Sociology (SO)

The basic concepts and principles of major sociological perspectives. Attention is given to how these perspectives have been developed and used by social scientists to explain social phenomena. Recommended as an introduction to the discipline.

Analysis of contemporary social issues such as racial and gender inequalities, environmental protection, and crime. Attention is given to the roots and dimensions of these issues by introducing core sociological theories and methods. The course also includes critical examination of current social policies that address these issues.

Analysis of contemporary social issues such as racial and gender inequalities, environmental protection, and crime. Attention is given to the roots and dimensions of these issues by introducing core sociological theories and methods. The course also includes critical examination of current social policies that address these issues.

A variety of social psychological approaches to the experiences of individuals as they influence or are influenced by social interactions and structures. The course introduces a sociological orientation known as "symbolic interactionism," which assumes that among the key elements in the social environment are the symbols and understandings possessed by people in the group.

An analysis of gender in contemporary social life. By examining the intersections between race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and age, this course explores how differing types of femininities and masculinities are constructed, reinforced, and maintained in U.S. culture and society. Dating and relationships, body image and appearance, and institutional inequities are among the topics examined.

An introduction to sociological analysis of race, class, and gender in contemporary social life. This course explores how race, class, and gender are constructed, reinforced, and maintained in U.S. society. Using readings (historical, theoretical, sociological, and autobiographical), films, class discussion, current issues/events, and exercises, we will critically examine questions such as: What is sociological imagination? How can it help us understand the intersections of race, class, and gender in social life? How do systems of power and inequality affect cultural norms, social interactions, and institutional structures? How can we move from social inequality to social change? By grappling with these questions, students will develop an appreciation for the multidimensional and complex nature of the issues underlying constructions of race, class, and gender in the United States.

An analysis of racialized curricula within K-8 education. Students explore how race is constructed and reproduced within K-8 educational structures of power and privilege. They will explore the implicit and explicit messages children learn in school about race, power, and justice in the contemporary U.S. Students will also consider the skills and resources teachers need to better prepare all students to engage in these critical conversations. Finally, students will examine which pedagogical approaches might best prepare children to navigate a racially diverse world. Students will collaborate with a local school to implement a race-related change project.

Analysis of social classes, power, and status groups, and their origins and functions, within a historical, comparative, and contemporary framework.

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

An introduction to the sociology of work, focusing on the relationship between work and inequality. This course examines how inequality is produced and reproduced in the workplace, particularly how social identities, particularly gender and race, structure labor market outcomes and how labor market outcomes shape social identities. It explores issues of power and justice in the economy. Students examine a variety of policies and practices designed to reduce inequality in the labor market.

An introduction to the sociology of crime. This course examines contemporary crime trends and problems in the measurement of crime; major theories that explain criminal behavior; and topical foci on various types of crime such as homicide, sexual assault, organized crime, white collar crime, property crime, or juvenile delinquency.

An exploration of changes in Chinese society since its market reforms in 1978 and its increasing involvement in the global economy. Specifically, students will learn the sociological theories on market transition and globalization, discuss the role of the Chinese state and social networks in its economic development, and analyze how the reforms and China's participation in globalization have affected Chinese culture, governance, migration, social classes, genders, ethnic minorities, the environment, and the global order.

Exploration of the sociology of food and agriculture. Students will reflect on how their individual food taste and preferences are socially constructed, explore how industrial agriculture has changed their relationship to food, and investigate the various controversies over alternative food systems such as organic food, local food, vegetarian and vegan food, and techno-food. Students will also explore how the global capitalist food system championed by the US has transformed food provision and consumption in other countries, creating the concurrent existence of hunger and obesity in the world today. At the end of the semester, students will develop actionable plans to address their selected issues of food justice.

An analysis of families as a social institution, sites of interaction, and sources of identity. The course examines changes that have altered families in the United States over time and created issues for public policy. The course will pay particular attention to diversity in family experiences by social status including generation, race, ethnicity, culture, class, sexuality, and gender. Marriage, divorce, fertility, parenthood, and the challenges of integrating work and family life today are among the topics examined.

A critical analysis of race, racism, and racial justice in the United States, as set in a global, historical context defined by power. In addition to traditional modes of teaching-learning, students use intergroup dialogue and collaborative group work to explore and communicate how race is constructed, experienced, reproduced, and transformed within hierarchical systems of domination and subordination. Topics include racial identity development and the ways individuals internalize and ‘live race’ in relation to other identities (e.g., gender, sexuality, disability and class); historical mechanisms of racialization, through which bodies, groups, practices, and space are ‘raced’; institutional dimensions of race, racialization, and racial inequality (e.g., in law, education, popular culture); and practices for resisting racism and pursuing racial justice—in groups and organizations, across society more broadly, and within one’s embodied experience.

An exploration of social, political, and economic forces that influence contemporary mass media. Students will examine a range of social scientific methods that have been used to document the nature of media content and understand how it is produced. Topics include the consequences of concentration in media ownership, the dynamic relationship between producers and consumers of media, and the study of class, race, and gender inequalities in media content.

An exploration of social-environment interactions. More than any other species, humans adapt their environments to suit their purposes. This course explores those purposes, including the roles that corporations, public policy, class, gender, and other social factors play in altering the environment and the resulting effects on people and places. Specific topics addressed include the environmental movement, environmental justice, and the political economy of the environment.

Exploration of intimate relationships through a sociological lens. Examines personal interactions as public processes with implications for the organization of society. Students investigate attraction, sexuality, friendship, and love as relational experiences embedded in social structures and norms, and develop their abilities to ground social analysis with research.

An introduction to the empirical study of changes in women's experiences in areas such as work, family, health, religion, and politics. The diversity of women's attitudes, behaviors, and experiences in the United States are explored using the logic and mathematics of social research. Students use microcomputers and statistical software to analyze sociological data sets that investigate a series of issues related to women, such as the gender gap in politics, pay differences between men and women, and attitudes toward abortion rights.

Examination of methods employed in the investigation of sociological problems. This course analyzes the research process as an integral whole including political and ethical issues in conducting research. Topics include conceptualization, measurement approaches, design of surveys, and methods of interviewing and observation. Students design studies using various methodological techniques.

Examination of quantitative analysis in the social research process. This course involves the study and application of statistics for solving problems in the social sciences. Students use computers as tools for social research as they analyze sociological data sets. 

An introduction to visual sociology as both an analytical tool for more deeply understanding the visual in society and as a means of conveying the results of sociological research. Students will develop the theoretical and conceptual tools necessary to ask more critical questions of the visual world around them and, by producing a sociological documentary of their own, the technical skills to communicate in visual media. No prior experience with videography is required. Students are strongly encouraged to have taken at least one Sociology course beyond the gateway class.

An introduction to interpersonal and intergroup conflict analysis and conflict resolution practices. Students will develop basic conflict resolution skills while examining a variety of conflict scenarios such as family arguments, racial and ethnic tension, legal disputes, criminal violence, war, and genocide. Special focus will be placed on mediation, restorative justice, and peacebuilding.

An in-depth introduction to qualitative research methods as vehicles for exploring and describing social experiences, focusing in particular on the lives of students. Course topics include field research, qualitative interviewing, and the role of the researcher. Students examine ethnographic studies of academic settings and collect and analyze qualitative data about Skidmore's culture.

An examination at the intermediate level of special topics, methods, and areas in sociology, such as population dynamics, collective behavior, juvenile justice system, and social control. Specific topics to vary by instructor and semester.

Internship opportunity for students whose curricular foundations and cocurricular experience have prepared them for professional work related to sociology. With faculty sponsorship and department approval, students may extend their educational experience through internships in human service agencies, the criminal justice system, business, governmental, and other formal organizations, community groups, and related areas.

Analysis of how human emotions influence and are influenced by the social and cultural environment. The course examines the physiological and social psychological components of human emotion, the cross-cultural and historical variability of emotions, emotional socialization, and the emotional aspects of social interaction, relationships, and institutions.

Analysis of the social context of folklore, with special emphasis on contemporary American folklore. Social scientific theories of folklore, the social bases and dynamics of folk groups, folklore and processes of social change, and folklore research methods.

An examination of the sources, meanings, and implications of religious phenomena. This course explores myth, ritual, and symbol in social contexts with special consideration for the contemporary American scene. Attention is given to religious evolution in the light of social modernization; how religious organizations are related to other social institutions will also be considered.

Video can be used as a research tool to better understand social life. Students will explore key theoretical and empirical works in visual sociology and visual studies and will  enhance their skills in ethnographic data gathering and analysis. Students will work on a semester-long research project to produce a sociologically-informed  ethnographic documentary from start to finish, becoming conversant in methodological and filmmaking practices. Prior experience with video equipment and editing software is not a requirement

An introduction to the sociology of deviance. This course examines sociological theory and evidence that explain deviant and/or nonconforming behavior in society. Attention is given to forms of deviance that generate conflicts over values or between groups in society and to the mechanisms of social control that increase conformity to social norms.

A survey of the growing field of economic sociology. Students will compare the different approaches that sociologists and economists take in studying the economy and explore how social institutions, social networks, power, gender, race, class, and cultural values affect economic practices and behaviors. Students will also explore the social meanings of economic rationality, money, value, consumption, capitalism, and the market across different identities and cultural and historical contexts.

An examination of the effects of the social construction of gender on women in modern societies. The course analyzes the intersection of race, class, and gender in women's lives. The changing social status of women in the United States today is compared to that of women in other countries. Particular contemporary women's issues emphasized each year may vary, but typically include economic issues, such as occupational segregation and unequal pay, family issues, such as power relations and violence, and political issues, such as women's grassroots political activism and national policies.

An analysis of femininity, beauty, and the black female body; how black women are depicted within U.S. social structures; and how these images have changed over time. Students will explore these issues to develop an appreciation for the multi-dimensional and complex nature of the issues underlying constructions of black womanhood. Topics of examination include body politics, colorism, and sexual justice.

An examination of the structure and process of social change by comparing several areas, such as economic structure and relations, race, gender, urban community, education, and the state. The specific historical periods covered in the course will vary according to the changes under consideration. American social changes will be addressed from a variety of theoretical perspectives within sociology, including Marxist and other conflict approaches, world-systems, functionalist, cultural, and social-psychological perspectives

How does "power" manifest itself in society? Students will explore the ways that power emerges in social movements, communities, nation states, and between international actors. A substantial portion of the course will also be devoted to sociological understandings of globalization. Readings will include classical formulations of power by Marx and Weber as well as modern and contemporary understandings of power found in pluralism, elite theory, systems theory, and other outlooks.

Analysis of the philosophical foundations, central principles, and historical development of sociological theory from its origins in late-nineteenth-century Europe to the present. The course critically examines the sociological theories of Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and Mead and their relationship to a number of more contemporary social theories.

An examination of contemporary social theories such as functionalism, symbolic interactionism, conflict and social exchange theory. In addition, recent theoretical trends in sociology such as the feminist and environmental perspectives, and the biosocial and humanist approaches are discussed.

How do we make sense of contemporary society's relationship with nature? Scholars have produced a rich array of responses to this question that often conflict with one another. These theorists are also concerned with how social thought can be used to guide solutions to environmental problems. Reading original work, we will consider the applicability, insight, and relevancy of a host of perspectives, including ecological Marxism, ecological anarchism, social constructivism, ecological realism, eco-modernization, and neo-Malthusianism. 

An exploration of the causes and consequences of social movements and episodes of collective action. Many people are dissatisfied with existing economic, political, or social arrangements, yet relatively few individuals attempt to bring about social change by participating in organized social protest. What is it that differentiates those who participate from those who do not? This course approaches this central question from a variety of theoretical perspectives. Movements as diverse as those for civil rights and the environment will be examined.

Sociological analysis of the criminal justice system, including policing, the courts, and corrections. This course examines criminal justice responses to crime problems and alternative perspectives. Topics vary by semester and may include critical analysis of police use of force, racial disparities in sentencing, the death penalty, juvenile justice, the prison experience, or community justice.

A comparative analysis of women's roles in the global economy. The course examines how global economic transformations affect women as well as how women affect those processes. Topics include the effect of economic development on women's participation in various forms of economic activity, including agriculture, microenterprises, and manufacturing, as well as gender relations in families throughout the world, with particular emphasis on countries of the Southern Hemisphere. In addition, the course considers the environmental issues women face during the process of economic development, such as sustainable development, population policies, and women's environmental activism.

An in-depth introduction to qualitative research methods as vehicles for exploring and describing social experiences, focusing in particular on the lives of students. Course topics include field research, qualitative interviewing, and the role of the researcher. Students examine ethnographic studies of academic settings and collect and analyze qualitative data about Skidmore's culture.

Analysis of the body in contemporary social life. What do bodies tell us about ourselves, about others?  How do we feel in and about our bodies? Using sociological theory and qualitative research methodologies, students explore these questions by examining how the body is constructed and manipulated within social interactions and relationships. Bodily adornment practices (e.g., hairstyle choice, tattooing, exercise routines), bodily (dis)ability, and the medicalization of the body are among the topics examined.

A survey of immigration to the U.S. since 1880 paying special attention to theories and evidence of adaptation and incorporation among immigrants and their U.S. born children. Students will analyze interview and survey data to assess the extent and pace of incorporation within and across generations of immigrants who have arrived in recent decades--mostly from Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Ultimately, students will draw conclusions about whether and how recent immigrant incorporation has shifted or reified existing racial boundaries in the U.S.

An examination at the advanced level of special topics, methods, and areas in sociology. Specific topics vary by instructor and semester.

An integration of sociological theory and praxis in a seminar that prepares students to facilitate dialogues on race. What factors hinder meaningful discourse about race?  What skills promote interracial communication? How can we learn to engage more effectively in dialogue about race, power, and privilege in the United States? Through readings in racial identity theory, reflective and analytic writing, and experiential practice of dialogic communication skills, students learn to facilitate dialogues on controversial race-related topics, such as affirmative action, immigration reform, and interracial relationships.  

Individual reading and/or research in sociology under the guidance of a member of the department. Open with the consent of the department to qualified students. Individual conferences to be arranged. 

A reflection on sociology as a discipline and how it can be used to illuminate social institutions, culture, power, and identity. Students will explore several questions. What is sociology? How is it different from other disciplines? What does being a sociologist mean for you? What does sociology say about inequality in the world? How can the tools of sociology be used to illuminate power dynamics and injustice, whether it is in the sociology major, Skidmore College, the discipline of sociology and/or society in general? What can the perspective of sociology and your experience in the major do for you after college? What do you hope it will mean in terms of your thinking, experience, identity and/or vocation?

The capstone course for the sociology major. The course functions as a research practicum in which students share the process of conducting an original research project. To do the research, students must build upon previous work in sociology, especially theory, methods, and statistics. Therefore, students must have completed the required statistics, methods, and theory courses for the sociology major before enrolling in Senior Seminar. Students writing the Senior Thesis are encouraged to begin thesis research in the Seminar.

Independent research leading to a thesis examining a sociological question in depth. Students work under the direction of a thesis advisor and a second reader.

Visual and oral presentations of sociological research. Students revise empirical research projects and develop effective presentations of findings for both professional and nonprofessional audiences. Emphasis is on developing effective posters and oral presentations of social scientific research findings. Students present their research in public settings on or off campus. The course meets a total of 14 hours, with most sessions early in the semester.

Internship experience at the advanced level for juniors and seniors with substantial academic and cocurricular experience related to sociology. With faculty sponsorship and department approval, students may extend their educational experience through internships in human service agencies, the criminal justice system, business, governmental, and other formal organizations, community groups, and related areas.