Sociology (SOCY)

* SOCY 081a / ER&M 081a / MUSI 081a, Race and Place in British New Wave, K-Pop, and BeyondGrace 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 112a / AMST 115a / EDST 110a, Foundations in Education StudiesStaff

Introduction to key issues and debates in the U.S. public education system. Focus on the nexus of education practice, policy, and research. Social, scientific, economic, and political forces that shape approaches to schooling and education reform. Theoretical and practical perspectives from practitioners, policymakers, and scholars.  SO0 Course cr
HTBA

SOCY 133a, Computers, Networks, and SocietyScott 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.  SO0 Course cr
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

SOCY 138b / ANTH 140b / ER&M 241b, The CorporationDouglas 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, SO0 Course cr
MW 10:30am-11:20am

SOCY 144a / EDST 144a / ER&M 211a / EVST 144a, Race, Ethnicity, and ImmigrationStaff

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.  SO0 Course cr
HTBA

SOCY 151a / PLSC 290a, Foundations of Modern Social TheoryStaff

Major works of social thought from the beginning of the modern era through the 190s. Attention to social and intellectual concepts, conceptual frameworks and methods, and contributions to contemporary social analysis. Writers include W.E.B. Du Bois, Simone De Beauvoir, Adam Smith, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Karl Marx.  SO0 Course cr
HTBA

* SOCY 169a, Visual SociologyPhilip 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 170a / AFAM 186a / LAST 214a / PLSC 378a, Contesting InjusticeStaff

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.  SO0 Course cr
HTBA

* SOCY 205a, Politics and CultureYagmur Karakaya

This class explores the link between politics and culture, by delving into three subsets of political culture: civil society and power, political performance and communication, and collective action. Throughout the semester, we explore culture as a social force which can shift political life in new directions. Our deep engagement starts with civil society and power, specifically the American understanding of community, to see how civic Republicanism and radical individualism undergird participation in social life. Here, we deconstruct how Americans perceive themselves as political actors and members of a political community, and frame their participation in politics. In political performance and communication, we explore several topics: political speeches, populism as a style, media as a realm of political performance, and collective memory. Learning about the performative side of politics, with real life material, we familiarize ourselves with narratives and deep stories told by people across the political spectrum. In collective action, we look at social media and mobilization, environmental philanthropy, religion in political activism, and emotions. While focusing on case studies students become familiar with different approaches to culture.  SO
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

SOCY 207b / AMST 200b / WGSS 200b, Topics in Human SexualityJoseph Fischel

In 1970, Yale professors and sexuality scholars Linda and Philip Sarrel introduced what came to be their wildly popular lecture, “Topics in Human Sexuality.” The course, offered at the height of the sexual revolution and shortly after Yale University admitted women undergraduates, was multipurpose: to teach students about pressing, contemporary social problems around sex, gender, and sexuality; to help students learn about their bodies, sexualities, and relationships; to direct students to resources and information about their sexual and reproductive health; and to advance the mission of a liberal arts education, namely, the cultivation of well-rounded, critically engaged, curious, participatory young citizens. This iteration of the course is inspired by the Sarrel’s ambitions, even if we are unlikely to realize them in full. The course is offered in the spirit of a critical sexuality education, critical as in 1) theory- rather than practicum-driven, but nonetheless 2) urgent. As political movements that endanger transgender children, suppress sexual expression, and rescind reproductive rights gain traction, the course offers candid, careful focus on: abortion, sexual education, queer and trans kids, pornography, university sexual politics, hooking up, and breaking up.  Along the way, we watch a season of Netlfix’s “Sex Education” together. The class (nonexclusively) focuses on social and political problems in the contemporary United States, and examines those problems by drawing upon scholarship in Gender & Sexuality Studies, American Studies, Sociology, Psychology, and Public Law.  HU, SO
TTh 10:30am-11:20am

* SOCY 275a, Climate Privilege: A Sophomore SeminarRene Almeling

There are massive and consequential inequalities between those who produce the most carbon and those who suffer the effects. In this discussion-based seminar designed for sophomores, students first review basic information about climate warming and learn about the emergence of the environmental justice approach, which foregrounds intersecting inequalities such as race and class. Then, they engage with interdisciplinary readings on privilege, complicity, and complacency to develop a more systematic understanding of “climate privilege” and how it contributes to forestalling the social, political, economic, and cultural changes necessary to reduce climate warming. The course also involves a basic introduction and practice with selected social scientific research methods, including surveys, observations, and interviews.  SO
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

* SOCY 305a / ER&M 285a / LAST 305a, Latin American Immigration to the United States: Past, Present, and FutureAngel Escamilla Garcia

Immigration from Latin America is the one of the most important and controversial issues in the United States today. The family separation crisis, the infamous border wall, and the Dream Act dominate political debate. Latinos—numbering more than 60 million in the U.S.—are a large, heterogeneous, and growing group with a unique social, political, and cultural history. This course explores key current issues in immigration, as well as the history of Latin American migration to the U.S., with the aim of providing students the tools necessary to thoughtfully participate in current debates.  SO
MW 9am-10:15am

* SOCY 342a / AFAM 329a, 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 390a / ER&M 360a / HLTH 370a / HSHM 432a / WGSS 390a, Politics of ReproductionRene Almeling

Reproduction as a process that is simultaneously biological and social, involving male and female bodies, family formation, and powerful social institutions such as medicine, law, and the marketplace. Sociological research on reproductive topics such as pregnancy, birth, abortion, contraception, infertility, reproductive technology, and aging. Core sociological concepts used to examine how the politics of reproduction are shaped by the intersecting inequalities of gender, race, class, and sexuality.  WR, SO
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

* SOCY 410a / PLSC 410a, Political ProtestsMaria Jose Hierro

The 2010s was the “decade of protest,” and 2019 capped this decade with an upsurge of protests all over the world. In 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the US is witnessing the broadest protests in its history. What are the roots of these protests? Under what conditions does protest start? Why do people decide to join a protest? Under what conditions do protests succeed? Can repression kill protest movements? Focusing on recent protest movements across the world, this seminar addresses these, and other questions related to the study of political protest.   SO
Th 9:25am-11:15am

* SOCY 471a, Individual StudyRourke O'Brien

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.
HTBA

* SOCY 491a, Senior Essay and Colloquium for Nonintensive MajorsRamina Sotoudeh

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.
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

* SOCY 493a, Senior Essay and Colloquium for Intensive MajorsAlex 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.
W 1:30pm-3:20pm