Contemporary Sociology Course

Lesson 1 • Origins of Sociological Theory

Traces sociology from Enlightenment thought through its 19th-century founders. Connects historical context to the emergence of systematic social inquiry.

Lesson 2 • The Sociological Imagination

Develops C. Wright Mills's concept linking personal troubles to public issues. Students practice applying this lens to everyday social phenomena.

Lesson 3 • Classical Theoretical Perspectives

Introduces functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism as foundational frameworks. Each perspective shapes how sociologists ask and answer questions.

Lesson 4 • What Is Sociology?

Defines sociology as the scientific study of society, groups, and human behavior. Positions the discipline within the broader social sciences.

Lesson 1 • Qualitative Research Designs

Examines ethnography, interviews, and content analysis for capturing social meaning. Connects interpretive methods to symbolic interactionist and critical traditions.

Lesson 2 • The Scientific Method in Social Research

Applies the logic of scientific inquiry to social phenomena. Establishes the difference between empirical evidence and opinion in sociological work.

Lesson 3 • Mixed-Methods and Research Design

Integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches within a single study. Students learn to select designs that match their research questions and resources.

Lesson 4 • Research Ethics and Positionality

Addresses informed consent, confidentiality, and researcher bias in social inquiry. Ethical awareness is framed as integral to credible sociological knowledge production.

Lesson 1 • Socialization Across the Life Course

Traces how agents of socialization shape individuals from childhood through old age. Links socialization processes to the reproduction of social norms and values.

Lesson 2 • Contemporary Identity and Digital Culture

Analyzes how digital platforms reshape identity performance and cultural participation. Extends classical socialization theory to online and hybrid social environments.

Lesson 3 • Self, Identity, and Social Interaction

Applies Cooley's looking-glass self and Goffman's dramaturgical model to identity formation. Students connect micro-level interaction to broader identity structures.

Lesson 4 • Cultural Diversity and Relativism

Contrasts ethnocentrism with cultural relativism as analytical stances. Students develop the capacity to study diverse cultures without imposing external value judgments.

Lesson 1 • Networks, Power, and Social Capital

Introduces social network analysis and Bourdieu's concept of social capital. Students examine how network position and capital accumulation shape life chances.

Lesson 2 • Social Structure and Its Elements

Defines social structure as the patterned relationships and institutions organizing society. Connects structural elements to individual behavior and social outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Formal Organizations and Bureaucracy

Examines Weber's model of bureaucracy and its role in modern organizational life. Students assess the strengths and dysfunctions of bureaucratic structures.

Lesson 4 • Social Institutions and Their Functions

Surveys major institutions—family, education, economy, religion, and government—as interlocking social structures. Functionalist and conflict readings of institutions are compared.

Lesson 1 • Class, Wealth, and Poverty

Analyzes the structure of socioeconomic classes and the causes and consequences of poverty. Students interpret income and wealth distribution data sociologically.

Lesson 2 • Theories of Social Stratification

Contrasts functionalist, conflict, and Weberian explanations for why inequality persists. Theoretical grounding prepares students to evaluate empirical inequality data.

Lesson 3 • Race, Ethnicity, and Racial Inequality

Examines race as a social construction and analyzes systemic racial inequality. Students distinguish prejudice, discrimination, and institutional racism.

Lesson 4 • Gender, Sexuality, and Inequality

Analyzes gender as a social institution and examines gendered inequalities in work and family. Sexuality is addressed as a socially regulated dimension of identity.

Lesson 1 • Theories of Deviance and Crime

Surveys strain theory, labeling theory, differential association, and control theory. Each framework is evaluated for its explanatory power and empirical support.

Lesson 2 • White-Collar Crime and Corporate Deviance

Extends deviance analysis to elite actors and organizational wrongdoing. Students examine why corporate crime is often underenforced relative to street crime.

Lesson 3 • Crime Patterns and Measurement

Examines how crime is measured through official statistics, victimization surveys, and self-reports. Students critically assess the limitations of each data source.

Lesson 4 • Defining Deviance Sociologically

Establishes deviance as a socially constructed category rather than an inherent trait. Relativism and the role of power in defining norms are central themes.

Lesson 1 • Globalization and World Systems

Applies world-systems theory and global commodity chain analysis to economic inequality. Students assess how global integration reshapes local societies and labor markets.

Lesson 2 • Collective Behavior and Crowds

Analyzes spontaneous collective behavior including crowds, panics, and rumors. Connects micro-level crowd dynamics to broader processes of social mobilization.

Lesson 3 • Environmental Sociology and Sustainability

Analyzes the social causes and consequences of environmental degradation and climate change. Connects environmental justice to stratification and global inequality frameworks.

Lesson 4 • Social Movements and Mobilization

Examines resource mobilization, political opportunity, and framing theories of social movements. Students analyze how movements form, sustain, and achieve or fail their goals.

Lesson 1 • Sociology of Health and Medicine

Examines health as a social phenomenon shaped by class, race, gender, and environment. The sick role, medicalization, and health disparities are analyzed using prior frameworks.

Lesson 2 • Applied Sociology and Public Engagement

Introduces applied and public sociology as professional practice beyond academia. Students develop skills for translating sociological knowledge into actionable social insights.

Lesson 3 • Education as a Social Institution

Analyzes education's role in socialization, stratification, and social reproduction. Functionalist and conflict readings of schooling are applied to contemporary inequalities.

Lesson 4 • Media, Technology, and Society

Examines how mass media and digital technology shape public discourse and social behavior. Students apply agenda-setting, cultivation, and critical media theories.