Rachel Kulick, PhD

A survey of the fundamental principles of sociology and the basic factors conditioning social behavior.

A survey of the fundamental principles of sociology and the basic factors conditioning social behavior.

Quantitative and qualitative approaches to research design and analysis, to develop student competency in conducting and critiquing social research. What we observe - and what we overlook - guides our understanding of social life. Fundamental to anthropology and sociology is systematic design, collection, and analysis of observations, which become data for developing new concepts and theories about the social world.  

An examination of ecological, equity, social, and cultural issues in urban environments. We will pay close attention to sustainable systems and how socioeconomic factors such as disenfranchisement, corporate power, and environmental policies inform these dilemmas. We will look at case studies from around the world to explore a range of topics including the challenges of climate related natural disasters; water disputes and crises; food deserts as well as just solutions such as spatial justice initiatives; carbon descent plans; urban gardens, and the list goes on. The course is an upper-level elective.

An examination of how media operate as powerful tools of socialization and sites of knowledge production, distribution, and social change that shape our perceptions of the world and our place in it. Drawing from sociology, anthropology, education, communication, and media studies, we will explore how media reinforce and challenge social norms and also operate as sites of resistance/social change.