Introduction to Sociology

Taught in either 8 or 16 weeks, this is an introductory survey course to the field of sociology, the study of society. What is society, and how does one go about systematically analyzing it? What original approaches to the world and social phenomenon can sociology offer you? These are difficult, contested, and multifaceted questions. But, by the end of this course, you will be able to begin answering these questions given the thinking tools we will develop from theoretical, substantive, and methodological traditions of the discipline.

The nature of this course is not to develop a working knowledge of a specific specialization (e.g. political sociology, sociology of work, environmental sociology, etc.), but to expose you to foundational ideas. You will become aware of many sub-fields in the discipline so you can continue your coursework in areas that most interest you.

The course begins by exploring the creative, critical thinking that sociology offers us. Sociology is a perspective on the world that you can carry with you in life. I encourage students to not only think of this course, or even a sociology major, from an instrumental viewpoint, but as an interpretive lens that can be applied in a wide range of careers. Therefore, in the opening weeks of the class, we discuss C. Wright Mills notion of sociological imagination, as well as other key theorists (such as Pierre Bourdieu), who discuss sociology’s significance to contemporary life. Then, we pivot to a discussion of methods and methodology. We will also cover the dominant approaches that have been carved out since the 19th century, such as conflict theory, functionalism, and symbolic interactionism. The majority of the semester will then be focused on elaborating the foundations of sociological thought in a variety of substantive areas, such as social stratification, race, gender, social networks, and the environment. Across these topics, I weave research based articles and chapters written by prominent sociologists that inspired me to want to pursue a career in this field like those of Matthew Desmond, Victor Rios, Loic Wacquant, and Kimberly Kay Hoang to illustrate key concepts, expand our discussions, and familiarize students with academic writing in a way that is more engaging than any single textbook might offer.

Icon Image - From special issue of Catalyst (2017, volume 1, number 2). Figure is adapted from Pierre Bourdieu’s The Rules of Art (1996) (See https://catalyst-journal.com/2017/11/bourdieu-class-theory-riley)