Sociology

This course provides an opportunity to observe and analyze conduct and/or language usage in contemporary Japanese society. The course introduces the basics of qualitative research methods and provides an opportunity to utilize the methods through a group research project investigating socio-cultural aspects of Japan identified in a student's daily life.

The world today faces immense challenges. Climate emergency, global inequality, pandemics, racial oppression, migration and mobility crises and conflict are just some of the complex issues that individuals and countries are required to manage. This course is to examine the roles and potential capacity of global, national, and local social movements and civil society organizations in promoting policy change, evaluating their abilities and limitations in constructing meaningful policy solutions.

The theme of the course is the relationship between private troubles and public problems, i.e. how the personal challenges many of us face in our lives are shaped and defined in ways that often appear to be beyond our direct control. The course introduces students to the sociological perspective by examining four significant topics in the discipline of sociology.
 

This course examines the meaning and role of critique in the social sciences. It focuses on various theoretical conceptions of critique and the application of critique in different fields of research across the social sciences. Through a combination of lectures and discussions, the course develops the skill of criticizing social problems or pathologies and uses this skill in research across disciplines in investigations of the social world. 

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. This course provides theoretical concepts and managerial tools to (a) understand and analyze the main models underlying organizational behavior and people management; (b) develop and increase critical skills in decision making through the analysis of the impact of theories; c) identify problem solving approaches through discussion of case studies. Furthermore, this course intends to develop and practice teamwork skills by examining complex situations, identifying common action plans, and coming up with solution during projects. The course consists of three main subjects. The first subject is on the individual in organizations. Topics in this section include: individual differences: personalities and skills; definition of personality; the big five model; the most relevant personality traits; personality assessment; the nature and relationship of values, attitudes, moods, and emotions; job satisfaction and potential consequences; motivation at work, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; why people act the way they act, motivational theories; and goal setting, performance assessment, compensation, and career management as motivational tools. The second subject is on group and team processes. Topics in this section include: work groups; different kinds of work teams and the 5-stage development model; team characteristics and effectiveness; how to measure team effectiveness; team dysfunctional processes; and virtual teams. The last subject is on power, politics, and conflicts. Topics in this section include: sources of individual formal and informal power; politics as the exercise of power in organizations; conflict in organizations; sources of conflict in organizations; Pondy's model of organizational conflict; and tactics to handle conflict in organizations.

This course covers the new concept of multiculturalism as it relates to nation, identity, modernism, post-modernism, and political correctness. Emphasis is placed on multiculturalism as it pertains to Mexico and Latin America. The course examines issues of cultural diversity, the construction of cultural plurality, national and international legal frameworks regarding indigenous matters, and the current state of social transformations, conflicts and resolutions.

This course explores how British food has evolved across the centuries. It studies a few of the current food-related issues that are relevant today in the United Kingdom through various analyses of texts, film extracts, menus, maps, and statistics. The course provides the opportunity to reconsider stereotypes to gain a better understanding of British food.

This course introduces students to the sociological study of deviance and social control, distinguishing it as a field of research from biological and psychological explanations of deviance. It traces the historical development of sociological theories on deviance and introduce students to contemporary approaches to deviance and crime. These perspectives are utilized and illustrated through a study of the changing patterns of defining and controlling deviance in modern societies with reference to selected substantive issues. 

This course explores various perspectives on identity and life in Israel. It includes meetings with representatives of Israeli cultural, religious, and national groups to learn from them about their work and life and explore how these experiences shape their identity. Students conduct observation and interview assignments in different locations of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and participate in excursions to other parts of the country to understand the complexity and intersection of culture, language, religion, and national identities in Israel. Students reflect on these experiences, field trips, and course readings through a research report on identity and experience in Israel.

Families are a fundamental unit in the organization of social life. Most people are born into one or later may create one of their own. This course is an introduction to the sociological study of marriage and family, its structures, and functions. The course explores the functions of family; changes in families over time and assesses how families both affect social life and are affected by it. There is an emphasis on sociological theory and research on marriage, kinship systems, components of mate selection, intimate relationships and parenting practices.

This course introduces how sociologists study families and along with them, topics that seem very personal, emotional and important to many of us - ideals about love, marriage, gender, parenthood, work, and human sexuality. It explores how wider social forces, including the state, the media, the workforce, race, class, and the sex/gender system, influence both our cultural assumptions about the marriage and family. A larger aim of this course is to integrate research, theory, and practical ideas so that people can pursue healthy and productive relationships. Students are expected to keep up with the readings and enhance the energy level of the classroom. This class is based on active student participation in class discussions.