SUMMER 2025
SOC 247, CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, Ramin Jabbarli, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) T/Th1:10 PM-3:20 PM, SLN: 13328
How do ordinary people organize to challenge injustice and shape society? When do movements succeed? And why do some fail?
This course is designed to be accessible for students from all majors and backgrounds. It will explore social movements as powerful forces for change. It will examine why some protests succeed while others fade. This course will explore topics like civil rights, climate justice, and global uprisings through accessible theory, global case studies, and interactive discussions. Students will learn to analyze the causes, strategies, and impacts of collective action.
For more information, contact the course instructor, Ramin Jabbarli at raminj@uw.edu.
SOC 301 A, SOCIOLOGY OF MORALITY, Mark Igra, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) M/W 10:50 AM-1:00 PM, SLN: 13333
Morality has been a central topic of sociology since the beginning of the discipline, and in this course we’ll learn why it's so important.
We will learn why scientists believe a tendency toward morality is a fundamental aspect of being human, and necessary for survival in groups. We’ll learn what constitutes morality and why morality both unites and divides us. You'll learn how social scientists measure moral beliefs, and why what people say they believe isn't necessarily what they do. We’ll learn how moral beliefs and feelings get inside of people, and seem so important to who we are. We'll cover how morality differs across time and place, and how categorizing and classifying people, animals and actions is central to moral systems. We’ll learn how moral ideas have been instrumental in both maintaining the status quo and fighting it.
For more information, contact the course instructor, Mark Igra at igra@uw.edu.
SOC 301 B, ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY, Aidan Andronicos, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) T/TH 12:00-2:10 PM, SLN: 13334
This course aims to explore the relationship between human society and the natural environment. The course material is interdisciplinary and will draw from scholarship from sociologists and beyond. This includes work from political scientists, environmental scientists, economists, and activists. More specifically, this course will focus on the intersection of social and environmental problems. Topics will include but are not limited to environmental inequality, climate change, and social-ecological systems.
For more information, contact the course instructor, Aidan Andronicos at aandro@uw.edu
SOC 364, WOMEN IN SOCIAL STRUCTURE, Brian Serafini, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) M/W 9:40 AM-11:50 AM, SLN: 13341
Are we witnessing the "last chapter" of gender inequality in the U.S.? Alternatively, other scholars argue that the persistent pay gap, unequal caregiving burdens, and the ongoing prevalence of gender-based harassment are deeply embedded in our social and economic institutions.
Through theory and empirical research, this course will explore:
- How gender and sex are socially constructed
- How race, ethnicity, and nationality shape gender inequalities
- How inequality persists - even in times of change
For more information, contact the course instructor, Brian Serafini at valgaav@uw.edu
AUTUMN 2025
SOC 201, RACIAL CAPITALISM, Sarah Quinn, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) M/W 2:30 AM-4:20 PM, SLN: 23188
How does power work? Why are race and class such important determinants of how people live, and who gets what, around the world?
This course uses theories of racial capitalism to investigate power and inequality in modern life. We will begin with an introduction to sociological theories of race and sociological theories of capitalism. Next, we will turn to theories of racial capitalism, which explain how racism and capitalism together structure the modern world. As part of this, we will investigate how markets create racial difference, and how race and racism shape markets in turn. This class emphasizes critical thinking and group discussion. For a final project, students will work in groups to produce a short video essay that explains and applies a concept from the class.
For more information, contact the course instructor, Sarah Quinn at slquinn@uw.edu.
SOC 401 B, TRANS STUDIES, Rosalind Kichler, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) M/W 2:30 AM-4:20 PM, SLN: 21443
While gender variance has always existed, transgender (trans) is a relatively new identity. In fact, some scholars argue transgender was not recognized as a unique identity until the early 1990s. Shortly after, academics interested in understanding the history and experiences of trans people coalesced to form Trans Studies.
This course will consider the factors below:
- The lived experiences of trans people across a variety of trans identities
- The history of trans identities, including the ways these identities are differently interpreted based on historical context
- The way race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and other intersections shape trans identity
- The history of Trans Studies as an academic field
- The way transness expands and challenges popular and scholarly understanding of gender and sexuality
For more information, contact the course instructor, Rosalind Kichler at rkichler@uw.edu