Current Courses

A survey course that introduces students to the discipline of sociology with particular reference to Canadian Society. This course examines theories and research concerning the nature of social order and conflict in industrial society; the relations between important structures or elements of society, including the economy, family, education, religion, complex organizations, racial and ethnic groups, and the dynamics of social change. Several major theoretical approaches in sociology are compared throughout the course.

A survey course that introduces students to the discipline of sociology with particular reference to Canadian Society. This course examines theories and research concerning the nature of social order and conflict in industrial society; the relations between important structures or elements of society, including the economy, family, education, religion, complex organizations, racial and ethnic groups, and the dynamics of social change. Several major theoretical approaches in sociology are compared throughout the course.

A survey course that introduces students to the discipline of sociology with particular reference to Canadian Society. This course examines theories and research concerning the nature of social order and conflict in industrial society; the relations between important structures or elements of society, including the economy, family, education, religion, complex organizations, racial and ethnic groups, and the dynamics of social change. Several major theoretical approaches in sociology are compared throughout the course.

A survey course that introduces students to the discipline of sociology with particular reference to Canadian Society. This course examines theories and research concerning the nature of social order and conflict in industrial society; the relations between important structures or elements of society, including the economy, family, education, religion, complex organizations, racial and ethnic groups, and the dynamics of social change. Several major theoretical approaches in sociology are compared throughout the course.

In this course students are introduced to the fundamentals of sociology and sociological thought. This introduction focuses on the following questions: What is sociology and where did it come from? What are the aims and goals of our discipline? How do we think sociologically? How do we do sociology? Students are exposed to the historical milieux, debates, thinkers, and methods that ground the discipline of sociology. You learn about the "promise of sociology" and the ways that sociological thoughts provide us with complex and nuanced understandings of our social world and supplies us with tools to face the challenges of our contemporary moment. (Credit will not be given for both SOCI 1013 and SOCI 1006)

In this course students are introduced to the fundamentals of sociology and sociological thought. This introduction focuses on the following questions: What is sociology and where did it come from? What are the aims and goals of our discipline? How do we think sociologically? How do we do sociology? Students are exposed to the historical milieux, debates, thinkers, and methods that ground the discipline of sociology. You learn about the "promise of sociology" and the ways that sociological thoughts provide us with complex and nuanced understandings of our social world and supplies us with tools to face the challenges of our contemporary moment. (Credit will not be given for both SOCI 1013 and SOCI 1006)

This course explores how sociologists gather evidence about social patterns and evaluate theoretical explanations of social life. Students learn to turn concepts such as inequality, institutions, culture, and health into measurable indicators, select methods like qualitative interviews, focus groups, ethnography, surveys, and secondary data analysis, and evaluate claims based on validity, reliability, sampling, and reasoning. The focus is on connecting sociological theory with methods, understanding the strengths and limitations of different approaches, and designing ethics-based studies to investigate social processes.

A study of the classical tradition in sociological thought focusing on those theorists whose ideas constitute the foundation of contemporary sociological analysis. This will include a consideration of the work of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, among others.

In Canada, hockey plays an important role in formulating the nation as an imagined community. Many in the national imaginary use sport to tell important stories about what it means to be Canadian, highlighting its role in the hegemonic development of the nation as a settler-colonial space. At the same time however, the game plays an important counter-hegemonic role, challenging the centrality of particular actors to the Canadian nation. While being attentive to these tensions, this course examines the construction of hockey as a defining feature of the nation, the stories it tells about Canada, Canadian politics, Canadian people(s) and other actors. It explores the ways that, what has been called Canada's game, tells important stories about Canada's place globally and how the game flags various contemporary and historical social tensions.

Time has always been an integral dimension of sociological research and is closely linked to the sociology of work and leisure. Time as a socially constructed concept that guides our daily lives has increasingly become a specialized area of sociological research. This course introduces students to sociological and multidisciplinary research and analysis that investigates the concept of time and time use in multiple facets of our daily lives.

This course reviews theory and research with a focus on the social basis of deviance, deviance construction, and the consequences of social reactions to selected forms of deviance.

This course examines the role of social services, including social work, non-governmental organizations, and private charitable organizations, in contemporary Canada. As we consider limiting the social role of police and economic change creates increasing needs, social services professionals are poised to take on increased responsibility in community crisis prevention and intervention. In this course, we bring a critical perspective to the historical and contemporary roles of social services organizations in Canada and consider what it means to 'help' in the context of social inequalities. Prerequisite: SOCI 1006 or permission of the instructor.

This course explores existing patterns of social inequality and debates concerning the possibility and desirability of greater equality. Taking a theoretical and historical focus, this course examines the changing nature of inequality in contemporary Canadian society in the context of globalization. Throughout, we develop our understanding of how different forms of inequality - particularly social class, gender and race - intersect. One section of the course may have a service learning requirement, where students engage in volunteer work in the community, and then reflect upon their experiences through reading, writing, and discussion.

This course will explore the comparative situation of older women and men in different cultures and different historical periods within western societies. The cultural and social-structural determinants of their changing status will be examined through alternative theoretical perspectives within sociology. The social construction of 'elderly' as a status will be explored through how older people are perceived,described, talked about, and interacted with, in everyday behaviour and how these relations may be 'negotiated' by the elderly themselves. The political economy of aging focuses upon disparities of income, and the determinants and effects of poverty on the lives of older people.

A critical analysis of various conceptual frameworks in family research, and a cross-cultural analysis of marriage and the family, both past and present is pursued. Particular attention is paid to the current developments in marriage arrangements, changes in the meaning of marriage and the family, as well as the future of the family.

This course explores health from a sociological perspective. The course focuses on the social determinants of health, inequalities in health and illness, health care provision, and the social construction of health and health practices.

Globalization and Gender examines how definitions of gender and sexuality are reproduced, negotiated and deployed in the context of globalization and transnational flows. Through a critical inquiry into a variety of theoretical texts, ethnographic case studies and analysis of media representation, students examine the topics of citizenship, global labor flows, migration, militarization, neoliberalism and the construction of the gendered global subject. They study both the opportunities and challenges that are inherent in postcolonial and transnational feminist scholarship and activism.

In Sociology we study human society. Humans, however, have always lived in relation to other non-human animals, and these relations and these animals have in fact been central to human society. In this course we will re-think what we mean by 'human society,' by showing how integral animals have always been to what we take to be 'human society.'

This seminar course encourages students to explore how research can inform social justice and social change. Examining specific debates from the fields of feminist research, Indigenous methodologies, and critical race theory, students will gain new understandings in the various ways research can both reproduce and challenge operations of power and privilege. This course offers students the opportunity to engage in debates around these methodologies as they consider how to do research for social change.

The senior seminar is a one-semester course, required for a Major degree in sociology, which is to be taken in the final year of study. The course is organized around substantive issues, with different sections devoted to different topics. The issues are addressed as puzzles or lines of inquiry that explore current concerns. Students are expected to bring the knowledge they have acquired of the competing traditions of sociological inquiry to bear on the theme. This course will be conducted as a seminar, with students taking responsibility for researching, presenting, and discussing material. Regular attendance and active participation will be emphasized. Enrolment limited to approximately 15 students in each section.

A critical examination of selected orientations from contemporary sociological theory. The implications of these perspectives for both the nature of sociological inquiry and the prevailing models of society are considered. Prerequisites: SOCI 2033 and 3023.

A survey course that introduces students to the discipline of sociology with particular reference to Canadian Society. This course examines theories and research concerning the nature of social order and conflict in industrial society; the relations between important structures or elements of society, including the economy, family, education, religion, complex organizations, racial and ethnic groups, and the dynamics of social change. Several major theoretical approaches in sociology are compared throughout the course.

A survey course that introduces students to the discipline of sociology with particular reference to Canadian Society. This course examines theories and research concerning the nature of social order and conflict in industrial society; the relations between important structures or elements of society, including the economy, family, education, religion, complex organizations, racial and ethnic groups, and the dynamics of social change. Several major theoretical approaches in sociology are compared throughout the course.

A survey course that introduces students to the discipline of sociology with particular reference to Canadian Society. This course examines theories and research concerning the nature of social order and conflict in industrial society; the relations between important structures or elements of society, including the economy, family, education, religion, complex organizations, racial and ethnic groups, and the dynamics of social change. Several major theoretical approaches in sociology are compared throughout the course.

A survey course that introduces students to the discipline of sociology with particular reference to Canadian Society. This course examines theories and research concerning the nature of social order and conflict in industrial society; the relations between important structures or elements of society, including the economy, family, education, religion, complex organizations, racial and ethnic groups, and the dynamics of social change. Several major theoretical approaches in sociology are compared throughout the course.

This course builds on the fundamentals of sociology developed in Introducing Sociology I. Through the examination of contemporary issues impacting our social worlds, including issues related to identities, inequalities, social structures and institutions, mobilities and others, students will develop the skills to use their sociological imaginations and become aware of the "promise of sociology." By learning to apply a sociological lens to social issues and everyday life students discover how the discipline creates new ways of seeing the world - ones that work to disrupt common-sense understandings and the individualization of social problems. This course will provide students with skills to critically engage with today's issues and a better understanding of our complex and changing social worlds. Prerequisite: SOCI 1003. (Credit will not be given for both SOCI 1023 and SOCI 1006).

This course builds on the fundamentals of sociology developed in Introducing Sociology I. Through the examination of contemporary issues impacting our social worlds, including issues related to identities, inequalities, social structures and institutions, mobilities and others, students will develop the skills to use their sociological imaginations and become aware of the "promise of sociology." By learning to apply a sociological lens to social issues and everyday life students discover how the discipline creates new ways of seeing the world - ones that work to disrupt common-sense understandings and the individualization of social problems. This course will provide students with skills to critically engage with today's issues and a better understanding of our complex and changing social worlds. Prerequisite: SOCI 1003. (Credit will not be given for both SOCI 1023 and SOCI 1006).

This course explores how sociologists gather evidence about social patterns and evaluate theoretical explanations of social life. Students learn to turn concepts such as inequality, institutions, culture, and health into measurable indicators, select methods like qualitative interviews, focus groups, ethnography, surveys, and secondary data analysis, and evaluate claims based on validity, reliability, sampling, and reasoning. The focus is on connecting sociological theory with methods, understanding the strengths and limitations of different approaches, and designing ethics-based studies to investigate social processes.

This course explores existing patterns of social inequality and debates concerning the possibility and desirability of greater equality. Taking a theoretical and historical focus, this course examines the changing nature of inequality in contemporary Canadian society in the context of globalization. Throughout, we develop our understanding of how different forms of inequality - particularly social class, gender and race - intersect. One section of the course may have a service learning requirement, where students engage in volunteer work in the community, and then reflect upon their experiences through reading, writing, and discussion.

The various perspectives used by sociologists to examine social problems will be described and evaluated. Concrete social problems will be used as examples of these perspectives.

This course unpacks issues associated with sport in North America. Students are asked to critically engage with sport practices as they intersect various social phenomena including identity, nationalism, the body, colonialism, and the family. Students examine how power operates through the practices associated with sport and consider the potential, and consequences, of using sport for social change.

This course focuses on particular aspects of the social processes that shape, and are shaped by female and male social roles such as gender and power, gender and social structures of work, and feminist social movements.

A study of contemporary developments in sociological theory, focusing on major trends, their interrelationships, and controversies. Prerequisite: SOCI 2033.

This course applies statistics to explore sociological and population-related questions. Students learn to describe and compare populations and assess evidence using appropriate statistical methods. Key topics include data quality and measurement, tabular and graphical representation, distributions, rates and ratios, sampling and weighting, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing, and measures of association for categorical and continuous variables. Through hands-on labs using publicly available Canadian datasets, students develop transferable skills such as data cleaning, measurement, sampling and weighting, multivariable modelling, and reproducible coding practices, which are highly valued in research, policy, and analytic roles. Prerequisites: SOCI 1006 or 1013 and 1203 AND SOCI 2013. (Cannot receive credit for this course and SOCI 2023).

In this course, students examine the social production of masculinities in North America and the impacts of these gender expressions on the lives of boys and men, and people of all genders. Students are introduced to theoretical perspectives used to understand the lives of men and boys, while examining topics such as fathering, the social construction of men's bodies, the ways the media (re)produces notions of masculinity, and sports masculinities.

This course explores the interaction between society and the body. It begins with an examination of classical and contemporary theories of the body, and then explores special issues with regard to the development of the civilized body, as well as gender, sexuality, marginalization, deviancy, chronic illness and disability.

This course explores the social construction of disease in modern medicine. We will examine the process of medicalization, focusing on the classification of human experience into disease categories; medical authority to diagnose and treat disease; the ways in which disease categories validate or invalidate experiences of illness; and the effects of being labeled as diseased. These topics are explored through sociological analyses of specific diseases, including diseases that are contested and stigmatized.

The senior seminar is a one-semester course, required for a Major degree in sociology, which is to be taken in the final year of study. The course is organized around substantive issues, with different sections devoted to different topics. The issues are addressed as puzzles or lines of inquiry that explore current concerns. Students are expected to bring the knowledge they have acquired of the competing traditions of sociological inquiry to bear on the theme. This course will be conducted as a seminar, with students taking responsibility for researching, presenting, and discussing material. Regular attendance and active participation will be emphasized. Enrolment limited to approximately 15 students in each section.

The senior seminar is a one-semester course, required for a Major degree in sociology, which is to be taken in the final year of study. The course is organized around substantive issues, with different sections devoted to different topics. The issues are addressed as puzzles or lines of inquiry that explore current concerns. Students are expected to bring the knowledge they have acquired of the competing traditions of sociological inquiry to bear on the theme. This course will be conducted as a seminar, with students taking responsibility for researching, presenting, and discussing material. Regular attendance and active participation will be emphasized. Enrolment limited to approximately 15 students in each section.