Title | Instructors | Location | Time | Description | Cross listings | Fulfills | Registration notes | Syllabus | Syllabus URL | ||
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SOCI 0001-401 | Poverty and Inequality | Annette Lareau | T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM | What does it mean to live in poverty in the "land of plenty" and experience inequality in the "land of opportunity?" This First-Year Seminar explores these questions and others related to poverty and inequality in contemporary America. The first part of this course focuses on poverty. We will examine topics such as poverty perceptions and measurement, poverty trends, causes of poverty, poverty-related outcomes, and anti poverty policy. The second part of this course focuses on inequality more broadly. We will examine how inequality is defined and what it looks like in the U.S. We will compare the “Haves" and the "Have Nots” and discuss social class, mobility, wealth, and privilege. Lastly, we will explore how different domains (e.g. education, the labor market, health, the justice system) produce, maintain, and reproduce inequalities. Throughout the semester, we will consider the roles of race/ethnicity, gender, age, and place, and how they help deepen our understanding of poverty and inequality. | URBS0005401 | Society Sector Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. |
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SOCI 0002-301 | Social Inequality and Health: Global Implications | Su Yeone Jeon | MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM | How are health, illness, and treatment shaped by society and its structures? This course provides an overview of how various social determinants of health—e.g., race, class, gender, culture, and environment—are connected to health disparities and shape access to healthcare. Specifically, we examine how an uneven distribution of resources and contested power dynamics among social groups lead to persistent inequalities in health outcomes in both the U.S. and global contexts. Additionally, we explore the professionalization of medicine, the industrialization of healthcare, as well as the forces that have led to “medicalization” in our society. Finally, we will examine the political economy of health care—that is, how governments interact with markets to influence medical services and what health care reform might look like. | Society Sector Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. |
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SOCI 0006-301 | Anxious Times: A Sociology of the Environmental Crisis | Hashim Bin Rashid | TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM | Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders in the US. Although over the last 150 years many have proclaimed to be entering an abrupt new age of anxiety, the prevalence of anxiety appears to have been increasing steadily over time. Anxiety is also treated more frequently by physicians, suggesting it is taken more seriously as an illness. This class will explore the rise of anxiety as the signature 21st century disorder. We will focus on how scientists have understood anxiety; its place relative to other psychiatric symptoms and disorders, such as depression; and what social factors have increased its prevalence. Along the way we will discuss the evolutionary dimensions of anxiety, as well as public beliefs about anxiety and its cultural significance. | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 0070-401 | Masculinities and Politics in Global Perspective | Paniz Musawi Natanzi | TR 5:15 PM-6:44 PM | This survey course introduces students to scholarship on men, masculinities, and their politics in global context. Combining academic readings with film, visual artwork and other media, the course will put the politics of masculinities in South Asia-- with particularly attention to Afghanistan and Pakistan--into conversation with scholarship from Africana Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and American Studies to compare experiences and contexts across the globe. The course will engage readings from feminist political geography; trans, queer, and sexuality studies; cultural studies; sociology; history; and anthropology. | AFRC0070401, GSWS0070401, SAST0070401 | ||||||
SOCI 0270-401 | The Immigrant City | Domenic Vitiello | T 10:15 AM-1:14 PM | This course focuses on immigrant communities in United States cities and suburbs. We survey migration and community experiences among a broad range of ethnic groups in different city and suburban neighborhoods. Class readings, discussions, and visits to Philadelphia neighborhoods explore themes including labor markets, commerce, housing, civil society, racial and ethnic relations, integration, refugee resettlement, and local, state, and national immigration policies. The class introduces students to a variety of social science approaches to studying social groups and neighborhoods, including readings in sociology, geography, anthropology, social history, and political science. Ultimately, the class aims to help students develop: 1) a broad knowledge of immigration and its impacts on U.S. cities and regions; 2) a comparative understanding of diverse migrant and receiving communities; and 3) familiarity with policies and institutions that seek to influence immigration and immigrant communities. | ASAM0270401, LALS0270401, URBS0270401 | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 0600-401 | Technology & Society | Elly Truitt | MW 8:30 AM-9:59 AM | Technology plays an increasing role in our understandings of ourselves, our communities, and our societies, in how we think about politics and war, science and religion, work and play. Humans have made and used technologies, though, for thousands if not millions of years. In this course, we will use this history as a resource to understand how technolgoeis affect social relations, and coversely how the culture of a society shapes the technologies it produces. Do different technolgoeis produce or result from different economic systems like feudalism, capitalism and communism? Can specific technologies promote democratic or authoritarian politics? Do they suggest or enforce different patterns of race, class or gender relations? Among the technologies we'll consider will be large objects like cathedrals, bridges, and airplanes; small ones like guns, clocks and birth control pills; and networks like the electrical grid, the highway system and the internet. | HSOC0600401, STSC0600401 | Society Sector | |||||
SOCI 1000-401 | Introduction to Sociology | Benjamin J Shestakofsky | 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 | Society Sector Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. |
https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202510&c=SOCI1000401 | ||||
SOCI 1000-402 | Introduction to Sociology | Morgan Wagdy Hanna Ghattas | R 9:00 AM-9:59 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 | Society Sector Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. |
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SOCI 1000-403 | Introduction to Sociology | Ran Wang | R 9:00 AM-9:59 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 | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 1000-404 | Introduction to Sociology | Morgan Wagdy Hanna Ghattas | 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. | AFRC1000404 | Society Sector Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. |
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SOCI 1000-405 | Introduction to Sociology | Ran Wang | 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. | AFRC1000405 | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 1000-406 | Introduction to Sociology | Abby Lim | 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. | AFRC1000406 | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 1000-407 | Introduction to Sociology | Yang Rui | 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. | AFRC1000407 | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 1000-408 | Introduction to Sociology | Abby Lim | 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. | AFRC1000408 | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 1000-409 | Introduction to Sociology | Yang Rui | 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. | AFRC1000409 | Society Sector Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. |
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SOCI 1000-410 | Introduction to Sociology | Chaewon Lee | F 9:00 AM-9:59 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. | AFRC1000410 | Society Sector Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. |
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SOCI 1000-411 | Introduction to Sociology | Chaewon Lee | 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. | AFRC1000411 | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 1000-601 | Introduction to Sociology | Jan Jaeger | 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 | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 1040-401 | Population and Society | Emilio Alberto Parrado | TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM | The course serves as an introduction to the study of population and demography, including issues pertaining to fertility, mortality, migration, and family formation and structure. Within these broad areas we consider the social, economic, and political implications of current trends, including: population explosion, baby bust, the impact of international migration on receiving societies, population aging, racial classification, growing diversity in household composition and family structure, population and environmental degradation, and the link between population and development/poverty. | GSWS1042401 | Society Sector | |||||
SOCI 1050-401 | Social Stratification | Xi Song | MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM | In this course we study the current levels and historical trends of inequality in the United States especially in cross-national comparative perspective. We discuss causes and consequences of inequality as well as various policy efforts to deal with inequality. Topics include intergenerational social mobility, income inequality, education, gender, race and ethnicity among others. | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. Society Sector |
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SOCI 1140-401 | Asian Americans In Contemporary Society | Tahseen Shams | MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM | 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. |
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SOCI 1150-401 | Fair Housing, Segregation and the Law | Lance M Freeman | T 12:00 PM-2:59 PM | This course introduces students to the way sociological theory intersects with and is used to enforce Fair Housing Law. At the end of the semester students will be familiar with various sociological theories that explain patterns of residential segregation in America. Students will learn about various planning and policies that have both reinforced and deepened patterns of segregation as well as various fair housing laws. Students will collaborate with the Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic and a community based fair housing group to address a fair housing issue. Students will collect data, gather information, and perform analyses to further a fair housing advocacy effort. |
URBS1155401 | ||||||
SOCI 2000-401 | Sociological Research Methods | Paula W Fomby | MW 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. | HSOC2002401 | Quantitative Data Analysis | |||||
SOCI 2000-402 | Sociological Research Methods | Patricia Van Hissenhoven Florez | R 9:00 AM-9:59 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 | Patricia Van Hissenhoven Florez | 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. | HSOC2002403 | Quantitative Data Analysis | |||||
SOCI 2010-401 | Social Statistics | Pilar Gonalons-Pons | MW 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. | AFRC2010401 | Quantitative Data Analysis | |||||
SOCI 2010-402 | Social Statistics | Nazar Khalid | R 9:00 AM-9:59 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 | Nazar Khalid | R 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. | AFRC2010403 | Quantitative Data Analysis | |||||
SOCI 2010-404 | Social Statistics | CANCELED | 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. | AFRC2010404 | Quantitative Data Analysis | ||||||
SOCI 2010-405 | Social Statistics | CANCELED | 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. | AFRC2010405 | Quantitative Data Analysis | ||||||
SOCI 2020-401 | Introduction to Data Analytics | Leticia Marteleto | MW 3:30 PM-4:29 PM | 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. | HSOC2012401, LALS2012401, STSC2012401 | ||||||
SOCI 2020-402 | Introduction to Data Analytics | Elise Maureen Parrish | R 12:00 PM-12:59 PM | 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. | HSOC2012402, LALS2012402, STSC2012402 | ||||||
SOCI 2020-403 | Introduction to Data Analytics | Elise Maureen Parrish | R 1:45 PM-2:44 PM | 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. | HSOC2012403, LALS2012403, STSC2012403 | ||||||
SOCI 2240-401 | Law and Social Change | Hocine Fetni | 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 2420-001 | Social Problems and Public Policy | Hashim Bin Rashid | MW 3:30 PM-4:59 PM | 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 | 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 | Rehana T. Odendaal | 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. | AFRC2430402 | Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. | |||||
SOCI 2430-403 | Race, Science & Justice | Rehana T. Odendaal | R 1:45 PM-2:44 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 2610-401 | Latinos in the United States | Guadalupe Del Rosario Barrientos | TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM | 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 2680-401 | Contemporary Immigration in the U.S. | Robert G. Gonzales | T 12:00 PM-2:59 PM | While this course will engage immigration issues more broadly, we will centrally focus on questions of immigrant incorporation and the effects of U.S immigration policy. We will start with the broad question of what should be done about the estimated 10.5 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Then, we will take a deeper look at the ways in which macro-level forces such as our laws and institutions shape the micro-level, everyday lives of undocumented immigrants and those living in mixed-status families. We will pay close attention to the circumstances of young people, including their experiences of exclusion and belonging across social and educational contexts. More specifically, we will examine how these factors might affect young people's development, schooling experiences, academic trajectories and aspirations, assimilation and ethnic identity, family dynamics, civic engagement, and employment. | EDUC5432401, LALS2680401, LALS5680401, SOCI5680401 | ||||||
SOCI 2710-301 | Global Aging: Challenges and Opportunities | Iliana V Kohler | T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM | This Penn Global Seminar explores the multifaceted implications of the worldwide phenomenon of population aging, a defining demographic, social and economic challenge of the 21st century. Global aging stems from rapid shifts in demographic patterns, including decreasing fertility rates, improvements in health care, and increases in longevity. Often misperceived as primarily impacting high-income countries, population aging in the 21st century is a global trend that affects nations across the development spectrum. The challenges and opportunities linked to aging exhibit significant variation contingent upon the by social, economic, and cultural contexts of diverse regions and responses to this challenge need to reflect the diversity of social, economic, institutional and epidemiological contexts around the world. The PGS will synthesize current research findings from demography, sociology, economics, epidemiology, public health, and healthcare policies, providing students with a multidisciplinary perspective on global aging. Students will also be familiarized with available aging data resources, and the ethical aspects of research with older individuals. The travel component includes a trip to Malawi, allowing students to apply their knowledge and insights to a real-world setting. |
Cross Cultural Analysis | ||||||
SOCI 2902-401 | The US and Human Rights: Policies and Pratices | Hocine Fetni | 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 2921-401 | Criminal Justice | Dilara Bural | 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 | T 5:15 PM-8:14 PM | 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 2952-401 | Health and Social Justice (SNF Paideia Program Course) | Jennifer J Prah Ruger | 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 2970-401 | ‘Global Inequalities’: A Comparative History of Caste and Race. | Ketaki Umesh Jaywant Ameen Muhammed Perumannil Sidhick |
TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM | Can we deploy a comparative lens to understand the categories of caste and race better? Does their juxtaposition illuminate new facets of these two structures of ‘global inequalities’? The course seeks to explore these questions by systematically studying how both caste and racial institutions, structures, and identities were historically produced, transformed, and challenged through their global circulation from the nineteenth-century to the present. Caste and race have been old co-travelers, and their various points of intersection can be traced at least to the nineteenth century. And so, in this course we will embark upon a historical adventure, one replete with stories of violence, political intrigue, intense emotions, as also episodes of incandescent resistance. Together, we will trace the genealogy of how modern categories of ‘caste’ and ‘race’ were systematically composed by colonial knowledge production, orientalist writings, and utilitarian discourse, both in Europe and the colonies. While colonialism and the global hegemony of European modernity were crucial to the co-constitution and the circulation of caste and race, anti-caste and anti-race politics too have historically brought a unique comparative lens to these two categories. And so, this course will also include a close analysis of critical works on caste and race by activists and intellectuals from the nineteenth century to the present from all over the world. Taking our key question about the comparative study of caste and race as out point of departure, the course will interrogate this juxtaposition by closely studying some crucial analytical grounds commonly shared by the two structures in question. We will explore the intersections, exchanges, and divergences between caste and race by approaching them from the perspective of violence, colonialism, Slavery and Abolition, mid-twentieth century writings in American and South Asian politics, experience and testimonios, and subaltern international solidarities. |
AFRC2219401, GSWS2219401, SAST2219401 | ||||||
SOCI 2971-401 | Bioethics | Amy S Lutz | MW 10:15 AM-11:14 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 | 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 | 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 3010-401 | Contemporary Sociological Theory | Robin Wagner-Pacifici | MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM | This course will explore contemporary social theory with an emphasis on theories and theoretical orientations related to social interaction, identity, culture, and inequality. For example, we will discuss sociological theories from the last half century about race and racism, gender, social class, education, emotion, and violence. Importantly, we will consider theory in the context of its application to empirical social science research and real world concerns. The course fulfills the theory requirement for sociology minors and all soicology majors. | COMM6010401, SOCI6010401 | ||||||
SOCI 3501-401 | Machine Learning for Social Science | Greg Ridgeway | 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=202510&c=SOCI3501401 | |||||
SOCI 4100-301 | Thesis Workshop I | Melissa J. Wilde | 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 5351-401 | Quantitative Methods II | Hyunjoon Park | 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 | F 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 | F 1:45 PM-2:44 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 5410-401 | Advanced Topics in Sociology of Gender | Pilar Gonalons-Pons | W 3:30 PM-6:29 PM | This advanced seminar on the sociology of gender critically examines ideas about gender (women, men, masculinity, femininity), how those ideas shape our social world, and the subsequent power and impact of gender ideologies. | DEMG5410401, GSWS5320401 | ||||||
SOCI 5680-401 | Contemporary Immigration in the U.S. | Robert G. Gonzales | T 12:00 PM-2:59 PM | While this course will engage immigration issues more broadly, we will centrally focus on questions of immigrant incorporation and the effects of U.S immigration policy. We will start with the broad question of what should be done about the estimated 10.5 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Then, we will take a deeper look at the ways in which macro-level forces such as our laws and institutions shape the micro-level, everyday lives of undocumented immigrants and those living in mixed-status families. We will pay close attention to the circumstances of young people, including their experiences of exclusion and belonging across social and educational contexts. More specifically, we will examine how these factors might affect young people's development, schooling experiences, academic trajectories and aspirations, assimilation and ethnic identity, family dynamics, civic engagement, and employment. | EDUC5432401, LALS2680401, LALS5680401, SOCI2680401 | ||||||
SOCI 6010-401 | Contemporary Sociological Theory | Robin Wagner-Pacifici | MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM | This is a graduate-level course that will explore contemporary social theory with an emphasis on theories and theoretical orientations related to social interaction, identity, culture, and inequality. For example, we will discuss sociological theories from the last half century about race and racism, gender, social class, education, emotion, and violence. Importantly, we will consider theory in the context of its application to empirical social science research and real world concerns. | COMM6010401, SOCI3010401 | ||||||
SOCI 6012-401 | Machine Learning for Social Science | Greg Ridgeway | 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=202510&c=SOCI6012401 | |||||
SOCI 6210-401 | Current Issues in Health and Mortality | Irma Elo | T 8:30 AM-11:29 AM | The course focuses on the description and explanation of health and mortality in human populations and their variability across several dimensions such as age, time, place, social class, race, etc. The course includes general theories of health, mortality and morbidity, investigations of mortality and related processes in developing and developed countries, and discussions of future mortality trends and their implications for individual lives and the society at large. | DEMG6210401 | ||||||
SOCI 6280-401 | Migration and Development | Domenic Vitiello | W 8:30 AM-11:29 AM | International migration is one of the most important phenomena driving urban, community, economic, and human development. This course focuses on the ways that migrants and community, government, and private institutions work to influence development around the world. We explore a range of large- and small-scale economic development, human and community development. After a brief introduction to histories and theories of migration and development, our major themes include: 1) the work of institutions, governments, and private sector firms in sending and receiving nations that influence migration and development; 2) diaspora-led transnational development, including remittances, hometown and country associations, and transnational advocacy and community organizing; and 3) local revitalization, labor and housing markets, workforce and enterprise development in migrant-receiving settings. Readings are drawn from a variety of social sciences, planning and development studies, including from academia and practice. Guests from local and transnational development organizations will visit the class. Assignments include short papers on the readings and a research paper or project designed by each student in consultation with the instructor. Ultimately, the course aims to help students develop: 1) a broad knowledge of migration and development in geographic and institutional settings around the world; 2) an in-depth understanding of community and economic development practices in migrant sending and receiving communities; and 3) familiarity with social science approaches to evaluating the dynamics and impacts of migration and development. |
CPLN6280401 | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202510&c=SOCI6280401 | |||||
SOCI 7071-401 | Second Year Research Seminar II | Emilio Alberto Parrado | R 3:30 PM-6:29 PM | 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 7310-401 | Advanced Demographic Methods | Michel Guillot | T 3:30 PM-6:29 PM | This course considers a variety of procedures for measuring and modeling demographic processes. We will consider both deterministic (drawn from classic demographic methods, stable population theory, and the like) and stochastic (drawn from statistics) perspectives and methods, including their integration. Pre-requisites: DEMG 609 and SOCI 536 (or its equivalent). | DEMG7310401 |