1 - 10 of 44 results for: SOC

An overview of the major forms of inequality in American society, their causes and consequences. Special attention will devoted to to public policy associated with inequality.

This class focuses on the political party and on the different scholarly perspectives from which it has been studied. We will study these perspectives analytically¿to find the main elements that characterize them¿and historically¿to understand how the party has operated in different contexts and how scholarly interpretations have changed in time. The emphasis on the party requires a contextualization of two processes that have shaped the functioning of the institutions of the state in the last decades¿one operating below the state and the other operating abovenFrom below the state, the fragmentation of interests has been challenging the traditional identities that used to be embedded in the party. From above, international economic processes have been undermining the role of the state, and thus of the party, as the main vehicle for bringing grievances into the political arena. Thus, part of the agenda of the party is dominated by the activities of organized social movements that only partially follow traditional cleavages (class, status, race, ethnicity, urban/rural), while another part is dominated by multinational firms and banks that only partially represent national interests. Yet, to the extent that the institutions of the state remain relevant, the political party remains a powerful and significant actor of Modern democracies. The fundamental question of this class is to understand the way in which the party continues to shape the functioning of the state.n We will approach this question analytically and historically. Analytically, we will read through various definitions of what a party is. The aim is not to arrive at a ¿correct¿ definition of the party (there is not such a thing!) but to sharpen the differences between the several approaches. Historically, we will study the party in action with the goal of understanding the perspective from which the party was portrayed. Together, in this double exercise you will learn the tools of the trade, so to speak, of political sociology.

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.

Causes, effects, and solutions to various forms of corruption in business and politics in both developing regions (e.g. Asia, E. Europe) and developed ones (the US and the EU).

(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.

Social influences on private intimate relations involving romantic love and sexuality. Topics include the sexual revolution, contraception, dating, hook-ups, cohabitation, sexual orientation, and changing cultural meanings of marriage, gender, and romantic love.

Why do people behave the way they do? This fundamental question drives social psychology, a field that bridges psychology and sociology. This course surveys social psychological research on a wide variety of topics including conformity, morality, respect, generosity, identity, and prejudice, giving students a deeper understanding of the causal architecture of the social world.

The effects of schools and schooling on individuals, the stratification system, and society. Education as socializing individuals and as legitimizing social institutions. The social and individual factors affecting the expansion of schooling, individual educational attainment, and the organizational structure of schooling.

(Graduate students register for 249.) Recent research and theory on the urban underclass, including evidence on the concentration of African Americans in urban ghettos, and the debate surrounding the causes of poverty in urban settings. Ethnic/racial conflict, residential segregation, and changes in the family structure of the urban poor.