WINTER 2025
SOC 201A, DATA VISUALIZATION, Audrey Dorelien, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) T/TH 10:30 AM-12:20 PM, SLN: 20236
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 graph and table 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 201B, THE SOCIAL CONTEXTS OF PUBLIC POLICY, Patrick Greiner, 5 CREDITS (DIV, SSc), T/Th, 8:30 AM-10:30 AM, SLN: 20237
This course will explore: The Sociological underpinnings and aims of public policy; historical approaches to public policy's purposes and effectiveness; the variable impacts felt by communities in different dimensions of social life; and the implications of sociological research for decision making and policy implementation.
How have public policies differentially impacted communities across some dimensions of social life (e.g. urban development and and housing, gender inequality; racial Inequality and incarceration; environmental protection and energy use.)
What does recent sociological research suggest might be the most appropriate policy mechanism and approaches for addressing social problems in various areas of social life?
How can we responsibly carry out research and make decisions when "stakes are high" but "information uncertain"?
For more information, contact course instructor, Patrick Greiner at ptgreiner@uw.edu
SOC 301A, HOMELESSNESS IN THE UNITED STATES, Zack Almquist, 5 CREDITS, T/TH 10:30 PM-12:20 PM, SLN: 20277
This course will bring in speakers across the homeless care spectrum, including social workers, people with lived experience, researchers, lawyers and other professionals. Discussions will include:
- Causes and consequences of homelessness
- Analyze the political dimensions of public policy
- Explain the mental stress of homelessness
- History of homelessness in Seattle
Students will have an opportunity to do a research project/get involved in the community.
We will engage with Tent City 3 which will be housed on campus in Winter 2025 - See UW Hosting Tent City 3 in 2025 FAQ for more information.
For more information, contact the course instructor Zack Almquist at zalmquist@uw.edu.
SOC 301B THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF NATURE, Sasha Johfre, 5 CREDITS, T/TH 2:30 PM-4:20 PM, SLN: 20280
Is nature separate from society? Are natural things always better? What does "social construction" mean and why does it matter?
What does it mean for something to be "natural" and why is a connection to nature so often seen as a good thing? We will explore the sociology of nature through its history, uses, abuses, and potential. We will ask where the concepts of nature and naturalness come from and how they are used in big and small ways to produce social order, inequality, and justice. Students will learn about the history of environmentalism, the sociology of bodies, the economics of consumption, and the social psychology of traditionalism.
Through lectures, in-class discussions, written assignments, and group projects--students will be encouraged to interrogate their own relationships with nature in order to more intentionally act towards the natural world and towards other people. The course will prioritize a sociological lens by considering the roles of social relationships, power, scientific evidence, and inequality in cultural conceptions of nature.
For more information, contact the course instruction Sasha Johfre at sjohfre@uw.edu
SOC 356, SOCIETY AND POLITICS, Ann Frost, 5 CREDITS, (SSc) M/W 1:30 PM-3:20 PM, SLN: 20293
Is there a "ruling class" in America? If so, how is that possible?
Is democratic governance possible in a diverse society?
Key constructs of political sociology are "power", "domination", "legitimacy", "the state", "elites and their networks", "social class and inequality", and "protest, collective action and social movements."
This course explores the social dimensions of power and political institutions. It examines social power and focuses on the political attitudes, and the values and behaviors of people in different societies.
Students will study the politicization of social cleavages (divisions) such as class, race and ethnicity, gender, religion, and nationality; changing social values and attitudes; and political engagement and participation (such as turnout and protest politics.)
For more information, contact the course instructor Ann Frost at acfrost@uw.edu