This course uses a sociological framework to examine the nature and structure of modern industrial societies. To identify central trends in society and culture, this course covers several basic themes, such as social inequality and social interaction, that have appeared repeatedly in the works of major social thinkers.

In this course students will be introduced to the various sociological perspectives and theoretical frameworks used to understand racial and ethnic relations in the United States. Racial and ethnic identities remain an important aspect of how people view themselves and others. In this course, we will discuss the dynamics of individual racial and ethnic groups including African Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and White Americans. We will also examine what the concepts of race and ethnicity mean and how they affect various aspects of American society.

This course examines the origins and development of sociological theory in the nineteenth century. Focusing on the three most important representatives of the classical tradition in sociology - Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim - we consider in detail the ideas of each, compare their perspectives on emerging industrial society, and assess their contemporary significance.

This seminar meets to discuss practical issues in doing research in anthropology and sociology. Depending on student interest, activities could include reading field notes, narrative analysis of texts, survey design, coding and measurement of quantitative variables, and/or visual analysis. Students might think about how to develop a class paper into an independent study, how to organize research for a thesis, or how to make sense of research and internship experience off-campus or during study abroad.

This course focuses on the historical and theoretical development of the major approaches to crime and criminality. Criminology began in the second half of the 19th Century when its pioneers asked the 'big questions' pertaining to crime, society, and human nature. As criminology progressed, it narrowed its focus, concentrating on special areas, such as violent crime and property crime. As sociology began to dominate criminology, new theories were developed to explain the social facts gathered in the last 50 years.

This course examines sociologically the criminal justice system that has developed to process law violators. Special attention goes to the formation of criminal codes; the purpose of penal sanction; the development and operations of the police, including corruption and brutality; the adult and juvenile court system; the prison; the prison hospital; and the future of imprisonment and crime control.

This studio course will be a design investigation of a particular theme in or approach to architecture and the built environment. Students will develop and apply traditional and contemporary architectural skills (sketches, plans, elevations, models, computer diagramming, and various modes of digital representation) to interdisciplinary and socially pertinent design problems. Creative and indexical study and analysis will be used to generate and foster a broad range of concepts and language to solve architectural issues involving site, construction, inhabitation, function, form, and space.

The art and mechanics of persuading a polity to support either war or peace through oral argument. How speeches frame issues, mobilize public opinion, and persuade individuals to support or resist decisions to go to war. Students will be expected to deliver speeches, lead discussions, and critique their own and others' presentations.

Offers an overview of the American political system and the theories of those who both celebrate and criticize it. Focuses on the institutions of American politics, including the Constitution, the presidency, Congress, the courts, parties, elections, interest groups, and movements seeking political change. Also includes a theoretical focus: a critical examination of the varieties of liberalism, conservatism, pluralism, and democracy that inform the practice of American politics.

This is the basic introductory course to the subfield of Comparative Politics. Over the semester we will engage a variety of issues central to comparative politics, including state formation, nationalism and ethnic conflict, regime types and changes, political and electoral systems, and social movements and revolutions. These issues will be illustrated by cases from around the world. In addition, we will examine the major methods and theories behind research in comparative politics.