FALL 2008

Social Theory
Full term.

This course explores central issues and concerns of modern social theory through an examination of the works of four major thinkers: Alexis de Tocqueville, Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim. The course is designed to focus on key issues raised by a few important theorists rather than attempt to survey the range of classical or contemporary theory. Critical reading of these works will serve as an introduction to recurring themes, fundamental orientations, and epistemological dilemmas in modern social thought. (Class size limited to 25 Students.  Not open to first year students.)

Sociology Senior Seminar
Full Term

This seminar is designed for students in sociology who are working on their thesis this year. The purpose of the seminar is to help these students get their projects off the ground, and to provide a context in which thesis writers can share ideas and
benefit from one another’s comments, reactions, and inspirations. The group discusses planning and organization of a sociology thesis, techniques and strategies of research, and the craft of writing itself, as well as substantive problems related to identifying an analytical framework and developing a coherent and well-supported argument. Students are required to participate in class discussions, to turn in written work on a weekly basis, to give one another feedback on both their written
work and ideas brought up in class, and to give formal presentations to the group on their research. They are required to submit two draft chapters by the end of the term.
Note: Open only to sociology concentrators who have submitted their thesis prospectus prior to the fall term.

Urban Sociology

Full Term    

Course Description: This course is an introduction to the sociological study of the urban landscape, with a particular focus on the United States.  The first part of the course will focus on conceptual and theoretical issues associated with sociological study of the city, from the "Chicago school " sociologists at the turn of the century to more recent analyses of the "social production" of urban space and the sociology of place.  In the middle weeks of the course, we turn to the task of gaining an historical understanding of the processes of urbanization and suburbanization in the United States.  The second half of the course will focus more on current issues relevant to the challenge of building livable and sustainable cities.  Throughout the course, particular emphasis will fall on three themes that have been at the center of recent discussions of the city: the active production of urban space through a variety of political processes and social practices; the character of spatial forms as cultural representation; the significance of visual and material characteristics of the city as a dimension of the ordering of social space. Theoretical issues will be considered against the specific background of urbanization and suburbanization in the U.S. Topics will include: modernism, "urban renewal," and the technology of city-building; culture and politics of urban places, with a particular focus on race, class, and gentrification in contemporary cities; re-formed city centers and new images of urbanity; transformations of urban space as we move from the progressive image of the city as "the hope of democracy" to the supposedly imminent "end of public space;" postmodernist criticism and neotraditional urbanism.            

Practicum in Community Building.   

Full Term

The main focus of this course will be a community-based project.  The exact project will be determined, and will depend on what is available that term. The general focus of the practicum, however, will be on the problem of housing. The readings will include theoretical discussions and empirical studies relevant to understanding current debates concerning so-called “affordable” and “workforce” housing, current “best practices” and their limitations, and, more generally, the sociology of civic engagement, community action and community-based planning as relevant to solving community challenges of this sort. Readings, case studies, and classroom discussions will also cover skills and techniques relevant to community building and sustainable development (e.g., facilitation, vision-based planning, charrettes and other tools and techniques of collaborative public process).
Prerequisites: Background in the social sciences. Class size limited to 20 students. 

Back to the top

Courses + Policies + Research + Sociology +  New College + Home