Sociology 316CR - Special Topics in Sociology: 'Cultural Sociology'

Cultural sociology examines the ways in which meaning shapes social life, including the food we eat, what we wear, who we vote for, where we travel, and even wars that are fought. This course focuses on symbols, narratives, performance, aesthetics, and emotion, and traces the interdisciplinary development of cultural sociological thought, from foundational theory to breakthroughs in cultural anthropology, linguistics, and theater studies, all the way up to contemporary cultural sociology. Topics include: ancient and modern religion, food taboos, professional wrestling, political scandal, Barack Obama's first presidential campaign, populist nostalgia in Turkey, and Harry Potter activists.

Prereq: 8 credits in Sociology.