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Sociology
Faculty
* Year of initial appointment at Binghamton.
Arrighi, Giovanni, Professor and Co-Director of Graduate Studies, Dottore
in Economia, 1960, Universita Bocconi-Milan: Urban-industrial, development,
political economy, world-system. (1978)*
Bach, Robert L., Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Research
on Multiculturalism and International Labor, PhD, 1978, Duke University:
Methods, urban communities, ethnic relations, migration. (1977)
Casparis, John, Associate Professor, PhD, 1965, Brown University: Urban-industrial,
demography, deviance. (1966)
Diaz-Ramos, Juanita, Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies,
PhD, 1990, Columbia University: Women's studies, Latin American and Caribbean
studies, social problems in U.S. (1990)
Dubofsky, Melvyn, Professor (joint with history), PhD, 1960, University
of Rochester: Social and labor history. (1971)
Flint, John T., Professor, PhD, 1957, University of Wisconsin: Social theory,
the arts, religion. (1966)
Geschwender, James A., Professor and Chair, PhD, 1962, Michigan State University:
Urban-industrial, class analysis, race and ethnicity, gender and work. (1970)
Hopkins, Terence K., Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1959, Columbia University:
Methods, world-system, political economy, theories. (1970)
Keyder, Caglar, Professor, PhD, 1977, University of California at Berkeley:
Development, political economy, Ottoman Empire, world-system. (1979)
Kraft, Philip N., Associate Professor and Co-Director of Graduate Studies,
PhD, 1971, Washington University, St. Louis: Urban-industrial, labor process,
occupations, gender and work. (1970)
Murray, Martin J., Professor, PhD, 1974, University of Texas at Austin:
Urban-industrial, methods, South Africa and Vietnam, labor, class analysis,
theories. (1975)
Petras, James F., Professor, PhD, 1967, University of California at Berkeley:
Development, Latin America, the Caribbean, revolutionary movements, class
analysis. (1972)
Santiago-Valles, Kelvin, A. Associate Professor, PhD, 1980, Union Graduate
School: Cultural studies, post-coloniality, gender, critical race theories,
historical political economy. (1984)
Selden, Mark, Professor, PhD, 1967, Yale University: Political economy,
revolutionary change, East Asia, socialist development. (1979)
Tomich, Dale W., Associate Professor, PhD, 1976, University of Wisconsin:
World-system, political economy, Caribbean, theories, social movements.
(1976)
Trow, Donald, Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1955, University of Michigan: Social
psychology, human services.
Wallerstein, Immanuel, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Fernand
Braudel Center, PhD, 1959, Columbia University: World-system, Africa, development,
socialist development. (1976)
Adjunct Faculty
Coquery-Vidrovitch, Catherine, Adjunct Professor, PhD, 1970, University
of Paris, Sorbonne: Peasantries, Africa. (1981)
Davin, Anna, Adjunct Lecturer, PhD, 1991, University of London: Women, social
change, class analysis. (1980)
Muto, Ichiyo, Adjunct Professor, 1954, University of Tokyo: Development,
political economy, East Asia, social movements. (1982)
Quijano, Anibal, Adjunct Professor, PhD, 1965, University of San Marcos:
Latin American studies. (1986)
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Undergraduate
Programs
The sociology curriculum broadens and deepens the understanding of social
organization and social change, and provides a background in the perspectives
and methods useful in examining the factual basis of assertions about the
social world. Sociology courses provide knowledge useful in making more
encompassing and better integrated sense out of the social world around
us and out of immediately experienced social relations. Such knowledge is
applicable as background understanding in social action or in professions
such as law, politics, social planning, and social service-professions that
must take into account social structure and social relations.
The curriculum emphasizes two broad areas: the development of world social
relations and the development of the United States social relations. Both
stress broad social change processes.
Sociology combines readily with racial, ethnic, area, and women's studies,
as well as other interdisciplinary social sciences.
Course Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to courses numbered 200 and above, except that
permission of the instructor is required for courses numbered 395, 491,
498, and 499.
Sociology Major
The department requires 10 sociology courses for the major, including:
1. One introductory-level course (SOC 111 to SOC 116). Sociology majors
may take more than one introductory-level course for credit; however, only
one will count toward fulfilling the requirements for the major.
2. One course in sociological methods, SOC 304, 305, 306, 363, or other
courses which may be offered by the department or the University and designated
as fulfilling the requirement.
3. Eight other sociology courses, of which a minimum of six must be numbered
300 or above. Graduate courses may be taken (with permission of instructor)
and count toward 300-level (and above) requirements. [Methods courses are
included as part of the six 300-level requirements.]
4. A maximum of one course selected from SOC 395, 397, and 498 may be counted
toward the major as part of the 10 sociology courses. Only one sociology
course counting for the major (or minor) may be taken pass/fail.
5. Honors program: see SOC 499.
Students are encouraged to consult with an advisor about courses outside
the department that may be substituted for the above requirements.
Honors Program
To earn honors in sociology, a student majoring in sociology must earn a
grade point average of 3.5 or above in major courses and 3.3 or above overall
and must successfully complete the Honors Seminar (SOC 499), that is, submit
a research paper that is judged to be of honors quality. SOC 499 (or its
functional equivalent) constitutes an "11th course," that is,
a course in addition to the 10-course requirement to fulfill the sociology
major.
Research for the honors paper may be initiated in SOC 499 (offered each
fall semester) or in another sociology course. This Honors Senior Seminar
(open to all students with permission of instructor) will be organized around
broad topics of general sociological interest.
To earn high honors, a sociology major must earn a GPA of 3.7 or above in
the major and a 3.5 overall and meet the other conditions described above
for honors.
Consult the director of undergraduate studies for more information.
Sociology Minor
Six courses (24 credits) are required: one sociology methods course (SOC
304, 305, 306, or 363); three sociology courses numbered 300 or above; and
two other sociology courses.
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Course Offerings/
Undergraduate
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all undergraduate courses carry 4 credits
and are offered every year.
SOC 111. SOCIAL CHANGE: THE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Analyzes various perspectives regarding long-term historical change, including
the world system, dependency, and modernization approaches. Focuses on socio-economic
forces that have shaped the modern world. Attention on long-term process
of change (including urban and rural transformations in historical perspective),
secular trends and cyclical rhythms in the world economy, along with the
socio-cultural manifestations of global transformation.
SOC 112. SOCIAL CHANGE: SOCIOLOGICAL FRAMEWORKS
Investigates key theoretical problem areas in the social sciences, including:
the relationship between structure and agency, world inequality (development
and underdevelopment), power and the state, ideology and consciousness,
and social organizations and social movements. Focuses principally upon
conceptual themes and perspectives, with special attention devoted to social
theories and leading theorists, including rigorous discussions of main ideas
and concepts defining the social sciences.
SOC. 113. SOCIAL CHANGE: GENDER RELATIONS AND SOCIAL LIFE
Investigates various approaches to studying gender relations, including
social roles versus social construction, nature versus nurture, and labelling
perspectives. Emphasizes family and kinship relations from an historical
perspective, construction of social identities, women and men, and masculinity
and femininity in the context of the life cycle.
SOC 114. SOCIAL CHANGE: ENTERPRISES, MARKETS, AND WORK
Analyzes the origins and development of the modern corporation and the relationship
between corporate structures, markets, and work. Emphasizes the evolution
of the modern business enterprise, corporate strategies and structures,
the changing nature of work, shifting occupational structures, wealth and
power, and income inequality.
SOC 115. SOCIAL CHANGE: RACE AND CLASS
Explores the complex interplay between race and class. Focuses on issues
of race (including the way it has been defined), ethnicity, class structures
and class stratification, and communities.
SOC 116. SOCIAL CHANGE: INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIAL LIFE
Explores the social institutions such as schools, hospitals, prisons, and
families that hold social life together. Focuses on how people are socialized,
trained, punished, rewarded, and otherwise molded as social beings.
SOC 180-189. SPECIAL TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY
Intensive study of particular topic to be announced in advance. May be repeated
for credit if different topic offered.
SOC 221 (also AFST 222). RACIAL STRATIFICATION IN THE U.S.
Primary emphasis on black Americans. Theories of racial stratification (viz:
assimilation, white racism or prejudice, internal colony, social class);
comparison of these theories with historical experiences of black Americans.
Attempts at black political organization and movements.
SOC 225. SOCIOLOGY OF WORK AND OCCUPATIONS
Meaning of work in western industrial societies; emphasis on contemporary
U.S. Impact of technological and cultural change on occupational structure
and work force. Recent changes in nature of both blue-collar and white-collar
work; changes in participation by racial and ethnic minorities and by women;
relationship between American work force and those of developing countries.
SOC 226 (also AFST 226). SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Structural conditions that stimulate rise of social movements; social psychological
factors that motivate individuals to support, ignore, or resist social movements;
conditions that affect "career" and probability of success or
failure of any particular movement. Social movements of present (women's
movement, black revolt), recent past (civil rights movement, students' movement),
or distant past (Utopian movements).
SOC 240. WOMEN OF COLOR IN THE U.S.
Examination of the diverse struggles (political, economic, social, legal,
etc.) of Asian, Native American, African American, and Latina/Chicana women
in the U.S. and the ways in which public institutions and agencies (federal,
state, local) deal with women of color.
SOC 243 (also AFST 243). WORKERS AND WORKERS' MOVEMENTS
Life experiences and consciousness of workers in Africa, North America,
Asia, and Western Europe. Conditions under which workers' movements develop
overtly political orientation.
SOC 251. DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
Theories of deviant behavior, illustrations from studies of delinquency,
mental illness, alcohol and other drug use, etc. Implications of control
policies such as hospitalization, imprisonment, therapy.
SOC 252. SOCIAL CHANGE IN PUERTO RICO
Development of capitalism in Puerto Rico since 1898. Interrelationship of
economic, political, and class structures. Process of industrialization,
changes in form of local state after 1945.
SOC 254 (also WOMN 254). FAMILY AND KINSHIP
Perspectives on family structure and functioning; consequences of social
class and other variables on stability and effectiveness of family; effects
of family on personality.
SOC 256. SEX ROLES IN MODERN SOCIETY
Origins of contemporary sex roles and gender relations. Biological, social,
and cultural bases of sex role differences and sexual identities; social
structural and cross-cultural variations in contemporary sex-role development
and sexual identities; emergence of alternative lifestyles. Critical examination
of social-analytic perspectives on gender and sexuality.
SOC 257 (also AFST 257). THE BLACK FAMILY
Examination of evolution of black family in the U.S. from its African roots
to contemporary composition in urban America. Emphasis on close relationship
black family has with different economic patterns and conditions. African
roots of black family, male-female roles, socialization and the black child,
single parent households, public policy and the black family. Recent developments
in literature of black family.
SOC 260. SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN THE U.S.
Various theoretical perspectives for analyzing the nature of contemporary
social conflicts and problems in the U.S. Issues raised may include social
inequalities of various kinds, poverty, unemployment and the working poor,
gender and race discrimination, and crime and social justice.
SOC 263. FROM POOR LAW TO WELFARE STATE
Social services in the United States from the colonial era to the present.
Issues of child welfare, public health, schooling, social work as a profession.
Comparisons with welfare systems of other nations.
SOC 270 (also WOMN 270). GROWING UP FEMALE IN 19TH-CENTURY ENGLAND
Childhood and adolescence in 19th-century England in relation to work, family,
education, and sex roles of period. Changes in nature of childhood and family
life with special regard to experiences of work and working-class girls
and women. Variety of research materials used.
SOC 274. SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Critical evaluation of the sociohistorical processes resulting in various
types of stratification and inequality in contemporary social settings.
Relationship among class, status, and power. Class consciousness and conflict;
critical understanding of various perspectives explaining social inequality.
Focus on the basic question "who gets what and why." Consideration
of classical views on social class, and American stratification theory.
Examination of class inequality, gender inequality, race inequality, and
various barriers to social mobility.
SOC 275. LABOR AND SOCIETY IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN
Critical examination of the myth that the labor-management relationship
in Japan is intrinsically harmonious due to cultural traditions embedded
in Japanese society. Analysis of history of Japanese labor and labor movement;
real conditions of Japanese workers in current rapid reorganization of work
force.
SOC 276 (also HIST 257). THE AMERICAN WORKING CLASSES SINCE 1877
American working classes in industrial era: ethnic, racial, occupational
characteristics, changing quality of life, evolution of organized labor
movement, labor's various forms of political action. Working class culture:
religion, family structure, recreation.
SOC 277. WEALTH, POWER, POVERTY IN U.S.
Focuses on how the concentration of wealth in the U.S. affects state and
social policies, living standards, the mass media and political military
and ideological power. Investigation of the historical foundations for structural
inequalities in contemporary U.S.; examination of sources of political,
economic, and social power.
SOC 280-289. SPECIAL TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY
Intensive study of particular topics to be announced in advance. May be
repeated for credit. Prerequisites: consent of instructor.
SOC 300. THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1945
General survey of major economic, social, political changes in U.S. in post-World
War II era: U.S. in world economy, class transformation, social and cultural
transformation; rise and decline of U.S. hegemony; outcomes for social life
of such movements as feminism and environmentalism, the "new"
immigration, the shift to a service economy, consumerism. Particular topical
focus varies.
SOC 304. SOCIAL MEASUREMENT IN THE U.S.
Monitoring social conditions as integral to U.S political economy. Networks
through which information is collected and processed to produce measures
of such conditions as inflation, crime, unemployment, public opinion, population
shifts, integration/segregation, abortion, income inequalities. Introduction
to social measurement by study of major agencies, their methods of collecting
information.
SOC 305. PROBLEMS OF METHOD
Examination of a range of research strategies and procedures for studying
social relations, ranging from the digging out of subtleties of interpersonal
relations to the portrayal of features of historical eras and of large-scale
social change. Discussion of examples of each of several types of social
research and of general methodological issues.
SOC 306. INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL RESEARCH
Problems and processes of social research, from formulation of research
questions to preparation of reports: hypotheses, measurement, sampling,
data reduction and interpretation, effective presentation. Community research
project if feasible.
SOC 310. DEVELOPMENT AND ECOLOGY
Focuses on the interaction between socio-economic institutions and class
interests and their impact on the environment. Examines the role of multinational
corporations. State development policies and grassroots movements in a variety
of ecological settings. Case studies focus on agricultural and industrial
policies and their impact on food, health, and natural resources.
SOC 311 (also AFST 311). AFRICAN WORLD SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE
Understanding the process of change in African sub-Saharan societies, mentalities,
economies, and culture. Examined are: natural environment and major historical
turning-points; sociological heritage of so-called traditional societies;
impact of Islam as a long-distance relationship with worlds of Mediterranean
and Indian Ocean; organization of a western world economy based on Atlantic
trade in slaves, in raw materials; colonial imperialism; 20th century unrest,
reactions, problems.
SOC 313 (also AFST 313). SLAVERY, RACE, AND CULTURE
Cross-cultural and socio-historical analyses of slavery and slave systems,
including redefinition of social groups within the world economy. Draws
on materials from United States and elsewhere where slavery took root and
developed. Different experiences of slavery, impact on populations of African
origin, response of these populations to slavery. Methodological and theoretical
problems entailed in analyzing slavery.
SOC 321. RACE AND CULTURAL RELATIONS IN THE WORLD
Historical origins of "race" and "racism;" the growth
and development of racial, ethnic, and national identities. Cultural expressions
of "race" and "ethnicity." Topics selected may vary.
SOC 324. WOMEN'S WORK
Social and historical processes through which work is organized and allocated
on basis of gender; relationship of these processes to changes in world
economy. Growth in women's poverty and struggles of women in both paid and
unpaid labor force.
SOC 328. COMPARATIVE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Origins and development strategies of regimes in various zones or regions
of the world. Social composition of regimes; changes in social base that
accompany shifts in development policies. Consideration of costs/benefits
that accrue to different classes.
SOC 330. LATIN AMERICAN WOMEN AND THEIR COMMUNITIES
Examination of the political, social, and economic role of women in their
communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Emphasis placed on post-World
War II developments.
SOC 340. WOMEN AND THE U.S. CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Focuses on the interrelationship between gender, race/ethnicity, class,
and sexual orientation, and on how these influence the crimes for which
women are arrested and institutionalized. Examines the punishment women
receive and the conditions they face once imprisoned.
SOC 359. URBAN SOCIOLOGY
Historical sociology of urbanization. Growth and ecological patterning of
urban areas metropolitan regions. Topics include the origins and causes
of urban expansion and decline; patterns of residential segregation; the
formation of urban communities; and the processes of suburbanization and
peri-urbanism. The geographical focus is primarily, but not exclusively,
the United States.
SOC 360. RELIGION, SELF, AND SOCIETY
Comparative analysis of several religious systems; social matrix in which
religious beliefs and practices develop.
SOC 361. POPULATION
Determinants and consequences of population processes and trends. Relevance
to such social problems as poverty, environmental deterioration, and health
problems.
SOC 362. THE BARRIO AND THE GHETTO: PUERTO RICAN EMIGRATION
Critique of sociological literature dealing with Puerto Rican emigration.
Historical experience and evolution of this migration to United States.
Selected social problems of Puerto Rican community in United States.
SOC 364. SOCIOLOGY OF MUSIC, LITERATURE, AND VISUAL ARTS
Social influences on art, music, literature. Attempted explanations of historical
transitions in artistic style. Changing cultural meanings expressed through
art, music, and literature.
SOC 368. POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY
Impact of social structure and social psychological factors on political
attitudes and behavior of significant groups and strata. Structure of such
groups; social characteristics of leaders and members, analyzed in light
of sociological theory. Elites, intellectuals, students, women, ethnic,
and religious groups.
SOC 371. THEORIES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
How social theorists analyze large-scale social change, conceptions of origins,
structure, development of modern social systems, classes and social groups,
the state and bureaucracy, problems of rationalization and technology, problems
of theory and method. Special topics may include: the "Rise of the
West"; and the origins and transformations of colonialism, neocolonialism,
racism, and women's oppression.
SOC 374 (also HIST 374). CHINA IN THE 20TH CENTURY
Revolutionary change, imperialism, class formation, capitalist and socialist
development, U.S.-China relations, China's place in the world.
SOC 375. SOCIOLOGY OF ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS
Social and demographic organization of economic institutions, including
changes related to economic development. Meaning and value of work in different
societies. The politics of economic institutions; technology and skills;
business enterprises and cooperative ventures; corporate strategies and
resistance.
SOC 376. THE VIETNAM WAR AND SOCIAL PROTEST
The Vietnam War created great divisions in the United States. This course
traces how a succession of presidents committed the U.S. to an increasingly
controversial military venture in Asia, focusing on key events such as the
1954 Geneva Conference, the 1963 overthrow of the Diem regime in South Vietnam,
the decision to send U.S. Marines in 1965, the 1968 Tet Offensive, the invasions
of Laos and Cambodia, the Kent State and Jackson State tragedies, and anti-war
protests at home. Open to juniors and seniors.
SOC 380-389. SPECIAL TOPICS
SOC 395. INTERNSHIP
Meets special needs and interests of students doing independent research
or community projects. Written analytical term report of project work required.
May be repeated only as elective. Prerequisite: prior arrangement with and
consent of chosen instructor.
SOC 397. INDEPENDENT STUDY variable credit
Tutorial or seminar study of special problems which meets needs of advanced
students. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
S0C 420. SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES
Selected writings of classical and modern social theorists. Nature of theorizing
in contemporary sociology; survey of current debates in sociological theory.
Topics may include a critical assessment of positivist, functionalist, Marxist,
structural-functionalist, feminist, critical theory, and post-modernist
approaches to sociological analysis.
SOC 480-489. SPECIAL TOPICS
SOC 491. TEACHING PRACTICUM
Independent study through teaching in particular sociology course. Course
instructor directs students in preparation of syllabi, other course materials,
devising and reading examinations; lecturing and/or leading discussion;
academic counseling, May be repeated for total of no more than eight credits.
Credit may not be earned in conjunction with course in which student Is
currently enrolled. Does not satisfy major or all-college requirements.
Prerequisites: consent of instructor and department. P/F only. Students
must consult department for detailed guidelines.
SOC 498. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
SOC 499. HONORS/SENIOR SEMINAR
Student or student-faculty initiated research project. Prerequisites: sociology
course(s) in topic of research and consent of instructor. Paper written
for this course may be submitted for consideration for honors, on advice
of instructor.
Note: Limited number of advanced undergraduates may be admitted to graduate
seminars with consent of instructor. See graduate program information.
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Graduate Programs
The graduate program in sociology is made up of two concentrations, each
with its own intellectual focus, admissions standards, and program of studies.
Information about both concentrations may be obtained from the graduate
secretary in the Department of Sociology.
Concentration in World Historical Social Change
The concentration in world historical social change focuses on the study
of long term, large scale historical change and offers promising young scholars
studying for the PhD the opportunity to develop the intellectual breadth
and analytical skills needed to further the disciplined study of past and
ongoing processes of social change. It operates through flexible working
relationships between and among students and faculty rather than through
fixed and uniform procedures. Students are expected to organize in consultation
with faculty their own individual programs of study and research, and their
own conceptions of the scholarly areas in which they demonstrate their competence.
Well­p;prepared students spending full time on their graduate studies
and research (including summers) should be able to complete the doctoral
program in five years-three to four years if entering with advanced standing.
ADMISSION
An applicant should ordinarily have a superior academic record, a scholarly
interest in working toward the PhD, germane training in languages and/or
mathematics (or logic or statistics), and/or a strong background in the
social sciences (history, anthropology, sociology, economics, etc.).
We consider the ability to write well important and specifically request
all applicants to submit, 1) papers they consider indicative of their scholarly
promise and, 2) a carefully framed, full statement on their general scholarly
concerns, the particular problems of inquiry that interest them, why they
wish to pursue their doctoral studies at Binghamton, their study plans if
admitted, and their general career plans.
The Graduate School requires all applicants to submit their scores in the
Graduate Record Examination's three general tests (verbal, quantitative,
and analytical). No advanced test score is necessary.
In deciding on admission, and on funding, the Department of Sociology pays
primary attention to an applicant's scholarly promise, as indicated by submitted
written work, statement of scholarly concerns and plans, and past academic
record as reflected in transcripts and letters of recommendation. No one
of these is more important than any other, and a weak showing on one is
usually discounted if the others indicate strong scholarly promise.
Admission is normally to the program of first­p;year studies, with admission
to the program of advanced studies contingent on performance in the first­p;year
program. Admission to doctoral research requires the demonstration of substantial
scholarly competence in the course of completing at least 36 credit hours
(two years) of advanced study (24 credit hours for students with a departmental
master's degree).
PROGRAM EMPHASES AND STAGES
The concentration offers course work, supervised independent study, and
research guidance at the level of first­p;year studies, advanced studies,
and doctoral research. Instruction is given in world­p;system studies
and development studies, as well as in theories and methods and in selected
special subjects. Individual programs of study generally include introductory
and advanced seminars offered by the concentration, course work in other
departments or schools, and independent study. All students are required
to take two of the four core courses offered by the concentration in American
and comparative studies.
FIRST YEAR STUDIES
Each student's program is worked out in consultation with one or more faculty
advisors in the light of the student's preparation and interests. Ordinarily
a first­p;year program includes the introductory courses in the modern
world­p;system, development studies, theoretical studies, and aspects
of method in world­p;historical inquiry. Students whose preparation or
particular interests warrant a different program of course work, one including
advanced colloquia, independent study, and/or courses in other departments
or schools, may usually arrange it in consultation with faculty advisors.
ADVANCED STUDIES
In advanced studies, students concentrate their work in two or more fields
of historical social science, with a view to demonstrating a high level
of competence in each, and in developing a dissertation­p;research project
on a subject of substantial interest. Each student's actual program of studies
is jointly worked out by the student and a study committee chosen by the
student. The program usually combines colloquia, independent reading, the
continuing doctoral­p;research seminar, and supervised participation
in research and in teaching. Advanced students usually have opportunities
to take part in research in the Fernand Braudel Center for the Study of
Economies, Historical Systems, and Civilizations (Immanuel Wallerstein,
director).
The range of admissible areas of inquiry for the purpose of demonstrating
competence is in principle fairly broad; the scope and content of the areas,
so far as demonstrations of competence are concerned, are jointly defined
in each case by the student and the faculty members of the study committee.
At the start of work in advanced studies, a student's study committee may
have as few as one faculty member, with others being added as the student's
work progresses and interests and abilities become clearer. When fully constituted,
however, it should have no less than four members, at least two of whom
should be members of the concentration in world historical social change.
A study committee's role combines guiding the student in advanced studies,
evaluating the work as it progresses, and assessing when a requisite level
of competence in each field has been demonstrated. Each member of a student's
study committee should thus have special competence in at least one of the
student's fields.
MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE
Degree requirements include 32 graduate credits in sociology or in approved
courses in other departments or schools of the University.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE
Course Requirements
Thirty-six graduate credits beyond the MA or its equivalent (24 for those
students with departmentally earned master's degrees) in sociology or in
approved courses of instruction in other departments or schools of the University.
Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination in the concentration consists of the completion
of demonstration of competence in two fields at the doctoral level. Doctoral-level
competence in an area consists of a broad working familiarity with the principal
perspectives, theories, research practices, and matters of generally established
fact commonly encountered in the area (as that has been defined ahead of
time for this purpose, jointly by the student and the study committee);
plus a mastery of the issues and problems associated with jointly agreed-on
selected topics within the area. Competence may be demonstrated through
an examination given by the student's study committee, or through papers
submitted to the committee in accordance with prior arrangements, or through
some jointly agreed-on combination of these.
A student may complete a demonstration of competence in an area at any time
after admission to the advanced studies program. Demonstration of competence
in the two areas should normally be completed, and the comprehensive examination
thus passed, by the end of the third year of residence.
Admission to Candidacy
On passing this comprehensive examination, the student is admitted to the
doctoral­p;research level and at this time formally becomes a candidate
for the PhD from the University.
On completing the demonstrations of competence in fields, the student chooses
a dissertation committee, which by Graduate School regulations must have
three or more members and whose chair or one co­p;chair (chosen by the
student) should be a member of the department's concentration in world historical
social change.
Within six months of the student's admission to candidacy, the director
of graduate study should receive a copy of the student's dissertation-research
proposal approved by the members of the dissertation committee. The filing
of the proposal confirms candidacy, and failure to file a proposal in the
allotted time jeopardizes the status.
Granting the Degree
The department acting through the co-director of graduate studies for the
World­p;historical social change concentration recommends that the University
grant the PhD in sociology to a candidate for the degree when the student
has fulfilled the University residence and doctoral­p;research requirements;
passed an oral examination ("the defense") administered by the
University on the topic of the dissertation; and deposited with the University
a copy of the (revised) dissertation approved by a majority of the examining
committee.
Concentration Faculty
Concentration Faculty, 1996-97
Giovanni Arrighi, Professor, Dottore in Economia, Bocconi (Milan), Co-Director
of Graduate Studies for the Concentration in World Historical Social Change
Coquery-Vidrovitch, Catherine, Adjunct Professor, Doctorat d'Etat, Paris
Davin, Anna, Adjunct Professor, PhD, History, London
Diaz, Juanita, Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies,
PhD, Political Science, Columbia
Dubofsky, Melvyn, Professor (joint with history), PhD, History, Rochester
Flint, John, Professor, PhD, Sociology, Wisconsin
Grosfoguel, Ramon, Assistant Professor, PhD, Sociology, Temple
Hopkins, Terence K., Professor Emeritus, PhD, Sociology, Columbia
Keyder, Caglar, Professor, PhD, Economics, California (Berkeley)
King, Anthony, Professor (joint with art history), PhD, Social Sciences,
Brunel (London)
Muto, Ichiyo, Adjunct Professor, Tokyo
Quijano, Anibal, Adjunct Professor, Doctor, Sociology, San Marcos (Lima,
Peru)
Santiago, Kelvin, Associate Professor, PhD, Sociology, Union for Experimenting
Colleges and Universities (Cincinnati)
Selden, Mark, Professor, PhD, History, Yale
Tomich, Dale, Associate Professor, PhD, History, Wisconsin
Wallerstein, Immanuel, Distinguished Professor, PhD, Sociology, Columbia
Concentration in American and Comparative Studies
The concentration in American and comparative studies provides the theoretical
background and analytical skills required to study social relations defined
chiefly by race, class, gender, and work. The concentration's full­p;time
and associated faculty are not committed to a single approach or methodology;
substantively, they have a wide range of research interests. These include
the historical construction of race and gender relations in North America;
emigration, migration, and the international movement of labor and capital;
imperialism and development, colonialism, decolonization, state, and class;
politics of southern Africa and Latin America; technology and comparative
industrial relations; theories of state and contemporary politics; education,
environment, and political economy; and comparative and historical methods.
Students are encouraged to explore and develop their own intellectual pursuits
within this broad framework. Students are also encouraged to formulate their
own conceptions of scholarly areas in which they will demonstrate their
competence. Generally, students entering the program with a bachelor's degree
should be able to finish required course work within three years and complete
the doctoral program within six years.
The concentration maintains a strong relationship with the Institute for
Research on Multiculturalism and International Labor. Department graduate
students have fashioned dissertation projects based on the institute's ongoing
work and others have been actively engaged in research funded by the institute.
Admission and Funding
Admission to the Concentration
An applicant should ordinarily have an outstanding academic record of achievement,
and a solid background in the social sciences. The ability to write cogently
is important; all applicants are asked to submit copies of written work,
such as course papers, articles, reviews, and research proposals. In addition,
all applicants are asked to submit a carefully framed statement of intellectual
purpose, including why they wish to pursue their doctoral studies in the
concentration in American and comparative studies at Binghamton University.
The Graduate School requires all applicants to submit their scores in the
Graduate Record Examination's verbal, quantitative, and analytical tests.
No advanced tests are required.
Funding
A small number of department assistantships and fellowships is available
each year to entering students. Awards are highly competitive. In arriving
at a decision on admission and funding, the department pays primary attention
to an applicant's academic record as reflected in transcripts and in at
least three letters of recommendation, as well as the candidate's statement
of purpose. Normally, a student in good standing remains eligible for funding
for four years. In some cases, eligibility may be extended to five years.
Department students have been extremely successful obtaining university­p;wide
fellowships and internships, including Clark Fellowships for under represented
minority students.
Additional funding opportunities are available through adjunct teaching
positions in the Sociology Department. These are available to students who
have been admitted to PhD candidacy.
Admission to PhD candidacy
Admission to PhD candidacy is contingent on satisfactory performance in
the first-year program, a demonstration of substantial scholarly competence
in two fields of theoretical and substantive inquiry, the completion of
required course work and acceptance of a dissertation prospectus.
Program of Study in the Concentration
The concentration's faculty offer coursework, supervised independent study
and research guidance at all levels of study. The concentration's four core
courses are offered annually; advanced courses are offered biannually. Students
are required to successfully complete the concentration's four core courses,
three others offered by the concentration's full­p;time and associated
faculty and two of the four core courses offered by the concentration in
world historical social change.
The selection of courses, particularly for first-year students, should be
carefully discussed with the student's graduate advisor. After the first
year, courses will necessarily reflect the student's own intellectual and
research interests and collaborative work. Course requirements may be altered
on a case by case basis in consultation with the concentration's co­p;director
of graduate studies.
First-Year Studies
Ordinarily, a first-year program consists of four introductory-level core
courses in the concentration in addition to two other courses selected from
the department or elsewhere. The four core courses are SOC 602 (Race, Class,
and Gender); SOC 603 (Economic Studies in Social Change, and Class Formation
in the Periphery); SOC 606 (Urban-Industrial Studies); and SOC 608 (Studies
in Expansion Methods).
Advanced Studies
By the end of the second year, students will normally form study committees.
Initially, the study committee may have one or two members but will eventually
consist of four faculty members, three of whom, including the chairperson,
must come from the ACS concentration. The committee will help the student
develop a program of study and eventually a schedule for demonstrating competency
and in the development, preparation, and defense of a doctoral dissertation.
Demonstration of Competency and Admission to Ph.D. Candidacy
Before admission to PhD candidacy, students must demonstrate competency
in two of the areas of specialization offered by concentration faculty.
For those students who enter with a BA, it is expected that students will
demonstrate competency by the end of the third year. Demonstrations of competency
will involve either i) examinations prepared by the student's study committee
in consultation with the student or ii) specialized area papers.
Comprehensive Examinations
The comprehensive, or PhD qualifying, examination consists of a demonstration
of competency in two fields of inquiry at the doctoral level. Competence
in an area consists of a broad familiarity with most of the principal perspectives,
theories, research issues, and practices commonly encountered in a well­p;defined
or emerging field of inquiry. Each field shall be defined prior to the examination
jointly by the student and the study committee. The format of the examination
will be determined by the study committee in consultation with the student.
For those students entering the program with a bachelor's degree, it is
expected that they will take their qualifying examinations by the end of
the third year.
After successfully demonstrating competency, students will form their PhD
dissertation committee. University regulations require that the committee
consist of at least four persons. The chairperson and at least one other
member must be members of the concentration faculty. University regulations
require that dissertation proposals must be approved by the dissertation
committee within six months of the demonstration of competency before students
are officially admitted to candidacy for the PhD.
Course Requirements
Master of Arts Degree
Degree requirements include 32 graduate credits in sociology or approved
courses in other schools in the University.
PhD Degree
Thirty­p;six credits beyond the MA or its equivalent (24 for those students
with departmentally­p;granted master's degrees), in sociology or approved
courses of instruction in other departments or schools in the University.
Granting the Degree
The co­p;director of graduate studies for the ACS concentration recommends
that the University grant the PhD in sociology when the student has fulfilled
the University residence and doctoral research requirements, passed an oral
examination of the dissertation conducted by the University, and deposited
with the University a copy of the dissertation approved by the examining
committee.
Typical Program of Study
First Year: Four core courses, including one core course from the concentration
in world historical social change; two advanced courses offered by ACS faculty
(24 credits).
Second Year: Two core courses; four advanced courses or courses in other
departments (MA awarded with completion of 32 credits).
Third Year: Remaining course requirements completed. Studies concentrate
on preparation for demonstration of competence. Completion of demonstration
of competence (PhD qualifying examinations) (18 credits).
Fourth Year: Completion of all requirements for advancement to PhD candidacy.
Teaching departmental course. Doctoral research (One credit per term).
Fifth Year: Doctoral research
Sixth Year: Dissertation defense and submission of completed dissertation.
(One credit per term; four credits in term in which dissertation is deposited).
Concentration Faculty
Concentration Faculty, 1996­p;97
Bach, Robert L., Associate Professor, PhD, Sociology, Duke, Director, Institute
for Research on Multiculturalism and International Labor
Casparis, John, Associate Professor, PhD, Sociology, Brown
Coquery­p;Vidrovitch, Catherine, Adjunct Professor, Doctorat d'Etat,
Paris
Davin, Anna, Adjunct Professor, PhD, History, London
Dubofsky, Melvin, Professor (joint with history), PhD, History, Rochester
Flint, John, Professor, PhD, Sociology, Wisconsin
Geschwender, James, Professor and Chair, PhD, Sociology, Michigan State
King, Anthony, Professor (joint with art history), PhD, Brunel
Kraft, Philip, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Sociology, Washington (St. Louis),
Co­p;Director of Graduate Studies for the Concentration in American and
Comparative Studies
Muto, Ichiyo, Adjunct Professor, University of Tokyo
Murray, Martin J., Professor, PhD, Sociology, Texas (Austin), Department
of Sociology
Petras, James, Professor, PhD, Political Science, California (Berkeley)
Quijano, Anibal, Adjunct Professor, Doctor, Sociology, San Marcos (Lima,
Peru)
Associated Faculty:
Freedman, Martin, School of Management
Klein, Heinz K., School of Management
Painter, Michael, Department of Anthropology
Reiter, Sara, School of Management
Teitelbaum, Kenneth, School of Education and Human Development
Recent graduate seminar topics have included:
Advanced Methods
Agrarian Relations and Rural Resistance
Class, State, and Economies in World Historical Perspective
Comparative Socialist Revolutions
Global Politics and Contemporary Theories of Development
Images of Class, Race, Gender, and Class
Industry and Technology in the Third World
Research Design
Studies of World Migrations
Technology, Labor Process, and the Politics of Production
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Course offerings/
Graduate
First-Year Doctoral Seminars
(Given annually; usually three are offered each term.)
SOC 601. THE STUDY OF THE MODERN WORLD-SYSTEM variable credit
World capitalist system from its origins to present. Formation of axial
division of labor, transition in Europe from feudalism to capitalism. Interstate
system: balance of power, imperialism, nationalism, hegemony. Labor processes
in core and periphery and their integration.
SOC 602. RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER variable credit
This course is designed to examine the manner in which race, ethnicity,
and gender have been socially constructed. It assumes that the process is
not arbitrary but rather reflects the historical experiences of peoples.
Further, this course will explore the extent to which gender is differentially
constructed within racial or ethnic groups and the consequences that this
differential construction has for the location that such groups occupy within
the societal stratification order.
SOC 603. ECONOMIC EXPANSION, SOCIAL CHANGE, AND CLASS FORMATION IN THE PERIPHERY
variable credit
In analyzing the global expansion of capital and its consequences we consider
the role of the colonial and post-colonial state in transforming class relationships
and revolutionizing productive processes in peripheral societies. We are
concerned with the processes and structural outcomes of post-colonial societies
and their variants. We explore various interpretations of peripheral industrialization
processes, the principal features and future prospects and the role of agriculture
and the countryside in colonial and capitalist development. In each case,
we explore the interaction of three features: the state, international capital,
and changing social classes in city and countryside. Finally, we consider
the relationship between peripheral development and revolutionary change,
including socialist alternatives.
SOC 604. DEVELOPMENT STUDIES variable credit
Contemporary patterns of development in historical perspective. Imperial
expansion of core-states; industrialization; multi-national firms and international
trade; agricultural structures; state in Third World; class formation; national
and social revolutionary movements.
SOC 605. THE STUDY OF SOCIALIST DEVELOPMENT variable credit
Socialist thought, movements, and historical development. Processes and
conceptions of transition to socialism. Class struggles; reform vs. revolution;
party and state; plan and market; bureaucracy and democracy; socialist states
and the capitalist world-economy; alienation and liberation; crisis and
reform.
SOC 606. URBAN-INDUSTRIAL STUDIES variable credit
Political-economies of core capitalist countries. Changing structures of
working classes and organizations of production. Formation of minorities.
Changing compositions of capitalist classes. Changing significance of class
in national politics. State policies and corporate expansion. Phases of
capitalist development.
SOC 607. THEORETICAL STUDIES variable credit
Social theories in relation to world-historical development. Smith, Marx,
and Weber, their followers and critics. Division of labor; the market; status-group,
class, class-struggle; state-formation and bureaucracy; consciousness; accumulation,
revolutionary social change.
SOC 608. STUDIES IN METHODS variable credit
History-theory tension as organizing contradiction. Theoretical terms and
arguments. Historical terms and descriptions (verbal, numerical). Narratively-organized
explanations. Issues of concept-formation, measurement, causal imputation.
Historical alternatives as counterfactual constructions. Comparative method.
SOC 609. ASPECTS OF METHOD IN WORLD­p;HISTORICAL INQUIRY variable credit
Experimental vs. historical sciences: the place of theory and description
in inquiry. Outline of a world­p;historical study. On theoretical arguments:
sources; logical considerations (formal, dialectical, fuzzy versions); realistic
historical alternatives; systems and "complexity"; concept­p;formation.
On historical descriptions: sources; logical considerations (categories,
forms of variation, their historicities); precision vs. accuracy; statistical
descriptions (from enumerations to frequency­p;distributions to joint
distributions; statistical relations, their measures, their assumptions;
indicators and indices). On the history­p;theory tension: image of the
"whole"; measurement of concepts, conceptualization of descriptions;
explanation, causal imputation, historical alternatives.
Advanced Colloquia
(Most are given every other year. Some colloquia, as indicated in the course
descriptions, are full courses given in a six-week period.)
SOC 621. NATION­p;STATES, SEX, AND MODERNITY variable credit
Exploration of conflictive process whereby modernity, the state, and national
identities emerged, as class­p;based, sexualized, and racialized constructs.
Historical specificities, socioeconomic contexts, disputed sign systems,
East­p;West and North­p;South differences; linkages between the social
body, physical bodies, and the body politic; current theories on the relationship
between the state, economic structures, and other power relations; examples
of the mobilization capacities of nationalism, racism, [hetero]sexism, and
the various forms of identity politics responding to these hegemonic discourses
in various instances of state formation.
SOC 623. THE SOCIAL DYNAMICS OF PUNISHMENT variable credit
Notions of criminality used during the past 200 years to criminalize the
behavior of sectors of society deemed to be "dangerous" to the
social order; institutions created to control such behavior (e.g., police
forces, public executions, slavery, work houses, jails, state and federal
prisons, chain gangs, reformatories, mental institutions, Indian reservations,
concentration camps, immigration detention centers, white supremacist groups);
differences and similarities in the types of punishment applied to men,
women, and children of different nationalities, races, ages, social classes,
and sexual orientations; the notion of "state" crimes and their
impact on the social structure.
SOC 626. CLASS, GENDER, AND CHILDHOOD IN INDUSTRIALIZATION variable credit
Impact of change on experiences of children, gender roles. Differences of
practice and ideology in developing middle class, in new industrial working
class. Interaction between classes over issues relating to childhood. Full
course in six weeks.
SOC 631. THE WORKING CLASS IN THE UNITED STATES variable credit
Formation and growth of working class in U.S.; 20th-century developments.
Capital-accumulation and proletarianization on world-scale, and major migrations
to and within U.S. labor-market processes, class-relations, and labor laws.
Changing occupational and social composition, geographical location of U.S.
labor force. Forms and varieties of working-class communities (personal
networks) and organizations (unions, parties). Ethnicity, race, and culture,
in relation to labor-force formation and reproduction, to workers' movements,
and to class-consciousness. Classical writings in labor and social history;
recent works using newer social-history approach.
SOC 633. COLONIZATION AND DECOLONIZATION variable credit
Theoretical questions about relation between world-scale capital accumulation
processes and incorporation of peripheral zones; the transition(s) to capitalism;
class formation, including local bourgeoisies, peasantries and working classes;
formal explanations vs. historical accounts of colonization and decolonization.
SOC 635. THE WORLD-HISTORICAL STUDY OF STRATIFICATION variable credit
Current theories, especially of racial and ethnic stratification. Recent
work from world-historical perspective on patterns and processes of racial
and ethnic stratification. Formation, reproduction of stratification associated
with historical relations of production.
SOC 637. GENEALOGIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT variable credit
How notions of "underdevelopment" and "the periphery"
originated and how they operate within contemporary social sciences, literary
studies, and philosophy: tensions between these notions and the socioeconomic,
political, and cultural realities they supposedly represent; the deployment
of such categories and realities within the invention of "the West"
as an original classification/space/economy and of "America,"
"Africa," and "the Orient" as its derivations­p;imitations;
the functions of feminization, sexualization, the denial of co­p;evalness,
teleology, and infantilization in the principal paradigms of the human sciences;
partial exploration of alternative conceptual frameworks.
SOC 647. PERIPHERAL SOCIAL STRUCTURES variable credit
Methodological problems in the study of peripheral societies; nationalism;
developmentalism; the peripheral state; industrialization and populism;
local bourgeoisies and their politics; crisis and social movements; prospects
for democracy and civil rights.
SOC 648. AGRARIAN DEVELOPMENT variable credit
Review of the classical debates and the current literature on agrarian transformation;
agrarian structures under capitalism; peasantry and its differentiation;
petty commodity production; state and the ideology of petty commodity producers;
agriculture and the world market.
SOC 651. CAPITALISM IN THE 20TH CENTURY variable credit
The rise and demise of market capitalism. Resurgence of mercantilism and
struggle for world hegemony. Corporate capitalism, its effects on the social
structures of the world-economy. Origins of the present crisis, transition
to post-capitalist world system.
SOC 653. TRANSFORMATION OF EUROPEAN SOCIETY variable credit
State­p;society relations during the inter­p;war years and after WWII;
dynamics of the welfare state; immigration and citizenship; the emergence
of the European Union; relations with Eastern Europe and Mediterranean countries;
core­p;periphery relations within the European Union.
SOC 661. HISTORICAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES variable credit
Emergence of a scholarly arena known as the social sciences distinct from
both natural sciences and the humanities; the structuring of the social
science disciplines; the current intellectual and organization dilemmas.
SOC 671. ADVANCED THEORETICAL STUDIES variable credit
Trajectories of theoretical social science. Interrelations among three organizing
frameworks: Smith's political economy, Marx's critique, Weber's anti-critique.
Established views and dubious voices. Today's many marxisms.
SOC 673. ADVANCED WORLD-SYSTEM STUDIES variable credit
SOC 690. SPECIAL TOPICS IN SOCIOLOGY variable credit
Used as needed for once-only or proposed new colloquia. See current course
offerings.
Teaching
SOC 691A-691B. TEACHING OF COLLEGE SOCIOLOGY variable credit
Individual supervision for beginning teachers. Prerequisite: written consent
of instructor, or director of graduate studies.
Independent Studies
SOC 693-694. CONTINUING DISSERTATION
RESEARCH SEMINAR variable credit
Appropriate for students designing or conducting doctoral research.
SOC 697. ADVANCED INDEPENDENT STUDIES variable credit
Prerequisite: written statement of detailed plan, schedule of studies, approved
in advance by instructor. Registration requires written permission of instructor
and of principal advisor or of director of graduate studies.
SOC 698. PREDISSERTATION RESEARCH variable credit
Independent reading and/or research in preparation for comprehensive examinations
for admission to PhD candidacy, and/or preparation of dissertation prospectus.
SOC 699. DISSERTATION variable credit
Open to those admitted formally to status of candidate for PhD degree at
this University.
SOC 707. RESEARCH SKILLS 1-4 credits
Development of research skills required for graduate study. May not be applied
toward course credits for any graduate degree. Prerequisite: approval of
relevant graduate program directors or department chairs.
SOC 700. CONTINUOUS REGISTRATION 1 credit
Required of inactive students who wish to maintain their matriculated status.
No credits toward degree requirements. May be taken for maximum of four
semesters. (Students requiring longer period of inactivity should withdraw,
reapply when able to resume their studies.) Prerequisite: graduate director's
and vice provost's written permission.
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