Sociology
The discipline of sociology encompasses a broad terrain of sub-fields and specialties exploring various aspects of the social world. At the center is an interest in developing a systematic and theoretically informed understanding of the patterns, tendencies, and possibilities that characterize contemporary social life. Although we are often unaware of its influences on us, the social world structures our opportunities, shapes our aspirations, and provides the stage for our actions. As individuals, we are both sustained and constrained by the web of social relations in which our lives are embedded. Even our perceptions are affected by the way we are situated in the social world, and by our participation in the construction of social reality.
We don't live in "society" in the abstract, of course, but in a particular society with particular characteristics and a specific history. What kind of society do we live in? What are its distinctive characteristics and problems? Where is it headed? Sociological analyses illuminate the effects of social interactions, structures, institutions, and processes on the character and quality of our lives. As part of a liberal arts education, sociology offers theories and research relevant to our ability both to make sense of our circumstances as individuals in contemporary society, and to act efficaciously and constructively in shaping the modern world.
At New College, courses in sociology draw on a range of theoretical perspectives and research traditions. Key themes and topics include: the causes and consequences of particular distributions of power, wealth, and prestige; the significance of class, ethnic, and gender differences in modern societies; social organization (and disorganization) at the level of small groups, complex organizations, and whole societies; the sociology of development; the organization of work and leisure; cultural production and consumption in both popular and elite arts; the social construction of science, knowledge, and technology; the processes of face-to-face social interaction; socialization and the social construction of identity; the contemporary family; the social experience of aging, the social production of the urban environment.
A student majoring in sociology is required to master fundamental tools of the discipline: theory, research methods, and statistical analysis. These tools equip students to pursue interests in more specialized topics. Students are also required to take courses in both microsociology (social interaction in small groups, socialization and the family, etc.), and macrosociology (large-scale social change, organizations, etc.). Independent study projects, group research projects, and off-campus contracts provide important opportunities to gain direct experience of social issues explored in courses and tutorials. Students are encouraged to do field research, particularly in the local community.
One might expect to find the following sociology courses on a regular basis: Introductory Sociology, Sociological Research Methods, Social Theory, Stratification, Race and Ethnicity, Popular Culture and Mass Media, Urban Sociology, Work and Work Organizations, Death and Dying, The Family, Social Gerontology, and Social Psychology. To some extent, courses, tutorials, and independent projects will change in accordance with current student and faculty interests. Recent group projects include the Sarasota Area Project, an on-going research group focusing on the relationship between social life and the built environment locally, and, at the community's invitation, an oral history of a small African American community in the southern part of Sarasota County.
