WINTER 2026
SOC 201 A, DATA VISUALIZATION, Audrey Dorelien, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) T/TH 10:30 AM-12:20 PM, SLN: 20201
When should you use a table vs a graph? What should you consider when choosing colors for race and gender? What type of graph is most effective or the point I want to make and why?
This course is designed to teach you how to organize and present data in the most effective way. Being able to summarize and create compelling – and honest – data visualization is almost as indispensable as good writing; an effective figure or table can make an argument for itself, and visualizing the right information is central to making decisions.
The lectures discuss some of the theories and elements of graphs and tables design, but an important part of the classes will be practical: learning how to manage and organize data, and actually create tables and graphs in MS Excel and Tableau.
For more information, contact the course instructor, Audrey Dorelien at dorelien@uw.edu.
SOC 201 B, HOUSING, Andrew Messamore, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) T/TH 2:30 PM-4:20 PM, SLN: 20204
How did the housing crisis get this bad? What can we do about it?
The United States is experiencing a housing crisis. Homeownership is unobtainable, rents are high, racial inequity in housing is profound, homelessness is enduring, and extreme housing insecurity like eviction is pervasive. How did we get here, what are the important dimensions, and what can we do about it?
In this course, we will explore the key foundations, important dimensions, and debated solutions to the American housing crisis. We will consider the historical basis of contemporary dynamics, compare Seattle’s housing crisis to trends for other populations and communities, and draw upon work across sociology, history, and public policy. The goal of this course is to provide a conceptual background and problem-solving perspective for students interested in a more just and efficient housing system.
For more information, contact the course instructor, Andrew Messamore at afmess@uw.edu.
SOC 301 A, TIES THAT KILL: INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND SOCIAL DYNAMICS, Audrey Dorelien, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) T/TH 1:30 PM-3:20 PM, SLN: 20237
This course examines how social interactions (e.g. sex networks, contacts, kinship) influence the spread of infectious diseases, while also examining how factors like sex/gender, race, socioeconomic status, and culture shape individuals’ disease exposure, healthcare-seeking behavior, treatment adherence, and mortality rates.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Have a good understanding of how human to human infectious disease spread
Understand how human behavior such as contact rates can influence infectious disease dynamics
Understand why during Jim Crow South Black White Gaps in waterborne disease dropped but the disparity in tuberculosis death increased
Be able to critique and evaluate interventions targeting directly transmitted human diseases for their ability to mitigate disease transmission and reduce disparities in health outcomes
For more information, contact the course instructor, Audrey Dorelien dorelien@uw.edu.
SOC 301 B, LGBTQ IDENTITIES AND COMMUNITIES, Rosalind Kichler, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) T/TH 2:30 PM-4:20 PM, SLN: 20240
How do social institutions shape LGBTQ identities? What is the relationship between sexual identity and gender identity? How have LGBTQ communities shaped this relationship? How do LGBTQ identities and com-munities challenge, resist, or even support the gendered heterosexual social order?
In this course, we will explore the ways lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) identities are socially constructed by institutions like the law, family, science, religion, and culture, and how LGBTQ communities resist, reshape, and capitulate to these constructions. We will examine both contemporary LGBTQ experiences and their origins in and transformations during the 19th and 20th Centuries. Of course, sexuality is not our only important identity; other identities like race, class, and gender shape LGBTQ identities and communities in complex ways. To understand these complexities, this course prioritizes intersectional analyses of sexuality whenever possible.
For more information, contact the course instructor, Rosalind Kichler at rkichler@uw.edu.
SOC 376 A, DRUGS, LAW, AND SOCIETY, Katherine Beckett, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) M/F 10:30 AM-12:20 PM, SLN: 20253
What are drugs, and why do people use them? Why are some people and social groups more vulnerable to addiction than others? Why are some (potentially quite harmful) substances illegal, while other (also potentially quite harmful) drugs are not? How and why does this matter?
The ingestion of consciousness-altering substances has occurred in virtually all known human societies. Sometimes the use of drugs is quite harmful; sometimes it is not. While some countries treat it primarily as a public health issue, drug use has been mainly defined as a criminal matter in the contemporary United States, although this is contested. In this course, we will explore why people use drugs, how and why they are sometimes harmful (and sometimes not), and how societies use law to attempt to regulate the use of drugs. This class emphasize critical and analytic thinking and in-class discussion.
For more information, contact the course instructor, Katherine Beckett at kbeckett@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
SOC 401 C, Ai and Data Science Policy, Zack Almquist, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) M/W 1:30 AM-3:20 PM, SLN: 21444
How will AI affect the data science and social research? What skills are required to understand research findings and their broader implications?
This course will explore the role of AI, data science policy, and making public decisions. Students can expect to develop skills for the communication of research findings and their implications in writing and data visualization. Through discussion style learning, students will research and policy surround AI. In the second half, this class will incorporate practical skills by working on projects and and in class lab exercises as a class.
For more information, contact the course instructor, Zack Almquist at zalmquis@uw.edu.
SUMMER 2025
SOC 110, SURVEY OF SOCIOLOGY, Maxine Wright, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) T/Th 10:50 AM-1:00 PM, SLN: 13320
For more information, contact the course instructor, Maxine Wright at mkw1208@uw.edu
SOC 201 A, HEALTH DISPARITIES, Carmen Choong, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) M/W 1:10 PM-3:20 PM, SLN: 13321
For more information, contact the course instructor, Carmen Choong at cchoong@uw.edu
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 331, POPULATION & SOCIETY, Aryaa Rajouria, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) MTWTh 12:40 PM-2:40 PM, SLN: 14151
For more information, contact the course instructor, Aryaa Rajouria at rajouria@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
SOC 401 A, FANDOM AND CULTS, Danny Nolan, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) 10:20 AM-12:20 PM, SLN: 13346
For more information, contact the course instructor, Danny Nolan at dnolan4@uw.edu