courses
Introduction to Sociology
This course is designed to give you a broad introduction to the fundamental principles and concepts in sociology. It will introduce you to the ideas of social institutions and how they constrain or influence individual action. Focusing on social processes and systems we will examine how social hierarchies are made and maintained. The first portion of the course will introduce you to the sociological imagination. It will explore the distinct advantages to a sociological view of the world, the social construction of reality and how to describe and analyze within the discipline of sociology. The second portion of the course will examine overall trajectories of the social world and focus on notions of modernity and globalization. The third section of the course examines key sociological concepts such as identity, inequality, and the social construction of ethnicity, race and gender. The final portion of the course will provide an overview of social coordination and order. We will examine how social order emerges from interpersonal interaction, patterned choices, social ties and networks, institutions and organizations.
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Social Media & Society
This course is an upper-level seminar on the interrelation between social media and society. We will examine the new forms of communication currently described as “web 2.0” and “social media” while looking at their impact on various social forces primary in American culture. This course is designed for upper level undergraduate students but can be of use for graduate and design school students interested in gaining insight into both the technologies and social impacts of emergent media. As a prerequisite, students should be familiar with sociological theory as well as basic principles of qualitative and quantitative social research. Primarily a discussion-based course, students will be actively involved in debating and presenting concepts and theories from the readings.
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