Courses

• MET SO 204: Contemporary Social Problems
  Relationship between individual and society in the postindustrial world. Problems in areas of work, education, cities, inequality, sexism, medicine, and law. Broad coverage of concepts dealing with alienation, institutional malaise, and societal ills.
• MET SO 205: Marriage and the Family
  The nature of the American family and its ethnic and class variants throughout the family life cycle. Topics include courtship, mate selection, sexual behavior, reproduction, marital stability and divorce, social policies affecting family life, and the interrelationships of the family with other institutions.
• MET SO 207: Sociology of Minority Groups
  Relations among various racial, national, cultural, and religious groups, emphasizing the development of black-white relations in American society. Also covers the problems of contemporary minority peoples in America and other societies.
• MET SO 209: Crime and Delinquency
  Analysis of criminal and delinquent behavior. Evaluation of current theories and research into causes and sociological implications of these behavior patterns. Examination of criminal justice systems, including police, courts, and corrections.
• MET SO 233: Sociology of Occupations, Professions, and the Workplace
  Analysis of occupations, professions, and their social setting in modern corporations, government offices, and non-profit organizations. An examination of the role of complex organizations in structuring the demand for certain types of workers and skills. An evaluation of how workers themselves alter their own work settings.
• MET SO 301: Women of the Developing World
  This class analyzes Third World women's lives within the context of a political-economic world system. It examines the critical role of international economic relationships in shaping the structure of women's status in developing nations. Using this framework the class explores the following issues: fertility and family planning, militarization and human rights, the refugee experience, women's changing role in agriculture, and community development. Four geographical areas will be targeted for in-depth study: Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.
• MET SO 302: Women and Health in the Twenty-First Century
  Examines current issues directly related to the health experiences of women in America and around the world. Topics include an historical overview of women's health and examine in depth issues such as: gender specific medicine; puberty, body image and eating disorders; contraception and the abortion issue; infertility and technology; pregnancy, childbirth and breast feeding; violence against women; incarcerated women and the female brain. Provides a framework to integrate the social variables involved in exploring the roles played by men and women as medical consumers and its affects on overall health and attitudes.
• MET SO 305: Violence in the Family
  This course will look at American family violence across the life span including child abuse, teen dating violence, wife battering and elder abuse. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse will be examined. We will consider how family violence differs by class and ethnic group and its differential impact on women. Institutional responses to family violence in the legal, medical and social service systems will be included as well as the role played by the women's shelter movement. Ideological supports for family violence in gender expectations, religious teaching and the media will also be studied.
• MET SO 306: Sociology of Aging
  Sociological issues related to aging in the contemporary world. Life cycle issues of health, medicine, benefits, leisure, and social policy. Review of measures designed to improve conditions for elderly here and abroad.
• MET SO 308: Individual and Society
  Examination of current theories and research bearing on relationship between personality and social structure; contributions and convergent developments in psychology, anthropology, and sociology.
• MET SO 310: Business and the Social Environment
  The role of business in the world of politics, economics, and society.
• MET SO 311: Religion and Society
  The interrelationships of religious and social structures: denominations and social institutions, secular and sacred cultures, group behavior, ideology, and religious beliefs.
• MET SO 325: Sociology of Sports
  Sociological theory and research techniques applied to sports. Emphasis on the study of sports in their social contexts as they reflect and reinforce economic, political, and cultural patterns of society.
• MET SO 335: Technology, Environment, and Society
  Relationship between technology, environment, and social life. Impact of actual cases of technological development and environmental degradation. Emergence of social problems, and strategies for their solution.
• MET SO 344: Drugs and Society
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: MET SO 100; or consent of instructor.
  Introduction to the sociology of a wide range of legal and illicit drugs. Examines social definitions of drugs and conditions of their use. Considers deviant drug use and effects of social control on definitions and use.
• MET SO 510: Rehabilitation and Re-Integration
  Community re-integration following imprisonment has long been recognized as a significant problem. Longer sentences and rapid changes have created new problems for both returning inmates and those who provide services both inside and outside the criminal justice system. This course will examine rehabilitation philosophy in theory and practice. Lectures and seminars will address such issues as: the special problems in providing rehabilitation and education in the correctional system, the effect of inmate subculture on rehabilitation, and balancing demands for custody and rehabilitation.
• MET SO 511: Understanding Moral Panics
  Introduces students to the concept of Moral Panics. Moral panics are a social phenomenon triggered by an incident or series of incidents that appear to threaten a society's culture or way of life. Policymakers, legislators, and prosecutors react to these fears despite a trivial or non-existent threat. In this course we analyze in detail five moral panics to advance our understanding of the theoretical framework and the media's role in their construction.
• MET SO 533: Sociology of Medicine
  Graduate Prerequisites: one sociology course or consent of instructor.
  Research and substantive findings in the sociology and social psychology of health, disease, and medical practice; particular reference to institutional provision for health.
• MET UA 301: Introduction to Urban Affairs
  This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to urban affairs and urban problems, including an overview of prominent theories about the nature and causes of urban problems. We will examine the metropolitan area as a complex system with interdependent institutions and problems and consider present as well as future urban policy options in areas such as housing, transportation, crime, education, environment and economic development.
• MET UA 403: Boston Urban Seminar
  An opportunity to explore general issues of urban affairs and planning in seminar. Theme changes, but each seminar focuses on Boston. Prominent scholars and professionals active in city and regional issues are invited to participate.