Courses

• CAS SO 211: Confronting Racial, Cultural, Gender, and Social Identities in Urban Classrooms: Educational and Sociological Perspectives
  Examines the sociological, cultural, and educational factors that contribute to the achievement gap and what it will take to close this gap. Course is taught at the Trotter School; transportation provided. Includes a field placement.
• CAS SO 215: Health and Society
  Social, cultural, and intercultural factors in health and illness. Training and socialization of medical professionals, roots of medical power and authority, organization and operation of health care facilities. U.S. healthcare system and its main problems. Comparison of health care systems in the U.S. and in other countries.
• CAS SO 238: Sociology of the Life Course
  Explores the social construction of adulthood and aging. Focuses on such topics as age stratification, role changes, work and retirement, interpersonal networks, health and health care, and social policies.
• CAS SO 240: Sexuality and Social Life
  Introduction to sociological perspectives on sexuality. Historical and comparative analysis of sexuality, with a focus on the social and cultural institutions that shape sexuality in the contemporary U.S.
• CAS SO 241: Sociology of Gender
  An introduction to the social construction of sex and gender with a focus on the economic, political, social, and cultural forces that shape gender relations. Examines gender as a social structure that patterns institutional inequalities and everyday interactions in society.
• CAS SO 242: Globalization and World Poverty
  (Meets with CAS IR 242.) Globalization and world poverty; how and why over 80% of the world remains poor and inequality increases despite economic modernization and democratization. Addresses urbanization, immigration, religion, politics, development politics, foreign aid, women, drugs, environment, food security. Special attention to Latin American, African, and Asian experiences.
• CAS SO 244: Urban Sociology
  An analysis of cities and urban phenomena in preindustrial, industrial, and postindustrial societies with an emphasis on European and U.S. urbanization. A comparison of social scientific "theories" used to explain these same phenomena.
• CAS SO 246: Sociology of Market Transitions
  Focus on East-Central Europe, the former Soviet Union, and China in the context of post-communist economic and political reforms and globalization. Topics include privatization, entrepreneurship, banking, and corruption. Effects on healthcare, education, social inequality, family and household dynamics.
• CAS SO 253: Sociology of Popular Culture
  Sociological perspectives on popular culture and mass media, with a focus on the consumption and production of cultural goods; the effects of popular culture on politics and inequalities; and the mutual interdependence of consumer identities and cultural fields.
• CAS SO 256: Contemporary American Society
  Examines mainly American political and economic culture and patterns of social interaction. The unique dynamic introduced into American society by central tensions at the level of values is defined through comparisons to European societies. Authors include Tocqueville, Weber, Bellah, Lipset, Putnam.
• CAS SO 277: Technology and Society
  Examines technology as a fundamental element of and dynamic force in our society with the aim of providing a balanced understanding of the promise, consequences, and dilemmas brought about by specific technologies and to broaden students' perspectives and sense of social and professional responsibility for decisions related to technology. Combines both a liberal arts and an engineering perspective.
• CAS SO 301: Challenge and Change in British Education
  Evaluation of evolving policy and practice in British education in the post-war period. Includes analysis of underlying social, economic, and political motivation; looks at interplay between policy and practice; and relates British education to the wider international context.
• CAS SO 302: Social Networks
  Examines social networks in the economy, family and community, technology, politics and crime, religious and social movement organizations, and popular culture. Introduces the social network perspective, and its tools of analysis.
• CAS SO 303: Substantive Themes in Sociological Theory
  Critique and application of major sociological theories to key themes and topics. Connections between classical and modern arguments, syntheses of alternative perspectives, and gaps between various perspectives. Themes include the maintenance of social order, power and authority, conflict and change, and sources of alienation.
• CAS SO 304: Formal Organizations
  Formal organizations as social systems. Theory of bureaucracy and administrative functions. The bases of authority, communication systems, and formal and nonformal structures. Organizational development, trends, and relations with the social environment.
• CAS SO 306: Boston's People and Neighborhoods
  A comparison between nineteenth- and twentieth-century neighborhoods, connecting changes in everyday life to larger demographic, economic, physical, and political changes affecting the whole city and immediate suburbs. Includes tours of several Boston neighborhoods and archival research using neighborhood newspapers.
• CAS SO 308: Australian Social Policy
  Covers broad history and major problems of Australian social policy; institutional framework within which Australian policy is formulated and implemented; and principle current methodologies of policy evaluation. Draws on history, politics, and economics of Australia.
• CAS SO 313: Economic Sociology
  Presents the sociological approach to the study of production, distribution, consumption and markets, emphasizing the impact of norms, power, social structure, and institutions on the economy. Compares classic and contemporary approaches to the economy by the social science disciplines.
• CAS SO 315: The Social Nature of Technology
  Theoretical foundations of sociology of technology from antiquity through the modern age. Explores the paradox of technology as being socially constructed, but treated as similar to nature.
• CAS SO 318: Sociology of Childhood and Youth
  Explores the "social construction" of childhood and youth, and examines ways in which social institutions (family, schools, media, and law) influence children's lives in different social settings. Also examined are social and policy issues surrounding childhood in the U.S. today.

Note that this information may change at any time.

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