Some of the Courses I Have Developed and Taught
The Sociology of Sexualities
We often think of sexuality in biological terms, as the product of natural, physiological processes. In this class we take a sociological perspective on sexuality, beginning from the premise that sexuality - sexual desire, preference, behavior, and identity - is shaped through social interaction and within the context of multiple social institutions. We focus on sexuality as a site of power struggles, struggles over the definition of which identities and behaviors are normative and which are deviant. Throughout the course, we emphasize the ways in which sexuality and other social categories, such as gender, race, and class intersect and overlap, creating different life experiences for individuals and their families.
Introduction to Sociology
In this course you will be introduced to some of the key theories and methodological approaches of Sociology. By “making the familiar strange,” or examining what we take-for-granted in everyday life, we develop a “sociological imagination” that helps us see the connections between micro-level individual experiences and macro-level social institutions. We first define the sociological perspective and the methods sociologists use to study human society. Then we will employ this perspective as we examine race, class, gender and sexuality as social categories that facilitate and constrain individuals’ daily lives. We will consider the functions of social institutions such as the family, education, the state. Finally, we will think about the ways that the development of a sociological perspective can lead to collective efforts for social change.
Theories of Gender and Gender Inequality
Feminist sociologists take as their charge the uncovering of that which is invisible, hidden, taken for granted, but which has ''real'' consequences in people’s everyday lives. Gender is a ''taken for granted'' construct that structures and is reproduced by our understandings of ourselves as humans, our relationships to one another, our bodies, our behavior, and our institutions. Our task in this class is to take a short but in-depth look at the sociological and feminist perspectives on gender as a site of inequality as well as a site of resistance and agency.
Furthermore, a feminist sociological perspective demands that the study of gender cannot, and should not, be separated from the study of race, class, sexuality, etc. We study gender from an intersectional perspective that considers the multiple ways that inequality is reproduced and experienced. This is not a course on the sociology of women; rather, this course considers men as gendered beings and brings perspectives of masculinity to bear. Because the personal, and the gendered, is political, we will foreground the issues relevant to the lives of those who refuse and resist the gender rules.
Undergraduate Seminar in Ethnographic Research
In this course you will be introduced to ethnographic or participant observation research, a qualitative method of studying people in their everyday lives and connecting the “everyday” to the social institutions that structure our lives. This course will take a brief but in-depth look at interview methods and participant-observation and will demonstrate the ways that these methods can be used to explore the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, and so forth in our social world. This is a “hands-on” course where each student will collaborate with others to design research, conduct field-work and interviews, and develop a sociological analysis of the topic under study using existing literature and empirical data.
The Sociology of Culture
This course provides students with an introduction to the sociological study of culture. “Culture” is one of those words that is used in everyday life but that is difficult to define. Culture is the knowledge, or the system of meanings, that a person needs to understand in order to function as a part of a group. This knowledge is produced through members’ routine practices and forms of interaction. Therefore, we can “see” it by examining their rituals, rules, norms, values, language, and the material objects that they produce such as art, music, and written word. This course divides the study of culture into five sections. In each section we trace the evolution of the theoretical perspectives on culture and then we see how those perspectives can be applied in a relevant sociological study. In Part 1 we begin by asking how sociologists define and study culture. In Part 2 we consider class, gender and sexuality, race, and the body as social differences and identities that are culturally produced sites of power struggles that have material consequences. In Part 3 we use cultural sociological concepts to understand the ways that politics and culture are intertwined, the culturally complex nature of processes of globalization, and the relationship between culture and religion. Part 4 is a brief examination of the roles of important cultural forms such as music, fashion, food, and media for creating meaning and community. Finally, in Part 5 we examine the ways that scholars have brought cultural perspectives to the study of social movements.
We often think of sexuality in biological terms, as the product of natural, physiological processes. In this class we take a sociological perspective on sexuality, beginning from the premise that sexuality - sexual desire, preference, behavior, and identity - is shaped through social interaction and within the context of multiple social institutions. We focus on sexuality as a site of power struggles, struggles over the definition of which identities and behaviors are normative and which are deviant. Throughout the course, we emphasize the ways in which sexuality and other social categories, such as gender, race, and class intersect and overlap, creating different life experiences for individuals and their families.
Introduction to Sociology
In this course you will be introduced to some of the key theories and methodological approaches of Sociology. By “making the familiar strange,” or examining what we take-for-granted in everyday life, we develop a “sociological imagination” that helps us see the connections between micro-level individual experiences and macro-level social institutions. We first define the sociological perspective and the methods sociologists use to study human society. Then we will employ this perspective as we examine race, class, gender and sexuality as social categories that facilitate and constrain individuals’ daily lives. We will consider the functions of social institutions such as the family, education, the state. Finally, we will think about the ways that the development of a sociological perspective can lead to collective efforts for social change.
Theories of Gender and Gender Inequality
Feminist sociologists take as their charge the uncovering of that which is invisible, hidden, taken for granted, but which has ''real'' consequences in people’s everyday lives. Gender is a ''taken for granted'' construct that structures and is reproduced by our understandings of ourselves as humans, our relationships to one another, our bodies, our behavior, and our institutions. Our task in this class is to take a short but in-depth look at the sociological and feminist perspectives on gender as a site of inequality as well as a site of resistance and agency.
Furthermore, a feminist sociological perspective demands that the study of gender cannot, and should not, be separated from the study of race, class, sexuality, etc. We study gender from an intersectional perspective that considers the multiple ways that inequality is reproduced and experienced. This is not a course on the sociology of women; rather, this course considers men as gendered beings and brings perspectives of masculinity to bear. Because the personal, and the gendered, is political, we will foreground the issues relevant to the lives of those who refuse and resist the gender rules.
Undergraduate Seminar in Ethnographic Research
In this course you will be introduced to ethnographic or participant observation research, a qualitative method of studying people in their everyday lives and connecting the “everyday” to the social institutions that structure our lives. This course will take a brief but in-depth look at interview methods and participant-observation and will demonstrate the ways that these methods can be used to explore the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, and so forth in our social world. This is a “hands-on” course where each student will collaborate with others to design research, conduct field-work and interviews, and develop a sociological analysis of the topic under study using existing literature and empirical data.
The Sociology of Culture
This course provides students with an introduction to the sociological study of culture. “Culture” is one of those words that is used in everyday life but that is difficult to define. Culture is the knowledge, or the system of meanings, that a person needs to understand in order to function as a part of a group. This knowledge is produced through members’ routine practices and forms of interaction. Therefore, we can “see” it by examining their rituals, rules, norms, values, language, and the material objects that they produce such as art, music, and written word. This course divides the study of culture into five sections. In each section we trace the evolution of the theoretical perspectives on culture and then we see how those perspectives can be applied in a relevant sociological study. In Part 1 we begin by asking how sociologists define and study culture. In Part 2 we consider class, gender and sexuality, race, and the body as social differences and identities that are culturally produced sites of power struggles that have material consequences. In Part 3 we use cultural sociological concepts to understand the ways that politics and culture are intertwined, the culturally complex nature of processes of globalization, and the relationship between culture and religion. Part 4 is a brief examination of the roles of important cultural forms such as music, fashion, food, and media for creating meaning and community. Finally, in Part 5 we examine the ways that scholars have brought cultural perspectives to the study of social movements.
