printer friendly pageRELIGST 235: Religion in Modern Society: Secularization and the Sacred (RELIGST 335)
What is the status of religion in modern life? Is the modern world "secular" in some fundamental, irreversible way and what does this mean? This course will explore these questions through variety of readings from leading sociologists, philosophers, and anthropologists. Our goal will be to understand in what ways industrialization, political liberalization, the rise of technology, and the success of modern science have been used to support the "secularization" thesis that the modern West rendered religion a thing of the past. A central question to be asked will be: do assessments of the place of religion in modernity necessitate a philosophy of history i.e., a theory not only of historical change, but of the meaning of this change as well?n The course will begin by looking at the origins of the theory of secularization from its beginnings in Enlightenment attempts to understand the meaning of history. We will then turn to contemporary debates over the term "secular" against its counterpart, "religious", and the problems with their application to non-Western societies. We will read works by Talal Asad, Saba Mahmood, Max Weber, Charles Taylor, Jürgen Habermas, and Pope Benedict XVI.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI, WAY-A-II, GER:DB-Hum
Instructors:
Woodford, P. (PI)
RELIGST 236: European Reformations (HISTORY 231G, HISTORY 331G, RELIGST 336)
Readings in and discussion of theological and social aspects of sixteenth century reformations: Luther, Radical Reform, Calvin, and Council of Trent, missionary expansion, religious conflict, creative and artistic expressions. Texts include primary sources and secondary scholarly essays and monographs.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Pitkin, B. (PI)
;
Stokes, L. (PI)
SIMILE 93: Science in the Making Integrated Learning Environment
SIMILE is a new residentially-based program organized around the question of when something we might call "science" identifiably began, what it became, and what it might become. While we may believe that science, technology and medicine represent some of the powerful tools we have for making a difference in the world, SIMILE challenges students to consider these as dynamic and changing fields of knowledge which must be understood in their historical, cultural and social contexts. Only then can we consider how new ideas, interpretations, technological artifacts and systems respond to societal needs within the limits of what is possible but also, importantly, in light of what might even become plausible.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER, THINK, WAY-SI, College
Instructors:
Aranda, M. (PI)
;
Doyno, M. (PI)
;
Findlen, P. (PI)
...
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Instructors:
Aranda, M. (PI)
;
Doyno, M. (PI)
;
Findlen, P. (PI)
;
Haring, K. (PI)
;
Proctor, R. (PI)
SLAVIC 190: Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in Dialogue with Contemporary Philosophical, Social, and Ethical Thought (COMPLIT 190, COMPLIT 390, SLAVIC 390)
Anna Karenina, the novel as a case study in the contest between "modernity" and "tradition," their ethical order, ideology, cultural codes, and philosophies. Images of society, women and men in Tolstoy v. those of his contemporaries: Marx, Mill, Nietzsche, Weber, Durkheim, Freud. Open to juniors, seniors and graduate students. Requirements: three interpretive essays (500-1000 words each). Analysis of a passage from the novel; AK refracted through a "philosophical" prism and vice versa (30% each); class discussion and Forum (10%).
Terms: Aut, Win
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-A-II, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Freidin, G. (PI)
SOC 22N: The Roots of Social Protest
Preference to freshmen. The conditions under which social protest occurs and the emergence, success, and viability of contemporary social movements. Examples include women's civil rights, ecology, and antiwar and anti-globilization movements in the U.S. and elsewhere. Sociological theories to explain the timing, location, and causes of mobilization; how researchers evaluate these theories. Comparison of tactics, trajectories, and outcomes.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, GER:EC-GlobalCom, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Olzak, S. (PI)
SOC 45Q: Understanding Race and Ethnicity in American Society (CSRE 45Q)
Preference to sophomores. Historical overview of race in America, race and violence, race and socioeconomic well-being, and the future of race relations in America. Enrollment limited to 16.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, GER:EC-AmerCul, WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Snipp, C. (PI)
SOC 107: China After Mao (SOC 207)
China's post-1976 recovery from the late Mao era; its reorientation toward an open market-oriented economy; the consequences of this new model and runaway economic growth for standards of living, social life, inequality, and local governance; the political conflicts that have accompanied these changes.
Last offered: Spring 2009
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
SOC 108: Political & Historical Sociology (SOC 208)
The differences between historical and sociological analysis of past events. The difference between constructing sociological explanations and describing past events. Topics include: the rise of Christianity, the mafia in a Sicilian village, the trade network of the East India Company.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI, GER:DB-SocSci
Instructors:
Parigi, P. (PI)
SOC 114: Economic Sociology (SOC 214)
(Graduate students register for 214.) The sociological approach to production, distribution, consumption, and markets, emphasizing the impact of norms, power, social structure, and institutions on the economy. Comparison of classic and contemporary approaches to the economy among the social science disciplines. Topics: consumption, labor markets, organization of professions such as law and medicine, the economic role of informal networks, industrial organization, including the structure and history of the computer and popular music industries, business alliances, capitalism in non-Western societies, and the transition from state socialism in E. Europe and China.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
SOC 115: Topics in Economic Sociology (SOC 315)
(Graduate students register for 315.) Discussion of topics initially explored in 114/214, with emphasis on countries and cultures outside N. America. Possible topics: families and ethnic groups in the economy, corporate governance and control, corporate strategy, relations among firms in industrial districts and business groups, the impact of national institutions and cultures on economic outcomes, transitions from state socialism and the role of the state in economic development. Possible case studies: the U.S., Germany, Italy, Britain, France, Brazil, Korea, India, Japan, and China. Prerequisite: 114/214
or 314.
Last offered: Winter 2012
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
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