Sociology is the study of the social world and socialization processes. Sociologists study the broader picture of how societies are structured and organized through a macro-sociological analysis as well as how individuals create their own social reality symbolically through their interactions with others in a micro-sociological analysis. Students in this course will learn the fundamentals of each approach and come away with a sociological framework which they can critically apply to their own lives.

This course explores how sociological concepts, theories and research account for such social phenomena as socialization, deviance, social structure, stratification, political and religious affiliation and social change. It will also explore how social factors account for political and economic behavior and the speed and spread of technological change.

In the summer of 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the monumental decision granting women in the U.S. rights to abortion in 1973, sent shockwaves throughout the country and the globe. The tremendous impact of this decision on the life of millions raises fundamental questions regarding the very nature of the law and its implications in publicizing the most private choices we make. The fierce debate around reproductive rights is but one illustration of the intimate and yet violent relationship between gender and the law. In this course, we explore this relationship using a wide range of topics. We will utilize tools developed by scholars from various disciplines and activists in different struggles to ponder on questions ranging from “what is law/gender” to “what it means to have the law regulating our gendered bodies/practices”. Using examples both within and beyond the U.S. borders, we will analyze various perspectives on whether/how the law should regulate gender/sexuality grounded in different experiences across legal, social, and cultural contexts. Such comparisons will illuminate the connections among the worlds’ populations and elucidate the cultural and political assumptions underlying legal debates. The students will be tasked to research, analyze, and evaluate the cultural, political, and social implications of legal intervention in gendered social relations. This is a course of particular interest to students who aspire to a career in the legal profession and/or advocacy for gender equity.

Borders are more than walls; they are social constructions with real consequences. This course examines the creation and consequences of borders. It discusses how borders developed historically, how borders function as tools of population management in places and systems far from the borderlands, and the politics and experiences of border crossing. We will look for borders both between and within nation states when addressing these issues. The course will utilize a variety of materials including but not limited to scholarly sources, policy transcripts, popular cultural products (e.g. films and TV shows), and art (e.g. poetry, paintings). Students will play an active role in determining specific course topics, though they can expect to discuss a range of relevant issues including contemporary immigration politics, Indigenous rights, the war on terror, border disputes and armed conflicts, privatization of immigration management, displacement and segregation of domestic populations, and border activism. This course provides students with tools that ground and expand their understanding of borders, preparing them for participation in one of the most important public debates of our time. The purview of this course is relevant for those who aspire toward professions in public policy, law enforcement, public service, law, and community-organizing, among others.