198. Experimental Course
Sociological Analysis through Literature
Sociology offers curious students a set of tools for analyzing and understanding the social world. This course will use short stories, novels, poetry, and film to introduce students to modes of thinking and tools of analysis employed by sociologists to make sense of the social world. The goal of the course is to encourage students to develop a sociological imagination, to help students understand the intersection of biography and history, of the individual and the social structures within which we make our lives. We will explore a variety of contemporary concerns, including: the tensions between individuality and community, the construction of identity, modernization and rationalization, institutional constraints and individual actions, and class, racial, and gender inequalities.
Priority will be given to first and second year students.