Contacts | Minor in Inequality, Social Problems, and Change | Program Requirements | Summary of Requirements | Elective Courses | Advising and Grading | Inequality, Social Problems, and Change Courses
Department Website: https://crownschool.uchicago.edu/academic-programs/uchicago-college-minor
Minor in Inequality, Social Problems, and Change
The Inequality, Social Problems, and Change minor offers students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the nature of inequality as it takes shape in pivotal societal institutions and to formulate feasible pathways for reducing inequality and improving quality of life. The minor prepares students to effect change by learning how to move from theory to action on social challenges related to their chosen profession. Course work in the minor is designed to complement the knowledge base students gain in their majors across disciplines. The minor provides students with foundational knowledge about the causes and consequences of social inequality in its various forms, including economic, racial, gender, and class. All courses attend to social change, ranging from offering hands-on experience in addressing inequality on the ground level to interrogating the relative merits of concrete avenues for effecting change. Students will transform conceptual knowledge into action by learning about a range of strategies that can be used to address disparities. The minor facilitates multilevel, multisystem thinking, with the explicit goal of effecting change to reduce social inequality and social problems.
Program Requirements
Students must take a total of five approved courses to complete the minor in Inequality, Social Problems, and Change, including one foundation course and four elective courses.
- One foundation course. Students are required to take one of two foundation courses: Either SSAD 25810 Social Problems, Social Policy, and Social Change or SSAD 25002 Social Welfare Policy and Services. Both of these foundation courses provide students with an understanding of the historical context giving rise to different forms of inequality and strategies for change. Students are strongly encouraged to take one of these courses before taking elective courses in the minor.
- Four elective courses: Students will take four approved elective courses. The list of approved electives changes every year. Examples of approved electives are listed below. The full list of approved courses for the current academic year can be found at crownschool.uchicago.edu/college-minor. Elective courses are organized into specific domains of inequality (e.g., communities and cities; global and migration; law and social justice; poverty, family, and work; and health and mental health). In consultation with the faculty director, students may choose to take several courses in one domain to deepen their knowledge in a particular topic or take courses across several domains to broaden their understanding of inequality and social change across multiple areas.
Summary of Requirements
| SSAD 25810 | Social Problems, Social Policy, and Social Change | 100 |
| or SSAD 25002 | Social Welfare Policy and Services | |
| Four SSAD electives * | 400 | |
| Total Units | 500 | |
| * | One of these electives may be an SSAD graduate course. |
Elective Courses
Communities and Cities Domain
| SSAD 21100 | How Things Get Done in Cities and Why | 100 |
| SSAD 23412 | Cultural Studies in Education | 100 |
| SSAD 28112 | Community Organizing | 100 |
| CHDV 20305 | Inequality in Urban Spaces | 100 |
| LLSO 29705 | Democracy and Equality | 100 |
| PBPL 25704 | Environmental Justice in Chicago | 100 |
| PLSC 20817 | Race, Social Movements and American Politics | 100 |
| PLSC 26000 | Race and Politics | 100 |
| RLST 10102 | Religion, Reason, and the State | 100 |
| SOCI 20233 | Race in Contemporary American Society | 100 |
| SOCI 20269 | Policing the City | 100 |
| SOCI 20503 | Sociology of Race and Racism | 100 |
| SOCI 20521 | Sociology of urban planning: cities, territories, environments | 100 |
Global and Migration Domain
| SSAD 21200 | Policing, Citizenship, and Inequality in Comparative Perspective | 100 |
| SSAD 21300 | Global Mental Health | 100 |
| SSAD 25003 | Immigration, Law and Society | 100 |
| SSAD 25112 | Contemporary Immigration Policy and Practice | 100 |
| SSAD 26922 | Structuring Refuge: U.S. Refugee Policy and Resettlement Practice | 100 |
| CCTS 21009 | Justice, Solidarity, and Global Health | 100 |
| PBPL 27809 | Violence in the Early Years | 100 |
| PBPL 28498 | Women, Development and Politics | 100 |
| PPHA 32760 | Global Development and Social Welfare | 100 |
| PLSC 21820 | Global Justice and the Ethics of Immigration | 100 |
Poverty, Family, and Work Domain
| SSAD 20550 | Food Insecurity and Food Policy in the U.S. | 100 |
| SSAD 25005 | Inequality at Work: The Changing Nature of Jobs and Prospects for Improvement | 100 |
| SSAD 25630 | Poverty, Work, and Family Policy | 100 |
Law and Social Justice Domain
| SSAD 25003 | Immigration, Law and Society | 100 |
| SSAD 25004 | Punishment and Social Theory | 100 |
| SSAD 27452 | Smart Decarceration: A Grand Challenge for Social Work | 100 |
| PBPL 23300 | Justice, Equity, and Opportunity: Shifting Approaches to Criminal Justice Reform | 100 |
| PBPL 25860 | Crime, Justice, and Inequality in the American City | 100 |
| PBPL 28501 | Process and Policy in State and City Government | 100 |
Health and Mental Health Domain
| SSAD 21300 | Global Mental Health | 100 |
| SSAD 22812 | Examining Historical Trauma: Intergen Resp. to Holocaust | 100 |
| SSAD 25732 | Prejudice and Discrimination: Individual Cost and Response | 100 |
| ANTH 22845 | Xenophobia and the Politics of Belonging | 100 |
| CCTS 21009 | Justice, Solidarity, and Global Health | 100 |
| CHDV 23405 | Cultural Diversity, Structural Barriers, and Multilingualism in Clinical and Healing Encounters | 100 |
| GNSE 23132 | Activist Survival Kits: Feminism, Race, and the Politics of Movement Health | 100 |
| RLST 10102 | Religion, Reason, and the State | 100 |
Advising and Grading
Courses in the minor may not be double counted with the student’s major(s), other minors, or general education requirements. Courses in the minor must be taken for quality grades, and more than half of the requirements for the minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.
Students who elect the minor must meet with the faculty director for the minor before the end of Spring Quarter of their third year to declare their intention to complete the minor. The director’s approval for the minor program should be submitted to a student’s College adviser by the deadline using the Consent to Complete a Minor Program form available from the College adviser.
Inequality, Social Problems, and Change Courses
Communities and Cities Courses
SSAD 21100. How Things Get Done in Cities and Why. 100 Units.
Innovation. Prosperity. Democracy. Diversity. Cities long have been lauded as unique incubators of these social features. In contrast to the national level, the smaller scale and dense diversity of cities is thought to encourage the development of civic solutions that work for the many. But cities are inhabited by distinct groups of people with divergent interests and varied beliefs about how to address countless urban issues, such as creating jobs, delivering education, ensuring safe neighborhoods, promoting environmental sustainability, and taking care of the vulnerable. Many groups and organizations have an interest in the outcomes of these processes. Some take action to try to shape them to their own advantage, while others have few chances to make themselves heard. This course examines the social and political dynamics that undergird possible avenues for creating social change in cities, including interest representation, decision-making, and inclusion/exclusion. We will draw insights from multiple disciplines and explore a variety of substantive areas, such as housing, public safety, economic development, education, and the provision of social welfare. This course is part of the College Course Cluster program: Urban Design.
Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): ENST 25006, LLSO 21100, PBPL 25006, SOCI 20294
SSAD 23412. Cultural Studies in Education. 100 Units.
The course begins with an introduction to the history, development, and basic tenets of cultural studies. Throughout our work together, we will examine how social class, race/ethnicity, and gender are represented in literacy, language, and cultural theories and research that examine reproduction and resistance. Using cultural studies as the point of departure, this course explores the intersection of culture, power, and language (both oral and written) within schools and school systems. In accordance with the tenets of cultural studies, the course is guided by the presumption that culture (as it is realized through the functioning of schools and their agents and the experiences, knowledge, expressions, dispositions, and meaning-making of people of color, women, and low-income or working-class individuals) is critical for understanding and intervening in the reproduction of social and economic inequality. In order to understand the reproduction of inequality we will examine theories and empirical investigations that explore how structures of domination and subordination are reproduced and social difference and inequality are reinscribed through the cultural practices that are reflected in schools. We will also analyze the extent to which the cultural practices and experiences of marginalized individuals simultaneously contribute to the process of reproduction and also affirm the emancipatory possibilities of resistance.
Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 63412, EDSO 23412, EDSO 63412
SSAD 28112. Community Organizing. 100 Units.
This is a class about community organizing and how organizing brings about collective action. Through analysis of both historical and contemporary community organizing efforts, students will learn how organizing mobilizes people to gain power and influence over public policy and decision-making that directly impact them. Students will be introduced to different conceptual models of organizing, as well as how these models employ different theories of social change. The course emphasizes the "nuts-and-bolts" of organizing, ranging from strategic vision formulation to campaign development to one-on-one engagement. Students will have the opportunity to learn, discuss, and employ these different organizing skills and techniques through in-class exercises and group projects.
Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 34950, SSAD 48112, CHST 28112
CHDV 20305. Inequality in Urban Spaces. 100 Units.
The problems confronting urban schools are bound to the social, economic, and political conditions of the urban environments in which schools reside. Thus, this course will explore social, economic, and political issues, with an emphasis on issues of race and class as they have affected the distribution of equal educational opportunities in urban schools. We will focus on the ways in which family, school, and neighborhood characteristics intersect to shape the divergent outcomes of low- and middle-income children residing with any given neighborhood. Students will tackle an important issue affecting the residents and schools in one Chicago neighborhood. This course is part of the College Course Cluster: Urban Design.
Instructor(s): M. Keels Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): CHDV Distribution: B; 2*
Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 40315, PBPL 20305, RDIN 20305, CHDV 30315
PBPL 25704. Environmental Justice in Chicago. 100 Units.
This course will examine the development of environmental justice theory and practice through social scientific and ethical literature about the subject as well as primary source accounts of environmental injustices. We will focus on environmental justice issues in Chicago including, but not limited to waste disposal, toxic air and water, the Chicago heat wave, and climate change. Particular attention will be paid to environmental racism and the often understudied role of religion in environmental justice theory and practice. Throughout the course we will explore how normative commitments are expressed in different types of literature as well as the basis for normative judgments and the types of authorities authors utilize and claim as they consider environmental justice.
Instructor(s): Sarah Fredericks Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Graduate students can enroll with permission of instructor and will have additional requirements.
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 25704, KNOW 25704, RLST 25704, ENST 25704, HMRT 25704, CHST 25704, CEGU 25704, AMER 25704
PLSC 20817. Race, Social Movements and American Politics. 100 Units.
Throughout history it has often been the collective action of the most oppressed groups that has changed political systems and hierarchies in unprecedented ways, providing a vehicle for the participation of the those formally disempowered. It is just such collective political action that we will examine in this course. Throughout the quarter we will concentrate on one particular form of collective resistance-social movements. Given the rise of race-based social movements such as the Immigrant's Rights Movement and the Movement for Black Lives, exploring this form of mobilization, voice and political participation seems especially pertinent to the study of American politics today. Under consideration throughout the quarter will be such questions as: What counts as a social movement? What motivates people to engage in such activity? What are the challenges that movements and their leaders face? What impact do social movements have on the distribution of the lives of marginal communities and the general functioning of the state?
Instructor(s): Cathy Cohen and Ramon Garibaldo Valdez Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 20817, RDIN 40817, PLSC 40817
PLSC 26000. Race and Politics. 100 Units.
Fundamentally, this course is meant to explore how race, both historically and currently, influences politics in the United States. For example, is there something unique about the politics of African Americans? Does the idea and lived experience of whiteness shape one's political behavior? Throughout the quarter, students interrogate the way scholars, primarily in the field of American politics, have ignored, conceptualized, measured, modeled, and sometimes fully engaged the concept of race. We examine the multiple manifestations of race in the political domain, both as it functions alone and as it intersects with other identities such as gender, class, and sexuality.
Instructor(s): C. Cohen Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 26000
RLST 10102. Religion, Reason, and the State. 100 Units.
The second quarter of this sequence explores the work of key theorists on the role of religion in modern society, politics, and the state. Central questions include: How has state power transformed religious institutions, knowledge, and practice? How can we account for the persistence of religious commitments in the face of secularization? What role has religion played in revolutionary movements and in resistance against state power?
Instructor(s): Alireza Doostdar Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): No prerequisites.
Note(s): This is the second of a two-quarter sequence. Students may enroll in either one of the courses in this sequence independently of the other course. This course counts as a Gateway course for RLST majors/minors.
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 23915
SOCI 20269. Policing the City. 100 Units.
This course explores the historical origins, evolution, and current manifestations of policing the United States. Using a political sociological perspective, this course explores policing in ways that will provide broader lessons about societal issues of social control, social order, race, class, crime, social psychology, and politics. The course examines key issues in policing, such as police brutality, racial profiling, and the management of social protest. It also reviews the historical origins of the policy in order to understand that modern day policing issues is much more of a continuation of the past than most think. Reading and course material will be discussed in relation to current events.
Instructor(s): R. Vargas Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30269
SOCI 20503. Sociology of Race and Racism. 100 Units.
This course is designed to help students begin to develop their own informed perspectives on American racial "problems" by introducing them to the ways that sociologists deal with race and racism in the US. We will begin by talking generally about the basic structure of racial formations in the contemporary US, the mechanisms by which they are reproduced, and possibilities for resistance and change. In the second part of the course, we will turn to the issue of popular representations of people of color in the US. We will look specifically at how African American, Asian American Latino and Native American women and men are portrayed in popular culture.
Instructor(s): J. Bell Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 12503
SOCI 20521. Sociology of urban planning: cities, territories, environments. 100 Units.
This course provides a high-intensity introduction to the sociology of urban planning practice under modern capitalism. Building upon urban sociology, planning theory and history as well as urban social science and environmental studies, we explore the emergence, development and continual transformation of urban planning in relation to changing configurations of capitalist urbanization, modern state power, sociopolitical insurgency and environmental crisis. Following an initial exploration of divergent conceptualizations of "planning" and "urbanization," we investigate the changing sites and targets of planning; struggles regarding the instruments, goals and constituencies of planning; the contradictory connections between planning and diverse configurations of power in modern society (including class, race, gender and sexuality); and the possibility that new forms of planning might help produce more socially just and environmentally sane forms of urbanization in the future.
Instructor(s): N. Brenner Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): ARCH 20521, ENST 20521, KNOW 30521, PLSC 20521, CEGU 20521, PPHA 30521, CHST 20521, PBPL 20521, PLSC 30521, GEOG 20521, SOCI 30521
SOCI 30233. Race in Contemporary American Society. 100 Units.
This survey course in the sociology of race offers a socio-historical investigation of race in American society. We will examine issues of race, ethnic and immigrant settlement in the United States. Also, we shall explore the classic and contemporary literature on race and inter-group dynamics. Our investigative tools will include an analysis of primary and secondary sources, multimedia materials, photographic images, and journaling. While our survey will be broad, we will treat Chicago and its environs as a case study to comprehend the racial, ethnic, and political challenges in the growth and development of a city.
Instructor(s): S. Hicks-Bartlett Terms Offered: Autumn
Spring. Autumn quarter offered at the Undergraduate level only and Spring offered at the Graduate level only
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20233, RDIN 20233, MAPS 30233
Global and Migration Courses
SSAD 21200. Policing, Citizenship, and Inequality in Comparative Perspective. 100 Units.
Police provide an essential service for citizens - security and protection - without which the exercise of all other rights becomes heavily constrained. Police institutions are also the primary entity of the state with which most citizens come into direct contact. In practice, however, governments throughout the Americas (and beyond) have long struggled to organize police institutions such that they address societal demands for security, and that the deployment of coercion against citizens is applied equitably and constrained by law and external accountability. From São Paulo and Johannesburg to Chicago, police forces engage in widespread extrajudicial killings and torture that largely target marginalized sectors of society, including Afro-descendants, the poor, and those living in the urban periphery. At the same time, these groups are also underserved by their police, leaving them vulnerable to high rates of criminal violence. Through comparative analysis of police institutions in Latin America, the United States, and other regions, this course probes the ways in which police institutions shape the lived experiences of individuals and how police may help reproduce existing social inequalities.
Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 21201
SSAD 21300. Global Mental Health. 100 Units.
Global mental health has emerged as a priority for multilateral institutions like the World Health Organization and World Bank, for international non-governmental organizations, and for academic researchers alike. This course examines the foundations, practices, and critiques of this field. We will explore how sociocultural processes shape the experience of distress and mental illness; various cultures of healing, including Western psychiatry, and their power dynamics; gaps and inequalities in service provision; as well as approaches to and challenges of cross-cultural diagnosis/treatment/epidemiology. Building on these explorations, we will then turn to the tools, programs, and practices that constitute the somewhat amorphous movement called "Global Mental Health." Ongoing debates of this movement will also be examined. This course will take an interdisciplinary approach, with readings drawn from psychiatry, public policy, anthropology, history, sociology, and so on. Through discussions and assignments, students will develop skills to design, evaluate, and critically reflect upon global mental health interventions.
Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 41412, HLTH 21300
SSAD 25003. Immigration, Law and Society. 100 Units.
Law is everywhere within the social world. It shapes our everyday lives in countless ways by permitting, prohibiting, protecting and prosecuting native-born citizens and immigrants alike. This course reviews the major theoretical perspectives and sociological research on the relationship between law and society, with an empirical focus on immigrants in the United States, primarily from Mexico and Central America. To begin, we explore the permeation of law in everyday life, legal consciousness, and gap between "law on the books" and "law on the ground." The topic of immigration is introduced with readings on the socio-legal construction of immigration status, theories of international migration, and U.S. immigration law at the national and subnational levels. We continue to study the social impact of law on immigrants through the topics of liminal legality; children, families, and romantic partnerships; policing, profiling, and raids; detention and deportation; and immigrants' rights. This course adopts a "law in action" approach centered on the social, political, and cultural contexts of law as it relates to immigration and social change. It is designed to expose you to how social scientists study and think about law, and to give you the analytical skills to examine law, immigration, and social change relationally.
Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 25003, HMRT 25003, LACS 25003, PBPL 25003, SOCI 28079
SSAD 25112. Contemporary Immigration Policy and Practice. 100 Units.
Today's immigration debates have brought to the fore conflicting visions regarding U.S. immigration policies, including the impacts and inequities faced by an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants and their families. The debates as well impact who will be welcomed to migrate in the future and under what conditions. This course will start with a historical perspective and then take a deeper look at the ways in which our laws and accompanying systems shape the everyday lives of undocumented individuals and mixed-status families. We will look into the realities and consequences affecting multiple immigrant communities and cultures in the U.S. We will delve into the U.S. immigration policy debates and alternative visions. We'll consider how states and the federal government interface, collaborate and clash. As immigration, immigrants and refugees are today a central focus of U.S. politics and affected by these realities, we will explore related current and future political dynamics, advocacy, research and social movements upon the directions of immigration policies. Finally, we will explore the challenges faced in working within the intersection of immigration policy and people's lives, and how this work shapes our various roles as practitioners, policy makers, advocates and allies, including how social change is achieved at the local, statewide and national levels.
Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 45112, HMRT 45112
SSAD 26922. Structuring Refuge: U.S. Refugee Policy and Resettlement Practice. 100 Units.
The UN estimates that there are 100 million forcibly displaced people around the world (UNHCR, 2022), with over 27 million refugees among them, but in 2022 only 57,500 refugees were resettled to third countries. Historically the U.S. has been the largest resettlement country, and in the U.S. refugees are entitled to federal, state, and local supports that other immigrants do without. At the same time, refugees in the U.S. are arguably subject to greater scrutiny and social control than most other un-incarcerated domestic populations. This course asks the central questions: How is refugee status politically constructed and experienced by individuals; what are the interrelationships between institutional actors and refugee policies, with what implications for service delivery; what does research tell us about the resettlement outcomes. and what drives these outcomes; and finally, what are the points of intervention for social workers in the resettlement process? We will address these questions by: 1. detangling the web of international and domestic policies that relate to the refugees' political identity, 2. focusing on U.S. resettlement, 3. analyzing resettlement policies and exploring the implications for social work practice targeted at integration, employment, and mental health, and 4. holding the inherent tension that can result from a dual focus on macro issues of scale and policy and micro issues related to the lived experience of human beings.
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 26922, HMRT 46922, SSAD 46922, CRES 26922, CHST 26922
MAPS 31501. The Craft of History. 100 Units.
This course offers a graduate-level introduction to professional historical methods, with a dual focus on contemporary historiographical trends and hands-on practice with archival material. Students will read one recent book each week and will use classroom discussions to consider how the text fits into larger arguments and trends in the field. Students will also work collaboratively to examine published, digital, and manuscript archives relating to a cluster of topics to be determined in the first two weeks of the quarter. Advanced undergraduates, particularly students with a strong interest in archival research, may enroll with instructor permission.
Instructor(s): John McCallum Terms Offered: Winter
PBPL 27809. Violence in the Early Years. 100 Units.
This course will address issues related to children's exposure to violence. Classes will cover topics including, but not limited to, the history of violence against children (infanticide, etc), children's literature, parental violence towards children, school-related violence, practices such as female genital mutilation, and other policy-relevant issues related to violence in children's lives. We will analyze policies and reforms, review relevant research on each topic, and examine implications of the findings to policy and practice.
Instructor(s): A. Adukia Terms Offered: TBD
PBPL 28498. Women, Development and Politics. 100 Units.
This course will explore the dominant and emerging trends and debates in the field of women and international development. The major theoretical perspectives responding to global gender inequities will be explored alongside a wide range of themes impacting majority-world women, such as free market globalization, health and sexuality, race and representation, participatory development, human rights, the environment and participation in politics. Course lectures will integrate policy and practitioner accounts and perspectives to reflect the strong influence development practice has in shaping and informing the field. Course materials will also include anti-racist, postcolonial and post-development interruptions to dominant development discourse, specifically to challenge the underlying biases and assumptions of interventions that are predicated on transforming "them" into "us". The material will also explore the challenges of women participating in politics and what are the consequences when they do or do not.
Instructor(s): Bautista, M. and Chishti, M. Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): LACS 28498, GNSE 28498
PLSC 21820. Global Justice and the Ethics of Immigration. 100 Units.
This seminar introduces urgent moral and political questions in international affairs, with a particular focus on human rights, global inequality, colonialism and decolonization, structural injustice, and immigration. Addressed ethical questions will include: How should we understand the demands of social and distributive justice beyond state borders? Are economic inequalities between countries unjust? If so, why? What do affluent countries owe to less affluent countries? Who should bear responsibility for structural and historical injustices? Is there a human right to immigrate? Do states have a right to close their borders to immigrants? Do states have a right to constrain their citizens' ability to emigrate? We will address these and other ethical questions by reading and critically assessing important texts written by leading scholars within the fields of political philosophy, postcolonial theory, legal scholarship and applied ethics. The seminar requires no prior background.
Instructor(s): C. Cordelli Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 21820
PPHA 32760. Global Development and Social Welfare. 100 Units.
The persistence of disparities in social development across countries is one of the major problems societies struggle to understand and address. This course will critically examine the major theories of global development along with contemporary debates relating to international social welfare. Students will assess how political, economic, historical, and environmental factors influence different nations' development trajectories, and compare how alternative models of service delivery and social intervention serve or fail to serve their intended populations. The geographic focus of the course will be Latin America and Africa, though case studies may also be drawn from other regions of the world. The course will be useful for both students who have had previous international experience as well as students who are interested in international social work and/or development practice. This course fulfills the Specialized Diversity Requirement. This course is one of Crown Family School's global and international course offerings.
Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 62912
Poverty, Family, and Work Courses
SSAD 20550. Food Insecurity and Food Policy in the U.S. 100 Units.
Despite the economic recovery following the Great Recession, there continue to be approximately 40 million individuals in the U.S. who experience food insecurity. In this course, we will explore the paradox of how so many people struggle to afford an adequate diet within the borders of the world's top food exporter and the extent to which inequality is embedded in the U.S. food system and in American social policy. We will examine the basic structure of our domestic food system, the causes and consequences of food insecurity, the effectiveness of current public and private responses, and how new challenges in the 21st century may influence current and future strategies. Among the diverse topics we will delve into over the quarter are the recent efforts to reduce access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which remains the primary mechanism for addressing food insecurity; the economic challenges experienced by workers throughout the food system, from farm to table; the intersection of the U.S. food system and immigration; the significant disparities in food insecurity and diet-related illness experienced by communities of color; and emerging ideas for how to establish a more equitable food system.
Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 40550
SSAD 25005. Inequality at Work: The Changing Nature of Jobs and Prospects for Improvement. 100 Units.
This course will consider sources of inequality in the labor market and in workplaces. Empirical evidence and theory on labor markets and job conditions will be analyzed to provide insights into the changing nature of work and workplace inequality for the majority of Americans -- who do not hold a four-year college degree. Although the course will consider ways to ready workers for good jobs in the economy, the emphasis will be on improving jobs themselves, through voluntary employer behavior, collective action, and public policy. The assignment for the course involves observing and/or interviewing workers in an occupation chosen by the student.
Instructor(s): Susan Lambert Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): PBPL 25005
SSAD 25630. Poverty, Work, and Family Policy. 100 Units.
This course examines contemporary policy questions regarding the dual spheres of work and family life, with a particular focus on economically impoverished families and communities. Students will analyze the relative merits of different policies designed to improve the conditions of work and family life and mitigate the effects of poverty on children's wellbeing. Throughout the ten-week quarter, we will consider demographic, labor market, and policy trends contributing to family poverty and income inequality in American society; interrogate policy debates concerning the responsibility of government, corporate, and informal sectors to address these critical social problems; and examine specific policy and program responses directed at (1) improving employment and economic outcomes and (2) reconciling the competing demands of employment and parenting. Although our primary focus will be on policies that promote the wellbeing of low-income families in the United States, relevant comparisons will be made cross-nationally, across race/ethnicity, and across income. This course is part of the Inequality, Social Problems, and Change minor.
Equivalent Course(s): PBPL 25630, SSAD 45630, CRES 25630
Law and Social Justice Courses
SSAD 25003. Immigration, Law and Society. 100 Units.
Law is everywhere within the social world. It shapes our everyday lives in countless ways by permitting, prohibiting, protecting and prosecuting native-born citizens and immigrants alike. This course reviews the major theoretical perspectives and sociological research on the relationship between law and society, with an empirical focus on immigrants in the United States, primarily from Mexico and Central America. To begin, we explore the permeation of law in everyday life, legal consciousness, and gap between "law on the books" and "law on the ground." The topic of immigration is introduced with readings on the socio-legal construction of immigration status, theories of international migration, and U.S. immigration law at the national and subnational levels. We continue to study the social impact of law on immigrants through the topics of liminal legality; children, families, and romantic partnerships; policing, profiling, and raids; detention and deportation; and immigrants' rights. This course adopts a "law in action" approach centered on the social, political, and cultural contexts of law as it relates to immigration and social change. It is designed to expose you to how social scientists study and think about law, and to give you the analytical skills to examine law, immigration, and social change relationally.
Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 25003, HMRT 25003, LACS 25003, PBPL 25003, SOCI 28079
SSAD 25004. Punishment and Social Theory. 100 Units.
How is the power to punish derived? How has the role of punishment been conceived? What do the practices of punishment produce? What do they tell us about ourselves? Are there alternatives? Taking up these questions, the course outlines major theories of punishment advanced by political philosophers, penologists and scholars who study the role of punishment in society, tracing the trajectory of our modern impulse to punish "wrong doers." We will interrogate the shifting terrain of crime control policy and attend to the ways that prison reformers, scholars, and activists have sought to bring about change. We examine the political economy, culture, and consequences of punishment through readings on the carceral state and conclude by raising new questions about punishment and its alternatives in the age of mass incarceration.
Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 25004, PBPL 25004
SSAD 27452. Smart Decarceration: A Grand Challenge for Social Work. 100 Units.
The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, and inequities in the use of incarceration yield a high burden on people of color, people in poverty, and people with behavioral health conditions. Evidence indicates that mass incarceration has reached a tipping point, and that the U.S. is entering an era of decarceration. The grand challenge of this new era will be to move away from incarceration-based thinking and toward an array of proactive policy, practice, and research innovations that will not only substantially reduce the incarcerated population, but also ameliorate social disparities and maximize public safety and well-being. This course, which is connected to the "Promote Smart Decarceration" Grand Challenge for Social Work, will provide opportunities for students to: 1) Explore the political, social, and empirical context for decarceration; 2) Examine emerging decarceration policies and practices; 3) Develop interventions at multiple levels to achieve smart decarceration outcomes.
Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 47452
PBPL 23300. Justice, Equity, and Opportunity: Shifting Approaches to Criminal Justice Reform. 100 Units.
The events revolving the death of George Floyd have proliferated the discourse about the criminal justice system in the United States, including the role of police and incarceration. Historically, this public discourse has been dominated mostly by media and political advocacy, with the balance of evidence-based policy solutions and political acumen receiving relatively short shrift. In this practicum, students will be trained to approach these issues from the perspective of a senior criminal justice policymaker in government who has practiced multiple theories of change, from community organizing to litigation. In turn, we will develop criminal justice policy intelligence and knowledge on the history, core themes, debates, and concepts, such as the movement to defund the police, abolish the cash bail system, and decriminalize drugs. The discussions will allow students to interrogate the extent to which efforts have been successful, imagine new strategies in the future, and learn from additional visiting guests, including politicians, community organizers, academics, artists, and formerly incarcerated individuals. We will exit with a sophisticated understanding of the skills and tools necessary to handle criminal justice policy problems raising complex legal, political and social questions.
Instructor(s): Rallins, Quinn Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): In addition to a seminar component examining criminal justice policy, students engage in a hands-on policy project involving identifying and defining key criminal issues, conducting primary and secondary research, analyzing research findings and making policy recommendations to a client in the criminal justice policy arena.
PBPL 25860. Crime, Justice, and Inequality in the American City. 100 Units.
This course explores perspectives on street gangs and criminal activity; policing and the criminal justice system; and obstacles to securing housing, employment, and services for reentry after incarceration. Students will examine advances in the social science of adolescence and innovations in government policy and community-based programs aimed at encouraging public safety and youth development, improving policing and prisons, and promoting criminal desistance and decarceration. In addition, we will delve into the lived experience of adolescence and beyond in the context of racially-segregated, high-poverty neighborhoods, with a focus on Chicago. Our approaches will include discussion and lecture; ethnographic, autobiographical, and policy-oriented readings; panels and guest speakers; and documentary films and other media.
Instructor(s): Broughton, C. Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20255
PBPL 28501. Process and Policy in State and City Government. 100 Units.
This course consists of three interrelated sub-sections: (1) process and policy in city and state government; (2) the role played by influential, key officials in determining policy outcomes; and (3) policymaking during and after a political crisis. Issues covered include isolating the core principles driving policy at city and state levels; understanding how high level elected officials can shape the course of policy; and determining how a political crisis affects policy processes and outcomes. Most of the specific cases are drawn from Chicago and the State of Illinois.
Instructor(s): C. Harris III Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): CHST 28501
Health and Mental Health Courses
SSAD 25003. Immigration, Law and Society. 100 Units.
Law is everywhere within the social world. It shapes our everyday lives in countless ways by permitting, prohibiting, protecting and prosecuting native-born citizens and immigrants alike. This course reviews the major theoretical perspectives and sociological research on the relationship between law and society, with an empirical focus on immigrants in the United States, primarily from Mexico and Central America. To begin, we explore the permeation of law in everyday life, legal consciousness, and gap between "law on the books" and "law on the ground." The topic of immigration is introduced with readings on the socio-legal construction of immigration status, theories of international migration, and U.S. immigration law at the national and subnational levels. We continue to study the social impact of law on immigrants through the topics of liminal legality; children, families, and romantic partnerships; policing, profiling, and raids; detention and deportation; and immigrants' rights. This course adopts a "law in action" approach centered on the social, political, and cultural contexts of law as it relates to immigration and social change. It is designed to expose you to how social scientists study and think about law, and to give you the analytical skills to examine law, immigration, and social change relationally.
Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 25003, HMRT 25003, LACS 25003, PBPL 25003, SOCI 28079
SSAD 25004. Punishment and Social Theory. 100 Units.
How is the power to punish derived? How has the role of punishment been conceived? What do the practices of punishment produce? What do they tell us about ourselves? Are there alternatives? Taking up these questions, the course outlines major theories of punishment advanced by political philosophers, penologists and scholars who study the role of punishment in society, tracing the trajectory of our modern impulse to punish "wrong doers." We will interrogate the shifting terrain of crime control policy and attend to the ways that prison reformers, scholars, and activists have sought to bring about change. We examine the political economy, culture, and consequences of punishment through readings on the carceral state and conclude by raising new questions about punishment and its alternatives in the age of mass incarceration.
Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): HMRT 25004, PBPL 25004
SSAD 27452. Smart Decarceration: A Grand Challenge for Social Work. 100 Units.
The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, and inequities in the use of incarceration yield a high burden on people of color, people in poverty, and people with behavioral health conditions. Evidence indicates that mass incarceration has reached a tipping point, and that the U.S. is entering an era of decarceration. The grand challenge of this new era will be to move away from incarceration-based thinking and toward an array of proactive policy, practice, and research innovations that will not only substantially reduce the incarcerated population, but also ameliorate social disparities and maximize public safety and well-being. This course, which is connected to the "Promote Smart Decarceration" Grand Challenge for Social Work, will provide opportunities for students to: 1) Explore the political, social, and empirical context for decarceration; 2) Examine emerging decarceration policies and practices; 3) Develop interventions at multiple levels to achieve smart decarceration outcomes.
Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 47452
PBPL 23300. Justice, Equity, and Opportunity: Shifting Approaches to Criminal Justice Reform. 100 Units.
The events revolving the death of George Floyd have proliferated the discourse about the criminal justice system in the United States, including the role of police and incarceration. Historically, this public discourse has been dominated mostly by media and political advocacy, with the balance of evidence-based policy solutions and political acumen receiving relatively short shrift. In this practicum, students will be trained to approach these issues from the perspective of a senior criminal justice policymaker in government who has practiced multiple theories of change, from community organizing to litigation. In turn, we will develop criminal justice policy intelligence and knowledge on the history, core themes, debates, and concepts, such as the movement to defund the police, abolish the cash bail system, and decriminalize drugs. The discussions will allow students to interrogate the extent to which efforts have been successful, imagine new strategies in the future, and learn from additional visiting guests, including politicians, community organizers, academics, artists, and formerly incarcerated individuals. We will exit with a sophisticated understanding of the skills and tools necessary to handle criminal justice policy problems raising complex legal, political and social questions.
Instructor(s): Rallins, Quinn Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): In addition to a seminar component examining criminal justice policy, students engage in a hands-on policy project involving identifying and defining key criminal issues, conducting primary and secondary research, analyzing research findings and making policy recommendations to a client in the criminal justice policy arena.
PBPL 25860. Crime, Justice, and Inequality in the American City. 100 Units.
This course explores perspectives on street gangs and criminal activity; policing and the criminal justice system; and obstacles to securing housing, employment, and services for reentry after incarceration. Students will examine advances in the social science of adolescence and innovations in government policy and community-based programs aimed at encouraging public safety and youth development, improving policing and prisons, and promoting criminal desistance and decarceration. In addition, we will delve into the lived experience of adolescence and beyond in the context of racially-segregated, high-poverty neighborhoods, with a focus on Chicago. Our approaches will include discussion and lecture; ethnographic, autobiographical, and policy-oriented readings; panels and guest speakers; and documentary films and other media.
Instructor(s): Broughton, C. Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20255
PBPL 28501. Process and Policy in State and City Government. 100 Units.
This course consists of three interrelated sub-sections: (1) process and policy in city and state government; (2) the role played by influential, key officials in determining policy outcomes; and (3) policymaking during and after a political crisis. Issues covered include isolating the core principles driving policy at city and state levels; understanding how high level elected officials can shape the course of policy; and determining how a political crisis affects policy processes and outcomes. Most of the specific cases are drawn from Chicago and the State of Illinois.
Instructor(s): C. Harris III Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): CHST 28501