71 - 80 of 204 results for: SOC

This course is an exploration. Most generally, its aim is to identify distinguishing features of good diverse communities and articulate them well enough to offer principles or guidelines for how to design and manage such communities - all with a particular focus on educational communities like schools, universities, academic disciplines, etc., but with the hope that such principles might generalize to other kinds of organizations and the broader society. The readings range from those on the origins of human communities and social identities to those on intergroup trust building. They also aim to embed our discussions in the major diversity issues of the day, or example, what's in the news about campus life. nnThus the course has a practical purpose: to develop testable ideas for improving the comfort level, fairness and goodness-for-all of identity diverse communities--especially in educational settings. nnThe course also has a basic science purpose: to explore the psychological significance of community. Is there a psychological need for community? Is there something about a need for community that can't be reduced to other needs, for example, for a gender, racial or sexual-orientation identity? How strong is the need for community against other needs? What kinds of human groupings can satisfy it? In meeting this need, can membership in one community substitute for membership in others? What do people need from communities in order to thrive in them? Do strong diverse communities dampen intergroup biases? Can strong community loyalty mitigate identity tensions within communities? nnSuch questions, the hope is, will help us develop a more systematic understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in diverse human communities.

Formulating a research question, developing hypotheses, probability and non-probability sampling, developing valid and reliable measures, qualitative and quantitative data, choosing research design and data collection methods, challenges of making causal inference, and criteria for evaluating the quality of social research. Emphasis is on how social research is done, rather than application of different methods. Limited enrollment; preference to Sociology and Urban Studies majors, and Sociology coterms.

Methods for analyzing and evaluating quantitative data in sociological research. Students will be taught how to run and interpret multivariate regressions, how to test hypotheses, and how to read and critique published data analyses.

In this colloquium, we will think about the various ways in which knowledge shapes violence and violence shapes knowledge in the modern Middle East. Recent works in various subfield of Middle Eastern studies, including history, anthropology, sociology and science and technology studies address this topic from different disciplinary perspectives. We will investigate how violence has been harnessed, theorized and narrated in influential works in these subfields. The course focuses on a set of key themes and questions that have been central to such writings: the nature of violence and the question of accountability and responsibility, shifting technologies of warfare, including technologies of representation, and the aftermath of violence. The questions that drive this colloquium, include, how do we define violence? What is its role in shaping the history and historiography of the modern Middle East? What is the relationship between war and the production of knowledge about war?

From your daily cup(s) of coffee to the ¿War on Drugs,¿ drugs touch the lives of most people. Yet, how societies deal with drug use and abuse change throughout time. In this course, we will look at drug use and abuse through a sociological lens, exploring how micro (personal), meso (interactional), and macro (structural) level forces underpin the meanings, experiences, and policies associated with drug use and abuse in the United States. Beyond this, we will examine how these forces contribute to persistent systems of inequality among different groups. This will not serve as a ¿how to¿ course, but one in which you will be asked to critically examine the role of drugs and their effects on society. By the end of this course, students should be able to:

This course examines the social underpinnings of historical and modern-day policing. We will analyze trends in policing practices in the US through time, and ask how ¿ and to what effect ¿ police have become enmeshed in the social fabric of American life. Students will be exposed to some of the methods social scientists use to investigate society¿s most pressing issues as we examine the intersections of policing with other institutions (e.g. education, technology, and health) through both popular journalism and rigorous academic research.

Despite gains in recent years, women remain dramatically underrepresented in virtually all realms of the American political system. In this course, students will become familiar with the empirical patterns and trends, social and cultural debates, and policy issues concerning the role of gender in American politics. We will examine the gender gap in voting patterns and mass political participation, as well as strategies for increasing women¿s representation. Students will come to understand the effects of women¿s lack of parity, including policy attitudes, processes, and outcomes. Furthermore, we will explore gender inequality in politics through an intersectional lens of race, class, age, education, and sexuality.

One in every five Americans has some kind of disability according to the Census Bureau, making this group the largest minority in America. Disability Studies is a relatively new interdisciplinary academic field that examines disability as a social, cultural and political phenomenon. Disability is an elusive, complex and fluid concept that encompasses a range of bodily, cognitive and sensory differences and abilities. It is produced as much by environmental and social factors as it is by bodily functions and pathology. This is an introductory course to the field of disability studies and it aims to investigate the complex concept of disability through a variety of prisms and disciplines including social psychology, the humanities, legal studies and media studies. This course also focuses on the multiple connections between the study of disability and other identities including class, race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, and also includes a comparative look at how disability is treated across cultures. Some of the topics covered in the class are disability and the family, the history of the disability rights movement, the development of disability identity and its intersectionality, anti-discrimination law, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, bioethical dilemmas pertaining to disability and more.

TRIGGER WARNING: Over the past three years, the issue of campus sexual assault has exploded into the public discourse. While definitive figures are difficult to obtain due to the necessarily private nature of these events, several recent studies estimate that between 20-25% of college women (and a potentially higher proportion of students identifying as transgender and gender-nonconforming, as well as around 5-10% of male students) experience sexual assault. People of color, LGBT students, disabled individuals and other vulnerable groups are at increased risk. This is also a significant problem in k12 education. Survivors have come forward across the country with harrowing stories of assault followed by what they describe as an insensitive or indifferent response from college administrators. These survivors have launched one of the most successful, and surprising, social movements in recent memory. As a result, the federal government under President Obama stepped up its civil rights enforcement in this area, with over 300 colleges and universities under investigation for allegedly mishandling student sexual assault complaints as of July 2017. At the same time, this heightened response has led to a series of high-profile lawsuits by accused students who assert that they were falsely accused or subjected to mishandled investigations that lacked sufficient due process protections. The one thing that survivors and accused students appear to agree on is that colleges are not handling these matters appropriately. Colleges have meanwhile complained of being whipsawed between survivors, accused students, interest groups, and enforcement authorities. The election of President Trump has now created significant uncertainty about how this issue will be handled by the Department of Education going forward. The Trump Administration took the extraordinary step this September of rolling back all of the Obama Administration guidance on this subject. Meanwhile Congress has been unable to pass legislation addressing the issue, though there are several bipartisan bills under consideration. This course focuses on the legal, policy, and political issues surrounding sexual assault on college campuses. We will learn background about sexual violence and the efforts to implement legal protections for survivors in the educational context. We will also study the basic legal frameworks governing campus assault, focusing on the relevant federal laws such as Title IX and the Clery Act. We will hear from guest speakers who are actively involved in shaping policy and advocating in this area, including lawyers, lobbyists, filmmakers, journalists, and policymakers. The subject matter of this course is sensitive and students are expected to treat the material with sensitivity. Much of the reading and subject matter may be upsetting and/or triggering for students who identify as survivors. There is no therapeutic component for this course, although supportive campus resources and Title IX staff are available for those who need them. This course was previously a Sophomore College Class that is now being offered as a regular quarter-length course. Enrollment is by INSTRUCTOR PERMISSION. Access the consent form here feminist.stanford.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/forms or email rmeisels@stanford.edu to request a form via email. Cross-listed with Law 7065. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Class Participation, Written Assignment, Final Paper or Project.