This is an intensive workshop on how to write ethnography. There are three elements to the class: (1) discussion of classic examples of good ethnographic writing and key concepts like ‘thick description'; (2) taking apart some elements of an academic ethnography, including writing vignettes, describing people and places, constructing an argument, and engaging other writers; and (3) workshopping papers, in which the class discusses a pre-circulated example of your ethnographic writing, with a focus on construction and style, not content.
Media, Tech, Society 525-0-21 Environment and Climate Issues in MTS
This Ph. D. seminar investigates environmental and climatological issues in relation to the field of Media, Technology, and Society. The seminar is organized into five themes: Land, Sea, Sky, Animals, Humans. In addition to readings, discussions, screenings, and in-class presentations, students will conduct research relevant the themes of the class and their own research trajectories. PHD STUDENTS ONLY.
Soc 406-3 Contemporary Theory in Sociological Analysis
This course offers an introduction to classical sociological theory. A “classical” work is thought to be a must-read, a foundational text that influenced the older (as opposed to contemporary or modern) ideas that undergird discipline of sociology, both the way we think about it and perform it. We will focus mainly on Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Du Bois, exploring what they have to teach us about the sociological enterprise. Readings and graded assignments focus on determining these foundational disciplinary authors’ (1) methods for viewing and understanding the socioeconomic world, (2) ideas about the proper objects and subjects of study and how sociology should be properly conducted, and (3) key contributions to early sociological thought. Ten weeks is a very short time to acquire and engage with this knowledge, so expect this course to be very reading and writing intensive.
