In this social-psychological course, students will have a chance to reflect on how their own and others' identities are created and sustained. It explores how stories, performances, stereotypes, situations, institutions, and culture affect people's sense of self.

Analysis of: 1) historical and cross-cultural variation in positions and relationships of women and men; 2) contemporary creation and internalization of gender and maintenance of gender differences in adult life; 3) recent social movements to transform or maintain "traditional" positions of women and men. Prerequisite: 100-level Sociology course.

Interpretations of social life developed by symbolic interactionists. Topics include the interactionist approach to language, the self, deviance, social relationships, social structure and collective behavior. (Gen.Ed. SB, DU)

One of every ten people in the world lives in a megacity (>10 million people). Understanding urbanization and the culture of city life is essential, as is understanding the global connections of people, products, cultural values, and capital as they flow through these nodes. This course explores the history of urbanization and how places become centers of production and consumption.

A social-historical approach to race relations in the U.S. Analysis of contemporary race relations links to major social issues in American society. (Gen.Ed. SB, DU)

This course examines who, why, and how different groups immigrate to the U.S. and what happens once they arrive -- how they are received by mainstream society and how they perceive their experience in a new country. Specific topics include entry, immigration controls, education, identity, discrimination, employment, language, legal status, belonging, settlement, trans-nationalism, political participation, and examples of efforts to reform U.S. immigration laws. (Gen.Ed. SB)

Aspects of drugs (alcohol, cannabis, stimulants, psychedelics, depressants, opiates): historical and cross-cultural perspectives; behavioral effects; social and cultural factors affecting use; addiction (including alcoholism); political economy of drugs; drugs and social reality. (Gen.Ed. SB)

Introduction to the study of criminology, definitions of crime, criminals and delinquents, demographics of crime and criminals, the work of the courts, law, police, and punishment in the production and administration of crime and criminals, society and crime, problems of prevention and control.

This course uses a sociological framework to understand the various aspects that impact the four year college experience: race; class; gender; sexuality; institutional structure, resources, and priorities; social networks; academic preparedness; work; participation in athletics, mental health; etc. We will pay particular attention to the ways in which certain characteristics can support or inhibit successful and timely completion of a four-year college degree.

The nature of social classes in society from the viewpoint of differences in economic power, political power, and social status. Why stratification exists, its internal dynamics, and its effects on individuals, subgroups, and the society as a whole. Problems of poverty and the uses of power. (Gen.Ed. SB, DU)