Sociology

This course introduces students to some of the key social theories and thinkers from the global South. The course's starting point is that classical and mainstream social theory has emerged and evolved in a particular context, and as a result of colonial and imperial power relations. The course is divided into two main sections as well as an introduction and a conclusion. The first section focuses on four theories which originated as a collective endeavor of a number of scholars in the South: postcolonialism, subaltern studies, dependency theory, and decolonial theory. In the second section, students focus on a number of individual social thinkers from different parts of the global South, their stories and social thoughts: Ibn Khaldun (Tunisia), Paulin Hountondji (Benin), Ali Shariati (Iran) and Veena Das (India). 

This course focuses on how race and ethnicity have been conceptualized over time, putting them into historical and contemporary context. It explores how race and ethnicity intersect with other social structures such as gender, class, and religion that affect advantages and disadvantages, inclusions and exclusions, and the ways individuals and groups challenge racialized and ethnicized inequalities. 

This course is an introduction to sociology of the Arab region. It focuses on the processes of change and continuity that have helped establish the main elements of contemporary Arab societies. This course analyzes the linguistic, ethnic, and religious structures of the region, as well as the different trajectories of state formation, gender policies, family structures, the relationships between religion and power, and the main transformations since 2011 as a result of Arab Spring.

This course facilitates students as “young people” to be more aware of the interconnectedness of the world and to critically assess how globalization influences different aspects of young people’s daily lives. It also analyzes the proactive and positive role youth can play in the changing world, and provides students with an opportunity to propose how young people as global citizens can and should respond to transformations brought about by globalization. Various social issues or specific areas of youth global trends such as consumerism, transnationalism, cosmopolitanism and digitalism that confront young people in their everyday life will be examined in a systematic manner. 

This course will introduce you to an evidence-based roadmap and practical tools for gaining control, living a life you aspire to, and functioning effectively. Students will gain insight into their well-being and how it may impact their and others’ lives and work. This course offers an in-depth exploration of the intersection between social psychology and individual well-being. Field trips to historical sites, museums, and community organizations offer experiential learning and cultural immersion opportunities. Lectures delve into how social factors influence human behavior, cognition, and emotion, ultimately shaping our choices and overall health. Well-being is not about being happy. The pursuit of happiness falls short, while real contentment comes from living a fulfilling and meaningful life. Students will examine fundamental concepts in social psychology, such as social influence, conformity, obedience, group dynamics, attribution, and attitudes. They will gain insights into how these concepts manifest in real-life contexts and impact individual decision-making processes through theoretical frameworks and empirical research. The course emphasizes the role of social relationships, cultural norms, and societal structures in shaping perceptions of well-being and the pursuit of happiness. Students will critically evaluate theories and research findings regarding subjective well-being, life satisfaction, and the factors contributing to happiness.

Topics in this introductory course include: social work with groups-- delimitation, definition, typology, and characteristics; historical development of social work with groups; the group and group dynamics-- basic knowledge of composition, structure, and group processes; theoretical approaches and intervention models; basic skills and standards for practice.

This course examines the ways in which Paris has, more or less successfully, upheld its position as the fashion capital of the world, through corporate strategies and government policies to bolster an industry, which faces issues related to environmental sustainability and labor ethics. Besides a critical understanding of the economics and politics of Parisian fashion, the class equips students with a thorough knowledge of the social significance of fashion which, in French 19th century author Balzac’s words, “is an expression of society”. How then, has French society shaped and been shaped by fashion? Through lectures, site visits and urban walks through the streets of the city, the students discover the creativity of Parisians, who have mobilized fashion as forms of political and aesthetic expression during some of the most important events of the city, including the 1789 French revolution, the industrial revolution, May 1968, and more recent youth culture and social movements. Students reflect upon historical and current regulations and norms around covering and uncovering our bodies with textile, and what they say about living up to or disregarding social identities and inequalities related to sexual and gender identities, religion, class and racialization. What are the societal consequences of shifting ideals of beauty and style? What does it mean to shop, thrift or mend clothes in Paris today? Whose labor matters and why? And how may one of the World’s most polluting industries evolve to the better in the near future?

This course covers African American movements including CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality (1942), which concentrated on strategies such as sit-ins and picket lines; the SCLC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957); the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement dedicated to put an end to segregation practices and offer alternate means to achieve somewhat similar ends: the transformation of American democratic institutions. It addresses the movement from litigation and nonviolent action to a more radical approach, and later from black power to black politics and the Black Lives Matter movement. The course also covers the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, a multifaceted cultural movement which arose from the Civil Rights struggle and the Black Power movement. It included all the arts – music, literature, theater, dance, the visual arts – and relied on regional cultural infrastructure built after the major riots which erupted during the first half of the 1960s. It was embodied by African American artists and intellectuals, and deeply influenced American culture, in particular the relationship between popular culture and “high” culture, as well as other minority arts in the same period. The course looks at its history, its different forms, its sources and its heritage.

This course explores fundamental concepts and theories for the sociological study of religions, paying particular attention to the classic authors (Weber, Durkheim and Marx) and current debates. It analyzes religious phenomena in their different social and historical manifestations, the interaction of religions with politics, the economy, culture, social changes, and conflicts, and contemporary socio-religious dynamics.

This course explores the main changes resulting from the development of contemporary sociological theory. It identifies the primary authors and trends that contributed to the development of contemporary sociological theory. Topics include: functionalism; the Frankfurt school; symbolic interactionism; phenomenology and ethnomethodology; methodological individualism; new modernity; postmodernity.