Sociology
The Department of Sociology offers courses in statistics and social research, social theory, methods in social research, social movements, the American family, sociology and economics, sociology of culture, race and urban America, inequality and public policy, and organizational analysis.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Courses
Identification of the distinctive elements of sociological perspectives on society. Readings confront classical and contemporary approaches with key social issues that include power and authority, culture and communication, poverty and discrimination, social change, and popular uses of sociological concepts.
Course Number
SOCI1000W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:25We 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/10902Enrollment
167 of 180Instructor
David KnightIdentification of the distinctive elements of sociological perspectives on society. Readings confront classical and contemporary approaches with key social issues that include power and authority, culture and communication, poverty and discrimination, social change, and popular uses of sociological concepts.
Course Number
SOCI1000W003Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsCourse Number
SOCI1100W001Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsCourse Number
SOCI1100W002Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsCourse Number
SOCI1100W003Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsCourse Number
SOCI1100W005Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsCourse Number
SOCI1100W006Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsCourse Number
SOCI1100W007Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsCourse Number
SOCI1100W008Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsCourse Number
SOCI1203W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 13:10-14:25We 13:10-14:25Section/Call Number
001/10912Enrollment
50 of 200Instructor
Sudhir VenkateshAn examination of the diverse values, meanings and identities that comprise American pluralism, the moral and political clashes and communities that emerge from them, and the sociological concepts that make sense of them. Part One explores larger macro-themes (American exceptionalism; individualism and community; religion and secularism; pleasure and restraint in post-Puritan America; race, immigration and identity). Part Two explores the interplay between these large themes and cultural polarization in post-Trump America, with special focus on the cultural forces at play in the 2024 presidential election: red states, blues states and cultural sorting; changing conceptions of liberalism and conservatism; class divisions and the global rise of cultural populism; the concept of “epistemic tribes” and media silos; fights over religion and race, sexuality and family; the current war on “wokeness” and the debate on free expression.
Course Number
SOCI2208V001Points
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-11:25Th 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/00077Enrollment
34 of 35Instructor
Jonathan RiederCourse Number
SOCI3000W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsCourse Number
SOCI3010W001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 18:10-19:25Th 18:10-19:25Section/Call Number
001/00016Enrollment
55 of 55Instructor
Amy ZhouPrerequisites: SOCI UN1000 Section Discussion for SOCI UN3010, METHODS FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH
Course Number
SOCI3011W001Points
0 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
001/00162Enrollment
0 of 27Instructor
. FACULTYPrerequisites: SOCI UN1000 Section Discussion for SOCI UN3010, METHODS FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH
Course Number
SOCI3011W002Points
0 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
002/00163Enrollment
0 of 28Instructor
. FACULTYCourse Number
SOCI3087X001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
001/00145Enrollment
3 of 6Instructor
Deborah BecherCourse Number
SOCI3087X002Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
002/00146Enrollment
1 of 6Instructor
Elizabeth BernsteinCourse Number
SOCI3087X003Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
003/00147Enrollment
0 of 6Instructor
Maricarmen HernandezCourse Number
SOCI3087X004Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
004/00148Enrollment
1 of 6Instructor
Debra MinkoffCourse Number
SOCI3087X005Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
005/00149Enrollment
0 of 6Instructor
Mignon MooreCourse Number
SOCI3087X006Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
006/00151Enrollment
0 of 6Instructor
Jonathan RiederCourse Number
SOCI3087X007Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
007/00150Enrollment
0 of 6Instructor
Angela SimmsCourse Number
SOCI3087X008Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
008/00152Enrollment
0 of 6Instructor
Amy ZhouCourse Number
SOCI3087X009Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
009/00161Enrollment
0 of 6Instructor
Randa SerhanPower, Politics, and Society introduces students to the field of political sociology, a subfield within sociology that is deeply engaged in the study of power in formal and diffuse forms. Using sociological theories and current events from the US and around the world, this course is designed to help students analyze their social worlds, and understand the significance of the old adage, “everything is political.”
Course Number
SOCI3103W001Points
0 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
001/00164Enrollment
0 of 35Instructor
. FACULTYPrerequisites: One introductory course in Sociology suggested. Social movements and the theories social scientists use to explain them, with emphasis on contemporary American activism. Cases include the Southern civil rights movement, Black Lives Matter, contemporary feminist mobilizations, LGBTQ activism, immigrant rights and more recent forms of grassroots politics.
Course Number
SOCI3135W001Points
0 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
001/00734Enrollment
0 of 40Instructor
. FACULTYPower, Politics, and Society introduces students to the field of political sociology, a subfield within sociology that is deeply engaged in the study of power in formal and diffuse forms. Using sociological theories and current events from the US and around the world, this course is designed to help students analyze their social worlds, and understand the significance of the old adage, “everything is political.”
Course Number
SOCI3203W001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:55We 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/00549Enrollment
35 of 35Instructor
Randa SerhanExamines the social construction of race and ethnicity in the United States from colonial period to present. Analyzes how capitalist interests, class differences, gender, immigration, and who “deserves” the full rights and privileges of citizenship, shape boundaries between and within racial and ethnic groups. Also considers how racism affects resource access inequities between racial groups in education, criminal justice, media, and other domains. Explores factors underpinning major social change with an eye toward discerning social conditions necessary to create and sustain just social systems.
Course Number
SOCI3219X001Points
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 13:10-14:25Th 13:10-14:25Section/Call Number
001/00144Enrollment
33 of 35Instructor
Angela SimmsPrerequisites: One introductory course in Sociology suggested. Social movements and the theories social scientists use to explain them, with emphasis on contemporary American activism. Cases include the Southern civil rights movement, Black Lives Matter, contemporary feminist mobilizations, LGBTQ activism, immigrant rights and more recent forms of grassroots politics.
Course Number
SOCI3235W001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 08:40-09:55Th 08:40-09:55Section/Call Number
001/00733Enrollment
24 of 40Instructor
Debra MinkoffThis course examines the social roots and impacts of environmental contamination and disasters, in order to understand how humans relate to nature in the context of global racial capitalism and the possibilities for creating a more sustainable world. We will also explore how racism is foundational to environmental exploitation and consider why global struggles for racial justice are crucial for protecting both people and the earth, paying particular attention to how environmental health inequalities are linked to race, class, gender, and nation. We will consider key theories, debates, and unresolved questions in the subfield of environmental sociology and discuss future directions for the sociological study of human/environment relations.
Course Number
SOCI3244X001Points
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 18:10-19:25We 18:10-19:25Section/Call Number
001/00143Enrollment
45 of 45Instructor
Maricarmen HernandezCourse Number
SOCI3285W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Th 16:10-17:25Tu 16:10-17:25Section/Call Number
001/10914Enrollment
19 of 45Instructor
Yinon CohenCourse Number
SOCI3675W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10915Enrollment
60 of 75Instructor
David StarkCourse Number
SOCI3676W001Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsCourse Number
SOCI3676W002Format
In-PersonPoints
0 ptsCourse Number
SOCI3914W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10918Enrollment
20 of 20Instructor
Thomas DiPreteCourse Number
SOCI3916X001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/00142Enrollment
13 of 15Instructor
Jonathan RiederCourse Number
SOCI3920X001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
We 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/00140Enrollment
12 of 12Instructor
Elizabeth BernsteinCourse Number
SOCI3921W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10919Enrollment
15 of 15Instructor
Teresa SharpeCourse Number
SOCI3930X001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
We 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/00141Enrollment
13 of 14Instructor
Mignon MooreThe American Dream of owning a home has long represented an ideal of American equity. The ideal screams of opportunity and meritocracy: no matter how poor one begins life, as long as they work and save, they can enjoy the security and safety of home. To many, this ideal gives them hope, for they can see possibility for their achievement. To others, the ideal feels like a farce, for they rightly anticipate facing countless barriers to achieving that dream.
This course examines challenges, contradictions, and ironies of American housing equity. We study ways in which the ideal of single-family home ownership has directly led to excluding large portions of the population from secure housing. We examine why and how many Americans can be deeply committed to equality and freedom and still perpetuate inequalities in their housing choices. We examine how people at the bottom who understand well the barriers they face still manage to survive, invent, and struggle to achieve dignity and equity in their housing.
The course examines core issues of housing equity in America historically and in the present. The course primarily offers a sociological perspective on housing. But we will also read work and bring in perspectives from geography, history, urban planners, and others. In addition, we will also engage with work by journalists, which represents one way that the multi-disciplinary issues of housing are connected in narratives intended for a wider audience than more scholarly products. While we draw on work from various perspectives, we will focus on developing a sociological lens to understand housing.
Course Number
SOCI3939X001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/00624Enrollment
0 of 15Instructor
Deborah BecherWhat is global health? Where do global health disease priorities come from, and how do the ways that we understand disease shape how we respond to it? What happens when good ideas and good intentions go wrong? This course critically examines the politics of global health and its impact on local institutions and people. Drawing on social science research, the course will address three main themes: 1) how global health priorities are defined and constructed, 2) how our understandings of disease influence our response to that disease, and 3) how efforts to respond to disease intersect with people on the ground, sometimes in unexpected ways. We will examine the global health industry from the vantage point of different institutions and actors – international organizations, governments, local healthcare institutions, healthcare workers, and people living with or at risk of various illnesses like HIV/AIDS, malaria, cancer, and Ebola. A primary goal of this course is to help you to develop skills in critical thinking in relation to global health issues and their impact on society. Students will demonstrate their knowledge through individual writing, class discussion, presentations, and a final research project.
Course Number
SOCI3946X001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Th 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/00743Enrollment
15 of 15Instructor
Amy ZhouSurveillance has become a ubiquitous term that either conjures images of George Orwell’s 1984, the popular series Black Mirror, or is dismissed as an inconvenience and a concern of only those who engage in criminal activity or have something to hide. Using sociological theories of power, biopower, racialization, and identity formation, Surveillance explores the various ways we are monitored by state authorities and corporations and our role in perpetuating the system (un)wittingly.
Course Number
SOCI3956X001Points
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/00518Enrollment
0 of 30Instructor
Randa SerhanThis course examines the profession of journalism in modern society.. The social role of the Press has changed with the advent of digital technologies and the democratization of the production, distribution and consumption of authoritative information. The course looks closely at the practice of newsmaking by examining the people and organizations who interact with one another to create and share news content. Newsmaking is viewed as meaningful collective interaction—that is, a behavior that is the sum of the engagement of multiple social actors, each of whom is motivated by assumptions, norms, and aspirations regarding the value of information and the role of the Press in society.
Themes for the course include: (1) how journalists think and work (2) the ways that digital technologies has challenged the Qield of professional journalism and redeQined the role of the “journalist” and “reporter” (3) the evolution of journalism since the Industrial Revolution, with a particular focus on social media and digital transmission of news content (4) the social assumptions and infrastructure that lies behind modern newsmaking (5) the conQlicts, disruptions and tensions that emerge in social organization when new and/or competing technologies are introduced. Substantive topics include, “fake news,” “misinformation,” the challenges of Qirst-hand reporting, the newsroom as an ecosystem, and the rise of social media.
Students will read a variety of texts, including: historical studies of journalism: accounts and memoirs of professional journalists; scientiQic research examining the impact of modern digital media; and news articles and contemporary forms of reportage (tweets, podcasts, etc.).
Course Number
SOCI3966C001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10920Enrollment
0 of 20Instructor
Sudhir VenkateshDrawing from evidenced-based social science research, this course will equip students to understand how the laws and policies of America’s past continue to affect the experiences, trajectories, and perceptions of Asian Americans today. Tracing the racial mobility of Asian Americans from “unassimilable to exceptional”, we begin by studying legacies of exclusion and then examine Asian Americans’ experiences in education, affirmative action, the workplace, and the surge of anti-Asian violence during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Course Number
SOCI3968W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/13849Enrollment
22 of 22Instructor
Jennifer LeeThis course focuses on race, discrimination, and racial inequalities. The course will address three key questions: (1) What is race as perceived in the U.S. and Europe, and what are the sources of racial inequalities? (2) What does social science research tell us about patterns and trends of racial inequalities? (3) What policies can alleviate racial inequalities? The course will systematically adopt comparative perspectives focusing on the North American and European contexts. We will also address research on race and racial inequality within an interdisciplinary lens particularly building on sociology, economics, and social psychology.
This course is designed for advanced undergraduate students from Columbia University and Science Po (Paris). We aim for a class of 30 students (15 from each partner university). Class will take place once a week (for 2 hours). In addition, the Columbia TA will conduct a discussion section once a week in which Columbia and Sciences Po students will work together in small groups on class projects that will be presented over the course of the semester. The classes will be organized in a hybrid format. In each campus, the professor will teach his/her class in person and the two classes will be connected via Zoom. The Columbia and Science Po professors will thus co-teach a virtually connected class. The professors will closely coordinate and alternate in leading the lecture and discussion parts of each class.
Course Number
SOCI3986W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
We 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10921Enrollment
17 of 20Instructor
Thomas DiPreteMarissa ThompsonCourse Number
SOCI3996W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Th 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10922Enrollment
0 of 15Instructor
James ChuCourse Number
SOCI3998C001Points
6 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
001/00153Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Deborah BecherCourse Number
SOCI3998C002Points
6 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
002/00154Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Elizabeth BernsteinCourse Number
SOCI3998C003Points
6 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
003/00155Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Maricarmen HernandezCourse Number
SOCI3998C004Points
6 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
004/00156Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Debra MinkoffCourse Number
SOCI3998C005Points
6 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
005/00157Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Mignon MooreCourse Number
SOCI3998C006Points
6 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
006/00158Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Jonathan RiederCourse Number
SOCI3998C007Points
6 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
007/00159Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Angela SimmsCourse Number
SOCI3998C008Points
6 ptsFall 2024
Section/Call Number
008/00160Enrollment
0 of 3Instructor
Amy ZhouWho gets respect? On what basis? Differences in respect and esteem are a basic form of inequality, with consequences for the (re)production of other inequalities and their durability. The goal of this course is to equip you to see the throughline between status, evaluation, and inequality. Along the way, you will learn how social psychological theories at the micro-level relate to macro-level inequalities. We will tackle questions like the following: Why, and how, do status hierarchies emerge in nearly all societies and groups? How do status differences affect material inequalities like access to jobs? Why is it so hard to change inaccurate stereotypes about women or racial minorities? Will algorithms improve or exacerbate biases in our assessments of merit?
Course Number
SOCI4124W001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Th 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10923Enrollment
17 of 20Instructor
James ChuThis is seminar on the sociology of education intended for advanced undergraduate students and graduate students. The goal of the course is to introduce students to foundational texts, theories, and research in the field of sociology of education. In particular, we will focus on the role of schooling in social stratification and social reproduction in the United States.
This course is organized by broad topic and theme. We will begin with a discussion of the role of schooling in our society. Next, we will discuss inequality in schooling across multiple socio-demographic categories, including social class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion (in addition to inequality at the intersection of multiple social categories). By the end of this course, you should have a strong foundation in research on education’s role in society.
Course Number
SOCI4330G001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
We 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10924Enrollment
17 of 20Instructor
Marissa ThompsonCourse Number
SOCI4800W001Format
In-PersonPoints
1 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 16:00-17:00Section/Call Number
001/10925Enrollment
3 of 15Instructor
Teresa SharpeCourse Number
SOCI5051G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsCourse Number
SOCI5062G001Format
In-PersonPoints
1 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Fr 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10927Enrollment
0 of 22Instructor
Denise MilsteinCourse Number
SOCI5064G001Format
In-PersonPoints
1 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Fr 08:10-10:00Section/Call Number
001/10928Enrollment
0 of 20Instructor
Denise MilsteinCourse Number
SOCI5066G001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Th 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10929Enrollment
0 of 25Instructor
Denise MilsteinThis course introduces students to historical approaches in sociology and political science (and some economics). In the first part, the course surveys the major theoretical approaches and methodological traditions. Examples of the former are classic comparativist work (e.g. Skocpol’s study of revolutions), historist approaches (such as Sewell’s), or the historical institutionalist tradition (Mahoney, Thelen, Wimmer, etc.). In terms of methodological approaches, we will discuss classical Millean small-N comparisons, Qualitative Comparative Analysis, process tracing, actor-centered modeling, quantitative, large-N works, and causal inference type of research designs. In the second part, major topics in macro-comparative social sciences are examined, from world systems and empire to the origins of democracy.
Course Number
SOCI6049G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Th 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10955Enrollment
3 of 12Instructor
Peter BearmanCourse Number
SOCI6051G001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/10956Enrollment
0 of 10Instructor
Joshua WhitfordCourse Number
SOCI6081G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10957Enrollment
11 of 20Instructor
David KnightCourse Number
SOCI6097G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
We 09:00-12:00Section/Call Number
001/10958Enrollment
1 of 10Instructor
Peter BearmanCourse Number
SOCI6103G001Format
In-PersonPoints
4 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 14:10-16:00Section/Call Number
001/10959Enrollment
0 of 10Instructor
Mario SmallThe seminar will explore the Israeli-Palestinian (and Israeli-Arab) conflict from the beginning of the 20th century until today. The first part of the seminar will focus on the historical background informing the conflict and leading to the Palestinian refugee problem and the establishment of a Jewish, but not Palestinian, state in 1948. The second part of the seminar focuses on Palestinian-Arab citizens in Israel, Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the settlement project, and possible political solutions, as well as the USA's role and its impact on the conflict, the occupation, and the current Gaza war.