* SOCY 0074a / ER&M 0581a / MUSI 0081a, Race and Place in British New Wave, K-Pop, and Beyond  Grace Kao

This seminar introduces you to several popular musical genres and explores how they are tied to racial, regional, and national identities. We examine how music is exported via migrants, return migrants, industry professionals, and the nation-state (in the case of Korean Popular Music, or K-Pop). Readings and discussions focus primarily on the British New Wave (from about 1979 to 1985) and K-Pop (1992-present), but we also discuss first-wave reggae, ska, rocksteady from the 1960s-70s, British and American punk rock music (1970s-1980s), the precursors of modern K-Pop, and have a brief discussion of Japanese City Pop. The class focuses mainly on the British New Wave and K-Pop because these two genres of popular music have strong ties to particular geographic areas, but they became or have become extremely popular in other parts of the world. We also investigate the importance of music videos in the development of these genres. Enrollment limited to first year students.   SO
MW 4pm-5:15pm

SOCY 1012a / AMST 1110a / EDST 1110a, Foundations in Education Studies  Staff

Introduction to key issues and debates in the U.S. public education system with a focus on the nexus of education theory and research, policy and pedagogy. The course emphasizes social, scientific, economic, and political forces that shape approaches to schooling and education reform, and it includes theoretical and practical perspectives from practitioners, policymakers, and scholars.  SO  0 Course cr
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SOCY 1283a, Computers, Networks, and Society  Scott Boorman

Comparison of major algorithm-centered approaches to the analysis of complex social network and organizational data. Fundamental principles for developing a disciplined and coherent perspective on the effects of modern information technology on societies worldwide. Software warfare and algorithm sabotage; blockmodeling and privacy; legal, ethical, and policy issues. No prior experience with computers required.  SO  0 Course cr
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

SOCY 1700a / EDST 1144a / EDST 144 / ER&M 2511a / EVST 1144a / EVST 144, Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration  Staff

Exploration of sociological studies and theoretical and empirical analyses of race, ethnicity, and immigration, with focus on race relations and racial and ethnic differences in outcomes in contemporary U.S. society (post-1960s). Study of the patterns of educational and labor market outcomes, incarceration, and family formation of whites, blacks (African Americans), Hispanics, and Asian Americans in the United States, as well as immigration patterns and how they affect race and ethnic relations.  SO  0 Course cr
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SOCY 1702a / EAST 2721 / GLBL 3303a, Inequality and Social Change in China  Emma Zang

This course offers an introduction to major social and economic issues in contemporary China. It provides a survey of the ongoing reforms and the Chinese society in transition with a focus on selected policy issues. In most weeks, the first session is reserved for a lecture by the instructor or a guest lecturer, and the second session is reserved for student-led discussions of pre-circulated questions.  SO
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

SOCY 1704a / AFAM 1986a / LAST 1214a / PLSC 2417a, Contesting Injustice  Staff

Exploration of why, when, and how people organize collectively to challenge political, social, and economic injustice. Cross-national comparison of the extent, causes, and consequences of inequality. Analysis of mobilizations for social justice in both U.S. and international settings. Intended primarily for first years and sophomores.  SO  0 Course cr
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SOCY 1840b / ANTH 1840b / ER&M 2541b, The Corporation  Douglas Rogers

Survey of the rise, diversity, and power of the capitalist corporation in global contexts, with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries. Topics include: the corporation as legal entity and the social and cultural consequences of this status; corporations in the colonial era; relationships among corporations, states, and non-governmental organizations in Western and non-Western contexts; anti-corporate critique and response; corporate social responsibility; and race, gender, and indigeneity.  HU, SO  0 Course cr
MW 10:30am-11:20am

SOCY 2002a / AFAM 1952a / PLSC 2363a, Topics in Contemporary Social Theory  Philip Gorski

In-depth introduction to recent developments in social theory, with particular emphasis on the last twenty years. Focus on three distinct areas of study: the building blocks and contrasting understandings of human persons and social action; the competing theories of the social structure of markets, institutions, cultures, social fields, and actor-networks; and the theoretical controversies concerning nations, states and empires, ethnic and racial identity, and the relation between facts and values in social research. Authors include Judith Butler, Michel Foucault, Jurgen Habermas, Pierre Bourdieu and Bruno Latour. SOCY 151 or equivalent is strongly recommended.  WR, SO  0 Course cr
MW 9am-10:15am

* SOCY 2009a, The Sociological Imagination  Julia Adams

Introduction to the study of sociology and modernity. Topics include the rise and transformations of capitalism; colonialism and empire; the linked advent of democracy and bureaucracy; the world-historical invention of the individual, and the modern and postmodern city. The course culminates in individualized student final projects, and includes a student-run class blog that discusses readings from classical and contemporary authors. Recommended for sophomores and juniors.  SO
MW 2:30pm-3:45pm

* SOCY 2048a / BENG 2048a, AI, Medicine, and Society  Alka Menon and Xenophon Papademetris

AI has shown tremendous promise to address problems in medicine and science. There is also considerable hype surrounding AI and many concerns (some justified, some not) regarding the use of this type of technology. This discussion-based seminar will 1) provide undergraduate students across disciplines with a broad overview of issues related to AI in medicine at a non-technical level, drawing on perspectives from the interpretive/humanistic social sciences, computing, engineering, and healthcare and 2) model interdisciplinary communication and build a robust framework for collaboration. Overarching topics, grounded in medical case studies, include what it means for computers to “think” and how we understand what they are thinking about; the use and limits of scientific knowledge in making policy decisions; bias, fairness, equity, equality; the challenges of implementation of AI systems; safety and risk; and the human/computer interface. The course also provides a high level overview of machine learning, discussing opportunities, limitations, and tradeoffs. Ultimately, the course offers a grounded look at how AI is being discussed and deployed on the ground in medicine, equipping students with a critical lens for thinking about responsible and practical implementation and innovation when it comes to AI.  SO
TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm

* SOCY 2103a, Visual Sociology  Philip Smith

Introduction to themes and methods in visual sociology. The role and use of visual information in social life, including images, objects, settings, and human interactions. Ethnographic photography, the study of media images, maps and diagrams, observation and coding of public settings, unobtrusive measures, and the use of internet resources.  SO
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

* SOCY 3044a / ER&M 3044a / URBN 3305a, Informal Cities  Leigh-Anna Hidalgo

The informal sector is an integral and growing part of major global cities. With a special focus on the context of U.S. cities, students examine where a burgeoning informality is visible in the region’s everyday life. How planners and policymakers address informality is an important social justice challenge. But what is the informal sector, or urban informality, or the informal city? This class addresses such questions through a rigorous examination of the growing body of literature from Sociology, Latinx Studies, Urban Planning, and Geography. We reflect on the debates and theories in the study of informality in the U.S. and beyond and gain an understanding of the prevalence, characteristics, rationale, advantages and disadvantages, and socio-spatial implications of informal cities. More specifically, we examine urban informality in work—examining street vendors, sex workers, and waste pickers—as well as housing, and the built environment.  SO
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

* SOCY 3104a / AMST 3304a / ANTH 3304a / ER&M 3304a / HUMS 3304a, Ethnography & Journalism  Madiha Tahir

While each is loathed to admit it, journalism and ethnography are cousins in some respects interested in (albeit distinct) modes of storytelling, translation, and interpretation. This methods course considers these shared grounds to launch a cross-comparative examination. What can the practies of each field and method—journalism and ethnography—tell us about the other? How do journalists and ethnographers engage ideas about the truth? What can they learn from each other? Students spend the first four weeks studying journalistic methods and debates before shifting to ethnographic discussions, and finally, comparative approaches to writing; data and evidence; experience and positionality.   HU, SO
Th 9:25am-11:15am

* SOCY 3201a, From Knowledge to Inaction  Rene Almeling

We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and yet there remain millions of Americans who do not have a home, enough food to eat, or access to health care. Academic researchers produce enormous amounts of data and knowledge about social problems like poverty, and yet the poverty rate has remained almost unchanged for fifty years. Likewise, there are reams of historical and social scientific studies about major social problems such as racism, gun violence, abortion access, and climate change. In this seminar, we examine the social processes through which all of this knowledge is ignored by policymakers and others with power to make change. How does increasing knowledge keep resulting in inaction?  SO
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

* SOCY 3203a / PLSC 3511a, AI for Social Science Methods  Daniel Karell

Social scientists have begun integrating AI technology into the designs and methods of their research projects. How are they doing so? What are the current standards and best practices? This course uses a seminar format to review, discuss, and critique how AI technologies are currently being incorporated into social science research activities. Students read recently published articles and widely discussed unpublished papers, and, through class discussion, identify the promises and pitfalls of using AI to conduct social science research. Students also learn how to justify and explain the use of AI in their own research projects.  Prerequisite: The required methods courses in Sociology or Political Science.  SO
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

* SOCY 3401a, Media and Mass Atrocities in Africa  j. Wahutu

Over the last century, several instances of mass violence have unfolded in numerous parts of the world, the most notable being the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide, and ongoing atrocities in Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo. How these instances of violence have been represented will form the main body of this class. The study of western news representation of Africa (and the global south) and the dynamics of differential reporting is not new. However, what do we actually know about how African media represent genocide and mass atrocities that occur in Africa? How does the news create and reinforce knowledge about mass atrocities? How can the media both generate and rely on knowledge? Is there a difference between the knowledge produced by African media and media from the global north? These are the questions that will guide us for the semester. 
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

* SOCY 3433b / ANTH 3821b / MMES 3321b / WGSS 3321b, Middle East Gender Studies  Marcia Inhorn

The lives of women and men in the contemporary Middle East explored through a series of anthropological studies and documentary films. Competing discourses surrounding gender and politics, and the relation of such discourse to actual practices of everyday life. Feminism, Islamism, activism, and human rights; fertility, family, marriage, and sexuality.  SO
Th 3:30pm-5:20pm

* SOCY 3500a, The Sociology of the Sacred  Philip Gorski

The dominant paradigm in the sociology of religion is the theory of secularization. But what if that theory is wrong? What if religion is not so much declining or disappearing as making room for other forms of the sacred, some "spiritual", others "secular", still others somewhere in between? How would that change our understanding of Western modernity and its history? What do we mean by "the sacred"? How do certain times, places, objects, rituals and persons come to be experienced as sacred? How have our understandings of the sacred evolved? And what possibilities–and dangers–arise from the fragmentation of the sacred in modern societies?  Some exposure to theories of religion and/or some knowledge of a religious tradition is helpful. 
MW 2:30pm-3:45pm

* SOCY 3707a / WGSS 2271a, Prison Nation, Race, Gender, Crime, and Abolition Politics  Staff

Mass incarceration and police violence are pressing human rights issues in the contemporary Americas. The US carceral state is sweeping, with nearly 2 million people currently incarcerated on any given day and a targeted policing apparatus that brings people under the penal net. At the same time, countries in Latin America have high rates of incarceration and often even higher rates of police violence than the US. These dynamics are deeply racialized and shape individuals, families, and communities. But that is not the full story. Liberatory movements have resisted and surged against this subjugation for decades. In this course, students will comparatively study the development of the contemporary carceral state and the political struggles waged against it. Students will read across the social sciences, Black studies, history, and law, as well as performance, memoir, and testimony. By examining the carceral state in this way, students will gain a critical lens on longstanding debates related to race and racism, justice and injustice, and reparation and abolition, in both the US and Latin America. While the course is not exhaustive, it is meant to equip students with a working framework on the critical debates in the field. This course is not open to students previously enrolled in SOCY 105/WGSS 106.  SO
W 9:25am-11:15am

* SOCY 3741a, Poverty and Social Welfare Policy in the United States  Rourke O'Brien

Formation and effectiveness of anti-poverty policies from a sociological and public policy perspective. Consideration of who is poor and who deserves federal assistance. Topics include: origins of the modern social safety net; the federal government’s role in constructing and implementing anti-poverty policy; realities of low-wage work; the "culture of poverty;" and employment- and family-based policy strategies for alleviating poverty. Applied understanding of quantitative social science research methods is helpful, but not required.
T 9:25am-11:15am

* SOCY 3742a / AFAM 3929a, Managing Blackness in a "White Space"  Elijah Anderson

White space” is a perceptual category that assumes a particular space to be predominantly white, one where black people are typically unexpected, marginalized when present, and made to feel unwelcome—a space that blacks perceive to be informally “off-limits” to people like them and where on occasion they encounter racialized disrespect and other forms of resistance. This course explores the challenge black people face when managing their lives in this white space.  SO
M 1:30pm-3:20pm

* SOCY 3843a / ER&M 3083a, Central Americans in the U.S.  Leigh-Anna Hidalgo and Katy Maldonado Dominguez

This course is an interdisciplinary survey of the social, historical, political, economic, educational, and cultural experiences of Central American immigrants and their children in the United States. The primary objective of the course is to introduce students to several contemporary experiences and issues in the U.S. Central American community. Focusing mostly on Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran immigrants—the three largest groups in the United States—we explore the social structures that constrain individuals as well as the strategies and behaviors immigrants and their communities have taken to establish their presence and make a home in U.S. society and stay connected to their countries of origin. Students gain a critical understanding of Central American identities, particularly as these have been constructed through the intersection of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and legal status.  SO
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

* SOCY 4100a, Senior Essay and Colloquium for Nonintensive Majors  Yuan Hsiao

Independent library-based research under faculty supervision. To register for this course, students must submit a written plan of study approved by a faculty adviser to the director of undergraduate studies no later than the end of registration period in the term in which the senior essay is to be written. The course meets biweekly, beginning in the first week of the term.
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* SOCY 4200a, Senior Essay and Colloquium for Intensive Majors  Alex Manning

Independent research under faculty direction, involving empirical research and resulting in a substantial paper. Workshop meets biweekly to discuss various stages of the research process and to share experiences in gathering and analyzing data. The first meeting is in the second week of the term.
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

* SOCY 4701a, Individual Study  Jonathan Wyrtzen

Individual study for qualified juniors and seniors under faculty supervision. To register for this course, each student must submit to the director of undergraduate studies a written plan of study that has been approved by a faculty adviser.
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