Sociologist Course

Lesson 1 • Core Sociological Concepts

Introduces essential vocabulary: social structure, agency, norms, roles, and institutions. Provides shared language for all subsequent analysis.

Lesson 2 • The Sociological Imagination

Develops the capacity to link personal troubles to public issues using Mills's framework. Trains reflexive thinking central to professional sociological practice.

Lesson 3 • What Sociology Studies

Defines sociology's subject matter and distinguishes it from psychology, economics, and anthropology. Establishes the social as a distinct level of analysis.

Lesson 1 • Functionalist Perspectives

Examines Durkheim's social facts, solidarity, and the logic of functional analysis. Connects organic analogy to contemporary structural-functional arguments.

Lesson 2 • Symbolic Interactionism

Covers Mead, Blumer, and Goffman on meaning-making, self, and interaction. Bridges micro-level processes to broader social patterns.

Lesson 3 • Conflict and Critical Perspectives

Analyzes Marx's class conflict, Weber's power dimensions, and their legacy in critical sociology. Grounds students in inequality as a structural force.

Lesson 1 • Global and World-Systems Theory

Covers Wallerstein's world-systems model, globalization theory, and transnational social processes. Prepares students to analyze societies within global structures.

Lesson 2 • Poststructuralism and Postmodernism

Introduces Foucault's discourse and power, Bourdieu's field theory, and postmodern challenges to grand narratives. Equips students to analyze knowledge and power relations.

Lesson 3 • Critical Race and Decolonial Theory

Examines race as a social construction, systemic racism, and decolonial critiques of Eurocentric sociology. Broadens the theoretical canon beyond Western traditions.

Lesson 1 • Quantitative Methods

Teaches survey design, sampling strategies, and basic statistical analysis for social data. Connects numerical evidence to sociological argument.

Lesson 2 • Research Design Fundamentals

Covers the research cycle, epistemological assumptions, and the link between theory and method. Establishes the logic of inquiry underlying all sociological research.

Lesson 3 • Mixed Methods and Research Ethics

Integrates quantitative and qualitative designs and addresses ethical obligations in human subjects research. Prepares students for responsible, rigorous sociological inquiry.

Lesson 1 • Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality

Analyzes racial and ethnic stratification, discrimination, and the social construction of group boundaries. Links historical processes to contemporary disparities.

Lesson 2 • Gender, Sexuality, and Stratification

Covers gender inequality in labor markets, households, and institutions, alongside sexuality as a stratifying dimension. Integrates intersectional analysis throughout.

Lesson 3 • Intersectionality in Practice

Applies Crenshaw's intersectionality framework to analyze overlapping systems of oppression. Develops analytical tools for multi-axis inequality research.

Lesson 4 • Theories of Social Stratification

Compares functionalist, conflict, and Weberian explanations for why stratification exists and persists. Grounds empirical analysis in competing theoretical accounts.

Lesson 1 • Socialization Across the Life Course

Covers primary and secondary socialization, agents of socialization, and resocialization. Connects individual development to structural and cultural forces.

Lesson 2 • Cultural Change and Globalization

Examines cultural diffusion, hybridization, and resistance in a globalized world. Prepares students to analyze cultural dynamics across societies.

Lesson 3 • Identity Formation and Social Self

Analyzes how individuals construct identity through interaction, narrative, and group membership. Links micro-level self-concept to macro-level social categories.

Lesson 1 • Education, Schooling, and Reproduction

Covers functionalist and conflict accounts of education, hidden curriculum, and credentialism. Links schooling to social reproduction and mobility.

Lesson 2 • State, Politics, and Power

Covers theories of the state, political power, social movements, and civil society. Prepares students to analyze political institutions sociologically.

Lesson 3 • Family as a Social Institution

Examines family structures, functions, and transformations across cultures and historical periods. Connects family forms to broader economic and cultural systems.

Lesson 4 • Economy, Work, and Organizations

Examines labor markets, organizational structures, and the sociology of work. Connects economic institutions to power, identity, and inequality.

Lesson 1 • Sociological Consulting and Reporting

Covers client engagement, scope definition, data presentation, and professional report writing for non-academic audiences. Prepares students for consulting and advisory roles.

Lesson 2 • Policy Analysis and Social Problems

Teaches frameworks for diagnosing social problems, evaluating policy options, and communicating findings to decision-makers. Connects theory to actionable recommendations.

Lesson 3 • Program Evaluation Methods

Covers needs assessment, logic models, process and outcome evaluation, and utilization-focused evaluation. Equips students to assess social programs rigorously.

Lesson 4 • Applied vs. Public Sociology

Distinguishes applied, public, clinical, and academic sociology and their respective audiences. Clarifies professional roles available to trained sociologists.