant" and the seemingly "objective" ways in which those classifications take place. Moreover, we will grapple with the how this battle ritually reinscribes certain bodies as "other" (namely women, people of color, the poor, the "mentally ill," gays, and lesbians) and how these rituals come to serve as the ground upon which normality comes to be classified. In addition we will explore how some acts get defined as deviant (e.g., a hold up) while others are rarely prosecuted (e.g., corporate crime) and how this relates to issues of racism, classism and sexism. In doing so, we will move through various sources (e.g., social theory, legal theory, case study, art and fiction) to aid us in that endeavor. Not open to seniors. Also offered through Gender Studies and U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies.

161. Social Problems and Policy.

This course explores the causes of and responses to the phenomena labeled "social problems." The course examines how social phenomena are defined as problems and developed into issues. We investigate the role of the media, social movements, government and private capital in identifying problems and placing them on the public agenda. We also focus on a variety of policies proposed (and/or implemented) in response to specific social problems and the political conflicts that result from competing policy alternatives. The social impacts of various policy options associated with these issues will be explored. Not open to seniors.

172. Reading Film Sociologically.

Is film racist? Classist? Sexist? Homophobic? In this class, we will consider both the dominant stories that films produce and the tales of otherness that emerge from alternative readings of film. We will examine questions of representation in film and how those representations are directly linked to the political realm. In addition, we will consider how films speak to questions such as racial, sexual, and political identity. Working from Marxist and post-Marxist theory, we will also consider questions of capitalism/ post-capitalism and technology, alienation, deviance and social control, and inequality. Though an introductory class with no prerequisites, our work will draw heavily on complex and dense theoretical texts, and students should come prepared to take on these texts. Not open to seniors. Also offered through Film Studies.

187. Environment and Society.

How do natural systems shape social systems? How do social systems reshape natural systems? Why do these two types of systems conflict? Through exploration of these questions, this course introduces students to the theoretical and empirical study of the dynamic interaction of human society and the natural environment. Students will be asked to critically examine the social origins and ecological impacts of the production, consumption and distribution of goods, services and ideas domestically and transnationally. The course will challenge a wide range of environmental myths including the widely held beliefs that environmental problems are being solved, that economic growth is compatible with environmental protection, that everyone is concerned with protecting the environment, that better science and technology will solve environmental problems and that social systems can be made compatible with natural systems without protracted political conflict. Not open to seniors. Also offered through Global Studies.

197. Quest for Self in a Postmodern World.

The concept of postmodernity describes a condition in which signs, the raw material of culture, such as images, sounds, words, video clips, and artifacts and the meanings associated with them, are freed from the historical social contexts in which they were created and circulate at ever increasing velocities through our lives. In other words, our culture is composed of flows of signs found in advertisements, news stories, TV programs, films, books, magazines, etc. and that these flows travel past us at an accelerating rate. Postmodern social theorists suggest that the resulting fragmented nature of our culture makes it difficult to construct a coherent identity, one in which an individual has strong links to other particular humans or to a notion of humanity in general. Using this postmodernist argument as a starting point, this course will look at the social forces that determine and structure how we form our identities. We will link these concerns about selfhood with the role of media, to the acceleration and subsequent fragmentation of information, to the emergence of virtual reality, to the spread of global capitalism, to the rise of the megalopolis, and to the experiences of privatization, narcissism, and cynicism. We will also look at how traditional sociological categories such as race, gender, and class, which have been used by sociologists as the primary variables to explain how we form our identities, are being affected by these emerging social formations. The course will primarily use fiction and film that speak to the problem of forming a coherent self in a social world in constant flux. Class discussion will focus on deciphering these texts and linking the visions of these authors and directors to an understanding and recognition that our sense of who we are is greatly determined by social forces that exist far beyond our control. Also offered through Film Studies.

221. Sociology of Sex and Gender.

This is an introduction to social science ways of thinking about sex and gender. It will provide an overview of contributions from a variety of disciplines and will consider both theoretical and historical materials. We will examine the social construction of gender and sexuality and the ways gender and sexuality and society interact and impact on each other and how change takes place. The social developments and history of gender and sexualities will be explored, and contemporary issues studied. In particular, how and why gender and sex became politicized, and continue to be so, is explored, as we survey the meaning of sex and gender, the politics of sex and gender, and the need for social control. Also offered through Gender Studies.

226. Sociology of Families.

This course will introduce the student to perhaps the most important and controversial of social institutions: the family. The focus of the course will be on the American family, although marriage patterns and family forms in other cultures will be examined for comparative purposes. Particular emphasis will be placed on the changes that have taken place in the structure of American households and families since the World War II. Among the topics to be included are courtship, dating and cohabiting; the sexual revolution, pre-marital sex and the problem of teenage pregnancy; marriage and divorce patterns; remarriage and stepfamilies; changing family roles of men and women with particular emphasis on dual-worker and dual-career families; the issue of whether or not to have children; and the challenges of parenthood. The course will also examine a number of hotly contested policy issues related to the family such as childcare, family leave, abortion and the right to privacy. Also offered through Gender Studies and U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies.

228. Racial and Ethnic Groups.

This course introduces students to race and ethnicity from a sociological perspective. The focus is on racial and ethnic stratification in the United States. Basic concepts and theoretical frameworks that provide the foundation for the sociological study of racial, ethnic and other minority groups are stressed. The first half of the course covers topics such as the social definitions of race and ethnicity; the American immigration experience; patterns of racial and ethnic integration in the United States; theories of prejudice; and the multiple forms of discrimination. The second half is devoted to an examination of specific racial and ethnic minorities, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos and Asians. The experiences of Jews and women in the United States are covered. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies and U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies.

231. Sport and Society.

This course will examine sport as an evolving social institution in the United States. We will look at the changing roles of women and minorities in sport over roughly the past 200 years. We will examine how sport both generates conflict (competition) and builds solidarity (unity). At different points in the semester we will consider such topics as Title IX and gender equity; the breaking of race barriers in various sports; the influences of industrialization and changing transportation and communications systems; and the "bad boys" of collegiate and professional sports.

232. Communities in Crisis.

This course examines behavior in the context of social system stress brought on by the threat or impact of either geophysical or technological hazards (e.g., hurricanes or chemical spills). The role conflicts and strains individuals experience, changing values, and relationships within and among emergency organizations are considered. Sociological theory from collective behavior and organizations act as guides.

235. Earning a Living: Work and Occupations in a Global Economy.

Ask a child what s/he wants to "be," and you are likely to get an occupation for an answer. Ask an adult what s/he "does," and you may also get an occupation (or an excuse for not having an occupation) for an answer. Much of the construction of our selfidentity is concerned with our preparation for, and the taking up of, a place in the occupational structure. Our occupations and the "social value" of the work we do contribute to definitions of our social worth. For most of us, it is through our work and occupations that we access the resources that provide us with our quality of life and our life chances. This course is about the complex of social, economic, political, cultural and psychological processes that contribute to what it is we want to "be" when we "grow up" and what then becomes possible in a global economy. It examines what happens when there is no place for us. Students will undertake self-studies to understand these processes and their consequences. Also offered through Global Studies.

236. Education and Society.

This course provides a critical examination of the structure and consequences of one of our society's major institutions: the formal system of education. It is through participation in this institution that individuals access societal rewards. Although we look to this institution to provide solutions to major societal problems, and most particularly to that of social inequality, the structure and processes of the formal system of education are conserving rather than transforming, contributing significantly to the maintenance of the class structure and social reproduction. These outcomes are legitimized through ideologies of equality of opportunity, meritocracy, and individualism. The course begins with a look at theoretical perspectives on education, the historical development of a formal system of education in the United States, and its relationship to the development of capitalist labor formations. With this as critical context, the remainder of the course is devoted to an examination of the structure of the formal system of education, the processes that maintain this structure, and the consequences of both for individuals and for larger society. Also offered through U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies.

253. Race, Class and Environmental Justice.

This course focuses on the distributional dimensions of environmental degradation and environmental protection, both domestically and globally. The social processes that generate synergistic racism and class stratification, impacting the distribution of ecological costs and benefits, will be explored. Substantive areas of focus will include the siting of hazardous facilities in urban and rural minority communities, the socioecological conditions of migrant farm workers, the extraction of resources from Native lands, the employment structure of hazardous industrial workplaces, population control initiatives directed at peoples-of-color, the siting of thermo-nuclear weapons testing and the national and transnational export of toxic waste to the South. The course will also examine the origins and impacts of a distinct environmental justice movement that has emerged within minority and workingclass communities and its relationships to civil rights, labor and mainstream environmental movements. Written and oral assignments will involve individual and collaborative quests for socially equitable solutions to environmental problems and ecologically sustainable solutions to racial and economic injustice. Also offered as Environmental Studies 253 and through Caribbean and Latin American Studies and Global Studies.

261. Technology and Power.

In this course we will explore the social origins and institutional engines of technological change, and the social and environmental changes that technological innovation has generated. We will trace the social transformations resulting from changes in communication, transportation, energy, agricultural, industrial and military technology. Special attention will be paid to recent developments in information, bio-engineering, robotics, and nanotechnologies, with an eye toward the social, economic, cultural and ecological impacts that current technological trajectories may produce. The first part of the course will focus primarily on the actors who control the trajectory of technological innovation and how specific technological changes have affected work relations, family relations, public health and political power in the U.S. We will also explore socio-technological phenomena such as the invention of time and the annihilation of space. The second part of the course will explore the more transnational sociological issues associated with the transfer of technologies between societies, the development of global technological systems, ecological constraints on current technological trends, and the role of so-called "alternative technologies." Finally, we will examine the relationship between models of democratic governance and the structure and goals of technological innovation, as well as the potential technological elimination of humans as a single biological species.

269. Flesh for Fantasy: The Politics of Erotic Labor.

In this class we will sociologically explore the cultural phenomenon of erotic labor, that is, the various ways in which women and men practice sex work, from peep shows to prostitution both in the United States and in neo-colonial contexts. In doing so, we will explore theoretical frameworks that seek to understand sex work both as a practice and as an experience for those performing and consuming erotic labor. We will also look at empirical work on the sex industry and examine autobiographical texts by women and men who work in this industry. Some of the questions that will be explored in this class are: What is sex work? Why do people engage in this form of labor? Why is it the "oldest profession" for women? And what draws customers to this form of "entertainment"? Is sex work solely an exploitative practice or can it also be a form of agency for its laborers? How have sex workers fought to improve their work place? How does sex work as a practice and experience differ in various cultural contexts? This course is reading and writing intensive. Also offered through Gender Studies and Global Studies.

271. Revolution.

This course explores the causes and consequences of radical social change through examination of revolution and rebellion in a variety of social contexts. The focus is on the impact of demographic, ecological, economic and technological changes on the political stability of nation-states. The course investigates the nature of the state and revolutionary contenders, focusing on their relative ability to gain or maintain power through the strategic manipulation of key resources and explores the opportunities for and constraints upon, social change in post-revolution societies. Special attention is paid to the tactics and strategies of revolt, including the use of civil disobedience, political violence, revolutionary rhetoric and strategic coalition formation. Examples will be drawn from revolutions in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies and Global Studies.

275. Medical Sociology.

In this course we will examine a variety of aspects of health, illness, medical systems and institutions from a sociological perspective. We will look at the social causes and consequences of illness, the social construction of disease and roles played by patients, medical personnel, health institutions and society and the ethical questions they present. Attention will be paid to health policy development in the United States and comparisons to other countries, especially Canada. An additional 0.5 Independent Study which is community in the community is optional with this course. Also offered through Global Studies and Canadian Studies.

288. Dilemmas of Development: An Introduction to International Development Studies.

If the United States is one of the most developed countries in the world, why are there more healthy people per capita in Cuba than in Washington, DC? If we consider India a developing country, why is the literacy rate in Kerala higher than in the United Kingdom? Since President Truman's call for a program of international development to bring countries of the South up to par with countries of the North more than 50 years ago, humanity has been split into "developed" and "underdeveloped" regions. In this class, we will examine this divide and its continuing consequences for the world. Using case studies from Latin America and other parts of the global South, we will consider the social impacts of development on people around the world, locating this dynamic within the larger contemporary and historical processes of globalization. We will further consider how lifestyles in the North drive changes in the South, and the evolving social resistances to globalization and development. As a seminar, this class will be reading and writing intensive. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies and Global Studies.

301. Quantitative Methods.

This writing-intensive course introduces quantitative social research methods with an emphasis on the analysis of survey data. The first part of the course covers various topics such as model building and hypothesis construction, operationalization of concepts, issues of reliability and validity, questionnaire construction, sampling designs and data collection and processing. The remainder of the course is a hands-on, computer-based introduction to survey data analysis. Particular emphasis is placed on table construction and the application of basic measures of description and association. Hypothesis testing and other aspects of statistical inference are also reviewed and employed. There are no mathematics prerequisites and only basic arithmetic skills are assumed. Also offered through Applied Statistics.

302. Visual Sociology: Analysis Through Images.

This course is about "looking" and about the power of visual representations. It is offered as one of the research methods course options available to sociology majors and, as such, is designed as a "process" course rather than a course concerned with any specific substantive area of the discipline. The course examines the use of the visual and visual representations to reveal aspects of society operating on both the macro and micro levels. Special consideration is given to types of visual data, methodological techniques used in analysis, ethical concerns in carrying out field work projects, and technical and aesthetic issues related to form and style of presentation. Substantive questions are explored through independent projects, which, in addition to a written analysis, can be presented in one of a variety of formats including PowerPoint, Web page and video. Also offered through Film Studies.

303. From Modernity to Postmodernity.

The course first examines the social processes associated with the emergence of modernity such as industrialization, capitalism and urbanization, and how sociologists theorized the consequences of these forces on both society and individuals. The second part of the course maps the emerging social formations associated with postmodernization and globalization. These include the rise of postindustrial society and the shift of economic organization from Fordism to flexible accumulation, the rise of a global cultural economy, the diffusion and impact of information technology, the shift from representation to simulation and the rise of virtuality.

310. Slavery, Race and Culture.

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the world of slavery and its relation to the wider world of capitalism. Long a part of the global capitalist economy, slaves and slavery have been critical historical agents in shaping various aspects of social relations. The history of slavery has laid the foundation for race formations. Far from being a peculiar institution, slavery is indeed central to the making of the modern age. Also offered through Global Studies.

316. Urban Society.

This course introduces the sociological study of one of humankind's most fascinating and intriguing creations—the city. Particular emphasis is placed on structure and change in American cities. The course also highlights the impact of urban settings on human behavior. A major goal of the course is to introduce students to the basic research tools and sources of information employed by urban sociologists in their investigations of urban phenomena. Toward that end, the term project is a hands-on sociological analysis of a city of the student's choice. Among the topics to be covered: the origins and evolution of cities; the rise of urban America; structure, change, diversity and stratification of American urban centers; urban lifestyles; urban problems, such as crime, homelessness and the increasing concentration of poverty; urbanization patterns across the globe, with emphasis on developing countries; and a look at the future of cities. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies and U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies.

322. Nationalism in North America.

This course examines nationalism on the North American Continent, using theoretical perspectives and case studies. We will discuss questions of: What is a Nation? What is a People? What is a Society? How have perspectives changed over time? Can there be nations within nations? What is a "submerged nation"? What influences do history, language, political structures, and claims for group rights have on nations? Are nations still possible and do they still serve a purpose? What impact does gender have on the interpretation of nation? Can there be nations without geographical borders? Can there be nations in a globalizing world? How is it possible that at the same time of globalizing structures and institutions that many more nations, and claims for nations, are happening? To achieve this, we will start with theoretical debates and questions, and then move on to four case studies: the Loyalists in Canada, the Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, the Sovereignty movement in Quebec in the 1970s to the current day, and the present claims of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, Quebec and the United States. We will end with readdressing the theoretical issues above, particularly examining issues of globalization and gender. Also offered through Global Studies and Canadian Studies.

324. Corporate Takeover.

In the last quarter century, transnational corporations (TNCs) have emerged as the most powerful social actors on the face of the earth. TNCs largely control what you will eat, where you will work, what you will learn, what you will think, what you will want, what you will buy and for whom you will cast your vote. They have rapidly increased their power over international institutions, government policy-making, science and technology, news and information, biological processes, the natural environment and human consciousness. TNC actions increasingly determine who will work, who will get medical care, who will get an education, who will be exposed to toxic chemicals, who will be rich, who will be poor, who will live and who will die. This seminar course will examine how they do it, why they do it and what you can do about it. Each week, course reading and videos will examine aspects of the social origins and social impacts of corporate power, and the growing public resistance to these trends. Also offered through Global Studies.

332. Postmodernism: Cinema, Literature and Theory.

Using films, literature and theoretical texts, this course will define and outline the characteristics of a postmodern society, explore the relationship between postmodern social theory and aesthetics and analyze the consequences of postmodernity on both the social and the self. Theoretically, the course will be organized around the work of Baudrillard, Lyotard, Jameson, Harvey, Haraway, Olalquiaga and Kellner. The course will explore theoretical issues such as the breakdown of grand narratives, the transformation of meaning to fascination, the primacy of the sign, the rise of simulacra and the spectacle, the death of affect and the attraction to cynicism and nihilism and schizophrenia as metaphor for selfhood. Also offered through Film Studies.

335. Sociology of Advertising.

The course blends sociological analysis, semiotics, discourse analysis, and theories of representation both to explore the social consequences of advertising and to deconstruct ads and commercials as commodity signs and narratives. First, drawing heavily on the work of Judith Williamson the course approaches advertising as a system of signs composed of signifiers, signifieds, referents, and relational structures tying these elements together. Students will apply a semiotic analysis to both commodity and corporate advertising to explore how representations of race, gender, class, and age are constructed in this discourse. Second, focusing on the effects of advertising on social institutions, gender relations, selfconception, the organization of everyday life, and the environment, this course constructs a critical history of advertising from the 1920s to the present. Here, the course explores cultural contradictions embedded in advertising discourse. Also offered through Film Studies.

363. Women's Movements in North America.

This course compares women's movements in Canada, QuÃ©bec and the United States. It examines the different ways the movement organized, chose priorities, dealt with internal and external conflict, and addressed the state. We will understand the political, cultural, historical and structural differences among the societies which shaped the movements and influenced the outcomes for women and for the social order generally. Particular attention will be paid to diversities within the movements, and within the societies. The course comparatively traces the histories of the three societies, beginning with Aboriginal peoples, and concludes with examination of social forces today. Also offered through Global Studies, Gender Studies and Canadian Studies.

367. Feminist Postcolonial Theory.

Postcolonial theory addresses issues of identity, culture, literature and history arising from the social context of colonization, resistance to colonization, liberation from colonization, and the formation of new nations. It crosses the boundaries of the social sciences and humanities in its approach to theory and analysis of the discourses used to constitute colonial and postcolonial subjects. Because nation formation tends to mandate a united sense of identity, the contributions and identities of women and minority peoples are often erased in the evolution of postcolonial nationalisms. In this course we begin with some classic texts of postcolonial theory before moving to a focus on specifically feminist debates and texts within postcolonial studies. Literature and film are used in dialogue with theoretical texts to examine questions about gender and women's issues in various societies. Also offered as English 367, Global Studies 367 and Philosophy 367.

369. Making Sexualities.

Sexuality culturally operates as a central trope by which we come to "know" ourselves as sexed people (that is female or male) and how we come to understand our desire. In this course we will be unpacking the topic of sexuality from a cultural and gendered perspective, meaning that we will discuss how we have come to "know" sexuality culturally, materially and in our everyday lives. In doing so, we will explore topics such as the invention of modern notions of sexuality, queer identity, love, pornography and sex work. This will be done through reading, writing, artistic expression and research. This course is reading and writing intensive. Also offered through Gender Studies and U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies.

375. Environmental Movements.

In the past 200 years environmental concerns have generated diverse social movements and organizations, both domestically and globally. These environmental movements range widely from conservation to deep ecology, from preservationism to environmental justice, from animal rights to anti-nuclear, from labor struggles to indigenism, from anti-corporate globalization to Wise-Use movements, from the neo-Luddites to the ecological modernizationists. This seminar course will explore the social origins and impacts of these distinct movements and organizations with an emphasis on their conflicting and converging goals, tactics, strategies, ideologies, and constituencies. We will discuss the extent to which this eclectic assortment of interests and ideologies can be defined as a coherent social movement on regional, national, and transnational levels, and explore the coalitions and conflicts generated by a changing global political economy. Each student's research will focus on a specific movement, a specific organization within that movement, and the relationship of that movement to the larger array of environmentrelated efforts to generate socioecological change. As a group, the class will develop, design, implement, and analyze an environmental political action whose focus, goals and tactics will be determined by the students. Also offered through Global Studies.

378. "The Troubles" of Northern Ireland.

Since 1969, more than 3,300 deaths have been officially attributed to "The Troubles." The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 promised commitment to end factional hostilities in Northern Ireland. But the complex nature of the conflict continues to threaten this fragile accord. This seminar examines the historical, political, economic, religious, ideological and cultural forces that shape Northern Ireland's conflict. It examines the ways in which these forces shape, respond to and interact with identity and community, affect daily life and extend beyond the borders of Northern Ireland. Also offered through European Studies and Global Studies.

476. Globalization and Sustainability.

"Globalization" and "sustainability" are two of the most contested terms in current political conflicts over the future of development. In this course we will seek to define these terms and explore the impacts of economic transnationalization on the potential for achieving socially and ecologically "sustainable" development trajectories at local, regional, national and transnational levels. In a seminar discussion format, we will examine the linkages between transnational economic processes, local environmental and social conditions, national environmental protection initiatives, and international and intra-national inequality. Specific policies of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization, the power of transnational corporations, and the role of the G8 states will be central to our discussions. The fusion of place, production and identity politics in efforts to resist the dominant model of globalization and forge more socially just and ecologically sound alternatives will be explored. In particular, local resistance movements, the rise of new autonomist models, global social movement coalitions, and the exchange of strategies through the World Social Forum will be examined. Course assignments will ask students to assess the ramifications of an increasingly transnational economy on the capacity of specific communities to achieve "sustainable" development in the context of increasing, and often violent, conflict over the forms and objectives of "globalization." Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies and Global Studies.

Internships and Independent Study

290. Independent Study in Sociology. (0.5 unit)

Open to students who wish to pursue more specialized or advanced sociological study, fieldwork, and research under faculty supervision. Permission of instructor is required. 390. Independent Study in Sociology. (1.0 unit) Open to students who wish to pursue more specialized or advanced sociological study and research under faculty supervision. Students wishing to enroll must find a sociology faculty sponsor and prepare a research proposal outlining the intended thesis, methodology and ethical considerations including the application for human subjects review approval where necessary. Prerequisites: 203 Foundations of Social Theory and either one advanced theory course or one research methods course. Permission of instructor is required.

309. Internships.

Internship opportunities exist in the areas of social welfare, gerontology, health care, social policy, law, criminal justice, the media and college administration. The department also encourages students to be imaginative and innovative in developing internships to meet their own interests. Internships require a commitment of eight hours a week. Students may not enroll in more than one semester of internship credit without petitioning the sociology department for approval. Permission of the internship coordinator is required. Students interested in exploring internship opportunities should contact the internship coordinator at least one week prior to course registration during the preceding semester. Not open to first-year students. Prerequisite: 2 courses in sociology.

Social Theory courses

203. Foundations of Social Theory.

This course brings under scrutiny the false dichotomies crowding the sociological imagination; namely, structure/agency, history/ theory, macro/micro, global/local. The broad-based analytical perspective enables students to understand theory in its historical location. Students are encouraged and expected to reflect on the explanatory models themselves as political and cultural constructions located in time and place and consider the role of power in definitions of reality. Students are asked to share their informed thoughts through presentations and class discussions, and to articulate these in reflexive papers. Because students are asked to apply explanatory models to current social issues that transcend the personal, yet affect it. Required of all majors. Also offered through European Studies.

Advanced Social Theory Courses

304. Inscribing Subjectivities.

Social theory provides frameworks for understanding the takenfor granted aspects of the culture in which we live. Illuminating that which is often invisible or comes to be seen as natural or Godgiven social theory offers frameworks that deconstruct the seemingly natural order of things. In this seminar, students grapple with issues of subjectivity, power, language and culture to map how social theory has come to make sense of these distinctions and how they operate in our everyday lives. Some of the questions addressed in this seminar are: How does power operate between subjects and structurally? How does language both inform our communication and operate as an inscriptive force? How are power, language and subjectivity experienced differently by people of different races, classes, genders and sexual preferences? The course employs a number of original texts and is reading and writing intensive. Prerequisite: SOC 203 Foundations of Social Theory. Also offered through European Studies.

305. Theory in a Different Voice.

This upper-level theory course will examine the development of social theory, and the history of sociology, from the point of view of women sociologists. It thus examines the development of sociological theory, the politics of gender, and the politics of knowledge within the discipline of sociology. The initial focus is on the sociological theories, lives, and conditions of women who were active in the creation of sociology. It contrasts these with men theorists who were their contemporaries. It then moves to examination of contemporary women theorists, as we examine alternative problematics, hypotheses, and purposes of investigation. Thus, examination of theoretical development, formation, and testing will take place, and an understanding of the relationship of gender to theoretical undertakings, at different points in time will be developed. Students will read extensively in original materials as well as secondary discussions, will write a major research paper, and will undertake to understand the relationship of gender and theory development. Prerequisite: SOC 203 Foundations of Social Theory.

306. Classical Social Theory.

This course is designed for advanced sociology students to appreciate how social theorists analyze large-scale social change in relation to world-historical development. Although received convention purports to have solved the tension between theory and history, we contend that the relationship between the two epistemological dimensions is appreciated along the line of ‘the chicken and the egg' metaphor. By emphasizing problems of theory and method, the course addresses how social theorists analyze large-scale social change, conceptions of origins, structure, development of modern social systems, classes and social groups, the state and bureaucracy, problems of rationalization and technology. Prerequisite: SOC 203 Foundations of Social Theory. Also offered through European Studies.

307. The Political Sociology of Karl Marx.

This course seeks to provide students with a solid grounding in the political sociology of Karl Marx. The course will begin by examining the philosophical roots of Marx's teleological conception of history in the work of his predecessors Hegel and Feuerbach, and then turn towards Marx's understanding of historical materialism and the genesis of modern capitalism. Working from this base, the course will examine the social relations of capitalism and capitalist exploitation, the nature of the commodity, the relationship between economic relations and social relations, the role of the state, and the function of ideology in capitalist social and economic formations. We will conclude the course by studying the relevance of Marx's thought in providing us with an understanding of contemporary global capitalism. Prerequisite: SOC 203 Foundations of Social Theory. Also offered through European Studies.

Research Methods Courses

300. Qualitative Methods.

This writing-intensive course introduces students to qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. Moving from a discussion of general principles of social research, the relationship between theory and inductive methods and issues of contextual validity, dependability and credibility, students learn selected qualitative data gathering techniques including social observation, openended interviewing and content analysis. Students gain hands-on research experience through a variety of fieldwork projects and learn to apply selected analytic techniques. Through in-class presentation of their research, students also develop familiarity with various interactive computer technologies. Prerequisite: SOC 203 Foundations of Social Theory.

301. Quantitative Methods.

302. Visual Sociology: Analysis Through Images.

343. Comparative Historical Methods.

This course is designed to acquaint students with important methods and works in the field of comparative and historical sociological research. Comparative historical sociologists ask questions about large social structures or processes across time and space and take into account social and cultural differences among societies. The major agenda is to explain social change. Such methods are used to: look for causal regularities in history, use concepts to interpret history and apply general models to history. We will examine some "classics" of comparative historical methods in this course, analyze methods and compare work and read contemporary writers and discuss their agendas and approaches. Each student will also "practice" methodologies in class and in written work. Prerequisite: SOC 203 Foundations of Social Theory. Also offered through Global Studies.

Senior–Year Experience

489/490. SYE Independent Study.

Open to students who wish to pursue more specialized or advanced sociological study and research under faculty supervision. Students wishing to enroll must find a sociology faculty sponsor and prepare a research proposal outlining the intended thesis, methodology and ethical considerations including the application for human subjects review approval where necessary. Prerequisites: SOC 203, one advanced theory course, and one research methods course. Open to seniors only. Permission of Department Chair required.

498/499. Honors in Sociology.

Honors will be granted to students who have a 3.5 GPA in sociology and who have completed and defended a thesis before a departmental committee. Prerequisites: SOC 203, one advanced theory course, and one research methods course. Open to seniors only. Permission of department chair required.

SYE Seminars

SOC 407. The Logic of Inquiry.

This capstone course examines the enterprise of social science using a sociology of sociology approach. It provides and opportunity for senior sociology majors to synthesize what they have learned about social theory, research methods, and substantive foci within the discipline and apply that knowledge to a major research project of their own design, as well as to an analysis of sociology as a discipline. The course examines why people engage in social research, how they conduct that research, and the role of the fruits of such research in the larger society. We will explore the works and careers of professional sociologists with an eye towards understanding why they chose to pursue this "hunt for patterns" in the social world. Also examined will be the process of knowledge creation and dissemination. A variety of contemporary sociological analyses will be examined, as we explore the depth and breadth of the discipline. Prerequisites: SOC 203, one advanced theory course, and one research methods course. Open to seniors only. Permission of instructor required.

415. Family Violence.

In this capstone course, students are engaged in two interrelated tasks: to reflexively examine the discipline of sociology, and to "do" sociology at a level of sophistication that reflects a synthesis of substantive study, knowledge of theory, and methodological skills. Within this context, students will engage the task of "doing" sociology through the creation of a major research project, a senior thesis. This project will be a synthesis of (1) knowledge of theory and method, (2) overall sociological background and experience, (3) the substance of this seminar, and (4) the integration of a required experiential internship component into the project. The subject area of this seminar is family/ relationship violence. In this course we examine the culturally relative and historically changing definitions of family violence, specific manifestations of family/relationship violence and its relationship to larger societal power arrangements, consequences of violence within the family for both individuals and larger society, and our normative, legal, and policy responses to family violence. Prerequisites: SOC 203, one advanced theory course, and one research methods course. Open to seniors only. Permission of instructor is required.

434. Sociology of the Spectacle.

Guy Debord characterizes contemporary society as "an immense accumulation of spectacles" in which "everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation." He argues that these are more than just engaging events; they also function to legitimize the use of political power and to circulate commodities necessary for the production of profit. Spectacles are determined by the logics of the cinema, the circus, the museum and the corporation, that is they are constructed out of the discourses of entertainment, education and public relations. In this course we shall examine the following spectacles: architectural formations (Times Square, the Mall of America, Las Vegas), events (the Super Bowl), celebrities, theme parks and zoos (Disney World, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo), public relations discourse (legitimization advertising and marketing) and television programming (reality television). The course is research-oriented. Students will be expected to choose a spectacle and critically map it. Prerequisites: SOC 203, one advanced theory course, and one research methods course. Open to seniors only. Permission of instructor required.

450. Deconstructing Epistemologies.

Epistemology, at base, is the study of knowledge production. In this course we will endeavor to deconstruct particular modes of knowledge (epistemology) that occupy a hegemonic standpoint in our culture. Namely we will deconstruct the production of knowledge that comes to operate as "truth," its implications and the ghosts that reside at its edges, which most often go unacknowledged (women, people of color, gays and lesbians and the non-western other). Therefore, this course examines the epistemological underpinnings of dominant modes of knowledge as well as alternatives or the epistemology of the margin. This course is highly theoretical in its orientation and is reading and writing intensive. Prerequisites: SOC 203, one advanced theory course, and one research methods course. Open to seniors only. Permission of instructor required.

465. Environmental Sociology.

What is the "environment"? How do we know it's in trouble? Why should we protect it? What are we protecting it from? Who are we protecting it for? In this course, we will attempt to answer these questions by exploring society's relationship to the natural environment. We will examine both the social origins of the major environmental stresses facing us today and the political conflicts that these stresses have produced. First, we will focus on the role of society's utilization of natural resources in creating these crises, as well as the way societies identify these environmental stresses as social problems. In the second part of the course we will examine the variety of social responses to environmental problems. We'll explore the ways in which these responses lead to political conflicts, through examination of the various social actors involved in resource disputes. Finally, we will examine the outcomes of environmental conflicts at local, national and international levels and will seek to develop viable solutions to real socioenvironmental problems. Also offered as Environmental Studies 465.

488. Race, Class and Gender.

Race, class, and gender are the overlapping and intertwined dimensions through which social exclusion and oppression are enacted. This course seeks to understand – both theoretically and substantively – how these dimensions structure social inequality, and the lasting effects of this inequality. This is a 400-level course and is designed for senior sociology majors who have completed both theory and methods requirements. The goal of this senior seminar is to help you to synthesize your training in this department as a sociologist. As such, you will have to complete a senior research project consisting of original research that is created in dialogue with both your experience as a student in sociology and the subject matter of this course. Prerequisites: SOC 203, one advanced theory course, and one research methods course. Open to seniors only. Permission of instructor required.