How can you explain social inequality to the general public? Sociology gives us a unique lens on race, class, gender, sexuality, and other forms of inequality. Pull together what you have learned in your sociology classes and learn to communicate it to the general public. Students in this Calderwood Seminar will write a variety of pieces that bring sociological expertise to the public, such as summaries of research and data, book reviews, opinion pieces, blog posts, and magazine articles. Students will also hone their skills by reading and editing each other’s writing.

Although we tend to think of emotions as something universal, authentic, and internal to us, careful study reveals that the conventions concerning emotional expression can change radically over time and vary tremendously from place to place. Emotions can thus be thought of as cultural constructs, determined as much by social norms as human nature. This course will explore the roots of emotions like love, fear, anger, shame, and empathy, and examine the social construction of mental health and illness. Enrollment limited to 12. Juniors and seniors only.

While research on what happens once formerly incarcerated women return to society has attracted more attention among scholars, activists, and experts in corrections in recent years, women’s carceral experiences still remain understudied. Therefore, this course centers the experiences of women and how gender shapes their experiences with crime and punishment.

This course engages the world of popular Indian cinema, Bollywood and beyond. We integrate scholarly articles on the subject, lectures, in-depth discussions, and of course, film screenings to explore the history and political economy of India and South Asia. Students analyze how this vital cultural form deals with the politics of gender, class, caste, religion and Indian nationalism.

This course examines sexuality from a sociological perspective, focusing on how sexuality is constructed by and structures major social institutions. We examine the social construction of individual and collective identities, norms and behaviors, discourses, institutional regulation, and the place of sexuality in the state, education, science and other institutions, and social movements. Consideration of gender, race, class, time and place are integrated throughout.

This course explores the role of the state in the creation of both race and discipline as it exists in the contemporary U.S. In doing so, we will begin to understand how these apparatuses allow for the creation and expansion of the U.S. empire. In particular, we will use the racialization of Muslims to see how race, discipline and empire are all collective processes and have clear examples of how these processes play out. We will look at how discipline itself is racialized and creates the scaffolding for expanding U.S.

This course examines the institution of education from a sociological perspective, exploring issues of power and privilege, relationships between education and other social institutions, and the varying purposes of education in society. A recurring theme throughout the course is meritocracy. We consider how merit is defined in education, factors that affect who succeeds in the educational system and whether meritocratic education is a viable goal.

This course examines social structures and meanings that shape contemporary family life. Students look at the ways that race, class and gender shape the ways that family is organized and experienced. Topics include the social construction of family, family care networks, parenthood, family policy, globalization and work. Prerequisite: SOC 101. Enrollment limited to 35.

Qualitative research methods offer a means of gaining insight and understanding into complex perspectives held by people about social practices and social phenomena. Whereas good quantitative research captures scale, good qualitative research reaches the depth of perceptions, views, experiences, behaviors and beliefs. Qualitative research deals with meanings; it seeks to understand not just what people do, but why they choose to do what they do.

Perspectives on society, culture and social interaction. Topics may include the self, emotions, culture, community, class, race and ethnicity, family, gender, and economy. Priority given to first years and sophomores. Open to juniors and seniors with permission of the course director. Enrollment limited to 30.