Neighborhoods, cities, and metropolitan areas are communities defined by geographic, economic, legal, political, cultural, and social boundaries. The characteristics distinguishing urban areas that affect social interactions include density or concentration of residents and firms - relative homogeneity in ethnicity, class, education, language and income of neighbors; shared representations, such as sports teams; common meeting places and facilities, such as churches, schools, clubs, restaurant businesses; and facilities of communication and transportation. How does the configuration of urban areas affect opportunities for employment, education, health, safety? What shapes the interactions within and across neighborhoods? Why are jobs "suburbanizing?" Why are neighborhoods and schools segregated by race, ethnicity, and income?

Basic Courses:
SOC 3 Deviance and Social Control
SOC 6 Race and Ethnic Relations
SOC 8 Political Sociology
SOC 10 Social Stratification
SOC 11 Urban Sociology
SOC 41 Topic in Sociology
SOC 102 The City in Social Theory
SOC 103 Asian Americans in Contemporary Society
SOC 110 The Rich and the Poor
SOC 130 Social Problems in Modern Mexico
SOC 233 Criminology
SOC 367 Philadelphia, 1700-2000

Advanced Courses:
SOC 543 Social Stratification
SOC 550 Social Inequality
SOC 567 Urban Sociology
SOC 591 Racial Justice and the Sociology of the Law

Last Modified: 07-Nov-2003
For updates, comments please contact: saunderc@ssc.upenn.edu