Current Courses

Courses I Teach

• SOC 1010 - Introduction to Sociology
  An introduction to the basic nature of society and the relationship between society and the individual. This course focuses on how society functions and is organized, and how society impacts and influences individual motivation, understanding, action, and well-being. Basic sociological ideas regarding social relations, social interaction, social structure, and social change are examined. Students are introduced to key issues addressed by contemporary sociologists; class, race, gender, sexuality, religion, globalization, education, health care, crime, the media, and the environment. The knowledge gained in these course will aid students in future studies within a variety of fields and careers, and encourage the development of critical thinking about important issues.
• SOC 2015 - Doing Sociology
  An introduction to basic concepts and tools central to social scientific data analysis, including: basic forms of presentation (e.g., tables, charts, trendlines, scatterplots); basic tools of analysis (e.g., cross-tabulations, correlation, regression, statistical significance); and fundamental concepts of research design (e.g; sampling, causation, independent and dependent variables).
• SOC 3111 - Research Methods
  This course introduces students to systematic methods that organize the research process and the multiple forms of research that it includes. The course explains the logic of research design, explores some common forms of data-gathering (such as interviews, surveys, observation, etc.), and links them to issues of data reporting. The course provides basic research skills for use to students as either original producers or critical consumers of social research.
• SOC 3446 - Political Sociology
  The modern state touches nearly every aspect of our lives, but we usually spend little time thinking about it. The existence of states seems natural, as does their authority to collect taxes, raise armies, wage wars, regulate economies, build infrastructures, and provide services. This course analyzes how states acquired these powers over time. Topics include the emergence, development, and possible decline of modern states; war; democracy and its spread around the world; nationalism; globalization; citizenship; and human rights. The overarching goal of this course is for students to develop a better understanding of the state, society, and power in the modern world, with a focus on how history shapes current events.
• SOC 3568 - Sociology of Law
  A dominant theme among many sociologists, jurists, and philosophers is that a primary function of law is to bring about social change. To this end, sociology of law will be explored through both historic and modern perspectives. Sociological conditions that give rise to major legal developments will be explored through key appellate and supreme courts cases. An additional emphasis of the course will be to investigate what role sociology and other social sciences should play in the process of making new laws and abolishing obsolete ones. Specific topics covered include: the incarceration binge, the treatment of white collar criminals and sex offenders, reproductive freedom, and death row.