Course Information

 

Course selection needs to be approved by the Graduate Chair. Please review course requirements for your program and Departmental course forms. Additional course information can be found here. Courses are in person, unless otherwise noted.

If you are enrolled in a graduate specialization please ensure you meet the course requirements specific to your specialization.

Fall 2023

Classes begin on September 11.

Course Instructor
9258 Inequality over the Life Course Anders Holm
9177 The Social Context of Racial Inequality Kate Choi
9002 Sociological Perspectives David Calnitsky
9003 Research Design Rachel Margolis
9001 Introduction to Multivariate Statistics Yoko Yoshida

Winter 2024

Classes begin on January 8.

Course Instructor
9268 Social Inequalities in Health Andrea Willson
9005 Contemporary Social Theory Howard Ramos
9154 Professionals and their Work Tracey Adams
MA Sociological Research Practicum Patrick Denice
9331 Death, Fertility and Migration Anna Zajacova
9021 Qualitative Research Methods Wolfgang Lehmann
9007 Advanced Multivariate Statistics Patrick Denice
9001 Introduction to Multivariate Statistics     Course Outline   Back to Fall Schedule  

The course will provide an introduction to statistical concepts and techniques used in social science research.   It is designed to provide you insights about how quantitative data is collected and how these data are then analyzed for information. This is an applied course where the focus will be on (1) the application of statistical techniques to answer empirical questions and (2) the interpretation of quantitative evidence. 

9002 Sociological Perspectives     Course Outline     Back to Fall schedule

An in-depth examination of classical sociological ideas including those of Marx, Weber and Durkheim. Specific attention will be devoted to the original writings of the classical thinkers.

9003 Research Design     Course Outline      Back to Fall schedule

This course will help students become informed and critical consumers of social research, as well as move students from consumers to producers of social research. The course focuses on the theoretical underpinnings of sociological research methodology, as well as practical aspects of sociological inquiry using quantitative and qualitative methods, including formulating research questions, concept formation and measurement, and sampling.    

9005 Contemporary Social Theory    Course Outline     Back to Winter schedule

The main theme of this course is the transformation that has occurred in social theory during the post-war era in Europe and North America.  This period has been marked by the disintegration of such predominant institutionalized paradigms in social theory as functionalism and positivism, and their replacement by a plurality of alternative approaches, particularly those inspired by what has come to be known as postmodernism.  The result of this transformation has been a shift away from the scientific and functionalist analysis of social structure or institutions towards the interpretive exploration of such phenomena as language and cultural forms, gender oppression and the body, ethics and 'micro-politics'.  The merits of this 'postmodern turn', and the prospects for future social theory, will constitute the central focus of this course.

9007 Advanced Multivariate Statistical Analysis    Course Outline     Back to Winter schedule

In this course we will cover the most common statistical techniques in the practice of sociology - linear regression, logistic regression, and survival analysis (event history analysis).  We will discuss the uses of these techniques and the assumptions that we make when using them.  Throughout the course, we will discuss how to develop an answerable research question, how to choose the best modeling strategy for that question, and how to interpret the results of quantitative analysis in light of relevant hypotheses.  There will also be an applied portion of the class held in the computer lab, where we will talk through basic issues that come up when working with data, such as missing data; saving data, code, and output; and making tables.  The last portion of the course will focus on writing about multivariate analysis - communicating questions, methods, and results clearly.

9021 Qualitative Research Methods    Course Outline     Back to Winter schedule

This course introduces students to epistemological issues that distinguish qualitative from quantitative methods and provides an overview of several of the main types of qualitative research methods. It also considers ethical issues and data analysis and management challenges that are associated with qualitative research.

9154 Professionals and their Work      Course outline     Back to Winter Schedule
Examines the nature of professions and professional work in Canadian society and elsewhere in the world. Attention will be paid to the structure of professional work, and workers' experiences within professions, as well as inequalities within and across professions within and across historical contexts.

9177 The Social Context of Racial Inequality     Course Outline     Back to Fall schedule

This course provides an in-depth overview of sociological understandings of race and ethnicity, with a particular focus on the institutional underpinnings of racial and ethnic inequality in the United States and Canada. The core question we seek to address is: What are the sociological origins of racial inequality? To answer this, we begin by investigating how sociologists understand racial and ethnic distinctions. What comprises a racial or ethnic group? We then shift our attention to patterns of racial and ethnic inequality, focusing on the major institutions through which racial inequality is generated: the housing market, the labor market, schools, and the criminal justice system.

9258 Inequality over the Life Course     Course Outline     Back to Fall schedule

This class is designed to introduce you to the Life Course Perspective as a lens for viewing and understanding social inequality. A Life Course Perspective focuses on the intersection of individual lives, social structure and inequality, and social change.  It emphasizes inequalities in experiences across individual lives and the way those patterns are shaped by broader social inequalities, history and change.  This approach can be combined with other theoretical frames and applied to a wide range of substantive questions related to health, work, family, education, migration, political attitudes, and criminal careers and course readings provide some examples of these applications.  A main goal of this course is to apply aspects of a Life Course Perspective to your own substantive interests to gain greater understanding of social inequality.    

9268 Social Inequalities in Health     Course Outline     Back to Winter schedule

In this seminar, we will examine how a sociological perspective can assist us in understanding inequality in health. Health in adulthood is the result of lifelong experiences that begin at conception, and therefore we will focus on the mechanisms that maintain and magnify disparities in physical and mental health over the life course. The study of health inequality is multidisciplinary, cross-fertilization has occurred across disciplines, and the literature is vast; therefore this course focuses on an introduction to the major sociological conceptual frameworks and empirical research from Canada and the U.S. examining social inequalities in health.

9331 Death, Fertility and Migration: Demographic Analysis of Social Change     Course Outline     Back to Winter schedule

This course introduces students to the field of population studies and the tools used by demographers to study the size, structure, and dynamics of human populations.  It covers the collection, evaluation, and analysis of demographic data; census and vital registration systems; morbidity, disability, mortality, fertility, and migration; life table construction; and population projections.  We will also discuss how demographic methods can be used to study other topics, such as education, health disparities, disability, and prison populations, in order to provide an understanding of how these methods are applied outside the field of traditional demography.  This course is open to students from other disciplines.

MA Sociological Research Practicum     Course Outline    Back to Winter schedule

This research writing seminar will guide students in the three-term research paper MA stream through the various stages of completing research and writing research papers. Topics of focus will include formulating research questions and hypotheses, locating and selecting data and literature sources, conducting and writing reviews of the literature, and writing about one's findings. Upon successful completion, students will have met the requirements of the MA Sociological Research Practicum Milestone.