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The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

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  • CAS SO 302: Social Networks
    Explores the mainstream theories in the field of social networks by sampling from empirical work across diverse fields such as social structure, culture, the economy, social media, and others. The course also focuses on the "how" of doing social network analysis including analyzing and interpreting properties of social networks quantitatively and learning to use software tools for analyzing social networks. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS SO 303: Substantive Themes in Sociological Theory
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASSO203) or consent of instructor. - Critique and application of major sociological theories to key themes and topics. Connections between classical and modern arguments, syntheses of alternative perspectives, and gaps between various perspectives. Themes include the maintenance of social order, power and authority, conflict and change, and sources of alienation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS SO 306: Boston's People and Neighborhoods
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASSO244) or consent of instructor. - Via readings, field trips and documentaries, the course explores Boston neighborhoods, tracing their history and dynamics. We identify forces that shape Boston, garner insight into how different groups experience the city, and grapple with the challenges that Boston faces. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS SO 313: Economic Sociology
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: at least one previous Sociology course or consent of instructor. - Presents the sociological approach to the study of production, distribution, consumption and markets, emphasizing the impact of norms, power, social structure, and institutions on the economy. Compares classic and contemporary approaches to the economy by the social science disciplines. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Ethical Reasoning, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS SO 314: Social Problems and Social Change
    Examines how certain issues come to be seen as social problems and the role of memory, identity, knowledge, and power in social change. Explores how individuals, organizations, and institutions respond to social problems and what produces meaningful change. We also consider the role of social science in creating a better world. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Ethical Reasoning, Writing Intensive.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS SO 315: Technology and Society
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR120). An introduction to Sociology would be beneficial, although not absolutely necessary, for the course. - A sociological exploration of the complex relationship between society and technology. Examines technologies' explicit and hidden costs and their potential to improve the human condition as well as the evolution of the relationship between technology and society over time. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas Social Inquiry I, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Social Inquiry I
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS SO 317: Gender and Crime
    Examines social forces shaping gender discrepancies in crime. Using a feminist lens, students explore how cultural ideologies about masculinity and femininity shape criminalization, victimization, and offending. Topics include the gendered contexts of crime and punishment, gender-based violence, and intimate labor. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS SO 318: Sociology of Childhood and Youth
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: at least one previous Sociology course or consent of instructor. - Uses in-depth studies centered on children and youth to examine the socially stratified and fragmented experiences of young people historically and contemporarily. This course focuses on the social construction of youth and the cultural and institutional forces that shape the social experiences of youth and our knowledge of them. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS SO 320: Political Sociology
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: at least one previous Sociology course or consent of instructor. - Traces the sociology of politics from ancient times to modern era. Analyzes U.S. & global political shifts. Topics include: political cultures, constitutions and laws; political authority; political parties; revolutions and war; mass media, and politics of violence. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS SO 322: Gender and Health
    Prerequisites: at least one previous sociology course or consent of instructor. - Gender power relations and inequalities in health, healthcare institutions, medical research, public health policy, and global health politics. Examines the intersection of gender with other systems of power in medical practice, research, and the experience of health and illness. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS SO 323: Markets in Biomedicine and Healthcare
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: at least one previous Sociology course or consent of instructor. - Complex ways in which market exchange impacts commodification of the human body, the practice of medicine (assisted reproduction, organ transplantation) and drug clinical trials. Theoretical discussion of market exchange from an interdisciplinary perspective, brief overview of the US health care system and global medical tourism. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS SO 334: Sociology of Mental Illness
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: at least one previous Sociology course or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - An evaluation of current theories and research on the social sources and consequences of mental illness. Featured topics for discussion include social- psychological perspectives on the definition, diagnosis, etiology, and treatment of mental disorders. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS SO 335: Sociology of Race, Class & Gender
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or CAS WS 101/1 02. - No one of us is one thing, one identity, nor motivated by one singular interest, nor privileged or subjugated by one singular form of power, but how do those multiple forms of ourselves affect how we are advantaged, disadvantaged, viewed, and understood by the social world' Our social world, is, by default, a vast web of social intersections between and across groups with shared, overlapping, and conflicting identities. Race, class and gender affect nearly all of our lived experiences and greatly complicate and nuance concepts of diversity and difference. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness.
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Historical Consciousness
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS SO 352: American Masculinities
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: one 100- or 200-level course in either sociology or women's, gender, & sexuality. - Explores masculinity: as a historical, social construct and site of power and violence; as a facet of identity and system of oppression; as style, myth, and representation; as something perpetually in "crisis" and in need of recuperation; as a process that helps and harms; as a set of ideals, practices, and traditions; and as system that cuts across race, ethnicity, sexuality, social class, nation, geography and place, age, and other lines of difference. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS SO 391: Social Inequality in America
    Students learn about sociological theories and read empirical research describing how social inequality in the US is produced and reproduced in various institutions and through different mechanisms. We explore what it would take to address these different sources of social inequality in the American context and learn from comparisons with other countries and historical moments. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Social Inquiry I.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS SO 400: Advanced Research Practicum
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASSO303) and junior standing; or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Sem inar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Prepares students planning to conduct honors research project in their senior year. Students interested in developing a research project for alternate purposes are admitted with permission of the instructor. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS SO 401: Senior Independent Work
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: approval of the Undergraduate Program Committee. Senior independent work in sociology.
  • CAS SO 402: Senior Independent Work
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: approval of the Undergraduate Program Committee. - SR INDEP WORK
  • CAS SO 403: Seminar: Gender Stratification
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and at least two previous Sociology courses; or consent of instructor. - Considers how the social production of gender contributes to various forms of gendered inequalities in employment, the family, dating markets, media representation, etc., with a special emphasis on how race, class, sexuality, and disability mediate the process.
  • CAS SO 404: Seminar on Sociology of Families
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and at least two previous Sociology courses; or consent of instructor. First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equi valent) - Explores the rise of "modern" families and the plurality of contemporary family forms and processes including gay and lesbian families and new reproductive technologies. Particular attention to social and economic inequalities and their implications for family life. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course

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