SOC204 Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Sociology
What does losing a job mean to the newly unemployed and their families? How do couples decide if, when, and how to use birth control? In what ways do authoritarian regimes leverage the internet to quell dissent in the diaspora? How does environmental degradation contribute to constructing indigenous communities as “non-white”? And why in the world do people seek relationships with other species, from puppies to pigeons?[i]
These questions—and a limitless array of others like them—constitute the “bread and butter” of qualitative research. Rather than focusing on the prevalence of social phenomena, they attend to the processes that produce them and the meanings those phenomena have for the people who experience them, as well as how larger social forces relate to both. In this course, we will explore together several ways of thinking about and producing knowledge using qualitative methods, including interviews, participant observation, and documentary analysis. We will read and engage with pieces that discuss the basics of conducting these methods, as well as ones that use them effectively. We will think about what those methods offer, and where they come up short. We will contemplate how to do them in ways that honor the people we engage with—and ourselves as researchers. And you will have a chance to put what you’ve learned into practice, conducting and analyzing interviews and observations of your own. Most people trained in sociology don’t work in academia. So, it’s a good thing the methods we’re going to explore this semester have a vibrant life outside the ivory tower—they’re commonly utilized in industry, nonprofits, and the public sector too. For that reason, we will conclude the course by taking a closer look at and comparing the use of these methods across different settings you may encounter in your personal and professional lives.
[i] These examples come from the work of Sarah Damaske, Krystale Littlejohn, Dana Moss, Kari Norgaard, and Colin Jerolmack. See Damaske, Sarah. 2021. The Tolls of Uncertainty: How Privilege and the Guilt Gap Shape Unemployment in America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; Littlejohn, Krystale E. 2021. Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics. Oakland, CA: University of California Press; Moss, Dana M. 2018. “The Ties That Bind: Internet Communication Technologies, Networked Authoritarianism, and ‘Voice’ in the Syrian Diaspora.” Globalizations 15(2):265–82; Norgaard, Kari Marie. 2019. Salmon and Acorns Feed Our People: Colonialism, Nature, and Social Action. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press; Jerolmack, Colin. 2013. The Global Pigeon. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
SOC350 Cyborgs, Implants, and Wearables: Embodied Technologies in Society
We are surrounded by technologies that interface with the human body—from medicines and wearable fitness trackers to neural implants and ankle monitors. Taking that observation as its starting point, this course explores the intersection of technology and the human body through a sociological lens. Together, we will critically examine how embodied technologies shape identity, agency, and social relations. How do technologies define, shape, and govern bodies, and how do bodies respond? Drawing on a range of theories—including sociological theories of embodiment and technology, together with cyborg feminism, disability studies, posthumanism, and others—the course encourages you to interrogate the cultural, ethical, and political dimensions of becoming technologically augmented. Not content with the purely theoretical, it also invites you to bridge those theories with your own life and the world around you in hands-on ways.
SOC356 Data, Technology, and Society
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” ~ Arthur C. Clarke
In the last of what are commonly called “Clarke’s Three Laws,” British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke suggested that technological advances can outpace common understanding to such a great
degree that they appear magical or miraculous. Countering the tendency to view technology as “magic”—as well as countervailing arguments that predict purely dystopian futures—social scientific
perspectives unpack how technologies emerge, operate, and impact society as systems of machines and people embedded within particular contexts. In this course, we will therefore explore how technology
influences all levels of society—from formal institutional categories and economic systems to interpersonal interactions and individual selves—and how each of those in turn shapes the development and use of technology. We will look at cutting-edge developments in AI and
neurotechnology. But the social scientific study of technology doesn’t just focus on the latest trends. It also includes understanding things like how “accuracy” is defined and measured for weapons systems, why census surveys take the form they do, and even the mundane work performed by a door closer (yes—we’re going to read about that one).