This course examines the impact of classical sociological theory on modern day sociological projects and, by extension, its impact on other social science and humanistically-oriented disciplines, such as anthropology and religious studies. We will begin the course by examining why classical theory is considered "classical" and read the works of some of those who offer critique of classical sociological theory. The choice of which classical theorists to read and even which theorists are considered classical is somewhat arbitrary, although we will focus on the three main theorists: Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, the names that would immediately jump to mind for most sociologists if asked "who are the classical sociological theorists?" Furthermore, as we shall see in the writing of R.W. Connell, there are those who are opposed to the very idea of a set classical theory.

Different from some graduate courses in sociological theory, the emphasis in this course will be on figuring out how classical theory shaped and currently permeates the discipline of sociology (and other disciplines) as well as how classical theory might be utilized in your own research and thinking about the social sciences. To this end, we will spend extensive time reading the works of the classical theorists, but also spend extensive time reading more current work from top sociological journals (American Journal of Sociology, Sociological Theory, Sociology of Religion, etc.) that utilize or challenge the works of these theorists.

The public appears to have a love/hate relationship with science. On the one hand, we reap the benefits of scientific findings on a daily basis. On the other hand, scientists often struggle to get the general public to accept their ideas. They face charges that science is not relevant enough to daily concerns and that some scientific advances raise troubling ethical issues.

There is controversy over public funding for science and how much authority science should have over other ways of knowing, such as religion. Scientists are under pressure to please corporate and political interests and face charges that the scientific workforce (and university science, in particular) does not represent the general public in terms of gender or racial demographics. And general science knowledge among the U.S. public is lower than in most other industrialized nations.

This course explores all of these issues and more, and asks: What happens when science enters the public sphere and the public sphere enters science?

This course compares the wave of European immigration to the United States (and other countries) in the early 20th century with more recent waves of immigration from Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The topics discussed are related to the transnational identities of immigrants, ethnic discrimination, and the impact of immigrants on civic and religious institutions.

The main emphasis is on migration to the United States, but where possible, material is introduced to draw comparisons with migration to other nations. We examine both how immigration influences the fabric of the host society, as well as how the migration process has an impact on immigrants and their children.

This course encourages participants to evaluate their own experiences with immigration and immigrants and to engage in class dialogue as we examine how the flow of people between nations has restructured—and is continuing to restructure—American and global life. A central part of the course is a semester-long research project.