Sociology


SO101
Sociological Perspectives
Prof. Rory McVeigh

An introduction to sociology for highly motivated students. In addition to learning the basic concepts of the discipline, students will see how these concepts are applied in contemporary sociological research. A wide range of issues will be explored. These include lynching patterns in the South, diffusion of the AIDS virus, and transformations in family structures over time, just to name a few. Several factors distinguish the honors section of Sociology 101 from regular sections. Assigned readings will be drawn primarily from academic literature. Exams will be more writing-intensive. Students will also have the opportunity to engage in a research project of their choosing in collaboration with a classmate and under the close supervision of the instructor.



SO201H
Social Issues
Prof. David Karp

This course is an introduction to social issues from a sociological perspective. Although it is not an introductory sociology course, we will consider core themes in sociology as a way to understand some contemporary social problems. With each issue (racial segregation, gender inequality, overpopulation, and the prison crisis), we will introduce a unique sociological perspective which will help shed light on the issue and provide us with a way to examine these issues as social scientists.



SO211H
Sociological Imaginations
Prof. John Brueggemann

A review of "great works" that have made an impact in the field of sociology. This course will examine a number of classic and contemporary social scientific books. Students will investigate the content and perspective of sociology, the defining question of the discipline, and the "Sociological imagination". This will entail exposure to important sociological ideas and arguments as well as some sense of the intellectual history of the field. This course will emphasize informed and engaged discourse about the big ideas of these great works. Prerequisite: SO101 and permission of instructor.
 


SO224H
Close Relationships
Prof. Susan Walzer
 
Students in this course explore intimate relationships through a social scientific lens, examining how interactions that we think of as unique and private are also public processes with implications for the organization of society.  We examine attraction, sexuality, friendship, and love as relational experiences embedded in social structures and norms.  The honors component of this course involves doing an advanced research project.  By the end of the semester, along with simply knowing more about close relationships, students possess a deeper understanding of theoretical and methodological issues associated with studying them.  Students also develop their abilities to ground examination of social phenomena in analysis of previous research and original data.