|
UNDERGRADUATE
COURSES
SOCI 001-001 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR BOTH THE LECTURE AND A RECITATION SECTION
Society Sector (All Classes)
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 2-3 GELLES
201 – REC F 12-1 STAFF
202 – REC F 11- 12 STAFF
203 - REC R 11-12 STAFF
204 - REC R 12-1 STAFF
SOCI 002-301 SOCIAL PROBLEMS & PUBLIC POLICY
Dist CRS Society - CL of 09 and Prior
This course develops the conceptual tools for analyzing "public" problems. Specifically, the process by which a society "discovers" and confronts public problems is highlighted. Various public problems and policies are analyzed from this perspective. Examples are: the underclass, abortion, fraud in science, the loss of community, and the welfare state. M 2-5 JACOBS
SOCI 003-001 DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL
REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR BOTH THE LECTURE AND A RECITATION SECTION
Society Sector (All Classes)
A sociological analysis of how society defines and attempts to control deviance. Please note: while this course will cover the range of topics in deviance, it will use medical and biotechnological examples and theories to illustrate and explore the ideas covered. Topics include labeling theory, stigma, social organization, tradition, social power, crime, sexual deviance, drug use, and racism, among others. Theoretical and methodological issues will be discussed and evaluated.
MW 10-11 WOLPE
201 – REC F 10-11 STAFF
202 – REC F 11- 12 STAFF
SOCI 005-001 AMERICAN SOCIETY
REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR BOTH THE LECTURE AND A RECITATION SECTION
Gen Req I: Society - CL of 09 & Prior
Hum & Soc Sci Sector (New Curr Only)
America is a land of paradox. We have the highest rate of educational attainment in the world, yet we are also far more religious than any European nation. Our standard of living is greater than nearly any other society, but our family structure is also the most fragile and our suicide rate is among the highest. Material wealth and leisure time have expanded greatly over the last several generations, but participation in voluntary groups has constricted to worrying levels. Minorities have made significant gains in the past several decades, yet the country remains deeply polarized on issues of race. This course addresses these and other issues by examining the structures of race, gender, social class, religion, the family, and the educational and occupational systems, and how these forces shape the unique society in which we live. There will be two exams (midterm and non-cumulative final) and several short (2-3 page) research and reflection papers.
TR 12-1:30 TORRES
201 – REC F 10-11 STAFF
202 – REC F 11- 12 STAFF
203 - REC M 1-2 STAFF
204 - REC M 2-3 STAFF
Top
SOCI 006-401 RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS
REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR BOTH THE LECTURE AND A RECITATION SECTION
Gen Req I: Society - CL of 09 & Prior
Cross Listed: AFRC-006 ASAM-006 URBS-160
The course will examine how social networks, neighborhood contexts, culture, and notions of race affect ethnic relations. Topics include ethnic entrepreneurship, residential segregation, labor force participation, and assimilation processes. The course focuses on the social, economic, and political integration of and interactions among different groups in society.
TR 9-10:30 TORRES
402 – REC F 12-1 STAFF
403 – REC F 1-2 STAFF
404 - REC R 2-3 STAFF
405 - REC W 2-3 STAFF
SOCI 009-301 CRIME & CONFORMITY
Fulfills Critical Writing Requirement
**Syllabus**
Since Quetelet discovered the relationship between age and crime in 1833, criminologists have sought to explain why law-breaking peaks during adolescence and tapers off as individuals adopt adult roles. In this course, we will explore criminal careers, moving away from the traditional focus on why people commit crime and seeking instead to understand why conformity is the norm. A series of brief writing exercises will develop skills in critical reading and analysis, description, argumentation and comparison. Students will engage in writing workshops, peer review exercises, and revisions. We will also have the opportunity to speak with former prisoners and incorporate their stories into our writings on crime and the transition to adulthood.
TR 12-1:30 FADER
SOCI 033-401 TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY
Cross Listed: STSC-003
From the colonial period to the present, Americans have relied on technology to shape their lives, landscapes and society. This unique, abiding and often tumultuous relationship is one of the defining elements of the American experience. From factory floor to suburban kitchens, from eccentric inventors to student demonstrators, from Model T to iMacs, the diversity of American technological developments reflects -- and has helped define -- the most crucial developments in American history. This course will provide an historical understanding of the role that technology has played in American society from the late 19th century to the present day. The underlying assumptions are that technology is simultaneously a reflection and cultural values, and a factor (one of many) in shaping the continuous development of those values.
TR 12-1:30 ENSMENGER
Top
SOCI 100-001 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Fulfills College Quant. Data Analysis Req.
Dist CRS Society - CL of 09 & Prior
Cross Listed: HSOC-100
**Syllabus**
This course introduces several approaches to sociological research. The course reviews research ethics, the relationship between theory and research design, data collection and analysis, and the uses of research. Topics covered include experimental designs, survey development and administration, ethnographic and other qualitative perspectives, content analysis, historical-comparative methods, and evaluation research using mixed methods. Students explore course material through readings, course assignments, and in-class exercises. The course includes a brief introduction to SPSS (statistical package for the social sciences).
TR 10:30-12 KOPPEL R.
SOCI 100-401 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Fulfills College Quant. Data Analysis Req.
Dist CRS Society - CL of 09 & Prior
Cross Listed: HSOC-100
**Syllabus**
This course introduces several approaches to sociological research. The course reviews research ethics, the relationship between theory and research design, data collection and analysis, and the uses of research. Topics covered include experimental designs, survey development and administration, ethnographic and other qualitative perspectives, content analysis, historical-comparative methods, and evaluation research using mixed methods. Students explore course material through readings, course assignments, and in-class exercises. The course includes a brief introduction to SPSS (statistical package for the social sciences).
TR 9-10:30 JAEGER
Top
SOCI 101-001 BIOETHICS
REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR BOTH THE LECTURE AND A RECITATION SECTION
Dist CRS Society - CL of 09 & Prior
Cross Listed: HSOC-102
This course will introduce students to the complex and tough issues that confront medicine and biotechnology in this time of rapid advances in the life sciences. We will begin with a comprehensive analysis of the history of bioethics and of leading bioethics theories, complemented by often provocative videos and Web-based materials. We will introduce the great topics in the bioethical debate, such as reproductive technologies, euthanasia, abortion, genetic manipulation, gamete donation, reproductive surrogacy and innovative treatments. Ethical challenges posed by new technologies such as cloning, stem cell research, assisted reproductive technology, nanotechnology and neurotechnology, will be discussed. We will also look at how new treatments are developed, and address controversial issues about the ways we are born, receive medical care, and die in the United States.
After completion of this course, students will come away with a thorough understanding of the history of modern bioethics and of its major schools of thought. Students will have a robust knowledge of what the traditional and current topics of debate in biomedical ethics are, and how physicians, philosophers, policymakers and other stakeholders discuss and attempt to resolve these issues.
MW 2-3 MORENO
402 F 2-3 STAFF
403 F 2-3 STAFF
404 F 1-2 STAFF
405 F 1-2 STAFF
SOCI 109-301 IMAGES OF ASIAN-AMERICANS IN MEDIA
REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR BOTH THE LECTURE AND A RECITATION SECTION
Cross Listed: ASAM-109, CINE-109
This course will examine contemporary popular images of Asian Americans in the US media, with a specific focus on popular film and television. We will explore socio-cultural, economic, and political issues that impact and affect creative and business decisions with regard to East and South Asian Americans, as well as discuss the role and influence of media in society with specific regard to issues of representation as they pertain to ethnicity, gender, race, and sexuality.
M 9-11 MODI
402 M 9-11 STAFF
403 W 10-11 STAFF
404 W 10-11 STAFF
405 W 10-11 STAFF
406 F 10-11 STAFF
407 F 10-11 STAFF
408 F 10-11 STAFF
SOCI 120-001 SOCIAL STATISTICS
REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR BOTH THE LECTURE AND A RECITATION SECTION
Fulfills College Quant. Data Analysis Req.
Gen Req IV: Frml Reas - CL of 09 & Prior
This course offers an introduction to the application and 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 characteristics of groups. Emphasis is placed on the understanding and interpretation of statistics used to describe and make generalizations about group characteristics. In addition to hand calculation, you will also become familiar with using PCs to run statistical tests.
TR 10:30-11:30 PARK
201 – REC F 2-3 STAFF
202 – REC F 1-2 STAFF
Top
SOCI 122-401 SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER
Society Sector (All Classes)
Cross Listed: GSOC-122
Gender is an organizing principle of society, shaping social structures, cultural understandings, processes of interaction, and identities in ways that have profound consequences. It affects every aspect of people’s lives, from their intimate relationships to their participation in work, family, government, and other social institutions and their place in the stratification system. Yet gender is such a taken for granted basis for differences among people that it can be hard to see the underlying social structures and cultural forces that reinforce or weaken the social boundaries that define gender. Differences in behavior, power, and experience are often seen as the result of biological imperatives or of individual choice. A sociological view of gender, in contrast, emphasizes how gender is socially constructed and how structural constraints limit choice.
This course examines how differences based on gender are created and sustained, with particular attention to how other important bases of personal identity and social inequality-race and class-interact with patterns of gender relations. We will also seek to understand how social change happens and how gender inequality might be reduced.
TR 1:30-3 LEIDNER
SOCI 126-001 CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
**Syllabus**
A review of theoretical perspectives developed since the second half of the 20 th century. Includes micro-sociological perspectives of phenomenology, ethnomethodology, symbolic interactionism, and neo-Durkheimian interaction ritual theory; social behaviorism and exchange theory; neo-Weberian and neo-Marxian perspectives on power, conflict, and class; and attempts at synthesis by Habermas, Luhmann and Giddens. Recurring themes include the micro-macro connection, the relationship between subjectivity and behavior, and the structure-agency problem.
MW 3:30-5 GIBSON
Top
SOC 134-401 HEALTH AND SOCIAL POLICY
SOCIETY SECTOR (ALL CLASSES)
CROSS LISTED: NURS-134
Health and Social Policy is an interdisciplinary course examining health care and social policy from domestic and international perspectives. This course is designed to engage students in critical thinking about social determinants of health, the organization and outcomes of health care systems and institutions, global health priorities and challenges, and the implications for public policy. Topics include social inequalities and health; how the organizational context of health care impacts outcomes; management of human resources in health nationally and globally; analysis of medical error, its causes, and consequences; review and critique of public policies in U.S. health care; and global health priorities and international health policy. Issues of current public debate in health and health care will provide a context for learning. There are no prerequisites. The course is intended for generalists as well as for those planning careers in health care.
M 4-7 AIKEN
SOCI 137-401 SOCIOLOGY OF THE MEDIA & POPULAR CULTURE
REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR LEC, REC SOCIETY SECTOR (ALL CLASSES) CROSS LISTED: FOLK-137
**Syllabus**
This course relies on a variety of sociological perspectives to examine the role of media and popular culture in everyday life, with a particular emphasis on the organization of the mass media industry, the relationship between cultural consumption and status, and the social significance of leisure activities from sports to shopping. Specific course topics will include the production of tabloid TV talk shows; the marketing of Disney, Nike and Starbucks; and the rise of new media technologies in the digital age.
MW 11-12 GRAZIAN
402 – REC M 1-2 STAFF
403 – REC F 11-12 STAFF
404 – REC F 12-1 STAFF
405 – REC F 1-2 STAFF
406 – REC M 4-5 STAFF
407 – REC M 3:30-4:30 STAFF
408 – REC R 4-5 STAFF
409 – REC R 5-6 STAFF
410 – REC M 4-5 STAFF
411 – REC M 3:30-4:30 STAFF
412 – REC F 11-12 STAFF
413 – REC F 12-1 STAFF
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 152-001 AMERICAN HEALTH POLICY
**Syllabus**
This lecture course will introduce students to a broad range of topics that fall under the heading of American health policy. Its main emphasis will be on the history of health care in America from the U.S. Civil War to the present day. The primary objective of the course will be to consider why the United States is one of the only industrialized nations to have a private, non-nationalized health care system. Some of the themes addressed include: private health insurance (such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield), industrial health and workmen's compensation, the welfare state (in Europe, Canada and the U.S.), women's health, especially maternal and infant care programs. Medicare/Medicaid, the Clinton Health Plan of 1993, injured soldiers and the Veterans Administration.
MW 10-11 LINKER
201 – REC F 10-11 STAFF
202 – REC F 11-12 STAFF
SOCI 200-401 CRIMINAL JUSTICE
CROSS LISTED: CRIM-200
This course examines the causes and consequences of the millions of decisions made annually by the legally empowered decision-makers of the criminal justice system. The course places students in the role of one decision-maker after another, emphasizing the decisions they would make with all the scientific research on these decisions at their disposal. Research on 15 different decision-makers is examined, from crime victims to police, prosecutors, jurors, judges, wardens, and probation and parole officers. Using a medical mode of evidence-based practice, the course asks students to consider how the results of criminal justice could more effectively reduce the sum of human misery.
TR 12-1:30 MACDONALD
Top
SOCI 235-401 LAW & SOCIAL CHANGE
CROSS LISTED: AFRC-235
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 hange.
TR 4:30-6 FETNI
SOCI 254-401 CITIES, SUBURBS, AND THEIR REGIONS
**Syllabus**
This course will explore the political, economic, social, and demographic forces impacting development patterns in metropolitan areas, with a particular focus on Philadelphia. We will examine the government policies, economic forces, and social attitudes that affect the way a region grows and develops. Specific topics to be discussed include the factors that make a region competitive, the city’s changing role in the region, evolving regional housing markets, and the effects land use and zoning laws have on the places and people that make up a region.
R 1:30-4:30 BLACK
SOCI 270-401 ETHNICITY
CROSS LISTED: URBS-270
We live in a global economy and society, but what does this mean at the local level? Immigration is a controversial issue, dividing Americans from Congress to big cities to small towns – But what’s at stake in these debates? Using Philadelphia as a case study, this course examines the effects of globalization and migration in urban and suburban neighborhoods in the 20 th and 21 st century United States. Class readings, discussions, and regular visits to a variety of Philadelphia’s immigrant neighborhoods and organizations will explore themes including global markets, community formation, labor and political relations, social and cultural institutions, urban planning and policy, and the built environment.
W 2-5 VITIELLO
SOCI 259-401 SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
There is a striking social and historical patterning to so many of the health problems and diseases that account for the morbidity and mortality in our own and other societies. What accounts for these patterns? What can be done about them? Students will seek answers to these questions by comparing theoretical and empiric investigations of health from different disciplines, levels of description (individuals, neighborhoods, populations), societies and historical periods. The goal of this course is to introduce students to the study of the multiple determinants of the health of individuals and societies.
TR 12-1:30 ARONOWITZ
SOCI 260-401 CYBERCULTURE
Free speech, free software, MOOS, MUDs, anime and cyberpunk. All of these are elements of a broad set of social, technical and political phenomena generally associated with the emergence of a nascent "cyberculture". In this seminar we explore the ways in which recent developments in information technology – the computer and the Internet in particular--related to changing contemporary notions of community, identity, property and gender. By looking at an eclectic collection of popular and scholarly resources including film, fiction and the World Wide Web, we will situate the development of cyberculture in the larger history of the complex relationship between technology and Western society.
R 1:30-4:30 ENAMENGER
SOCI 270-401 THE IMMIGRANT CITY
Immigration is a controversial issue, dividing Americans from Congress to big cities to small towns. What’s at stake in these debates? What does immigration mean for cities and regions? And what roles should policy makers, planners, and community organizations play in shaping migration and its impacts? This course examines these questions in the context of immigrant, refugee, and receiving communities in the United States. It surveys public policy and community and economic development practices related to migration, at the local. regional, and trans-national scale.
Class readings, discussions, and regular visits to a variety of Philadelphia’s immigrant neighborhoods explore themes including labor markets, political mobilization, social and cultural policy, and the built environment. In the second half of the semester, students will work with community organizations that serve migrants.
W 2-5 VITIELLO
Top
SOCI 436-401 CULTURE, ARTS & MEDIA IN URBAN CONTEXT
**Syllabus**
The purpose of this academic-based service learning course is to examine the development of art, culture and media in cities, with an emphasis on how cultural organizations operate in the urban environment. Through classroom readings and discussions, students will explore a variety of sociological approaches to the analysis of urban culture and the creative economy, local arts and entertainment, new media technology and public policy. In addition, students will conduct several hours per week of community service in one of a variety of local nonprofit arts and other cultural institutions in Philadelphia.
W 2-5 GRAZIAN
SOCI 437-401 CULTURAL MODELS & HEALTH
There is a great deal of variation among population groups in the incidence of and mortality from most major diseases. Biological and social factors can account for some of this variation. However, there is increasing evidence that behavior- and the cultural models that are linked to health behavior- play an important role too. Cognitive anthropology is the study of how people in social groups conceive of objects and events in their world. It provides a framework for understanding how members of different groups categorize illness and treatment. It also helps to explain why risk perception, helpseeking behavior, and decision making styles vary to the extent they do. This seminar will explore the history of cognitive anthropology, schema theory, connectionism, the role of cultural models, and factors affecting health decision making. Methods for identifying cultural models will be discussed and practiced. Implications for health communication will be discussed.
M 2-5 BARG
SOCI 481-301 SOCIAL NETWORKS
Social networks analysis is the study of the patterns of social relations. It has applications in the study of friendship, social support, Internet use, organizational behavior, mental and physical health, and the diffusion of information. This seminar takes a non-mathematical approach to the study of network theories and methods. It is an introduction to the fundamental concepts of social structure, including: network size, diversity, frequency of contact, tie duration, and tie strength. The course focuses on how network structure is related to everyday life, such as health, access to social support, and job attainment. Particular attention is given to the role of communication media in facilitating interpersonal connectivity (face to face, over the telephone, and over the Internet), and the role of information and communication technologies (i.e. the Internet) in social support.
R 1:30-4:30 HAMPTON
Top
GRADUATE COURSES
SOCI 513-301 MEDICALIZATION: THEORY AND HISTORY
**Syllabus**
Almost every book on the history and sociology of twentieth-century medicine invokes the term “medicalization.” We are told everything from childbirth and allergies to hyperactivity and hospitals have become dominated by the medical profession and its explanation of health and illness. This course traces the history of the medicalization thesis, from its beginnings with Michel Foucault and Ivan Illich to its latest articulation put forth by sociologist Peter Conrad. Once we are accustomed to the multiple meanings of medicalization, we will put them each under scrutiny, borrowing from literature in the history of religion (a subfield that has grappled with the predominance of the secularization thesis, a theory very much akin to medicalization), as well as from the history of the body. In short, the goal of this course is to read current works in the history medicine in order problematize the theory of medicalization.
W 2-5 LINKER
SOCI 536-401 QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY II
**Syllabus**
Registration REQUIRED for both the Lecture and a Recitation section.
A course on statistical methods for social scientists, applying the general linear model (GLM). Students learn the logic and assumptions underlying the GLM and complete exercises that apply linear modeling techniques using the STATA statistical package to “real-world” data. Issues covered include the logic of statistical modeling, efficient estimation (i.e., statistical precision), specification errors (i.e., what happens when you make incorrect assumptions about how the world works), analyzing group differences with discrete (qualitative) variables (e.g., looking at differences in social processes by gender, or race), representing social processes with multiple equations (“path analysis”), and nonlinear relationships in linear models.
TR 12-1:30 BELTRAN/SANCHEZ
402 - REC F 2-3 STAFF
403 - REC R 5-6 STAFF
404 – REC R 4-5 STAFF
SOCI 556-301 PROSEMINAR SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS II
Open to Sociology/Demography (Graduate) Majors Only
This graduate 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.
M 3-6 SMITH/SCHNITTKER
SOCI 604-401 METHODOLOGY OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
This course will give students familiarity with the common research methods social scientists use to conduct research. Ethnographic, interview, survey, experimental and historical/comparative research methods will be covered. Four themes will be explored: 1) the basics of solid research design, 2) the various advantages and disadvantages of each method, 3) when the use of a method is appropriate or inappropriate for the research question, and 4) how to evaluate researchers’ claims on the basis of the evidence they present. These themes will be explored by reading examples of and conducting exercises designed to give students hands-on experience in each of the methods. Students will conduct the exercises on a topic of their choice, which together will culminate in their final paper. The course is required and restricted to second year students in sociology and demography.
T 3-6 WILDE
SOCI 620-401 SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH II
This course is intended to aid in the selection, framing, writing and revising of sociological dissertation proposals. It is also intended to provide a forum for the presentation of dissertation research in progress. The goal is to provide a forum for the acquisition of professional socialization in sociology. We will discuss the framing of research questions, the design of research strategies, and the writing of dissertation proposals. We will discuss the process of submitting manuscripts for conferences and journals, preparing a curriculum vitae, job search strategies, and preparing for effective colloquium presentations. It is expected that third year graduate students in Sociology will enroll in this class.
M 9-12 GIBSON
SOCI 634-401 POPULATION PROCESSES II
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.
M 9-12 KOHLERTop
SOCI 667-301 SOCIAL INTERACTION
**Syllabus**
The dynamics of interpersonal interaction, especially in face-to-face encounters over limited periods of time. Topics include: theory of interaction ritual deriving from Durkheim, Mauss, Goffman and their contemporary followers; rational choice and social exchange theory, from Homans through contemporary formal models; ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, including micro-ethnographic studies of non-verbal bases of conversational analysis, interaction; sociology of emotions, including theories of Scheff, Kemper, Hochschild and Collins; symbolic interactionist theory and contemporary research on the social nature of mind, cognition, and the self; relationship between micro and macro levels of analysis.
W 9-12 COLLINS
SOCI 681-401 PRO-SEMINAR CRIMINAL JUSTICE
A wide-ranging introduction to theory and research on responses to crime under the rubric of criminal law. Theories of deterrence, procedural justice, reintegratigve shaming, defiance and other interactions between legal sanctions and legal conduct will be examined in light of the most recent research. Issues of discrimination, disparity, and fairness in the operation of criminal law will be considered with evidence from around the world.
Patterns, causes, and consequences of legal sanctioning patterns will be systematically documented, and major gaps in knowledge will be identified.
W 1-4 MACDONALD
SOCI 708-401 SEMINAR IN DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH ll
A second semester of an intensive course in preparing a major independent research paper. This is a required course for second year demography students.
M 12–3 HARKNETT
SOCI 731-401 ADVANCED DEMOGRAPHIC METHODS
This course considers a variety of procedures for measuring and modeling demographic processes. These include increment/decrement tables, generalizations of stable population relations, two-sex models, and indirect estimation procedures.
W 2-5 EWBANK
Top
SOCI 796-401 DEMOGRAPHIC, ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RELATIONS
The course investigates economic and social determinants of fertility, mortality, and migration, and it discusses the effects of population variables on economic and social conditions, including economic and social development. Topics discussed in the course include: How do economic changes affect marriage, divorce, and child bearing decisions? How do households make decisions about transfers and bequests? How can economic and sociological approaches be combined in explanatory models of demography change? What causes the aging of populations, and how will population aging affect the economies of industrial nations, including pension programs like Social Security? What accounts for the rise in women's participation in the wage labor force over the past century? How are family composition and poverty interrelated? Does rapid population growth slow economic development in Third World countries? In addition to these topics, the course also covers selected methods not included in Dem/Soc 535/536 and 609.
R 9-12 KOHLER
SOCI 836-401 CULTURE, COMMUNICATION, RIGHTS: INTER-ASIAN TRANSLATIONS
**Syllabus**
This course attempts to explore this question: in the (re)turn to distributive and recognition justice, how will cultural studies and communication critically articulate with human rights as a global professional, interdisciplinary, and humanitarian practice? In this course, we shall consider the conditions of possibility, theoretically as well as strategically, for overcoming the apparent non-correspondence between culture/communication and rights, or between culture/communication and the law. Special attention will be made to the rigorous development of cultural studies in the “inter-Asian” context over the past dozen years. The contested particularisms associated with inter-Asia with respect to the study of rights will raise crucial questions about the geopolitics of the circulation of rights discourse in global terms.
R 10-12 NGUYET ERNI
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 permissions 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 004-601 THE FAMILY
**Syllabus**
This introductory course will focus on examining the contemporary American family from a sociological perspective. We will begin by learning how to evaluate the family, through examining the history of kinship, sociological theories of family, and empirical research methods used to study the family. The course will then focus on three areas: first, we will examine family formation and dissolution, including dating, marriage, marriage and cohabitation, childbearing, childhood, adoption, divorce and stepfamilies. Second we will turn to the study of family diversity by class, race, immigration status, sexual orientation, and grandparent-led families. Finally, we will examine gender in the family, including gender roles, violence in the family, and work-family issues. Students will write an original research paper on a family-related topic of their choice, produced in stages over the course of the semester.
TR 5:30-7 KUPERBERG
Top
SOCI 007-601 POPULATION & SOCIETY
**Syllabus**
The course covers selected aspects of population and the study of demography. It will examine trends and patterns in health, mortality, fertility, and migration, with special attention given to HIV/AIDS, population aging, and urbanization.
MW 5:30-7 GRANT
SOCI 100-601 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
**Syllabus**
This course provides a broad overview of how sociologists gather and analyze information to generate and test hypotheses about the social world. This course will introduce students to a variety of research designs (including quantitative, qualitative, experimental, and historical/comparative), focusing on the assumptions behind each as well as how this research may inform sociological theory. By the end of the semester, students will have experience conducting three types of research: quantitative data analysis, ethnography, and in-depth interviewing. In addition, the course will focus on training students to become active and critical consumers of sociological research.
MW 6:30-8 TURNEY
SOCI 117-601 SOCIOLOGY OF WORK
Americans on average work more hours than workers in any other developed country. Why do we work so much? Why are some workers paid more than others? Why are some workers allowed to be more self-directed than others? Why are unions in decline? And what happened to employer-provided health care, pensions and retirement? This class will examine questions such as these as well as other contemporary aspects of working in the United States. We will also review the history of work in the 20th century to see what sociology can tell us about how and why the United States developed its distinctive work culture. Particular attention will be paid to the production of inequality in the workplace and to how the labor process itself is structured. This class will emphasize student participation.
R 6-9 VISCELLI
Top
SOCI 120-601 SOCIAL STATISTICS
**Syllabus**
This course offers an introduction to the application and interpretation of statistical analysis in sociology. Upon completion, you should be familiar with a variety of basic statistical techniques that allow examination of social questions. We begin by learning to describe the characteristics of groups, followed by discussion of how to examine and generalize about relationships between characteristics of groups. Emphasis is placed on the understanding and interpretation of statistics used to describe and make generalizations about group characteristics. You will also become familiar with using PCs to run statistical tests.
TR 6-7:30 WANG
SOCI 135-601 LAW & 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.
M 6:30-9:30 FETNI
SOCI 275-601 MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY
This course is an introduction to major topics in the sociology of medicine, with an emphasis on current American medical practice. A primary aim of the course is to use a sociological perspective to investigate our shared/contested understandings of illness and health, as well as the evolving medical responses to these human conditions. We will discuss the structure of the medical professions, social organization of hospitals, social and cultural influences on doctor-patient communication and decision-making, and the history and social context of bioethics. The course will trace the influence of race, gender and economics on healthcare as we explore issues of legitimacy, training, professional socialization, patient autonomy, and barriers to access and provision of health services. We will pay particular attention to the current political debates surrounding the provision of healthcare to the uninsured in the United States.
W 6-9 JOYCE
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-Jan-2008
For updates, comments please contact:
saunderc@ssc.upenn.edu
|
