Sociology

Over the course of the last four years societies have witnessed one of the most dramatic returns of state interventionism since the Second World War. Governments have sought to mitigate the consequences of multiple crises – be that the 2008 financial crash, the COVID-19 pandemic, or the inflationary shock post the Ukrainian war – through a raft of new policy measures be that financial regulation, price controls, lockdowns, furlough programs, basic income packages, and infrastructure initiatives. However, it is often very hard to say with confidence what the consequences of these polices were. Using this crisis context as an overarching frame, this course introduces quantitative methods employed in evaluating the efficacy of public policy. The course begins with a focus on the basics of working with data, emphasizing the importance of how data is designed (longitudinal or cross-section) as well as the level of data collection (ecological or individual). Then, the focus turns to empirical methodology: how researchers design natural experiments to estimate the average treatment effect of a policy. Beginning with simple OLS regression, the course advances to studying three basic approaches: difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity design, and instrumental-variables regression. Finally, the course concentrates on examples of applied research and examines how researchers connect these methods with important debates in public policy and social theory. Throughout the course there is a strong emphasis on adopting a hands on approach, using the R programming language. This course develops the basic tools to be able to: manipulate and clean data, perform simple analyses both descriptive and analytical, as well as visualize their results in an aesthetically pleasing way. But more than that, this course builds the confidence to explore R on one's own, understanding that programming is a skill which scholars develop over many years through persistent practice. This class expects students to have a certain mathematical confidence but does not expect students to know anything about econometrics.

This course examines the historical legacies of systemic class oppression, racism, sexism, and homophobia by taking an in-depth look at key issues raised in 20th-century social movements in New Zealand and the United States and mapping those issues into the 21st century.

This course examines theoretical approaches for understanding the social, material and power (political) dimensions of science and technology, as well as practical approaches for imagining and enacting more ethical, equitable, collaborative and anti-colonial technofutures. Topics studied include: science, technology and social theory; feminist, anti-colonial and post-capitalist approaches to science and technology; translating knowledge to engage public audiences.

This course examines big ideas in sociology that help to explain the key changes and challenges facing contemporary societies. It covers social change, power and conflict, inequality, identity, risk, individualization, and networks. 

This course offers a theoretically and methodologically informed analysis of culture, art and literature drawing on sociology and anthropology. Students are introduced to key sociological and anthropological concepts which facilitate the interpretation of art-works as both reflective of society and potentially transformative – whether literary, cinematic, musical, or whatever sort – including liminality, play, and social performativity. Effectively, these suggest that by creating imaginative spaces of narrative and symbolism, art can consider elements of society, and variously re-think and re-evaluate them, or even critique them.

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the sociology of radical left parties, analyzing their historical trajectory, the evolution of their organizational strategies, and their impact on the contemporary political landscape. It examines how these often marginalized parties have managed to gain power in various socio-historical contexts, as well as the dynamics that led them to occupy dominant political positions, only to often return to more marginal roles. Throughout the different sessions, the course addresses the social, organizational, and ideological foundations of the radical left, studying their relationships with protest movements as well as with extreme and moderate left, centrist, and right-wing political parties. The course also covers the contemporary challenges faced by the radical left, including the environmental crisis and the management of national economies that are deeply integrated into international financial markets. By examining concrete examples of parties that gained power in the early 21st century in Europe and Latin America, the course considers the reasons for their rise, and, in many cases, their return to the margins of power.

Humanity is facing an unprecedented ecological crisis for which it is the main driving force. Although globally, people report high levels of concern for climate change and a high willingness to act, this concern is often not reflected in people's actual behavior. What can explain this gap between people's reported desire to protect the environment and the lack of collective action around the environmental crises? This course explores the many factors that can act as barriers to climate action, such as people's tendency to favor short-term outcomes over long-term outcomes, the tension between seeking a high social status and reducing one's carbon footprint, the feeling that it may be too late to act, or the feeling that taking action is only worth it if others are also taking action.

This course focuses on urban capitalism, understood as the link between a mode of production and a mode of relationship to space that are now dominant in the 21st century. On the one hand, space is a support for economic activities: contemporary restructurings of capitalism lead to socio-spatial dynamics (metropolization, gentrification, etc.). On the other hand, capitalism transforms cities through the production of real estate and infrastructure, now connected to the financial markets. Finally, the course questions the socio-spatial inequalities and crises associated with urban capitalism, as well as the resistance to it. At the crossroads of political economy, urban sociology and economic geography, the course familiarizes students with research on this topic through various media (scientific texts, documentaries, fieldwork). 

This course examines the impact intersectional relationships between race, gender, class, migration, and sexuality have on individuals. It explores how interlocking social inequalities change and are reproduced through what sociologists call “inequality-producing mechanisms,” which function simultaneously to produce the outcomes we observe in the lives of individuals, groups, and in society. To understand and address challenges and barriers associated with social inequalities and social policy, this course look at different power analysis frameworks to address core concerns related to women and men. It begins taking a detailed look at the structural and interpersonal domains of power dynamics that produce social inequalities. From this foundation, it will direct a critical lens toward major challenges to understand contemporary issues. 

This course offers an introduction to qualitative research methods in social sciences. Students learn about the advantages and limitations of qualitative research methods and how apply the knowledge to small scale research studies.