30 graduate courses in Waterloo’s course catalog for Fall 2022, from UW Open Data. uwloo can’t read that term’s Graduate Calendar, so this stands in for it; the calendar itself is in Waterloo’s archive.
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.
An examination of the circuits of technology, creativity, and culture in new media industries, including qualitative work with start-ups and entrepreneurs.
Applied multiple regression/correlation, with emphasis on data processing/computing, model construction and interpretation and underlying statistical assumptions.
Strategies are introduced to design, implement and critically assess the appropriateness of mixed methods different designs integration, interpretation, logistics, benefits and the challenges involved in conducting mixed methods research.
This course covers the basic techniques for collecting, interpreting, and analyzing qualitative data. The course will operate on two interrelated dimensions, one focused on understanding the relationship between theory, methods and data, the other focused on practical techniques such as identifying informants, and coding and analyzing data.
SOC 717Reflexive Research Methodologies: Contemporary Interpretive Traditions
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.
The course provides a comprehensive introduction to the intersections between technological innovations, law, and the regulation of social life. Emphasis is placed on how socio-technical and legal orders condition information environments, and, by extension, inform power relations and social inequalities. Focus is also placed on a range of empirical contexts to reveal how social harms are both produced and regulated through a nexus of technology, legal rules, and social relations.
This interdisciplinary course covers social policy related topics including social justice, social equity and equality, evidence-based policy making, and policy critique and analysis.
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.
This course examines key themes, ideas, and debates in law and regulation. Students will explore the interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological approaches that animate the study of law regulation in various social, political, and cultural contexts and are encouraged to apply these approaches to their research interests.
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.
An overview of current sociological theories and research in the areas of crime and delinquency, and juvenile and criminal justice. The focus of the course is on recent developments in theory and research that have received widespread attention from sociological criminologists.
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.
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.
A critical examination of political and governmental strategies for identifying social problems and managing the conduct of individuals, groups, and populations.
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.
The course explores theoretical perspectives on the global governance of development, with critical attention to how processes of global development shape local environments and their inhabitants, challenge notions of state sovereignty and territory, and engender diverse responses to regimes of control. Cross-disciplinary perspectives will enable students to engage with a wide range of sociological, ethnographic, and political analyses of development through case studies and themes.
The course will explore the theoretical debates within feminist scholarship surrounding the use of Western liberal legal approaches to prosecute gender violence and improve the socio-economic status of women globally. The course readings will draw from various literatures, including liberal and transnational feminist, postcolonial, and socio-legal and governmentality literatures, to analyse and critically evaluate the concept and deployment of women's empowerment in global contexts.
An examination of criminological and sociological theory and research on the problem of security and related regulatory agencies. Various forms of regulation will be examined (e.g. discipline, surveillance, control, security detention, security intelligence, risk management) as they apply to particular bodies, mobilities, borders, and private and public spaces.
SOC 784International Migration: Practice, Theory & Regulation
This course explores theoretical perspectives on migration and critically examines how states deter or facilitate migration flows, including irregular immigration, refugees and asylum seekers, and low and high-skilled labourers. A multidisciplinary approach allows students to investigate the ubiquitous rise of border controls as a state tool to control migration, and how their implementation intersects with gender, race, class and nationality.
An examination of the urban aspects of security, surveillance, war and terrorism. Particular attention will be given to the contemporary embrace of resilience as a rationality of urban security. Additional themes include the militarization of policing, the role of 'big data' in the intensification of urban surveillance, and the relationship between security and urban environments.