Special attention is given to the study of the metropolitan community in US society and its inner city and suburbs. Basic theory of social stratification is presented and used in description of the stratification system in the United States and other nations. Opportunity for social mobility in the social structure is assessed and compared with rates of mobility in other countries. This course presents a sociological approach to the study of education as a social institution, its structure, functions, and role in contemporary life. This course deals with American political institutions, political organizations, pressure groups, and the public's participation in political processes.
Discussion focuses on current political issues from a sociological perspective.
The primary focus of this course is on the interrelationships among business and production organizations, labor interests and struggles, and the state and state policies, from various theoretical and historical perspectives. In addition to critical evaluation of conventional political-economic perspectives, the course will examine recent sociological work on the state, the labor movement, and industry. An introduction to the organizational, economic and political structures and problems of American health care. Also introduces several of the sociological approaches that examine these issues. This course examines the interrelationship between the legal order and the social order.