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Courses

Information about many course offerings was not available at the time this publication went to press. Please consult the quarterly Time Schedules for final information.

200. Social Structure and Change. This course is an introduction to the basic theories and concepts in macrosociology. The first half of the course explores the theories of Marx, Weber, and Bourdieu, and their general explanations of social change and social stratification. The second half deals with sociological approaches to ethnicity, race, class, gender, and nationalism. G. Steinmetz. Spring.

201. Interaction, Community, and Culture. Required of sociology concentrators; open to all students. This course draws upon classic sociological theory and contemporary research to examine key social issues and problems. These include how both individuals and the world they live in are constructed through social interaction; the organization of communities, with a particular emphasis on urban social life as studied by the "Chicago school"; and cultural influences on thinking and behavior. Readings include social theorists such as Weber, Durkheim, Marx, Mead, Cooley, and Thomas, as well as recent empirical studies, for example, Hochschild on gender and emotion work, Anderson on the social hierarchy of a working-class African-American bar, Hunter on contemporary cultural conflict, and Bellah on American individualism and the loss of community. W. Griswold. Autumn.

202. Sociological Methods I. This course is an introduction to the basic strategies and methods of sociological and psychological research. The course begins with a discussion of the scientific method as used in the social sciences, then moves on to the development and testing of hypotheses, understanding cause and effect in social processes, measuring important concepts, and collecting and evaluating evidence. L. Waite. Winter.

205/360. Introduction to Population. This course provides an introduction to the field of population studies. It provides a substantive overview of our knowledge of three fundamental population processes: fertility, mortality, and migration. We also cover marriage, cohabitation, marital disruption, aging, and AIDS. In each case we examine historical trends. We also discuss causes and consequences of recent trends in population growth and the current demographic situation in developing and developed countries. L. Waite. Spring.

209/331. Organizational Analysis (=PubPol 230). This course is a systematic introduction to theoretical and empirical work on organizations broadly conceived, such as public and private economic organizations, governmental organizations, prisons, health-care organizations, and professional and voluntary associations. Topics include intraorganizational questions about organizational goals and effectiveness, communication, authority, and decision-making. Using recent developments in market, political economy, and neo-institutional theories, we explore organizational change and interorganizational relationships for their implications in understanding social change in modern societies. E. Laumann. Spring.

210. Race Relations: New Perspectives (=Educ 293). This is a review and critique of research on race relations in the United States. E. Epps. Winter.

213/320. Social Stratification. Major theories and research in social stratification are described and analyzed. Topics include classical and contemporary theories of social class and stratification, criteria for social stratification and bases of evaluation, types of social stratification, process of status attainment, social mobility, consequences of social stratification, and basic methodological problems in stratification research. R. Stolzenberg. Spring.

216/316. Gender and Work. PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing. This course draws on materials from social demography and social stratification to examine differences in the economic and social roles of men and women in contemporary industrial societies, including the United States, Japan, and Western European countries. Although the principal focus is on sex differences in labor market outcomes such as wages, occupation, and labor market sector, the distribution of household labor between men and women and sex differences in education are also covered. Intersections between these outcomes and family processes are emphasized. M. Brinton. Winter.

220/309. Social Change. This course focuses on economic development, political development, social movements, and opinion change. Case materials are drawn from currently developing countries, European historical patterns, and the contemporary United States. W. Parish. Autumn.

221/375. Socialist and Post-Socialist Societies (=PolSci 269/357). This course examines economic, political, and social trends in China over the last four decades. Chinese social changes are examined in comparison to trends in European socialist states, both before and after the fall of the socialist order. W. Parish. Spring.

222. Urban Political Economy and Resource Allocation (=PubPol 403, SSA 482). This course draws from a broad interdisciplinary literature to create analytic frameworks for understanding the functioning of urban institutions and the formation of public policies. Using the city of Chicago as a laboratory for empirical study, the course examines economic, political, and sociological perspectives of cities; analyzes the role of government and of the private sector in the creation and implementation of public policies; and discusses the role of political influence in policy formation and administration. Questions of real and symbolic allocation, race and poverty, and political empowerment are examined to enable the student to design and implement better strategies for social change. P. Cafferty. Autumn.

223. The Sociology of Science. Science is not just smart people observing instruments and telling the world the results. Research actually involves complicated processes of education, funding, evaluation, and communication. The sociology of science analyzes these processes to understand how modern science works. It also raises questions about whether scientific theories themselves are as objective and progressive as we generally like to think, or whether they are greatly influenced by these processes. This courses introduces the major strands in sociology of science and discusses the various questions they raise. M. Reay. Winter.

224. The Sociology and Politics of Community Development (=PubPol 405, SSA 484). This course studies specific Chicago-area communities so that students may examine the creation and implementation of public policies from the perspective of their impact on individual and community. We also explore the role of political and public institutions as well as private agencies and community-based organizations in bringing about social change. We perform research in the field to evaluate opportunities for community-based problem solving and strategies for change. P. Cafferty. Spring.

225. The Diverse Society: Theory and Practice (=PubPol 465, SSA 469). This course addresses issues of race, ethnicity, and gender in the context of diversity of American society through readings in sociology of individual and group identity, as well as history and autobiography. Questions raised by a multicultural society for social policy and practice are explored. P. Cafferty. Spring.

227/361. Urban Structure and Process (=Geog 227/327, SocSci 251). This course reviews competing theories of urban development, especially their ability to explain the changing nature of cities under the impact of advanced industrialism. Analysis includes a consideration of emerging metropolitan regions, the microstructure of local neighborhoods, and the limitations of the past American experience as a way of developing urban policy both in this country and elsewhere. G. Suttles. Autumn.

230/338. Social Stratification and Education Organization (=Educ 218/318, PubPol 393). This course presents a review of formulations of education's place in the system of social stratification and focuses on the organization of school systems, schools, and classrooms. Attention is given to the ways in which conceptions of educational organization and of stratification can be related to each other. C. Bidwell, R. Dreeben. Spring.

234. Black Communities. The goal of this course is to introduce students to both qualitative methods and empirical work on black communities in the United States. Course materials are examined not only for their content, but for their reflections on doing qualitative sociology and the strengths and weaknesses of the method. Although the emphasis is on the ethnographic method in sociology, other kinds of qualitative research--comparative historical studies, film studies, and literary accounts--are also included. This interdisciplinary approach allows students to survey both classic sociological works and less traditional sources that together further our understanding of black communities. Finally, this course highlights the importance of this field of research to the development of the ethnographic tradition generally. M. Patillo. Autumn.

235/335. Political Sociology (=PolSci 349, PubPol 336). PQ: One general social sciences course. This course provides analytical perspectives on citizen preference theory, public choice, group theory, bureaucrats and state-centered theory, coalition theory, elite theories, and political culture. These competing analytical perspectives are assessed in considering middle range theories and empirical studies on central themes of political sociology: the social bases of politics, social stratification and political organization, citizen preferences and political activation, voting behavior, social movements and mobilization, voluntary associations and "special interest groups," political parties, elected officials, government policy outputs, including public goods and free rider problems, separable goods and patronage, policy continua, and alternatives to traditional left-right classifications. Local, national, and cross-national analyses are explored. T. Clark. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

236. Buber: Between Man and Man (=Fndmtl 296). This publication brings together a number of Buber's most important later essays.We focus on two of them: "What Is Man?" ("Was ist der Mensch?" a.k.a., "Das Problem der Menschen," 1938)--Buber's inaugural lectures at the Hebrew University, which masterfully outline the history of philosophical anthropology and some of its contemporary issues--and "Dialogue" (Zwiesprache, 1929), which applies Buber's philosophy of dialogue to some concrete issues. D. Levine. Spring.

240. Crime and the Community. This course offers general sociological perspectives on crime and urban community life and explore illustrative case studies of specific Chicago neighborhoods. The material covered in the course includes (1) classical and contemporary theoretical perspectives on crime and communities as social systems; (2) previous sociological studies conducted on Chicago neighborhoods; and (3) historical accounts and more recent data on selected Chicago communities, focusing particularly on crime, changing sociodemographic patterns, and neighborhood institutions. P. Carr, J. Morenoff. Winter.

247. Metropolitan Development and Planning (=Geog 267/367, PubPol 267). PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing. This course focuses on metropolitan development patterns and on the interplay of geopolitical, economic, and social changes in U.S. cities after 1950. Intergovernmental relations and urban planning concepts and institutions are also explored. Selected policies for economic development, land-use management, housing, education, transportation, energy, or the environment are analyzed by region. D. Holleb. Spring.

251/351. Time and Social Structure. This course considers the temporal character of social structures. It considers literature in the philosophy of time and the philosophy of history, as well as more traditional literature on social structures. Among the topics considered are the relation between events and structures, the problem of narrative, the social origins of temporality, and the structural conditions of stability and change. The course aims at a theoretical fusion of historical and analytic approaches to the social process. Representative authors include Ricoeur, Danto, Braudel, Sahlins, H. C. White, Bourdieu, G. H. Mead, Whitehead, Nadel, and Coleman. A. Abbott. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

252/352. The Sociology of Culture. Culture encompasses ideas, works of art and literature, mass media entertainment, spiritual beliefs, everyday practices, deeply held values, styles and fashions, common sense, and attitudes toward social categories such as race and gender. While a collective representation, culture is by no means a straightforward reflection of some societal essence; interests, social organization, and power all come into play. The sociology of culture examines the relationship between culture and the socially organized human beings who produce, receive, and are influenced by it. The course draws on sociological theories of the culture/society relationship, both classic (Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Simmel) and contemporary (Frankfurt School, Birmingham School, cultural capital, interactionist, and neo-institutionalist), and it examines empirical studies of how culture relates to social problems, to economic life, and to globalization. W. Griswold. Autumn.

254. Current Issues in Race and Ethnic Relations. PQ: Common Core social sciences sequence. This course, which is part of the American society sequence, reviews theoretical perspectives on race and ethnic inequality and examines recent trends in race and ethnic inequality as evident in labor force participation, poverty, and immigration. Approximately one-third of the course is devoted to theoretical issues and the remainder of the course focuses on the scrutiny of empirical evidence and recommended solutions. M. Tienda. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

256/329. Urban Policy Analysis (=PolSci 342, PubPol 248/348). This course addresses the explanations available for varying patterns of policies that cities provide in terms of expenditures and service delivery. Topics include theoretical approaches and policy options, migration as a policy option, group theory, citizen preference theory, incrementalism, economic base influences, and an integrated model. Also examined are the New York fiscal crisis and taxpayer revolts, measuring citizen preferences, service delivery, and productivity. T. Clark. Autumn.

257. Violence. Rather than eliminate collective violence, modernity has allowed it to develop new forms and has provided new bases for justifying it. We explore the varieties of violent conflict that have characterized modern and premodern human societies, with particular attention to feuding, gangsterism, racial and ethnic conflict, and civil war. Much of the discussion aims at identifying the common factors underlying these diverse forms of violent behavior. R. Gould. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

258. Conflict Theory and Aikido. PQ: Common Core social sciences sequence. The art of aikido affords a contemporary exemplar for conflict resolution and prevention which has numerous practical applications. This course introduces the theory and practice of aikido together with literature on the sociology of conflict which proceeds in diverse directions from different assumptions. Physical training on the mat complements readings and discussion. D. Levine. Autumn.

259. Marriage, Cohabitation, and Divorce: State of Union in the United States. Contemporary debate on the nature of the family often assumes a simplistic decay of the "traditional marriage." This course examines the myths and facts surrounding this argument. We begin with a brief historical overview of marriage in the United States to understand what we mean when we say "the traditional family." We then examine statistics on contemporary patterns and discuss the varied theoretical models of marriage and its decline. M. Clarkberg. Autumn.

260. The Culture of the American South. The American South is one section of the United States that has maintained a distinctive cultural identity over a protracted period of time. It is also characterized by a distinctive set of myths. Our intent is to explore the sources of distinctiveness using documents, literary sources, survey research tools, and economic data. R. Taub. Spring.

261. Sociology of Religion in Film. PQ: Sociol 245. This course discusses the sociology of the religious imagery depicted in films in which God either appears personally or lurks just off the screen--films such as Green Pastures, All That Jazz, Flatliners, Mr. Destiny, Babette's Feast, and Always. The course begins with an elaboration of sociological theory and religious imagery and then alternates between viewing and discussing films. In analyzing these films, the class uses the theoretical social tools of Weber, Durkheim, and others, as well as the instructor's notion of religion as poetry. A. Greeley. Spring.

262/362. Survey Analysis I. This course covers elementary tabular methods, log odds and percentages, measures of association and the logic of multivariate analysis. We emphasize practice in analysis and report writing rather than statistical rigor. This is not a course on sample design. J. Davis. Spring.

266/365. Collective Behavior and Social Movements. In this course we examine sociological approaches to understanding collective behavior and social movements in both contemporary and historical contexts. Although the readings include central theoretical statements, the course emphasizes empirical studies, such as the U.S. civil rights movement, radical populism in the postbellum South, the prochoice movement in the United States, and the animal rights movement. R. Gould. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

267/367. Population and Development. PQ: Sociol 205 and second- or third-year standing. This course focuses on population processes in industrializing societies, with special emphasis on the intersection between marriage and fertility behaviors and changes in labor market structures and the economy. Topics include theories of development, causes of the fertility decline, changes in marriage patterns, and women's role in economic development. M. Tienda. Winter.

269/369. Contemporary Japanese Society (=Japan 355, SocSci 273). PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing. Knowledge of Japan helpful. The purpose of this course is to consider the question of whether or not Japan is unique among industrial societies by analyzing the social structure of contemporary Japanese society. We focus on continuity and change from prewar to postwar Japan in the major social and economic institutions and in patterns of human relationships. M. Brinton. Spring.

270. Statistical/Computer Methods for Sociology Research. PQ: Sociol 203 or consent of instructor. This course offers theoretical and practical knowledge about the application of statistical methods to social science data using computer programs for data analyses. Students learn how to use the computer and write papers by analyzing prepared data sets. Statistical methods covered include descriptive methods, multiple linear regression, analysis of variance, log linear models, and logistical regression. K. Yamaguchi. Spring.

271/371. Sociology of Human Sexuality. PQ: One introductory course in the social sciences. After briefly reviewing several biological and psychological approaches to human sexuality as points of comparison, we explore the sociological perspective on sexual conduct and its associated beliefs and consequences for individuals and society. Topics are addressed through a critical examination of the recent national survey of sexual practices and beliefs and related empirical studies. Substantive topics covered include gender relations; lifecourse perspectives on sexual conduct in youth, adolescence, and adulthood; social epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (including AIDS); sexual partner choice and turnover; and the incidence/prevalence of selected sexual practices. E. Laumann. Autumn.

273. Theories of Crime and Social Control. This course provides an examination of key sociological approaches to the study of crime and social control. After reviewing issues in the definition and nature of crime we will study both classic and contemporary theories. At both the micro (e.g., individual and familial) and macro (e.g., neighborhood and societal) levels, we highlight the question: how is order maintained without law? R. Sampson. Winter.

275/337. The Institution of Education (=Educ 217/317, PubPol 397). This course is a general survey of the properties of education considered as an institution of historical and contemporary societies. Particular attention is given to institutional formation and change in education and to education's role in processes of social control and social stratification. C. Bidwell, R. Dreeben. Winter.

278. Sociology of Employment. Employment is one of the central organizing activities of life in modern industrial societies. The dimensions of employment are numerous and include, among other things, earnings, prestige, autonomy, training requirements, power over others, opportunities for job mobility, physical demands, and working conditions. Similarly, employment affects an enormous range of phenomena, including physical and mental health, family formation, and political behavior. Employment is organized by a variety of overlapping institutions and organizations, including occupations, industries, labor markets, career lines, firms, unions, and classes. This course surveys the sociological dimensions of employment, its consequences, and the social structures by which it is organized in industrial societies. R. Stolzenberg. Autumn.

290-291-292-293. Individual Research. PQ: Consent of instructor and program chairman. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. At the discretion of the instructor, this course is available for either Pass or letter grading. Staff. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

295. Readings in Sociology. PQ: Consent of instructor and program chairman. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. At the discretion of the instructor, this course is available for either Pass or letter grading. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

298. Senior Seminar. PQ: Open to sociology concentrators with fourth-year standing. This course must be taken for a letter grade. This course is a forum for students to present their B.A. papers. It is offered as a three-quarter sequence in the autumn, winter, and spring of the senior year. Each quarter counts as one-third course credit; however, students formally register for only one quarter, usually spring. Students graduating at a time other than June should participate in three quarters of the senior seminar in the twelve months prior to graduation. See the more general statement about the B.A. paper in the brochure Undergraduate Program in Sociology, which is available in the Office of the Department of Sociology. G. Suttles. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

The following 300-, 400-, and 500-level courses are open to College students.

332. Urban Landscapes as Social Text (=Geog 424). PQ: Consent of instructor. This seminar explores the meanings to be found in varieties of urban landscapes, both in the context of individual elements and composite structures. These meanings are examined in relation to three fundamental approaches that can be identified in the analytical literature on landscapes: normative, historical, and communicative modes of conceptualization. Students pursue research topics of their own choosing within the general framework. M. Conzen, G. Suttles. Autumn.

340. Problems of Policy Implementation (=PolSci 249, PubPol 223). PQ: Subject to individual prerequisites. PubPol 221-222-223 may be taken in sequence or individually. This course is a systematic examination of the interplay among the executive, the administrator, the legislator, and the public as these relationships affect policy and its undertaking. Emphasis is on the politics of administration as well as those political forces that organize around the implementer of public policies. R. Taub. Spring.

348. Populations, Education, and Social Change in Modern Europe (=Educ 372). PQ: Consent of instructor. This lecture course examines the social history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe, with particular emphasis on the causes and consequences of demographic and educational patterns and changes. The focus is on individual and familial strategies concerning nuptiality, fertility, migration, schooling, and, by extension, social mobility, and on the ways in which these strategies interact with economic and social changes and the related public policies. The course is informed by the relevant social and demographic theories, including those grounded in the experiences of the Third World. J. Craig. Autumn.

350. Organizational Decision Making (=PolSci 275/375, PubPol 335). This course examines the process of decision making in modern complex organizations such as universities, schools, hospitals, business firms, and public bureaucracies. The course also considers the impact of information, power, resources, organizational structure, and the environment, as well as alternative models of choice and other implications. J. Padgett. Autumn.

360. Introduction to Population (=EnvStd 360). L. Waite. Spring.

373. Applications of Hierarchical Linear Models to Psychological and Social Research (=Educ 253/337). PQ: Basic knowledge of matrix algebra and multivariate statistics. A number of diverse methodological problems such as correlates of change, analysis of multilevel data, and certain aspects of metanalysis share a common feature--a hierarchical structure. The hierarchical linear model offers a promising approach to analyzing data in these situations. We survey the methodological literature in this area and demonstrate how the hierarchical linear model can be applied to a range of problems. Each student undertakes a project either applying the hierarchical linear model to some data set of interest or considering in more detail some of the research design and statistical estimation issues raised in this work. A. Bryk. Winter.

400. Quantitative Research Methods I: Applied Regression 1. This course covers regression methods for analysis of nonexperimental research. Topics considered include simple regression, multiple regression, regression diagnostics, analysis of covariance, path analysis, and the interpretation of effects in nonlinear and nonadditive specifications. The course aims to develop intuition about these methods and focuses on their interpretation. R. Stolzenberg. Autumn.

407. Quantitative Research Methods IV: Applied Regression 2. This course continues the presentation of regression and related methods from Sociol 400. Topics include generalized least squares, probit and logit regression methods, simultaneous equations models (reciprocal causation models), and a brief survey of factor analysis methods. This course gives students sufficient background to use standard reference works and educate themselves on these and other topics. The course is a survey rather than an in-depth presentation of regression-related methods. R. Stolzenberg. Spring.

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