The link above will take you to the Sociology department’s schedule of classes.
Below, special topics courses, including senior seminars, are described.
For brief descriptions of all Sociology courses, view the undergraduate course descriptions.
Special Topics Courses in Sociology
(Not all courses are offered every semester. Please see the Undergraduate Course Schedule for a list of scheduled sections.)
Gender, Deviance and Social Movements
Death, Disaster, and Development in Cities
Federalism and Multiethnic Societies
Gender, Deviance and Social Movements
Proessor Levy
This course focuses on a comparative analysis of social and
labor movements that have emerged around different deviant
groups across the globe. The course will address the concept
as well as the moral, political, and economic dimensions of
deviance; theories of social movements; the rights movements
that have emerged in different countries and compare them
with other kinds of labor and social movements. It is the
goal of this course to understand sociological theories of
deviance as well as the structure and organization of social
movements through an examination of the distinct moral and
legal status of deviant behavior, including prostitution,
pornography, and drug use.
New York in the Movies
Professor Kapsis
This course explores the relationship between two New Yorks:
the real place and the mythic city born of the movies. It
will analyze how filmic representations of New York compare
to the external “real” New York, and focus on
two issues: (1) aspects of New York’s reality as
presented in popular films compared with aspects that are
neglected or ignored and (2) the means by which creators of
movies use their films to comment on the real social world
or on the direction they believe society is heading. The
work of four quintessentially New York filmmakers will be
highlighted: Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Spike Lee, and
Sidney Lumet.
Sociology of Higher Education
Professor Savage
The American system of higher education faces an array of
problems: unequal access, increasing costs, and decreasing
state funding. At the same time, it has many strengths:
the system offers a wide range of public and private
educational choices, outstanding research capacities, and
opportunities for almost every kind of student. In this
course, we will explore some of the debates and research
about who gets into college, the changing nature of
undergraduate education, and what happens to students after
they graduate. The course will also examine some of the
major institutional problems facing higher education,
including the widening gap between public and private
colleges, the effects of changes in the composition of the
student body, and the shifting of higher education costs
from public sources to the individual.
Writing and Food
Professor Levine
This writing intensive seminar explores major themes in the
sociology, anthropology and history of food. Students write
numerous papers based on the readings and field work. The
class emphasizes the importance of clear, straightforward
writing as a skill essential for professional success. The
class is designed for seniors who have passed the CUNY
writing test and who wish to work hard to improve their
writing.
Ethnic Identity
Professor Min
In addition to a broad U.S. national identity, Americans
hold their ethnic and/or racial identities associated with
their country of origin, religion, language and/or racial
background. The main objective of this course is to examine
conceptual, theoretical, and practical issues related to
ethnic identity and other aspects of ethnic phenomena.
Students will read books that cover ethnic identity
formation among white Americans, African Americans, Latinos,
and Asian Americans. It covers ethnic revival during recent
years, various sources of ethnicity, sub-ethnicity,
pan-ethnicity, the relationship between ethnic retention and
social mobility, and many other issues related to ethnic
phenomena. Students will write their own personal narrative
on their ethnic/racial identities as the main component of
their writing assignments.
Death, Disaster, and Development in Cities
Professor Patch
Social science is confronting the consequences of large
human-created and human-enabled urban disasters.
Earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, terrorist attacks, and
blackouts have shaped the modern urban experience. This
course examines the manner in which human activity
generates, exacerbates, and responds to
“natural” and “man-made” disasters.
The Body, Self, and Society
Professor Pitts
In this course, we explore the human body from a social and
cultural perspective. The human body is influenced by, and
influences, our understandings of race, class, gender,
sexuality, ability and age, among other factors. We will
explore the construction of the perfect (normative) body,
which is influenced by medicine, consumerism, technology,
gender relations, and other social forces, as well as
consider the social construction of ‘deviant’
bodies. Using social commentary, sociological studies, and popular texts (including films), we will come to understandthe multiple ways the human body can be understood.
Sport in Contemporary Society
Professor Gorman
This course will be a general introduction to the sociology of sport. We will explore the relationship between sport and society. The goal of the course is to continue to develop the student’s sociological imagination, giving the student the ability to think critically about sport and understand the ways sports both reflect and (re)produce social relations. The focus of the course will be on the processes y which gender, race, and social class relations are produced and reproduced (with a special emphasis on
socialization and sport). In short, sports play an active role in creating and maintaining social hierarchies. We will also focus on the impact of sport on identity formation. Throughout the semester the student will be introduced to the various research theories and research methods used by sport sociologists. Sports are more than just games.
Federalism and Multiethnic Societies
Professor Alem Habtu
This seminar explores various types of federalisms and focuses on those that are designed to address issues central to multiethnic societies. Case studies will include those of Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, India, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. The federal experiences of these countries will be compared, contrasted, and evaluated. The seminar will have implications for deeply divided societies such as Iraq and Afghanistan that are now attempting to design appropriate federal systems.
Sociology of Medicine
Professor John Furnari
The seminar explores the field of medicine from a sociological perspective. Topics include the history of health care, epidemiology of diseases, the culture of health and illness, the organization of healthcare delivery systems, the concerns of health care professionals, the economics of healthcare, the politics of health care, social and medical research and ethical issues.
Advanced Social Problems
Professor Phil Lewis
This course is designed to provide an in-depth examination of what society considers as “social problems.” In the senior seminar model, students will explore various causes of social phenomena and research and critique historical solutions, as well as develop their own solutions
Sociology of Marketing
Professor Joseph Cohen
In their quest to compete in markets, business has developed a sophisticated repertoire of techniques designed to collect information, organize production and delivery systems, and manage people’s awareness and opinions of brands, organizations, products and ideas. These activities represent some of the basic tools of marketing. Marketing is a powerful force in contemporary society, which attracts many societal resources, exerts a profound influence on managerial decision-making, and plays an important role in cultural change. Its net effect on society is ambiguous, with some observers arguing that the practice makes manipulates people, but others see it as a means by which organizations can become more responsive to consumers’ endogenous desires. This class offers an introduction to the practice of marketing, and a series of discussions on the role of marketing in culture and society.
