This module focuses on the ways in which non-fiction media such as news, documentary, lifestyle journalism and popular factual television articulate and explore contemporary experiences of profound social change. It focuses especially on the changing landscape of social class, race, ethnicity and gender and asks how the media engages with these changes and presents them to its publics.
Topics include: narratives of social aspiration and social mobility, class labelling, depictions of the upper and elite classes, rhetorics of race, immigration, home and belonging.
While the public is captivated and horrified by mass shootings, there is disagreement among academics and criminal justice practitioners about how best to define mass shootings. This course begins by examining definitional issues and why these issues matter to our overall understanding of mass violence in the U.S. and abroad. During the course, we will also examine how news media has influenced the public’s understanding of mass shootings and their causes in the U.S., contributed to many widespread myths about mass shootings, and possibly contributed to the phenomenon of “fame-seeking” mass shooters. In this class, we will also focus on typologies of mass murderers, work toward an understanding of correlates of mass shootings, and take a special look at the topic of school shootings. As we conclude the term, we will look at evidence and debates about prevention strategies including threat assessments, firearms legislation, and zero-tolerance policies.
PREREQUISITES: None
This course covers how horror is constructed, how we respond to it, and how it shapes our experiences of daily social life. Involving more than just feeling afraid, horror is an opportunity to learn more about who we are through investigating the feelings of revulsion and repulsion it generates. Throughout the course, we will draw on sociological and cultural theory to reflect on how horror emerges as the “collective nightmares” of a given culture and unpack its social, cultural, and political dimensions. We will explore how horror functions and changes across various mediums (fiction, graphic novels, film, video games, podcasts, etc.) and throughout different parts of the world. We will also draw on feminist and queer theory to examine horror and its role in (re)producing social differences and inequality. Students enrolling in the course should be aware that given the focus on horror, the content we will cover may be upsetting, offensive, grotesque, or challenging. However, the goal of the course is to use a sociological perspective and develop a critical gaze to explore horror as a mirror that reflects back to us our fears, anxieties, and tensions at any given moment.
PREREQUISITES: None
The Wire is arguably the greatest television program ever made. Written by David Simon, a former Baltimore Sun journalist, and Ed Burns, a former Baltimore homicide detective turned public-school teacher, The Wire is a literary television series which unflatteringly eulogizes the city of Baltimore, Maryland and its sprawling web of bureaucracy that mystifies, demonizes, and ultimately ensnares its most vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens. An extremely diverse group of sociologists and philosophers including the likes of Sudhir Venkatesh, Frederic Jameson, and Slavoj Zizek, have treated The Wire to a range of academic interpretations. Former President Barack Obama’s favorite TV show is The Wire; his favorite character is the magnanimous robber of drug dealers Omar Little. The Sociology of The Wire will focus on four key sociological themes that are prominently represented in the show including deindustrialization and the decline of the labor movement, urbanization and the postindustrial city, the failed policies of the War on Drugs and their impact on policing and low income and minority communities, and racial and economic disparities in the educational system. We will analyze these themes in the relevant sociological literature while simultaneously examining how they are unflinchingly captured in The Wire. Alongside the academic literature on these topics, we will also read excerpts from Homicide and The Corner, two books written by David Simon and Ed Burns that inspired the show.
PREREQUISITES: None
Though food diversifies throughout the world according to local cultural backgrounds, there is a common ground in the universal approach to food: it is a part of everyday life and sharing food is still one of the greatest examples of humans acting as social creatures. Italy represents a unique case for now food is both celebrated and is involved in cultural celebrations that are still fundamental in Italian society. This course will provide students with a full immersion in the relationship between food and the local community in Italy, focusing on the many moments that represent conviviality in Italian culture and society. Coursework includes a wide variety of field learning activities through which students will be introduced to local and traditional crafts, food markets, typical street food vendors, local purchasing groups, community-supported agriculture, and countryside food festivals as fundamental milestones in the Italian gastro-social tradition. Through hands-on experiences and on-site activities students, will learn the fundamentals of community-geared food production and will acquire a deeper understanding of food as an essential element of society. This class includes experiential learning with CEMI.
This class includes food labs, food tours, and one aperitivo project per session. Uniform required for food labs, rental available upon arrival.
This course discusses the origins and development of the Mafia in the context of Italian politics, economics, and society from the nineteenth century to the present day. It analyzes the nature of Mafia activities and their international relevance. Special focus will be given to judicial procedures against the Mafia and the experiences of key individuals and groups contrasting their illegal activities.
Analysis of how following personal lives of media-created celebrities impacts self-esteem, connectedness, and personal relationships from cultural studies and social sciences perspectives, and how entities cultivate celebrity for financial gain. Topics include celebrity gossip and privacy, news sharing, public relations, and impact of social media on fan support, image construction, and damage control.
Comparative survey of basic concepts and theories in sociology from 1850 to 1920.
Survey of urban history and evolution in U.S., urban social theory, current growth trends, system of cities, urban economy and economic restructuring, traditional and alternative location theories, urban transportation, and residential location and segregation.
Introduction to methods used in contemporary sociological research, with focus on issues of research design, data collection, and analysis of data.
Examination of key issues (work, housing, and neighborhoods) in urban poverty, with particular focus on Mexican and Central American immigrant populations in Los Angeles. Exploration of major theoretical models that explain urban poverty and application of them in comparative context while exploring differences between Mexican and Central American immigrants. Social conditions and forces that help us understand lives of poor people in comparative context while looking at differences between two major Latino-origin populations in Los Angeles. Critical analysis of new forms of urban poverty in contemporary American society.
Theoretical and empirical overview of Chicana/Chicano educational issues in U.S., with special emphasis on disentangling effects of race, gender, class, and immigrant status on Chicana/Chicano educational attainment and achievement. Examination of how historical, social, political, and economic forces impact Chicana/Chicano educational experience.
Genealogy of autism as diagnostic category and cultural phenomenon from its historical roots as new, rare, and obscure condition in early 1940s to its current contested status as minority identity and/or global epidemic. Examination of material sourced from various fields and disciplines invested in autism, including psychology, neuroscience, arts and humanities, popular media, anthropology, activism, and critical autism studies. Students encounter and analyze multiple perspectives on autism and put them in conversation with one another. Attention paid to way people on spectrum define, explain, and represent their own experiences of autism and discussion of what ramifications of these multiple framings are in context of autism intervention strategy and disability policy today.
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Contributions of sociology to study of politics, including analysis of political aspects of social systems, social context of action, and social bases of power. P/NP or letter grading.
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Role of race and ethnicity in the U.S., including interplay between racial and ethnic structures and meanings. Special attention to comparison of African American and European American experiences and to transformation of Asian American and Latino communities and the nation generally, wrought by renewal of mass migration in second half of the 20th century. P/NP or letter grading.
Sociologists suggest that the origins and causes of social problems lie outside of individuals, even though the effects of such problems influence the behavior of individuals. This course examines a variety of contemporary social problems, such as health and health care, addictions, poverty, unemployment, crime, violence, family issues, racism and ageism. After examining social issues, their causes and consequences, we will discuss possible interventions that could alleviate each problem.
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the sociological and analytic study of religion, identity, conflict and violence within a local, national and global context. It will examine issues such as nationalism, colonialism, international affairs and the role of those charged with reporting such conflicts. Extensive attention will be paid to the representation of religious conflict in the arts, such as literature and films, alongside a detailed examination in of the violent groups that have arisen as an apparent reaction to religious fundamentalism as a rising narrative of a new cultural war.
Excursion(s): Students will attend a guided visit to Stirling Castle.
This course will provide a general overview of Japanese society and culture in the postwar period. This course will introduce students to the historical background and modern social implications of contemporary Japanese culture. We will explore a wide range of artistic mediums including music, art, manga, animation, fashion, advertising, and film. Topics will include hikikomori (shut-ins that refuse to leave the home for work or school), chronic over-work including karoshi (death from overworking), declining population and the population bomb, and extreme population density in cities. In addition, the concepts of kaizen (continuous improvement), and wa (social harmony) will be introduced and analysed.
The focus of this course is to give an expansive outline of gender, sexuality and society with a specific spotlight on contemporary Japanese society. Class content exposes material from sociologists, historians, journalists, and literary scholars to analyse how gender and sexuality have been socially developed and experienced in post war Japan.
What makes people healthy or unhealthy? The health of individuals is not only shaped by lifestyle choices or medical treatments, but also, to a large extent, by social conditions. This course offers an introduction to the social determinants of health and the social advantages and disadvantages that people experience based on their social position and social circumstances and how these influence their health and wellbeing. This course is designed to provide participants with an introduction to and appreciation of theoretical perspectives and empirical research on the social determinants of health.
This intensive interprofessional course provides participants with opportunities to develop and strengthen their understanding of the social determinants of health using local, regional, national and global perspectives. Participants critically examine social inequities, root causes and subsequent health consequences in diverse populations, particularly indigenous and/or marginalised populations.
The course is jointly administered by the VIU Faculty of International Education and the VIU Faculty of Health and Human Services. Students will be provided with a total of 42 hours of public health instruction, 4 hours of intercultural studies workshops, and a number of related field trips. Half-day trips include visits to the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH), the Tillicum Lelum Friendship Centre (indigenous health), and Kiwanis Village (assisted living for older people).
Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a certificate of completion, and will be awarded 3 CAD credits by VIU.
Prerequisite: Second year standing in an undergraduate degree program
