Sociology

Surveys the basic concepts, theories and analytical methods of sociology and introduces students to sociology as a way of thinking. 

This course examines the rise of the North American film industry, its organization and its current cultural influence. It investigates the history of early film, the rise of the studio system, the star as celebrity, the emergence of a number of film aesthetics, and it analyses how film has represented social issues especially those of class, gender and race.

This course provides a broad-based introduction to the interdisciplinary field of the sociology of the media. It explores the political, economic, ideological and organizational settings within which the media operates and charts its growing importance in many aspects of contemporary life.

This course will examine the changing nature and organization of work within the context of regional, national and international developments.

Examines the social nature and consequences of health, illness and healing and looks at medicine as a form of social control. Areas to be covered include the delivery of health care, social construction of medical knowledge, social inequality and its impact on health and disease.

Examines the historical preconditions, current processes in and structure of Canadian society. This may include French-English relations, regionalism, native rights, Canadian mosaic and position in the world system. 

An introduction to Mexican society and social history from pre-Columbian to contemporary times, offering a conceptual framework for understanding Mexican Society, current events and its place in the world system. 

An introduction to gender and gender studies from a sociological viewpoint with some consideration of interdisciplinary perspectives. Examines basic concepts, approaches, and methods pertinent to understanding gender relations and divisions in a global and historical context. NOTE: Students who take SOCI 2501 may not receive credit for GEND 2001 . 

An analysis of social movements and revolutions from a sociological perspective. Emphasis is on critical understanding of why they arise, why some fail and why others succeed.

Examines the elements and patterns of deviance, basic principles of both normative and deviant behaviour, and the institutionalization of each. Studies examples of specific areas and types of deviance in some detail.

Introduces students to the field of qualitative criminology. Focuses on criminological developments since the work of Becker in the 1950s. Emphases will be placed on interactionist, ethnomethodological, feminist, and other micro-level analyses of crime in Western societies.

Introduction to historical and sociological understanding of modern and post-modern societies. Particular emphasis will be placed on Canada and Europe.

Examines the historical preconditions, together with the current processes in, and structure of, Cuban society. 

An overview of the origins and development of sociology. Considers major classical theorists such as Marx, Durkheim and Weber, as well as some selected contemporary ones, and examines readings from original works.

Explores the relationships between the evolution of economic ideas and the prevailing socio-historical conditions. Also examines broader implications of economic ideas for the formulation of economic and social policy. 

Introduces students to the logic and main stages of quantitative research, covering sampling, measurement, data collection methods, and statistical analysis as well as research ethics. 

Introduces students to the inter-disciplinary emergence of qualitative methods (e.g., feminist, interactionist, textual), with an emphasis on epistemological, philosophical and reflexive concerns as well as practical applications.

A sociological examination of the principal ways communication can be understood. It will analyze both theoretical considerations and applied issues in communication studies.

This course provides a broad- based introduction to the interdisciplinary field of the sociology of film. It investigates the relationship between film and society and focuses its attention on post World War II Hollywood Films, Italian Neo-realist and French New Wave films. 

This course situates cinematic Rome in its cultural, urban, social and political settings. It focuses on films that treat the city of Rome as a protagonist as well as a symbolic cultural space that will be traversed, examined, contested, and reclaimed. The course will further examine how Rome is used in film as a site for the projection of modern romance, Cold War imperial political conflicts, sexual identities, decadence, and cultural anxieties. Course will normally be taught on site in Rome.

An introduction into the origin and role of signs and symbols in the production and reproduction of human societies. 

A comparative historical study of the wealth and poverty of nations. Emphasizes how the environment, culture and politics affect economic development.

Examines gender as an organizing principle in social life, exploring how particular patterns of gender relations shape and are shaped by key areas of human activity (e.g., work, education, communication, sexuality, family violence) in ways that generate and perpetuate gender inequalities.

Explores the processes through which gender relations and assumptions about gender enter into the design and use of technologies, the extent to which the social relations of technology are implicated in the generation of gender inequalities, and the impacts of technology on the lives of women and men.

Examines the complex relations between law and Western societies. Emphasis will be on qualitative, historical and critical interpretations of the field. Wherever possible, empirical analysis will be used to highlight theoretical concerns.

Advanced study in the field of qualitative criminology. Focuses on developments in the field since the emergence of the New Criminology in the 1970s. Emphasis will be placed on Marxist, post-structuralist and other macro-level analyses of crime in Western Societies.

Advanced study of socio-cultural and socio-historical transformations in Western societies. Emphasis will be placed on the critical literature in this field, and the detailed analysis of specific empirical transformations. Course topics change annually.

Analyzes the evolution and structure of the urban community as a socio-spatial system. An introduction to the study of urban sociol and ecological structures, with particular attention given to the Canadian urban system.

Course explores the transition from traditional to modern society. Emphasis is on the structures of everyday life before and after modernization. 

Investigates the social contexts of artistic endeavour and consumption of such art forms as painting, music, literature, theatre, film and architecture. Explores the role of both amateur and professional artists as well as their products and publics.

Analyzes the development of organized social welfare as a component of modern industrialized societies.Pays attention to the rise of the welfare state in historical and comparative perspectives. Also investigates contemporary problems which confront both the welfare state itself and individuals within the system.

This course explores the spirituality and diversity of native culture in Canada, the impact of European colonization and the use of genocide, reserves and residential schools. 

Intermediate level course that examines the culture and art of Mexican Society from pre‐Columbian era to modern times. Contemporary issues such as poverty and global uneven economic development will also be examined. Course may involve field study component.

This course examines films shot in New York within the historical and sociological context of the city as well as within the body of work of a number of directors who made New York an important setting for their stories. The course will normally be taught on site in New York. 

This course examines the social construction of knowledge. Explores the social and historical processes by which we have come to accept certain claims to knowledge as valid. Also examines controversies about the progressiveness and rationality of knowledge.

Under the direction of a supervisor, an Honours student develops a proposal which is approved by the Discipline.

Under the direction of a supervisor, a student conducts, completes and defends a thesis.

Intensive study of a selected theorist, theory group or issue in sociological theory. 

Advanced studies in discourse and textual analysis. Topics may vary from year to year, but will typically cover a selection from the following intellectual schools: phenomenology, ethnomethodology, conversation analysis, discourse analysis, cultural studies, post-structuralism, deconstruction, and feminism. 

A comprehensive historical study of the political routes the major countries of the East and the West took to reach modern industrial society. Emphasis is on the interrelations of state power, class, ideology, and industrialization.

Intensive examination of one or more selected topics. 

This course examines the daily cultural artifacts that surround us, their multitude of meanings, and their use by social actors. This course will provide a historical background for understanding contemporary popular culture, and will investigate current theoretical debates on mass culture, popular culture and postmodernism.

An advanced level focus on how organizations are viewed and explained as gendered, sexualized entities. Examines feminist critiques of traditional approaches to organization; feminist conceptualizations of gender and organization; empirical studies of men and women in particular organizations; organizations, gender and violence; and gender and military organization.

Intensive examination of selected recent developments in the field with an emphasis on feminist, critical, post‐structural and interactionist literature.

In‐depth examination of selected topics in the field. Theoretical emphases will vary from year to year, but insights from phenomenological, ethnomethodological, post‐structural, feminist and other discursive approaches will be stressed. Substantive topics also vary from year to year, but historical and contemporary concerns regarding ‘social rights’ and ‘welfare law’ will be prioritized.

A comparative study of the cultural, political and economic heritage of world civilizations. 

Provides Majors and Honours students with the opportunity to pursue a special area of interest on an individualized basis. Requires a substantial essay, based on library research. Course offering depends on the consent and availability of Sociology faculty.

Provides Majors and Honours students with the opportunity to do basic, hands‐on research in an area of special interest. Requires a substantial essay, based on the student’s directed
research. Prerequisite: SOCI 3103. Corequisite: SOCI 3100. Course offering depends on the consent and availability of Sociology faculty.