Sociology

SO211H

Sociological Imaginations

Prof. John Brueggemann

A review of "great works" that have made an impact in the field of sociology. This course will examine a number of classic and contemporary social scientific books. Students will investigate the content and perspective of sociology, the defining question of the discipline, and the "Sociological imagination". This will entail exposure to important sociological ideas and arguments as well as some sense of the intellectual history of the field. This course will emphasize informed and engaged discourse about the big ideas of these great works. Prerequisite: SO101 and permission of instructor.

SO224H

Close Relationships

Prof. Susan Walzer

Students in this course explore intimate relationships through a social scientific lens, examining how interactions that we think of as unique and private are also public processes with implications for the organization of society.  We examine attraction, sexuality, friendship, and love as relational experiences embedded in social structures and norms.  The honors component of this course involves doing an advanced research project.  By the end of the semester, along with simply knowing more about close relationships, students possess a deeper understanding of theoretical and methodological issues associated with studying them.  Students also develop their abilities to ground examination of social phenomena in analysis of previous research and original data.