| This course is a general survey of the prehistoric record of humankind. It emphasizes those aspects of the record--anthropological, archaeological, paleontological, and biological--which promote a greater understanding of contemporary societies and the future of the species. Topics include: the principles of evolution, food production and the rise of civilization, the nature of “human nature,” sex and gender, racial and cultural diversity, and conflict and co-operation. (LL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 103 How Society Works | |
| This course provides an introduction to some of the major issues in sociology. It examines how societies come into existence, how they are organized and maintained, and how they change. The major sociological perspectives are used to understand the relationship between culture, institutions, and social behaviour; the process of socialization; globalization and the political-economic structure of Canadian society; and the resulting social inequalities of class, race, and gender. (LL)
| | Antirequisites: SOC 11A/B, SOC 11, SOC 104. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 104 Understanding Society | |
| This course provides an introduction to some of the major issues in the discipline of sociology. Topics include: the major theoretical debates of classical sociology; research methods and problems; culture and socialization; the evolution of human societies; and the structure of Canadian society. Professionally-related examples are used throughout the course. (Equivalent to the first half of SOC 011) (PR)
| | Antirequisites: SOC 11A/B, SOC 11, SOC 103. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 107 Sociology of Everyday Life | |
| A sociological perspective allows us to see the "general in particular," and the "strange in familiar." This course gives the students a sociological perspective useful for investigating ordinary, common everyday activities and interaction most of us find routinely engaging. Some concentration is provided to the urban experience of everyday life. Through examining seemingly mundane behaviours--eating, chatting, watching TV, etc.—students study underlying structures that shape social behaviour and learn about historical and qualitative social research methods. (Equivalent to the second half of SOC 011) (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 11A/B The Social World | |
| This course introduces students to the basic sociological frameworks used to investigate social behaviour, culture, and institutions. It involves an examination of culture, work, inequality, social class, education, mass communication and ideology, the state, and the impact of technology and change in modern society in a socio-historical context. The course assumes that knowledge of social structure and process is essential for understanding human experience. (PR)
| | Antirequisites: SOC 103, SOC 104, SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| This course brings sociological insights to popular culture in its complex and multiple dimensions. Focusing on electronic media, popular music, film, fashion, and cyberspace it examines how contemporary sights, sounds, and images impact on human beings and their awareness. Special attention is given the cult of the celebrity, popular culture and social control, and the mediated event. (LL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 203 Social Class and Inequality | |
| This course examines the distribution of power and wealth in society. As a social reality, inequality leaves no one untouched, whether or not we are conscious of it. This course traces the origins of social inequality and reflects on the various interpretations of social stratification. At the macro level, analysis examines how patterns of inequality are reproduced and altered over time. At the micro level, analysis considers how inequality shapes individual career choices and other experiences. (LL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 25A/B Media and Society | |
| The relationship between media and contemporary society is complex and important. The structure, power and influence of dominant mass media is examined with a particular focus on film and TV. Special attention is paid to issues of imagery and the definition of reality, the construction and significance of the news and advertising, concentration of ownership, the production of spectacle and diversion, the ‘wired’ society, narrative and the construction of reality, and the globalization of media. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or SOC 104. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 300 The Sociology of Diversity | |
| Canada has experienced a rapid increase in cultural, racial, ethnic, and national diversity. On one hand, there is the development of expanding globalization and its attendant pressures toward social and cultural homogeneity. On the other hand, there is the reaction to these pressures manifested in the growing significance of primordial loyalties based on traditional variables. Socially and individually, the tension between globalization and communalism is potentially disruptive and fraught with conflict, competing demands, and much misunderstanding. (PR)
| | Antirequisite: SOC 507. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 302 The City and Society | |
| The origins and significance of the city in human history are explored in the context of contemporary sociological theories of urban development. From this basis the course examines such issues as the rise of differing forms of social inequality, the rural/urban split, the global city, democratic process, urban growth/decay, and their impact on social life. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or SOC 104. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 305 Sociology of Deviance | |
| This course examines various explanations of deviance. Definitions of what constitutes “normal” and “abnormal” are discussed from a cross-cultural and historical perspective. Specific attention is given to the labelling process and societal reaction to labelling people “deviant”. Areas to be examined include sexuality, mental illness, substance use, and crime. These areas are examined from a critical sociological perspective, emphasizing social class as a key variable. (LL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 319 Sociological Perspectives on Crime | |
| This course examines the social context of crime in Canadian society. Issues include the social construction of crime, problems of measuring crime, the major sociological explanations of crime, and the social role of the police professional. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 31A/B Sociology of Health | |
| This course examines fundamental topics which relate to health and health care in our society. It uses historical, cross-cultural, and contemporary perspectives to examine theoretical issues and research strategies, the relationship between social structures, health and health care, and health care professions and occupations. It also focuses on such important issues as the individual and health, occupational and environmental health, health issues in the Third World, women and health care, and health and health care in the future. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or SOC 104. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 402 The City and Social Problems | |
| The city today exists in crisis and promise. The sociological perspective sheds light on issues and problems that face cities both locally and globally. Issues covered include: homelessness and poverty; immigration and physical mobility; the ecological crisis; economic development vs. decline; housing; segregation; crime; and the meaning of community in an urban context. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or SOC 104. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 470 Toronto: The Changing City | |
| Toronto, the most diverse city in the world, provides the perfect opportunity for studying and better understanding metropolitan life. This course is an introduction to the study of city life with emphasis on Toronto's changing social climate. It offers a look at both local and global issues that touch the lives of this city's dwellers. Among other things, this course provides an introduction to the study of communities, transportation, crime, health, and housing. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 472 Sociology of Work and Occupations | |
| This course offers an overview of different approaches to work settings and complex organizations in urban industrial society. We will discuss classical theories of bureaucracy, the managerial tradition, and critical perspectives drawn from contemporary Sociology, including studies focusing diversity in the workplace. Also examined are the modern enterprise, state and government, community/volunteer organizations and social movements, and alternatives to dominant organizational forms. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 473 Classic Sociological Theory | |
| This course offers a critical overview of the formation of theoretical orientations used within the social sciences. Students will be given a grounding within classic sociological theories, ranging from the micro level to the macro level, and including functionalism, conflict theory, feminism, Marxism, and symbolic interactionism. Students will be introduced to the works of, among others: Burgess, Comte, Cooley, Durkheim, Mannheim , Marx, Merton, Michels, Mills, Park, Parsons, Spencer, and Weber. The emphasis is on thorough analysis and critical evaluation of a few theories, rather than on a short review of many theories. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 474 Immigration, Minorities and Citizenship | |
| Most immigrants that come to Canada end up in one of the three largest metropolitan centres: Vancouver, Montreal, or Toronto. This course provides an overview of immigration policies and trends, with a specific emphasis on immigration to Toronto. This course looks at who came, when, and why. It also looks at this city's benefits and drawbacks, obstacles and opportunities for new and no-so-new arrivals. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 475 Contemporary Sociological Theory | |
| This course will introduce the student to contemporary sociological theories including the works of, among others: Adorno, Bataille, Baudrillard, Becker, Benjamin, Bourdieu, Foucault, Fromm, Garfinkel, Goffman, Haraway, hooks, Horkheimer, Irigary, Jameson, Smith, and Virilio. The history of postmodernity will be detailed and various theoretical approaches will be explored in relation to production, consumption, knowledge, and information. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 473. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 476 Sociology of Fear | |
| "There's nothing to fear but fear itself." This course provides a critical analysis of "real" issues that make our skin crawl, cause us to lock our door securely behind us, prevent us from helping a stranger in need. How much of our fear is warranted? To what extent is socially structured fear a product of urbanization? How vulnerable are we? We assess the social impact of moral panic versus under-reporting of the many real hazards we face every day. Among other things, the course looks at crime, terrorism, urban myths, conspiracy theory, environmental and health risks. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 477 Sociology of Advertising | |
| Advertisements are deeply embedded in our everyday lives, yet we are rarely concerned about the messages and information we learn from this exposure to ads. Ads confront us everywhere in our increasingly urban lives, from sidewalks to rooftops. This course addresses the social role of advertising in physical and virtual spaces throughout contemporary society. Special emphasis is given to the historical rise of advertisements, the ideological content, the economic forces, the mechanisms of persuasion, and current social controversies over advertising effects on human behavior and socialization. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| This course takes a sociological look at different dimensions of fun, the multiple ways we spend time outside work and other commitments. What makes fun possible in an organized society? What is the relationship between work and fun? How do different social groupings engage in the pursuit of fun? What kinds of fun are more socially acceptable than others? How is fun organized differently in rural and urban environments? The course will situate fun and pleasurable pursuits in the context of contemporary capitalism and the globalization of culture. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 479 Communities & Social Networks | |
| This course provides an in-depth analysis of social, spatial, and virtual communities, as they exist in modern urban environments. The course looks at the plurality and complexity of face-to-face communities and virtual spaces. These include a variety of groupings and social groupings based on common identity, social position, and roles. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 481 Survey Design and Analysis | |
| This course builds on introductory courses in methods, by focusing on survey design and analysis. Competencies include sampling, measurement, designing questions, validity, reliability, statistical inference, and hypothesis testing. The second half of the course will focus on data analysis using SPSS. Emphasis will be placed on understanding social statistics, including measures of central tendency, dispersion, and multiple regression analysis, among other things. (PR)
| | Prerequisites: (SOC 104 or SOC 107) and ACS 301 and ACS 401. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 482 Sociological Methods of Media Research | |
| With a specific focus upon critical media research, this course offers an introduction to the study of the scientific method as applied to sociological research. It is an overview to the methodological approaches commonly utilized in media studies, such as content and narrative analysis, discourse analysis, frame analysis, network analysis, interviews, media surveys, and ethnographic approaches. General methodological topics to address include the relationship between theory and hypothesis development, data collection and analysis, and concept formation and generalization. Practical examples and assignments will draw upon the urban mediascape. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 481. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 483 Advanced Research and Statistics | |
| This course is designed to build upon the student's existing research and analysis skills by focusing on more advanced topics in social data analysis. Our approach emphasizes statistics as tools for solving research problems associated with understanding urban life rather than as an end in itself. The course provides a hands-on approach to statistics through the use and analysis of actual urban census track data. The city and urban issues remain our focus as we explore modern statistical applications. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 481. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 490 Sociological Practice I | |
| This course will provide students with the opportunity to develop a research proposal through a structured program of study exploring social research methods. Students will further develop the variety of social science research skills they have been exposed to through this program. They will learn how to locate, evaluate, and apply for funding for specific research projects, and/or research. The ethical and political contexts within which social research is conducted will also be considered. By the end of term, students will have created a research proposal on a subject with some application to the urban experience, outlining their specific research topic, including a literature review, its relevance to the field of Sociology, and a detailed plan of the data collection methods. (PR)
| | Departmental Consent Required. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 491 Sociological Practice II (Thesis) | |
| In this course, students will develop their social research under the guidance of their faculty supervisor. Students will "learn by doing," where they apply the knowledge gained in Sociological Practices I to their own practical research on a theme with some application to the urban experience. They will provide an in-depth analysis of a current social issue through their own research project. Students will collect sociological data using specific methods, analyze the results, and produce a final research paper. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 490. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| This course examines youth in contemporary society, their behaviour, roles, hopes, expectations, and attitudes. It places young people within a sociological framework that emphasizes contemporary social, economic, and political realities. The variables of social class, race and ethnicity, and gender are stressed; and key issues such as youth and media, the law, the family, employment, and education are explored in depth. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 501 Sociology of Work | |
| This course examines work as a central social activity. Particular emphasis is given to problems and conflicts arising from present forms of organization and authority in industrial and other workplaces. Topics include: historical development and effects of the division of labour, alienation, and anomie, with special attention to work satisfaction and dissatisfaction. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 502 Violence and the Family | |
| This course explores the nature of violence, its manifestations in family life, its root causes, its consequences, and the social reaction to this violence. The family is viewed as a major social institution that is affected by the changes that occur within society. The primary goal is to facilitate students’ understanding of violence and its relationship to family life within the socio-cultural context. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or SOC 104 or Direct Entry. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 503 Sociology of Education | |
| This course analyzes the functions of schooling and training in contemporary society. Using sociological frameworks, this course explores such topics as the history of education, society’s impact on access to education, the relationship of opportunity to education, the content of curriculum, pedagogical styles and their impact on learning, the role of teacher, parent and learner in an educational environment, and the future of education in Canada. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 504 Children and Society | |
| Children are at the centre of many social institutions and forces. Families, schools, and media have a direct effect on children’s lives. The power of these institutions on children is examined within the larger social contexts of culture and class. Children, however, are not merely passive witnesses of social life; they are also participants, so their perceptions, interests, and experiences will be explored. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or SOC 104 or Direct Entry. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 505 Sociology of Sport | |
| This course examines sociological issues related to the nature of play, games, and sport in contemporary society. The course focuses on current structures of sport as both liberating and limiting human social possibilities. Sociological theories are used to analyze such topics as: the relationship between sport and social institutions such as the family, the state, and the economy; the social organization of sport; sport and violence; sport and gender relations; and sport and racism. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 506 Health and Society | |
| The health care system in Canada is in crisis. Using relevant contemporary sociological theory, this course examines the historical evolution of modern medicine and the medical model, and their implications for society, health, and health care today. Topics include: the distribution of health and illness within Canadian society, environmental and occupational health, aging and health, gender issues in health care, and medical technology and ethics. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 507 Race & Ethnicity in Canadian Society | |
| This course provides an introduction to the concepts, theories, and research methods most relevant to the study of racism and ethnicity in everyday life. The development of multicultural societies and the historical context of “racial” and ethnic groups in Canada are examined. The role and impact of governmental and non-governmental policies (on immigration, employment, and affirmative action, for example), will be discussed in the context of a variety of social institutions such as schools and the judicial system. (UL)
| | Antirequisite: SOC 300. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 525 Media and Images of Inequality | |
| This course examines the relationship between the representation of inequality on film and television and contemporary social structure. Students will study media, culture, socialization, power, and inequality, critically examining images of disability, race, age, ethnicity, gender, social class, and sexual orientation. Strategies and responses of various groups will be considered along with an analysis of cultural and social change. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| This course analyzes issues concerning middle-aged and older women in a changing society. The course focuses on women’s experiences of family life, work, intergenerational relations, widowhood, poverty, and health in the context of social class, ethnicity, and race, as well as age and gender. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 600 Globalization and Health | |
| What effects will globalization have on population health? How will it affect the delivery of health care for providers and consumers? These questions are examined in the context of an emerging literature of medical and political sociology. Three theoretical frameworks will be used to explore multi-national corporations and the main agents of globalization-The World Trade Organization, The International Monetary Fund, and The North American Free Trade Agreement-and the impact of their agendas on health. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 601 Sociology of Occupations | |
| This course examines the major trends affecting the structure of occupations in Canada. Topics include: occupational control and career patterns; occupations and social power; professionalization; and the relationship of the labour movement to the rise of new professional and semi-professional occupations. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 603 Sociology of Gender | |
| This course examines the historical and cross-cultural expressions of gender inequality, and its consequences for both men and women. Emphasis is also placed on issues related to gender inequality in contemporary Canada, including gendered divisions in the workplace and the family, the role of governments in equity issues, and the process of socialization. The course concludes with an examination of prospects for the future. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 605 Canadian Families: Myth and Legal Reality | |
| In everyday life we are bombarded with idealized and romanticized images of what family life is all about. In reality, family life is shaped and constrained by social, economic, and legal forces. This course critically assesses some myths and misconceptions about families and looks at how Canadian laws and policies shape everything from the definition of family to mate selection, child rearing, step families, divorce, and remarriage. (Equivalent to first half of SOC 021). (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or SOC 104 or Direct Entry. Antirequisites: SOC 21A/B, SOC 21. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 606 Work and Families in the 21st Century | |
| A central issue at the beginning of the 21st century is integration of family life and employment responsibilities. This course introduces social, historical and theoretical backgrounds to address diversity of family structures, the provision of care to dependent children and adults, the effects of care-giving on family providers, new trends in policies affecting families, and the emerging roles of public and private supports for families. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or Direct Entry. Antirequisite: SOC 21A/B, SOC 21. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 608 Feminism and Society | |
| This course examines the development and impact of the Canadian feminist movement, its theories, issues, organizations, and practices on women’s lives. Globalization and issues of inequality and diversity among women frame the exploration of the female condition in the paid and unpaid work realm, from the 1800’s to the present. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or SOC 104 or Direct Entry. Antirequisites: SOC 28A/B, SOC 28. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 609 The Social Control of Women | |
| This course examines the social control of women in historical, contemporary, and cross-cultural perspectives. The patriarchal policies and practices of the State are examined around issues of law and public policy, marriage and custody, same sex relationships, sexual violence and pornography, sexuality and reproductive control, education, and health care. The role of religion and media in legitimizing and maintaining these patriarchal structures and the abrogation of fundamental human rights for women will also be addressed. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 11A/B or SOC 11 or SOC 104 or Direct Entry. Antirequisites: SOC 28A/B, SOC 28. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 656 Fashion and Society | |
| What is the purpose of fashion? What do your clothes reveal about you as a person? This course will critically explore the social construction of the fashion industry, utilizing sociological theories of fashion, consumer culture, and identity. Among other topics it will analyze issues surrounding ethics, social representation (race, gender, class, age), cultural notions of beauty, the global economy and exploitation, power and status as implied by fashion, and the implications of fashion for youth cultures. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 700 Men and Masculinities in the 21st Century | |
| This course examines cross cultural contemporary forms of masculinity in the 21st century. It critiques the relationship between biology and cultural expressions of maleness and the consequence for men and their relationships with other men, women, and children. Topics include male power; militarization and globalization; sports and war; sex, sexuality, and violence; race and hierarchies of masculinities; and the male gendering of political and economic processes, healthcare, education, city planning, and media. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 701 Intro to Change: Canadian Perspectives | |
| This course deals with the general characteristics and underlying causes of social change. The focus is on the historical emergence of, and development within, capitalist societies, especially Canada, and the concerns around which social movements have arisen seeking to bring about social change. These include increased militarization and the rise of the peace movement, the adoption of new technologies in industry and the response of labour, economic and social crises worldwide and the development of the “New Right”. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 702 Anatomy of Human Conflict | |
| This course examines the central question of why humans war. Analysis critically explores the conventional wisdom regarding the nature of human aggression and destructiveness, and provides some alternative explanations. Biological and social theories are explored. The analysis will make extensive use of materials from a variety of disciplines. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 703 Women and Development | |
| This course examines the role of women in developing societies. Women’s roles and responsibilities, stresses and problems, are examined within a cross-cultural and historical framework, using sociological models to explain contemporary realities for women in the non-industrial world. Topics include: women and the family; women and the economy, in agriculture and newly emerging industry; women and education and health; and women’s role in policy and future transformations. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 704 Aging, Culture and Society | |
| Aging is a social as well as a biological phenomenon. This course uses social, historical, legal, ethical and literary insights to examine four main themes: the meaning of aging, the personal experience of aging, the societal phenomenon of aging, and the future of an aging society. A humanistic approach provides an understanding of aging and the issues which arise in the face of aging and death. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| In our highly regulated society, law has become an increasingly significant element. The course analyses the nature and functions of law in society, how law influences social behaviours, and how social values and actions shape law. The degree to which justice is served by law is a central question. The course focuses primarily on Canadian law but comparative materials are also used. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 706 Sociology of the Global Economy | |
| This course will contribute to the comprehension of the global economy and international economic relations by using recent sociological theories of social change to analyze socio-economic processes, social relations, social structures, and global economic institutions. Topics discussed will include post-industrial, post-fordist, and post-modern society; patterns of restructuring the economy and the state; the global city; global and local cultures; the global consumer; and fragmentation and inequality in global space. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 707 Religion, Meaning and Power | |
| How has religion in Canada changed? What do we know about our increased religious diversity? How has Judeo-Christian religion become secularized, and what does it mean? How does religion construct social meanings? These questions are examined through contemporary readings. The course analyzes classical and current expressions of religious experience and institutions. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 800 Theories of Society | |
| The sociological tradition includes many different theories of society. Ranging from micro- to macro-level, from modernist to postmodernist and postcolonial, theories have conceptualized power, inequality, conflict, solidarity, community, communication, and ideology in varying ways. Contemporary theories highlight diversity, relativism, pluralism, subjectivity, and the body, reflecting the vitality and relevance of sociological thought in a constantly changing world. This course explores sociological theory form Adam Smith and Vilfredo Pareto to Dorothy Smith and bell hooks, focusing on these themes. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 801 Social Change: International Perspectives | |
| This course examines the process of social change as it is occurring in the Third World. The focus is on the origins and consequences of underdevelopment, and how responses to it affects both the underdeveloped and developed nations. Discussion covers the impact of imperialism and neo-colonialism as well as the growth of national liberation movements. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 802 Issues in War and Peace | |
| This course familiarizes students with current issues regarding peace and conflict in the world today. The course also examines economic and political structures that relate to militarism. Finally, countervailing pressures for peace in society are presented and explored. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 808 Food and Foodways | |
| This course reviews complex cultural, economic, and political arrangements in production, distribution, and consumption of food. Examining the diversity in historical and cultural arrangements in “foodways” the course offers insights into broader social and economic structures, class and gender relations, politics and ideologies of access to food, and images and discourses of food. Table manners, food taboos, diets, food crazes, and fast food are some of the topics to be studied. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 880 Information Technology and Society | |
| Information technology is now one of the major influences in modern life. Given the unprecedented rates of change, how do we formulate reasonable expectations? How do we make choices when we don’t know what the future of technology holds? To answer questions such as these, we need to learn more about the interaction between technology and society. This course looks at the use and impact of information technology in areas such as engineering, medicine, manufacturing, education and law. It looks at issues such as privacy, personal dignity, and the kind of life we want to lead. The course provides a historical framework and ideas which may be applied to other areas of technological change. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| This course will explore the position of women and gender relations in contemporary Muslim societies and North American Muslim communities, introducing a comparative perspective to the issues of Muslim women in their homelands and diaspora. Our discussions will focus on comparing different controversial issues within Islam, such as Muslim women's identity, veiling, Muslim family life, Muslim women in the war zones, and Muslim women's activism in their homeland and in the United States and Canada. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 902 Hollywood and Society | |
| This course will explore ideas and issues related to Hollywood as both a centre of cultural production and a general cultural idea and ideal. The history, structure and organization of the motion picture industry and its relationship to prevailing cultural, ideological and institutional forces will be examined. The Hollywood “system” with its emphasis on celebrity, globalization, film images, audience responses, and production itself are just some of the topics to be considered. (UL)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 903 Action Film and Consumer Society | |
| This course will focus on blockbuster action cinema in terms of global marketing, complex production strategies, and internationally accessible screen imagery which establishes an ideological, and fictionally "urbanized," terrain for high consumption. Such filmmakers as Woo, Tarantino, McTiernan, Cameron, the Wachowski Bros., and others will be studied in the context of critical theorists such as Holmlund, Kleinhans, and others. Screen identity and group identity construction will have focus. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 904 Women and Popular Culture | |
| From the good mother to the new female action hero, popular culture has given us many messages about women and their lives in the modern--especially urban--world. This course explores the complex ways in which women and popular culture intersect and overlap in our society. Topics include the stereotyping of women as a group in popular culture, the rise of new stereotypes surrounding women, women as consumers of popular culture, women in the city as depicted in popular culture, and women's location in the media industry as producers. Special attention is given to issues surrounding diversity among women, using Canada as the focus. (PR)
| | Prerequisite: SOC 104 or SOC 107. | | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 931 Western Perspectives on Consumerism | |
| This course provides a forum for exploring the rise of consumerism in Western culture and its broader social, environmental, economic, and political implications. Topics include: the historical development of department stores, shopping malls, and advertising; the integration of personal identity formation with consumer goods; the relationship between capitalist economic systems and consumerism; the growing practice of utilizing consumption as a political tool; and the effect of increasing rates of consumption on the degradation of the environment. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 932 The Entertainment Industry | |
| This course explores the socio-economic structure that shapes and controls the entertainment industry, with specific focus on the relation between social structure and the marketing and production of materials in film, music, television, popular literature, popular journalism, and web-based forms. Attention is paid to consumerism, class, and inequality as shaping factors that affect the way our entertainment culture is produced and enjoyed. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 941 Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Studies | |
| This course reviews concepts, theories, ideologies, discourses, and policies dealing with race and ethnic relations in Canada. The course will focus on social and cultural policies affecting aboriginal peoples, founding cultures, immigrants, and visible minorities through reviewing various historical examples. Various social forces, structures, and institutional arrangements and their impact on ethnic and racial relations in Canada will be examined in historical and cross-cultural context. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| SOC 942 Women and Structural Change | |
| This course examines the condition of women, focusing on structures of power and processes of change. Historical and cross‑cultural expressions of sexual inequality are explored, although emphasis will be placed on current issues facing women in Canadian society, including their relationships with men, children, and other women. Policy formation and institutional change in heath care, media, education, and other areas will be studied. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
| This course will examine the distribution of power and wealth in Canada and the persistence of poverty within industrial capitalism despite its creation of unprecedented wealth. Among the issues to be discussed are: technical problems of defining poverty; various explanations of the causes of poverty and its persistence; the experience of poverty; and global perspectives on poverty and underdevelopment. Attention will be given to low- and no-income populations and generational differences. (PR)
| | Lect: 3 hrs. | | back to top |
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