SOC 697Practicum in Survey Administration0.50 units
A practicum giving training in the administration of social survey research. Normally this will be in conjunction with the K-W Metropolitan Area Survey (KWMAS), an annual area survey administered by the Department of Sociology. Weekly seminars will combine examination of the scholarly literature on issues in survey research with case materials from the KWMAS. Students will gain practical experience in such issues as dealing with clients, working out a production schedule for the survey, assembling a questionnaire, writing an OHR (ethics) brief, making sampling design decision, and conducting pretest fieldwork. The course requires a paper on some aspect of survey administration.
A critical overview of selected original writings of major sociological theorists from the 19th and 20th centuries (including, among others, Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Mead, Schutz, Wollstonecraft, Martineau, D. Smith, Giddens, and Habermas). Attention is paid throughout to issues in the philosophy of social science and sociology of knowledge.
SOC 703Social Theory and Enacted Realities: From the Early Greeks to the Present Time0.50 units
Using a symbolic interactionist/social constructionist frame as the integrating mechanism, this course examines the enduring problem of connecting social theory with human activity. Building on the works of early Greeks (e.g., Protagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides) and others (e.g., hermeneutic scholars, pragmatists, and contemporary social scientists) who have addressed matters of intersubjectivity and human accomplishment, the emphasis is on articulating theory that is attentive to community life in the making. Focusing on the interlinkages of speech, objects, and activity, particular attention is given to the development of pragmatist thought within rhetoric, poetics, philosophy, history, and the social sciences.
This course examines the conflicting views of six to ten pairs of theorists, from Hegel and Comte to major thinkers in our time. The study of the materials will allow students to become conscious of their personal locations in the history of social thought, and develop coherent theoretical positions of their own.
SOC 705Theory and Research in Social Organization0.50 units
A survey of current theories of social organization, which examines social institutions and their interconnections. Social structure is treated as a predictor of behaviour.
SOC 706Theory and Research in Social Psychology0.50 units
A survey of the field of social psychology. Major theoretical approaches are examined and compared in the context of course readings, discussion and student presentations. Topics address the processes of socialization, communication, attribution, social influence, identity, group structure, cognition, deviance, the life cycle, and social structure and personality.
An overview of the development of sociological theory in Canada. Focusing on English-language sociology, the course deals with major figures (Dawson, Hughes, Marsh, Porter, Clement) and theories in the discipline (human ecology, Fabianism, functionalism, elite studies). It examines as well scholars and schools of thought in closely related disciplines (Innis, the "new political economy", feminist scholarship) and related developments in Quebecois sociology.
SOC 708Contemporary Debates in Sociological Theory0.50 units
Deals with recent controversies in sociological theory; e.g. Giddens' theories of structuration and the state; critical theory, including the works of Habermas on communicative action; postmodernist theory and varieties of psychoanalytic theory.
An examination of techniques used in theoretically oriented research. Sampling. Questionnaire design and construction. Uses of qualitative data and procedures. Data preparation and processing. Multivariate analyses using contingency control. Introduction to scaling and index construction, causal inference, theory building, and the use of computer software.
SOC 713Design and Data Analysis in Quantitative Research0.50 units
Continuation of SOC 712 and 710 at a more advanced level. Philosophical and theoretical issues in quantitative research. Experimental and non-experimental research designs and procedures. Causal modelling and inference. Measurement theory. Latent variables. Longitudinal designs and data analysis. Use of computer software.
SOC 714Ethnographic Research in the Social Sciences0.50 units
Attending to the ways in which group life is (socially) constructed, this course provides (1) greater linkage of theory and method; (2) grounding in the interactionist literature; and (3) experience in data collection and analysis.
Analysis of the design and implementation of empirical research, both ideal and actual. The organizing theme is the relationship in scientific sociology between theory and evidence: encompassing operationalization and measurement issues treated as concept-indicator linkages, and sampling issues treated as universe-sample linkages. Reports of actual research and/or students' research proposals are examined from this perspective. Students who do not meet the required prerequisites may contact the instructor.
SOC 717Reflexive Research Methodologies: Contemporary Interpretive Traditions0.50 units
Drawing on the intimate intertwining of theory and methodology in such areas as phenomenology, ethnomethodology, hermeneutics and analysis, this course takes a practical approach to the reflexive research strategies these methodologies employ. Students will be encouraged to develop research proposals in line with their exposure to these methodologies.
This course will deal with class, status and power groups in an industrial society as they strive to maximize their share of wealth, prestige and power. Occupational structures of modern societies will be examined.
An overview of sociological approaches - theoretical and methodological - to the study of health, illness, and health care. Both the social organization of the health care system and the socio-cultural determinants of health and illness are considered.
The course examines key substantive, theoretical and methodological issues of the sociology of religion through the detailed study of important classical and contemporary works in the field. Representative issues addressed are: the social and psychological nature and function of religious experience, the character of conversion processes, the social and political implications of religious ideologies and organizations, the status of religious beliefs and practices in an age of seeming secularization. Attention will be given to both western and non-western religious traditions as well as to both established and newer forms of religious life.
Inquiry into the relationship between the natural environment and society. Review of the theoretical and paradigmatic approaches used to study society-environmental interactions, and analysis of issues relating to technology, social change, distributional impacts, politics of environmental reform and factors that contribute to environmental-resource conflict, and policy decisions as they relate to the larger ecological complex.
SOC 745Deviance: An Interactionist Perspective0.50 units
Viewing deviance as an emergent social phenomenon, this course considers: the social construction of norms and deviance definitions; the emergence of deviance in the context of social movements and work situations; and the reputations and career contingencies of persons involved in deviant activities.
An examination of women's and men's changing gender roles with particular emphasis on theoretical explanations of gender relations. Topics discussed include gender roles in the family, politics and the economy, socialization, health care, violence and reproduction.
A critical examination of theories concerning the origin of sex inequality and an attempt to identify indicators of changing status of the sexes as well as factors which account for such changes.
SOC 759Sociology of Work and Occupations0.50 units
The seminar examines extant theoretical perspectives on the study of work. Current theories of work, critical issues in the field, and changes in the roles of occupations in the social structure are examined with the view towards new perceptions of work in our society.
An examination of the use of the concept "social network" in studying social structure; including the applicability of the concept to social theories, methods of operationalizing and analyzing social networks, and examples of substantive research employing the concept.
The course is devoted to the comparative study of selected western and non-western societies in relation to their institutions, structures, value systems, changes and interactions.
Family and kinship are viewed as the rudimentary structures of society from which other structures differentiate. They are shown to persist in modern society as a reinforcement structure beneath the specialized institutions.
The seminar undertakes to develop a general theory of the relation of social thought to social action, comparative value systems and the role of the scientist, artist and intellectual in society.
A systematic review and analysis of major theories of social change. Theoretical problems are examined within a specific context such as social organization, economic institutions, social stratification, and urban structures.
SOC 786Interdisciplinary Seminar in Aging0.50 units
Faculty members and students from the disciplines of Biology, Sociology, Psychology and Statistics meet to develop an integrated view of aging and death in their biological and social aspects. Topics examined include evolutionary and genetic factors, demography of aging, social attitudes, and human aging patterns.