Overview of Course

Sociological analysis of global social problems and how they are built into society. Critically interrogates the dynamics of power relations that maintain and challenge the structure of society. Emphasis placed on social justice, poverty and economic inequality, racial and ethnic relations, gender, crime, education, environmental degradation, war and terrorism, and other contemporary issues.
This course offers learners an introduction to sociology as a way of understanding our social world and examining the global social problems that face humanity. Understanding that there is one planet and that what happens to peoples in one location affects peoples in another is an important part of living in the 21st century. With almost 8 billion people on the planet, economic, political, and social problems affect huge sections of humanity at any given moment. The goal of this course is to examine basic sociological concepts and theories and use them to understand how social institutions, culture and ideologies around class, race, sexuality, and gender shape human experience. Through the readings, writing assignments, lectures and class discussions, learners will develop an increased awareness of the ways global social problems define our lives both at the individual and societal levels allowing them to evaluate their own lives in the context of larger social forces and global citizenship.