71 - 80 of 235 results for: SOC

(Graduate students register for 251.) Comparative analysis of historical, contemporary, and anticipated demographic change. Draws on case studies from around the world to explore the relationship between social structure and population dynamics. Introduces demographic measures, concepts and theory. Course combines lecture and seminar-style discussion.

How social differences, such as where we live, whether and how we work, or how much money we make, and our gender, race or ethnicity, also play a role in who gets sick and who does not.

Family change from historical, social, demographic, and legal perspectives. Extramarital cohabitation, divorce, later marriage, interracial marriage, and same-sex cohabitation. The emergence of same-sex marriage as a political issue. Are recent changes in the American family really as dramatic as they seem? Theories about what causes family systems to change.

Our everyday lives are made up of multiple routines, some consciously staged and imagined and others unconscious and insidious. Anthropologists call these rituals. Rituals shape every aspect of our lives, creating our symbolic universes and governing the most minute of our practices. nnFor early anthropologists and for those interested in religious and symbolic life, rituals and rites were seen as both one of the most universal features of human existence, and, as that which enables us to reflect upon our human existence. A prominent example are that of the ¿rites de passage¿ found in every culture, from puberty initiation rites, weddings or funerals, which socially signal the change from one status to another. While initially for anthropologists, rituals marked the difference between the sacred and the profane, soon scholars began to see the ubiquity of ritual and the symbolic in shaping even the most mundane activity such as the structure of a meal and why one is not meant to eat dessert before the main course. The first half of the class examines these different debates surrounding the meaning and effects of rituals and rites. The second half of the class takes these debates to think about the question of power and politics. We return to the question of how our symbolic universes are staged and imagined by us through ritual forms such as the annual Presidential ¿pardoning the turkey¿ at Thanksgiving. The question of power however pushes us even further to ask why it is that we obey particular kinds of authority, consent to particular actions, and find ourselves doing things we haven¿t consciously decided to do. Many have argued that these kinds of political questions about how we respond and are shaped by power have something to do with our symbolic worlds and ritual, from the most obvious (the monarchy) to the most subtle (listening in a classroom). Throughout the course, these abstract questions will be grounded in cross-cultural examples and analysis.

This course will expose students to the rise of a world-wide indigenous identity, common themes embraced by indigenous people, and common challenges these groups confront when dealing with the larger social environment that surrounds them. Topics to be covered include tribal sovereignty, rights, and recognition; language preservation; the maintenance of cultural integrity and ethnic authenticity; cultural production and the commodification of indigenous culture; literary traditions; indigenous social movements; natural resources and land disputes; and the disadvantaged social position that these groups typically occupy.

(Graduate students register for 260.) The roles of formal organizations in production processes, market transactions, and social movements; and as sources of income and ladders of mobility. Relationships of modern organizations to environments and internal structures and processes. Concepts, models, and tools for analyzing organizational phenomena in contemporary societies. Sources include the literature and case studies.

(Graduate students register for 261.) Who is likely to become an entrepreneur and where is entrepreneurship likely to occur? Classic and contemporary theory and research. Interaction with expert practitioners in creating entrepreneurial opportunities including venture and corporate capitalists. The role of culture, markets, hierarchies, and networks. Market creation and change, and factors that affect success of new organizations. Field projects on entrepreneurial environments such as technology licensing offices, entrepreneurial development organizations, venture capital firms, and corporate venturing groups.

Social and political forces that shape market outcomes. The emergence and creation of markets, how markets go wrong, and the roles of government and society in structuring market exchange. Applied topics include development, inequality, globalization, and economic meltdown. Preference to Sociology majors and Sociology coterm students.

Foundational material in organizational theory literature.