61 - 70 of 264 results for: SOC

In early education, children are often taught to think of the human body in terms of facts - for example, by learning the names of bones or the way that different bodily systems work together. Thinking of the body in this way is to employ a biomedical understanding of the human body - in the realm of science, doctors, and data. Yet, cultural understandings pervade the way that bodies are perceived, categorized, studied, and understood. What is described as 'normal' functioning of the body, and what is considered a pathology? A disability? What type of bodily variation (in body size, eyebrow shape, foot size) gets deemed as meaningful or important? What historical and social processes have shaped the types of traits that we value in a body and what we consider to be a problem? As we critically think about the human body and the social processes that drive our understanding of it, we will engage in some of the core dynamics of the field of Sociology. Throughout the course, students will learn to think about systems of inequality and stratification and power dynamics, with the human body being the application of our analyses.

This course takes a problem-solving focus. Our main goal is to learn to design research-based interventions to improve diversity, equity and inclusion outcomes in organizations. U.S. society has become increasingly more diverse, and yet our organizations do not reflect that diversity. Further, even successful efforts to improve diversity are often not accompanied by a plan to create truly inclusive organizations that support a diverse workforce or student body. We will begin by comparing explanations for the lack of diversity and inclusion in modern organizations. We will then examine research that illustrates the cost to individuals and organizations for failing to leverage the diverse talent in our society. Guest speakers will share their challenges and successes in increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the organizations where they work. Then, it will be your turn. Working in teams you will design your own research-based intervention to promote DEI at the organizational, team, and individual level and present your intervention to the class. Along the way, you will also learn effective strategies for navigating non-inclusive organizations and for being an effective change agent in your own environment.

How do we make sense of a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected, and where social problems like climate change, democratization, human rights, and economic stability are increasingly global in their scope? How have international institutions attempted to regulate these processes and maintain social order? Why have recent social and political movements in an increasing number of countries targeted globalization as a source of their society¿s problems? In this course, we will explore how globalization is as an economic, political, and cultural process that shapes major social problems in today¿s world. To do so, we will draw on a range of theories and interdisciplinary research in economics, political science, and sociology.

This course introduces students to theories and perspectives from the social sciences relevant to an understanding of the role of education in relation to structures of gender differentiation, hierarchy, and power. It familiarizes students with and enables them to critically evaluate research on the status of children, adolescents, and young adults around the world and their participation patterns in various sectors of society, particularly in education. Students have the opportunity to gain research skills by designing research proposals or to develop action plans on topics of their choosing related to gender and education from global and/or comparative perspectives.

Over the last three decades, inequality in America has increased substantially. Why has this happened, and what can be done about it? The course will begin by surveying the basic features of poverty, inequality, and economic mobility in the 21st century. From here we will discuss issues related to discrimination, education and schools, criminal justice, and the changing nature of the family as forces that shape inequality. We will also focus on the main social policy options for addressing inequality in the United States, including income support for the poor, taxing higher incomes, efforts to encourage philanthropy, and other institutional reforms.

How does social welfare policy contribute to social (in)justice? Why does discrimination based on race face heightened scrutiny in court compared to gender? Does inequality cause crime? This course explores the intersection between sociology and the law with a focus on inequality. We will address the question: how does the law create and respond to inequality between people and groups? We will learn some legal doctrine throughout but we will prioritize examining a sociological theory of law and justice. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach using a variety of materials including judicial opinions, scholarly papers, and newspaper articles.

(Graduate students register for 236) This course explores major issues and debates in the sociology of law. Topics include historical perspectives on the origins of law; rationality and legal sanctions; normative decision making and morality; cognitive decision making; crime and deviance, with particular attention to the problem of mass incarceration; the "law in action" versus the "law on the books;" organizational responses to law, particularly in the context of sexual harassment and discrimination in education and employment; the roles of lawyers, judges, and juries; and law and social change with particular emphasis on the American civil rights movement. Special Instructions: Students are expected to attend a weekly TA-led discussion section in addition to lecture. Sections will be scheduled after the start of term at times when all students can attend. Paper requirements are flexible. Cross listed with the Law School ( LAW 7511). See "Special Instructions" in course description above. Elements Used in Grading: Class participation, paper proposal, three short papers and a final paper (see syllabus for details).

Absolute world poverty has declined considerably in the last twenty years, but elites have gained disproportionately from the growth of the global economy, leading to serious concerns about inequality in several countries, as well as in global policy circles. This discussion-based seminar explores how global capitalism affects worldwide inequality. Topics include the evolution, causes, and structure of global inequality, the links between inequality and human development, and potential solutions to global inequality.

We are used to thinking about diseases and illnesses as biological problems that need medical solutions. For example, suppose that a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer. Their cancer has an immediate, biological cause (genetic mutation) that we point to, and their doctor has an immediate, medical treatment (chemotherapy) that we can employ. This is how we think about health and practice medicine: focusing on the immediate causes and symptoms for one individual. Sociologists, however, view these situations differently, instead considering the social contexts of these diseases and thinking about the health of populations rather than of individuals. For example, perhaps they grew up in a town whose drinking water was poisoned by a local chemical factory, and this greatly increased their risk of getting cancer. How did circumstances throughout their life - many outside their control - like their socioeconomic status, government policies and local politics, and their access to medical care affect their eventually getting cancer? In this course, we will introduce key concepts from the sociology of health and illness - including fundamental causes of disease, health disparities, social determinants of health, social stress, social capital, the social construction of illness, medicalization, health care delivery, the structure of health care systems, and public policy - to examine the social causes and contexts of disease and illness. How do social conditions affect our health? What even are "diseases" or "illnesses"? Who gets sick, and who stays sick? What is medicine and health care, and how do we decide who gets them? We will apply these theoretical concepts and frameworks to these questions to understand how health and illness are not only biological processes occurring within individuals but also social processes between people, groups, and institutions.