Sociology

The course identifies and discuses current local and global societal problems. Critically, students look at these problems to illustrate how the theoretical starting point shapes our understanding of the problem and the way we research it.

This course provides an overview of theoretical approaches as well as various analytical strategies related to internationally comparative research in general and across Europe. Lectures contour European societies based on selected topics related to social and demographic change. The discussion of comparative sociological research on Europe (and beyond) will be illuminated by drawing upon pertinent comparative studies adopting different modes of research methodology and design (e.g., small-N vs. large-N, cross-sectional vs. longitudinal). The course presents common issues in applying qualitative as well as quantitative techniques of comparison and possible solutions as found in the literature.

This course is designed for students wishing to clarify and advance their career goals through a 16-week internship in Thailand. It provides a structured learning environment to help students make the most of their internship experience. While there are no regularly scheduled class meetings, internships are conducted under the close academic supervision of the Social Policy & Development department at Thammasat University. An assigned internship coordinator provides oversight and guidance for the duration of the internship. The course requires a minimum of 128 total work hours. To facilitate the completion of the internship and maximize skill acquisition, students are required to work at least one full day per week at their internships. Graded Pass/No pass only.

This interdisciplinary course focuses on one of the most important recent developments in Spanish society: the onset in the 1990s of mass immigration from Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Spain's long history of expulsions, enforced religious uniformity, colonialism, contending regional and national identities and loyalties, and the marginalization of the Roma minority, provides an obvious starting point from which to consider both migrant experiences in Spain, and the way migration is reconfiguring contemporary attitudes and identities in Spanish society. Against this historical background, the course examines the dynamics and demographics of migration to and—again more recently—from Spain, and more generally, migrants' integration into the education system, the labor market, and social, political and cultural life. Class discussions and readings analyze the Spanish response to immigration, whether in the shape of laws and public policies, media representations of migrants, or public attitudes and behavior towards newcomers and ethnic minorities, including racism. The course ends by considering the impact of the ongoing economic crisis on immigrants, and the interplay between migration and current nationalist tensions within Spain, particularly the areas surrounding Catalonia and the Basque Country.

How do museums seek to engage with their audiences and communities? This course considers how the relationship between museums and their publics has evolved overtime. Attention is paid to the recent call for museums to become more visitor-focused, and how this has required significant changes in professional practice, including in the ways in which museums conceptualize and approach their publics.

The course examines the relationship between tourism and culture, including how culture influences tourism and how tourism contains culture. Topics include the theory, orientation, basis, and characteristics of tourism culture. It also looks at the traditional culture of tourism, subject culture, consumption culture, aesthetic culture, object culture, landscape culture, regional culture, media culture, and the twenty-first Century China tourism culture.