Special Areas of Undergraduate Study
The undergraduate program in sociology is designed to provide all concentrators with a broad sociological background and substantial flexibility in meeting individual intellectual agendas. Students may also elect to focus on a particular area, uniting interdisciplinary perspectives with the theoretical and methodological tools and substantive insights sociology offers. Described below are examples of such special area studies directed at particular issues within the broader discipline of sociology. Each shows courses regularly offered by the Department that can apply to concentration requirements, as well as examples of relevant courses outside sociology (which may have prerequisites and may change annually).
- Diversity and Inequality in the U.S.
- The Individual and the Social Order
- The Social and Economic Development of Nation-States
- Social Policy
Diversity and Inequality in the U.S.
Focuses on the causes and consequences of social and economic inequality along the lines of class, status, race, gender, age, and physical ability. Students gain understanding of the relationships among systems of race/ethnicity, sex/gender, and class differentiation. Courses analyze how these dynamics shape identity and life changes, relationships of exclusion and privilege, and social control and social conflict.
Regular courses in Sociology:
- SOC 1270: Race, Class, and Ethnicity in the Modern World
- SOC 1410: Aging and the Quality of Life
- SOC 1470: Sociology of Children and Adolescents
- SOC 1640: Social Exclusion
- SOC 2270: The Structures of Social Inequality
- SOC 2580: Health and Inequality: Race, Class, and Gender
Related courses outside the Department:*
- ANTH 1400: Race, Culture and Ethnic Politics
- ETHN 0500: Introduction to American/Ethnic Studies
- POLS 1310: African-American Politics
- UC 1400: The Cultural History of Disability Minorities in the U.S.
The Individual and the Social Order
Focuses on the social construction of individuals. Courses examine how the location of individuals within social networks and social structures shapes fundamental attributes of those individuals, including basic dispositions such as personality, values, and empirical beliefs. Students learn to think critically about the social constitution of human life, including their own.
Regular courses in Sociology:
- SOC 0020: Perspectives on Social Interaction
- SOC 0170: The Family
- SOC 0300C: The Nature of Community
- SOC 1410: Aging and the Quality of Life
- SOC 1430: Social Structure and Personal Development
- SOC 1440: Intimate Violence
- SOC 1470: Sociology of Children and Adolescents
Related courses outside the Department:*
- PSYC 0300: Personality
- PSYC 0810: Child Development
The Social and Economic Development of Nation-States
Focuses on major sociological perspectives on economic and political development, with emphasis on developing countries. Courses examines theories on modernization, dependency and world systems; the influence of states, markets, and multinational corporations; and political development and prospects for democratization. Students critically assess competing theories and comparative examples of economic development and social inequality.
Regular courses in Sociology:
- SOC 0150: Economic Development and Social Change
- SOC 0200: Population and Society
- SOC 1170: Corporations and Global Cities
- SOC 1310: Social Change in Latin America
- SOC 1600: Comparative Development
- SOC 1620: Globalization and Social Conflict
- SOC 1871F: Principles and Methods of GIS
Related courses outside the Department:*
- PHP 1070: The Burden of Disease in Developing Countries
- ENGL 0610E: Postcolonial Literature
- POLS 1420: International Political Economy of Development
Focuses on the relationship between society and social policy, examining how policy is shaped by other events in societies and in turn shapes them. Courses examine the political, economic, and social interests and parties affecting policy in problem areas. Students gain expertise on particular substantive areas such as education, health care, family policy, environmental policy, and social welfare.
Regular courses in Sociology:
- SOC 0130: American Heritage: Democracy, Inequality, & Public Policy
- SOC 1400: Political Sociology
- SOC 1410: Aging and the Quality of Life
- SOC 1540: Human Needs and Social Services
- SOC 1550: Sociology of Medicine
- SOC 1870I: Contested Environmental Illness - Research Seminar
Related courses outside the Department:*
- EDUC 1130: Analyzing Education Policy
- EDUC 1040: Sociology of Education
- ENVS 1410: Environmental Law and Policy
- POLS 1090: Children and Public Policy
- PPAI 1700H: Family Law and Policy
* Related courses outside the Department complement the departmental courses by giving students glimpses of different perspectives on topics covered in this specialization. They are not counted as courses for the concentration.