Sociology is an exciting degree that allows its students to pursue a multiplicity of careers and interests. With access to world-renowned faculty and one of the best graduate programs in sociology, undergraduates have a unique opportunity to engage in a lively academic environment.
Students intending to major in sociology are advised to prepare themselves by taking background work in such other areas as history, philosophy, cultural anthropology, psychology, economics, and political science.
The Department of Sociology also offers a Sociological Research Methods Concentration within the major. The Concentration focuses on the central importance of analytical and methodological tools to the sociological enterprise.
Declaring the Major
Students are eligible to declare if they have a 2.0 cumulative and major grade point average (GPA) with at least one course completed in the major, and they have completed (or are in progress to complete) the prerequisites. For information regarding the prerequisites, please see the Major Requirements tab on this page.
It is recommended that students officially declare as soon as they are ready to do so. They may declare any time.
Once the prerequisites are completed or are in progress, students should follow the instructions below. Please allow 5 business days for processing (or longer in some instances).
Students should complete this Google Form to declare. Sociology undergraduate advisers will contact students directly if there are any questions.
If students completed coursework outside of UC Berkeley and the coursework is not posted on the Transfer Credit Report on Cal Central, they will be asked to upload an unofficial copy of their transcript(s) while completing the Google Form. If students are not able to upload copies of their transcripts, they can email copies to socadv@berkeley.edu.
Once students have been declared, an email will be sent to confirm their declaration in the major.
Honors Program
Majors who enter their senior year with a 3.3 grade point average (GPA) overall and a 3.5 GPA in the major may apply to the honors program. Students will be required to submit an acceptable thesis proposal as part of their application and are encouraged to take advanced methods courses, such as SOCIOL 105, SOCIOL 106, and SOCIOL 108 during their junior year in preparation for conducting research for their honors thesis. Students earn honors by maintaining the minimum GPA for honors and by successfully completing SOCIOL H190A-SOCIOL H190B, Senior Honors Thesis, and Seminar. For more information about the application process, please consult with a major advisor by spring semester of junior year.
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
General Guidelines
All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
Double majors can overlap two upper division courses between Sociology and their second major. Sociology majors who wish to complete a minor can overlap one upper division course between Sociology and the minor. Any exceptions to this policy will be made by the department offering the minor.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.
Students may consult with a major advisor if interested in the Sociological Research Methods Concentration. Once in the Sociology major, students must earn at least a 3.3 GPA (B+ or better) in each of the courses required for the Concentration to be eligible to declare it.
For information regarding residency requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
If a student has taken two or more upper division sociology courses without completing SOCIOL 1 first, or has already taken SOCIOL 3AC, they should not take SOCIOL 1. Instead they are required to take an additional (third) survey course as a substitute for this prerequisite, to be completed sometime before graduation (see list of survey courses below). The three surveys must be taken from three different substantive areas, distinguished by distinct second digits (e.g., SOCIOL 110, SOCIOL 180E, and SOCIOL 120, but not SOCIOL 110, SOCIOL 180C, and SOCIOL 180E).
2
This course may be taken Pass/No Pass or for a letter grade.
3
A score of 4 or 5 on the AP Statistics Exam will also satisfy this requirement.
Comparative Perspectives on U.S. and European Societies: Political Economy [4]
Sociology Electives
Select three or four* upper division or graduate courses in Sociology, not already used to fulfill other major requirements. *Students who declared before June 1, 2016 are required to complete 4 Sociology Electives Students who declare June 1, 2016 or after, are required to complete 3 Sociology Electives1
Additional survey courses and SOCIOL 190 seminars beyond those required can count as sociology electives. Independent study courses or courses outside of the department do not fulfill this requirement.
2
Students should not necessarily wait until their last semester to take a seminar. It is recommended that students take it whenever they find a topic that interests them.
3
Students cannot enroll in SOCIOL 190 in Cal Central during Phase I; there are special enrollment procedures for these courses. To enroll, students must complete the Sociology 190 Enrollment Form online. For instructions, visit our Special Enrollment Procedures page. Graduating sociology majors who have not completed their seminar requirement are given priority for enrollment.
4
Students must apply (in the prior academic year) and be accepted into the Senior Honors Program. Honors students participate in the year-long Senior Honors Seminar, Sociology H190A (4 units; can be used as a Sociology Elective) in the fall and H190B (5 units) in the spring.
Requirements for the Sociological Research Methods Concentration
To declare the Sociological Research Methods Concentration, majors will be required to take at least five courses within a range of options for the Concentration, which also fulfill requirements for the Sociology major. All courses for the Concentration must be completed with a letter grade of B+ or better:
Lower Division Requirements (2 courses):
● Sociology 5: Evaluation of Evidence (4 units)
● Sociology 7, or Statistics (4 units - please see major advisor for approved list; students may not use AP Exam scores nor Introduction to Logic toward the research methods concentration)
Upper Division Requirements (3 courses):
RESEARCH METHOD ELECTIVES: Choose two out of three required electives from among this list:
● Sociology 190: Seminar and Research in Sociology (4 units) A specialized version for those taking the concentration to be approved by a major advisor.
College Requirements
Undergraduate students must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.
For a detailed lists of L&S requirements, please see Overview tab to the right in this guide or visit the L&S Degree Requirements webpage. For College advising appointments, please visit the L&S Advising Pages.
All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley and must be taken for a letter grade.
The American History and American Institutions requirements are based on the principle that all U.S. residents who have graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.
All undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass this campus requirement course in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses are plentiful and offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.
College of Letters & Science Essential Skills Requirements
The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer/data science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course taken for a letter grade.
The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work taken for a letter grade.
In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College of Letters and Science requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete parts A & B reading and composition courses in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester for a letter grade.
College of Letters & Science 7 Course Breadth Requirements
The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.
Unit Requirements
120 total units
Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units
Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department
Residence Requirements
For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes at Cal for four years, or two years for transfer students. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you graduate early, go abroad for a semester or year, or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an L&S College adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.
Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.
Senior Residence Requirement
After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.
You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.
Modified Senior Residence Requirement
Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.
Upper Division Residence Requirement
You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding UCEAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.
Plan of Study
Each student’s plan will vary, depending on interests and class offerings. Plan on consulting your Letters & Science adviser and your major adviser on a regular basis or at least once a semester, especially if you are interested in applying for graduate school, studying abroad, attending summer school, pursuing a minor or second major, or have any concerns or questions about your major classes or your degree progress.
Note: students must complete a minimum of 13 units per term to be considered full-time, with a total of 120 units needed to graduate.
For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), please see the Major Requirements tab.
Students who declare June 1, 2016, or after, are required to complete 3 Sociology Electives. Students who declared prior to June 1, 2016 should speak with a major advisor.
Upper Division Elective Outside of Major Department
3
15
15
Total Units: 120
1
Sociology majors are required to take two courses in two different substantive areas from the following list of sociology "Survey" courses. The two survey courses must be taken from two different substantive areas, distinguished by distinct second digits -- e.g. Soc 110 and Soc 180E, but not Soc 180C and Soc 180E.
Accelerated Program Plans
For students considering graduating in less than four years, it's important to acknowledge the reasons to undertake such a plan of study. While there are advantages to pursuing a three-year degree plan such as reducing financial burdens, they are not for everyone and do involve sacrifices; especially with respect to participating in co-curricular activities, depth of study, and summer internships, which typically lead to jobs upon graduation. All things considered, please see the tables for three and three and a half year degree options.
Understand and apply key sociological concepts and social theories
Understand and be able to employ key research methods and data used by social scientists
Be prepared to use a sociological lens and skills in future endeavors, in the workplace, or community
Formulate a well-organized argument supported by evidence
Develop effective written communication skills
Develop the ability to use critical thinking and research skills to evaluate and understand complex situations
Achieve an understanding of professional, civic, and ethical responsibility
Major Map
Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.
Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Introduces students who are considering majoring in sociology to the basic topics, concepts, and principles of the study of society. This course is required for the major; 1 or any version of 3 is prerequisite for other sociology classes; students not considering a sociology major are directed to any version of 3 or 3AC. Introduction to Sociology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Sociology 1 after completing Sociology 3, 3A or 3AC.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-3 hours of lecture and 2-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2021 8 Week Session, Summer 2019 8 Week Session, Summer 2018 8 Week Session
This course surveys the major theories, concepts, and substantive areas of sociology in ways that are specifically designed for undergraduate students pursuing careers in health and medicine as well as students who intend to major in sociology. In this course, the readings, lectures, and assignments have been chosen with the needs of pre-health students in mind, consisting of units on social relationships, cultures, institutions, stratification, inequalities, demographics, and social change. Introduction to Sociology for Pre-Health Majors: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: It is open to all majors, and there are no prerequisites. This course is required for the major; 1 or any version of 3 is prerequisite for other sociology classes
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Sociology 1 after completing Sociology 3, 3A or 3AC.
Hours & Format
Summer: 8 weeks - 6-8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course aims to; assist you in developing a clear, persuasive and personal prose style in English, to refine and build upon the close reading techniques you practiced in R1A and to equip you with the skills necessary for writing a research paper_a standard requirement of many upper-division (100-level) courses. Since our readings mostly cover social science, this course also introduces concepts useful for reading texts in these fields. Sociological Reading & Composition: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC; or consent of instructor
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session
Comparing the experience of three out of five ethnic groups (e.g. African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicano/Latino, European Americans, and Native Americans) we shall examine historically how each people entered American society and built communities and transformed their cultures in the process. Students will be introduced to the sociological perspective, characteristic methods of research, and such key concepts as culture, community, class, race, social change, and social movements. Principles of Sociology: American Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Sociology 3AC after completing Sociology 1, 3 or 3A. A deficiency in Sociology 3 or 3A may be removed by taking Sociology 3AC.
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 8 Week Session
A review of methodological problems in assessing data relating to social life. Topics to be covered include: posing a sociological problem, gaining access to data, measuring, establishing correlation and causal connection among data, and relating data to theoretical context. Evaluation of Evidence: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture and 3.5 hours of discussion per week 10 weeks - 4.5 hours of lecture and 3 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course will provide students with a set of skills to understand, evaluate, use, and produce quantitative data about the social world. It is intended specifically for social science majors, and focuses on social science questions. Students will learn to: produce basic graphs, find good-quality and relevant data on the web, manipulate data in a spreadsheet, including producing pivot tables, understand and calculate basic statistical measures of central tendency, variation, and correlation, understand and apply basic concepts of sampling and selection, and recognize an impossible statistic. The Power of Numbers: Quantitative Data in Social Sciences: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Soc. 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 10 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2008, Spring 2006
The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Freshman Seminars: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020
This course explores the role of social research in policymaking and public decisions and develops skills for the communication of research findings and their implications in writing and through data visualization. Students will develop an understanding of various perspectives on the role that data and data analysts play in policymaking, learn how to write for a public audience about data, results, and implications, and learn how to create effective and engaging data visualizations.
Data Science Connector: This course builds on the Foundations of Data Science course by teaching more advanced data visualization skills and techniques, by providing an understanding of how data is used, and by teaching how to communicate about data in writing. Data Science for Social Impact: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: No prior knowledge is assumed or expected. Corequisite or Prerequisite: Foundations of Data Science (COMPSCI C8 / INFO C8 / STAT C8). This course is a Data Science connector course and is meant to be taken concurrent with or after COMPSCI C8/ INFO C8 / STAT C8. Students may take more than one Data Science connector course if they wish, concurrent with or after having taken the C8 course
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-1 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate. Berkeley Connect: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-1 hours of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2022 First 6 Week Session
Designed primarily to permit the instructors to deal with a topic with which they are especially concerned, more focused than the subject matter of a regular lecture course. Does not count towards the requirements of the Sociology major, but may satisfy other campus requirements. Special Topics in Sociology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students may enroll in multiple sections of this course within the same semester.
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
First half of a year-long course on the history of social thought as a source of present-day problems and hypotheses. Sociological Theory I: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3 or 3AC, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Second half of a year-long course on the history of social thought as a source of present-day problems and hypotheses. Sociological Theory II: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020
Course involves pursuing study in subfields of sociological theory. The course presumes a general background in social theory. Advanced Study in Social Theory: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 101A-101B or 101 and 102
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 103 after taking 102 prior to Fall 2010.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024
In the years 2020-22, the world was in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet there is a much more devastating disaster on the horizon: the global environmental crisis. Some of its consequences are apparent already, including fire and flooding (and the proliferation of pandemics). This course will consider these two crises – and disasters in general – from the standpoint of knowledge and action. Put differently, how aware are we about looming disasters, how do we assess them, and what do we do about them. That is, the course is about knowledge, risk, and action (or ignorance, denial, and inaction). The Global Environmental Crisis: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 101 and 102, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-5 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5-5.5 hours of lecture and 0-4 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2019, Spring 2019
Problems of research design, measurement, and data collection, processing, and analysis will be considered. Attention will be given to both qualitative and quantitative studies. Research Design and Sociological Methods: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 5 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course will cover more technical issues in quantitative research methods, and will include, according to discretion of instructor, a practicum in data collection and/or analysis. Recommended for students interested in graduate work in sociology or research careers. Quantitative Sociological Methods: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 5 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
This course will introduce you to the craft of doing participant-observation. Put simply, in this method we participate in, observe, and theorize about the social world we are studying. You will learn about the methodological challenges and riches of observing people in their social worlds. This kind of “deep hanging out” will allow you to observe, hear, and learn about things that are commonly neglected and missed in other methods — both quantitative and qualitative. Participant-Observation: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 5 or consent of the instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-2 hours of seminar and 4-5 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
Scientists regularly gather data through observation. Sociologists can go a step further and ask the objects of their studies about their lives and thoughts. This upper-level course teaches students how to engage in scientific research using question-based data. It involves a mix of classroom and hands-on learning, culminating in an independent research paper. Advanced Methods: In-depth Interviewing: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 5 (or equivalent but with consent of instructor)
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This survey course studies administrative organizations and voluntary associations; major social institutions in industry, government, religion, and education. Organizations and Social Institutions: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2015 First 6 Week Session, Fall 2013, Spring 2013
In this course, we trace the history of the American family from the 19th-century farm--in which work, medical care, and entertainment went on--to the smaller, more diverse, and subjectively defined family of the 21st century. We also explore ways in which the family acts as a "shock absorber" of many trends including immigration, the increasing social class divide, and especially the growing domination of the marketplace. Finally, we also explore the diversity of family forms associated with social class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Sociology of the Family: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
In this course, we trace the history of the American family from the 19th-century farm--in which work, medical care, and entertainment went on--to the smaller, more diverse, and subjectively defined family of the 21st century. We also explore ways in which the family acts as a "shock absorber" of many trends including immigration, the increasing social class divide, and especially the growing domination of the marketplace. Finally, we also explore the diversity of family forms associated with social class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Sociology of the Family: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3, or 3AC, or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Sociology 111AC after taking Sociology 111; a deficient grade in Sociology 111 may be removed by taking Sociology 111AC.
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
This course focuses on children and on varied contexts and experiences of growing up; it also highlights the social organization and meanings of age. It explores the idea of childhood as a social construction, including cross-cultural and historical variation in assumptions. Then it highlights the changing political economy and history of childhoods, including children's roles in consumption and production in the world. Lastly, it examines the intersecting dynamics of age, social class, racial ethnicity, gender and sexuality in growing up. Sociology of Childhood: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020
Society is ordered by age. Age is not the only ordering dimension of society, but it is a central one. A life course perspective represents a sociological way of understanding how age structures society. Our lives progress through a sequence of socially constructed stages—childhood, adolescence, middle adulthood, and later adulthood. A life course perspective is particularly interested in the rules and norms that govern transitions between these stages. Sociology of the Life Course: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-5 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-4 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2010
This course explores the relationships between changes in how Americans are experiencing family life, growing inequality in the U.S., and the social policy "solutions" aimed at families and children. While discussing these trends and changes and their social consequences, we will discuss government responses to these changes, how debates are framed, who debates, and how other industrialized countries consider these questions. Families, Inequality and Social Policy: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Summer 2021 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2020 First 6 Week Session
The course will locate the place of religious consciousness in human action and then survey comparatively and historically the role that religion has played in human society. Will include a general theory of the nature of religious experience, religious symbolism, and the basis of religious community. Sociology of Religion: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Sociology C112/Religious Studies C182
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
The role of formal education in modern societies. Educational systems in relation to the religious, cultural, economic, and political forces shaping their character. Sociology of Education: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2023
The role of formal education in modern societies. Educational systems in relation to the religious, cultural, economic, and political forces shaping their character. Sociology of Education: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Summer 2021 First 6 Week Session, Fall 2020
Selected legal rules, principles, and institutions treated from a sociological perspective. Influence of culture and social organization on law; role of law in social change; social aspects of the administration of justice; social knowledge and the law. Sociology of Law: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3A or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5-5.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2014
The course will provide an overview of the intersections of biology, genetics and society in an examination of the past, present, and possible future effects of such intersections. In particular, the course addresses contemporary controversies, such as the search for the gay gene and the biology of human behavior, the biology of superiority, and the nature-nurture debate, in order to provide students a critical insight into biology’s profound role in shaping our modern way of life. Biology, Genetics and Society: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2019
This course examines the social forces that promote and sustain illness throughout the globe and contribute to illness outbreaks becoming epidemics and pandemics. Emphasizing the central roles of poverty and politics in shaping health risks, disparities within and across nations are explored. With the understanding that health is, at core, a social justice issue, this course reviews policies and programs that attempt to address health problems, some of which have helped to alleviate suffering and some of which have caused additional harm. Health in a Global Society: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Summer 2018 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2018
This course covers several topics, including distributive justice in health care, the organization and politics of the health system, the correlates of health (by race, sex, class, income), pandemics (e.g., AIDS, Avian Flu and other influenzas, etc.), and the experience of illness and interactions with doctors and the medical system. Sociology of Health and Medicine: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Sociology C115 after taking Sociology 155, Sociology C155/Public Health C155. A deficient grade in Sociology 155 may be removed by taking Sociology C115/Public Health C155.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
The labor force; social control within and of occupations and professions (professionalization, professional associations vs. labor unions, codes of ethics, legal controls); social structure of the workplace, work experience of the participants, relation of both to community and society. Sociology of Work: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2021
This course provides a broad, inter-disciplinary overview of the U.S. labor movement in the fight for social and economic justice. It will introduce students to critiques of racial capitalism and the power dynamics inherent in paid work, while considering why and how workers form unions in response. One of the primary objectives of this course is to develop a theoretical and analytical understanding of contemporary workers’ experiences of work in the U.S. shaped by race, class, gender, sexuality, immigration status, language, religion, and other social constructs. There will be a special comparative focus on the role of structures and the space for agency and mobilization in the Latinx, Black and Asian American communities. Work, Justice and the Labor Movement: Read More [+]
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
Analysis of sport as social institution, its structure and functions; male-female role contrasts, race and sport; economics of sport; the roles of coach, athlete, fan--their interrelationships and complexities; current turmoil in sport and the ideological struggle which has emerged. Sport As a Social Institution: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Leadership has many meanings in society. What works well in one context cannot always be applied in another. And contexts have history. What works well in one domain does not necessarily work for all time. In this course we will reflect on the meaning of leadership in society. Our focus will be modern ideas of leadership, and how these ideas evolved, succeeded or failed in moments of social change. We will read in the area of organizational sociology with a focus on interactions, institutions and culture. In addition, we will consider work from political science, management studies and history as we attempt to unravel what leadership looks like across a variety of social domains in different states of change. Leadership & Social Change: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociol 1, 3AC or the consent of the instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with advisor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-5 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5-5.5 hours of lecture and 0-4 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2017
This course addresses organizational design strategy formulation and institutional analysis for a variety of organizational entities. The course features a focus on international issues, key debates in organizational design and their implications. By the end of the course, students will be expected to detect, diagnose, and recommend globally savvy solutions for many types of organizational design related issues. Organizational Strategy and Design: A Sociological Perspective: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Course may NOT be repeated for credit. Students who took Soc. 119T in Fall ’11, Fall ’12 and Fall ‘13 will not receive credit for Sociol 119S.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-5 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5-5.5 hours of lecture and 0-4 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
This survey course focus on three major themes of the contemporary United States: government, resources, and cities. Stress on the importance of transition from the 1960's. Examination of how each sector is influenced by policy currents, economic trends, and social conflicts. Economy and Society: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024
The combined deployment of digital systems, massive data collection and computer code
have reshaped the basic rules of social life: how people communicate, work, exchange and
associate; how they relate to one another, themselves, and the world around them, down to
the most ordinary and intimate aspects; how institutions, both public and private, frame and
pursue their social mission and economic purpose; and how they sort, slot, and know
populations and individuals. This course will analyze the specificity and power of digital
technology as a driver of capital accumulation, a technique of government, an engine of
social difference, and a cultural force with a politics and moral lexicon of its own. AI, Economy, and Society: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course will examine the social and cultural environment that enables or hinders the innovation process in business. The course starts by reviewing how companies can create and foster innovative cultures and organize for innovation, and reviews differences between countries in innovativeness. It continues by examining the factors which influence whether innovations are or are not adopted. It addresses some social and ethical issues of innovation, examines the social role and context of entrepreneurs, and closes with some case studies. Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Social and Cultural Context: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2009
This course first begins with a brief sketch of the core climate challenges. Then, through a reading of The Human Planet, it undertakes a more holistic, historical approach, which we continue through classic and new work on Black Reconstruction and Indingeous struggles. The historical re-grounding makes up the first half of the class. The second half of the class surveys some of the leading social science, especially sociology, on the climate crisis, building on that broader foundation. We work toward a consideration of whether a climate justice, such as the "Green New Deal," can address the climate emergency. Sociology of the Climate Emergency: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with advisor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course will explore the sociology of poverty. It will examine a number of theories on the causes of poverty, then turn to an examination of empirical studies concerning the trends and determinants of poverty, followed by an examination of the everyday life of those who live in the condition of poverty. This course will conclude with a look at social policy toward poverty. The course will focus primarily, although not exclusively, on poverty in the U.S. While there will be some readings concerning rural poverty, the course will have a decidedly urban focus. Sociology of Poverty: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Introductory sociology or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021
Introduction to population issues and the field of demography, with emphasis on historical patterns of population growth and change during the industrial era. Topics covered include the demographic transition, resource issues, economic development, the environment, population control, family planning, birth control, family and gender, aging, intergenerational transfers, and international migration. Sex, Death, and Data: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
A comparative analysis of socio-economic and political change, focusing on the poor countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Offers both a basic descriptive understanding of processes of change in these countries and an introduction to major theoretical perspectives on development and globalization. Development and Globalization: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024
This survey course studies recent trends in occupational stratification; social classes in local communities and the nation as related to interest organizations. Social Inequalities: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 130 after taking 130AC; students cannot take 130 to remove a deficient grade in 130AC.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course explores the causes and consequences of inequality in the U.S. First, we will discuss theories and concepts scholars use to understand inequality. We then consider several institutions that sustain, reproduce and/or mitigate inequality in the U.S., such as education, labor markets, family structure, and the criminal justice system. Within each topic, we pay attention to the significance of race and ethnicity, social class, and gender. Social Inequalities: American Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 130AC after taking 130; students will receive no credit for 130 after taking 130AC; a deficient grade in 130 may be removed by taking 130AC. A deficient grade in 130AC can only be removed by repeating the course.
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2020
Course focuses on race and ethnic relations in the United States. Examination of historical experiences, contemporary circumstances and future prospects of racial and ethnic populations with particular attention to trends in relations between the dominant society and the Afro-American, Native-American, Asian-American and Latino sub-cultures. Political and social consequences of racial and ethnic stratification are explored. Race and Ethnic Relations: The United States Experience: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 131 after taking 131A or 131AC; a deficiency in 131A may be removed by taking 131.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2022
Course focuses on race and ethnic relations in the United States. Examination of historical experiences, contemporary circumstances, and future prospects of racial and ethnic populations with particular attention to trends in relations between the dominant society and the African American, Native American, Asian American, and Latino subcultures. Political and social consequences of racial and ethnic stratification are explored. Race and Ethnic Relations: U.S. American Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 131AC after taking 131 or 131A. Deficiency in 131 or 131A may be removed by 131AC.
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2021
This course surveys and dissects the four "peculiar institutions" that have worked in succession to define and confine African Americans in US society and history from the colonial era to the present: chattel slavery, the Jim Crow regime of caste terrorism in the agrarian South, the urban ghetto in the Northern industrial metropolis, and the organizational nexus formed by the joining of the hyperghetto and the prison after the wave of race riots of the 1960s. We dissect each institution in turn, probing its genesis, structure, functions and contradictions, and how it operates to promote a certain definition of "blackness" and attach consequences to that definition. We draw the lessons of this long sociological journey for the current momen Four Centuries of Black-White Relations in the United States: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Historical and comparative theories of gender and gender relations. Exploration of key institutions such as family, state, and workplace through which students can understand the social, economic, and cultural factors that create gender and shape what it means to be a man or a woman. Consideration of feminist movements, in a global context, and of relationships of gender to social class, sexuality, age, race/ethnicity, and nationality. Sociology of Gender: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course considers how sexual identities, communities, desires, and practices are socially, historically, and culturally constructed. We will explore the tension between our sense of self and the larger social structures, cultures, and communities in which we are embedded. We will examine how people make sense of sexual feelings, behaviors, and identities within larger sociocultural contexts, looking at structural dynamics like gender norms, heteronormativity, racial hierarchies, class cultures, scientific knowledge, institutional constraints, and cultural spheres and how these impact individuals’ understanding of their own sexuality, including how collective groups challenge, expand, and transform the boundaries of sexuality. Sexual Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5-5.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
The nature, causes, consequences of world urbanization; metropolitan areas; location and types of cities, social and demographic characteristics of urban populations. Urban Sociology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 136 after taking 125 or 125AC. Deficiency in 125 may be removed by taking 136.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Overview of the field of environmental justice, analyzing the implications of race, class, labor, and equity on environmental degradation and regulation. Environmental justice movements and struggles within poor and people of color communities in the U.S., including: African Americans, Latino Americans, and Native American Indians. Frameworks and methods for analyzing race, class, and labor. Cases of environmental injustice, community and government responses, and future strategies for achieving environmental and labor justice. Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2022
Specialized topics in Social Inequalities that are not regularly offered in the curriculum may occasionally be offered under this number. The focus of the course will vary depending on the instructor in charge. The survey course in Social Inequalities, 130, is recommended before taking this course. Selected Topics in Social Inequality: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2020
This course will explore the social construction and material effects of social problems in the food industry. We will begin with an examination of the social constructionist approach to social phenomena and will specifically explore how sociologists study social problems. We will then apply sociological theories to the study of various aspects of the food industry by examining the treatment and pay of workers, the impacts on health, governmental policies, and environmental issues. Selected Topics in Social Inequality: Social Problems of the Food Industry: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor. The survey course in Social Inequalities, 130, is recommended before taking this course
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
The underlying principle of meritocracy is that everyone should have an equal opportunity to put their life plans in action. When structural barriers get in the way of such human flourishing, we think of them as unjust. Being in good health and of sound mind are two core requirements of a life well-lived. Without them, all other attempts at fair play (such as those in the distribution of income and other valued resources) are likely to fail. It makes good sense, therefore, to pay close attention to the relationship between health and wealth. Such a study has important scholarly and policy implications. We will participate in precisely this kind of inquiry during the semester. We will ask: What are the social determinants of health? Selected Topics in Social Inequality: Health & Wealth: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor. The survey course in Social Inequalities, 130, is recommended before taking this course
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023
This survey course studies the relationship between society and politics through an analysis of the intersection of economic development, social relations, and the political sphere. Examines how class, race, ethnicity, and gender interact with political culture, ideology, and the state. The course also looks at diverse forms of political behavior, a key aspect of politics. Politics and Social Change: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024
Social movements, the formation and play of public opinion, and the behavior of interest groups. Social Movements and Political Action: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2019, Fall 2018
Violent and peaceful procedures in the pursuit of national objectives; analysis of attempts to specify the causes of war. Sociology of War and Conflict: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2012, Fall 1992, Fall 1991
Examination of the role that ethnicity plays in influencing the political behavior of individuals as well as analysis of how the state in multi-ethnic countries interacts with ethnic groups. Ethnic Politics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: No credit for Sociology 144 after taking 144AC. Deficiency in 144AC cannot be removed by taking 144.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
The course examines the historical and contemporary experiences of Latinxs in the United States. It draws primarily from the social sciences to explore U.S. Latinx experiences and identity across national origin groups, immigrant generations, and colonial time periods. Themes include conceptualizations of Spanish/American settler colonialism, the US Border, panethnicity, racialization and categorization of Latinos, immigration and deportation, social movements, and acculturation. Latina/o/x Sociology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3AC, or the consent of the instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required, with common exam group.
Terms offered: Spring 2021, Summer 2020 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session
Study of major changes in modern societies: the sources of these changes; the processes through which they spread; their meaning for individuals and institutions. Social Change: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 145 after taking 145AC, 170, or 170AC.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5-5.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course will seek to explain the formation of modern United States society by inquiring into the processes of social change that have brought us to the present as well as created possibilities for the future. Race, nationalism, and ethnicity--and movements against racism and nationalism and for multiculturalism--are central dimensions of social change in the United States. The course will explore the processes of social change as they affect and are affected by different racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Social Change: American Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3, or 3AC
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 145AC after taking 145, 170, or 170AC. Deficiency in 145, 170, 170AC may be removed by taking 145AC.
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2014, Fall 2011
This course will introduce students to the origins and nature of social change in contemporary Latin America. A socio-historical approach will be used to describe the region's development, which will lay the groundwork for understanding the emergence in recent decades of movements promoting social change there. While focusing particularly on Latin America, the course will also provide the theoretical and analytical tools required to comprehend social change elsewhere in the Third World. Social Change in Latin America: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2017, Spring 2012
The goal of this course is to introduce students to important academic and political debates around immigration, to discuss processes of immigration, integration and exclusion in different national and cultural contexts, and to look at how the question of immigration plays out in different social and political areas. Contemporary Immigration in Global Perspective: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018
The goal of this course is to introduce students to important academic and political debates around immigration, to discuss processes of immigration, integration and exclusion in different national and cultural contexts, and to look at how the question of immigration plays out in different social and political areas. Contemporary Immigration in Global Perspective: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2020
We will explore questions about migration and membership in the contemporary world by drawing on empirical and normative perspectives. By “empirical,” we investigate what social science evidence tells us about the drivers of migration or the benefits of citizenship. By “normative,” we think through questions of what a society ought to do: what is the morally right, just, or fair thing to do about issues of migration and citizenship? Membership and Migration: Empirical and Normative Perspectives: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2020, Fall 2018
In this course, we will examine American policy responses to poverty and inequality and evaluate various theories. We will pay particular attention to the role of pulic opinion, interest groups, race and class relations, social movements, and the state in explaining the American social welfare provision. Social Policy: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3AC, or 5
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2020, Fall 2019
Specialized topics in Politics and Social Change that are not regularly offered in the curriculum may occasionally be offered under this number. The focus of the course will vary depending on the instructor in charge. The survey course in Politics and Social Change, Sociology 140, is recommended before taking this course. Selected Topics in Sociology of Politics and Social Change: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociol 1 or Sociol 3 or Sociol 3AC or Sociol 140 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
This course explores a wide range of critical scholarship on policing. We begin by
developing a sociological conceptualization of “policing” before proceeding to examine the
emergence of police in the modern period. Focusing on the case of the United States, we
trace the historical development of policing from the colonial era through the contemporary period. Sociology of Policing: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociol 1 or Sociol 3 or Sociol 3AC or consent of instructor
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session
This survey course examines many theoretical approaches to social psychology. The approaches may include: symbolic interactionism, neo-behaviorism, psychodynamic analyses, cognitive theories, interpersonal processes and theories of exchange. Social Psychology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2014, Summer 2013 Second 6 Week Session
A consideration of forms, causes, and controls of deviant behavior. Deviance and Social Control: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit under special circumstances: Students will receive no credit for Sociology 152AC after taking Sociology 152.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session
This survey course studies human meaning systems, particularly as manifested in art, literature, music, and other media. It includes study of the production, reception, and aesthetic experience of cultural forms. Sociology of Culture: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course examines various forms of popular culture including media, subcultures, art, and consumer culture. We will begin the course with an examination of the definition of popular culture and how cultural texts, artifacts, and behavior come to be seen as popular. Then we will focus on sociological theories that will guide our understanding of popular culture. Popular Culture: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Fall 2008, Summer 2008 First 6 Week Session
A "social network" can be an association of people or of groups of people. It is usually for some kind of exchange, with the network serving as a forum or medium. It can be personal or impersonal. This course will study the relations linking persons, organizations, interest groups, states, etc., analyze the structure of these relations, and review how such structures constrain behavior, and channel social change. Social Networks: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course studies the interaction between society and technologies in a comparative and multicultural perspective. Some topics covered include the relationship between technology and human society; technology, culture and values; technology in the new global economy; development and inequality; electronic democracy; how technology has transformed work and employment; and the challenges of technological progress and the role that society plays in addressing these challenges. Society and Technology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7-7 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5-5.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
With the advent of virtual communities and online social networks, old questions about the meaning of human social behavior have taken on renewed significance. Using a variety of online social media simultaneously, and drawing upon theoretical literature in a variety of disciplines, this course delves into discourse about community across disciplines. This course will enable students to establish both theoretical and experiential foundations for making decisions and judgments regarding the relations between mediated communication and human community. Virtual Communities/Social Media: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC, or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Sociology 167 after completing Sociology C167/Information C167. A deficient grade in Sociology C167/Information C167 maybe removed by taking Sociology 167.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2016, Spring 2016
Specialized topics in sociology of culture that are not regularly offered in the curriculum may occasionally be offered under this number. The focus of the course will vary depending on the instructor in charge. Possibilities include investigations of new media for cultural expression or social networking, cultures of care giving, and the meaning of consumption patterns. The survey course in sociology of culture, 160, is recommended before taking this course. Selected Topics in Sociology of Culture: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course is designed to interrogate different aspects of cross-cultural communication and cultural differences: family life, social relationships, the workplace, government, education, gender, romance, and religion. Throughout exploring these topics, we will strive to engage in personal self-reflection, hands-on experience, and to understand the connections to larger social structures. The cornerstone of the course is being involved in a cultural subgroup that you are not familiar with in or around the East Bay (e.g. student group, church, volunteer organization, internship, etc.). You will be expected to join this co-culture regularly (weekly or biweekly) throughout the semester and write a final paper on the experience. Cross-Cultural Communications: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2018, Spring 2018
The course will provide a broad overview of food as culture. The course begins with foundational writings on the cultural implications of food as consumption and social distinction, and the culture of a global food world. The course also examines how food is imbued with gender, race, class, ethnic and sexual meanings and the constitution and creation of identity. Cultural Perspectives of Food: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3, 3AC, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2021 3 Week Session, Summer 2020
This course is designed to interrogate different aspects of cross-cultural communication and cultural differences: family life, social relationships, the workplace, government, education, gender, romance, and religion. Throughout exploring these topics, we will strive to engage in personal self-reflection, hands-on experience, and to understand the connections to larger social structures. The cornerstone of the course is being involved in a cultural subgroup that you are not familiar with in or around the East Bay (e.g. student group, church, volunteer organization, internship, etc.). You will be expected to join this co-culture regularly (weekly or biweekly) throughout the term and write a final paper on the experience. Cross-Cultural Communications: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Summer: 3 weeks - 15 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2017
An introduction to institutions, social groups, and values in contemporary Chinese society. Dynamics of social change in a revolutionary and post-revolutionary setting. Trends in the future development of Chinese society. Contemporary Chinese Society: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Sociology 173 after completing Sociology 183. Students may remove a deficient grade in Sociology 183 by taking Sociology 173.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
Specialized topics in area studies in sociology that are not regularly offered in the curriculum may occasionally be offered under this number. The focus of the course will vary depending on the instructor in charge. Selected Topics in Area Studies: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
This survey course explores difference between the US and European countries in the cultural domain. It starts by discussing American Exceptionalism, focusing on 1) individualism versus collectivism, 2) liberal market ideology versus social democracy, and 3) religiously versus secularism. Subsequent topics are: differences in the mind and psyche, focusing on substance use and abuse, the role of self-fulfillment, and of therapy, as well as moral judgment and the visions of the good life, systems of classification and evaluation, family, abortion and sex, and the cultural integration of immigrants. Comparative Perspectives on U.S. and European Societies: Culture: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1,3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 180C after taking 122.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
In this course we will focus first on relevant sociological theories of comparative education, and then apply these theories in their practical context by looking at social issues in education in the United States and selected European countries. Next we will discuss the impact of race, ethnicity, language, social class, and gender. Finally, we will consider sociological perspectives on comtemporary education reform, school change, and alternative education. Comparative Perspectives on U.S. and European Societies: Education: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, or 3AC; or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This survey course explores differences between modern societies through systematic comparisons of inequality in the U.S. and European countries. It analyzes central social changes, social problems and institutions in the societies, addressing gender inequality, immigration, and rising inequality. Comparative Perspectives on U.S. and European Societies: Inequality: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC, or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 180I after taking 122 prior to spring 2009 or 122A.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Spring 2011
This course introduces comparative political economy with focus on the US, European countries, and the international economic arena. We will compare and conrast different theories of comparative political economy. Then we will focus on the varied economic, political, and social impacts of the EU in comparision to the NAFTA. Lastly, we will focus on challenges of and possible solutions to economic developments. Comparative Perspectives on U.S. and European Societies: Political Economy: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
We break down racial domination into its constituents (stigmatization, discrimination, segregation, ghettoization, violence) and we travel around the world across history to see how they have been assembled in distinctive regimes. Cases studied include global slavery, the Jim Crow South, Nazi Germany, apartheid South Africa, as well as medieval Japan, modern Brazil, Eastern Europe and Western colonies. Elementary Forms of Racial Domination: International Perspectives: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5-5.5 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2012, Fall 2008, Spring 2005
How are families and households organized around the world? Which aspects of household and family vary, and which are constant? What are the relationships between household and family on the one hand and the political, economic, or broad social patterns on the other? This course examines all of these questions, taking historical and contemporary examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Family and Household in Comparative Perspective: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1, 3, 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2013, Spring 2012, Spring 2011
Global sociology seeks to transcend national boundaries, studying the world as a unit unto itself, populated by organizations, networks, and movements. Global sociology cannot be constructed by sociologists from a single country, but it must be a collaborative effort from different parts of the planet. We will study globalization through a sociological lens by asking distinguished sociologists from around the world to discuss such contemporary issues as immigration, terrorism, disasters, etc. Global Sociology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC, or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2010
This course explores the ways that contemporary American society is different than other societies and different than American society in earlier periods. American Society: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2015, Fall 2013, Spring 2013
Specialized topics in comparative perspectives in sociology that are not regularly offered in the curriculum may occasionally be offered under this number. The focus of the course will vary depending on the instructor in charge. One of the survey courses in comparative perspectives in sociology, 180C, 180E, 180I, or 180P, is recommended before taking this course. Selected Topics in Comparative Perspectives: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
The course will cover both traditional and new elite theories, examine contemporary empirical evidence on the rise of the new global plutocracy, and think about the long-term implications of this phenomenon for inequality, culture, and society. Comparative Perspectives in Sociology: The Global Elite: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Sociology 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Course may NOT be repeated for credit. Students who took Soc. 189 in Spring 2013 will not receive credit for Soc. 189G.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-4 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2008
This course will focus on the cultural aspects of protest and youth cultures in two cities that were influential in the sixties: Amsterdam and Berkeley. Particular attention will be paid to how American popular culture was perceived in a European context. All readings and discussions in English. Dutch Culture and Society: Amsterdam and Berkeley in the Sixties: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
Advanced study in sociology, with specific topics to be announced at the beginning of each semester. Seminar and Research in Sociology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor and Sociology 5
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of seminar per week 8 weeks - 4 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2012, Fall 2011
Advanced study in sociology, with specific topics that satisfy the American Cultures requirement, e.g., immigration, to be announced at the beginning of each semester. Seminar and Research in Sociology: American Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC, or consent of instructor
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Intensive study of individual topic to provide background for honors thesis which is completed during the second semester of the sequence. Group and individual conferences. Senior Honors Thesis and Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to senior honors candidates with suitable preparation (see description of major)
Credit Restrictions: Credit and grade will be assigned only upon completion of the full sequence.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. This is part one of a year long series course. A provisional grade of IP (in progress) will be applied and later replaced with the final grade after completing part two of the series. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Intensive study of individual topic to provide background for honors thesis which is completed during the second semester of the sequence. Group and individual conferences. Senior Honors Thesis and Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to senior honors candidates with suitable preparation (see description of major)
Credit Restrictions: Credit and grade will be assigned only upon completion of the full sequence.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. This is part two of a year long series course. Upon completion, the final grade will be applied to both parts of the series. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2016
This course aims to introduce the structure, rules, and mechanics of formal academic writing in the discipline of sociology. The focus of the course will be on developing the abilities of reading, analyzing, comprehending, and then practicing the ways in which this type of formal, academic, sociological writing operates. Sociological Writing and Analysis: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC; or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
This seminar is for students who are interested in writing a longer research-based paper. It is designed to improve writing skills, with a focus on empirical sociological research. Students will be required to conduct, write, and present an original research project. The seminar will also have a set of substantive readings, which will help students with specific substantive interests focus their work. The readings will vary by year and instructor, and may cover topics such as immigration, ethnicity, and poverty. Writing Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1, 3, 3AC; or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-10 hours of seminar per week 8 weeks - 1.5-7.5 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Fall 2012, Spring 2012
This course is the UCDC letter-graded core seminar for 4 units that complements the P/NP credited internship course UGIS C196B. Core seminars are designed to enhance the experience of and provide an intellectual framework for the student's internship. UCDC core seminars are taught in sections that cover various tracks such as the Congress, media, bureaucratic organizations and the Executive Branch, international relations, public policy and general un-themed original research. UCDC Core Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: C196B (must be taken concurrently)
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students may enroll in multiple sections of this course within the same semester.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 10 weeks - 4.5 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
This course provides a credited internship for all students enrolled in the UCDC and Cal in the Capital Programs. It must be taken in conjunction with the required academic core course C196A. C196B requires that students work 3-4 days per week as interns in settings selected to provide them with exposure to and experienc in government, public policy, international affairs, media, the arts or other areas or relevance to their major fields of study. UCDC Internship: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: C196A (must be taken concurrently)
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 20 hours of internship per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
Students work in selected internship programs approved in advance by the faculty coordinator and for which written contracts have been established between the sponsoring organization and the student. Students will be expected to produce two progress reports for their faculty coordinator during the course of the internship, as well as a final paper for the course consisting of at least 35 pages. Other restrictions apply; see faculty adviser. Special Field Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 12 units.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar and 25 hours of internship per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of seminar and 60 hours of internship per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of seminar and 50 hours of internship per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014
Supervised experience relevant to specific aspects of sociology in off-campus organizations. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written reports required. Field Study in Sociology: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of fieldwork per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 1-4 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate. Berkeley Connect: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Sociology/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
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