Courses

• 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 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 314: Social Problems and Social Change
  Focuses on social problems such as ethnic and sexual discrimination, deviance and crime, and mental disorders. A theoretical approach is taken to identify and interpret changes generated by the contradictions of industrialization and modernization.
• 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 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 326: Drugs in the Americas
  Introduces the main theoretical approaches used to analyze drugs as social constructions in the social sciences. Explores the basic history of some of the most ubiquitous stimulants of our time. Students practice thinking of social constructions in historical perspective.
• 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 335: Sociology of Race, Class & Gender
  Examines race, class, gender, and sexuality as intersecting axes of stratification, identity, and experience. Draws heavily from feminist theories in both sociology and history in order to analyze how these intersections can be applied to understanding social problems and structures. Also offered as CAS AA 335.
• CAS SO 352: American Masculinities
  Considers the biological and social organization of masculinities; the ways culture reproduces/articulates masculinities, particularly with regard to race and class; how masculine identities are expressed; male privilege; alternative masculinities; and what is at stake in negotiating contemporary masculinities. Also offered as CAS WS 352.
• 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
  
• CAS SO 402: Senior Independent Work
  
• CAS SO 403: Seminar: Gender Stratification
  Considers how the social production of gender contributes to various forms of gendered inequalities in employment, the family, dating markets, media representation, etc., with a special emphasis on how race, class, sexuality, and disability mediate the process.
• CAS SO 404: Seminar: The Family
  Explores the rise of "modern" families and the plurality of contemporary family forms and processes including gay and lesbian families and new reproductive technologies. Particular attention to social and economic inequalities and their implications for family life. Also offered as CAS AA 404.
• CAS SO 408: Seminar: Ethnic, Race, and Minority Relations
  Formation and position of ethnic minorities in the United States, including cross-group comparisons from England, Africa, and other parts of the world. Readings and field experience. Also offered as CAS AA 408.
• CAS SO 411: Seminar: Sociology of the Nonprofit Sector
  Introduction to sociological research on that part of society known as the nonprofit sector, including nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, voluntary associations, and social movements. Focus on some of the literature’s major themes: civil society, social capital, and nongovernmental organizations.
• CAS SO 418: Seminar: Sociology of Medicine
  Focuses on the medical profession, sources of its power and authority, the effects of recent changes in financing and delivery of healthcare. Medical training and decision-making analyzed. Doctor-patient interaction and the use of alternative treatments.

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