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FALL 2002 COURSE GUIDE
Category VI: Social Issues
These courses focus on the analysis of local, national, and international problems and students development of the analytical and critical skills necessary for understanding a broad range of social questions. Students co-register in linked sections of the Writing Program and attend an evening lecture series on social issues. The goals of the linkage are to convey the idea that writing is an integral part of learning and thinking, and to provide a broad-based, shared experience for entering students. For additional enrollment information, see the Fall 2002 Schedule of Classes.
ANTHROPOLOGY 240gm
Collective Identity and Political Violence
Professor Jacobs-Huey
MW, 2:00 - 3:30This course examines the political implications of representing culture(s), with the 9/11 terrorist attacks serving as a topical anchor. Each week we will consider dimensions of representation as they emerged around the events of 9/11 and analyze how these dimensions operate in other cultural contexts. Some of the central questions to be addressed include: How do we "read" visual, textual, and auroral portrayals of 9/11 attacks? How have representations of American identity been refashioned in light of the catastrophic events of 9/11 and how is this reshaping of identity reflected in and across global and local landscapes? What are the political ramifications of certain representations and what implications might they have for the way we view Western and non-Western cultures? These and other questions will be addressed through a critical synthesis of ethnographic, theoretical, and popular films/videos and texts, as well as a series of guest speakers who will continue to comment on topics relevant to the terrorists attacks (e.g., gender roles, U.S. foreign policy in Middle East). this course aims to show how qualitative and historically-situated "ways of seeing" and representing culture can deepen our understanding of 9/11 and its aftermath. More broadly, this course will show how various mediums construct cultural representations that have implications for people's lived experience, cultural identity, and political perspectives.
GRADING
There will be a midterm and a final exam covering assigned readings and/or films. Your score on the midterm will constitute 30% of your grade and your score on the final exam will constitute 40%. eash of the exams will include short-answer and essay questions and will be "non-cumulative." In addition, 25% of your grade will be determined by a 12-15 page essay due to your T.A. during the 10th week. This paper should concern the 9/11 attacks and/or other relevant issues and should adhere to the following format: double-spaced, 12 point-font, 1" margins. The remaining 5% of your grade will be determined by your participation in weekly discussion sections and lectures. As such, you are strongly encouraged to keep up with assigned readings/films so that you are adequately prepared to participate in all class discussions. The grading scale is as follows:
- 96-100 = A
- 90-95 = A-
- 87-89 = B+
- 84-86 = B
- 80-83 = B-
- 77-79 = C+
- 74-76 = C
- 70-73 = C-
- 67-69 = D+
- 64-66 = D
- 60-63 = D-
- 0-59 = FAIL
REQUIRED TEXTS
- ANTH/AMST 240 Reader
- Hall, Stuart (ed.) 1997. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. New York: Sage.
- Lavenda, Robert H. and Emily A. Schultz. 2002. Core Concepts in Cutlural Anthropology, 2nd Edition. London: Mayfield Publishing Company.
- Podolefsky, Aaron and Peter J. Brown. 1999. Applying Anthropology: An Introductory Reader, 5th Edition. Mt. View, CA: Mayfield Publishers.
For further information about the course, please visit the instructor's website at www-rcf.usc.edu/~jacobshu and click on "Collective Identity and Political Violence: Representing 9/11.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 150xg
Environmental Issues in Society
Professor McKenzie
MW, 3:30 - 4:50Environment and Society is designed to provide insights into the major disagreements that exist today between scholars, leaders and citizens regarding today's environmental issues and problems. We will examine the 20th century rift between so much of humankind and nature - a rift that all too often produces in industrial society urbanites a longing for a nearly forgotten and highly romanticized "benign" nature that can never be recaptured and, more importantly, never really existed. We also will examine the nature of controversies between the urbanite and the farmer and inquire into the schism between urbanite and agribusiness which has been intensified as that sector adopts an increasingly industrialized presence. We will look at the differences between the Industrial World and the Non-Industrial World, never so clearly revealed as at Kyoto, as the international community struggles with global environmental issues. At all times we will attempt to respond to specific questions including what are the real environmental issues facing nations and peoples, to what extent have they been exaggerated or discounted, what are the most appropriate and sensible solutions or approaches to these problems and what are the appropriate role(s) which individuals and societies can play. We will combine social, philosophical, religious, political, economic and geographic perspectives to provide an understanding of how the interrelationships between environment and society have evolved over the span of human history.
The course explores a variety of methodologies/tools to demonstrate how environmental issues/attitudes may be analyzed on scales ranging from local through national to international bases. Hopefully, students will become sufficiently conversant with these tools that they will be able to use them in analyzing non-environmental but equally highly charged social issues.
Readings and Assignments:
In addition to a half dozen required books it is presumed that students will keep abreast of current environmental issues through a daily newspaper subscription. Two examinations (both subjective) are worth 40% of the course grade and two short inquiry/position/research papers (dates due coordinated with the composition instructors associated with the course) are also worth 40% of the course grade. The remaining 20% of the grade will be assigned by the discussion section coordinators and will be based on a combination of participation/preparation within the discussion sections.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.GENDER STUDIES 210gm
Social Issues in Gender
Professor Williams
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50The following course description belongs to Professors Accampo and Schor.
Beginning with discourses about women and gender during the Enlightenment and French Revolution, this course will consider gender issues chronologically form the Industrial Revolution, the rise of domesticity and the "cult of true womanhood," issues of race and imperialism, late Victorian feminism and the cultural context of decadence, gender and war (with an emphasis on World War I), second wave feminism of the 1960s, and homosexuality, gay and lesbian literature, and transexuality from the 1960s to the present.GEOGRAPHY 100gm
Los Angeles and the American Dream
Professor Wolch
MW, 2:00 - 3:20Los Angeles (and more generally the Southern California region) has long been the quintessential destination for migrants in search of the American Dream. In the late 19th century, promoters heralded Southern California as a salubrious Mediterranean haven. From then until well after World War II, massive numbers of American flocked to Los Angeles, especially from the Midwest, lured by images of mild weather, citrus groves, and cheap land. Although some sought stardom in Hollywood or riches from the oil fields, most aspired to basic elements of the American Dream; a good job and a home of one's own. All along, people were coming from other countries as well; but their numbers have increased dramatically in recent decades. They too are in search of some version of the American Dream. Ironically, the place sold to millions as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow experiences earthquakes, floods, landslides, and fires. Further, many Angelenos found not the American Dream but instead racism, unemployment, and poverty. This geographical course focuses on Los Angeles, in both its mythical and realized social and physical forms. Alternative perspectives are utilized, drawing concepts from historical and physical geography as well as from economic and social geography.
Required Texts:
Robert M. Fogelson. The Fragmented Metropolis, Los Angeles, 1850-1930. Berkeley, UC Press, 1993. Other readings are in the Course Reader available at the USC Bookstore. TBA additional reserve readings that may be assigned.
Grading and Course Requirements:
Exercise One 30 points (15%)
Exercise Two 30 points (15%)
Midterm Examination 60 points (30%)
Final Examination 70 points (35%)
Discussion Section 10 points (5%)
Total 200 points (100%)
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.HISTORY 215g
Business and Labor in America
Professor Perkins
TTh, 2:00 - 3:20Business, Labor, and Government are three of the most critical forces that have shaped the foundation, evolution, and current state of American society. Sometimes they have acted in cooperation with one another, sometimes in opposition. Yet America today is rife with misperceptions about the role each has played in the evolution of our nation. Cliches like "Big Business, Big Labor, Big Government, they're all the same ... bad and corrupt." Such cliches misrepresent the past, the present, and the possibilities of the future.
This course will examine a series of critical issues that have marked the development of business and labor in the United Stated from the Colonial Era to the present -- and the ways in which that development was affected by state and federal governments. One of the key goals of the course is to analyze this history from the distinct points of view of labor and business. Topics such as the use of slaves and indentured servants, the positive and negative impacts of industrialization, the role of strikes and unions, and the rise of multinational corporations will all be examined from the point of view of government officials who attempt to mediate between the two sides. In short, students will be presented a multidimensional view of some of critical issues and conflicts that have shaped the economic, social, and political foundation of our nation.
HISTORY 235g
War and the American Experience
Professor Dingman
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50This course seeks to prepare students for informed citizenship by enabling them to analyze the role war has played in the development of the United States as a policy and a society. In examining the causes, conduct, and consequences of America's wars, it gives particular attention to the relationship between the military, the society, and the individual. Its lectures and weekly discussion sections address four thematic questions: What was the role of war in the creation of the United States as a nation? Can war be used to extend the boundaries of democracy as well as those of the nation-state? Does the use of war to defend democracy against foreign enemies, advance or undermine the principles underlying American government and society? Finally, what should the relationship between the rights of citizenship in a democracy and the obligations of military service be? This course also asks: Is violence endemic in society? Can it be controlled - or displaced - through politically managed wars? Who in society should bear the rights - and risks - of providing for the common defense?
Readings and Assignments:
* Geoffrey Perrett, A Country Made by War
* Gerald Linderman, Embattled Courage
* Jonathan Utley, An American Battleship in Peace and War
* selections from E.W. Sledge, With the Old Breed
* Colin Powell, My American Journey
* Thomas Ricks, Making the Corps
Course Requirements
Students are required to complete two quizzes, two internet assignments, a critical book review, a course research and writing project, and a midterm and a final examination.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.HISTORY 245g
Gender and Sexualities in American History
Professor Banner
TTh, 11:00 - 12:20This course will focus on the gender division between a public world identified with men and masculinity and a private world of family and domesticity identified by women. We will deal with the nature of both of these worlds and their interactions throughout the course of post-Revolutionary American political and social history, especially in terms of the issues of the gendered nature of repression and reform in the American past. We will also examine the nature and functioning of gender and sexuality in the American past. What has it meant to be a woman or a man? What is the importance of sexuality and homosexuality in our nation's past.
Required Texts:
Walter Williams. The Spirit and the Flesh. (Part Only)
Lois Banner. Women in Modern America: A Brief History.
Jane Adams. Twenty Years at Hull House. (part Only)
Rita Mae Brown. Rubyfruit Jungle.
Sara Evans. Personal Politics.
Other articles will be available in an article pack put together by Dr. Banner.
Grading and Course Requirements
Midterm Examination 25%
Final Examination 30%
Participation 10%
Term Paper 30%
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.HISTORY 265g
Understanding Race and Sex Historically
Professor Levine
MW, 10:00 - 11:50The intention of this course is to demonstrate the historically variability of ideas around race and sexuality, issues that we sometimes take for granted and tend to assume as fixed facts with a biological base. In practice, as this course will show, societies in different parts of the world and at different times, have had radically different attitudes to these categories, and have also often linked them together, more particularly when seeking to judge -- and often condemn -- those whose practices do not resemble their own. Focusing on what is routinely called the modern period -- from roughly the late eighteenth century on -- the course will consider various ways in which sex and race have been linked in this period and in which ideas about them have been connected (often as a mechanism of blame). Rather than choosing a narrow focus on one area of the world, we will range about the globe as a means of broadening as well as deepening our ability to understand how race and sex have functioned as political and social as much as political entities in the modern world.
Course Requirements and Grading
* Section Grade: 15%
* Midterm Exam: 20%
* Final Exam: 25%
* Other Assignments: 40% (4 at 10% each)INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 100xg
The United States and World Affairs
Professor Bender
MW, 2:00 - 3:20The aim of this course is to introduce students to the fascinating study of relations among countries throughout our large and complex world, with special emphasis on United States foreign policy. Traditionally this subject has been conceived strictly as the study of the relationships among governments but these relations cannot be viewed in a vacuum since they are inextricably determined by other actors and factors, such as international organizations (e.g. the United Nations), multinational corporations, individuals, cultures, economics, geography, and history. All of these dimensions will be covered in each of the three parts of the course.
This subject is a broad, complex one that is constantly shifting, and evolving as scholars try to develop theories to explain it and policy makers try to manage foreign policy from day to day. This course should provide the student with a solid background both in the major trends and issues of current world politics and in the main theories and explanations used by scholars of International Relations.
The course outline follows the structure of Goldstein's textbook. Supplementary readings each week are found in a Reader that I assembled from recent articles published (primarily) in Foreign Affairs. The discussion sections will follow the outline of the course but the lectures will not necessarily follow this outline in order to include additional dimensions not covered in the readings.
In addition to the textbook assignments, each student is expected to read at least one major newspaper every day, (e.g., The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Washington Post,) and to come to class conversant with major foreign events and challenges for U.S. foreign policy. There will be snap (i.e. surprise) quizzes during the semester to test your understanding of the major international issues in the news. We will start each class with an analysis of the major international events in the news - you are responsible for initiating this portion of the class.
Required Texts:
* Joshua Goldstein, International Relations. New York: Harper-Collins College Publishers, 1996.
* Gerald J. Bender (ed.) Readings on Current Topics in Foreign Policy. New York: Foreign Affairs, 1997.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change.
JUDAIC STUDIES 211g
The Holocaust
Professor Gillerman
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50
This course is intended as an introduction to the ethical issues arising from the Holocaust - Adolf Hitler's attempted genocide of the entire Jewish people, as well as the murder of millions of others, during the years 1933-1945. While the approach taken in many courses on the Holocaust is essentially a historical one, the aim of this class is to identify and evaluate the moral dilemmas and challenges that arise from this event. Of course ethical issues do not arise in a vacuum. Historical, sociological, and psychological factors are of supreme importance in shaping the contours within which ethical decisions are made. Proper attention will therefore be paid to these factors in determining the moral lessons that are to be derived from the Holocaust. In this way the course will achieve its objective of assisting the student in gaining an understanding of the processes and complexities of moral reasoning.
It is hoped that the approach to the class will permit the student to view the Holocaust for what it was and is - a tragedy of immense proportions, not only for the Jewish people, but also for the world. In the minds of many ethicists, the Holocaust and related events are harbingers of the most frightening tendencies inherent in an evermore rational, impersonal, and bureaucratically-oriented world. The grading scheme will be as follows:
* Midterm Examination 25%
* Research Paper 30%
* Final Examination 25%
* Discussion Section 20%Note: The assignments listed here may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
LINGUISTICS 115g
Language, Society and Culture
Professor Finegan
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50"Language, Society, and Culture" is a general education course that examines the relationships between patterns of discourse within social groups and harmonious communication in selected institutional and personal settings of everyday interaction. The course focuses on relationships between:
* language and education
* language and law
* language and gender
* language and socioeconomic status
* language and ethnicity
* language and power
* language standardization and language attitudes
* language and situational appropriateness
Principal course themes
* contingent nature of cultural and linguistic practices
* creation and maintenance of social structures through particular
language practices
* reflection of social structures and cultural values in discourse, language
policy, and institutional practices
REQUIREMENTS
The course comprises lectures, discussions, extensive readings, videos, workshops, transcription of conversation, text analysis, written papers, exercises, and an examination. Students also keep a weekly language-and-linguistics diary that provides the basis for one paper (but will not otherwise be inspected). Drafts of papers may be submitted by e-mail or hard copy for timely comments and suggestions. Hard copy drafts of papers must be submitted at least one day prior to the class meeting preceding the meeting on which the paper is due. E-mail copies must be submitted three days before the paper is due, excluding weekends.
Required Texts:
Conley, J. M. & Wm. M. O'Barr. 1990. Rules versus Relationships - The Ethnography of Legal Discourse" (U of Chicago P)
Rose, M. 1989. Lives on the Boundary (Penguin)
Tannen, D. 1986. That’s Not What I Meant! (Ballantine)
Note: Other materials will be available in a course packet. You will be notified in class when the packet is ready to be picked up. The readings and assignments list may also be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.PHILOSOPHY 140g
Contemporary Moral and Social Issues
Professor Jeshion
MW, 12:00 - 1:45The following course description belongs to Professor Lloyd.
In this course we investigate the ethical questions raised by such currently debated social issues as affirmative action, gay rights, pornography and censorship, environmental ethics, animal rights, the ethics of war, and world hunger. One goal of the course is to enable students to consider these and other moral issues critically, and to develop and defend their own moral positions on important social issues, as well as to enable them to better appreciate what can be said in favor of positions with which they ultimately disagree. To this end the course introduces techniques of moral reasoning and argument, and surveys some important classic moral theories.
The other goal of the course is to inform and sensitize students to the moral issues raised by the facts of multiculturalism and diversity both within the U.S. and globally. To this end we will be addressing issues of multiculturalism and diversity in each of the topics we discuss, including such questions as: "Is the developed world morally justified in imposing environmental conservation on developing third world countries that have not yet had an opportunity to exploit their own natural resources?"; "Should equal rights be extended to those with 'nonstandard' sexual orientations?"; "Does the particular social vulnerability of women morally requires restrictions on pornographic depiction of them, as some feminists have claimed?"; "Does the particular social history and experience of African Americans morally justify affording them (and other groups with relevantly similar social experience) preferential treatment in the allotment of school admissions, jobs, and contracts?"; "Do rich nations have a moral obligation to help the poor in countries that affirm political values or religions of our own non-vital interests priority over the vital interests of non-human animals a morally objectionable 'speciesist' imposition of our own cultural values?". In addressing these questions, we will consider the views of writers from diverse social perspectives, and will discuss how we, as philosophers, might either reconcile or else adjudicate among differing cultural and social perspectives.
POLITICAL SCIENCE 130g
Law, Politics, and Public Policy
Professor Barnes
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50
This course explores a broad range of social issues through an introduction to law, courts, and judicial processes. We will begin by examining the idea of law, the nature of legal education, the selection of judges, the civil and criminal justice system, and the role of appellate courts. We will then explore a series of debates and case studies that will give us a chance to delve more deeply into the politics of law and the pursuit of justice. This course will also ask the following questions: What is "the rule of law?" Does law serve power or justice? What influences outcomes in civil and criminal justice? Was the "Independent Counsel" act a good idea? When do people deserve punishment or deserve to be held "liable" for their negligent conduct? How broad is "freedom of speech?"
Readings and Assignments:
Some of these issues will be explored in movies. But we will also be reading: Baum's American Courts; Adams' Philosophical Problems in the Law; Lewis' Make No Law; and Stern's Buffalo Creek Disaster.Requirements: 1 short paper, 1 longer paper, midterm, final, participation.
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
RELIGION 140g
Religion and Ethical Issues
Professor Rudisill
TTh, 11:00 - 12:20
The aim of the course is to enable you to become conversant with Jewish and Christian ways of addressing ethical issues, and to increase your capability to analyze critically various judgments reached abut hose issues. Since Judaism and Christianity (both Catholic and Protestant) are such major traditions in the U.S., studying the ways in which these traditions deal with ethical issues will take us straight into the heart of American culture, and the mutual influence between religion and culture.
There is no such thing as a Jewish or Christian position on any ethical issue, especially in an age where both traditions are sharply divided between "liberal" and "conservative" camps. (For example, there is often more agreement on ethical issues between liberal Jews and liberal Christians than there is between liberal and conservative Christians.) Nevertheless, there are certain Jewish beliefs and traditions, on the one hand, and Christian beliefs and traditions, on the other hand, both derived from the Bible, which deeply inform the ethical analyses of these faiths. We shall be attentive to these beliefs and traditions, directly in the first part of the course.
Required Texts:
* Dorff, Elliot N. and Newman, Louis E., eds. Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Morality: A Reader. New York: Oxford University, 1995.
* Jersild, Paul T. and Johnson, Dale A., eds. Moral Issues and Christian Response. 6th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1997.
* "Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, 1984" (pamphlet)
* Religion 140 Course ReaderGrading and Course Requirements:
* Midterm Exam 15%
* First Critical Paper 15%
* Second Midterm Exam 20%
* Second Critical Paper 20%
* Final Exam 30%Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
SOCIOLOGY 142gm
Diversity and Racial Conflict
Professor Kaplan
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50This course examines the patterns of race relations in the United States. We will examine the relations between the white community and the communities of people of color, particularly African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans and Latinos. We will also discuss white ethnic groups. We will explore the way in which race relations shape our institutions and structures and our daily lives. We will also see the way in which institutional racism operates. Theories personal racism, internalized racism, cross-racial hostility between people of color and the intersection of race, class and gender will also be discussed.
A few of the issues we will be concerned with include: the historical and contemporary expressions of racism in America and the various ways in which racism, sexism, and class are interconnected. We will also consider why these divisions and the accompanying differences in opportunity and achievement continue; how these divisions and differences are reproduced and the reality that lies behind the rhetoric of equality and opportunity and justice for all. For example, how are economic rewards, employment decisions, political electoral campaigns and public policy decisions shaped by racial bias? In what way do these factors influence university admissions, faculty hiring, and relations with fellow students and student groups? Has racism changed over time? On a personal level, how do we cope with our own racism and with racism directed against us? We will also consider the necessary conditions and the processes to bring about effective social change.
Required Reading: (All books are on 2 hour reserve at Leavey Library. See Reference Librarian for Xerox Reader material.)
Christopher Bates Doob, Racism: An American Cauldron 2nd. ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1996
Elaine Bell Kaplan, Not Our Kind of Girl, Unraveling The Myths of Black Teenage Motherhood, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.
Harry H. L. Kitano and Roger Daniels, Asian Americans, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall, 1995
Joan Moore and Harry Pachon, Hispanics in the US Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1985Xerox Reader (available at USC bookstore)
1. "The Prison of Race and Gender: Stereotypes, Ideology, Language, and Social Control: (Paula S. Rothenberg, Racism and Sexism, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988.)
2. "How Serious is the Problem of Racism?" (William Dudley, ed. Racism in America: Opposing Viewpoints, San Diego, CA.: Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1991.
3. "The Problem: Discrimination, United States Commission on Civil Rights"Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
SOCIOLOGY 150gm
Social Problems
Professor Bengtson
MW, 3:30 - 4:50Professor Gross
TTh, 11:00 - 12:20The following course description belongs to Professor Bengtson.
In Sociology 150 we examine some of the major social problems confronting American society today: crime, violence, drugs, discrimination, environmental pollution, terrorism, the prospect of nuclear war. What can we do about these problems? What does sociological research suggest about their causes and their solution?
In this course we analyze these and other problems using the tools of sociological data and theory. We assess the public policies - laws- that have been passed in order to "solve" these problems, and explore why many of these have failed. We focus on two specific issues that may directly affect your experience as adults in the 21st Century): (1) Urban violence (will there be a repeat of the Los Angeles "riots" of 1992; (2) Population aging (will Social Security and medical care benefits be available for you when you retire?).
Sociology 150 explores contemporary social problems in three categories: (1) Issues involving individual deviance (crime, gangs, rape, sexual deviance, mental illness); (2) Problems of social inequalities (discrimination and prejudice reflected in racism, sexism, and ageism); and (3) Crises reflecting societal changes during the 20th Century (the worldwide population explosion, population aging, environmental pollution, family and health problems, war and terrorism).
Readings and Assignments:
The basic texts include Henslin's Social Problems in Modern Society; a volume edited by Los Angeles Time reporters, Understanding the Riots; and two Opposing viewpoints collections: (1) Should abortion rights be restricted? (2) How will an aging population affect America?The grade for the course is based on: (1) Three exams; (2) Four quizzes; (3) Discussion section participation and assignments throughout the semester; (4) JEP (Joint Educational Project) involvement; (5) Short in-class assignments accompanying each lecture. Extra credit can be earned through participation in class debates, analysis of movies and videos reflecting social problems, or a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance.
The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
SOCIOLOGY 155g
Immigrant America
Professor Hondagneu-Sotelo
TTh, 11:00 - 12:20Pundits and commentators have noted that the twentieth century is ending much as for the United States. One of the ways in which it resembles the earlier part of the is the high level of immigration. Contemporary immigration, however, unlike immigration in the early 20th century, stems primarily from Asia and Latin America, and a major point of destination is Los Angeles. These developments have led to the creation of a new type of multiethnic and multiracial society, and have also given rise to vitriolic anti-immigration politics.
This course will examine the diversity of contemporary U.S. immigration and it will also scrutinize the controversial debates spawned by immigration and anti-immigrant reactions. Immigration has once again surfaced as a major social issue, and students will seek to understand the terms of these debates by preparing for and conducting in-class debates. Although we will cover diverse immigrant groups, including Hindu Indian and Middle Eastern immigrants, the course will focus on Mexican, Asian and Central American immigrants.
Required Reading:
* Portes and Rumbaut, Immigrant America: A Portrait
* Hondagneu-Sotelo, Gendered Transitions: Mexican Experiences of Immigration
* Ong, Bonacich, & Cheng, The New Asian Immigration in LA & Global Restructuring
* Waldinger and Bozorgmehr, Ethnic Los Angeles, Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.SOCIOLOGY 169g
Changing Family Forms
Professor Biblarz
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50Most of us grew up in,. enjoyed, and/or survived family life, so we all bring some first hand experience to this class. Few of us, however, understand our families as socially and historically constructed institutions. Why and how do families change over time? This course will explore linkages between family life and society, examining, for example, how families are shaped by social and economic factors, and how internal family dynamics reflect and respond to societal pressures. This course is not intended as a prescriptive "how to create successful families" (although the material may help you in this endeavor). We will explore a number of contemporary issues, such as how employment and gender ideologies shape inequality in families, changing notions of parenthood and childhood, how economic recessions affect family life, the challenges facing working parents and their children and changing expectations of marriage. We will cover historical variations in families, as well as a plurality of contemporary family forms such as lesbian and gay families, single parenthood, divorce, remarriage, and blended families. As an ongoing theme we will consider how gender, race, and economic inequality shape our experiences in families.
Readings
* Hochschild, The Second Shift: Working Parents and the Revolution at Home
* Skolnick and Skolnick, Family in Transition (ninth edition)
* Weston, Families We Choose
* Hondagneu-Sotelo, Gendered Transitions: Mexican Experiences of Immigration
* Stacey, In the Name of the Family
Recommended Readings:
* See, Good Times and Hard Luck
* Kaplan, Not Our Kind of Girl
* Rubin, Intimate Strangers
* Zavella, Women's Work and Chicano Families
* Zelizer, Pricing the Priceless Child
Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.
