Title Instructors Location Time Description Cross listings Fulfills Registration notes Syllabus Syllabus URL
SOCI 0116-401 American Race: A Philadelphia Story (SNF Paideia Program Course) Fernando Chang-Muy
Fariha Khan
This course proposes an examination of race with a three-pronged approach: one that broadly links the study of race in the United States with a multi-disciplinary approach; situates specific conversations within the immediate location of Philadelphia; and examines the international human rights context of race with Greece as a case study.
The broad historical examination advances key concepts of race and racialization, explores key theoretical methodologies, and highlights major scholarly works. Students will engage with the study of race through Africana Studies, Asian American Studies, Urban Studies, South Asia Studies, Latin American & Latinx Studies, and through international human rights law. Readings and methodologies will introduce students to critical issues in education, in literature, in sociology, and with methods in oral history, archival work, and ethnography. Most importantly, this extensive approach highlights the impact of race across multiple communities including Black Americans, immigrant populations, Asian Americans, and international communities that are marginalized to emphasize connections, relationships, and shared solidarity. Students are intellectually pushed to see the linkages and the impacts of racism across and among all Americans and from a thematic and legal perspective. As each theme is introduced a direct example from Philadelphia will be discussed.
The combination of the national discourse on race, with an intimate perspective from the City of Philadelphia and travel to Greece, engages students both intellectually and civically. The course will be led by Fariha Khan and Fernando Chang-Muy along with local activists with varied disciplinary backgrounds from local community organizations. Each guest lecturer not only brings specific disciplinary expertise, but also varied community engagement experience.
This course is a Penn Global Seminar, which includes a travel component. An application is required. For more information and to apply, visit: https://global.upenn.edu/pennabroad/pgs. The course is also supported by the SNF Paideia Program, the Asian American Studies Program and Africana, Latin American & Latinx Studies, Sociology, South Asia Studies, and Urban Studies.
AFRC0116401, ASAM0116401, LALS0116401, SAST0116401, URBS0116401 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 1000-401 Introduction to Sociology Chenoa A. Flippen LEVN AUD MW 1:45 PM-2:44 PM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000401 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
Society Sector
SOCI 1000-402 Introduction to Sociology Emily Curran WILL 201 R 8:30 AM-9:29 AM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000402 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
Society Sector
SOCI 1000-403 Introduction to Sociology Emily Curran MCNB 410 R 10:15 AM-11:14 AM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000403 Society Sector
Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 1000-404 Introduction to Sociology Rehana T. Odendaal PSYL C41 R 1:45 PM-2:44 PM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000404 Society Sector
Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 1000-405 Introduction to Sociology Matthew Wolf Sheen DRLB 4C8 R 5:15 PM-6:14 PM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000405 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
Society Sector
SOCI 1000-406 Introduction to Sociology Kathryn Kay O'Neill WILL 214 F 10:15 AM-11:14 AM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000406 Society Sector
Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 1000-407 Introduction to Sociology Kathryn Kay O'Neill WILL 23 F 12:00 PM-12:59 PM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000407 Society Sector
Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 1000-408 Introduction to Sociology Rehana T. Odendaal WILL 29 R 12:00 PM-12:59 PM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000408 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
Society Sector
SOCI 1000-409 Introduction to Sociology Matthew Wolf Sheen MCNB 286-7 R 3:30 PM-4:29 PM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000409 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
Society Sector
SOCI 1000-601 Introduction to Sociology Olivia Hu MCNB 285 W 5:15 PM-8:14 PM Sociology provides a unique way to look at human behavior and social interaction. Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live. In this introductory course, we analyze how social structures and cultures are created, maintained, and changed, and how they affect the lives of individuals. We will consider what theory and research can tell us about our social world. AFRC1000601 Society Sector
Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 1010-401 The Family Paula W Fomby MCNB 309 MW 3:30 PM-4:59 PM Family life is deeply personal but at the same time is dramatically impacted by social forces outside of the family. In this course we will examine how families are organized along the lines of gender, sexuality, social class, and race and how these affect family life. We will consider how family life is continually changing while at the same time traditional gender roles persist. For example, how "greedy" workplaces, which require long work hours, create work-family conflicts for mothers and fathers. We will also examine diverse family forms including single-parent families, blended families, families headed by same-gender parents, and families headed by gender non-conforming parents. The lectures will also examine how economic inequality shapes family life. Students will have the opportunity to apply key concepts to daily life. GSWS1011401 Society Sector https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=SOCI1010401
SOCI 1070-401 Media and Popular Culture David I Grazian DRLB A4 MW 10:15 AM-11:14 AM This course relies on a variety of sociological perspectives to examine the role of media and popular culture in society, with a particular emphasis on the power of the mass media industry, the relationship between cultural consumption and status, and the social organization of leisure activities from sports to shopping. URBS1170401 Society Sector https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=SOCI1070401
SOCI 1070-402 Media and Popular Culture Andres Villatoro DRLB 3C8 R 10:15 AM-11:14 AM This course relies on a variety of sociological perspectives to examine the role of media and popular culture in society, with a particular emphasis on the power of the mass media industry, the relationship between cultural consumption and status, and the social organization of leisure activities from sports to shopping. URBS1170402 Society Sector
SOCI 1070-403 Media and Popular Culture Andres Villatoro EDUC 114 R 1:45 PM-2:44 PM This course relies on a variety of sociological perspectives to examine the role of media and popular culture in society, with a particular emphasis on the power of the mass media industry, the relationship between cultural consumption and status, and the social organization of leisure activities from sports to shopping. URBS1170403 Society Sector
SOCI 1070-404 Media and Popular Culture CANCELED This course relies on a variety of sociological perspectives to examine the role of media and popular culture in society, with a particular emphasis on the power of the mass media industry, the relationship between cultural consumption and status, and the social organization of leisure activities from sports to shopping. URBS1170406 Society Sector
SOCI 1070-405 Media and Popular Culture CANCELED This course relies on a variety of sociological perspectives to examine the role of media and popular culture in society, with a particular emphasis on the power of the mass media industry, the relationship between cultural consumption and status, and the social organization of leisure activities from sports to shopping. URBS1170407 Society Sector
SOCI 1111-401 Mental Illness Jason S Schnittker COLL 200 MWF 10:15 AM-11:14 AM This course is designed to give a general overview of how sociologists study mental illness. We will be concerned with describing the contributions of sociological research and exploring how these contributions differ from those of psychology, psychiatry, and social work. This overview will be done in three parts: we will discuss (i) what "mental illness" is, (ii) precisely how many Americans are mentally ill, (iii) how social factors (e.g. race, gender, class) and social arrangements (e.g. social networks) lead to mental illness, and (iv) how we as a society respond to and treat the mentally ill. Throughout the course, we will be concerned with uncovering the assumptions behind different definitions of mental health and exploring their political, social, and legal implications. HSOC1312401 https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=SOCI1111401
SOCI 1140-401 Asian Americans In Contemporary Society Tiffany J Huang MCNB 410 MW 3:30 PM-4:59 PM This course will explore Asian America through sociological frameworks and research. At the outset, we will establish a strong theoretical foundation by studying key sociological theories related to race and ethnicity, assimilation, and racial stratification. Additionally, we will briefly review key turning points in Asian American history. Throughout the semester, we will explore a broad range of contemporary topics, such as racial and ethnic identities (including multiracial identities); racialized desire and interracial relationships; controlling media images and subversive representations; transracial adoption; affirmative action; anti-Asian racism; and the role of the "model minority" myth in contemporary U.S. politics. Above all, this class will critically evaluate the viability of an Asian American panethnic identity while also exploring important axes of heterogeneity (e.g., class, gender, and sexuality) within the broader Asian American category. ASAM1500401 Society Sector
Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 1150-401 Fair Housing, Segregation and the Law Lance M Freeman MCNB 309 T 12:00 PM-2:59 PM This course introduces students to the variegated roles of housing in society and has three broad aims. First, the roles of housing as shelter, locus of community, financial asset, and determinant of political power and representation will be described and explored in detail. Second, the way the different functions of housing serve to create and reinforce social stratification is explored. Finally, the function and role of public policy in housing will also be examined. URBS1155401
SOCI 2000-401 Sociological Research Methods Courtney E Boen LRSM AUD MW 1:45 PM-2:44 PM One of the defining characteristics of all the social sciences, including sociology, is a commitment to empirical research as the basis for knowledge. This course is designed to provide you with a basic understanding of research in the social sciences and to enable you to think like a social scientist. Through this course students will learn both the logic of sociological inquiry and the nuts and bolts of doing empirical research. We will focus on such issues as the relationship between theory and research, the logic of research design, issues of conceptualization and measurement, basic methods of data collection, and what social scientists do with data once they have collected them. By the end of the course, students will have completed sociological research projects utilizing different empirical methods, be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various research strategies, and read (with understanding) published accounts of social science research. HSOC2002401 Quantitative Data Analysis
SOCI 2000-402 Sociological Research Methods Allison Dunatchik DRLB 3W2 R 10:15 AM-11:14 AM One of the defining characteristics of all the social sciences, including sociology, is a commitment to empirical research as the basis for knowledge. This course is designed to provide you with a basic understanding of research in the social sciences and to enable you to think like a social scientist. Through this course students will learn both the logic of sociological inquiry and the nuts and bolts of doing empirical research. We will focus on such issues as the relationship between theory and research, the logic of research design, issues of conceptualization and measurement, basic methods of data collection, and what social scientists do with data once they have collected them. By the end of the course, students will have completed sociological research projects utilizing different empirical methods, be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various research strategies, and read (with understanding) published accounts of social science research. HSOC2002402 Quantitative Data Analysis
SOCI 2000-403 Sociological Research Methods Allison Dunatchik WILL 27 R 12:00 PM-12:59 PM One of the defining characteristics of all the social sciences, including sociology, is a commitment to empirical research as the basis for knowledge. This course is designed to provide you with a basic understanding of research in the social sciences and to enable you to think like a social scientist. Through this course students will learn both the logic of sociological inquiry and the nuts and bolts of doing empirical research. We will focus on such issues as the relationship between theory and research, the logic of research design, issues of conceptualization and measurement, basic methods of data collection, and what social scientists do with data once they have collected them. By the end of the course, students will have completed sociological research projects utilizing different empirical methods, be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various research strategies, and read (with understanding) published accounts of social science research. HSOC2002403 Quantitative Data Analysis
SOCI 2000-404 Sociological Research Methods Joyce Kim WILL 321 R 1:45 PM-2:44 PM One of the defining characteristics of all the social sciences, including sociology, is a commitment to empirical research as the basis for knowledge. This course is designed to provide you with a basic understanding of research in the social sciences and to enable you to think like a social scientist. Through this course students will learn both the logic of sociological inquiry and the nuts and bolts of doing empirical research. We will focus on such issues as the relationship between theory and research, the logic of research design, issues of conceptualization and measurement, basic methods of data collection, and what social scientists do with data once they have collected them. By the end of the course, students will have completed sociological research projects utilizing different empirical methods, be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various research strategies, and read (with understanding) published accounts of social science research. HSOC2002404 Quantitative Data Analysis
SOCI 2000-405 Sociological Research Methods Joyce Kim MCNB 309 R 3:30 PM-4:29 PM One of the defining characteristics of all the social sciences, including sociology, is a commitment to empirical research as the basis for knowledge. This course is designed to provide you with a basic understanding of research in the social sciences and to enable you to think like a social scientist. Through this course students will learn both the logic of sociological inquiry and the nuts and bolts of doing empirical research. We will focus on such issues as the relationship between theory and research, the logic of research design, issues of conceptualization and measurement, basic methods of data collection, and what social scientists do with data once they have collected them. By the end of the course, students will have completed sociological research projects utilizing different empirical methods, be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various research strategies, and read (with understanding) published accounts of social science research. HSOC2002405 Quantitative Data Analysis
SOCI 2010-401 Social Statistics Richard Patti MCNB 150 TR 12:00 PM-12:59 PM This course offers a basic introduction to the application/interpretation of statistical analysis in sociology. Upon completion, you should be familiar with a variety of basic statistical techniques that allow examination of interesting social questions. We begin by learning to describe the characteristics of groups, followed by a discussion of how to examine and generalize about relationships between the characteristics of groups. Emphasis is placed on the understanding/interpretation of statistics used to describe and make generalizations about group characteristics. In addition to hand calculations, you will also become familiar with using PCs to run statistical tests. AFRC2010401 Quantitative Data Analysis https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=SOCI2010401
SOCI 2010-402 Social Statistics Ellen Bryer PCPE 201 M 10:15 AM-11:14 AM This course offers a basic introduction to the application/interpretation of statistical analysis in sociology. Upon completion, you should be familiar with a variety of basic statistical techniques that allow examination of interesting social questions. We begin by learning to describe the characteristics of groups, followed by a discussion of how to examine and generalize about relationships between the characteristics of groups. Emphasis is placed on the understanding/interpretation of statistics used to describe and make generalizations about group characteristics. In addition to hand calculations, you will also become familiar with using PCs to run statistical tests. AFRC2010402 Quantitative Data Analysis
SOCI 2010-403 Social Statistics Ellen Bryer PCPE 201 M 12:00 PM-12:59 PM This course offers a basic introduction to the application/interpretation of statistical analysis in sociology. Upon completion, you should be familiar with a variety of basic statistical techniques that allow examination of interesting social questions. We begin by learning to describe the characteristics of groups, followed by a discussion of how to examine and generalize about relationships between the characteristics of groups. Emphasis is placed on the understanding/interpretation of statistics used to describe and make generalizations about group characteristics. In addition to hand calculations, you will also become familiar with using PCs to run statistical tests. AFRC2010403 Quantitative Data Analysis
SOCI 2240-401 Law and Social Change Hocine Fetni MCNB 286-7 TR 5:15 PM-6:44 PM Beginning with discussion of various perspectives on social change and law, this course then examines in detail the interdependent relationship between changes in legal and societal institutions. Emphasis will be placed on (1) how and when law can be an instrument for social change, and (2) how and when social change can cause legal change. In the assessment of this relationship, emphasis will be on the laws of the United States. However, laws of other countries and international law relevant to civil liberties, economic, social and political progress will be studied. Throughout the course, discussions will include legal controversies relevant to social change such as issues of race, gender and the law. Other issues relevanat to State-Building and development will discussed. A comparative framework will be used in the analysis of this interdependent relationship between law and social change. AFRC2240401 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2300-301 Environmental Sociology Raka Sen MCNB 285 TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM This seminar will explore how sociologists and adjacent social scientists have investigated the intersections of the environment with inequalities of wealth and power, with a focus on a broad "climate change and society" field. The seminar will cover a) recent efforts to reframe the history of capitalism as the history of a socio-environmental system (and overlaps between that agenda and the "racial capitalism" framework); b) the genesis of US-based environmental justice scholarship; c) the global sociology of carbon emissions and international environmental movements; and, d) new trends in "climate change and society" studies.
SOCI 2420-001 Social Problems and Public Policy CANCELED This course approaches some of today's important social and political issues from a sociological vantage point. The course begins by asking where social problems come from. The main sociological perspectives of Marx, Weber and Durkheim are developed in connection with the issues of inequality, social conflict and community. We then turn to the social construction of social problems by examining how various issues become defined as social problems. This involves a consideration of the role of the media, social experts and social movements. The last section of the course considers how social problems are addressed. Here we discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of government programs and regulations versus market-based approached. We also discuss the role of philanthropy and volunteerism. Finally, we consider the risk of unanticipated consequences of reforms. Along the way, we will consider a variety of social issues and social problems, including poverty, immigration, crime, global warming, and education. Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2420-002 Social Problems and Public Policy CANCELED This course approaches some of today's important social and political issues from a sociological vantage point. The course begins by asking where social problems come from. The main sociological perspectives of Marx, Weber and Durkheim are developed in connection with the issues of inequality, social conflict and community. We then turn to the social construction of social problems by examining how various issues become defined as social problems. This involves a consideration of the role of the media, social experts and social movements. The last section of the course considers how social problems are addressed. Here we discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of government programs and regulations versus market-based approached. We also discuss the role of philanthropy and volunteerism. Finally, we consider the risk of unanticipated consequences of reforms. Along the way, we will consider a variety of social issues and social problems, including poverty, immigration, crime, global warming, and education. Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2430-401 Race, Science & Justice Dorothy E Roberts COLL 200 MW 5:15 PM-6:15 PM What is the role of the life and social sciences in shaping our understanding of race? How has racial stratification influenced scientists and how have scientists constructed racial difference and helped to maintain or contest racial inequities? How have these racial theories shaped the production of scientific knowledge and the way we think about human bodies, diversity, and commonality—and what are the consequences for justice in our society? This course draws on an interdisciplinary body of biological and social scientific literature to explore critically the connections between race, science, and justice in the United States, including scientific theories of racial inequality, from the eighteenth century to the genomic age. After investigating varying concepts of race, as well as their uses in eugenics, criminology, anthropology, sociology, neuroscience, medicine, and public health, we will focus on the recent expansion of genomic research and technologies that treat race as a biological category that can be identified at the molecular level, including race-specific pharmaceuticals, commercial ancestry testing, and racial profiling with DNA forensics. We will discuss the significance of scientific investigations of racial difference for advancing racial justice in the United States. AFRC2430401 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2430-402 Race, Science & Justice Niiaja Wright DRLB 3C6 R 10:15 AM-11:14 AM What is the role of the life and social sciences in shaping our understanding of race? How has racial stratification influenced scientists and how have scientists constructed racial difference and helped to maintain or contest racial inequities? How have these racial theories shaped the production of scientific knowledge and the way we think about human bodies, diversity, and commonality—and what are the consequences for justice in our society? This course draws on an interdisciplinary body of biological and social scientific literature to explore critically the connections between race, science, and justice in the United States, including scientific theories of racial inequality, from the eighteenth century to the genomic age. After investigating varying concepts of race, as well as their uses in eugenics, criminology, anthropology, sociology, neuroscience, medicine, and public health, we will focus on the recent expansion of genomic research and technologies that treat race as a biological category that can be identified at the molecular level, including race-specific pharmaceuticals, commercial ancestry testing, and racial profiling with DNA forensics. We will discuss the significance of scientific investigations of racial difference for advancing racial justice in the United States. AFRC2430402 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2430-403 Race, Science & Justice Niiaja Wright MCNB 410 R 12:00 PM-12:59 PM What is the role of the life and social sciences in shaping our understanding of race? How has racial stratification influenced scientists and how have scientists constructed racial difference and helped to maintain or contest racial inequities? How have these racial theories shaped the production of scientific knowledge and the way we think about human bodies, diversity, and commonality—and what are the consequences for justice in our society? This course draws on an interdisciplinary body of biological and social scientific literature to explore critically the connections between race, science, and justice in the United States, including scientific theories of racial inequality, from the eighteenth century to the genomic age. After investigating varying concepts of race, as well as their uses in eugenics, criminology, anthropology, sociology, neuroscience, medicine, and public health, we will focus on the recent expansion of genomic research and technologies that treat race as a biological category that can be identified at the molecular level, including race-specific pharmaceuticals, commercial ancestry testing, and racial profiling with DNA forensics. We will discuss the significance of scientific investigations of racial difference for advancing racial justice in the United States. AFRC2430403 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2430-404 Race, Science & Justice CANCELED What is the role of the life and social sciences in shaping our understanding of race? How has racial stratification influenced scientists and how have scientists constructed racial difference and helped to maintain or contest racial inequities? How have these racial theories shaped the production of scientific knowledge and the way we think about human bodies, diversity, and commonality—and what are the consequences for justice in our society? This course draws on an interdisciplinary body of biological and social scientific literature to explore critically the connections between race, science, and justice in the United States, including scientific theories of racial inequality, from the eighteenth century to the genomic age. After investigating varying concepts of race, as well as their uses in eugenics, criminology, anthropology, sociology, neuroscience, medicine, and public health, we will focus on the recent expansion of genomic research and technologies that treat race as a biological category that can be identified at the molecular level, including race-specific pharmaceuticals, commercial ancestry testing, and racial profiling with DNA forensics. We will discuss the significance of scientific investigations of racial difference for advancing racial justice in the United States. AFRC2430404 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2430-405 Race, Science & Justice CANCELED What is the role of the life and social sciences in shaping our understanding of race? How has racial stratification influenced scientists and how have scientists constructed racial difference and helped to maintain or contest racial inequities? How have these racial theories shaped the production of scientific knowledge and the way we think about human bodies, diversity, and commonality—and what are the consequences for justice in our society? This course draws on an interdisciplinary body of biological and social scientific literature to explore critically the connections between race, science, and justice in the United States, including scientific theories of racial inequality, from the eighteenth century to the genomic age. After investigating varying concepts of race, as well as their uses in eugenics, criminology, anthropology, sociology, neuroscience, medicine, and public health, we will focus on the recent expansion of genomic research and technologies that treat race as a biological category that can be identified at the molecular level, including race-specific pharmaceuticals, commercial ancestry testing, and racial profiling with DNA forensics. We will discuss the significance of scientific investigations of racial difference for advancing racial justice in the United States. AFRC2430405 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2430-406 Race, Science & Justice CANCELED What is the role of the life and social sciences in shaping our understanding of race? How has racial stratification influenced scientists and how have scientists constructed racial difference and helped to maintain or contest racial inequities? How have these racial theories shaped the production of scientific knowledge and the way we think about human bodies, diversity, and commonality—and what are the consequences for justice in our society? This course draws on an interdisciplinary body of biological and social scientific literature to explore critically the connections between race, science, and justice in the United States, including scientific theories of racial inequality, from the eighteenth century to the genomic age. After investigating varying concepts of race, as well as their uses in eugenics, criminology, anthropology, sociology, neuroscience, medicine, and public health, we will focus on the recent expansion of genomic research and technologies that treat race as a biological category that can be identified at the molecular level, including race-specific pharmaceuticals, commercial ancestry testing, and racial profiling with DNA forensics. We will discuss the significance of scientific investigations of racial difference for advancing racial justice in the United States. AFRC2430406 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2610-401 Latinos in the United States Emilio Alberto Parrado EDUC 121 TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM This course presents a broad overview of the Latino population in the United States that focuses on the economic and sociological aspects of Latino immigration and assimilation. Topics to be covered include: construction of Latino identity, the history of U.S. Latino immigration, Latino family patterns and household structure, Latino educational attainment. Latino incorporation into the U.S. labor force, earnings and economic well-being among Latino-origin groups, assimilation and the second generation. The course will stress the importance of understanding Latinos within the overall system of race and ethnic relations in the U.S., as well as in comparison with previous immigration flows, particularly from Europe. We will pay particular attention to the economic impact of Latino immigration on both the U.S. receiving and Latin American sending communities, and the efficacy and future possibilities of U.S. immigration policy. Within all of these diverse topics, we will stress the heterogeneity of the Latino population according to national origin groups (i.e. Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and other Latinos), as well as generational differences between immigrants and the native born. LALS2610401 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2651-301 Transnational Social Movements and Global Climate Law and Policy Hashim Bin Rashid CANCELED The course will also examine how social movement and civil society generated ideas, such as just transition, peasant agroecology, food sovereignty, and Green New Deal, have translated into global climate law and policy. This includes examining their interventions in global processes, such as the United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COP) and Committee on World Food Security (CFS). It will introduce debates around the socio-environmental impact of mainstream climate solutions, including carbon sequestering, REDD+, carbon credits, climate smart agriculture, critical minerals mining, and adopting renewable technologies. Drawing on a range of disciplines, including sociology, science and technology studies, anthropology, geography, Indigenous Studies, and political economy, students will develop an understanding of how transnational social movements are imagining alternative climate futures through their participation in global climate politics.
SOCI 2691-401 Innovation, Regulations, Technology, and Society: Experience from East Asia Su Yeone Jeon CANCELED Innovation and creativity are universally recognized as aspects of modern life. From stem cell research to nanotechnology and machine learning, innovation is heralded as a thing of value to be actively fostered, as a key ingredient for the betterment of the human condition, and often as a desirable process for economic growth. While existing innovative activities are often based in the so-called advanced economies, particularly the United States and the European Union, increasingly we see new players on the global scene vying for influence and offering new forms of innovation and upgrading. These new players are often countries from East Asia. What positions do these East Asian countries occupy in the global knowledge economy? How are they navigating a constantly evolving and competitive frontier technology market where ownership of intellectual property rights remains in the hands of a handful of advanced economies? Technological innovation can take a toll, not least in the form of increased level of risks that a society must bear, as well as in environmental degradation, worker strife stemming from a shortage of jobs, gender disparity, and expanding wealth and knowledge gaps (including access to knowledge) between different socioeconomic classes. In this course, we will consider how regional patterns (and national variations) of economic growth and sociocultural changes under way in East Asia have been influenced by the global technological revolution, as well as the infrastructure of power and governance. Particularly, the course exposes students to scholarship on the governance of the global political economy, with a focus on the socio-legal regulation of emerging science and technology. The course will begin with discussing how states strike a balance between innovation and protection through implementing relevant regulatory frameworks. In addition, we will explore what implications emerging technologies have for societies, as well as how these evolving dynamics impact the lived experience of local communities. EALC2701401
SOCI 2902-401 The US and Human Rights: Policies and Pratices Hocine Fetni MCNB 285 M 5:15 PM-8:14 PM After an examination of the philosophical, legal, and political perspectives on Human Rights, this course will focus on US policies and practices relevant to Human Rights. Toward that end, emphasis will be placed on both the domestic and the international aspects of Human Rights as reflected in US policies and practices. Domestically, the course will discuss (1) the process of incorporating the International Bill of Human Rights into the American legal system and (2) the US position on and practices regarding the political, civil, economic, social, and cultural rights of minorities and various other groups within the US. Internationally, the course will examine US Human Rights policies toward Africa. Specific cases of Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt, as well as other cases from the continent, will be presented in the assessment of US successes and failures in the pursuit of its Human Rights strategy in Africa. Readings will include research papers, reports, statutes, treaties, and cases. AFRC4200401 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2905-401 Everyday Life in Africa Adewale Adebanwi WILL 3 TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM This course will explore the different dimensions of everyday life in Africa. Everyday life has been described by Agnes Heller (1978) as “the secret yeast of history.” What constitutes this “yeast of history” in contemporary Africa? In exploring everyday life, we will examine the existing (in)capacities in the structures of state and society in Africa for human well-being in relation to the differences between political life (bios) and bare life (zoe). The course engages with the everyday life in terms of how social, economic, and political lives are constituted and the implications of this process for whether Africans live well or not, how they die, and their struggles for alternative lives. With (ethnographic) accounts and perspectives from different countries in Africa, the course focuses deeply on how to understand and explain the conditions under which everyday social needs and economic necessities are turned into political/existential struggles as well as the conditions under which political exigencies can transform into economic, social and bodily fatalities. The overarching questions that will animate this course include these: What are the prevalent conditions of everyday life in Africa? What and who determines (in)eligibility regarding the everyday tools of good life and human survival? How are these determinations related to the differential distribution of potential and/or actual injury, harm, and damage to human life and the conditions of its survival? What can ethnographic insight contribute to our understanding of everydayness in Africa? The roles of sexualities, gender, generation, humor, identities, racism, hate, memory, memorial, transactions, etc., in the construction, reconstruction, and deconstruction of daily life – and death – in the continent will be examined. Audio-visual materials will be used to analyze important themes about quotidian life in Africa. AFRC2762401, ANTH2762401
SOCI 2907-401 Race, Rights and Rebellion Keisha-Khan Perry CANCELED This course provides an in-depth examination of theories of race and different kinds of social struggles for freedom around the globe. We will critically engage the latest scholarship from a variety of scholars and social movement actors. From anti-slavery revolts to struggles for independence to anti-apartheid movements, this course will emphasize how racialized peoples have employed notions of rights and societal resources grounded in cultural differences. Though much of the readings will highlight the experiences of African descendant peoples in Africa and its diaspora, the course will also explore the intersections of Black struggles with social movements organized by indigenous peoples in the Americas. Students will also have the unique experience of accessing readings primarily written by primarily Black scholars, some of
whom have participated as key actors in the social movements they describe. Key concepts include power, resistance, subaltern, hegemony, identity politics, consciousness, and intellectual activism.
The course will be organized around the following objectives:
1. To explore a range of contemporary theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches to the
study of social movements;
2. To focus on the relationship between race, gender, class, culture, and politics in the African diaspora;
3. To study the historical development of organized struggles, social protests, uprisings, revolutions,
insurgencies, and rebellions;
4. To examine the political agency of African descendant peoples in the global struggle for liberation and citizenship.
AFRC3515401, ANTH2515401, LALS3515401
SOCI 2908-401 Carceral Crisis: The Question of Abolition Timothy Malone VANP 305 W 1:45 PM-4:44 PM The total number of incarcerated peoples in the United States is currently around 2.1 million people, held across various carceral sites – jails, immigration detention centers, and state and federal prisons. If we include all human beings under the direct control of the criminal justice system in the tally, not just the actively incarcerated but those on probation or parole as well, that number swells to approximately eight-million adults, or one person in thirty-seven (Wacquant, 2009). The United States, in both absolute terms and as a percent of its population, is the most aggressive incarcerator of its own citizens in the world. If those under supervision of the criminal justice system were counted as a city population, it would be the second most populous in the country just behind New York City. Currently, one of every six Black men in the United States has been or is currently locked up, and one in three is destined to be at some point in their life. One in six Latinx men will similarly find themselves locked down throughout their life-course. Forty-percent of Black males from the nation’s “hyperghettos” (Wacquant) between the ages of 18 and 35 years-old are under some form of carceral control, and police and prisons are often the primary contact between young Black men and the state.
It was within this context that in the summer of 2020, the nation witnessed the extra-legal police executions of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Subsequent civil disobedience actions rocked the country from coast to coast with calls to “defund the police” and “end mass incarceration.” As a result, the notion of police/prison abolition has entered mainstream political discourse to a remarkable degree not witnessed in generations. And its appearance has spawned strident debate across the political spectrum about the viability of police and/or prison abolition, its potential societal effect(s) and/or abolition’s very necessity or even its desirability.
The aims of this seminar are twofold. First, we will engage a set of interdisciplinary texts (Sociological, Philosophical, Black Studies, Geographical, Autobiographical, Ethnographic etc.) to develop a broad understanding of that complex set of forces that have transformed the United States into the most rapacious incarcerator of its own citizens of any nation in the global state system. Said straightforwardly, we want to explore the questions: why do we have such a large prison system in the United States and how did it come to be? What work does the prison do on behalf of civil society and why does it deleteriously impact communities of color most profoundly?
Secondly, this seminar will work to develop a broad familiarity with abolitionist discourse not only with regards to the questions raised above, but also to develop an understanding of abolitionist perspectives/orientations on what we can, should or even must do about prisons, policing and carcerality – “mass” incarceration - more broadly. In order to realize these contextualizations, this seminar is organized across three larger themes each thinking about “mass” incarceration from a differing vantage - whether external and/or internal to the prison itself:
1. An examination of the political, social, economic and historical forces that have built contemporary carcerality in both ideology and in material fact,
2. A familiarization with abolitionist perspectives on “what must be done” to challenge racialized “mass” incarceration as well as abolitionists’ critique of mainstream political proposals on police and/or prison reform, and
3. An analysis of the carceral interior through the politicized writings of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated abolitionist thinkers as well as those scholars who take the culture/institutions internal to the prison as proper site for abolitionist intervention.
AFRC2130401, URBS2130401
SOCI 2921-401 Criminal Justice Sultan Altikriti ARCH 208 MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM This course examines how the criminal justice system responds to crime in society. The course reviews the historical development of criminal justice agencies in the United States and Europe and the available scientific evidence on the effect these agencies have on controlling crime. The course places an emphasis on the functional creation of criminal justice agencies and the discretionary role decision makers in these agencies have in deciding how to enforce criminal laws and whom to punish. Evidence on how society measures crime and the role that each major criminal justice agency plays in controlling crime is examined from the perspective of crime victims, police, prosecutors, jurors, judges, prison officials, probation officers and parole board members. Using the model of social policy evaluation, the course asks students to consider how the results of criminal justice could be more effectively delivered to reduce the social and economic costs of crime. CRIM1100401 Society Sector
SOCI 2932-401 Latinx Cultural History Johnny Irizarry This course takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of the resiliency and impact of Latinx cultural and artistic contributions, aesthetics, expressions, and institution building in the United States from the Civil Rights Era to the present. We will explore how Latinxs culturally define being "American", and how their artistic expressions shape and influence the creativity and productivity of American and global arts & cultural expressions. More broadly, we will explore the Latinx interactions of race, culture, society, economy, and politics in the U.S. LALS4250401 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2934-401 Gender, Work, and Family in Global Asias Weirong Guo BENN 141 MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM In the context of an increasingly globalized world, this course explores the complex interconnections between gender, labor practices, family structures, and broader socio-cultural dynamics within and across Asian societies. Drawing on perspectives from sociology and gender studies, this course offers a comprehensive examination of how global forces shape individual experiences and societal structures in contemporary Asia and beyond. The course is divided into six thematic sections: In the first section, we will learn and critically analyze the key concepts, perspectives, theories, and debates in the literature on gender, work, family, and globalization. This foundational understanding will frame our explorations throughout the course. The second section delves into the rise of globalized beauty standards and the hidden economies of sex work in transnational Asia. The third section focuses on the globalized care chains in which domestic care work is outsourced to underprivileged populations. In the fourth section, we will investigate how intimacy is commodified and shaped by transnational and socio-economic forces. The last two sections look at untraditional, transnational families and their children, examining how parenting styles, immigration decisions, and division of labor are influenced by race/ethnicity, class, and gender. ASAM1515401, EALC0411401
SOCI 2942-401 Cities, Suburbs, Regions Karen Lisa Black MCNB 414 R 1:45 PM-4:44 PM This course will explore the political, economic, social, and demographic forces impacting development patterns in metropolitan areas, with a particular focus on Philadelphia. We will examine the government policies, economic forces, and social attitudes that affect the way a region grows, and the impact of these forces on poverty, equity and segregation. Specific topics to be discussed include the factors that make a region competitive, the city's changing role in the region, the impact place has on opportunity, and approaches to revitalizing and improving communities. URBS2530401
SOCI 2943-401 Global Urban Education Alec Ian Gershberg 36MK 111 W 1:45 PM-4:44 PM This course examines the demographic, social, and economic trends impacting the growth of global cities--providing the context for global urban education. Through the dual lens of globalization and local urban culture, we explore relationships between urban education and economic development, democratic citizenship, social movements, social inclusion, equity, and quality of urban life. We consider key historical legacies (e.g., Colonialism), informal settlements and "slums," the rise of the "knowledge economy", and the role of international aid. Additional topics include: early childhood; gender equity; youth culture; impacts of crisis and war; urban refugees; teacher training and identity; accountability & governance; information & computer technology; religion, indigenous cultures, and language identity; & the role of the private sector and school choice. We focus on cities like Sao Paolo, Mexico City, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, Jakarta, Mumbai, Lahore, Tehran, and Cairo, and draw comparisons to cities like New York, London, Paris and Tokyo. URBS2580401 Cross Cultural Analysis
SOCI 2947-401 Sex and Power in the Middle East: Unveiling Women's Lives Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet MCNB 410 T 3:30 PM-6:29 PM How did Middle Eastern women and men really live? What impact did tradition have on practices of veiling, seclusion, and politics? How did attitudes toward intimacy and sexuality change over time? This course strives to answer these questions by offering a comparative perspective on people's lives in the modern Middle East (Southwest Asia) and North Africa. We begin in the 19th century and move quickly to the twentieth century when social policies and politics shaped gender relations. We will consider the birth and popularity of fashion industries, beauty contests, journalism, the visual arts, television, and challenges to norms of sexuality. Part of the class will also engage with traditionalist rejection of such new social and cultural trends. From Iran to Algeria, women and men grappled with culture wars that centered on gender, sexuality, and power. To make the learning process interactive, we will watch video clips, documentaries, and interviews as we delve into this ongoing tug-of-war. GSWS2353401, HIST2353401, NELC2567401 Cross Cultural Analysis
SOCI 2950-001 Population and Public Health in Eastern Europe Kristen R Ghodsee PCPE 203 MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM Since the collapse of communism in 1989 in Eastern Europe (and 1991 in the Soviet Union), many of the countries in the region have experienced public health crises and demographic catastrophe. Below replacement fertility rates and massive out migration have decimated the populations of these countries even as populations age and place unsustainable strains on pension systems and medical services. The demographic collapse has also been accompanied by falling male life expectancy and the rise of alcoholism, depression, domestic violence, and suicide. The economic exigencies of the transition from communism to capitalism dismantled welfare states at the exact moment when health services were most needed, leaving charities and nongovernmental organization to try to fill in the gaps. Through a combination of readings from the fields of epidemiology, demography, and medical anthropology, this course examines the public health implications of poverty and social dislocation in post-communist states. All readings and assignments are in English. ANTH1670001, REES1670401, REES6670401 https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=SOCI2950001
SOCI 2952-401 Health and Social Justice Jennifer J Prah Ruger DRLB 3N6 T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM This course considers various theoretical approaches to justice and health, motivated by the idea that a moral framework is needed to address the ethical challenges posed by inequalities in access, quality, financial burdens, and resource priorities, as well as rising health care costs. The course includes four parts. The first part examines ethical frameworks that involve various approaches to medical and public health ethics. The second part presents an alternative theory of justice and health, the health capability paradigm (HCP), grounded in human flourishing. The third part explores domestic health policy applications, including equal access, equitable and efficient health financing and insurance, rising costs and allocating resources. The fourth and final part of the course investigates domestic health reform, particularly a normative theory of health policy decision making grounded in political and moral legitimacy. The course scrutinizes the relevance of health justice for governing health at the domestic level, that is within countries, offers a new theory of health and social justice, the health capability paradigm, and of health governance, shared health governance, evaluating current domestic health systems and proposals for reforming them in light of these alternative theoretical frameworks. BENF2260401, SWRK6260401 Cultural Diviserity in the U.S.
SOCI 2971-401 Bioethics Elizabeth Hallowell COHN 402 TR 8:30 AM-9:29 AM This course is intended to introduce students to the fundamental principles of bioethics and the many ethical issues that arise in the rapidly changing fields of biomedicine and the life sciences. The first half of the course will provide an overview of the standard philosophical principles of bioethics, using clinical case studies to help illustrate and work through these principles. In the second half of the course we will focus on recent biomedical topics that have engendered much public controversy including diagnostic genetics, reproductive technologies and prenatal screening, abortion, physician assisted suicide, human experiments, and end of life decision making. We will use the principles learned in the first half of the course to systematically think through these bioethical issues, many of which affect our everyday lives. HSOC1330401
SOCI 2971-403 Bioethics Nooshin Sadeghsamimi GLAB 102 F 12:00 PM-12:59 PM This course is intended to introduce students to the fundamental principles of bioethics and the many ethical issues that arise in the rapidly changing fields of biomedicine and the life sciences. The first half of the course will provide an overview of the standard philosophical principles of bioethics, using clinical case studies to help illustrate and work through these principles. In the second half of the course we will focus on recent biomedical topics that have engendered much public controversy including diagnostic genetics, reproductive technologies and prenatal screening, abortion, physician assisted suicide, human experiments, and end of life decision making. We will use the principles learned in the first half of the course to systematically think through these bioethical issues, many of which affect our everyday lives. HSOC1330402
SOCI 2971-404 Bioethics Nooshin Sadeghsamimi GLAB 102 F 1:45 PM-2:44 PM This course is intended to introduce students to the fundamental principles of bioethics and the many ethical issues that arise in the rapidly changing fields of biomedicine and the life sciences. The first half of the course will provide an overview of the standard philosophical principles of bioethics, using clinical case studies to help illustrate and work through these principles. In the second half of the course we will focus on recent biomedical topics that have engendered much public controversy including diagnostic genetics, reproductive technologies and prenatal screening, abortion, physician assisted suicide, human experiments, and end of life decision making. We will use the principles learned in the first half of the course to systematically think through these bioethical issues, many of which affect our everyday lives. HSOC1330403
SOCI 3000-001 Sociological Theory Stephen R. Viscelli MCNB 285 MW 3:30 PM-4:59 PM This course will introduce students to sociological theory until the 1970s. We will read excerpts of original works from key theorists in, or influencing, the discipline. We will read original works of Tocqueville, Marx, Weber, Durkheim, DuBois, Gramsci, Marcuse, C. Wright Mills and more. We will also read a few more recent works echoing classical theory. The goal of this course is to help students understand the core concepts, including those of class, race, power, markets and the state, in classical sociological theory and to sharpen their own sociological imaginations.
SOCI 3200-301 Qualitative Methods Stephen R. Viscelli MCNB 285 W 12:00 PM-2:59 PM Some social scientific questions are best answered, or can only be answered, using qualitative methods, such as participant observation and interviewing. Qualitative methods can give otherwise unattainable insights into social reality and thus provide understanding of the mechanisms and meanings of social processes that might remain black boxes using non-qualitative methods. But the complexity of raw social situations and the fundamental nature of the methods required to describe and analyze these situations raise serious challenges for systematic and explanatory research. Over the course of the semester you will learn first-hand about the power and challenges inherent in qualitative methods by using them. You will design and carry out your own pilot research project using significant participant observation and interviewing. You will carefully construct a research plan intended to answer a specific, novel research question in the first few weeks of the course and then watch that design collide with the reality of the social world. You will spend the semester implementing, reflecting on, and revising that research plan. Class time will consist of instructor presentations, examinations of research based on qualitative methods, and workshops in which you will develop your plan or field techniques and evaluate the research of classmates in a constructive manner. Throughout the semester you will be evaluated through a series of small assignments. These smaller assignments will build upon one another and ultimately contribute to your final assignment, which is a research proposal designed to answer a specific, novel question grounded in the research you conduct during this class.
SOCI 3250-001 Methods of Investigation: Global Quantitative Data Leticia Marteleto CANCELED In a time of abundant fake news and mis-information, it becomes ever important for students (for all, really!) to learn how to critically assess (and produce) robust empirical evidence to uncover patterns and trends about social life. The goal of this course is to do just that through the use of census microdata, video and photographs, with a focus on social inequality! Or, in other words…a first goal of this course is to introduce students to empirical work that will let them identify robust evidence on social inequality across a diverse set of topics and countries. A second goal of the course is to provide students with key analytical skills through working with microdata to uncover social inequality globally. Having exposure and hands-on experience with the correct tools to read (and produce) evidence on patterns and trends on social research is an important skill for students in any major. We will use publicly available census microdata on more than 100 countries from IPUMS and photographs from the Dollar Street Project. Students will work with a country, produce their own analysis and combine it with photographs and videos. As a Signature Course, a third key goal of the course is to teach students skills that will enable them to more easily read empirical work and write results more clearly and concisely. Students will practice reading academic research, do class exercises, write case studies, and complete a research paper/video/photo essay that will aid them in these goals.
SOCI 3250-201 Methods of Investigation CANCELED In a time of abundant fake news and mis-information, it becomes ever important for students (for all, really!) to learn how to critically assess (and produce) robust empirical evidence to uncover patterns and trends about social life. The goal of this course is to do just that through the use of census microdata, video and photographs, with a focus on social inequality! Or, in other words…a first goal of this course is to introduce students to empirical work that will let them identify robust evidence on social inequality across a diverse set of topics and countries. A second goal of the course is to provide students with key analytical skills through working with microdata to uncover social inequality globally. Having exposure and hands-on experience with the correct tools to read (and produce) evidence on patterns and trends on social research is an important skill for students in any major. We will use publicly available census microdata on more than 100 countries from IPUMS and photographs from the Dollar Street Project. Students will work with a country, produce their own analysis and combine it with photographs and videos. As a Signature Course, a third key goal of the course is to teach students skills that will enable them to more easily read empirical work and write results more clearly and concisely. Students will practice reading academic research, do class exercises, write case studies, and complete a research paper/video/photo essay that will aid them in these goals.
SOCI 3250-202 Methods of Investigation CANCELED In a time of abundant fake news and mis-information, it becomes ever important for students (for all, really!) to learn how to critically assess (and produce) robust empirical evidence to uncover patterns and trends about social life. The goal of this course is to do just that through the use of census microdata, video and photographs, with a focus on social inequality! Or, in other words…a first goal of this course is to introduce students to empirical work that will let them identify robust evidence on social inequality across a diverse set of topics and countries. A second goal of the course is to provide students with key analytical skills through working with microdata to uncover social inequality globally. Having exposure and hands-on experience with the correct tools to read (and produce) evidence on patterns and trends on social research is an important skill for students in any major. We will use publicly available census microdata on more than 100 countries from IPUMS and photographs from the Dollar Street Project. Students will work with a country, produce their own analysis and combine it with photographs and videos. As a Signature Course, a third key goal of the course is to teach students skills that will enable them to more easily read empirical work and write results more clearly and concisely. Students will practice reading academic research, do class exercises, write case studies, and complete a research paper/video/photo essay that will aid them in these goals.
SOCI 3501-401 Machine Learning for Social Science Greg Ridgeway MCNB 285 MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM This course provides an introduction to machine learning techniques for social science researchers. The course will cover a range of techniques including supervised and unsupervised learning, as well as more specialized methods such as deep learning and natural language processing. The course will also discuss ethical and privacy considerations in the use of machine learning, as well as the role of machine learning in policy and decision-making.
The aim of the course is to be focused on applications. While the class will present the formal background on the development of the machine learning methods, the class will focus on putting the tools into practice. We will use data on a variety of topics including criminal justice data (recidivism prediction) as well as other social science disciplines. Students completing the course will know how to apply several of the most common machine learning tools to a variety of social science problems including prediction and clustering. The course will also discuss the role of machine learning in causal inference.
CRIM4012401, CRIM6012401, SOCI6012401 https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=SOCI3501001
SOCI 3510-401 Undergraduate Research Seminar: Black@Penn Camille Charles VANP 00 CANCELED In this course, students will learn the basics of social science research, from the conception of a research project to its execution and analysis. Working individually and in teams, we will explore the basics of social science research methods—both qualitative and quantitative and extant research on the social, psychological, and academic experiences of Black college students. Using these as a starting point, students will develop and execute one or more research projects. This will include decisions about the topic to be studied, the scope of the project, methodology and design, data collection and analysis. Students will develop research skills and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively on such projects, what kinds of assumptions and/or conclusions can/cannot be drawn from different types of research, and methods for making the results of their research accessible to various audiences. This course satisfies either the Methodology requirement or the upper-level research requirement for the Africana Studies major. AFRC3800401
SOCI 4100-301 Thesis Workshop I Emilio Alberto Parrado The purpose of this course is to guide senior sociology majors in writing a research proposal for a senior honors thesis. Students will learn about various research approaches, how to write a focused literature review, and kinds of data necessary to answer a wide variety of research questions, including their own. Throughout the course, students will work on designing a research question, generation researchable hypotheses, and coming up with a design for their proposed study. The final paper for this course will be a research proposal that is the basis for students' independent research project. This course satisfies the research requirement for sociology majors and is designed primarily for seniors who are planning to write an honors thesis.
SOCI 5015-401 Black Social Movements: A Transnational Perspective Michael G. Hanchard BENN 139 R 3:30 PM-6:29 PM This course invites graduate students and advanced undergraduates with prior authorization to explore scholarship and primary materials on the transnational dimensions of black social movements. Recent phenomena such as the world- wide protest against the extrajudicial killing of George Floyd and the political assassination of Rio de Janeiro city council member Marielle Franco are two examples of the ways in which events involving black death in one locale resonate in multiple sites across the globe. Uprisings and demonstrations seemingly divided by language, culture and nation-state find common cause in collective action in response to patterns and instances of injustice and inequality. Course materials provide documentary evidence and analysis of the transnational circuitry of black social movement networks that have arisen in response to racisms targeting black and brown population. Members of scheduled castes in India, aboriginal populations in Australia and New Zealand, and Afro-descendent populations in the Americas and Europe, have become agents of change and forged substantive alliances and strategic coalitions with other social movement tendencies. Scholarship from social movement theory, Black Studies, comparative history and political theory help constitute the core reading for this course. Film, documentary narrative and autobiography will supplement reading assignments. AFRC5015401, LALS5015401, PSCI5015401
SOCI 5351-401 Quantitative Methods II Hyunjoon Park PCPE 101 R 3:30 PM-5:29 PM As the second part of a two-semester sequence, this graduate course focuses on regression analysis as used in social science research. In particular, we discuss features and assumptions of linear regression and logistic regression models. We learn how to apply regression models to real social science data using Stata and how to interpret the results. DEMG5351401
SOCI 5351-402 Quantitative Methods II Katelyn Kim PCPE 201 T 10:15 AM-11:14 AM As the second part of a two-semester sequence, this graduate course focuses on regression analysis as used in social science research. In particular, we discuss features and assumptions of linear regression and logistic regression models. We learn how to apply regression models to real social science data using Stata and how to interpret the results. DEMG5351402
SOCI 5351-403 Quantitative Methods II Katelyn Kim PCPE 201 T 12:00 PM-12:59 PM As the second part of a two-semester sequence, this graduate course focuses on regression analysis as used in social science research. In particular, we discuss features and assumptions of linear regression and logistic regression models. We learn how to apply regression models to real social science data using Stata and how to interpret the results. DEMG5351403
SOCI 5400-401 Discourse Analysis Robin Wagner-Pacifici MEYH B4 T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM Discourse Analysis examines both verbal and non-verbal communication to explore the making of claims of meaning, truthfulness, and authority, in everything from political speech to advertising to scientific reports. The course presents a range of methods and theoretical frameworks for analyzing discourse in a wide variety of social contexts (journalistic, legal, political, medical, familial). Readings and exercises draw from theories of signs, symbols, gestures, and language to analyze communicative acts and events. The goal of the course is to provide a solid grounding in the theories of speech, writing, symbols, and images, and to survey a broad array of empirical studies that have grown out of these theoretical frameworks. The course is appropriate for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. COMM5400401
SOCI 5635-301 Sociology of Health and Illness Courtney E Boen CANCELED The sociology of health and illness is a broad field covering a range of substantive and empirical issues, including (but not limited to): the social production of health, illness, morbidity and mortality; inequalities in health, illness, and disease; medicalization; the experience of illness and the sick role; and the organization and delivery of health care. While we cannot cover everything, this course is designed to give students an overview of central topics and key debates in the field, with particular emphasis on the social, structural, political, economic, and cultural forces shaping the production of health and illness. Though the course will focus predominately in the U.S. context, we will also integrate global and comparative perspectives whenever possible. The course will emphasize active discussion, cooperative learning, and continuous improvement.
SOCI 5635-302 Sociology of Health and Illness Courtney E Boen MCNB 410 W 8:30 AM-11:29 AM The sociology of health and illness is a broad field covering a range of substantive and empirical issues, including (but not limited to): the social production of health, illness, morbidity and mortality; inequalities in health, illness, and disease; medicalization; the experience of illness and the sick role; and the organization and delivery of health care. While we cannot cover everything, this course is designed to give students an overview of central topics and key debates in the field, with particular emphasis on the social, structural, political, economic, and cultural forces shaping the production of health and illness. Though the course will focus predominately in the U.S. context, we will also integrate global and comparative perspectives whenever possible. The course will emphasize active discussion, cooperative learning, and continuous improvement.
SOCI 6012-401 Machine Learning for Social Science Greg Ridgeway MCNB 285 MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM This course provides an introduction to machine learning techniques for social science researchers. The course will cover a range of techniques including supervised and unsupervised learning, as well as more specialized methods such as deep learning and natural language processing. The course will also discuss ethical and privacy considerations in the use of machine learning, as well as the role of machine learning in policy and decision-making.
The aim of the course is to be focused on applications. While the class will present the formal background on the development of the machine learning methods, the class will focus on putting the tools into practice. We will use data on a variety of topics including criminal justice data (recidivism prediction) as well as other social science disciplines. Students completing the course will know how to apply several of the most common machine learning tools to a variety of social science problems including prediction and clustering. The course will also discuss the role of machine learning in causal inference.
CRIM4012401, CRIM6012401, SOCI3501401 https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=SOCI6012401
SOCI 6220-401 Fertility & Reproductive Health Leticia Marteleto The biological, social and demographic factors explaining the levels, trends and differentials in human fertility. Data, measures, and methods used in the context of the more and the less developed countries, with an emphasis on the historical and current course of the fertility transition. DEMG6220401
SOCI 7071-401 Second Year Research Seminar II Wendy Roth This is the second part of a two-course sequence designed to introduce and familiarize second year students with current norms for academic research, presentation and publishing in the field of Demography. Students are expected to finalize the analyses and to complete their second year research paper. This is a required course for second year demography students. Others interested in enrolling in the course may do so with the permission of the Chair of the Graduate Group in Demography. DEMG7071401
SOCI 7960-401 Demographic, Economic, and Social Interrelations Amrit Thapa COHN 392 W 3:30 PM-6:29 PM The course investigates economic and social determinants of fertility, mortality, and migration, and it discusses the effects of population variables on economic and social conditions, including economic and social development. Topics discussed in the course include: How do economic changes affect marriage, divorce, and child bearing decisions? How do households make decisions about transfers and requests? How can economic and sociological approaches be combined in explanatory models of demography change? How does immigration to the US affect the ethnic composition of the population, the earnings of native workers, taxes on natives, and the macro-economy? What causes the aging of populations, and how will population aging affect the economies of industrial nations, and in particular, pension programs like Social Security? What accounts for the rise in women's participation in the wage labor force over the past century? How are family composition and poverty interrelated? Does rapid population growth slow economic development with low income countries? In addition to these topics, the course also covers selected methods not included in DEMG/SOCI 5350/5360 and 6090. DEMG7960401
SOCI 8820-401 Theories of Revolutions and Social Movements Guobin Yang ANNS 300 M 1:45 PM-3:44 PM This seminar examines theories and concepts in the analysis of revolutions, social movements, rebellions, and everyday activism and resistance. To a field of academic study largely shaped by theories and concepts produced in and about North America and Europe, we will introduce critical perspectives from/in the Global South and aspire to expand social movement studies beyond the core. To this end, we will critically examine established theoretical models while also exploring alternative and indigenous perspectives, methodologies, and political practices. We will study narratives, symbols, performances, and old and new media forms in the construction and mobilization of issues, identities, and emotions. Special attention will be given to cultures, technologies, and tactics of resistance and protest. Historical and contemporary cases from the U.S. and around the world will be examined. COMM8820401
SOCI 9980-003 Independent Readings and Research Emily Hannum For advanced students who work with individual instructors upon permission. Intended to go beyond existing graduate courses in the study of specific problems or theories or to provide work opportunities in areas not covered by existing courses. One-term course offered either term.
SOCI 9980-004 Independent Readings and Research Melissa J. Wilde For advanced students who work with individual instructors upon permission. Intended to go beyond existing graduate courses in the study of specific problems or theories or to provide work opportunities in areas not covered by existing courses. One-term course offered either term.
SOCI 9980-005 Independent Readings and Research Hyunjoon Park For advanced students who work with individual instructors upon permission. Intended to go beyond existing graduate courses in the study of specific problems or theories or to provide work opportunities in areas not covered by existing courses. One-term course offered either term.
SOCI 9980-006 Independent Readings and Research Stephen R. Viscelli For advanced students who work with individual instructors upon permission. Intended to go beyond existing graduate courses in the study of specific problems or theories or to provide work opportunities in areas not covered by existing courses. One-term course offered either term.