Sociology (SOCI)

This course is intended to give a basic introduction to the discipline. It will examine the sociological imagination which understands human life as fundamentally explained by our membership in social groups. Particular attention will be given to the basic theories, concepts and methods through which this view is explored.

Students are introduced to basic social research methods by examining various sociological research strategies, different forms of research design, and a range of methods of evidence collection. While the course is intended as a general introduction to social research methods, it will emphasize that choice of methods is closely related to theory and the nature of particular research questions.

Students apply a life course perspective to explore the extent, causes, and consequences of social inequality in Canada. Students use the intersectional approach to understand how various social dimensions are intertwined to exacerbate disadvantages and reproduce further disparities across the life course (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, and class).

Students conduct a critical examination of the major themes of social analysis in the 20th and 21st century, with particular emphasis on current theoretical issues and differences in theoretical approaches to problems in sociological analysis.

Students are introduced to some of the central ideas in Science and Technology Studies (STS). STS is the interdisciplinary study of the ways in which science, technology, and society shape each other for better or worse. Topics covered may include definitions and critiques of science and technology; gendered, race, and classed-based stratification and discrimination in science, the role of interest and bias in science, and the socially constructed nature of science and technology.

Students are introduced to sociological research that uses qualitative methods. Students examine qualitative methodology, research strategies, designs and methods of qualitative data collection and analysis, including the contributions of feminist scholarship. Students explore different ways of interpreting qualitative data. Approaches covered may include grounded theory, participatory action research, historical and textual methods, and participant-observation/ethnography, among others.

Students are introduced to quantitative methodology, research strategies, designs, methods of quantitative data collection and statistical analysis. Key features are interpreting and critiquing statistical data, which is a major source of information for sociologists. Class 3 hrs. and Lab 75 min/week

Students study major sociological approaches (both conceptual and methodological) to education in different societies, with special emphasis on Canadian society. Students focus on topics such as relationship between family, education and society; education and inequality; the social organization of knowledge; education and social change; the politics of education.

Students engage in a sociological examination of selected environmental issues; acid rain, forestry/wildlife, toxic waste, human-caused climate change, etc.

Students investigate the social aspects of health and illness and the consequence of these notions to medical practice. Topics covered might include the development of biomedicine, the “medicalization of behaviour”, cross-cultural and historical perspectives on the experience of pain and dying, gender and health and the social meaning of illness.

Students examine some of North America’s most socially transformative social movements. Drawing on social movement theories, students explore not only how and why people organize and mobilize to address perceived grievances, but also when such mobilizations are likely to occur, succeed, or fail.

Students examine several ongoing debates about social organization of work and well-being, including precarious employment, work intensification, emotional labour, work-family conflict, and distributive justice. Students also examine job conditions that are harmful to workers, resources that protect workers, and how we contextualize job conditions and situate them in broader systems of stratification.

Students explore the features of social life that depend on the human ability to imagine ourselves as others see us. Drawing specifically from the theoretical perspectives of George Herbert Mead and Erving Goffman, students investigates symbolic interactionist approaches to the (re)construction of the self and the self-society relationship as a process of symbolic communications between social actors. Central to this course is the notion that as social actors we attempt to shape the impressions that others have of us by projecting images of ourselves that best serve our own objectives. In so doing, students define the social situation and create appropriate expectations of ourselves and others.

Students analyze racial, ethnic, and minority group structure and inter-group processes in different societies, with special emphasis given to Canadian society.

Students examine the role of women in development including the changing structure of the division of labour by gender in different international, regional and community contexts, and the interaction between the economics and politics of class and gender in different societies at different levels of development. Students address issues such as: the incorporation of subsistence economies into modern market economies; the establishment of labour-intensive multinational industries, particularly those drawing on female labour; the relationship between the household and the formal and informal economies and patterns of female migration; and the role of women in the transition from rural to urban/industrial worlds.

Students examine prevalent theories and emerging approaches on political behaviour, change and institutions. Topics include voting behaviour, political parties, international relations, lobbying, political culture, political news media, etc.

Ethnic conflict is a social force that is shaping our lives, society, and world history. Students use sociological theories and research to tackle some of the current debates and controversies related to ethnic conflicts, such as opposition to Canadian multiculturalism, Aboriginal protests in Canada, the rise of Islamophobia, the resurgence of the Far Right in Europe, attitudes towards and prevention of Islamic terrorism, and the impact of globalization on ethnic conflict escalation.

In this course, students explore the interrelationship between the mobility and identity of migrant women under the current conditions of globalization. Through various theoretical paradigms, students examine how the identities of migrant women are shaped by gender, nation-states, labour markets, and other migrant and non-migrant groups.

Using the contrasting concepts of community and locality as focal points, students examine key sociological concepts and theories related to cohesion, exclusion, identity, gender, class, and power. Next students explore the theme of rural revitalization in the global context within which rural communities struggle for survival.

Students critically examine the key determinants, processes, and consequences of internal displacement and forced migration across borders through the analysis of case studies from around the world. Topics include, selectively, contemporary refugee issues, gender violence in conflict zones, resettlement, repatriation, refugees and development, asylum-seekers, and the Canadian and UN refugee protection systems and various international conventions.

Students examine the social, cultural, political, and environmental, moral consequences of contemporary economic conditions in Canada and around the world. Particular attention is paid to the history of social inequality as well as to the many ways people cope with and resist inequitable conditions.

Students examine the relation between knowledge and social context and conditions. Among the issues discussed will be the social origin of modern science, the roles of society and nature in the content of scientific knowledge, the relation between sociology, history, philosophy and the natural sciences; and the authority, trustworthiness and credibility of that knowledge called “scientific”.

This is a course on the theory and practice of international migration taking an explicitly gendered perspective. Students discuss the conceptual and theoretical frameworks on migration and gender and migration; the history of selected migration movements with a focus on the role of women; women in the migratory process, employment and family issues; the impact/consequences of international migration on development; contemporary migration policies; forced migration and refugee issues; gender and trans-nationalism.

Students examine the role of women and development in the Third World. Students discuss the interrelationship of various development and feminist theories; methodological approaches to the study of women and development will also be examined. Students are provided with a conceptual overview and practical tools for understanding the problems faced by women in developing countries.

Students examine case studies of the role of women in the development process in various Third World countries. Students analyze the gender dimensions of programs and policies that affect women in different international, regional and community contexts. Case studies will focus on a number of specific issues such as work, education, health and empowerment.

Tourism comprises the largest international economic activity of our time. But is it a blessing or a curse? Utilizing a range of sociological perspectives, students explore the tourist experience. Topics include, typical types of mass tourism and diverse alternative tourisms.

Students explore issues that arise in the design and administration of surveys. These issues include: questionnaire design, ethics, pre-testing, sampling and developing a theoretically informed formulation of the research question. Students cover several states from data collection to preliminary analysis. On-line surveys and use of surveys with focus groups may be included.

Advanced analysis of quantitative data in Sociology. Topics covered include: the concept of association between variables, measures of association, multivariate analyses, regression techniques, inferential statistics and the research report.

This is a second course in quantitative research methods in the social sciences. Students learn the tools to translate ideas into a coherent data analysis plan and learn how to execute the plan using statistical software. The course focuses on multivariate statistics and covers topics such as multiple regression, dichotomous predictors, mediation, and interactions.

Presentation of various topics of interest to advanced sociology students. Attention is given to the critical theoretical accomplishments of various writers, including feminist scholars. Students consider particular theorists and such matters as constructing social theories, traditions of theoretical writing, and new directions and problems in the field.

Students prepare for their honours thesis through workshops related to proposals, research, service learning and writing.

Students work closely with their supervisor to complete their thesis.