Courses » » Sociology 398. Experimental Courses

Community in the Digital Age

What is community and how have new digital practices changed, replaced, or expanded its meaning? This course examines enduring questions about the meaning of social behavior in light of rapidly changing technologies that enable communication across time and space. This seminar requires active participation of all students both in the traditional class setting and through new social media outside of class.

Sociology of Marriage

A sociology of marriage: the intersection of religion, politics and sex.

Marriage has been called a “vital social institution” and condemned as an archaic, patriarchal institution – so which is it? What explains the push for expanding marriage rights to same-sex couples even as the rates of marriage across the U.S. and throughout Europe are on the decline? This course will include an analysis of the religious, political and legal discourse around marriage from the early 20th century to present. We will examine the sociological literature on marriage as a cultural, legal and religious tradition from proposal through the risk of divorce. And we will ask about the role sex plays – how it influences both policy and social norms.