Courses

• 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. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• 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 250: Introduction to the Sociology of Religion
  Explores the role of religion in the organization of meaning within human societies and its contribution to the construction, maintenance, and transformation of the social order. Ways in which religion provides specific sets of solutions to the problems of social order are also explored.
• 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 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 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 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.
• CAS SO 320: Political Sociology
  Introduces theories and research in political sociology and comparative politics. Examines the ways political ideas and governmental structures affect current issues, such as U.S. presidential elections, the waging of war, genocide, gender inequality, and provision of social services.
• CAS SO 323: Markets in Biomedicine and Healthcare
  Complex ways in which market exchange impacts the practice of medicine, the delivery of patient care, and the medical profession; commodification of bodies and emotions; theoretical discussion of the market and overview of US health care system.
• CAS SO 328: Contemporary South Asian Societies
  A broad introduction to contemporary South Asian societies. With a focus on the conceptual themes of modernity and identity, selected topics are explored, including South Asian ethnic and political conflicts, women's movements, popular culture, and diaspora communities.
• CAS SO 333: The Workplace
  Investigates the social organization of work. Topics include the history of industrial work, the presence of inequality at work, the impact of the work experience for individuals, and the effects of globalization and the "new economy" on work both here and abroad.
• CAS SO 334: Sociology of Mental Illness
  An evaluation of current theories and research on the social sources and consequences of mental illness. Featured topics for discussion include social-psychological perspectives on the definition, diagnosis, etiology, and treatment of mental disorders.
• CAS SO 345: Film and Society
  An overview of the historical, social-cultural, and aesthethic factors that contribute to cinematic representations of social life, including portrayals of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Examines movie- going and spectatorship as it has changed over time.
• CAS SO 355: Science, Race, and Society
  Explores social, cultural, and political debates surrounding scientific authority. Focuses on how racial differences come to be understood as "natural" and how scientific practice and social orders impact one another. Also considers how gender, class, and nationality have shaped scientific understandings of racialized bodies and populations. Also offered as CAS AA 355.
• CAS SO 400: Advanced Research Practicum
  Prepares students planning to conduct honors research project in their senior year. Students interested in developing a research project for alternate purposes will be admitted with permission of the instructor.
• CAS SO 401: Senior Independent Work
  

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