This is an advanced seminar class intended to give students a deep understanding of the rich field of sexuality studies. The sociology of sexualities is inherently interdisciplinary. Thus, while we will approach the topic from a sociological perspective, we will engage with material from across the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Students will be expected to deeply engage with original scholarly material, apply that material to their own lived experiences, and produce original scholarly work. Students will be assessed on their ability to grapple with scholarly works in class discussions, write critical reflective essays, and investigate areas of scholarship of their interest. By the end of this course, students will have gained a deep knowledge base of this exciting field of study.

This course introduces undergraduate students to the sociological study of social interaction and socialization, more commonly known as social-psychology. Although this course approaches social-psychology from a sociological perspective, it will be useful to students from a range of disciplinary interests and backgrounds. Understanding how people make sense of themselves, the situations they find themselves in, and the people they interact with is a useful skill for academics, in the professional world, and in your everyday life. By taking this class, students will be able to critically analyze social interactions, not from the perspective of individual psychology, but from the vantage point of understanding the individual's relationship to social structures. This class covers a range of social-psychology literature, with particular emphasis placed on the tradition known as symbolic interactionism. Throughout the course, we will also interrogate the role of power: the power people have to define themselves, their own realities, and the power people have to impose their reality on others. This perspective will help students understand how social identities and inequalities are created and maintained. The course also examines how we unwittingly uphold unequal power structures, and most importantly, how we might change them.

This course introduces undergraduate students to the sociological study of deviance. Deviance is a core feature of sociological thought and is one of the discipline's oldest areas of study. In this course, students will view deviance through the lenses of social construction and social control — why is something considered deviant, who decides what is and is not deviant, and to what end does defining certain acts as deviant serve? By examining deviance in this light, students will be able to articulate a complex and nuanced understanding of not just deviance, but social norms more generally, and the organization of society's expectations about behavior. We will examine classic case studies of deviance while also covering a wide range of contemporary examples.

This course introduces undergraduate students to sociological studies of religion. Religion played a key role in the development of classical sociological theory and continues to structure and influence society at the macro and micro levels today. In this course, students will explore the historical impact of religion in sociological thought and examine a mixture of classic and contemporary studies in the sociology of religion specifically. Particular emphasis will be placed on religion in the United States and other Western nations, but we will also examine other contexts. By examining religion's role in society, students will be able to articulate a deep understanding of how religious beliefs and practices are embedded into the organization of society and shape people's identities, motivations, and social practices. goes here

This course is designed to introduce students to the sociological understanding of multiple media platforms. By engaging in this material students will better understand the role media plays in everyday life socially and individually. This class covers social theories of media regarding production, distribution, and consumption. Throughout the course, particular emphasis is placed on power. Both the power media have in our lives, and what power people have in the manufacture and creation of media. In every instance we will ask: How does the medium (movies, newspaper, music, the Internet, etc.) structure the way audiences receive messages? Who make these media, and for what purpose? Who consume these media, and what do they receive from their consumption? These questions will help students understand how social identities like race, gender, class, and sexual orientation are represented in media. Additionally, students will examine the persistence of unequal representations in media and how representations reflect structural inequalities present in American society.

From Doers to Donors: Sociology Students’ Perceptions of Experiential Philanthropy

Peer-reviewed article about how experiential philanthropy, a type of service-learning with monetary funds attached, shapes students’ perceptions of the needs of community resources. Coauthored with Clare Stacey and Meghan Novisky.

Sorting Sexual Scripts

A powerpoint activity that can be used to teach students about Simon and Gagnon’s sexual scripts by having them assess relevant sexual scenarios.

Facebook Media Conglomerate

A PDF image of Facebook’s corporate holdings and investments, separated by their technological area (e.g., virtual reality).