2022-23 Graduate Courses
Fall
SOCY-901 - Sociological Theory
This course critically examines the main tenets of contemporary sociological theory. Key sociological concepts are studied in a variety of contexts spanning from the micro to macro levels of social action. Although heavily reliant on the main historical developments in sociology (Marx, Weber and Durkheim), emphasis is place on post Second World War II developments in sociological theory.
SOCY-902 - Sociological Methodology
This course deals with the main contemporary methodological approaches to the explanation of social phenomena. It will critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of the major strategies of social research (qualitative, quantitative and historical).
SOCY-917 - Quantitative Methodology
This course serves as an introduction to a broad range of quantitative methods typically employed in the Social Sciences in a manner suitable for students at the graduate-level. Students will learn to prepare data for analysis, carry out analyses, and interpret research results using a variety of statistical techniques. Students will be acquainted with the assumptions that are made while employing various methods, as well as the problems that arise with the use of such methods.
SOCY-936 - Disability Studies
Disability Studies explores the cultural formation of ability and disability, with an eye to removing disabling barriers for all persons. This course will serve as an advanced introduction to that discipline, with an emphasis on theoretical and qualitative sociological research. More than just a sociology of disability, this means using disability to reframe classical and contemporary theories of social life, and exploring disablement as a site of transformative change and the politics of access. Concretely, this course will explore the medical and social models of disability, their detractors, intersectional and critical theories of disability, and empirical studies of disablement. By focusing on disability and ability, the seminar should be of interest to those interested in disability, and the social and material organization of capability more generally. Some basic questions that frame the course content: What is the relationship between disability and impairment? What are the politics underpinning disability terminology? What is the role of rehabilitation in the politics of disability and ability? What is the relationship between physical and mental disability? Who gets to theorize disability? Does disability change under different modes of economic organization? Students should finish the seminar with an understanding of disability studies debates, their history, key disability studies thinkers, and points of similarity with adjacent spaces of academic inquiry, not solely within sociology.
Winter
SOCY-916 - Qualitative Methodology
This course will help students identify and use various qualitative research methods and methodologies. Starting with the fundamental question of what constitutes a research problem, we will explore qualitative research from pre-inception to post-circulation. In addition to using several research methods, students will be introduced to library services and will learn to work with qualitative research software. We will treat ethics as a central component of qualitative methods and methodologies, applying it to themes such as the roots of qualitative research, research inquiry and design, data collection, fieldwork, interviewing, data analysis, drawing conclusions, result dissemination, and community engagement. Two key tasks of the course will be to differentiate between methods and methodologies and to think about the importance of this distinction. Another core goal will be to apply social justice frameworks to qualitative research. We will achieve these outcomes by examining past and present conversations about qualitative methods and methodologies and by situating qualitative research within the boundaries of disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity.
SOCY-920 - Advanced Issues in Socio-Legal Studies
This course will examine issues and controversies in the socio-legal area. Topics will vary, but may include some or all of the following: corporate crime, victimology, crime and the elderly, feminist criminology.
SOCY-934 - Evidence-based Practice: Surveillance, Crime, and Justice
This course will provide you with an intensive overview of evidence-based practice in relation to issues of crime and justice, including their relationships to surveillance. Social policies and practices have historically been founded on tradition and expert knowledge rather than rigorous empirical evidence. However, increasingly, practitioners and the public express interest in evidence-based practice – where policies and practices are based on an accumulated body of empirical research. Social scientists are key to the evidence-based practice movement in terms of generating empirical studies, synthesizing the collective results of studies through meta-reviews and meta-analyses, and mobilizing knowledge in accessible forms to be shared with broad audiences. This course provides a thorough review of the evidence-based practice movement in general as well as overviews of the most current evidence on a series of specific criminological topics (e.g., the use of surveillance technologies for crime interventions, recidivism reduction, addressing victims’ needs). In a practical sense, this course will provide you with the ability to:
- Understand and articulate the key principles of the evidence-based practice movement.
- Critically assess the relative reliability, validity, and generalizability of empirical evidence based on described methods of data collection and analysis.
- Understand and articulate current knowledge on various specific crime, justice, and social wellness topics as presented in meta-reviews and meta-analyses.
- Practice and develop oral and written communication skills.
- Conduct a meta-review on a focused topic.
SOCY-936 - Gender, Islam and Modernity
In an increasingly polarized global cultural landscape, gender arrangements (e.g., veiling) can serve as important signifiers of Muslim otherness. The figure of the veiled Muslim woman is just one of the tropes used to construct Muslims as resistant to “modern” values (for instance in Quebec and more recently in parts of India). Meanwhile in Muslim majority contexts, like Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan, Muslims are engaged in sexual projects ranging from efforts to organize Pride to struggles to make religion more central in public life. Drawing on several recent theoretical frameworks (intersectionality theory, queer theory, feminist state theory) this course will explore the various ways that issues of gender and Islam intersect in modernity. In addition to important recent scholarly works, we will also look at films and TV shows (e.g., Ms. Marvel) as well as works by writers and artists from the Global South. Adopting a transnational focus, this course aims to not only highlight the diversity of Muslim experiences and contentions but also to consider the implications of this diversity for sociological thinking about gender, social change, and globalization.
When the graduate timetable is finalized each summer the Graduate Program Assistant will inform (by email) all continuing and new incoming students. When graduate students have determined their courses for the upcoming year, the graduate student will send an email to the Graduate Program Assistant listing his/her selections. Course selections will be entered onto the system prior to the beginning of classes. Check SOLUS at the beginning of the term to ensure courses have been added correctly. If there are any errors or omissions, please contact the Graduate Program Assistant immediately. Note that SOLUS will not always show you the date/time/location of the course. This information can be found on the graduate timetable.
The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is a comprehensive guide to graduate programs and courses. It also provides information on admissions, awards and registration, and serves as a record of the policies and procedures of the School of Graduate Studies at Queen's University.