Courses

Problems and processes of social change in Latin America and the Caribbean. Various theories of social change are evaluated in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. Topics include ethnic and race relations, migration (internal and external), state structures; state and civil society, interstate relations, problems of social development.

Examination of the process of democratization and the implementation of economic liberalization programs within the contemporary African Diaspora. Issues that will be explored include problems of economic instability, ongoing inequality, excessive presidentialism, and limited popular participation, with a focus on developed and developing nations established by Africans and African descended people.

A comparative socio-historical analysis of economic and political stratification and inequality with special emphasis on the US. Topics include social class and a "classless" society, social mobility and the American dream, social-class profiles, trends in inequality, and the relationship of social class to political power.

Multidisciplinary study of world food patterns and nutritional implications in various cultures.

This course, each time using a particular city itself as a field setting, will enable students, under the supervision of the instructor, to examine the social ecology of neighborhoods, community life, urban development, and change on site. Lectures and tours through various sections of the city will focus on continuity and change, revitalization and change.

The course reexamines the relationship of geography and social life, focusing on the ways place and space matter both in everyday cultural practices and in contemporary political issues, such as environmentalism, homelessness, and migration. Special attention is paid to globalization and new technologies for the way these are changing work, leisure, family, identity, and embodiment.

Exploration of the impact of new media technologies upon communication andsociety, but will include greater emphasis upon Social Media, both the technologicaland cultural components, given how such recent digital and Internet innovations haverevolutionized society and politics.

This course examines the relation of social movements to political parties, labor unions, and governmental and non-governmental institutions. It will compare "old" class-based movements to "new" identity-based movements, particularly those concerned with race, gender, and ethnicity. Students will deal with case studies taken from developed and less developed societies.

Analysis of such contemporary social problems as poverty, homelessness, racism, violence, drugs, family breakdown, alienation, and environmental degradation.

An introduction to social psychology from a sociological perspective. This course examines the many ways in which individuals influence and are influenced by society. Topics include socialization, the self, social interaction, identity, conversation, and the management of emotions.