SPRING 2025

 

SOCI 5002    PROSEMINAR

MONDAY 3:30 – 4:30 PM   JEREMY PAIS

Part two of a required year-long seminar for all M.A. candidates in the first year of study. Provides an orientation to graduate education and offers students opportunities for professional development. Topics include strategies for successful graduate education; advice on mentoring and networking; starting a thesis project, presenting research, applying for grants, and publishing. Reviews various career opportunities for professional sociologists and provides guidance on how to best prepare for the job market.

 

 

SOCI 5203    QUANITATIVE RESEARCH I

TUESDAY 12:30 –  3:15 PM   JEREMY PAIS

This is an introductory social statistics course for graduate students. The primary goal of the course is to introduce students to the fundamentals of statistical reasoning and to the role of statistical methods in social research. The main topic is linear regression analysis. Specific topics will include functional form (e.g., modeling non-linear effects), mediation (e.g., path analysis), and interaction effects. We will also cover data reduction techniques (e.g., factor analysis), and learn about different regression diagnostics methods and solutions to various violations of assumptions (e.g., instrumental variables). Students should have exposure to linear algebra and a basic understanding of probability prior to enrollment.

 

SOCI 5231    QUALITATIVE RESEARCH I

TUESDAY 3:30 – 6:30 PM    NANCY NAPLES

Introduction to qualitative methods of social research. Topics include contemporary theoretical and epistemological debates; ethical issues; and exploration of the diverse traditions approaches of qualitative research. Discussion of different strategies for conducting fieldwork, interviewing, and textual, virtual, and archival research. Hands on approaches to gathering data and addressing the relationships between theory, methods of analysis, and data collection; and introduction to a variety of perspectives on writing, narrative, and analytic strategies.

 

SOCI 5501    RACISM

MONDAY 12:30 – 3:15 PM    DAVID EMBRICK

Variable topics in the study of racism, such as racism and U.S. social policy, white racism, and the social construction of whiteness. Topic may vary by semester.

May be repeated for a total of 6 credits

 

SOCI 5515    SOCIOLOGY OF IMMIGRATION

THURSDAY 3:30 – 6:30 PM   ELIZABETH JACOBS

Theoretical and empirical work on immigration and ethnicity including forms of assimilation, ethnicity and transnationalism; challenges and opportunities for incorporation, and struggles over political, social, economic human rights. The course focuses on the US with selected cases from Europe and Asia.

 

SOCI 5821    SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

THURSDAY 12:30 – 3:15 PM    MARY BERNSTEIN

Social movements and collective protest provide a voice for those seeking change around
the most contentious political issues of our time. This course will examine diverse theoretical perspectives which explain the origins, strategies, goals, and outcomes of social movements. In addition to understanding the more standard approaches of resource mobilization and political process theories, we will explore the importance of collective identity, culture and multi-institutional politics in the field of social movements.