This course will introduces students to the discipline of sociology (the systematic study of human groups, institutions and societies). Students will learn the major theoretical approaches within the field as well as the diverse research methods used in sociological investigations. These tools will be applied to a wide variety of special topics studied by sociologists, including family, work, education, religion and social movements, as well as dynamics of class, gender, race and ethnic inequalities within and across countries.

An introduction to the sociological study of race and ethnicity which begins by encouraging students to exercise some critical distance from the core concepts of race and ethnicity. Topics will include comparative racism, immigration, the experiences of the second generation, whiteness, the culture of poverty debate, slums and ghettos, and the debate over the "underclass." Two lectures, one preceptorial.

This course will introduce you to the conservative tradition in sociology. The course does not deal with conservative movements. Our focus, instead, is on an intellectual tradition: styles of thought and ways of understanding the social world. We will explore this from the late 19th century through today. Our course is centered around five main themes: (1) Conservatism within the classical sociological tradition; (2) a focus on the case of "The Ghetto" and the experiences of Black Americans in urban America; (3) the conservative embrace of and concerns about capitalism; (4) the sociology of the family; (5) religion in social life.