Introduction to Sociology (110-0-20)

Instructors

David William Schieber
1810 Chicago Avenue
Office Hours: By Appointment
I received my BA from Northwestern in 2012 with a major in sociology and a minor in psychology, and I received my PhD in sociology from UCLA in 2019. My teaching and research interests lie at the intersection of work and organizations, health, gender, sexuality, culture, and economic sociology.

Meeting Info

Fisk Hall 217: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Sociology is a field of study that examines how people and groups interact, navigate, and make decisions within the structure and constraints of their social world. Often these social processes go unobserved or unacknowledged, and sociologists treat it as their job to shed analytical light on how people experience and participate in society. Through sociological analysis, we can answer questions like: How did Evanston become largely segregated by race? Why is it illegal for people to sell their kidneys? Is suicide contagious? Why would someone pay for Instagram followers?

Sociology is a huge field of study, and includes an enormous variety of topics and methods. Each week, we will focus on a specific area of sociological study (Culture, Gender, Race, Family, Money, Deviance, etc.) with the goal of offering you a general overview of the types of questions sociologists ask and how they answer them. By the end of the quarter, you will be able to think sociologically about your own world, and hopefully develop a budding interest in one or more of the areas we discuss in class.

Class Materials (Required)

All materials for this course will be made available on Canvas - no purchase necessary.

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area