Seminar on Race and Racism

Though biologically untenable, race continues to structure virtually every aspect of social life, from life expectancies at birth to death penalty executions. Topics to be covered in this course include the historical origins and evolution of race and racism, gender and class dynamics of race, antiracist movements, poverty, higher education, migration, incarceration, and nationalism. Considering and critiquing various theoretical approaches, this course reaches beyond the Black-white binary and, though focusing on the United States, also examines race and racism in other contexts.

Next Steps: Life After UMass

This course is designed to help prepare students for life after college. The first part of the course asks students to explore their interests, skills, and values to better understand themselves and to begin to consider the kinds of careers they might wish to pursue. We then develop a set of tools and skills for applying for employment or graduate school, and for adjusting to life after college.

ST- Sociology of Aspirations

In this course, students will have a chance to reflect on their own life goals and aspirations, as well as those of others, and consider the role of gender, economic class, race, and culture in shaping these. Topics may include how social forces influence our desired careers and family life, and our visions for an ideal society.

ST-Intro/Caribbean Thought

This course traces the origin and course of postcolonial intellectual and political projects of Afro-Caribbean thinkers and activists that crosscut themes of racism, classism, and sexism. The course surveys shifting socio-historical contexts and the accompanying theoretical and epistemological shifts that give rise to Critical Realism, Black Consciousness, Black Radical Thought, Black Marxism, and Caribbean Feminisms.

S-Domestic Violence

This course looks at domestic, partner, and family violence as a social problem. Students will learn about the feminist social movement that brought domestic violence to national attention, how protections were codified into law, and the major critiques that have since arisen. Final project will combine your experiences in the community with what you learn in class, as you and a small group propose a potential intervention into the social problem of domestic violence.

Sociology of Mental Health

Introduction to the sociology of mental illness, definitions and descriptions of mental illness, social and cultural causes for mental illness, family and public reactions and the problems of measuring mental illness and methods for its cure. Prerequisite: 100-level SOCIOL course.
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