Department of Sociology

SOCI 30002. Principles of Sociological Research. 100 Units.

Explores how theoretical questions and different types of evidence inform decisions about methodological approach and research design. This course is required for first year Sociology PhD students.

Instructor(s): J. Trinitapoli     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Open only to 1st year Sociology PhD students

SOCI 30003. History of Social Theory. 100 Units.

This course is an introduction to sociological theory. It will cover major theoretical writers from the classical and recent canons.

Instructor(s): A. Glaeser     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Open only to 1st and 2nd year Sociology Phd students

SOCI 30004. Introduction to Statistical Methods and Models. 100 Units.

This course has two purposes. First, using nationally representative US surveys, we'll examine the early emergence of educational inequality and its evolution during adolescence and adulthood. We'll ask about the importance of social origins (parent social status, race/ethnicity, gender, and language) in predicting labor market outcomes. We'll study the role that education and plays in shaping economic opportunity, beginning in early childhood. We'll ask at what points interventions might effectively advance learning and reduce inequality. Second, we'll gain mastery over some important statistical methods required for answering these and related questions. Indeed, this course provides an introduction to quantitative methods and a foundation for other methods courses in the social sciences. We consider standard topics: graphical and tabular displays of univariate and bivariate distributions, an introduction to statistical inference, and commonly arising applications such as the t‐test, the two‐way contingency table, analysis of variance, and regression. However, all statistical ideas and methods are embedded in case studies including a national survey of adult labor force outcomes, a national survey of elementary school children, and a national survey that follows adolescents through secondary school into early adulthood. Thus, the course will consider all statistical choices and inferences in the context of the broader logic of inquiry with the aim of strengthening our understanding of that logic as well as of the statistical methods.

Instructor(s): S. Raudenbush     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for Ugrad Sociology majors and Sociology PhD students. No prior instruction in statistical analysis is required. Others by consent of instructor.
Note(s): Students are expected to attend two lectures and one lab per week. Required of students who are majoring in Sociology.
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20004

SOCI 30005. Regression and Generalized Linear Models. 100 Units.

Social scientists regularly ask questions that can be answered with quantitative data from a population-based sample. For example, how much more income do college graduates earn compared to those who do not attend college? Do men and women with similar levels of training and who work in similar jobs earn different incomes? Why do children who grow up in different family or neighborhood environments perform differently in school? To what extent do individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds hold different types of political attitudes and engage in different types of political behavior? This course explores statistical methods that can be used to answer these and many other questions of interest to social scientists. The main objectives are to provide students with a firm understanding of linear regression and generalized linear models and with the technical skills to implement these methods in practice.

Instructor(s): G. Wodtke     Terms Offered: Winter. Priority registration for Sociology Majors and Sociology 1st and 2nd year PhD Students
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 30004 or equivalent to an introductory Stats Class
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20009

SOCI 30006. Second-Year Writing Seminar. 100 Units.

Doctoral students in Sociology are required to take this seminar in their second year as they develop their Qualifying Paper (a full draft, at minimum, must be turned in to the department by June 11). In addition to providing a framework for these individual writing projects, the seminar will address norms of professional publishing, including professional peer review, as well as strategies for argumentation and analysis.

Instructor(s): L. Zhao     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Sociology PhD students only

SOCI 30008. Third-Year Dissertation Proposal Seminar. 100 Units.

This course is required for all Sociology PhD students. Most students take this course in their 3rd year, though it may be possible to take the course in year 4. The course intensively involves workshops dissertation projects, and students are expected to produce a defensible proposal by the end.

Instructor(s): K. Schilt     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Restricted to Sociology third year PhD students only; all others with consent of instructor.

SOCI 30106. Political Sociology. 100 Units.

This course provides analytical perspectives on citizen preference theory, public choice, group theory, bureaucrats and state-centered theory, coalition theory, elite theories, and political culture. These competing analytical perspectives are assessed in considering middle-range theories and empirical studies on central themes of political sociology. Local, national, and cross-national analyses are explored.

Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Completion of the general education requirement in the social sciences
Equivalent Course(s): PBPL 23600, SOCI 20106

SOCI 30116. Global-Local Politics. 100 Units.

Globalizing and local forces are generating a new politics in the United States and around the world. This course explores this new politics by mapping its emerging elements: the rise of social issues, ethno-religious and regional attachments, environmentalism, gender and life-style identity issues, new social movements, transformed political parties and organized groups, and new efforts to mobilize individual citizens.

Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): LLSO 20116, HMRT 20116, GEOG 20116, HMRT 30116, PBPL 27900, GEOG 30116, SOCI 20116

SOCI 30120. Urban Policy Analysis. 100 Units.

Cities are sites of challenge and innovation worldwide. Dramatic new policies can be implemented locally and chart new paths for national policies. Five main approaches are compared: Leadership patterns: are business, political, or other kinds of leaders more important--and where, when, and why do these matter? Second do capitalism, or more recently, global markets, make specific leaders irrelevant? Third: leaders like mayors are weaker since citizens, interest groups, and media have grown so powerful. Fourth innovation drives many policy issues. Fifth consumption, entertainment, and the arts engage citizens in new ways. Can all five hold, in some locations? Why should they differentially operate across big and small, rich and poor neighborhoods, cities, and countries? The course introduces you to core urban issues, whether your goal is to conduct research, interpret reports by others, make policy decisions, or watch the tube and discuss these issues as a more informed citizen. Chicago, US and big and small locations internationally are considered; all methods are welcome.

Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): GEOG 20120, CHST 20120, PBPL 24800, GEOG 30120, SOCI 20120

SOCI 30125. Rational Foundations of Social Theory. 100 Units.

This course introduces conceptual and analytical tools for the micro foundations of macro and intermediate-level social theories, taking as a basis the assumption of rational action. Those tools are then used to construct theories of power, social exchange, collective behavior, socialization, trust, norm, social decision making and justice, business organization, and family organization.

Instructor(s): K. Yamaguchi     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20125

SOCI 30233. Race in Contemporary American Society. 100 Units.

This survey course in the sociology of race offers a socio-historical investigation of race in American society. We will examine issues of race, ethnic and immigrant settlement in the United States. Also, we shall explore the classic and contemporary literature on race and inter-group dynamics. Our investigative tools will include an analysis of primary and secondary sources, multimedia materials, photographic images, and journaling. While our survey will be broad, we will treat Chicago and its environs as a case study to comprehend the racial, ethnic, and political challenges in the growth and development of a city.

Instructor(s): S. Hicks-Bartlett     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring. Autumn quarter offered at the Undergraduate level only and Spring offered at the Graduate level only
Equivalent Course(s): RDIN 20233, RDIN 30233, SOCI 20233, MAPS 30233

SOCI 30252. Urban Innovation: Cultural Place Making and Scenescapes. 100 Units.

Activists from Balzac, Jane Jacobs, and others today seek to change the world using the arts. Ignored by most social science theories, these new cultural initiatives and policies are increasing globally. Urban planning and architecture policies, walking and parades, posters and demonstrations, new coffee shops and storefront churches reinforce selective development of specific cities and neighborhoods. These transform our everyday social environments into new types of scenes. They factor into crucial decisions, about where to work, to open a business, to found a political activist group, to live, what political causes to support, and more. The course reviews new case studies and comparative analyses from China to Chicago to Poland that detail these processes. Students are encouraged to explore one type of project.

Instructor(s): T. Clark     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): ARCH 20252, SOCI 20252

SOCI 30253. Introduction to Spatial Data Science. 100 Units.

Spatial data science consists of a collection of concepts and methods drawn from both statistics and computer science that deal with accessing, manipulating, visualizing, exploring and reasoning about geographical data. The course introduces the types of spatial data relevant in social science inquiry and reviews a range of methods to explore these data. Topics covered include formal spatial data structures, geovisualization and visual analytics, rate smoothing, spatial autocorrelation, cluster detection and spatial data mining. An important aspect of the course is to learn and apply open source GeoDa software.

Instructor(s): L. Anselin     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): STAT 22000 (or equivalent), familiarity with GIS is helpful, but not necessary
Equivalent Course(s): CEGU 20253, MACS 54000, GISC 20500, SOCI 20253, GISC 30500

SOCI 30258. Maverick Markets: Cultural Economy and Cultural Finance. 100 Units.

What are the cultural dimensions of economic and financial institutions and financial action? What social variables influence and shape 'real' markets and market activities? 'If you are so smart, why aren't you rich?' is a question economists have been asked in the past. Why isn't it easy to make money in financial areas even if one knows what economists know about markets, finance and the economy? And why, on the hand, is it so easy to get rich for some participants? Perhaps the answer is the real markets are complex social and cultural institutions which are quite different form organizations, administrations and the production side of the economy. The course provides an overview over social and cultural variables and patterns that play a role in economic behavior and specifically in financial markets. The readings examine the historical and structural embeddedness of economic action and institutions, the different constructions and interpretations of money, prices, and other dimensions of a market economy, and how a financial economy affects organizations, the art and other areas.

Instructor(s): K. Knorr     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20258, ANTH 25440, ANTH 35405

SOCI 30283. Introduction to GIS and Spatial Analysis. 100 Units.

This course provides an introduction and overview of how spatial thinking is translated into specific methods to handle geographic information and the statistical analysis of such information. This is not a course to learn a specific GIS software program, but the goal is to learn how to think about spatial aspects of research questions, as they pertain to how the data are collected, organized and transformed, and how these spatial aspects affect statistical methods. The focus is on research questions relevant in the social sciences, which inspires the selection of the particular methods that are covered. Examples include spatial data integration (spatial join), transformations between different spatial scales (overlay), the computation of "spatial" variables (distance, buffer, shortest path), geovisualization, visual analytics, and the assessment of spatial autocorrelation (the lack of independence among spatial variables). The methods will be illustrated by means of open source software such as QGIS and R.

Instructor(s): Crystal Bae     Terms Offered: Spring Summer. Offered 2024–25
Equivalent Course(s): PPHA 38712, GISC 38702, SOCI 20283, GISC 28702, CEGU 28702, ARCH 28702

SOCI 30315. Introduction to Causal Inference. 100 Units.

This course is designed for graduate students and advanced undergraduate students from the social sciences, education, public health science, public policy, social service administration, and statistics who are involved in quantitative research and are interested in studying causality. The goal of this course is to equip students with basic knowledge of and analytic skills in causal inference. Topics for the course will include the potential outcomes framework for causal inference; experimental and observational studies; identification assumptions for causal parameters; potential pitfalls of using ANCOVA to estimate a causal effect; propensity score based methods including matching, stratification, inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighting (IPTW), marginal mean weighting through stratification (MMWS), and doubly robust estimation; the instrumental variable (IV) method; regression discontinuity design (RDD) including sharp RDD and fuzzy RDD; difference in difference (DID) and generalized DID methods for cross-section and panel data, and fixed effects model. Intermediate Statistics or equivalent such as STAT 224/PBHS 324, PP 31301, BUS 41100, or SOC 30005 is a prerequisite. This course is a prerequisite for "Advanced Topics in Causal Inference" and "Mediation, moderation, and spillover effects."

Instructor(s): G. Hong     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Intermediate Statistics or equivalent such as STAT 224, PBHS 324, PBPL 31301, BUS 41100, or SOCI 30005
Note(s): CHDV Distribution: M; M
Equivalent Course(s): MACS 51000, CHDV 20102, PLSC 30102, PBHS 43201, CHDV 30102, MACS 21000, STAT 31900

SOCI 30506. Cities, Space, Power: Introduction to urban social science. 100 Units.

This lecture course provides a broad, multidisciplinary introduction to the study of urbanization in the social sciences. The course surveys a broad range of research traditions from across the social sciences, as well as the work of urban planners, architects, and environmental scientists. Topics include: theoretical conceptualizations of the city and urbanization; methods of urban studies; the politics of urban knowledges; the historical geographies of capitalist urbanization; political strategies to shape and reshape the built and unbuilt environment; cities and planetary ecological transformation; post-1970s patterns and pathways of urban restructuring; and struggles for the right to the city.

Instructor(s): N. Brenner     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Mandatory for students to attend a Friday discussion section
Equivalent Course(s): CCCT 30506, ARCH 20506, HIPS 20506, CHSS 30506, SOCI 20506, PLSC 20506, MAPS 30506, KNOW 30506, PLSC 30506, PPHA 30506, CHST 20506, CEGU 20506

SOCI 30508. Working with Found Data: Library/Internet Research. 100 Units.

This course is an introduction to the methods involved in "research with found data:" that is, found material like manuscripts, books, journals, newspapers, ephemera, and government and institutional documents. (Such materials can be found both in print and on the Internet.) The course covers the essentials of project design, bibliography, location, access, critical reading, source evaluation, knowledge categorization and assembly, and records maintenance. The course is a methodological practicum organized around student projects. The texts are Thomas Mann's Oxford Guide to Library Research and Andrew Abbott's Digital Paper.

Instructor(s): A. Abbott     Terms Offered: Winter. First preference to Sociology PhD students; Undergraduate students require permission of instructor
Note(s): Only offered at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20508

SOCI 30519. Spatial Cluster Analysis. 100 Units.

This course provides an overview of methods to identify interesting patterns in geographic data, so-called spatial clusters. Cluster concepts come in many different forms and can generally be differentiated between the search for interesting locations and the grouping of similar locations. The first category consists of the identification of extreme concentrations of locations (events), such as hot spots of crime events, and the location of geographical concentrations of observations with similar values for one or more variables, such as areas with elevated disease incidence. The second group consists of the combination of spatial observations into larger (aggregate) areas such that internal similarity is maximized (regionalization). The methods covered come from the fields of spatial statistics as well as machine learning (unsupervised learning) and operations research. Topics include point pattern analysis, spatial scan statistics, local spatial autocorrelation, dimension reduction, as well as spatially explicit hierarchical, agglomerative and density-based clustering. Applications range from criminology and public health to politics and marketing. An important aspect of the course is the analysis of actual data sets by means of open source software, such as GeoDa, R or Python.

Instructor(s): L. Anselin and P. Amaral     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): STAT 22000 or equivalent; SOCI 20253/30253 (or equivalent) Introduction to Spatial Data Science required.
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20519, GISC 30519, MACS 30519, DATA 20519, MACS 20519, GISC 20519

SOCI 30559. Spatial Regression Analysis. 100 Units.

This course covers statistical and econometric methods specifically geared to the problems of spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity in cross-sectional data. The main objective for the course is to gain insight into the scope of spatial regression methods, to be able to apply them in an empirical setting, and to properly interpret the results of spatial regression analysis. While the focus is on spatial aspects, the types of methods covered have general validity in statistical practice. The course covers the specification of spatial regression models in order to incorporate spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity, as well as different estimation methods and specification tests to detect the presence of spatial autocorrelation and spatial heterogeneity. Special attention is paid to the application to spatial models of generic statistical paradigms, such as Maximum Likelihood and Generalized Methods of Moments. An import aspect of the course is the application of open source software tools specifically those contained in the Python package PySal.

Instructor(s): L. Anselin     Terms Offered: Winter. Not Being Offered in 2025/26
Prerequisite(s): An intermediate course in multivariate regression or econometrics. Familiarity with matrix algebra
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20559, DATA 20559, GISC 20559, GISC 30559

SOCI 30575. Logic of Social Inquiry. 100 Units.

The social sciences contain a remarkable diversity of research methods, theoretical orientations, and substantive topics. Nevertheless, social scientists have developed a shared language that enables them to discuss and evaluate each other's work. In this course, we will learn to speak that language-the language of research design. Together, we will tackle both the abstract logic of research design as well as the nuts and bolts of executing a methodologically sound project. We will focus on such topics as the relationship between theory and research; the logic of comparison; issues of measurement, bias, and generalizability; basic methods of data collection; and what social scientists do with data once they have collected them. By the end of this course, you will be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of published accounts of social science research, and will have hands-on experience designing and executing your own mini mixed-methods pilot study.

Instructor(s): T. Huttenlocher     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Priority registration for Sociology 3rd year majors
Equivalent Course(s): CHDV 20575, SOCI 20575

SOCI 30576. Social Theory for the Digital Age. 100 Units.

Society rearranges itself, though we don't always know where it is heading. When the postmodern moment had arrived in the 1980s it perplexed social theorists, hence its characterization as simply a "post"-stage of modernity. Digitization is one answer to the question of direction of change in the last decades. In this class, we take the ongoing transformations that we attribute to digital media as a starting point to ask what challenges they provide to social theory that may force us to reconsider some of our most basic concepts and premises. We will understand the term digital age broadly to refer to the rise of algorithms, sensors, (big) data, machine learning, and computational methods, all developments that swirl in and around the Artificial Intelligence scene and intersect with and replace purely human relations. The class gives particular attention to concepts such as action and interaction, embodiment, social situations, subjectivity and autonomy, as wells as society as communication.

Instructor(s): K. Knorr     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 20576, SOCI 20576, HIPS 20576, ANTH 30576, CHSS 30576

SOCI 30596. Social Networks. 100 Units.

Our social ties and interpersonal connections both reflect and influence our preferences, attitudes, decisions, and relationships. This makes a relational perspective a core component of many sociological theories and social network analyses a powerful tool for social scientists. This class will provide students with an introduction to social networks analyses and theory, overviewing tools for describing and analyzing personal and whole networks. Possible applications include discussions on how and why interpersonal networks differ from each other across different social contexts, how such networks have changed over time, and what this means in increasingly diverse societies: when can we expect networks to build bridges between groups and offer opportunities, and when can we instead expect them to exacerbate inequality and reinforce social divides? Alongside theoretical discussions, this class will also introduce students to quantitative social networks analyses using R. As a part of the methodological component of this course, we will analyze data on several kinds of example networks, with a focus on offline person-to-person connections (such as school friendships and confidant networks). At the completion of the course, students will apply the concepts covered in class to a final project. Prior coding experience and introductory statistics course is recommended but not required.

Instructor(s): L. Zhao     Terms Offered: Spring. Not Being Offered in 2025/2026
Prerequisite(s): Prior coding experience and introductory statistics course is suggested but not required
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20596

SOCI 30615. The Chicago School: History, Legacy, and Prospects. 100 Units.

The course will cover the history of the Chicago School of Sociology, which, from the early to mid-twentieth century, largely coincided with the history of the University of Chicago's Department of Sociology. We will read and discuss several of the great works within this tradition. We will also examine the Chicago School's influence on the field of sociology generally, particularly urban sociology, political sociology, and ethnography, and in this regard consult more contemporary work. Finally, we will consider the Chicago School tradition as an intellectual resource that we may draw upon in charting the future of the discipline.

Instructor(s): A. Abbott and M. Garrido     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20615

SOCI 30618. How to Study Power, Part 1: Theoretical Approaches and Research Design. 100 Units.

In this two-quarter sequence, students will examine sociological approaches to theorizing government, organizational, and cultural power. We will explore long-standing debates in the field of sociology about how and when to "study up" - conduct research with people in positions of power across society. We will also look at the real barriers to studying up and think through ethical research design. Finally, we will learn about different non-intrusive data collection strategies, such as Freedom of Information Request Acts, congressional session transcripts, and rhetorical analysis, with a series of workshops from sociologists and investigative journalists. By the end of the class, students will have a well-formulated research question and research design to pursue in the second quarter of the course. This course will be most useful for undergraduate students pursuing a BA thesis project and for MA and PhD students working on an article-length research project.

Instructor(s): K. Schilt      Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20618

SOCI 30619. How to Study Power, Part 2: Methodological Choices. 100 Units.

Building on the foundational work completed in Part One, this course focuses on the practical application of sociological theories and methods to study power in action. Students will delve into contemporary examples by investigative journalists and academic researchers, analyzing case studies that illuminate the inner workings of powerful institutions, influential individuals, and complex systems. Through these examples, we will critically evaluate the challenges and strategies involved in conducting research at the intersections of government, organizations, and culture. A significant portion of the course will be dedicated to hands-on research. Students will collect, analyze, and interpret original data based on the research designs developed in Part One. Workshops will guide students in refining their data analysis techniques, incorporating feedback, and situating their findings within broader sociological debates. The course culminates in the production of an 8,000-10,000-word final paper, which serves as the first draft of a manuscript intended for peer-reviewed publication. This paper will demonstrate the student's ability to apply theoretical frameworks and methodological rigor while contributing to ongoing conversations about the dynamics of power in society. This course is particularly valuable for students pursuing long-term academic research projects, such as BA theses, MA theses, or PhD articles.

Instructor(s): K. Hoang     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): SOCI 20618/30618 "How to Study Power, Part 1: Theoretical Approaches and Research Design"
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20619

SOCI 30626. Introduction to Content Analysis. 100 Units.

This course introduces content analysis as a versatile qualitative research method for interpreting and understanding texts across a variety of contexts. The course explores both primary and secondary content analysis, equipping students with analytical skills and strategies to evaluate not only the substantive content of texts, but also the ways in which meaning is conveyed-through tone, structure, narrative framing, and contextual nuances. These dimensions are essential for producing insightful and rigorous analyses in the humanities and social sciences.

Instructor(s): X. Ren     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for MAPSS students at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20626

SOCI 30627. Contemporary China: Institutions, Transformations, and Everyday Life. 100 Units.

This course aims to provide a comprehensive social science perspective on contemporary China. Here, contemporary Chinese society is loosely defined as the society that emerged after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating readings from various social science disciplines, including history, sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, and law.

Instructor(s): X. Ren     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for MAPSS students at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): EALC 20627, SOCI 20627, EALC 30627

SOCI 30628. Introduction to Law and Society. 100 Units.

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the theoretical and practical issues at the intersection of law and society. We will examine how law, as a tool for politics and development, has influenced social change and how social forces have shaped the operation of legal institutions. The course takes a processual approach, exploring various aspects of the legal system through different legal processes. Key themes include the structure and operation of courts, divergent lawyering, legal reforms, legal mobilization, the globalization of law, and the interplay between law and economic, political, cultural, and social phenomena. Through lectures and discussions, we will gain substantive knowledge of the operation of legal systems in different contexts, develop analytical tools to critically evaluate their functioning, and engage with the dynamic relationship between law and society.

Instructor(s): X. Ren     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for MAPSS students at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20628

SOCI 30629. The Sociology of Science and Knowledge. 100 Units.

In the information age, knowledge has become fundamental to the social, political, cultural, and legal organization of modern societies. This course explores how various aspects of modern society are constructed through different knowledge-making processes. To achieve this, we will examine not only the social organization of knowledge, science, and technology-the traditional focus of Science and Technology Studies (STS)-but also other forms of social knowledge that shape different dimensions of our lives, including legal, economic, environmental, cultural, and policy/political knowledge.

Instructor(s): X. Ren     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for MAPSS students at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20629

SOCI 30630. The Ethnographic Imagination. 100 Units.

Ethnography, the systematic study of people and cultures through direct observation and participation, is a cornerstone of qualitative research. Ethnographers make sense of social life through the lens of everyday experiences, practices, and meanings. Our objective in this course is to examine how this is achieved. Students will explore the theoretical foundations, ethical considerations, and practical techniques of ethnographic fieldwork and writing. Through critical reading of classic ethnographic texts and weekly hands-on practica, students will learn how to understand, interpret, and represent social life, and ultimately how to translate those representations into sociological insight. Readings will cover different ethnographic traditions in sociology, methodological innovations and controversies in the discipline.

Instructor(s): N. Mehta     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for MAPSS students at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20630

SOCI 30631. Making Sense of Quantitative Analyses. 100 Units.

The analysis and interpretation of quantitative data is a crucial component of the sociologist's tool kit. Most of the sociological literature, regardless of sub-field, is supported by research that uses quantitative methods. Understanding and interpreting statistics will enable you to be an informed user of this research. This class will review the fundamentals of statistical methods, and we will explore the application of those fundamentals by working through the analyses conducted in published sociology papers. Lectures will be supplemented with problem sets and programming exercises with the statistical programming language R.

Instructor(s): M. Bokanga     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for MAPSS students at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): MACS 30631, SOCI 20631, MACS 20631

SOCI 30632. Sociology of Immigration. 100 Units.

This course is structured as a research seminar. We will explore major topics in immigration studies, including the causes of migration, immigrant assimilation, transnationalism, the intersection of immigration and race, immigration policies, public opinion towards immigration, and illegality. We will also devote some time to immigrant-receiving contexts outside of the U.S. especially Western Europe. The purpose of the class is to encourage students to develop their own immigration research projects. We will pay special attention to research design and methodological issues. We will engage with research that uses multiple methodologies and theoretical perspectives.

Instructor(s): R. Flores     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20632

SOCI 30633. Sex(uality) and the City. 100 Units.

Cities have long been construed in the popular imaginary simultaneously as sites of risk and danger and sexual freedom and illicit pleasures. This course examines the ways that gender and sexuality organize and constitute urban processes in an increasingly globalized world. We will draw upon classic and contemporary scholarly works as well as popular representations over the course of the semester to begin to see how sexuality and gender are imagined, regulated and experienced in global urban contexts. Topics include urban sexual subcultures and nightlife, queer ruralities, diasporic experiences and practices, and the global sex trade.

Instructor(s): N. Mehta     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for MAPSS students at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20633

SOCI 30634. Crime, Violence, and Social Control. 100 Units.

What is crime? How should we collectively respond to violence? In this course we will examine pressing questions of violence in society - both the problem of interpersonal violence as well as "that other form" of violence, identified by Michel Foucault, "by which men... confine their neighbors." We will survey social theories of violence and social control, from Emile Durkheim to contemporary debates over the abolition of police and prisons. Students will examine the deep and structural aspects of violence in our society, such as violence routinely perpetrated against women, as well the highly classed and racialized violence of mass incarceration. We will analyze violence as both a real problem and also a symbolic and political object. Throughout the course students will develop a cumulative research paper analyzing the realities, structures, and discourses of violence in contemporary Chicago.

Instructor(s): C. Day     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Priority registration for MAPSS students at the graduate level
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20634

SOCI 30635. Sociology of the Future. 100 Units.

Between global militarism, intensive inequality, and climate catastrophe, the future looks uncertain. This class engages lay, scholarly and fictional futurisms-particularly emerging from Queer, Feminist, Indigenous and Black traditions. We will read sociological and anthropological texts that consider how different communities envision the decades and centuries to come alongside speculative fiction that theorizes where earth and humanity are heading. Does humanity have a future? How does that future look? How do differing answers to these questions shape individuals' and communities' lives and decisions? The course will culminate in a futurist creative or research project of the student's design.

Instructor(s): E. Abdelhadi     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): Grad Distribution: 3; UG distribution B, C
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 35201, CHDV 35200, GNSE 25203, SOCI 20635, CHDV 25200

SOCI 30638. Empire and Global Capitalism: Perspectives from Historical Sociology. 100 Units.

This course offers a global-historical sociology of capitalism and empire from the early seventeenth century until the present, decentering from narratives restricted to middle-Europe and the United States. It brings together insights from both imperial powers and colonized territories, building on examples from a wide array of colonial situations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific - including but not limited to the transatlantic slave trade. The lectures will emphasize the many features of contemporary global capitalism which find their roots in imperial history - from stock-markets and multinationals to mass consumption, racial and gender inequalities, as well as sovereign debt crises, investment treaties or geopolitical conflicts over natural resources. We will review both classic theories of imperialism, dependency and institutionalism, and more recent approaches stemming from post-colonial sociology, exploitation theory, the global history of labor, and racial capitalism. The readings will thus appeal equally to graduate students in sociology, economic history, political science, political economy, or those with a general interest in colonialism and its contemporary ramifications.

Instructor(s): S. Bittman     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20638

SOCI 40103. Event History Analysis. 100 Units.

An introduction to the methods of event history analysis will be given.The methods allow for the analysis of duration data. Non-parametric methods and parametric regression models are available to investigate the influence of covariates on the duration until a certain even occurs. Applications of these methods will be discussed i.e., duration until marriage, social mobility processes organizational mortality, firm tenure, etc.

Instructor(s): K. Yamaguchi     Terms Offered: Autumn

SOCI 40112. Ethnographic Methods. 100 Units.

This course explores the epistemological and practical questions raised by ethnography as a method -- focusing on the relationships between theory and data, and between researcher and researched. Discussions are based on close readings of ethnographic texts, supplemented by occasional theoretical essays on ethnographic practices. Students also conduct original field research., share and critique each other's field notes on a weekly basis, and produce analytical papers based on their ethnographies.

Instructor(s): O. McRoberts     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Graduate students only
Equivalent Course(s): AASR 40112

SOCI 40164. Involved Interviewing: Strategies for Interviewing Hard to Penetrate Communities and Populations. 100 Units.

Imagine that you must interview someone who hails from a background unlike your own; perhaps you need to interview an incarcerated youth, or gather a life history from an ill person. Maybe your task is to conduct fieldwork inside a community that challenges your comfort level. How do we get others to talk to us? How do we get out of our own way and limited training to become fully and comfortably engaged in people and the communities in which they reside?  This in-depth investigation into interviewing begins with an assumption that the researcher as interviewer is an integral part of the research process. We turn a critical eye on the interviewer's role in getting others to talk and learn strategies that encourage fertile interviews regardless of the situational context. Weekly reading assignments facilitate students' exploration of what the interview literature can teach us about involved interviewing. Additionally, we critically assess our role as interviewer and what that requires from us. Students participate in evaluating interview scenarios that are designed to explore our assumptions, sharpen our interviewing skills and troubleshoot sticky situations. We investigate a diversity of settings and populations as training ground for leading effective interviews. The final project includes: 1) a plan that demonstrates knowledge of how to design an effective interviewing strategy for unique field settings; 2) instructor's feedback on students' interview journals.

Instructor(s): S. Hicks-Bartlett     Terms Offered: Autumn Winter. Autumn-restricted to 4th and 3rd year Sociology Majors ONLY. Winter restricted to graduate students ONLY.
Prerequisite(s): Ugrad Level restricted to 4th and 3rd year Sociology Majors ONLY
Equivalent Course(s): MAPS 40164, SOCI 20547

SOCI 40177. Coding & Analyzing Qualitative Data using MAXQDA. 100 Units.

This focus of this course is on coding and analyzing qualitative data (e.g., interview transcripts, oral histories, focus groups, letters, and diaries, etc). In this hands-on-course students learn how to organize and manage text-based data in preparation for analysis and final report writing of small scale research projects. Students use their own laptop computers to access one of two free, open-source software programs available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. While students with extant interview data can use it for this course, those without existing data will be provided text to code and analyze. This course does not cover commercial CAQDAS, such as AtlasTi, NVivo, The Ethnograph or Hypertext.

Instructor(s): S. Hicks-Bartlett     Terms Offered: Spring Winter. Winter restricted to 4th and 3rd year Sociology Majors only and MAPS students only. Spring restricted to graduate students only.
Prerequisite(s): Ugrad Level restricted to 4th and 3rd year Sociology Majors ONLY
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 20548, MAPS 40177

SOCI 40258. Causal Mediation Analysis. 100 Units.

Causal mediation analysis lies at the very heart of social science. It seeks to uncover not just whether but al so why an exposure affects an outcome by quantifying the processes and mechanisms through which a causal effect operates. That is, it aims to identify causal chains that connect an exposure to an outcome via intermediate variables known as mediators. This class will cover methods for analyzing causal mediation with an emphasis on social science applications. It will use precise notation (potential outcomes) and accessible conceptual diagrams (directed acyclic graphs) to lead students from basic definitions of effects, via minimally necessary identification assumptions, to cutting-edge estimation procedures. It will provide a guide for analyzing causal mediation using modern techniques, including effect decomposition, adjustment for both pre- and post-exposure confounding, analysis of multiple mediators, and estimation via regression modeling, inverse probability weighting, and machine learning methods. The class will address both theory and conceptual material alongside practical implementation using R or Stata.

Instructor(s): G. Wodtke     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Students interested in taking this class are expected to have a solid background in probability, multivariate statistics, linear models, and the basics of causal inference. Knowledge of linear algebra and calculus will be an asset but is not required.

SOCI 40267. Thinking like a Computational Social Scientist. 100 Units.

The movement of much of our social lives online has created exciting new opportunities for social science research. This course provides a broad survey of computational methods used to make sense of this data. Students will learn how to collect online data and analyze this data using contemporary techniques from natural language processing, supervised/unsupervised machine learning, and generative AI. Students will also cultivate analytical skills through formal paper presentations, oral exams, and an original research project. The course will be taught in Python. This is an intuitive introduction without prerequisites, although previous experience with probability, statistics, and/or programming will be helpful.

Instructor(s): B. Koch     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 49307, PSYC 38520, DATA 20602, MACS 20267, MACS 30267, PSYC 28520, SOCI 20602

SOCI 50003. Sociology of the State. 100 Units.

Through taxation, regulation, redistribution, and the provision of services, modern states profoundly shape social life and constitute a principal form of political power. This seminar will survey major theories of the state, engaging with both comparative-historical questions (pre-modern state forms, the rise of nation-states, the development of welfare states and economic policy regimes) and contemporary challenges of governance. The course provides an overview of selected current research and an opportunity for those interested in political, historical, or macro-comparative sociology to develop empirical projects with the state as an important dimension of analysis.

Instructor(s): E. Clemens     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): CHSS 50003

SOCI 50092. Sem: Religion and Politics. 100 Units.

In this seminar we will consider meanings of religion and politics, and examine their interactions from a comparative perspective. After digesting alternative theoretical understandings of the relationship between religion, states, and political processes, we will turn to empirical accounts that illuminate historical and local issues at points around the globe. Among other phenomena, students will explore patterns of secularization, religious nationalism, fundamentalisms, and policy-oriented religious social movements.

Instructor(s): O. McRoberts     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): AASR 50092, RDIN 50092

SOCI 50097. Sem: Normative Thinking in Sociology. 100 Units.

This course will examine the nature of normative reasoning in social science, both in the empirical sense of how normative work has been done in social science(both implicitly and explicitly), and in the normative sense of how (and when) it ought to be done. Topics considered will be inequality, power, domination, law, and similar matters. Most weeks will consider single works in detail, reading them for their implicit and explicit normative theories. Texts might include explicitly normative works like Rawls's Theory of Justice as well as implicitly normative works like empirical studies of inequality. We will also consider formal examinations of this problem like Weber's "Science ans a Vocation". First preference to Sociology graduate students.

Instructor(s): A. Abbott     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): First preference to Sociology PhD graduate students

SOCI 50112. Sem: Health and Society. 100 Units.

A long and healthy life is a widely sought after human goal. But not everyone has equal chances of achieving this goal. This course focuses on the role played by society in differential access to physical, psychological, cognitive health and well-being. We will discuss the role of parental characteristics and childhood circumstances in later-life health, differences in health and well-being for men and women, for racial and ethnic groups, by characteristics of our neighborhoods and communities, and by regions or countries. Each class meeting we will read and discuss three or four journal articles or sections of a book, with class participants presenting each reading, summarizing it, and then critiquing it. The class will then discuss. We will add to and subtract from the readings to match the interests of participants on each topic; the syllabus will list readings as a starting point for this process.

Instructor(s): L. Waite     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Some Social Science background
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 50112, CHDV 40112

SOCI 50136. Comparative Socialism Studies. 100 Units.

his seminar interrogates "socialism" as both an important analytical category and a diverse set of objects of social inquiry. We will examine the historical experiences of "actually existing socialism" in the Soviet Union, China, East Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa through multiple comparative lenses. We will consider the common challenges besetting socialist projects around the world, varieties of socialism and their shapers, transnational linkages and system-wide dynamics, and pathways of transitions from socialism to capitalism. Theoretical treatises, historical texts and empirical research from such disciplines as sociology, history, political science, anthropology, heterodox economics and literary/cultural studies will be surveyed for these purposes. Throughout the quarter, we will explore how a comparative inquiry of socialism helps us rethink some of the most foundational concepts in the social sciences, such as capitalism, democracy, development, labor, the state and society.

Instructor(s): Y. Zhang     Terms Offered: Autumn

SOCI 50139. Historical Research: Epistemology and Praxis. 100 Units.

This seminar introduces students to some of the major epistemological and methodological challenges confronting qualitative historical research in the social sciences. It is divided into two parts. The first half tackles key issues regarding the logic and reasoning of historical research, including causality, contingency, narrativity and the use of comparisons. The second half delves into the practical and minute complexities of historical research methods - particularly archival research and oral histories - and their epistemological roots. This seminar is NOT a substantive introduction to the vast body of work produced under the rubric of comparative historical sociology and historical social sciences, but rather familiarizes students with problems concerning the "logic of historical inquiry" as well as equips students to conduct actual historical research.

Instructor(s): Y. Zhang     Terms Offered: Winter

SOCI 50140. Race and Public Policy. 100 Units.

This seminar explores the historical and contemporary intersections of race and public policy in shaping societal structures and outcomes in the United States. Students will critically examine how policy decisions in areas such as criminal justice, education, housing, and economic development have been informed by racial ideologies and contributed to systemic inequities. The course emphasizes the role of historical narratives, data, and institutional practices in framing race as a determinant of public life. Through analysis of key case studies and policy critiques, students will engage with the challenges of addressing racial disparities and consider frameworks for transformative policy interventions that prioritize equity and justice. This seminar is designed for those committed to understanding and dismantling the structural roots of racial inequality.

Instructor(s): R. Vargas     Terms Offered: Winter

SOCI 50141. Political Economy of Policing. 100 Units.

This course examines the political economy of policing, focusing on the inter-institutional networks shaping law enforcement policies, technologies, and legitimacy. Using case studies such as the battle over ShotSpotter in Chicago and similar conflicts around predictive policing, surveillance technologies, and privatized training facilities, students will explore how policing is influenced by economic, political, and institutional forces. The seminar covers research on the relations between private firms, philanthropy, academia, and community organizations in policing. Students will analyze the broader social and economic implications of these linkages while interrogating the political, economic, and racial dynamics that underlie modern policing. The course aims to equip students with a framework for assessing policing as an inter-institutional structure.

Instructor(s): R. Vargas     Terms Offered: Spring

SOCI 50142. The Capitalocene in Theory and History. 100 Units.

In recent years, in the face of ever-more-spectacular manifestations of worldwide ecological crisis, public discourse about human relations with the rest of nature has coalesced around the master concept of "the Anthropocene." On this understanding, humankind has brought about a new geological epoch in which the human species has assumed a decisive role in transforming the planet Earth as a whole. This co-taught, reading-intensive course takes up an alternative proposition, namely that it is not human beings in general but a historically specific social formation characterized by its own distinctive ways of organizing nature that has precipitated the cascading crises of the present. More often criticized and rejected in existing scholarly literatures, this alternative concept-the Capitalocene-has to date been the subject of neither theoretical nor historical elaboration. Drawing together works from several different disciplines, the seminar will therefore seek to explore the potential and limitations of this alternative approach to our shared planetary condition. Readings will include Jason W. Moore, Nancy Fraser, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Andreas Malm, Kohei Saito, and Soren Mau. Course open to PhD students only. Others may enroll with instructors' permission.

Instructor(s): A. Jakes and N. Brenner     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 57102, CEGU 57102

SOCI 60001. Workshop: Demography. 100 Units.

This workshop is sponsored by the Committee on Demographic Training in collaboration with the Population Research Center of NORC and the University. Visitors from other campuses as well as Chicago faculty discuss current research activities in population studies. PQ: Must Register for an R

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Spring Winter
Equivalent Course(s): ECON 58900

SOCI 60020. 1st-Year Proseminar Research Questions and Design. 000 Units.

A required, non-credit colloquium for first-year doctoral students in Sociology. The Colloquium addresses how to generate research questions and design projects through the current work of department faculty.

Instructor(s): R. Vargas     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): 1st-year Sociology PhD students only

SOCI 60021. Wksp. Politics, History and Society. 000 Units.

The Politics, History, and Society workshop provides a home for graduate students and faculty who occupy the interdisciplinary spaces that exist between sociology and political science and/or between sociology and history. All of the papers we workshop are concerned with the institutions and processes of modern political orders, studied comparatively or historically. State formation, civil society, legal structures, social movements, colonialism, empire, and globalization are all frequent themes. Recent and upcoming papers include an ethnographic study of the political culture of indigenous Taiwanese, a case study of criminal conspiracy and corporate regulation in the 1920s and 1930s United States, an analysis of the role of social networks of Sufi Saints in the 18th and 19th century Ottoman Empire, and a multi-national comparison of causes of inter-communal violence. PQ: Students must register for an R

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter