Spring 2026
SOCI 5515 – Sociology of Immigration
Professor Fumilayo Showers, Thursdays 12:20-3:20
This graduate-level course provides a sociological perspective for understanding the diverse causes, consequences, and contexts of contemporary United States immigration. It provides a theoretical and analytical lens through which to understand historical and contemporary immigration debates while centering the lived realities of individuals and groups. We begin with a discussion of theories of migration, highlighting important theoretical contributions but also pointing to theoretical exclusions. We then analyze the policies that drive and control US immigration. Other topics include gender and work, experiences of refugees and populations with precarious legal statuses; immigration and immigration enforcement; and transnationalism and diasporic communities.
SOCI 5601 – Gender and Society
Professor Mary Bernstein, Thursdays 3:30-6:30
Gender is one of the most central axes of inequality, along with class, race, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, and sexuality. Gendered analyses of almost every social phenomenon exist, because gender always matters when we are thinking about the social world. In this course, we will explore the complex processes contributing to the social construction of gender and examine different theories generated to explain gender inequality. Taking an intersectional lens, this course will focus on several key areas within the field, including masculinities; transgender identities, migration & globalization, gender and violence, as well as gender in a variety of institutions, including family, education, the state, and work.