2024-2025 Catalog

SOCI 20001. Sociological Methods. 100 Units.

This course introduces the approach and practice of social research. This course explores questions of causality in social research and the limits of knowledge. It then covers the basic practices that are a component of all methods of social research through an in-depth examination of interviews, ethnography, surveys, archival, online and computational research. Students spend the quarter working on a series of assignments that culminate in a research proposal for the BA thesis.

Terms Offered: Winter. Not Being offered in 2024-25
Note(s): Required of students who are majoring in Sociology

SOCI 20002. Society, Power and Change. 100 Units.

The central objective of this course is to introduce students to some key themes of sociological thought and research relating to social structures, power relations and social transformation. Themes include but are not restricted to the relationship of the individual to society, the social construction of societal institutions and identities, social cleavages such as race, gender and class, and social movements and revolution.

Instructor(s): J. Go     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): Required of students who are majoring in Sociology

SOCI 20004. Statistical Methods of Research. 100 Units.

This course has two purposes. First, using nationally representative US surveys, we'll examine the early emergence of educational inequality and its evolution during adolescence and adulthood. We'll ask about the importance of social origins (parent social status, race/ethnicity, gender, and language) in predicting labor market outcomes. We'll study the role that education and plays in shaping economic opportunity, beginning in early childhood. We'll ask at what points interventions might effectively advance learning and reduce inequality. Second, we'll gain mastery over some important statistical methods required for answering these and related questions. Indeed, this course provides an introduction to quantitative methods and a foundation for other methods courses in the social sciences. We consider standard topics: graphical and tabular displays of univariate and bivariate distributions, an introduction to statistical inference, and commonly arising applications such as the t‐test, the two‐way contingency table, analysis of variance, and regression. However, all statistical ideas and methods are embedded in case studies including a national survey of adult labor force outcomes, a national survey of elementary school children, and a national survey that follows adolescents through secondary school into early adulthood. Thus, the course will consider all statistical choices and inferences in the context of the broader logic of inquiry with the aim of strengthening our understanding of that logic as well as of the statistical methods.

Instructor(s): S. Raudenbush     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for Ugrad Sociology majors and Sociology PhD students. No prior instruction in statistical analysis is required. Others by consent of instructor.
Note(s): Students are expected to attend two lectures and one lab per week. Required of students who are majoring in Sociology.
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30004

SOCI 20005. Sociological Theory. 100 Units.

This course provides a general introduction to theory and theoretical thinking in sociology. The readings include both classical and contemporary theoretical works and arguments. Since the course emphasizes theoretical thinking, it also involves papers applying theoretical ideas from the readings to social situations familiar to any student.

Instructor(s): A. Abbott     Terms Offered: Autumn. Satisfies Theory Requirement for Sociology Majors
Note(s): Required of students who are majoring in Sociology.

SOCI 20009. Statistical Methods of Research-II. 100 Units.

Social scientists regularly ask questions that can be answered with quantitative data from a population-based sample. For example, how much more income do college graduates earn compared to those who do not attend college? Do men and women with similar levels of training and who work in similar jobs earn different incomes? Why do children who grow up in different family or neighborhood environments perform differently in school? To what extent do individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds hold different types of political attitudes and engage in different types of political behavior? This course explores statistical methods that can be used to answer these and many other questions of interest to social scientists. The main objectives are to provide students with a firm understanding of linear regression and generalized linear models and with the technical skills to implement these methods in practice.

Instructor(s): G. Wodtke     Terms Offered: Winter. SOCI 30004 or equivalent to an introductory Stats Class
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 30004 or equivalent to an introductory Stats Class
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30005

SOCI 20103. Social Stratification. 100 Units.

Social stratification is the unequal distribution of the goods that members of a society value - earnings, income, authority, political power, status, prestige etc. This course introduces various sociological perspectives about stratification. We look at major patterns of inequality throughout human history, how they vary across countries, how they are formed and maintained, how they come to be seen as legitimate and desirable, and how they affect the lives of individuals within a society. The readings incorporate classical theoretical statements, contemporary debates, and recent empirical evidence. The information and ideas discussed in this course are critical for students who will go on in sociology and extremely useful for students who want to be informed about current social, economic, and political issues.

Instructor(s): R. Stolzenberg      Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): KNOW 30103, SOCI 30103

SOCI 20112. Applications of Hierarchical Linear Models. 100 Units.

A number of diverse methodological problems such as correlates of change, analysis of multi-level data, and certain aspects of meta-analysis share a common feature-a hierarchical structure. The hierarchical linear model offers a promising approach to analyzing data in these situations. This course will survey the methodological literature in this area, and demonstrate how the hierarchical linear model can be applied to a range of problems.

Instructor(s): S. Raudenbush     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Applied statistics at a level of multiple regression
Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 30112, PPHA 44650, SOCI 30112

SOCI 20116. Global-Local Politics. 100 Units.

Globalizing and local forces are generating a new politics in the United States and around the world. This course explores this new politics by mapping its emerging elements: the rise of social issues, ethno-religious and regional attachments, environmentalism, gender and life-style identity issues, new social movements, transformed political parties and organized groups, and new efforts to mobilize individual citizens.

Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30116, GEOG 30116, LLSO 20116, PBPL 27900, HMRT 30116, HMRT 20116, GEOG 20116

SOCI 20120. Urban Policy Analysis. 100 Units.

Cities are sites of challenge and innovation worldwide. Dramatic new policies can be implemented locally and chart new paths for national policies. Five main approaches are compared: Leadership patterns: are business, political, or other kinds of leaders more important--and where, when, and why do these matter? Second do capitalism, or more recently, global markets, make specific leaders irrelevant? Third: leaders like mayors are weaker since citizens, interest groups, and media have grown so powerful. Fourth innovation drives many policy issues. Fifth consumption, entertainment, and the arts engage citizens in new ways. Can all five hold, in some locations? Why should they differentially operate across big and small, rich and poor neighborhoods, cities, and countries? The course introduces you to core urban issues, whether your goal is to conduct research, interpret reports by others, make policy decisions, or watch the tube and discuss these issues as a more informed citizen. Chicago, US and big and small locations internationally are considered; all methods are welcome.

Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30120, GEOG 20120, GEOG 30120, PBPL 24800

SOCI 20123. Sociology of the Family. 100 Units.

The family is a key social institution in all human societies, although its structure and functions vary over time and place. Families are responsible for producing, raising and socializing children into social roles. Families are often the site of religious practice, responsible for much of what is produced and consumed, provide shelter, transmit resources across generations and within them, inculcate members, especially the young, with values and beliefs, provide companionship and entertainment, and the location for much of the sexual activity that takes place. Changes in the structure of the economy, social policies, and social organization all affect the family, with demographic forces also playing a key role. We will discuss these issues through the lens of the classic and recent literature on the family as seen from a sociological perspective.

Instructor(s): L. Waite     Terms Offered: Winter

SOCI 20125. Rational Foundations of Social Theory. 100 Units.

This course introduces conceptual and analytical tools for the micro foundations of macro and intermediate-level social theories, taking as a basis the assumption of rational action. Those tools are then used to construct theories of power, social exchange, collective behavior, socialization, trust, norm, social decision making and justice, business organization, and family organization.

Instructor(s): K. Yamaguchi     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30125

SOCI 20140. Qualitative Field Methods. 100 Units.

This course introduces techniques of, and approaches to, ethnographic field research. We emphasize quality of attention and awareness of perspective as foundational aspects of the craft. Students conduct research at a site, compose and share field notes, and produce a final paper distilling sociological insight from the fieldwork.

Instructor(s): O. McRoberts     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 20140, CHDV 20140

SOCI 20175. The Sociology of Deviant Behavior. 100 Units.

This course examines how distinctions between "normal" and "deviant" are created, and how these labels shift historically, culturally, and politically. We analyze the construction of social problems and moral panics (e.g., smoking, "satanic" daycares, obesity) to explore how various moral entrepreneurs shape what some sociologists call a "culture of fear." Additionally, we investigate the impact on individuals of being labeled "deviant" either voluntarily or involuntarily, as a way of illustrating how both social control and social change operate in society.

Instructor(s): K. Schilt     Terms Offered: Autumn. Not Being offered in 2024/25
Equivalent Course(s): CHDV 20175

SOCI 20192. The Effects of Schooling. 100 Units.

From at least the Renaissance until some time around the middle of the twentieth century, social class was the pre-eminent, generalized determinant of life chances in European and, eventually, American societies. Social class had great effect on one's social standing; economic well-being; political power; access to knowledge; and even longevity, health, and height. In that time, there was hardly an aspect of life that was not profoundly influenced by social class. In the ensuing period, the effects of social class have receded greatly, and perhaps have even vanished. In their place formal schooling has become the great generalized influence over who gets access to the desiderata of social life, including food, shelter, political power, and medical care. So it is that schooling is sociologically interesting for reasons that go well beyond education. The purpose of this course is to review what is known about the long-term effects of schooling.

Instructor(s): R. Stolzenberg     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30192, EDSO 30192, EDSO 20192

SOCI 20233. 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 30233, MAPS 30233, RDIN 20233

SOCI 20252. Urban Innovation: Cultural Place Making and Scenescapes. 100 Units.

Activists from Balzac, Jane Jacobs, and others today seek to change the world using the arts. Ignored by most social science theories, these new cultural initiatives and policies are increasing globally. Urban planning and architecture policies, walking and parades, posters and demonstrations, new coffee shops and storefront churches reinforce selective development of specific cities and neighborhoods. These transform our everyday social environments into new types of scenes. They factor into crucial decisions, about where to work, to open a business, to found a political activist group, to live, what political causes to support, and more. The course reviews new case studies and comparative analyses from China to Chicago to Poland that detail these processes. Students are encouraged to explore one type of project.

Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): ARCH 20252, ENST 20252, SOCI 30252

SOCI 20253. Introduction to Spatial Data Science. 100 Units.

Spatial data science consists of a collection of concepts and methods drawn from both statistics and computer science that deal with accessing, manipulating, visualizing, exploring and reasoning about geographical data. The course introduces the types of spatial data relevant in social science inquiry and reviews a range of methods to explore these data. Topics covered include formal spatial data structures, geovisualization and visual analytics, rate smoothing, spatial autocorrelation, cluster detection and spatial data mining. An important aspect of the course is to learn and apply open source GeoDa software.

Instructor(s): Y. Lin     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): STAT 22000 (or equivalent), familiarity with GIS is helpful, but not necessary
Equivalent Course(s): CEGU 20253, GISC 20500, MACS 54000, ENST 20253, SOCI 30253, GISC 30500

SOCI 20258. Maverick Markets: Cultural Economy and Cultural Finance. 100 Units.

What are the cultural dimensions of economic and financial institutions and financial action? What social variables influence and shape 'real' markets and market activities? 'If you are so smart, why aren't you rich?' is a question economists have been asked in the past. Why isn't it easy to make money in financial areas even if one knows what economists know about markets, finance and the economy? And why, on the hand, is it so easy to get rich for some participants? Perhaps the answer is the real markets are complex social and cultural institutions which are quite different form organizations, administrations and the production side of the economy. The course provides an overview over social and cultural variables and patterns that play a role in economic behavior and specifically in financial markets. The readings examine the historical and structural embeddedness of economic action and institutions, the different constructions and interpretations of money, prices, and other dimensions of a market economy, and how a financial economy affects organizations, the art and other areas.

Instructor(s): K. Knorr     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 35405, SOCI 30258, ANTH 25440

SOCI 20261. Demographic Technique. 100 Units.

Introduction to methods of demographic analysis. Topics include demographic rates, standardization, decomposition of differences, life tables, survival analysis, cohort analysis, birth interval analysis, models of population growth, stable populations, population projection, and demographic data sources.

Instructor(s): L. Luciana and J. Trinitapoli     Terms Offered: Winter. Course has been cancelled
Prerequisite(s): One Introductory statistics course. No Auditing
Equivalent Course(s): LACS 35139, LACS 25139, SOCI 40212

SOCI 20263. Human Migration. 100 Units.

At any moment, spatial location is a fixed, essential characteristic of people and the places they inhabit. Over time, individuals and groups of people change places. In the long run, the places themselves move in physical, social, economic and political space. These movements can be characterized by their origins and destinations, as intentional or accidental, forced or voluntary, individual or collective, within political borders (e.g. the farm-to-city migration of the 1940's in the U.S), migration across political boundaries (e.g. "displacement" of pariah ethnicities after World War II), and by other criteria. All of these phenomena are aspects of migration This course reviews contemporary demographic research and theory concerning the nature of migration, and its extent, causes and consequences for individuals and collectivities. The demographic perspective absorbs a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, including those of psychology (e.g. individual decision-making), sociology (collective behavior, stratification, race and ethnicity), economics (rational behavior, macroeconomic conditions), and more.

Instructor(s): R. Stolzenberg     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30263

SOCI 20264. Wealth. 100 Units.

Wealth is the value of a person's accumulated possessions and financial assets. Wealth is more difficult for social researchers to measure than earnings and income, and wealthy people are notoriously uncooperative with efforts to study them and their assets. Further, wealth data conveys less information than income data about the lives of the middle- and lower-classes -- who tend to have little or no wealth at all. However, information about wealth gives fundamentally important insight into the values, attitudes, behavior, consumption patterns, social standing, political power, health, happiness and yet more characteristics of individuals and population subgroups. This course considers the causes and consequences of wealth accumulation for individuals, the social groups to which they belong, and the societies in which they dwell.

Instructor(s): R. Stolzenberg     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30264

SOCI 20282. Immigrant America. 100 Units.

Nearly 60 million immigrants have arrived in the U.S. in the past 50 years, mostly from Latin America and Asia, but also from Africa and the Middle-East. Today, a near-record 14% of the country's population is foreign born compared with just 5% in 1965. These profound demographic changes raise critical questions: Why do immigrants come to the U.S.? What impact do they have on U.S. society? Are today's immigrants fundamentally different from previous waves of immigrants? Are these immigrants assimilating to the U.S. or retaining their culture? Why do some immigrant groups appear to fare better than others? This course will expose students to the latest social science research on contemporary immigration to the United States. We will explore its origins, adaptation patterns, and long-term effects on American society.

Instructor(s): R. Flores     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 20282

SOCI 20283. Introduction to GIS and Spatial Analysis. 100 Units.

This course provides an introduction and overview of how spatial thinking is translated into specific methods to handle geographic information and the statistical analysis of such information. This is not a course to learn a specific GIS software program, but the goal is to learn how to think about spatial aspects of research questions, as they pertain to how the data are collected, organized and transformed, and how these spatial aspects affect statistical methods. The focus is on research questions relevant in the social sciences, which inspires the selection of the particular methods that are covered. Examples include spatial data integration (spatial join), transformations between different spatial scales (overlay), the computation of "spatial" variables (distance, buffer, shortest path), geovisualization, visual analytics, and the assessment of spatial autocorrelation (the lack of independence among spatial variables). The methods will be illustrated by means of open source software such as QGIS and R.

Instructor(s): Crystal Bae     Terms Offered: Spring Summer. Offered 2024–25
Equivalent Course(s): GISC 28702, SOCI 30283, GISC 38702, ENST 28702, ARCH 28702, CEGU 28702, PPHA 38712

SOCI 20295. Morrissey's America: Contemporary Social Problems. 100 Units.

What are the most pressing social problems in the U.S.? What do we know about them and what can we do to address them? We will use the life and music of Morrissey, the controversial former frontman of The Smiths, as a lens through which to explore our country's most critical social issues. An outspoken defender of animal rights and disaffected youth's preeminent lyricist, Morrissey has also increasingly flirted with nationalist policies. As such, he embodies the tensions, complexities, and ambiguities around critical topics that characterize our time. Guided by sociological theory, we will examine the latest social science evidence on race, immigration, gender and sexuality, health, poverty, segregation, crime, and education as they are key sites in which social inequality is produced and reproduced today. Finally, we will discuss potential solutions to these problems.

Instructor(s): R. Flores     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 22295

SOCI 20297. Education and Social Inequality. 100 Units.

How and why do educational outcomes and experiences vary across student populations? What role do schools play in a society's system of stratification? How do schools both contribute to social mobility and to the reproduction of the prevailing social order? This course examines these questions through the lens of social and cultural theory, engaging current academic debates on the causes and consequences of social inequality in educational outcomes. We will engage these debates by studying foundational and emerging theories and examining empirical research on how social inequalities are reproduced or ameliorated through schools. Through close readings of historical, anthropological and sociological case studies of schooling in the U.S, students will develop an understanding of the structural forces and cultural processes that produce inequality in neighborhoods and schools, how they contribute to unequal opportunities, experiences, and achievement outcomes for students along lines of race/ethnicity, class, gender, and immigration status, and how students themselves navigate and interpret this unequal terrain. We will cover such topics as neighborhood and school segregation; peer culture; social networks; elite schooling; the interaction between home, society and educational institutions; and dynamics of assimilation for students from immigrant communities.

Instructor(s): Lisa Rosen     Terms Offered: Autumn. Offered autumn 2024
Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 23005, CRES 23005, CHST 23005, CHDV 23005

SOCI 20506. Cities, Space, Power: Introduction to urban social science. 100 Units.

This lecture course provides a broad, multidisciplinary introduction to the study of urbanization in the social sciences. The course surveys a broad range of research traditions from across the social sciences, as well as the work of urban planners, architects, and environmental scientists. Topics include: theoretical conceptualizations of the city and urbanization; methods of urban studies; the politics of urban knowledges; the historical geographies of capitalist urbanization; political strategies to shape and reshape the built and unbuilt environment; cities and planetary ecological transformation; post-1970s patterns and pathways of urban restructuring; and struggles for the right to the city.

Instructor(s): N. Brenner     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): ENST 20506, CHSS 30506, PLSC 20506, HIPS 20506, MAPS 30506, CEGU 20506, ARCH 20506, CCCT 30506, PLSC 30506, KNOW 30506, SOCI 30506, CHST 20506

SOCI 20508. Working with Found Data: Library/Internet Research. 100 Units.

This course is an introduction to the methods involved in "research with found data:" that is, found material like manuscripts, books, journals, newspapers, ephemera, and government and institutional documents. (Such materials can be found both in print and on the Internet.) The course covers the essentials of project design, bibliography, location, access, critical reading, source evaluation, knowledge categorization and assembly, and records maintenance. The course is a methodological practicum organized around student projects. The texts are Thomas Mann's Oxford Guide to Library Research and Andrew Abbott's Digital Paper.

Instructor(s): A. Abbott     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Only offered at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30508

SOCI 20519. Spatial Cluster Analysis. 100 Units.

This course provides an overview of methods to identify interesting patterns in geographic data, so-called spatial clusters. Cluster concepts come in many different forms and can generally be differentiated between the search for interesting locations and the grouping of similar locations. The first category consists of the identification of extreme concentrations of locations (events), such as hot spots of crime events, and the location of geographical concentrations of observations with similar values for one or more variables, such as areas with elevated disease incidence. The second group consists of the combination of spatial observations into larger (aggregate) areas such that internal similarity is maximized (regionalization). The methods covered come from the fields of spatial statistics as well as machine learning (unsupervised learning) and operations research. Topics include point pattern analysis, spatial scan statistics, local spatial autocorrelation, dimension reduction, as well as spatially explicit hierarchical, agglomerative and density-based clustering. Applications range from criminology and public health to politics and marketing. An important aspect of the course is the analysis of actual data sets by means of open source software, such as GeoDa, R or Python.

Instructor(s): L. Anselin and P. Amaral     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): STAT 22000 or equivalent; SOCI 20253/30253 (or equivalent) Introduction to Spatial Data Science required.
Equivalent Course(s): GISC 20519, ENST 20519, DATA 20519, MACS 30519, SOCI 30519, MACS 20519, GISC 30519

SOCI 20530. Schooling and Identity. 100 Units.

This course examines the dynamic relations between schooling and identity. We will explore how schools both enable and constrain the identities available to students and the consequences of this for academic achievement. We will examine these relations from multiple disciplinary perspectives, applying psychological, anthropological, sociological, and critical theories to understanding how students not only construct identities for themselves within schools, but also negotiate the identities imposed on them by others. Topics will include the role of peer culture, adult expectations, school practices and enduring social structures in shaping processes of identity formation in students and how these processes influence school engagement and achievement. We will consider how these processes unfold at all levels of schooling, from preschool through college, and for students who navigate a range of social identities, from marginalized to privileged.

Instructor(s): Lisa Rosen     Terms Offered: Winter. Offered winter 2025
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration will be given to MAPSS students seeking the Education and Society certificate.
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 33002, CHDV 23003, EDSO 23002, RDIN 23002, EDSO 33002, SOCI 30530

SOCI 20547. Involved Interviewing: Strategies for Interviewing Hard to Penetrate Communities and Populations. 100 Units.

Imagine that you must interview someone who hails from a background unlike your own; perhaps you need to interview an incarcerated youth, or gather a life history from an ill person. Maybe your task is to conduct fieldwork inside a community that challenges your comfort level. How do we get others to talk to us? How do we get out of our own way and limited training to become fully and comfortably engaged in people and the communities in which they reside? This in-depth investigation into interviewing begins with an assumption that the researcher as interviewer is an integral part of the research process. We turn a critical eye on the interviewer's role in getting others to talk and learn strategies that encourage fertile interviews regardless of the situational context. Weekly reading assignments facilitate students' exploration of what the interview literature can teach us about involved interviewing. Additionally, we critically assess our role as interviewer and what that requires from us. Students participate in evaluating interview scenarios that are designed to explore our assumptions, sharpen our interviewing skills and troubleshoot sticky situations. We investigate a diversity of settings and populations as training ground for leading effective interviews. The final project includes: 1) a plan that demonstrates knowledge of how to design an effective interviewing strategy for unique field settings; 2) instructor's feedback on students' personal journals on the role of.

Instructor(s): S. Hicks-Bartlett     Terms Offered: Autumn Winter. Autumn-restricted to 4th and 3rd year Sociology Majors ONLY. Winter restricted to graduate students ONLY.
Prerequisite(s): Ugrad Level restricted to 4th and 3rd year Sociology Majors ONLY
Equivalent Course(s): MAPS 40164, SOCI 40164

SOCI 20548. Coding & Analyzing Qualitative Data using MAXQDA. 100 Units.

This focus of this course is on coding and analyzing qualitative data (e.g., interview transcripts, oral histories, focus groups, letters, and diaries, etc). In this hands-on-course students learn how to organize and manage text-based data in preparation for analysis and final report writing of small scale research projects. Students use their own laptop computers to access one of two free, open-source software programs available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. While students with extant interview data can use it for this course, those without existing data will be provided text to code and analyze. This course does not cover commercial CAQDAS, such as AtlasTi, NVivo, The Ethnograph or Hypertext.

Instructor(s): S. Hicks-Bartlett     Terms Offered: Spring Winter. Winter restricted to 4th and 3rd year Sociology Majors only and MAPS students only. Spring restricted to graduate students only.
Prerequisite(s): Ugrad Level restricted to 4th and 3rd year Sociology Majors ONLY
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 40177, MAPS 40177

SOCI 20555. The Sociology of Work. 100 Units.

From the Great Depression to the Great Resignation, paid work has played a central role in American life. The average American spends 1/3 of their life at work - making it an area of the social world heavily examined by politicians, journalists, and social scientists. In this course, we will look at the structural and interpersonal dynamics of work to consider the questions of what makes a "good job" in America and who gets to decide? Our topics will include low-wage work, the stigma of "dirty jobs," gender and racial inequality at work, physical and emotional labor on the job, side hustles and the gig economy, and life after retirement. Students will be required to write a 15 page research paper that draws on interview data they will collect over the quarter. No prior background in doing interviews is required!

Instructor(s): K. Schilt     Terms Offered: Winter. Not Being offered in 2024/25
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 20555, PBPL 20555, CHDV 24711

SOCI 20559. Spatial Regression Analysis. 100 Units.

This course covers statistical and econometric methods specifically geared to the problems of spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity in cross-sectional data. The main objective for the course is to gain insight into the scope of spatial regression methods, to be able to apply them in an empirical setting, and to properly interpret the results of spatial regression analysis. While the focus is on spatial aspects, the types of methods covered have general validity in statistical practice. The course covers the specification of spatial regression models in order to incorporate spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity, as well as different estimation methods and specification tests to detect the presence of spatial autocorrelation and spatial heterogeneity. Special attention is paid to the application to spatial models of generic statistical paradigms, such as Maximum Likelihood and Generalized Methods of Moments. An import aspect of the course is the application of open source software tools such as various R packages, GeoDa and the Python Package PySal to solve empirical problems.

Instructor(s): L. Anselin     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): An intermediate course in multivariate regression or econometrics. Familiarity with matrix algebra
Equivalent Course(s): DATA 20559, SOCI 30559, GISC 20559, GISC 30559

SOCI 20574. How to Think Sociologically. 100 Units.

This course tackles the "big problem" of low sociological literacy. When faced with the problems of the world, people usually resort to economic, biological, or ideological explanations. They cite self-interest, genetically encoded drives, or some pre-given understanding of how the world works. The price of such simple frameworks is an impoverished view of the world, a lack of understanding and empathy, and a predisposition to orthodoxy or ideology. In this sense, low sociological literacy is a big problem in the world today. This course was developed in the belief that the capacity to think sociologically-that is, to understand people as socially embedded, or shaped by the situations in which they find themselves-can enrich our understanding of the world immeasurably. It can give us analytical purchase on a number of social problems, including poverty; social inequality; racial, class, and gender discrimination; urban segregation; populism and political polarization; and organizational wrongdoing (we'll discuss each of these topics in class). A sociological perspective can also transform how we engage with the world, promoting an ethics of understanding and empathy--as opposed to the ethics apparently prevalent today: judging people and insisting they change.

Instructor(s): M. Garrido     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): HIPS 20574, CHSS 30574, SOCI 30574

SOCI 20575. Logic of Social Inquiry. 100 Units.

This course is intended to cultivate deeper thinking about research practice. We will talk about different methods of sociological research, quantitative and qualitative, including surveys, interviews, systematic observation, and archival research. In particular, we will discuss the logic underlying each method, exploring questions such as What kind of data can we get at using this method? How do we know our findings are valid? To what extent are they generalizable? On what basis can we make causal inferences? Is my research ethical? and How does my positionality matter? In addition to research logic, our other focus will be on research design. Here we want to get students to think about the many choices they have to make in pursuing a research project; choices about what aspect of reality to focus on and how to construct a research question in order to get at it, which methods to employ, and which case(s) to investigate. We see this course as a necessary bridge between theory and research, believing that good sociology lies precisely in the ability to bridge this gap. Suffice it to say, it will better prepare students to write an academic paper for their capstone projects. We recommend that sociology majors take the course in their third year.

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Priority registration for Sociology 3rd year majors
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30575

SOCI 20576. Social Theory for the Digital Age. 100 Units.

Society rearranges itself, though we don't always know where it is heading. When the postmodern moment had arrived in the 1980s it perplexed social theorists, hence its characterization as simply a "post"-stage of modernity. Digitization is one answer to the question of direction of change in the last decades. In this class, we take the ongoing transformations that we attribute to digital media as a starting point to ask what challenges they provide to social theory that may force us to reconsider some of our most basic concepts and premises. We will understand the term digital age broadly to refer to the rise of algorithms, sensors, (big) data, machine learning, and computational methods, all developments that swirl in and around the Artificial Intelligence scene and intersect with and replace purely human relations. The class gives particular attention to concepts such as action and interaction, embodiment, social situations, subjectivity and autonomy, as wells as society as communication.

Instructor(s): K. Knorr     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30576, CHSS 30576, HIPS 20576

SOCI 20588. Beyond the Culture Wars: Social Movements and the Politics of Education in the U.S. 100 Units.

Passionate conflicts over school curriculum and educational policy are a recurring phenomenon in the history of US schooling. Why are schools such frequent sites of struggle and what is at stake in these conflicts? In this discussion-based seminar, we will consider schools as battlegrounds in the US "culture wars": contests over competing visions of national identity, morality, social order, the fundamental purposes of public education, and the role of the state vis-à-vis the family. Drawing on case studies from history, anthropology, sociology and critical race and gender studies, we will examine both past and contemporary debates over school curriculum and school policy. Topics may include clashes over: the teaching of evolution, sex and sexuality education, busing/desegregation, prayer in schools, multiculturalism, the content of the literary canon, the teaching of reading, mathematics and history, and the closure of underperforming urban schools. Our inquiry will examine how social and political movements have used schools to advance or resist particular agendas and social projects.

Instructor(s): Lisa Rosen     Terms Offered: Spring. Offered spring 2025
Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 33011, CHDV 33011, PBPL 23011, CHDV 23011, HIST 37718, SOCI 30588, EDSO 23011, HIST 27718

SOCI 20594. Sociology of religion in everyday life. 100 Units.

Religion is a non-material social fact that has been one of humankind's most important collective meaning systems. Although this social fact changes, it survives as a meaning system in different societies with different forms, representations, and functions. The survival of religion, even in the face of change, is due to its collective meaning functions, like forming and maintaining a collective conscience and social solidarity (in the Durkheimian approach). In this course, the primary purpose is to investigate religion as a social current and collective fact in the context of the everyday life of ordinary people (even in student's life experiences) and try to achieve these goals: to investigate the religious meanings in everyday life, to get an analytical view of religious phenomena as social facts, to get a sociological viewpoint about regular religious events, to differentiate analytically between positivistic and post-positivistic approaches, to provide concrete examples of religious contexts like Iran for a better understanding of students.

Instructor(s): Z. Khoshk Jan     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30594

SOCI 20595. Topics in Spatial Regression Analysis. 100 Units.

This course covers methodological issues that affect the specification and estimation of spatial regression models. The course is organized as a seminar, with a combination of brief lectures, discussion of recent article and lab exercises. Topics will vary. Examples are spatial specification search, spatial effects in models for discrete dependent variables, spatial effects in count models, semi-parametric spatial models, spatial panel data models, spatial treatment effect analysis, spatial interaction models, endogenous regimes, regularization in spatial models, spatial feature engineering, and endogenous spatial weights. An important aspect of the course is the application of open source software tools, specifically those contained in the Python package PySAL.

Instructor(s): L. Anselin     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): An intermediate course in multivariate regression or econometrics. Familiarity with metrix algebra; SOCi 20559/30559 or equivalent is desired, but not required
Equivalent Course(s): DATA 20595, SOCI 30595

SOCI 20596. Social Networks: How Networks Shape Integration and Inequality in Diverse Societies. 100 Units.

Social networks are all around us. Our social ties and interpersonal connections both reflect and influence our preferences, attitudes, decisions, and relationships. This makes a relational perspective a core component of many sociological theories and social network analyses a powerful tool for social scientists. This class will provide students with an introduction to social networks analyses and theory. In this class, we will discuss how and why interpersonal networks differ from each other across different social contexts, how such networks have changed over time, and what this means in increasingly diverse societies (when can we expect networks to build bridges between groups and offer opportunities, and when can we instead expect them to exacerbate inequality and reinforce social divides)? Alongside theoretical discussions, this class will also introduce students to quantitative social networks analyses using R. As a part of the methodological component of this course, we will analyze data on several kinds of example networks, with a focus on offline person-to-person connections (such as school friendships and confidant networks). At the completion of the course, students will apply the concepts covered in class to a final project. Prior coding experience is suggested but not required.

Instructor(s): L. Zhao     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Prior coding experience is suggested but not required
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30596

SOCI 20599. The Logic and Methods of Historical Research. 100 Units.

This seminar introduces students to some of the major epistemological and methodological challenges confronting qualitative historical research in the social sciences. It is divided into two parts. The first half tackles key issues regarding the logic and reasoning of historical research, including causality, contingency, temporality, narrativity and the use of comparisons. The second half delves into the practical and minute complexities of historical research methods - particularly archival research and oral histories - and their epistemological roots. This seminar is NOT a substantive introduction to the vast body of work produced under the rubric of comparative historical sociology and historical social sciences, but rather familiarizes students with problems concerning the "logic of historical inquiry" as well as equips students to conduct actual historical research.

Instructor(s): Y. Zhang     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30599

SOCI 20601. Gender, Violence, and the Carceral State. 100 Units.

What is the relationship between gender-based violence and the carceral state? This course will explore the role of gendered violence in the formation, expansion, and legitimation of the carceral state. It will look at how state institutions, like policing, criminal courts, and prisons react to, utilize, and, in some cases, perpetrate gendered violence. This course is organized thematically, using theoretical texts, empirical sociological work, and on-the-ground communiques to illuminate the gendered facets of carceral institutions. Ultimately, we will consider how normative gender regimes may shape the carceral state, and vice versa.

Instructor(s): A. Fox     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 23177

SOCI 20602. Computational Methods in Sociology. 100 Units.

The movement of much of our social lives online has created exciting new opportunities for social science research. This course provides a broad survey of computational methods used to make sense of this data. Students will learn how to collect online data, and analyze this data using contemporary techniques from natural language processing, supervised/unsupervised machine learning, and generative machine learning. Students will also cultivate analytical skills through formal paper presentations, oral exams, and an original research project. The course will be taught in Python. This is an intuitive introduction without prerequisites, although previous experience with probability, statistics, and/or programming will be helpful.

Instructor(s): B. Koch     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 40267

SOCI 20603. The Sociology of Racism. 100 Units.

This course seeks to give students a rigorous introduction to the sociological subfield of the study of race over the last roughly 100 years - with a specific focus on how scholars have theorized racism(s). Moving chronologically, we will begin in the early to mid 20th century with ideas of race relations and race as a social construction, move to ethnic assimilation and racial formation, racial attitudes, and then to racialized social systems and colorblind racism. Alongside this trajectory, we will read critical scholarship that troubles the more mainstream scholarly understandings of racism in each period. We will end by exploring contemporary ways scholars are pushing the subfield forward.

Instructor(s): Cuddy, Maximilian     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 33510, RDIN 23510, SOCI 30603, MAPS 33510

SOCI 20604. Political Religion and Sociology. 100 Units.

In the era of post-secularism (with the reappearance of religion in the public arena), the contemporary world has witnessed the formation and growth of political religion approaches. Political religion has two aspects: a religion that is politicized (with non-political roots) and another with a political identity. Both elements of political religion, both in monotheistic and non-monotheistic religions, have significantly impacted the formation of movements, organizations, and fundamentalist approaches that have faced the modern world with serious challenges (especially in terms of national identity and security). The main problem of the current era of political religion is its characteristics, the roots of its formation and its different representations from a sociological perspective, and how to observe and analyze the representations of political religion even in our daily and ordinary lives.

Instructor(s): Khoshk Jan, Z.     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30604

SOCI 20605. The sociology of revolution in the contemporary world. 100 Units.

The modern world is a complex world of technology, media, the internet, the economy, international relations, etc.. As time goes by, these complexities increase even in human relations. One of the complex and critical issues is the issue of revolution as the most radical form of the relationship between a government and the social-political forces of society. The contemporary world is full of surprises, and one of the most radical surprises is the occurrence of the revolution in an unexpected context. But there is no surprise because, Like the human body, society has warning mechanisms that ignoring by a government can cause it to be overthrown. In this course, we will investigate these alarms and conditions that can lead to revolution or any other challenging social practice by actioners and determine the answers to these critical questions: What are the differences between revolution, movement, coup, and rebellion? How can their occurrence be predicted and analyzed in a society? What is the Colour and Velvet Revolution? What is the approach of social psychology to the revolution?

Instructor(s): Khoshk Jan, Z.     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30605

SOCI 20606. New Topics in Asian American Studies. 100 Units.

This course offers an introduction to new critical works of Asian American studies covering critical themes in an interdisciplinary fields including research from anthropology, cultural studies, gender and women studies, history, political science, psychology and sociology. This course will focus on new works published in recent years that showcase recent theoretical innovations and literary styles that will sharpen our analysis of both Asian and Asian American experiences in the United States and globally. We will cover topics as they relate to migration, war and empire, violence, race/class/gender/sexuality, and immigration integration in educational institutions and the labor market.

Instructor(s): K. Hoang     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 20606

SOCI 20607. Sociology of the Arts. 100 Units.

How does the society shape the arts, and how do the arts in turn shape our society? In this course, we will examine the social role of the arts by looking at a wide range of artistic disciplines, including visual art, performance art, music, dance and literature. We will discuss important themes such as how the artistic field is defined by social structures, how the arts may reinforce or challenge social norms, as well as the social dimensions of artistic creation, production, consumption and appreciation.

Instructor(s): H. Xu     Terms Offered: Spring

SOCI 20608. The Social Life of Exchange. 100 Units.

In this seminar, we will explore the social dimension of economic activities. We will discuss how this social aspect, often overlooked by the mainstream market economy, can represent an important component in economic exchanges. We will also look at some of the alternatives to the mainstream market economy, with a focus on the solidarity economy movement. The course consists of two main sections. First, we will go through the theoretical discussion on the social dimension of economic exchange activities. This will include the economic sociology discussions on the characteristics, mechanism and pitfalls of market economy and governmental interventions, as well as the various attempts at theorizing an alternative to these two mainstream economy models. We will also visit examples of how economic activities can happen outside the market economy, such as informal economy, gift economy and household labor. Second, we will explore the different forms of alternative economy in its diverse iterations. We will look at examples of solidarity economy from different regions across the globe, and examine organizations with different structures and missions, including cooperatives, credit unions, alternative currencies, community gardens, and food co-ops. We will also look at the challenges faced by solidarity economy practitioners on the ground, and will try to understand the prerequisites and strategies that may help initiatives realize their socioeconomic promises.

Instructor(s): H. Xu     Terms Offered: Winter

SOCI 20609. Social Reproduction and Mobility in a Changing World. 100 Units.

In an era of rapid transformation, individuals navigate diverse pathways to enhance their socioeconomic status and opportunities. While some pursue higher education or migrate across borders seeking upward social mobility, entrenched social structures frequently perpetuate familial and socioeconomic statuses through various mechanisms. For example, the increasing international student mobility not only illustrates how individuals with resources seek to enhance their future prospects through education but also extends our understanding of social structures and processes on a global scale. Characteristics such as gender and race often serve as barriers, reinforcing existing inequalities.

Instructor(s): H. Jo     Terms Offered: Winter

SOCI 20610. Social Life and Death in the City. 100 Units.

What sustains collective life in a city? What institutionalized and systemic processes disrupt life in the city? How do individuals, groups, and neighborhoods grapple with death and decay? In this course, students will be offered lenses to answer these questions through engagement with interdisciplinary and multimodal texts drawn from sociology, anthropology, history, and urban studies. The goal of the course is to offer an introduction to how urban life and death are shaped by processes such as inequality, segregation, displacement, placemaking, urban governance, infrastructure and built environment, surveillance and policing, migration, and spatial practices of death and dying. The scope of the course will include Chicago-specific readings and field trips as well as national and global perspectives on urban social life and death. The final assignment will involve a group project to produce a podcast-style recorded audio segment that engages with the social and spatial histories of Oak Woods Cemetery that straddles Chicago's Woodlawn and Greater Grand Crossing neighborhoods.

Instructor(s): Pranathi Diwakar     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 21800

SOCI 20611. Gender, Sexuality, and Medicine. 100 Units.

How do gender and sexuality shape experiences of medicine? How does medicine shape experiences of gender and sexuality? This course critically examines gender, sexuality, and medicine as intertwined entities whose intersections teach us much about identities, institutions, and inequalities both historical and contemporary. Doubling as an introduction to medical sociology, this course considers medicine as an institution that produces knowledge, regulates bodies, shapes identities, and distributes access to health resources in ways that are uneven across, and significant for, categories of gender, sexuality, and other forms of social difference. We analyze these functions of medicine through some of its most prominent intersections with gender and sexuality in the United States, including the medicalization of homosexuality and gender variance, the medical regulation of reproduction from forced sterilizations to the rise of hospital births, the feminist health movement, intersex and gender-affirming medical practices, and the role of gender and sexual difference in medical research. Course materials consist primarily of ethnographic and popular sources. A major focus of the course is connecting personal experiences and popular sources to scholarly perspectives.

Instructor(s): T. Hurley     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): HLTH 22132, GNSE 12132

SOCI 20612. Introduction to Demographic Methods: an application to Latin America. 100 Units.

The objective of the course is to introduce key demographic concepts and measures to analyze population size, composition, and distribution, as well as the three demographic components: fertility, mortality, and migration. The course discusses the main demographic techniques for period and longitudinal data, most frequently used in demographic analyses. The course aims at developing basic skills for population analysis, such as understanding and applying the Lexis diagram; identifying period, cohort, and age measures; calculating and interpreting main demographic indicators, to build and critically analyze life tables, and properly using standardization and decomposition methods to compare populations. The course has a strong focus on the application of demographic techniques to census data from different Latin American countries at different points in time, which enhances comprehension over the course of the demographic transition in place in the region, and the applicability of these measures to understand recent demographic trends. Applications with be conducted using software Excel and R.

Instructor(s): Luciana Soares Luz do Amaral, Jenny Trinitapoli     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): LACS 25138, LACS 35138, SOCI 30612

SOCI 20613. Black Fun. 100 Units.

This course is an exploration of Black fun and leisure across time in Chicago and beyond. In the context of the course, we will largely focus on the Black American experience, but will have space to consider Black fun globally as well as to draw connections and comparisons across all kinds of leisure activities. The study of Black America is largely oriented towards understanding and analyzing Black oppression and resistance. Very little intellectual attention has been given to Black leisure, fun, joy and play. This course does just that. We will ground our work in a wide range of literature with readings in the sociology of leisure, studies in space and place, Afrofuturism, recreation studies and beyond. We will work to understand and develop critical theoretical and conceptual frameworks for thinking through Black fun and leisure. Three big questions will motivate our work together: 1) These days I see a lot of social media commentary that joy is resistance or fun is resistance. We will ask ourselves: Is it? Does it have to be? Is it possible to separate anything that Black Americans do from our history of oppression and resistance? 2) What do we gain from studying fun and leisure that we can't gain elsewhere? Does it matter? 3) How can the study of fun be meaningful in a world full of despair? The course will be largely based around discussion of assigned materials and include guest speakers and field trips. Assignments will include papers and a final project.

Instructor(s): Joyce Bell     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 21400

SOCI 20614. Hooking Up, Shacking Up, Breaking Up: Public Policy and Intimate Relationships. 100 Units.

Every aspect of our lives is shaped by policy choices, including our most intimate relationships. In this course, we will examine the sociological and policy dimensions of different aspects of intimate relationships, including campus hookup cultures, relationship formation, housing policy, marriage, parenting, breakups and divorce. Each week, students will be responsible for reading an assigned book related to these topics, and class meetings will be dedicated to discussing the texts in depth. Students should be aware that texts will engage with themes of assault, abuse, and intimate partner violence. Together, we will examine how macro-level policy decisions shape pivotal intimate moments throughout the lifecourse.

Instructor(s): Gorski, Karlyn     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): CHDV 24530, PBPL 24530, GNSE 20151

SOCI 20617. Introduction to Applied Statistics and Data Science. 100 Units.

This class is a ground-floor introduction to statistics, with a focus on practical application. Students will learn how to describe populations and understand sampling, describe distributions of data, measure associations between variables, test the significance of associations and construct confidence intervals, and employ the main analytic workhorse of social science: regression modeling. This allows scientists to understand the associations between variables, controlling for the influence of confounding factors. This course is appropriate for anyone interested in getting started with quantitative analysis. Students will practice these techniques by analyzing social science data using R software, but it will not require prior coursework in social sciences. This course will not require matrix algebra or calculus.

Instructor(s): Jean, Marshall     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 30617, MAPS 30290

SOCI 29997. Readings in Sociology. 100 Units.

Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. With consent of instructor, students may take this course for P/F grading if it is not being used to meet program requirements.

Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Summer Winter
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor and program chair.

SOCI 29998. Sociology BA Thesis Seminar. 100 Units.

For students who choose to pursue a BA project, this course is required. It is designed to help students develop the project and provide them with opportunities to discuss their research. While it only counts as one course, students will participate in the course throughout their fourth year in the College with meetings held 3-4 times a quarter beginning in the Autumn and lasting through Spring. Students will formally register for the course and receive their grade in the Spring quarter.

Instructor(s): T. Huttenlocher     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter
Prerequisite(s): Open only to students who are majoring in sociology.
Note(s): Must be taken for a quality grade.