Course Descriptions

Society is comprised of institutions such as the family, religion, mass media and education, as well as rules, customs, laws and ideologies. Embedded within society are structural inequalities related to gender, class, ethnicity, and colonialism. Using what has been termed "the sociological imagination", this course looks at how we are influenced by these aspects of society and how in turn we shape society through our actions.

With current social conditions in mind, this course analyzes the general development of sociological thought in the 19th and 20th centuries. We will look at a variety of sociological theories and approaches to understanding society (structural functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, feminism, and others) and employ these approaches to analyze events of current interest, importance and impact in society.

Society is a clash of identities. This can be seen in the struggle over LGBTQ rights, the rise of nationalism, racial profiling by police and border agents against people of colour, and the ongoing inequalities faced by Indigenous peoples. Students will look at the implications of these confrontations over identity. They will be challenged to identify the underlying sociological causes of contemporary social, political, and economic events.

British Columbians face a housing crisis, an epidemic of drug and alcohol addiction, and increasing university tuition. Some low-income people find a means of survival in the sex trade, while Indigenous British Columbians face disproportionate levels of poverty and discrimination. Extreme wealth and poverty sit side-by-side. Despite a reputation as a "green" city, Vancouver is home to many environmentally destructive industries. This course will make sense of the sociological causes of these problems.

This course will explore sociological theories and ideas about popular culture from the nineteenth century to the present day. Students will analyze the social context that surrounds the production and consumption of cultural products such as art, music, film, fashion and television.

More than 20,000 people around the world die every day from hunger, and about 20% of the world's population live on less than $1.25 a day. At the same time, countries like China, Brazil, and India have rapidly industrialized. Tens of millions have moved out of poverty, while trade and tourism have brought us closer together. Students will investigate the social, economic, and political causes of development, underdevelopment, and globalization.

A sociological study of art and artists in western and non-western societies. The course will relate the various art forms (painting, music, literature) to the social context in which they exist and to their social production; hence it will develop an understanding of the interrelationships between ideas (aesthetic codes), social institutions, cultural politics and political economy. This course is particularly recommended as a complement to SOC. 101 or 223.

The media have powerfully shaped society since the invention of the printing press. Modern media such as television and the internet affect how we see ourselves and how we relate to one another. This course investigates the relationship between the media and gender and racial inequality, corporate and government power, and citizen activism. Students will also examine the effects of social media on our sense of self and our society.

This course introduces students to the basics of social science research. Students will learn about the uses and applications of both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including interviewing, digital content analysis, ethnography, and surveys. The course will emphasize the value of decolonized, open and applied research, with student projects oriented towards translating research results into formats that are usable by various groups, organizations, and the public.

How does one transform the world? One important way is through social movements. This course examines how people come together to engage in collective forms of action with the aim of transforming laws, protesting injustice, and occasionally resisting progressive change. It examines the major theoretical perspectives used by sociology to analyze the strategic moves, successful actions (and occasional defeats) of various social movements, including Indigenous Land Defenders, the Movement for Black Lives, and the 2021-23 Iranian protests.

This course looks at the construction of consumer culture in contemporary society. Specific attention is paid to the processes by which consumer society is created, reproduced and sustained through the media and advertising. It will examine the processes by which the role of the consumer is created and the impacts and implications for personal identity and society as a whole. This course is situated in the historical and current debates on ideology, political economy and capitalism as well as the social construction perspective.

Canadian society faces numerous social divisions, such as those between rich and poor, women and men, and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. These differences lead to important social outcomes, as in access to health care, seniors' pensions, or the wages we earn in our jobs. The student will use theories and research to understand social inequality in Canada today.

Scientists agree that human activity is creating a climate crisis. The social effects of this crisis will be experienced differently depending on whether you are rich or poor, or live in the global South or North. Students will look at the role of human society in climate change, in particular at consumerism, the fossil fuel industry, and the role of the media, as well as at possible solutions to the crisis.

This course examines the technological and social changes that have created our contemporary world of work. It identifies the way that gender, race/ethnicity, age, sexuality, and other factors shape the experience of work, and surveys the role of technology in the relations between owners, managers, and employees. It links these issues with students' own experience of work, and their aspirations for their future careers.

The City is a hot topic among policy makers, cultural creative, and academics. Urban issues and processes of exclusion including gentrification are linked to globalization and the increasing commodification of everyday life. This course will provide students with the opportunity to examine processes of exclusion in Los Angeles, Paris and Shanghai, but will also use Vancouver as a living laboratory.

This course looks at the complexities surrounding global migration, including the plight of refugees, factors motivating different types of migration, and the way migrant issues are framed within receiving countries. It takes a critical look at how borders maintain social boundaries and inequalities through processes of exclusion, criminalization, and differential access to rights. It includes an examination of the impact of migration, displacement, and colonial borders on Indigenous peoples.

Violence can manifest in many ways including as mass shootings, serial killings, child abuse, and intimate terrorism. Its harms can take many forms, including racial, gender, and class-based violence. In this course we examine violence in relation to nonviolence to understand not only the macro and micro sociological dimensions of violence, but also the important work being done to reduce violence in society today. The course will also explore solutions for dealing with both situational violence, such as violent stranger attacks, and systemic violence, such as that produced by legacies of colonialism.

Sociological tradition argues that empirical social science can be used as a tool to change society for the better. "Postmodern" social theories emerged in the 1970s to criticize these mainstream assumptions, about rational science, revolutionary politics, and the "grand narrative" of progress. The debate continues, and this course will provide an overview of the social theories involved and the social changes that provide the context for these theories.

While Karl Marx's ideas seemed to collapse with the fall of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc, this course will argue that Marx is better seen as a critic of capitalism rather than a theorist of communism. His analysis of subjects such as class struggle, the magical lure of commodities, and the spread of globalization remain relevant today. Indeed, many contemporary thinkers have taken Marx's ideas and reworked them in ways that provide an original and critical view of our society.

This course enables students to apply their sociological knowledge through community partnerships and work integrated learning experiences, such as Capilano University's partnership with City Studio.

This individualized course, completed with under the supervision of a sociology faculty member, enables students to apply their sociological knowledge within the community. The forms of learning include work integrated learning arranged by the student with the assistance of their instructor.

Students will work with a sociology faculty member to guide them in an independent study or research project. Specific course details will be arranged between individual students and faculty members.