| UNIVERSITY
OF PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
FALL 2005 COURSE OFFERINGS
Undergraduate
Courses | Graduate
Courses | CGS Courses
UNDERGRADUATE
COURSES
SOCI 001-001 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Gen Req I: Society
Sociology provides a unique way to look at human
behavior and the world. Sociology is the systematic study of the
groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory
course, we examine and analyze how social structures and cultures
are created, maintained, and most importantly, how they affect behavior.
The course deconstructs our taken for granted world of social interactions
and behaviors and examines what theory and research can tell about
human social behavior.
MW 11- 12 EDIN
201 - REC F 11-12 STAFF
202 - REC F 12- 1 STAFF
203 - REC W 3- 4 STAFF
204 - REC M 4- 5 STAFF
Please Note: Registration required
for both the lecture and a recitation section.
SOCI 001-301 INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Benjamin Franklin Seminar
Freshman Seminar
In an investigation into “nation building”,
in accord with the logics of the 17th and 18th Century Enlightenment
Project, we will read three short preparatory books and then embark
on a very “close reading” of Alexis deTocqueville’s
classic, Democracy in America 1835. Our current adventures in Iraq
and Afghanistan will afford us weekly opportunities to consider
a number of recent historical and comparative dimensions of ‘nation
building’. In contrast with deT’s report, early in the
19th Century, as we observe our 2004 federal election and the campaign
that brings us another chapter in the story of our own development
as a democratic (and economic) republic; readers of a major newspaper,
especially, will enjoy this prospectively measurable experience!
(Non-honor students admitted by permission)
W 2-5 BERG
SOCI 003-001 DEVIANCE & SOCIAL CONTROL
Gen Req I: Society
The first half of this class is devoted to examining
several sociological theories of deviance, including: functionalism;
opportunity theory; control theory; social constructionism; and
Marxist theories. Topics include crime, sexual deviance, drug use,
and cheating. In the second half of this class we will examine social
control in greater depth by looking at formal and informal means
of social control, including policing, schooling, medicalization,
and stigmatization. Contemporary issues in which deviance and social
control play a central role, such as the “War on Drugs,”
terrorism, and gay and lesbian marriage, are explored as cases.
MWF 2-3 MCFARLANE
SOCI 004-401 THE FAMILY
Fulfills College Quant. Data Analysis
Req
Gen Req I: Society
This introduction to the sociology of the family
explores historical, economic, and cultural changes that have shaped
the past and present form of the American kinship system. It will
also compare demographic and social trends and consequences of family
patterns across societies, providing a perspective on differences
and similarities between the U.S. family system and other nations.
Students will have an opportunity to engage in research on topics
of special interest.
MW 2-3 FURSTENBERG
(Cross listed: WSTD-004)
402 – REC F 2-3
(Cross listed: WSTD-004)
403 – REC F 12-1
(Cross listed: WSTD-004)
404 – REC M 2–3
(Cross listed: WSTD-004)
405 – REC W 3-4
Please Note: Registration required
for both the lecture and a recitation section.
Top
SOCI 005-001 AMERICAN SOCIETY
Gen Req I: Society
An introduction to basic concepts in political
science, anthropology, sociology and economics applied to our public
and private corporate systems of government and the allocations
of distributive justice by public and private “governors”.
The course is targeted on gaining understandings of the nation we
have already built with half an eye (1) on our current “nation
building” adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, and (2) on running
commentaries about public and private policies during Mr. George
W. Bush’s presidency. These ‘extras’ will enable
us to compare what has been truly settled, in our nation’s
past, by way of our institutional development (in our readings)
on one side and what remains problematical in our continuing development
in the first years of the still new Century, on the other side.
Six quizzes and an optional paper; the instructor will conduct pre-quiz
reviews.
TR 12-1:30 BERG
SOCI 007-401 POPULATION AND SOCIETY
Gen Req I: Society
The course covers selected aspects of population
and the study of demography, including social, economic, and political
issues: population explosion, baby bust, population aging, abortion,
teenage pregnancy, illegal aliens, racial classification and population
and development.
TR 1:30-3 KOHLER
(Cross listed: URBS265 & WSTD-007)
SOCI 009-301 RACE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Fulfils the College Writing Requirement
In the course, students will take a personal look at how schooling practices and experiences in the United States intersect with racial identity in ways that impact educational outcomes. Students will apply key concepts from the readings to a discussion of their own schooling experiences. Some of the questions to be explored in the seminar are the following: What differences in academic performance between racial/ethnic groups; have students noticed in their own experience? What are some specific factors that might explain some of the difference between various racial/ethnic groups? How do we as a society attempt to mitigate the differences? How successful are we as a society in eliminating racial/ethnic group difference in academic achievement? Which remedies appear to be working, and which do not? We will explore our topic from primarily two angles – personal points of view and the theoretical underpinnings that support them. The writing assignments ask students to use a variety of styles of non-fiction prose. This course is based on the premise that one learns to write well by writing a great deal and by being conscious of the steps involved in the writing process.
MW 2-3:30 GUNN
SOCI 009-302 SOCIAL NETWORKS
Fulfils the College Writing Requirement
While we are probably all familiar with the social activity known as “networking, ” the academic theory of networks has been used to explore connections within populations as diverse as philosophers, crickets, and neurons. With roots in the social sciences, the study of networks crosses intellectual boundaries and can be applied to many fields. Even in areas as literature and religion, network theory can help explain how authors acquire name recognition or how religious revivals gain momentum. In this writing seminar, you will explore how social network theory can apply to areas of social life such as morality, social movement participation, and terrorism.
MW 2-3:30 KANE
(Cross listed: URBS265 & WSTD-007)
SOCI 010-001 SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
Gen Req I: Society
The American Dream highlights opportunity for individuals
to achieve success based on their own ability and initiative. How
well does our society live up to this ideal? Who gets ahead, and
who falls behind? Topics include factors that affect life chances
in contemporary society: education, social class, race, ethnicity
and gender.
TR 10:30-12 JACOBS
SOCI 011-401 URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Distribution I: Society
A comprehensive introduction to the sociological
study of cities. Topics will include theories of urbanism, methods
of research, migration, history of cities, gentrification, poverty,
urban politics, suburbanization and globalization. Philadelphia
will be used as a recurring example, though the course will devote
attention to cities around the U.S. and the world.
W 2-5 WHERRY
(Cross listed: URBS 112)
SOCI 012-401 GLOBALIZATION
Distribution I: Society
This course uses data from what is actually happening
in the course of the semester to introduce the concepts and methods
of the social sciences. It analyzes the current state of globalization
and sets it in historical perspective.
We will focus on a series of questions not only
about actual processes but about the growing awareness of them,
and the consequences of this awareness. In answering these questions,
we will distinguish between active campaigns to cover the world
(e.g. Christian and Muslim proselytism, opening up markets, democratization)
and the unplanned diffusion of new ways of organizing trade, capital
flows, tourism and the internet. The body of the course will deal
with a series of analytical types of globalization, reviewing both
the early and recent history of these processes. The overall approach
will be historical and comparative, setting globalization on the
larger stage of the economic, political and cultural development
of various parts of the modern world.
The course is taught collaboratively by two social
scientists: an anthropologist and a sociologist, offering the opportunity
to compare and contrast two distinct disciplinary points of view.
It seeks to develop a concept-based understanding of the various
dimensions of globalization: economic, political, social, and cultural.
At the end of the course students will understand the significance
of globalization in the modern world, and be able to compare the
approaches of different social sciences.
M 2-4 SPOONER/GUILLEN
(Cross listed: ANTH-012; COLL-001; HIST012)
201 – REC W 2-3
(Cross listed: ANTH-012; COLL-001; HIST012)
202– REC W 2-3
(Cross listed: ANTH-012; COLL-001; HIST012)
203 – REC W 3–4
(Cross listed: ANTH-012; COLL-001; HIST012)
204 – REC W 3-4
(Cross listed: ANTH-012; COLL-001; HIST012)
Please Note: Registration
required for both the lecture and a recitation section.
Top
SOCI 041-301 MISTAKES, ERRORS, ACCIDENTS & DISASTERS
Freshman Seminar
The purpose of Soc 041 is to provide a basic understanding
of some rather ubiquitous social phenomena: mistakes, errors, accidents
and disasters. We will look at these misfirings across a number
of institutional domains: aviation, nuclear power plants, and medicine.
Our goal is to understand how organizations “think”
about these phenomena, how they develop strategies of prevention,
how these strategies of prevention create new vulnerabilities to
different sorts of mishaps, how organizations respond when things
grow awry, and how they plan for disasters.
At the same time we will be concerned with certain
tensions in the sociological view of accidents, errors, mistakes
and disasters at the organizational level and at the level of the
individual. Errors, accidents, mistakes and disasters are embedded
in organizational complexities; as such, they are no one’s
fault. At the same time, as we seek explanations for these adverse
events, we seek out whom to blame and whom to punish. We will explore
throughout the semester the tension between a view that sees adverse
events as the result of flawed organizational processes versus a
view that sees these events as a result of flawed individuals.
T 1:30-4:30 BOSK
SOCI 041-401 HOMELESSNESS AND THE URBAN CRISIS
Freshman Seminar
This seminar in Urban Studies introduces students
to many of the social issues confronting our nation’s cities
by focusing specifically on the problem of urban homelessness. The
course examines the treatment of homelessness and extreme impoverishment
as social problems historically, as well as through contemporary
debates. Several areas of intense study will include the prevalence
and dynamics of homeless, the affordable housing crisis, urban labor
market trends, welfare reform, health and mental health policies,
and urban/suburban development disparities. Particular attention
is also paid to the structure of emergency services for people who
have housing emergencies. This course concludes by examining current
policies and advocacy strategies.
M 2-5 CULHANE
SOCI 100-001 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Fulfills College Quant. Data Analysis
Req.
Distribution I: Society
This course examines a wide range of sociological
research methods, including: survey development and administration,
content analysis, historical-comparative, participant observation
and ethnographic perspectives. It reviews research design, experimental
design, evaluation methods, research ethics and the uses of research.
Students explore these methods and perspectives in class assignments
and exercises. A very brief introduction to SPSS (statistical package
for the social sciences) is also provided.
TR 10:30-12 HARKNETT
SOCI 100-401 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Fulfills College Quant. Data Analysis
Req.
Distribution I: Society
This course examines several different sociological
methods, including: survey development and administration, content
analysis, historical-comparative, participant observation and ethnographic
perspectives. It reviews research design, experimental design, evaluation
methods, research ethics and the uses of research. Students explore
these methods and perspectives in class assignments and exercises.
A brief introduction to SPSS (statistical package for the social
sciences) is also provided.
MW 3:30-5 GIBSON
(Cross listed: HSOCII-100)
SOCI 101-401 BIOETHICS
Distribution I: Society
Bioethical conundrums such as cloning, stem cells,
transplantation, the use of psychopharmaceuticals, end-of-life technologies,
preimplantation diagnosis of embryos, artificial reproductive technologies,
and the genetic manipulation of life will challenge policy-makers
and moral thinkers throughout the twenty-first century. In this
course, a philosopher and a sociologist team up to frame and explore
these important issues. Guest lecturers, multimedia presentation,
and spirited debate will allow the student to understand science,
the social implications and the philosophical, ethical and religious
implications of the coming biotechnological revolution.
TR 3:30-5 WALLS
(Cross listed: HSOC102)
Top
SOCI 103-401 ASIAN AMERICAN IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
Distribution I: Society
This class is an introduction to sociological research
of Asian Americans in the United States. The class will introduce
you to the immigration experiences, socioeconomic attainments, identity,
and political movements of Asian Americans. We will also focus on
the relative heterogeneity of Asian American ethnic groups and their
experiences relative to other race and ethnic groups in the United
States.
TR 1:30-3 KAO
(Cross listed: ASAM-001)
SOCI 111-401 HEALTH OF POPULATIONS
This course develops some of the major measures
used to assess the health of populations and uses those measures
to consider the major factors that determine levels of health in
large aggregates. These factors include the disease environment,
medical technology, public health initiatives, and personal behaviors.
The approach is comparative and historical and includes attention
to differences in health levels among major social groups.
MWF 11-12 PRESTON
(Cross listed: HSOCII-111)
SOCI 120-401 SOCIAL STATISTICS
Gen. Req. IV: Formal
Reasoning & Analysis
Fulfills College Quant. Data Analysis Req.
This course offers a basic introduction to the
application/interpretation of statistical analysis in sociology.
Upon completion, you should be familiar with a variety of basic
statistical techniques that allow examination of interesting social
questions. We begin by learning to describe the characteristics
of groups, followed by discussion of how to examine and generalize
about relationships between the characteristics of groups. Emphasis
is placed on the understanding/interpretation of statistics used
to describe and make generalizations about group characteristics.
In addition to hand calculations, you will also become familiar
with using PCs to run statistical tests.
MW 10-11 CHARLES
(Cross listed: AFRC-120)
402 – REC F 10-11 STAFF
(Cross listed: AFRC-120)
403 – REC F 11-12 STAFF
(Cross listed: AFRC-120)
404 - REC F 12-1 STAFF
(Cross listed: AFRC-120)
Please Note: Registration
required for both the lecture and a recitation section.
SOCI 125-001 CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
Distribution I: Society
This course will cover the founding classics of
the sociological tradition including works of Marx and Engels, Weber,
Durkheim, Mauss, Simmel, and G. H. Mead. We will also examine how
the major traditions have continued and transformed into theories
of conflict, domination, resistance and social change; social solidarity,
ritual and symbolism; symbolic interactionist and phenomenological
theory of discourse, self and mind.
TR 3-4:30 COLLINS
SOCI 135-401 LAW & SOCIETY
Distribution I: Society
After introducing students to the major theoretical
concepts concerning law and society, significant controversial societal
issues that deal with law and the legal systems both domestically
and internationally will be examined. Class discussions will focus
on issues involving civil liberties, the organization of courts,
legislatures, the legal profession and administrative agencies.
Although the focus will be on law in the United States, law and
society in other countries of Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America
will be covered in a comparative context. Readings included research
reports, statutes and cases.
MW 4:30-6 FETNI
Top
SOCI 137 SOCIOLOGY OF THE MEDIA & POPULAR CULTURE
Gen. Req. III: Arts &
Letters
This course relies on a variety of sociological
perspectives to examine the role of mass media and popular culture
in contemporary society, with a particular emphasis on the organization
of the media industry, the relationship between cultural consumption
and social status, and the social significance of leisure activities
from sports to shopping. Specific course topics will include the
rise of tabloid TV talk shows; the marketing of Nike and Starbucks;
the excessive media coverage of contemporary celebrities; the blurring
boundaries between news and entertainment; and the commercialization
of the American blues.
401 - LEC MW 1-2 GRAZIAN
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
402 – REC W 5-6 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
403 - REC F 11-12 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
404 - REC W 4-5 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
405 - REC W 4-5 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
406 - REC F 1-2 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
407 - REC F 2-3 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
408 - REC W 3-4 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
409 - REC F 1-2 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
410 - REC F 1-2 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
411 - REC R 4-5 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
412 - REC F 12-1 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
413 - REC R 5-6 STAFF
(Cross listed: FOLK-137)
NOTE: You MUST take BOTH THE
LECTURE AND A RECITATION.
If you need to switch
your recitation section, please make sure there is an available
slot BEFORE dropping your section, as the SRS system may drop you
from the course altogether if you’re not registered for both
lecture and recitation. As slots become available, you may register
for them through Penn In Touch.
Top
SOCI 222-001 FIELD METHODS OF SOCIOLOGICAL
RESEARCH
Distribution I: Society
This class is intended as an introduction to the
field methods of sociological research, with a focus on ethnographic
observation and interviewing. It will function as a workshop, not
a lecture class. The social role of the field worker, the ethics
of research and qualitative methodology will be addressed. Students
will conduct a piece of original research as part of the course.
M 2-5 NELSON
SOCI 230-401 BIOTECHNOLOGY, BIOETHICS AND THE BODY
Distribution I: Society
New medical and biotechnological innovations, such
as psychopharmaceuticals or brain prosthetics, pose a challenge
to our historical sense of selfhood and personality. Implantable
brain chips, deep brain stimulators, and cochlear implants are merging
biological, mechanical and chip technologies. Neuroimaging technologies
may soon be able to breach the barrier of our private thoughts.
Genetics, in turn, may render possible our ability to design traits
into our descendants. These innovations pose significant challenges
to our moral, ethical and religious systems, as well as to how we
situate our bodies in social space. In this course, we will use
social science methods and reasoning to examine the implications
of these technologies on medicine, human enhancement, and the literature
on embodiment, and will also bring in perspective philosophy, bioethics,
religious studies and the humanities. The goal is to explore the
profound ways biotechnology may change the very nature of being
human in this century.
T 1:30-4:30 WOLPE
SOCI 233-401 CRIMINOLOGY
Gen. Req. I: Society
This introductory course examines the multi-disciplinary
science of law-making, law-breaking, and law-enforcing. It reviews
theories and data predicting where, when, by whom and against whom
crimes happen. It also addresses the prevention of different offense
types by different kinds of offenders against different kinds of
people. Police, courts, prisons, and other institutions are critically
examined as both preventing and causing crime. This course meets
the general distribution requirement.
TR 3-4:30 LAUFER
Top
SOCI 275-401 MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
Distribution I: Society
This course will give the student an introduction
to the sociological study of medicine. Medical sociology is a broad
field, covering topics as diverse as the institution and profession
of medicine, the practice of medical care, and the social factors
that contribute to sickness and well-being. Although we will not
cover everything, we will attempt to cover as much of the field
as possible through four central thematic units: (1) the organization
and development of the profession of medicine, (2) the delivery
of health-care, (3) the social and cultural factors that affect
how illness is defined, and (4) the social causes of illness. Our
discussions will explore the sociological perspective and encourage
the application of such a perspective to a variety of contemporary
medical concerns.
TR 10:30-12 SCHNITTKER
(Cross listed: HSOCI-275)
SOCI 277-401 MENTAL ILLNESS
This course will review how sociologists study
mental health and illness. We will describe the contributions of
sociologists and how these contributions differ from those of other
disciplines, including psychology, psychiatry, and social work.
The course is arranged in three parts: we will discuss (1) what
"mental illness" is, (2) how social factors shape mental
illness, and (3) how we as a society respond to and treat the mentally
ill.
TR 3-4:30 SCHNITTKER
(Cross listed: HSOCI-277)
SOCI 300-301 SENIOR RESEARCH SEMINAR
Sociology Majors Only
The purpose of this course is to guide senior sociology
majors in writing a research proposal for a senior honors thesis.
Students will learn about various research approaches, how to write
a focused literature review, and kinds of data necessary to answer
a wide variety of research questions, including their own. Throughout
the course, students will work on designing a research question,
generation researchable hypotheses, and coming up with a design
for their proposed study. The final paper for this course will be
a research proposal that is the basis for students’ independent
research project. This course satisfies the research requirement
for sociology majors and is designed primarily for seniors who are
planning to write an honors thesis.
R 2-5 LEIDNER
SOCI 300-302 SENIOR RESEARCH SEMINAR
Sociology Major Only CONCEPT-DRIVEN
FIELDWORK
How does authority “work” in your fraternity
or sorority? What is the status system at Penn? What kinds of social
capital result from hanging out on your dorm floor? What mechanisms
of solidarity bind you to your athletic team? In this course we
will take sociological concepts out of the classroom and turn them
loose in the real world. Students will, individually or in groups,
select both a concept and a field site in which to investigate it
through participant-observation, interviewing or other methods.
Step-by-step instruction will guide students in this process as
they learn how to develop and implement a field study, how to analyze
and write-up the data they collect, and how the concepts of sociology
can apply to their everyday lives.
W 2-5 NELSON
Top
NEW --> SOCI/CRIM 410-401
Research Seminar in Restorative Justice and the Life Course
Syllabus
Prerequisites. CRIM 100/SOCI 233, any statistics or research methods courses leading to knowledge of SPSS.
Overview. This seminar focuses on the ongoing data collection of Penn’s Jerry Lee Program of Randomized Controlled Trials in Restorative Justice, the largest program of field experiments in the history of criminology. Since 1995, this research program has randomly assigned over 3400 victims and offenders to either conventional justice or restorative conferences of victims, offenders and their families, in Canberra (Australia), London, Northumbria and Thames Valley (all in England). The offenders have all been willing to acknowledge their guilt to their victims (or the community), and to try to repair the harm they have caused. Key questions to be answered by the research program include the effects of restorative conferences on the future crime rates of offenders and victims, on the mental health and medical condition of both, and on the changes over time in these dimensions of the life course of both victims and offenders. Students will be the first data analysts to explore a new interview data set for some 150 victims and some 900 offenders.
Objectives. Students should learn how to analyze survey data in the context of randomized experiments in justice, as well to understand the conceptual
R 1:30-4:30 STRANG
SOCI 420-401 PERSPECTIVES ON URBAN POVERTY
This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction
to various perspectives and philosophies that have dominated the
discourse on urban poverty throughout history. The course is primarily
concerned with the ways in which historical, cultural, political,
racial, social, geographical, and economic forces have either shaped
or been left out of contemporary debates on urban poverty. Of great
importance, the course will evaluate competing knowledge systems
and their respective implications in terms of the question of what
can be known about urban poverty in the contexts of policy circles,
academic literature, and the broader social imaginary. We will critically
analyze a wide body of literature seeking to theorize urban poverty,
ranging from sociological; anthropological/ethnographic; geographical;
Marxist; historical; social welfare; and cultural analyses. Primacy
will be granted to critical analysis of course readings, particularly
with regard to the ways in which various knowledge systems or regimes
of truth create, sustain, and constrict meaning in reference to
urban poverty.
R 5-8 STERN
(Cross listed: URBS-420)
GRADUATE
LEVEL COURSES
SOCI 535-001 QUANTITATIVE METHODS I
This course is an introduction to the practice
of statistics in social and behavioral sciences. It is open to beginning
graduate students and--with the permission of the instructor--advanced
undergraduates. Topics covered include the description of social
science data, in graphical and non-graphical form correlation and
other form; of association, including cross-tabulation; bivariate
regression; an introduction to probability theory; the logic of
sampling; the logic of statistical inference and significance tests.
Some data manipulation will require the use of a statistical computer
“package,” STATA; but the greater emphasis of the course
will be on conceptualization and the ability to manipulate these
new ideas both with and without access to statistical software.
There is a lecture twice weekly and a mandatory “lab.”
TR 12-1:30 SMITH H
201 - REC W 11-12 STAFF
202 - REC W 5-6 STAFF
--> time change 203 – REC W 3:30-4:30 STAFF
Please Note: Registration REQUIRED
for both the Lecture and a Recitation section.
SOCI 541-401 GENDER, THE LABOR FORCE & LABOR MARKET
Drawing from sociology, economics and demography,
this course examines the causes and effects of gender differences
in labor force participation, earnings and occupation in the United
States and in the rest of the developed and developing world. Differences
by race, ethnicity and sexual preference are also considered. Theories
of labor supply, marriage, human capital and discrimination are
explored as explanations for the observed trends. Finally, the course
reviews current labor market policies and uses the theories of labor
supply, marriage, human capital and discrimination to evaluate their
effects on women and men.
MW 10-11:30 MADDEN
(Cross listed: DEMG-541; WSTD-532)
SOCI 550-301 SOCIAL INEQUALITY
This course will study social stratification primarily
in contemporary societies. We will examine both the distribution
of social rewards as well as process for the allocation of these
rewards. Stratification theory and research on social mobility will
be considered. Topics include the influence of education, race and
gender, and structural and organizational factors on individual
success. Acquaintance with stratification theory and quantitative
methods would be helpful but not required.
R 2-5 JACOBS
Top
SOCI 555-301 PRO-SEMINAR IN SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
First year graduate
student seminar
This seminar for first-year graduate students
will be a two-semester course covering the major subfields of sociology
-- their classical and contemporary theories, current methods and
substance. Requirement for first year graduate students in sociology.
W 2-5 KAO/LEIDNER
SOCI 596-401 SOCIIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
This graduate seminar will introduce students
to some of the key theoretical and empirical work in the sociology
of education. We will focus around the question of stratification
and how systems of schooling maintain or alleviate inequality. The
class will examine classical approaches to schooling, schools as
organizations, schools and their effects on social mobility, (class,
race, and gender) stratification in achievement and attainment,
tracking/ability grouping, theories and empirical work on social
and cultural capital, school choice, and cross-national expansion
of education.
W 9-12 KAO
(Cross listed: ASAM-590)
SOCI 602-401 PROSEMINAR IN CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGY
An overview of the German, French and Anglophone
traditions in sociological theory. The major focus will be on the
works of Marx and Engels, Weber, Simmel, Durkheim, and Mead, and
on subsequent developments in these classic schools of theory and
research.
T 9-12 COLLINS
(Crosslisted: COML-610)
SOCI 603-401 PROSEMINAR OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
SOCI 707
This course is intended to hone the skills and judgment in order to conduct independent research in sociology and demography. We will discuss the selection of intellectually strategic research questions and practical research designs. Students will get experience with proposal writing, the process of editing successive drafts of manuscripts, and the oral presentation
of work in progress as well as finished research projects. The course is
designed to be the context in which master's papers and second year research
papers are written. This is a required course for second year graduate
students in Sociology and Demography.
R 4:30-7:30 BOSK
(Crosslisted: DEMG-707; SOCI-603)
SOCI 609-401 BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC METHODS
The course is designed to introduce students to
basic concepts of demographic measurement and modeling used to study
changes in population size and composition. The course covers basic
measures of mortality, fertility and migration; life table construction;
multiple decrement life tables; stable populations; population projections;
and age patterns of vital events. Students will learn to apply demographic
methods through a series of weekly problem sets.
M 2-5 ELO
(Crosslisted: DEMG-609)
SOCI 613-301 EVENT HISTORY ANALYSIS
An applications-oriented course on statistical
methods for the analysis of longitudinal data on the occurrence
of events, also known as survival analysis, failure-time analysis,
hazard analysis or duration analysis. Emphasis on regression-like
models in which the risk of event occurrence is a function of a
set of explanatory variables. Topics include accelerated failure-time
models, hazard models, censoring, Cox regression models, time-dependent
covariates, completing risks, repeated events, unobserved heterogeneity,
discrete-time methods.
TR 9-10:30 ALLISON
Top
SOCI 629-401 SOCIIOLOGY OF MASS COMMUNIATIONS
Mass communication viewed from a sociological perspective.
An examination of the sociology of the communicator, audience, content,
effects, flow and diffusion research, communication as a social
process, linkage between personal and mass communication.
W 11-1 WRIGHT
(Cross listed: COMM-628)
Top
NEW --> SOCI 630-401 Research Practicum: Racial Attitudes and Intergroup Relations on College Campuses
Syllabus
The course is designed to give students practical experience in the design and execution of a new research project. During the fall semester, in addition to readings on racial attitudes, intergroup relations and survey design, students will develop and pretest a questionnaire, develop a sampling strategy, and obtain human subjects
(IRB) approval for the project. During the spring semester, the survey will be fielded on Penn¹s campus in conjunction with a SOCI300 undergraduate research seminar. During the survey period, graduate students will help with the day-to-day management of the project, conduct preliminary analyses, and help supervise undergraduate group or individual research projects. In addition, students will work with faculty on a grant proposal.
Our goals are to: 1) create a source of ongoing information on racial attitudes and campus racial climate here at Penn; 2) secure funding to make this course an on-going research and training program for both graduate and undergraduate students; and 3) expand the Penn study to include other colleges and universities. This is an excellent course for students interested in learning more about the research process, "from the ground up" and the steps involved in carrying out survey research. Students will gain experience in survey design, management of a research project, and proposal writing, as well as access to the data for their own projects. If you are interested in enrolling in this course, please email: Camille Charles
(ccharles@pop.upenn.edu) or Irma Elo (popelo@pop.upenn.edu).
W 3-6 CHARLES/ELO
SOCI 633-401 POPULATION PROCESSES I
Population Processes I and II make up a two-course
sequence designed to introduce students to the core areas of demography
(fertility, mortality, population aging, and/or migration) and recent
developments in the field. The course format consists of lectures
and class discussions. The two course sequence is required of Ph.D.
students in Demography. Others interested in enrolling in only one
of the courses may do so with the permission of the Chair of the
Graduate Group in Demography.
T 2-5 PRESTON/KOHLER I
(Cross listed: DEMG-633)
SOCI 670-401 FAMILY DATA
This two semester course will engage each graduate
student in an analysis project with qualitative and quantitative
components, using a linked qualitative and quantitative longitudinal
data set. Students will use survey data from the baseline and 12
month wave of the Fragile Families study (described at http://crcw.princeton.edu/fragilefamilies/),
a national survey of unwed and married parents who have just had
a child (with unmarried parents over sampled). They will also use
transcripts and coded data from the TLC3 study, which involved qualitative
couple and individual interviews conducted with a subset of 75 of
the couples in the FF survey in 3 waves: about 3 months after the
birth and then again 12 and 24 months after the birth. Most of these
are low-income, unmarried, cohabiting parents.
The goal of the course is for each student to use
these two data sets, and the analytic techniques and literature
covered in the course, to write a paper that can be submitted for
publication. The spring will also include lots of tips on how to
construct a publishable paper. Students should only enroll in this
course if they plan to take the spring sequel course as well. Both
quarters will be co-taught by Kristin Harknett and Kathryn Edin.
Examples of topics for discussion and possible papers include: nonmarital
fertility, race and class differences in family patterns, budget
constraints in low income families, welfare program use and attitudes,
bargaining and conflict within couples, emotional skills in couple
relationships and parenting, paternal involvement with children,
gender norms and dynamics, employment, housework, and marriage.
W 2-5 EDIN/HARKNETT
Top
SOCI 680-401 PRO-SEMINAR IN CRIMINOLOGY
This course explores the basic scope, mission and
methods of the science of criminology. It begins with the conception
of “consilience” in science, then provides an overview
of the multi-disciplinary doctoral program in criminology. The course
proceeds to cover the current state of theory, research, and accomplishments
in both knowledge and policy about criminality and criminal events.
Students will read widely and report to the seminar on their readings,
as well as assessing key readings and central ideas for their potential
guidance of future research. The course focuses primarily on criminology
of criminal events, including law-making and law-breaking. The criminology
of reactions to crime is covered in the second semester pro-seminar
in criminal justice, CRIM 601/SOCI681.
M 11-2 BENARD
(Cross listed: CRIM-600)
SOCI 707-401 SEMINAR ON DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH
(SOCI 603)
This course is intended to hone the skills and judgment in order to conduct independent research in sociology and demography. We will discuss the selection of intellectually strategic research questions and practical research designs. Students will get experience with proposal writing, the process of editing successive drafts of manuscripts, and the oral presentation of work in progress as well as finished research projects. The course is designed to be the context in which master's papers and second year research papers are written. This is a required course for second year graduate students in Sociology and Demography.
R 4:30-7:30 BOSK
(Cross listed: DEMG-707; SOCI603)
Top
C
G S COURSES
Note on registering for CGS courses:
Courses offered
through the College of General Studies are open to students in the
College of Arts and Sciences, but CGS imposes some restrictions
on registration. During the pre-registration period, about half
of the places in CGS classes are reserved for CGS students. Once
all of the non-reserved places are filled, College students will
find that they cannot register without permission. Please be aware
that the Sociology Department cannot grant permission and override
the restrictions CGS has imposed. These registration restrictions
will be lifted on the second day of classes. At that time, College
students will be able to register for any CGS courses that still
have openings.
SOCI 001-601 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
This course will survey fundamental concepts, theories
and current research in sociology by examining topics such as social
order, culture, power and inequality. In this way, the course will
help you make sense of widespread patters of thought and behavior,
large bureaucratic systems, and even global social problems. The
course also aims to help you build the skills you need to understand
the social issue that you confront every day and that matter to
you, from the smallest to the largest. Whether you will be a life-long
student of society (a sociologist), a business person, a teacher,
a dedicated family person, a philosopher: we all face the same questions
even in different social settings. What’s going on here? What
are the rules? Why are things the way they are? Is change possible?
Developing a sociological eye will put you on the path towards finding
answers to the questions about social problems, workplace issues,
school and family.
R 5:30-8:30 KULKARNI
SOCI 006-601 RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS
The course will examine how social networks, neighborhood context, culture, and notions of race affect inequality and ethnic relations. The course reviews the studies of ethnic entrepreneurship, urban segregation, labor force participation, and assimilation processes. The course emphasizes how inequality affects ethnic relations as well as the economic and social integration of different groups in society.
T 5:30-8:30 LUNDY
SOCI 011-601 URBAN SOCIOLOGY
What is it about cities that fascinates and repulses
tourists and politicians, attracts migrants, and enthralls scholars?
This course will explore the rise and transformation of metropolitan
life from a sociological perspective. We will learn both inside
and outside the classroom, reading some of the best-known works
on urban life and exploring Philadelphia through field observations.
Topics will include theories of urbanism, the history of cities
and suburbanization, industrials and deindustrialization, immigration
and migration, gentrification, poverty, race relations and segregation,
globalization, urban politics, policing and social control. Course
requirements include reports and readings and active participation
in class discussion. Students will also get the opportunity to observe
first-hand their choice of any one of several aspects of cities,
such as: neighborhoods, shopping districts, nightlife, homelessness,
or subcultures and will write a short paper based on their research.
M 5:30 – 8:30 MAZELIS
SOCI 125-601 CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
This course will introduce ways of conceptualizing
society and the individual by surveying 19th and early 20th century
social thought. Particular emphasis will be given to foundational
works in sociology, and we will consider both the sociohistorical
context from which these works emerged and directions these have
taken since their formulation.
M 5:30 – 8:30 BAJC
Top
SOCI 137-601 MASS MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE
The course has two main goals: first, to examine
and apply major theories pertaining to the relationship between
media, culture and society; and second, to foster media literacy.
We will begin by taking a between media, culture and society; and
second, to foster media literacy. We will begin by taking a critical
look at a variety of theoretical approaches, relate them to contemporary
examples from popular culture, and discuss how they can help us
understand the world we live in. The second part of the class addresses
substantive issues in media and popular culture including the politics
of representation, media ownership, regulation, and production,
consummation practices, identity politics, social movements and
globalization. These discussions will underscore the importance
of how the world works and teach us how we should live our lives,
we will be asking: How does this knowledge come about? What does
it teach us about ourselves, others and world?
The general purpose of this class is to consider
the possible political and social implications of this knowledge
production and to address the responsibilities with which our global
citizenship entrusts us. The class is designed for those students
who have time and interest to commit to reading and reflecting on
these issues. You will be expected to activate your intellectual
energies through creative thinking, critical analysis, and constructive
discussion about new ways of looking at things we see and hear around
us in our every day life.
T 6-9 BAJC
SOCI 230-601 SOCIOLOGICAL IDENTITY
This course will focus on how social interactions
shape our senses of who we are. We will explore sociological thinking
on the origins, construction and implication of identity in everyday
life. Readings will highlight both classical and contemporary conceptualizations
of self and identity. Special topics will include sexuality, illness,
religion, social movements, occupations, social class and other
categories. The first half of each class will be devoted to a lecture.
The second half of class will focus on group exercises and discussions
geared towards furthering our understanding of substantive and critical
issues in the literature.
T 5:30-8:30 COSTELLO
SOCI 230-602 IMMIGRANTS TO AMERICA
This course examines international migration and
immigration as social processes, concentrating on the American experience.
The course provides sociological tools to understand why immigration
happens, how it occurs and what consequences and outcomes it produces.
Comparisons are drawn between different periods of immigration to
America, particularly between the great migrations of the turn of
the 20th century and the predominantly Latin American and Asian
flows of the last 30 years. The course also offers a comparative
approach to understand differences and similarities between contemporary
immigrants coming from diverse countries and bringing different
skills. An important objective is to show how both newcomers and
Americans are transformed through the process of immigration.
R 6-9 BARTLEY
SOCI 235-601 LAW AND SOCIAL CHANGE
Beginning with discussion of various perspectives
on social change and law, this course then examines in detail the
interdependent relationship between changes in legal and societal
institutions. Emphasis will be placed on (1) how and when law can
be an instrument for social change, and (2) how and when social
change can cause legal change. In the assessment of this relationship,
the laws of the United States and other countries as well as international
law, will be studied. Throughout the course, discussions will include
legal controversies relevant to social change such as civil liberties,
gender and the law, and issues of nation-building. A comparative
framework will be used in the analysis of this interdependent relationship
between law and social change.
T 6:30-9:30 FETNI
SOC 530-640 MEDIA AND CULTURE
The course is designed to give students a conceptual framework with which to examine the relationship between media, culture and society and the complex roles the mass media play in the production of cultural and social power and stratification. The course examines theories and research of mass communication and analyzes the media in relation to their cultural institutional, economic and social contexts. The course examines a variety of popular cultural forms (e.g. advertising, news, talk shows, fashion, art collection) and looks closely at media texts, media production and media consumption as cultural practices, with attention given to issues of class, race and gender.
R 6-8:40 STAFF
SOCI 591-640 RACIAL JUSTICE AND THE SOCIOLOGY OF LAW
This course provides a critical examination of
the law in perpetuating and eradicating racial injustice. The semester
covers the period from the inception and rise of slavery during
the colonial period through the Civil War
W 6:30-9:30 CHAIN
Top
Note on registering for CGS courses:
Courses offered through
the College of General Studies are open to students in the College
of Arts and Sciences, but CGS imposes some restrictions on registration.
During the pre-registration period, about half of the places in
CGS classes are reserved for CGS students. Once all of the non-reserved
places are filled, College students will find that they cannot register
without permission. Please be aware that the Sociology Department
cannot grant permission and override the restrictions CGS has imposed.
These registration restrictions will be lifted on the second day
of classes. At that time, College students will be able to register
for any CGS courses that still have openings.
Top
Last Modified:
08-Sep-2005
For updates, comments please contact:
saunderc@ssc.upenn.edu
|
