This course blends personal/research-based writing assignments with reading books that also situate the personal within the systemic.

Crimmigration: This course bridges the sociology of race, immigration, and critical criminology to understand the intersections between US immigration policy and the criminal punishment system.

This course explores Sociology in the context of documentary film and the ways in which it can present qualitative and quantitative results as well as social theory. Using a combination of film screenings, classroom discussion, and filmmaking, students will be able to learn how to engage visual storytelling as a means of presenting sociological findings and concepts. This course also interrogates the role of documentary film today and the ethical challenges it faces in a rapidly globalizing world.

This course examines visualization techniques, such as graphing and mapping, and their role in analysis and communication of insights in the field of social epidemiology. Students will be introduced to, and develop working proficiency in, leading programs in public health and data analysis – ArcGIS Pro, Tableau, and R, a leading programming language in data visualization.

A sociological examination of poverty in the U.S. and the social welfare programs that aim to mitigate it. Students will consider competing theories about the underlying causes of poverty, examine how these ideas have informed poverty policies over time, and critically assess what the contemporary social welfare regime means for people who are poor in the U.S

A study of the purpose, values, and evolution of higher education. The course examines how colleges and universities strive to expand opportunities, promote free and critical inquiry, and foster social belonging amid changing demographics, market logics, political struggles, and the conventions and legacies of organizational cultures. Includes campus research on how academic communities build social connections and relationships that are integral to individual fulfillment, liberal arts learning, and common endeavors.

An examination of how historical and contemporary forms of racism and sexism shape and are embedded within online interactions and digital forms of media. Topics may include the use of stereotypes and slurs; the influence and context of social media platforms (for ex., Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok); resistance, resilience, and emotional labor; and the opportunities, expectations, and structural realities around responses to discrimination.

This course draws on the work of activists, scholars, and educators who have used sociological thought toward the goal of dismantling systems of power and imagining more just futures. We strive to foreground these sentiments in this course, both in design and practice. How can we embody the principles of collectivity, creativity, and liberation? How do we situate the discipline of sociology in this endeavor, and how do we situate ourselves in the discipline? The direction and substantive focus of the class will be determined through a collaborative process, with students as co-developers.

The current global context is in crisis. War in Ukraine drags on as old and potentially new cold wars heat up. Climate change is increasingly dire, disrupting ecosystems and fueling human displacement. The ascendance of authoritarianism is eroding liberal democracy around the globe. In the U.S., systemic anti-Black racism and repressive immigration policies feed the carceral state. While daunting, these conditions have prompted an upsurge in popular mobilization on behalf of a more just world. This course examines global resistance movements imagining (and fighting for) new visions of popular politics, novel institutions, alternative trajectories, and promising paths – offering both hope and resources for action.

An examination of how historical and contemporary forms of racism and sexism shape and are embedded within online interactions and digital forms of media. Topics may include the use of stereotypes and slurs; the influence and context of social media platforms (for ex., Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok); resistance, resilience, and emotional labor; and the opportunities, expectations, and structural realities around responses to discrimination.