Description:

Description:

Description:

This course is designed to introduce students to the sociological study of society. Sociology is the systematic study of social interaction, social organizations, and social institutions. The course will introduce basic sociological concepts such as the relationship between the individual and society, the social construction of reality, and the causes and consequences of social inequality. We will examine major topics in sociological research, including but not limited to inequality, mobility, race and ethnicity, gender, family, punishment and social control, sexuality, and education. We will cover different methods sociologists use to understand the relationship between individuals and society. The course is focused on the U.S. context, but global forces will be considered as well. Class format is primarily lecture-based, but students will participate in weekly discussion groups as well. The overall goal of this class is to equip students with the analytic tools to understand structural factors that shape social life. 

Required Readings:

All readings will be made available in a packet and/or on Blackboard.

Attendance Policy:

Students are allowed three (3) absences during the semester. These absences are intended to cover unexpected events such as illnesses or family emergencies. If students miss more than three classes, their semester grades will be reduced by one percentage point for each absence beyond the three allowed. The two exceptions to this policy are religious holy days and military service, both of which require advance written notice. For details, please refer to UT-Austin Academic Policies and Procedures: http://catalog.utexas.edu/general-information/academic-policies-and-procedures/attendance/

Grading Policy:

Midterm Exam: 20%

Final Exam: 30%

Research Essay: 30%

Pop Quizzes: 10%

Class Participation/Discussion Groups: 10%

Description  

This course will introduce you to what it means to think about the world like a sociologist. Over the course of the semester, we will read a little bit about a lot of things: culture, race, the economy, crime, cities, to name just a few. In each case, our focus will be on understanding what a sociological analysis of the topic would entail. We will talk about how sociologists analyze big changes taking place in the world like large scale economic change, but also how they examine small everyday situations like going to a movie theatre. Along the way we will also talk about major theoretical approaches to the study of society developed by the “founding” fathers of sociology: Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim. By the end of the course you should be able to think about the world in a sociological way, including being able to ask sociological questions and develop sociological schemes for acquiring answers

Course Description

This course will closely examine how social forces in society shape our behavior and penetrate our being. After all, we are all the product of our society and vice versa. Our identities, hopes, fears, grievances and satisfactions derive from the patterns of socialization orchestrated within human groups. In this class, students will be introduced to the basic concept of sociological imagination and principles of sociological reasoning. Many societal issues will be examined through the practice of classical theories and sociological perspectives. As we journey through the course, students will become more familiar with the nature of sociology, social construction of reality, micro and macro sociological analysis, and concepts such as culture, socialization, social structures, self and society, stratification, gender inequality, love, marriage, and divorce. Finally, the course will explore the sociology of health, medicine, and the mind-body connection.

Grading Policy

Research paper 24% Three exams 60%Cass project and participation 8%Quiz 8 %

Texts

James M. Henslin, Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach (eighth or ninth edition), 2008Reading packet available at Paradigm (407 W. 24th St.)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The principle objective of Physical Activity in Society is to understand the way in which people are physically active in a social context.  We will examine how social forces influence physical activity including cultural, economic, historical, and demographic considerations.  The course examines physical activity on both the individual and population levels to better understand benefits and barriers to activity in society.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Analyze contemporary issues in physical activity from a variety of disciplinary and professional perspectives.
• Understand physical activity on both the personal/individual level as well as the population level.
• Critically evaluate (and convey through writing) the assumptions, motives, and evidence that individuals and groups use in discussing physical activity.
• Use autoethnography to understand contemporary issues.

REQUIRED READING

Readings are available on Canvas.  There is no required textbook for the course.

COURSE FORMAT

This course is organized in a lecture format with discussions throughout. Though a larger class, these discussions are an important place to connect lecture content and class readings to your related experiences, interests, and knowledge.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION

Specific details on assignments (including rubrics) are available on Canvas.  Due dates are included on the course calendar (p. 3) - all assignments are due at 11:59PM that day via Canvas.  Late assignments will lose points. Your course grade will be comprised of the following:

 Field Observation (40%)

An integral part of this class is field observations of physical activity (at least twice weekly) as a way to connect content in lecture and readings to the real world.  You will collect data as a participant observer (using autoethnography) in a physical activity of your choice - sports, dance, exercise, walking, gardening, cycling, etc.  These observations are the basis for your final paper.

Observations will be submitted three times during the semester and include the following three sections:

1. Address specific questions related to the current course content.
2. Tie together themes throughout the course.
3. Include scholarly sources (paper, book, etc.) related to your activity for use in your final paper.

Each assignment will have detailed prompts for each section.  All due are Fridays by 11:59PM.

 Exams (30%)

There will be two in-class exams covering material from lecture and the readings.

Final Project (30%)

The semester’s work will culminate in a project wherein you combine your field observations with scholarly sources you find to create a larger narrative about how your physical activity functions in society.

Overall semester averages will earn the following letter grades:

93-100:    A                 90-92:  A-

87-89:   B+                  83-86:  B                     80-82:  B-

77-79:   C+                  73-76:  C                     70-72:  C-

67-69:   D+                 63-66:  D                     60-62:  D-                   0-59.9:  F

Course grades will be assigned strictly according to this scale, rounded to the nearest whole number (so 92.4 earns an A-, not an A; 89.5 earns an A-, not an B+).

Course description

In this course, we will examine the interplay between society, health, and happiness, drawing upon findings from a variety of fields, including psychology, sociology, neuroscience, and economics. Topics include the nature and measurement of happiness, the relationship between health and happiness, the social or collective dimensions of health and happiness, and the relationship between money and individual well- being. Students will also engage with practical lessons from the scientific study of happiness and human flourishing by applying insights from research to their own lives.

 Course objectives

By the end of the course, students will be prepared to answer the following questions:

• What are different ways in which happiness is understood, defined, measured, and studied?
• What does research tell us about the relationships between health, happiness, and money?
• What are the relationships between health, happiness, and social connectedness?
• To what extent can health and happiness be facilitated by society?

 Required books

Buettner, Dan. (2012). The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons From the World’s Happiest People. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

Partanen, Ann. (2015). The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life. New York: Harper Collins.

 Grading

Final letter grades will be assigned using the scale below.

 Course requirements

 Six short papers (30%)

For each class day, a prompt will be posted on Canvas with some questions related to the readings. Everyone must submit the first paper. Everyone must also submit three papers during the first half of the course (topics covered by the first exam) and three papers during the second half of the course (topics covered by the second exam). Outside of those parameters, you may submit your papers on any topic of your choice. Reading response papers will be graded as 100 (extraordinary), 90 (exceeds expectations), 80 (meets expectations, but with minor problems), 70 (meets minimum expectations, with some problems), or 0 (not worthy of credit). All reading papers are due on Canvas one hour before class begins. 

 Book discussion assignments (20%)

To prepare for our in-class book discussions, you will need to submit an assignment in response to a prompt that will be provided. Book discussion assignments will also be graded as 100 (extraordinary), 90 (exceeds expectations), 80 (meets expectations, but with minor problems), 70 (meets minimum expectations, but with some problems), or 0 (not worthy of credit). The book assignments are due on Canvas one hour before class begins.

 Exams (30%)

There are two exams in this course. The first exam will cover the first half of the topics (1-8). The second half will cover the second half of the topics (9-16). There is no cumulative exam or final exam at the end of the semester.

Happiness project (10%)

To apply course concepts, we will conduct our own happiness projects this semester. They will consist of interventions designed to improve your overall happiness. You are encouraged to work in pairs or small groups. As we will learn this semester, happiness is a group project. More information will be provided early in the semester.

 Presentation (5%)

At the end of the semester, each happiness project will be presented to the class.

 Attendance & participation (5%)

Your grade will be based in part on the quantity and quality of your contributions to class activities and discussions. To earn an A, you should generally plan to attend at least 90% of classes and contribute to each class discussion.   

Description:

Why do birth rates rise and fall?  How can the U.S. have both record rates of childlessness as well as the highest rates of teen childbearing and unwanted pregnancy in the industrialized world?  Why does educating women lower birth rates faster than any population control program in the Third World?  This course will explore when, why, how, and with whom Americans bear children, and how we compare to other developed and developing countries in the world.  We will explore infertility and its treatments, the ethics of surrogacy, voluntary childlessness, the rapid rise of nonmarital childbearing in the U.S. and other countries, the politics of childbirth and risks of maternal mortality in developed and developing countries, and the declining populations and rapid aging  of  rich countries including Japan, Italy, and Spain where women have basically stopped having children. 

Texts:  Available at Coop

Liza Mundy, Everything Conceivable, NY: Anchor Books, 2007

Michelle Goldberg, Means of Reproduction , NY: Penguin Bookds, 2010

Grading and Rrequirements:

Two opinion essays: 30%

Midterm exam:       40%

Final exam:             20%

Class participation: 10%

Course Descriptoin Description:

The experiences of Mexican American women or Chicanas in the United States vary according to generation, immigrant status, socioeconomic status, education, gender, sexuality, labor, and political engagement.  This course seeks to illuminate some of the lived experience of Chicanas from a historical and contemporary perspective. Through our readings and discussions, we examine the development of Chicana feminist theory and practice, especially as seen in artistic and literary responses. Such an understanding will include an introduction to key figures in the Chicana feminism movement, as well as feminist and post-colonial thought. We will formulate ideas, views, and responses to these perspectivesthrough an examination of works by Chicana writers and artists.  Finally, we will examine Chicana feminism as an active, dynamic practice in which we engage in daily through our study and in our own lived experiences.

 Course Objectives:

• Identify and define key concepts, theories, and figures of Chicana feminist thought.
• Identify and analyze the diverse experiences of Chicanas living in the US both in a historical and contemporary perspective
• Analyze texts by Chicana writers and artists using Chicana feminism as a theoretical approach.
• Use critical thinking and writing skills to develop original arguments about course materials.
• Apply Chicana feminist thought to our own experiences, using what we have learned to think more critically about the issues of race, class, and gender in the United States.

 Course Flags:

This course carries the Cultural Diversity flag.  The Cultural Diversity requirement increases your familiarity with the variety and richness of the American cultural experience. Courses carrying this flag ask you to explore the beliefs, practices, and histories of at least one cultural group that has experienced persistent marginalization. Many of these courses also encourage you to reflect on your own cultural experiences.

 Texts: Gloria Anzaldúa Borderlands/La Frontera;

Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street

“Woman Hollering Creek” and other Stories;

Reyna Grande, The Distance Between Usand Dancing with Butterflies. 

All books are available at the UT Co-op and any articles will be posted on Canvas.

“All the particles of the world are in love and looking for lovers.” --Rumi

 OBJECTIVES

Course Description

Sociology 308L examines the spiritual, social, cultural, and psychological perspectives regarding the ideas of love and intimacy. The first part of the course will examine unconditional love and its characteristics, the presence of love, and the nature of being. The second portion will emphasize the historical, social, and psychological dimensions of love. The course will offer insights to understand how love and intimacy interact with rapid social, economic, and cultural change, and how the subsequent change transformed the social world and the meaning of love both in the West and in the Middle East. As we journey through this course, you will become familiar with: the aspects of self and identity; differentiation in the context of love in the modern age; the family and the individual; the impact of industrialization on private lives and the public order; race and gender communication. We will also explore the intercultural aspect of love and intimacy in the United States, personal choice and arranged marriages in Asia and the Middle East. During the course, students are required to engage in paired-learning exercises or group workshops to assess and interpret the information on patterns of relationships. These workshops are also designed to further display a clear and critical understanding of the theories, ideas, and concepts through written, oral, and visual communication. These activities are similarly aimed to cultivate teamwork and collaborative decision-making in the learning process. This course brings some of the current research and thinking, not only from the social perspective, but also from a wide variety of intellectual disciplines.

Readings: Course Packet

Ekhart Tolle. 2004. Power of Now.         

Course Evaluation

1)    A Research Paper and presentation  26%

2)    Two exams 50% (each exam counts 25%).

3)    Quizzes 8%.

4)    Class participation/group workshops 16%. 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The principle objective of H S 301/SOC 308S is to offer students a broad overview of health and society from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. We will examine how social forces influence health and disease in U.S. society, including cultural, economic, and demographic considerations. We will explore why rates of disease vary among different populations and how cultural and structural inequalities shape access to healthcare and affect morbidity and mortality. How do economic factors, politics, public perceptions of morality, and historical biases against specific populations shape our modern-day understandings and experiences of health and illness? We will also examine how social forces shape the very definitions of health, illness, and disease categories, and thereby medical diagnoses and treatments. We will consider the social consequences of the commodification of healthcare and how new technologies are transforming our current healthcare system and the nature of the patient/physicianrelationship. Our course readings and discussions will help us address current bioethical controversies that continue to influence our beliefs about health and illness and shape our very understandings about human rights and personhood. This course is built around lectures (including guest lectures), class discussion, and film screenings and discussion.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Analyze contemporary health issues from a variety of disciplinary and professional perspectives.

• Explain how social location, the media, and economic forces shape health behaviors and outcomes.

• Explain how social and cultural factors shape contemporary understandings and experiences of health and illness and death and dying in the U.S.

• Critically evaluate the assumptions, motives, and evidence that individuals and groups use to make specific claims about health and illness.

COURSE MATERIALS

Gawande, Atul. 2014. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. New York:Metropolitan.

Marmot, Michael. 2005. The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing Affects Our Health and Longevity. New York: Holt.

Course readings also include scholarly articles, book chapters, and other required readings available on Canvas.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION

This course is organized in a lecture format, but it is greatly enhanced by your participation. For variety’s sake, I will often incorporate short video-clips, group activities, and/or writing exercises in our class session. We will also spend considerable time each week discussing the readings and our own experiences, interests, and knowledge in this area. Please remember that discussions will only be as rich as you all make them, so it is essential that everyone come prepared to speak about the readings thoughtfully and critically. Your final evaluation for the course will be broken down as follows:

Attendance and Preparedness (10%)

Students are expected to attend class, read assignments before each class, and actively participate in classroom discussions during the week. Eight times during the semester the instructor will have students sign in on a class roster or complete a group assignment in the first few minutes of class. Students will be granted one unexcused absence with no penalty. If you have a university-related conflict or medical or family emergency that prevents you from attending class, alert your TA (providing relevant documentation) and you will not be penalized for a particular absence, but you must contact your TA in advance of missing class. NOTE: Tardiness will adversely affect your grade; students who arrive late risk missing this activity or sign-in sheet and will not be allowed to receive credit for the day.

Reading responses (10%)

Students are expected to keep up with the reading for the class. Six times during the course of the semester, I will pose a reading question on the course Canvas page relevant to recent reading. The questions will be posted on Sunday evening and students are expected to write a reading response of one page, double-spaced (between 250 and 350 words) and upload a copy to the Canvas page by 5pm on the Thursday that they are due. Responses will be graded as meets/exceeds expectations (100), meets minimum expectations (70), no credit (0). See course schedule for Reading Responses (marked RR).

Exams (60%)

Two exams (worth 30% each) will be given to assess your level of mastery of the course material, including assigned readings, lectures (including guest lectures), and in-class films and other media presentations. . Both exams will be a combination of multiple choice, true-false, fill-in-theblank, short answer, or short essay items.

Essay (20%)

Students are required to write one of two essay assignments offered during the term. The paper will be approximately 5 pages in length (not to exceed 6 double-spaced pages), and will answer a specific prompt related to course topics. Specific assignments will be posted to Canvas on the dates indicated below. Papers are due in class; electronic submissions of papers will NOT be  accepted. Due dates are firm. Five points will be deducted each day the paper is late, but papers will not be accepted if they are more than five days late. Late papers cannot be emailed or posted to Canvas, so it a student’s responsibility to submit a hard copy of his/her paper to the appropriate TA.

Description:

The course will offer students an overview of sustainability as something human beings must strive to create in an era of global warming and ever greater social inequalities; both between countries and within countries.   The focus of the course will revolve around the core issues of sustainability: what does sustainability mean?  Why do we need to remake human societies in more sustainable ways?  And what does social equity have to do with sustainability?  One of the problems we have in teaching about sustainability today is our focus on two of the "E's" without much attention to the third. We talk mostly about Environment, secondly about Economy, and then tend to pay short shrift to Equity.  This course will address all three, but put a greater focus on Equity than is usual.  The course will be taught from a social sciences perspective, which approaches human relationships with the natural world (Environment) in the context of their relationships with each other (Environment and Equity).  Global warming (environment) is main reason we are talking about Sustainability today, but global warming is both cause and effect of our economies and inequalities.

 Required Texts

 Carolan, Micheal,  Society and the Environment; Pragmatic Solutions to Ecological Issues. Westview Press, 2013.

 Grading Policy

There will be three essay assignments and one group project.  Each will count 25% of the grade

Description:

This course presents a general overview of the statistical methods used in the social sciences. While it’s important that you gain an understanding of the mathematical concepts behind the statistical analyses, it is of even greater importance that you leave this course with a conceptual and rational understanding of today’s most commonly used (and useful) statistical methods.

Truth claims made with statistics are abundant and often have the quality of facts in U.S. social and political life. Unfortunately, because many people do not understand the statistics undergirding these claims, they receive less scrutiny than they deserve. It is my primary goal to ensure that students learn the basic statistical literacy they need to be smart consumers of information. Our increasing reliance on statistics to understand the social world means that statistical and analytic skills are marketable skills. In fact statistics is one of very few classes that sociology majors take that provides them with concretely marketable skills. I believe that giving undergraduates a solid understanding of statistics is a way of democratizing knowledge and its production. In teaching statistics my goals are:

•   To demystify statistics so that every student can be a smart consumer of quantitative information.

•  To teach students to think sociologically with and about quantitative information.

• To provide students with a solid foundation of quantitative and computing skills that could serve

  as assets in subsequent employment and academic settings.

•   To demonstrate to students that learning statistics has practical applications outside of the       classroom in everyday life.

Texts:

Salkind, Neil J.. 2012. Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics: Excel 2010 Edition. 3rd Edition. SAGE Publications. 

Grading and Reqirement:

I will use a non-competitive grading scale. In other words, the grade you receive will not depend on how well others have performed in class. You can earn a maximum of 115 points in this class. Your grade will be based on your mastery of each of the required tasks in the class. The grading scale for the final course grade is as follows: 115-94=A; 90-93=A-; 87-89=B+; 83-86=B; 80-82-B-; 77-79=C+; 73-76=C; 70-72=C-; 67- 69=D+; 63-66=D; 60-62=D-; 59 & below=F.

I do not give incomplete and will not change the final grade for whatever reason. You have plenty of opportunities to do well in this class. Use them.

If you receive a final grade of B+ or higher, I will write a personal recommendation for you in the future, stating that you have significant quantitative and computing skills.CLASS & LAB ATTENDANCE 10 PTS

As will be addressed later in detail, you have two free absences you can choose. However, I’d recommend you to use them only for emergencies. More than two absences will affect your class attendance grades negatively.

Description:

This is an introductory course in statistics for undergraduate majors in sociology. Topics dealing with descriptive and inferential statistics and quantitative reasoning will be covered. Descriptive statistics involves organizing and summarizing important characteristics of the data.  Statistical inference involves making informed guesses about the unknown characteristics of a population based on the known characteristics of a sample. Students are expected to know how to carry out elementary mathematical operations.

Required Text:

 Stinerock (2018) Statistics with R: A Beginner’s Guide. Sage Publications ISBN-978-1-4739-2490-1

 Course Requirement:

Exams: There will be three in-class examinations graded on a 100-point scale.  Roughly 70% to 80% of the points on the examinations are accounted for by problems requiring the student to work toward a solution, with the remainder accounted for by true/false and short answer questions.  Examinations will be based entirely on topics covered in lectures. In-class examinations are non-cumulative; they cover only the material since the previous exam. Students must take all exams to pass the course. Make up exams will be given only in the case of documented emergencies or illness.

Homework: There will be four homework assignments worth a total of 200 points. Homework problems are designed to enhance learning of key concepts and applied statistical methods. Homework must be received in class no later than the dates indicated. Students can receive extra credit by completing optional computer exercises.

In-Class Assessments: There will be approximately 20 in-class exercises carried out at various points during the course to assess understanding of current topics. These will count 100 points towards the total grade.

Description:

Spanning what are known as “qualitative” and “quantitative” approaches, the course covers basic principles in a few main areas: the meaning of variables, understanding causation, study design, basic sampling, and modes and methods in data collection. Throughout, we draw on examples from published studies in sociology and other social sciences, looking at how other researchers have navigated commonplace methodological pitfalls.

By the end of the course, students should be able to both critically evaluate the methodological underpinnings of much social research. They should also be able to construct their own study, on paper at least, without falling into the most common and destructive traps. We also hope that this course will make students more skilled consumers of information in the real world. People are enveloped in data and arguments based in data. It is important to know how to evaluate the quality of those data. Engaged citizenship demands it.

Grading and Requirements:

2 exams, 2 assignments, 1 research proposal, 1 final research paper

 Grades are A, B, C, D, F (no plus/minus)

Description:

Spanning what are known as “qualitative” and “quantitative” approaches, the course covers basic principles in a few main areas: the meaning of variables, understanding causation, study design, basic sampling, and modes and methods in data collection. Throughout, we draw on examples from published studies in sociology and other social sciences, looking at how other researchers have navigated commonplace methodological pitfalls.

By the end of the course, students should be able to both critically evaluate the methodological underpinnings of much social research. They should also be able to construct their own study, on paper at least, without falling into the most common and destructive traps. We also hope that this course will make students more skilled consumers of information in the real world. People are enveloped in data and arguments based in data. It is important to know how to evaluate the quality of those data. Engaged citizenship demands it.

Grading and Requirements:

2 exams, 2 assignments, 1 research proposal, 1 final research paper

 Grades are A, B, C, D, F (no plus/minus)

Course Description

This course will center on the topic of research methods and data analysis associated with gender and human sexual behavior for the purposes of prediction, explanation and decision-making. Students will be exposed to the process of quantitative and qualitative research including development of research questions, variables for investigation, conducting a content analysis, development of a database, and using basic statistics to answer hypotheses. 

Grading and Requirements:

How to Earn Points:

1. Quizzes – 50 (5 points each)

Quizzes over the readings/assignments will be administered during the first 5 minutes of each class meeting that a chapter begins (as designated by an * on the schedule). There will be 11 quizzes, 10 count for credit so no late or early quizzes are offered for any reason. If you miss class or arrive late on a quiz day, please to use that as your dropped score. No early or late quizzes will be offered for any reason.

2. Homework/Activities – 100 (weighted)

Homework assignments and/or in-class activities are geared to help students master concepts. HW must be turned in at the beginning of class to earn credit. Arriving to class after HW collection or not uploading HW to Canvas (when appropriate) will result in a zero for the assignment. Note that late assignments are not accepted for credit, but all assignments in this course are required. Assignments are not accepted via email. Attendance and participation in the in-class activities is required to earn credit. If you miss a HW or in-class activity, take the first one as your drop option; any others missed will result in a reduced course score.

3. Exams - 150 (50 points each)

Each exam is worth 10% of the total points for the course. Exams will take place during the normally scheduled class time. Late exams will be scheduled ONLY in the case of an emergency and under the following circumstances: 1) you email must me at least 24 hours prior to the exam AND 2) valid documentation must be provided to support your emergency request. Note that weddings, family vacations, work, and the like are not valid excuses for missing an exam.

4. Methods Section - 100 (50 points each)

We will be engaging in a research methods project gathering data from Craigslist personals ads. All major components of a Methods section will be due as you final paper for this class. The specific instructions for the semester-long project will be provided and discussed in class. 

Course Description 

This course will allow students to explore the social and cultural terrain of cancer research, treatment, and public policy in the United States.  We will begin the course by asking, “what is cancer,” and what shapes our collective understandings of it as a disease in American society?  As we begin our exploration, we will read historical accounts of cancer, review epidemiologic and demographic data, and consult biomedical and oncological frameworks to set the stage for our social scientific investigation.   

 We will then consider how social, cultural, economic, and political forces shape the incidence and prevalence of cancer, as well as how these social forces shape research, diagnosis, and treatment of various manifestations of this disease.  To this end, we will spend several weeks exploring how the social determinants of health influence cancer in society.  How do race/ethnicity, social class, gender, and sexuality shape our collective conversations about cancer, individual and group cancer risk, cancer research agendas, and individual experiences of cancer diagnosis and treatment?  We will also consider how the broader forces of environmental deregulation and economic inequality exacerbate cancer risk for different individuals and groups.

At the same time, research continues to show that lifestyle factors and behavioral choices shape cancer risk across socio-demographic groups in the United States. How does stress increase one’s risk for cancer, and what dietary and exercise choices help reduce one’s risk of cancer?  We will explore these questions from a sociological perspective, ever mindful of the structural constraints that make healthy choices easier for certain demographic groups.  

 Next, we will investigate how cultural ideas and social norms shape our understanding of different cancer diagnoses, treatment options, and the experience of cancer.  We will examine how the politicization of health care in contemporary society shapes our understandings of cancer and cancer treatment. Specifically we will consider how cervical cancer prevention efforts have been politicized in the HPV vaccine debates and how defunding Planned Parenthood would have effect of decreasing access to routine cancer screenings for many poor and minority women.  

 We will conclude the class by exploring how a cancer diagnosis shapes one’s identity or sense of self by considering how the newly diagnosed experience the “sick role” both in biomedical arenas and in their social circles.   By the end of the course, students will not only be well versed in recent cancer scholarship from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, but they will also be well prepared to ask and answer their own social research questions about cancer and other medical conditions as they pursue their scholarly interests in the health sciences. 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION

Attendance (5%)

Attendance is mandatory in a discussion-based, writing intensive class. You can miss two classes without penalty during the term. Absences #3, #4 will result in a 10-point deduction from this portion of your grade and a loss of participation points for the day. For absences #5 and beyond, I will deduct 10 points from your final course grade for each additional absence.

Participation in Class (20%)

Students are expected to have read all assigned readings before each class period and participate actively and respectfully in class. Students are also required to post two discussion questions to Canvas each week on weeks when readings are assigned. 

Leading Discussion (10%)

Students will be asked to co-facilitate a discussion once during the semester.

Short Writing Assignment (5%)

Students will write a 2-3 page (double spaced) short paper as a response to a cancer-related news article, drawing on specific sources assigned for the course. 

Paper #1 First draft (15%)

Students will write a 5-6 page paper (double-spaced) that applies course concepts and theories to

an analysis of a specific social or cultural issue relating to cancer research or treatment.

Peer Review Reports (5%)

Paper #1 Revised Draft (20%)

Paper # 2 (20%)

Students will write a 5-6 page paper (double-spaced) that applies course concepts and theories to a social or cultural issue relating to the experience of cancer. 

Course Description

This course provides an overview of global health challenges in the world today. It is essential to understand the links between health and education, poverty, and development with an appreciation of the values, beliefs, and cultures of diverse groups. The first half of the course will review critical global health issues from biosocial, cultural and environmental perspectives. A biosocial approach to global health inequity is the underlying theme. The second half of the course will review various health systems in the World Health Organization geographic regions and will compare and contrast the various regions, as well as countries within regions, with regard to the specific health challenges they face.

This course carries both the Writing flag and Global Cultures flag. We will use writing to improve on critical thinking skills and understanding of global health issues as well as to improve on ability to formulate ideas with an emphasis on the ASA writing style.  In this class, you can expect to write regularly during the semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructor to help you improve your writing. You will also have the opportunity to revise one or more assignments, and you may be asked to read and discuss your peers’ work. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from writing assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group. This course may be used to fulfill the social and behavioral sciences component of the university core curriculum and addresses the following four core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication skills, critical thinking skills, empirical and quantitative skills, and social responsibility.  ?

Course Objectives

1. Describe global health issues, trends, and policies
2. Understand how population growth, disease, environmental changes, and economic and political activities impact global health
3. Assess and analyze global health program interventions and their impacts
4. Compare and contrast health issues and policies between economically developed countries and developing countries
5. Synthesize findings to highlight common patterns and unique differences in health challenges between and within major world regions

Required Text and Readings

Farmer, Paul, J.Y. Kim, A. Kleinman and M. Basilico. 2013. Reimagining Global Health: An Introduction, University of California Press

Journal Articles: In addition to above textbook, other course materials including additional readings will be posted on Canvas each week.  Readings should be completed for the week they are assigned.

Course requirements

There are three paper assignments and two quizzes. The assignments are due at the beginning of class and must be turned in as hard copies. E-mail attachments will not be accepted. Late papers will not be accepted without prior approval.

Assignment 1: Short papers (10%)

These writing assignments are intended to encourage understanding of the assigned readings, develop critical analytic skills for understanding 21st century global health issues, enhance in class discussions and refine writing skills.  Instruction and criteria for evaluation will be posted on Canvas.

 Assignment 2: Individual paper (30%)

Each student is required to write a research paper (5-6 pages) about a global health issue. This assignment should allow the student to critically examine a global health issue in depth.  There will be peer reviews as well as instructor comments on this assignment.  You will submit a memo detailing your revisions with the final draft.  Detailed instructions and criteria for evaluation will be posted on Canvas.

Assignment 3: Group project paper & presentation (25%)

Students are required to form a group to prepare a short presentation at the end of the semester and to write a research paper (not more than 10 pages). Students should work together as a team to analyze the political, social and economic determinants of health and analyze how delivery systems for preventive and curative health services might be strengthened in developing countries. Group members will conduct an evaluation of their fellow group members for the final project and presentation. Detailed instructions and criteria for the group project and criteria for evaluation will be posted on Canvas.

 Two quizzes (20%)

 Class participation (15%)

There will be weekly small group discussions. Each group member will be required to participate and contribute substantially to small group discussions. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in in-class discussions as well.

Course policies

 Attendance:  

You are allowed three non-penalized absences during the semester.  Students who miss more than three classes, regardless of the reason, will have their semester grades reduced by one grade.

Make-up quizzes:

I will allow make-up quizzes for pre-approved reasons (e.g., observing religious holidays) or in the case of documented medical or other emergencies (death of significant others, job interviews, etc.). If you anticipate missing a quiz, please make an arrangement with me at least two weeks in advance. Students who miss quizzes without prior approval or without a documented emergency will receive zero points on that exam.

Student conduct:

Every student will be actively involved in classroom discussions. In order for everyone to feel comfortable voicing opinions or asking questions, a climate of tolerance and respect is essential.

Use of laptops in class for taking notes:  Use of laptops and cell phone in class is not permitted.

 Grading Scale

A         93-100  %        B+        87-89.9 %        C+        77-79.9 %        D+       67-69.9%

A-        90-92.9 %        B          83-86.9 %        C          73-76.9 %        D         63-66.9%

                                  B-        80-82.9 %         C-        70-72.9 %        D-        60-62.9%

SOC 321: Qualitative and Mixed Methods

in Social Research and Fieldwork

Spring Semester 2020                                                                                  Instructor: Peter M. Ward

Unique Number: SOC = 43785                                                         peter.ward@austin.utexas.edu

                                                                        Office: RLP 3.730; LBJ 3.229

Meeting Time: T/Th. 3:30-5:00   WCP 5.102                    Office Hours: Thursdays 9:00-10:15 RLP) 

                                                                      10:30-12:00 (LBJ) or by e-mail appointment 

Course Aims and Purpose

This new upper-division class is designed to offer a complement to positivist quantitative methods and basic statistics classes to which most UT students are exposed in their undergraduate careers. It therefore forms an opportunity for students to extend their understanding and expertise in research design and experience in a wider set of method that form part of everyday social science research.  Qualitative Methods can either standalone (ethnography for example), or form part of mixed-methods research design (as in this class), and seeks to provide insight and nuanced understandings of social processes that go beyond data findings borne of quantitative analyses and statistical modelling.  Qualitative analysis, therefore, does not rely upon measures of statistical significance, but takes a hermeneutics (interpretive) approach, and requires the triangulation of various research methods and approaches in order to substantiate (or challenge) the research propositions/questions posed in the design. Information and data gathering invariably require direct engagement with human populations, and are therefore subject to close scrutiny by Human Subjects Research Boards such as the University’s IRB.

This course will provide you with a “hands-on” training of many of the qualitative methods used in “mixed methods” research in contemporary social science including: application and use of case studies; archival analysis; content analysis; participant observation & ethnography; key informant (“elite”) interviewing; focus groups; social psychological testing; and how to design and run surveys.  Working in small groups (3-4), students will apply these methods to a “dummy” research project design, developing and applying each method in turn, as well as exploring how the data and information gathered may be mobilized to address, and to provide, insights around the research questions that form part of their design.  All students will be expected to undertake IRB (Human Subjects) ethics training, and then relate it to their “dummy” research projects throughout the semester.

Classes will combine formal lectures and in- (and outside) class group work. 

Materials will be posted on CANVAS, but you are all asked to purchase the course text (see below).

Required Texts

There are innumerable texts on qualitative methods targeting graduate and undergraduate programs.  I have chosen the Bailey text since it is written primarily for undergraduates and is very much a fieldwork hands-on-guide.  It covers most of our topics with short presentations and discussions without heavy references. Where there are gaps (case studies, content analysis for example I will complement with other readings for that week). 

Carol Bailey, 2018. A Guide to Qualitative Field Research. Sage.  3^rd edition $58 new, but lower used copies are available.  Earlier edition is also acceptable (and cheaper).  I suggest that you go on line and purchase in time for our first class.

Description

Immigration patterns have significantly affected the development of U.S. society since its inception.  In the 1990s, the United States experienced a record number of new immigrants admitted into the country, and the last decade (2000-2009) recorded even a larger number of immigrants admitted.  This course uses a sociological perspective to address various impacts of immigration in U.S. society.

Course Aims and Objectives

Aims

 This course is designed to provide a sociological understanding concerning the nature of immigration in U.S. society, including an understanding of how immigration affects large (macro) and small (micro) social units in the society.

Specific Learning Objectives

• Gain background information on the development of immigration patterns in U.S. society and discuss the social forces that affect these patterns from the perspective of historical and recent immigration trends.
•  Review and discuss different perceptions about immigration patterns.
•  Review and analyze government statistical reports concerning annual immigration conditions and characteristics.
• Develop an awareness of the significance of immigration for the development of U.S. society.

 Review major laws affecting migration patterns to U.S. society

 Reading: 

 Portes, Alejandro, and Rubén Rumbaut. 2014. Immigrant America: A Portrait. Berkeley: University of California Press. (PR) 

Mobasher, Mohsen M.  2012. Iranians in Texas: Migratio, Politics, and Ethnic Identity. Austin: University of Texas Press. (MM)

Grading

a) Three regular exams (40 multiple-choice items and a take-home essay question for each):

100 points per exam x 3 regular exams = 300 points

b) Total possible points = 300

I. Course Rationale

Since the 1940s, US control of the Southwest border has remained a major challenge in immigration policy. Border control has become one of the most debated topics in the country, including in federal and state legislative bodies. Annually thousands of unauthorized migrants cross the US-Mexico border into the United States to participate in US labor markets and in other social institutions. A consequence of unauthorized immigration and of the implementation of border control measures for deterrence has been the deaths of hundreds of migrants annually. Over the years, the deaths have added up into the thousands. The social effects of border control and the occurrence of migrant deaths have become sociological topics investigated by sociologists and other researchers to increase our knowledge and understanding of international migration and the effects of border policies.

 II.  Course Aims and Objectives

Aims

 This course is designed to provide a sociological understanding of border control and migrant deaths at the US-Mexico border. Of particular importance for the course is research knowledge concerning border control policies and patterns of migrant deaths.

 Specific Learning Objectives

• Gain information and understanding of the development and effects of US border control policies concerning the following: border control campaigns, social and public perceptions of the border, migrant death patterns in border areas, government plans to redirect migration, ethics of border control, human rights and critical perspectives related to migrant deaths, bureaucratic ideology in border control, migrant death forensics, smuggling, community responses to migrant deaths, recent research on border control and migrant deaths.
• Review and discuss different approaches and measures for border control. 

• Review and analyze government statistical reports concerning annual migrant apprehensions at the border and annual counts of migrant deaths in border sectors. 

• Develop an awareness of the significance of border control for the development of US immigration policy. 

• Review major impacts of US border control measures for local communities. 

Cultural Diversity Objective: 

“This course carries the flag for Cultural Diversity in the United States. Cultural Diversity courses are designed to increase your familiarity with the variety and richness of the American cultural experience. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one U.S. cultural group that has experienced persistent marginalization.” . .

 “Ideally, the Cultural Diversity Flag will challenge students to explore the beliefs and practices of an underrepresented group in relation to their own cultural experiences so that they engage in an active process of self-reflection.” 

III. Format and Procedures

The course is designed with the expectation that it will follow an intertwined format of lectures and class discussions.  A key expectation is that students will come to class prepared to discuss thematic issues covered in the class, or at least come to class with a curious and critical predisposition to become intellectually engaged in the class. All students are expect to contribute to class discussion, with a high regard for an open academic dialogue, which values respect for the ideas, opinions, and views of others. Class attendance is assumed and expected, and highly encouraged.

Students will have an opportunity to evaluate qualities of the course, including the instructor.  The purpose of the student evaluations is to provide feedback to help improve the teaching experience.

IV.  Assumptions

My assumptions about the nature of immigration in U.S. society is that it a) follows an historical course, b) flows from the interaction between human agency and social structures, c) takes normal paths of social division and degrees of accommodation and social incorporation, d) is partly affected by social constructions regarding different national-origin groups, and e) has its most profound significance within the dynamics of social reproduction (constant remaking of societies). 

V. Course Requirements

1. Class attendance and participation policy

Class attendance is required but not graded. I will assume that all students enrolled in the course attend all class meetings, and thus are informed of all class matters stated in class. Please try to arrive in class on time.  Also, you should review previous lecture notes and bring questions to class about points you did not clearly understand—including points from the assigned readings.  Please be attentive in class (turn off phones or set to vibration). You are greatly encouraged to participate in class discussion, and to do so in a manner that respects the rights of others to also participate.  If you have a problem hearing the lectures and discussion, or viewing class presentations, please let the instructor know immediately. 

Religious Holidays

UT Austin policy requires that you notify course instructors at least 14 days in advance if you plan to be absent due to a religious holiday. You will be given an opportunity to make up activities (exams, assignments, etc.) that you miss because of your absence due to a religious holiday.  You will be given a reasonable time to make up an exam or assignment after your absence. 

2. Course Readings/Materials 

a) Required books

Dunn, Timothy J. (D)  2009.  Blockading the Border and Human Rights: The El Paso Operation that Remade Immigration Enforcement. Austin: University of Texas Press.

De Leon, Jason. (DL) 2015.  The Land of Open Graves:  Living and Dying in the Migrant Trail.  Oakland: University of California Press.

b) Websites to review:

Migration Policy Institute: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/

Pew Hispanic Center: http://pewhispanic.org/

UC-Davis Migration News: http://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Immigration Statistics): http://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/

Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/

Population Reference Bureau: http://www.prb.org/

 3. Assignments, Assessments, Evaluation, Dates

a) The course contains three exams and a paper requirement. The exams will consist of multiple-choice items. All exams have to be taken on the dates specified; the only exceptions to this rule are cases involving an emergency and authorization by UT Austin.  In such exceptional cases, essay makeup exams for the first two regular exams have to be taken within a week after the originally designated dates in the specified sociology room for makeups. In the rare possibility that a student needs to take a makeup for the third exam, arrangements with have to be made with the instructor. Makeup exams will consist of essay questions only. Students who miss a scheduled exam must alert the instructor beforehand and consult with the instructor regarding the makeup.  There is no procedure for making up the Final Exam outside of cases that are of a true exceptional and unusual personal pressing situation. Students have to take all exams on the dates and times specified.  Exams cannot be taken earlier or later than the dates and times specified.

 The paper requirement is a research brief of 1,350 words (5 pages) on a class-related border/migration topic for which at least three (3) research journal publications are consulted and cited in the text, and listed in the Reference section of the paper.  The motive for the paper is to give the student an opportunity to read research journal publications. Grading of the paper will include checking for a) the required number of words (1,450), b) the three required journal sources, and c) the adequacy and strength of the presentation in the paper.

 4. Use of Canvas:  Canvas will be used to help manage the course and to pursue interaction with students.  Canvas will be used to make announcements, distribute information, communicate with students, and post grades.  Students are encouraged to use Canvas to communicate and share relevant comments and information.  Please check your Canvas site regularly to look for communications from the instructor or from other students in the class.  Support for using Canvas can be obtained from the following websites:  https://utexas.instructure.com/courses/633028/pages/welcome-to-canvas; http://guides.instructure.com/m/4212

 VI.  Grading

 a) Three exams of 50 multiple-choice items (worth 100 points each).

• 100 points per exam x 3 exams = 300 points

 b) Paper requirement worth 50 points

Total possible points = 350

 c) Letter grades based on 350 possible cumulative points:

 A = 325-350     A- = 315-324

B+= 304-323    B  = 290-303    B-= 280-289

C+= 269-279    C  = 255-268    C-= 245-254

D+= 234-244    D  = 220-233    D-= 210-219

F  = 209 or fewer points

Description:

Building the Sustainable City is an interdisciplinary course that examines why we have to create  more sustainable living environments, what we are presently doing to rebuild American cities in more sustainable ways, and where we need to go in the future.  The course adopts the strong definition of sustainability to include the connections between economy, equity, and environment.   80% of the population lives in urban areas today, the vast majority of economic activity occurs in them, and most environmental problems are related to urbanization and industrialization.  Understanding how to build a sustainable city, then, is the key to building a sustainable society.  This course will focus on energy use, transportation policy, housing, and food production/distribution in the city.  Social equity issues will be integrated into all four themes, as all four are both cause and effect of social inequalities. 

The course links our academic understanding of sustainability with “real world”, on-the-ground people doing sustainability today by letting you work with some of the organizations in Austin in a Service Learning project. The last two weeks of April we will have no class, and instead you will use that time to work with a community organization of your choice, on a project related to sustainability. Your final paper is a write-up of that project  

Text:

Girardet, Herbert; Cities People Planet. Wiley and Sons, 2008.

Grading System

Your grade is computed based on 3 essays of 3-4 pages, typed, double spaced, each worth 25% of grade. The final 25% will come from your project write-up.

Description

This course is in two parts.  The first will provide an introduction to the American criminal justice system, its policies and procedures.  The primary focus will be on how criminal justice operates.  This will include some discussion of crime and its correlates, crime prevention, law enforcement, courts and corrections.  The second part traces where criminal justice policy has been, what it has accomplished, and where it should go in order to effectively reduce crime, recidivism, victimization and cost.  The primary focus of where do we go from here is on prosecution, sentencing and corrections.

The class periods will be devoted to lectures and discussion. We may have guest speakers and probably a video or two.  The lecture material will sometimes correspond very closely with the material in the texts and sometimes it will not.  I encourage class discussions and questions and hope that the material will be sufficiently interesting and controversial to motivate discussion.

Texts

Experiencing Criminal Justice by Nicole Hendrix

Criminal Justice at the Crossroads; Transforming Crime and Punishment by William Kelly

Grading and Requirements

There will be four exams.  The first two are multiple choice/true false.  The second two are multiple choice and short answer.  Each exam constitutes 25% of the course grade.  The exams will cover all of the material - assigned readings, lectures, guest speakers and videos.

Description

This course is in two parts.  The first will provide an introduction to the American criminal justice system, its policies and procedures.  The primary focus will be on how criminal justice operates.  This will include some discussion of crime and its correlates, crime prevention, law enforcement, courts and corrections.  The second part traces where criminal justice policy has been, what it has accomplished, and where it should go in order to effectively reduce crime, recidivism, victimization and cost.  The primary focus of where do we go from here is on prosecution, sentencing and corrections.

The class periods will be devoted to lectures and discussion. We may have guest speakers and probably a video or two.  The lecture material will sometimes correspond very closely with the material in the texts and sometimes it will not.  I encourage class discussions and questions and hope that the material will be sufficiently interesting and controversial to motivate discussion.

Texts

Experiencing Criminal Justice by Nicole Hendrix

Criminal Justice at the Crossroads; Transforming Crime and Punishment by William Kelly

Grading and Requirements

There will be four exams.  The first two are multiple choice/true false.  The second two are multiple choice and short answer.  Each exam constitutes 25% of the course grade.  The exams will cover all of the material - assigned readings, lectures, guest speakers and videos.

Description:  

This course examines critical American social problems that threaten the very fabric of our collective life as a nation.  These include problems in the economy and political system, social class and income inequality, racial/ethnic inequality, gender inequality and heterosexism, problems in education, and problems of illness and health care.  The course has three main objectives.  One involves providing students with the theoretical and methodological tools needed to critically analyze these problems from a sociological perspective.  A second involves providing students with current data and other information documenting the seriousness of these problems.  The final objective focuses on evaluating social policies addressing these problems (e.g., welfare-to-work programs, pay equity legislation), with special reference to questions of social justice, the common good, as well as public and individual responsibility.  Class format will be a mixture of lecture and discussion, with a strong emphasis upon the latter. 

Required Readings: 

A packet of readings to be purchased from Austin Text Books at 2116 Guadalupe (i.e., the Drag)

Additional readings will be made available on Blackboard

Attendance Policy:

Regular attendance and punctuality are expected.  You’re allowed three absences without penalty during the semester (excluding our introductory class meeting).  The nonpenalized absences are intended to cover such situations as illness, family emergencies, university sponsored trips, etc.  Students who miss more than three classes, regardless of the reason, will have their semester grades reduced by one full percentage points for each absence beyond the three allowed.  The one exception to this policy concerns absences for religious reasons, assuming advance, written notification is given.

Tentative Grading Policy:

Four Short Papers (2-3 pages)            65%

Class Participation                              20%

Pop Quizzes                                        15%

Description:

Crimes, trials, evidence, juries, sentences, lawsuits – you hear a lot about issues with which the legal system concerns itself. But people in the legal system are not the only ones who consider these issues. This course will look at courts, legal actors, and legal policies through the lens of social science, especially social psychology.  The goal of the course will be to learn about existing research on law-related topics. A sample of areas to be covered include: predicting dangerousness, eyewitness testimony, mental health issues in the law (such as competence to stand trial and the insanity defense), children in the law, and jury decision-making on verdicts in criminal and civil cases.  Students enrolling should have taken at least one introductory sociology or psychology course.

Texts:

This course has one required textbook (Greene & Heilbrun, “Wrightsman’s Psychology and the Legal System”); attendance is not mandatory but is gauged through for-credit activities that occur during some class sessions. This course has an “Ethics and Leadership” Flag.

Grading and Requirements:

Exams, a short paper, and small in-class activities.

Description:

‘Globalization’ is a term that we hear or read about almost everyday in the media. Some say globalization is inevitable and good for the economy and should, therefore, be encouraged; others argue that globalization is detrimental to society and must be regulated or even stopped. The rise of so-called populist parties in the United States and Europe has renewed debates over once-chastised notions like economic nationalism, protectionism and national sovereignty. But what exactly is globalization and how should we measure it? Is globalization slowing down (“slowbalization”) or even reversing (“deglobalization”)? What are its causes, its symptoms and its consequences on economics, politics and society? How does globalization affect workers in developed and developing countries? How to disentangle the forces of technology and trade? Who are the movements contesting globalization and why? What reforms, if any, should be adopted to “make globalization work?”

 This course will stimulate students’ critical thinking around these questions and many others with three objectives in mind:

• Clarifying the meaning of this multi-faceted phenomenon by distinguishing between the intensity, extensity, velocity and impact of the different flows structuring the process of globalization;
• Analyzing the current debates surrounding its political, socio-economic and environmental impact in the US and elsewhere;
• Understanding the dynamics of antiglobalization and alterglobalist mobilization.

 SELECTED READINGS

Baldwin, Richard (2019), The Globotics Upheaval: Globalization, Robotics, and the Future of Work, London,Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Clapp, Jennifer, and Eric Helleiner (2012), International political economy and the environment: back to the basics? International Affairs, 88: 485-501.

Dicken, Peter (2015). Global Shift: Mapping the Contours of the World Economy. New York: Guilford Press, 7^thed.

Eichengreen, Barry (2018). The Populist Temptation. Economic Grievance and Political Reaction in the Modern Era. Oxford University Press.

Held, David, Anthony McGrew, David Goldblatt & Jonathan Perraton (eds) (1999). Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press.

Rodrik, Dani (2018), Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Van der Zwan, Natascha. “Making sense of financialization,”,Socio-Economic Review (2014) 12, pp. 99-129.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Course preparation and oral participation (20%)

Midterm exam (30%)

 Research paper (50%)

Course Description

Description:

The course introduces students to some of the main sociological theories and theorists since the late 19th century. The main focus of the class (about two thirds of the semester) will be on three classic authors: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. In the last part of the semester, we will cover selected sociological theorists from the second half of the twentieth century, including Alfred Schutz, Erving Goffman, Pierre Bourdieu, Bruno Latour and Dorothy Smith. My goal is to introduce you to interesting and imaginative authors that took great pains to answer tough questions about society. Some readings will be more difficult than others, some will be more fun than others, and you will be more interested in some readings over others. But all of them will be worth your effort, as they will provide you with a solid grounding in the core theories that have informed sociological thinking since its beginnings. However, of course not everything about theory is reading; a great deal of your work will be thinking “theoretically”. I think that theories are a bit like play dough. They have a defined shape, but they can also be stretched, reshaped, and combined with other pieces. The final shape will not always satisfy you, but you can always start over. So, our goal will be to understand the theories by “playing” with them and relating them to what we usually call the “real world” (although ‘one’s world’ is not the same as the ‘real world’). Eventually, I hope you will discover how powerful and useful sociological theories can be to help you answer some of the toughest questions about societies.

Readings:

 Most readings will be in a course packet, in addition to two or three books TBA.

Grading (tentative)

Exams (60%)

Paper (25%)

Class participation and forum posts (15%)

Description:

This is the second half of the graduate statistics sequence in the Department of Sociology. The course is designed to accomplish two goals. First, the course aims to broaden students’ knowledge of statistical reasoning, statistical methods, and computer programming using the statistical software Stata. Second, the course will to teach students how to make sociological sense of quantitative data. The course is not introductory. It assumes introductory knowledge of techniques such as tabular analysis, linear regression, and multiple regression. I will however review multiple regression models in the first few weeks of class. By the end of the course, you should have a clear idea of how to make sociological sense out of a body of quantitative data through an understanding of multivariate regression, missing data, categorical dependent variables, and the logic of causal inference.

C

Course Description

This interdisciplinary graduate seminar examines the growing income inequality in the U.S. and around the world. We start with a survey on the recent trends of income inequality, which includes the decline of labor's share of income, the concentration of income at the top, the growth of college premium, and the slow job recovery since the Great Recession. We then proceed to an extensive investigation on the various causes of the growing social inequality, particularly skill-biased technological change, globalization, the decline of union, ascriptive discrimination, the rise of finance, and shareholder value movement.

Reading Material

Class reading material will be provided either through the course webpage or available on the web (e.g. JSTOR). Students should arrange access to a high speed computer in order to download and print files efficiently, as some of them may be quite long. I will add selected articles or monographs to the course webpage as quickly as possible, but certainly no later than the date on which they are introduced (a week before discussion).

Course Format and Requirements

Each week, several leading articles or chapters dealing with a particular topic are to be read and discussed in class. Students must come prepared to analyze the week’s reading with respect to BOTH substance and method and must participate actively in the discussion. At each class period, 1 or 2 students, depending on class size, will serve as discussion leaders. The responsibilities of the leaders include preparing a brief oral introduction of the group of readings for the purposes of initiating the class discussion. In addition, the leader(s) will lead the discussion through the use of discussion questions. For the most part, it is NOT the responsibility of the leaders to lecture to the class. Rather, the leaders’ responsibility is to keep the discussion going and to make sure that the key aspects of the reading material are covered. Conversely, students who are not discussion leaders in a given week have the same responsibility as the leaders to read and be prepared for class. In addition to occasionally leading discussions and always being prepared for class, each week, students are expected to provide the class and me with a synthesis of what the week’s reading material is about. For 5 or 6 articles, a 2 page single-spaced synthesis will suffice. These responses are NOT summaries, but are synthetic responses to the core ideas of the readings, with some critique included. The synthesis should be sent via e-mail to the other students and to me by 1:00 PM on the day prior to each class meeting.

Furthermore, each student will work on a paper or proposal relevant to social inequality during the semester. Students should orient their work toward either a publishable paper or a research grant proposal. Papers or grant proposals begun previously may be used if substantial progress is made on the paper/proposal during the semester. Projects begun during the semester should culminate in an all-but-the-data-analysis term paper (with proposed plan for conducting the research). Each student will also write a review of two other students' drafts of their term papers. As a cover to your final draft, you will write a revision memo where you respond to the points made by the reviewers. This will count as 10% of your final grade.

Grading

Weekly Synthesis 25%

Discussion Leader 10%

One-page Summary of the Term Paper 5%

Class Presentation & First Draft 10%

Peer Review of Two Papers 10%

Final Paper 30%

Revision Memo 10%

Note: The grade “incomplete” will not be given. All students must finish the course.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course analyzes the specificities of the US political economy by comparing it with other varieties of capitalism in the Americas (especially North America), Europe and Asia. Theoretically, it provides students with conceptual tools to understand the complex architecture structuring relations between the state, markets and civil society in the United States and elsewhere. To do so, it relies on an interdisciplinary, multiscalar and dynamic approach drawing from political science, sociology, economics, history and geography to examine how interests, institutions and ideas shape political economy regimes at different levels (transnational, national, regional and local). From an empirical standpoint, this course will teach students to use data collection and policy analysis to compare different models across time and space by focusing on a set of key policy spheres including social policies, labor relations, environmental protection, innovation and trade policy. For each theme, we will compare the US with other models, bearing in mind economic factors and challenging common representations of cultural-institutional specificities. 

 COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 Course preparation and oral participation (20%)

 Midterm exam (30%)

Research paper (50%)

 SELECTED READINGS (tentative list)

Block, Fred (2007). “Understanding the Diverging Trajectories of the United States and Western Europe: A Neo-Polanyian Analysis.  Politics & Society35, pp. 3-33.

Boyer, R. (2005). How and why capitalisms differ. Economy and Society, 34(4), 509–557.

Cossu-Beaumont, Laurence, Jacques-Henri Coste & Jean-Baptiste Velut (2016)),The Crisis and Renewal of American capitalism. New York/London: Routledge.

Eisner, Marc A (2011). The American Political Economy, New York/Londres : Routledge.

Hall, Peter, and David Soskice (2001)Varieties of Capitalism. Oxford University Press.

Hopkin, J., & Blyth, M. (2019). “The Global Economics of European Populism: Growth Regimes and Party System Change in Europe”. Government and Opposition, 54(2), 193-225.

Haggard, Stephan & Robert R. Kaufman (2008). Development, Democracy, and Welfare States. Princeton University Press, 2008.

Piketty, Thomas. (2014). Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge, MA: Belknapp/ Harvard University Press.

Piven, Frances & Lorraine Minnite (2016), « Crisis, Convulsion and the Welfare State », in Kevin Farnsworth and Zoe Irving, Social Policy in Times of Austerity: Global economic Crisis and the new politics of welfare, University Press Scholarship Online.

Polanyi, Karl (1957). The Great Transformation. Boston: Beacon, 1957.

Description:

This graduate seminar invites students to critically examine and discuss the role of the market in contemporary society, both from a theoretical point of view and empirically in the case of Latin American societies. Development in Latin America and elsewhere in the last few decades has been intertwined with the idea that markets should have a more prominent role in societies. This is a distinct feature of neoliberalism, although it partly continues longer term trends.  The readings will be for the most part structured around three perspectives, each of which will be explored first theoretically and then as it is used in empirical research about Latin America. The first perspective emerges from the work of Karl Polanyi, and it basically examines the historical effects of markets when disembedded from society. The second perspective comes from the work of Michel Foucault, particularly his late period, and other scholars that consider neoliberalism as “governmentality” and markets as a technique of government in contemporary societies. Finally the third perspective comes from the work of Viviana Zelizer, who considers the role of culture in reclaiming markets and money and creating meaningful social exchanges.

SOC 397D • Publishing Papers in Sociology (unique #46380)

Special Emphasis:

JHSB Graduate Student Editorial Board

Publishing & reviewing on sociology of health and illness

Professor Debra Umberson

Wednesdays 12-2:30, Main Building 1703
Office hours: Wednesdays 2:30-3:30

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed for graduate students with an interest in publishing and reviewing research in the area of sociology of health and illness. This course addresses: (1) how to write and publish an article in an academic journal, (2) the review process and instruction on how to review articles for scholarly journals, and (3) special topics related to the editorial process.

Goals:

1. Deepen substantive expertise with immersion in the most recent cutting edge research in medical sociology.
2. Engage in critical and constructive discussion of the field of medical sociology.
3. Develop skills and knowledge to facilitate the successful submission of a research article for editorial review and publication. Learn what reviewers are looking for in a research article.
4. Develop skills that qualify you to evaluate and review articles for scholarly journals.  
5. Learn about the editorial process involved in publishing research articles in Journal of Health & Social Behavior (JHSB).
6. Help to shape and improve JHSB as a print and online mechanism for disseminating cutting edge research on the sociology of health.

This course may be taken for a grade, pass/fail, or by audit. Please contact the instructor if you would like to have additional information: umberson@prc.utexas.edu

MISSION STATEMENT OF JHSB

The Journal of Health and Social Behavior is a medical sociology journal that publishes empirical and theoretical articles that apply sociological concepts and methods to the understanding of health and illness and the organization of medicine and health care. Its editorial policy favors manuscripts that are grounded in important theoretical issues in medical sociology or the sociology of mental health and that advance our theoretical understanding of the processes by which social factors and human health are interrelated.

JHSB GRAD STUDENT EDITORIAL BOARD

Individual Editorial Assignments

• Web/Pod Editor
• Podcast Editor
• Graphics Editor
• Policy Brief Editor
• Social Media Editor
• Abstracts Editor
• Teaching Contents Editor
• Copy Editor
• Editor In Chief

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Final grades will be based on:

• Weekly participation and journal development: 25%
• Editorial reviews: 25%
• Research paper: 50%

Weekly participation and journal development:

• Journal development. Share responsibility for one of JHSB’s major online or print areas, such as development of policy briefs, abstracting, graphics and images, teaching resources, web development, media coverage, development of social media, strategizing for reduced review time and increasing journal visibility and impact. 
• Participate in weekly editorial board meetings. Participate in editorial discussions and observe decision-making and revision processes.

Editorial reviews:

• Prepare reviews of article submissions to supplement those of experts in the field. Students should expect to review 4 to 5 articles over the course the semester (approximately one article every two to three weeks).

Prepare a research paper for editorial review:

• Prepare your own paper for editorial review. This can be a new paper or a paper that has already been reviewed by a journal. The goal is to revise your paper, submit it for publication, and to have your article accepted for publication. The course is designed to demystify the review process and convey the ingredients for success in publishing your work. You will be benefit from editorial review (by your classmates) and concrete suggestions for revising your paper.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS

• Deadlines. The course functions as both an academic seminar and as a working editorial board. We will often be working under tight deadline pressure and we will often disagree about the appropriate course of action.
• Confidentiality. What happens in seminar, stays in seminar -- students must keep authors’ names, reviewers’ names and other identifying information strictly confidential.
• Grading. You will be evaluated on the basis of your overall contributions to the seminar and to JHSB. You may take the course on a pass/fail or letter-grade basis.
• Attendance. You are expected to attend each weekly meeting. 

SOC 397D • Publishing Papers in Sociology (unique #46380)

Special Emphasis:

JHSB Graduate Student Editorial Board

Publishing & reviewing on sociology of health and illness

Professor Debra Umberson

Wednesdays 12-2:30, Main Building 1703
Office hours: Wednesdays 2:30-3:30

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed for graduate students with an interest in publishing and reviewing research in the area of sociology of health and illness. This course addresses: (1) how to write and publish an article in an academic journal, (2) the review process and instruction on how to review articles for scholarly journals, and (3) special topics related to the editorial process.

Goals:

1. Deepen substantive expertise with immersion in the most recent cutting edge research in medical sociology.
2. Engage in critical and constructive discussion of the field of medical sociology.
3. Develop skills and knowledge to facilitate the successful submission of a research article for editorial review and publication. Learn what reviewers are looking for in a research article.
4. Develop skills that qualify you to evaluate and review articles for scholarly journals.  
5. Learn about the editorial process involved in publishing research articles in Journal of Health & Social Behavior (JHSB).
6. Help to shape and improve JHSB as a print and online mechanism for disseminating cutting edge research on the sociology of health.

This course may be taken for a grade, pass/fail, or by audit. Please contact the instructor if you would like to have additional information: umberson@prc.utexas.edu

MISSION STATEMENT OF JHSB

The Journal of Health and Social Behavior is a medical sociology journal that publishes empirical and theoretical articles that apply sociological concepts and methods to the understanding of health and illness and the organization of medicine and health care. Its editorial policy favors manuscripts that are grounded in important theoretical issues in medical sociology or the sociology of mental health and that advance our theoretical understanding of the processes by which social factors and human health are interrelated.

JHSB GRAD STUDENT EDITORIAL BOARD

Individual Editorial Assignments

• Web/Pod Editor
• Podcast Editor
• Graphics Editor
• Policy Brief Editor
• Social Media Editor
• Abstracts Editor
• Teaching Contents Editor
• Copy Editor
• Editor In Chief

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Final grades will be based on:

• Weekly participation and journal development: 25%
• Editorial reviews: 25%
• Research paper: 50%

Weekly participation and journal development:

• Journal development. Share responsibility for one of JHSB’s major online or print areas, such as development of policy briefs, abstracting, graphics and images, teaching resources, web development, media coverage, development of social media, strategizing for reduced review time and increasing journal visibility and impact. 
• Participate in weekly editorial board meetings. Participate in editorial discussions and observe decision-making and revision processes.

Editorial reviews:

• Prepare reviews of article submissions to supplement those of experts in the field. Students should expect to review 4 to 5 articles over the course the semester (approximately one article every two to three weeks).

Prepare a research paper for editorial review:

• Prepare your own paper for editorial review. This can be a new paper or a paper that has already been reviewed by a journal. The goal is to revise your paper, submit it for publication, and to have your article accepted for publication. The course is designed to demystify the review process and convey the ingredients for success in publishing your work. You will be benefit from editorial review (by your classmates) and concrete suggestions for revising your paper.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS

• Deadlines. The course functions as both an academic seminar and as a working editorial board. We will often be working under tight deadline pressure and we will often disagree about the appropriate course of action.
• Confidentiality. What happens in seminar, stays in seminar -- students must keep authors’ names, reviewers’ names and other identifying information strictly confidential.
• Grading. You will be evaluated on the basis of your overall contributions to the seminar and to JHSB. You may take the course on a pass/fail or letter-grade basis.
• Attendance. You are expected to attend each weekly meeting. 

Description:

This double-semester seminar was created after feedback from former Honors students and faculty supervisors.

It provides structure, instruction, and assistance throughout the duration of your thesis project, as well as enables you to interact with and support one another.  Seminar participation should not increase your  workload, but the discussions and assignments will help you become more efficient in your research and writing.  Seminar format includes discussion and oral presentations.  You will meet with the seminar twice a week, for two semesters.

Required Books:

 Wright Mills (1959) The Sociological Imagination. Oxford University Press.

Howard S. Becker (2007) Writing for Social Scientists. (2^nded.) University of Chicago Press.

Attendance Policy:

 Regular attendance and active seminar participation are expected of all Honors students.  If you miss more than six (6) classes during the double-semester program, regardless of the reason for the absences, your 679HA grade will be reduced by one full percentage point for each absence beyond the six allowed.  The one exception to this policy involves absences for religious holidays, assuming advance, written notification is given. 

 Grading Policy:

 First Semester:
1. An annotated bibliography comprised of 20 strong sources relevant to your thesis (20%)
2. A 6-7 page research proposal (20%)
3. A detailed outline of your research project by the end of the first semester (20%)
4. Quality of seminar participation (e.g., oral presentations, discussions, giving peer feedback) (40%)

 Second Semester:
1. A well-written draft of the first chapter of your thesis (20%)
2. Quality of seminar participation (e.g., oral presentations, class discussions, giving peer feedback) (60%)
3. Oral presentation of your thesis at the Sociology Honors Colloquium (20%)

Your grade in SOC 679HA is based on your seminar performance during both long semesters.  At the end of your first semester in Honors, I’ll assign you a grade based on your first semester work.  At the end of your second semester, I’ll factor in your grades from the second semester. If necessary, I’ll adjust the previously assigned grade to reflect your grades in both the first and second semesters. Your thesis supervisor will assign your grade for SOC 679HB, based on the quality of your thesis.

Description:

This double-semester seminar was created after feedback from former Honors students and faculty supervisors.

It provides structure, instruction, and assistance throughout the duration of your thesis project, as well as enables you to interact with and support one another.  Seminar participation should not increase your  workload, but the discussions and assignments will help you become more efficient in your research and writing.  Seminar format includes discussion and oral presentations.  You will meet with the seminar twice a week, for two semesters.

Required Books:

 Wright Mills (1959) The Sociological Imagination. Oxford University Press.

Howard S. Becker (2007) Writing for Social Scientists. (2^nded.) University of Chicago Press.

Attendance Policy:

 Regular attendance and active seminar participation are expected of all Honors students.  If you miss more than six (6) classes during the double-semester program, regardless of the reason for the absences, your 679HA grade will be reduced by one full percentage point for each absence beyond the six allowed.  The one exception to this policy involves absences for religious holidays, assuming advance, written notification is given. 

 Grading Policy:

 First Semester:
1. An annotated bibliography comprised of 20 strong sources relevant to your thesis (20%)
2. A 6-7 page research proposal (20%)
3. A detailed outline of your research project by the end of the first semester (20%)
4. Quality of seminar participation (e.g., oral presentations, discussions, giving peer feedback) (40%)

 Second Semester:
1. A well-written draft of the first chapter of your thesis (20%)
2. Quality of seminar participation (e.g., oral presentations, class discussions, giving peer feedback) (60%)
3. Oral presentation of your thesis at the Sociology Honors Colloquium (20%)

Your grade in SOC 679HA is based on your seminar performance during both long semesters.  At the end of your first semester in Honors, I’ll assign you a grade based on your first semester work.  At the end of your second semester, I’ll factor in your grades from the second semester. If necessary, I’ll adjust the previously assigned grade to reflect your grades in both the first and second semesters. Your thesis supervisor will assign your grade for SOC 679HB, based on the quality of your thesis.