Advanced Seminar: (SOC-UA 9942)

This interdisciplinary course examines the works of Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud, three German speaking writers who pioneered radically different and influential interpretations of modern life, which continue to shape our contemporary understanding of society and individuality. The seminar not only delves into the origins of these prominent traditions of modern Western thought, but also underscores their relevance in modern social theories and poetics. Hence, the course will also include references to the writings of their contemporaries, as well as explications of the direct and indirect influences of Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud on other writers.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2024)


SOC-UA 9942-000 (3750)
01/22/2024 – 05/02/2024 Wed
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Morning)
at NYU Berlin (Global)
Instructed by Michaelis-König, Andree

Terrorism and Political Violence in the Modern World (SOC-UA 474)

Following the 9/11 attacks, there has been much discussion of “terrorism” and political violence more generally by politicians, journalists, and scholars. But what exactly is “terrorism,” and how does it differ from other types of violence? This course addresses the following questions: How and for what purposes has the idea of “terrorism” been conceptualized and used by politicians, journalists, and scholars? How have scholars attempted to explain terrorism and political violence? Why and under what conditions does collective violence and terrorism in particular seem to arise? Are terrorism or other forms of political violence ever justified? And does terrorism or violence actually work? If so, how and under what circumstances? To answer these questions, we will examine a wide range of historical cases of terrorism and political violence in the modern world.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Politics, Power, and Society (SOC-UA 471)

The nature and dimensions of power in society. Theoretical and empirical material dealing with national power structures of the contemporary United States and with power in local communities. Topics: the iron law of oligarchy, theoretical and empirical considerations of democracy, totalitarianism, mass society theories, voting and political participation, the political and social dynamics of advanced and developing societies, and the political role of intellectuals. Considers selected models for political analysis.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 6 Weeks

Sections (Summer 2021)


SOC-UA 471-000 (2730)
07/06/2021 – 08/15/2021 Mon,Wed,Thu
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Meyer, Neal


SOC-UA 471-000 (2742)
07/06/2021 – 08/15/2021 Mon,Wed,Thu
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Meyer, Neal

The Family (SOC-UA 451)

Introduction to the sociology of family life. Addresses a range of questions: What is the relationship between family life and social arrangements outside the family (e.g., in the workplace, the economy, the government)? How is the division of labor in the family related to gender, age, class, and ethnic inequality? Why and how have families changed historically? What are the contours of contemporary American families, and why are they changing?

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sex and Gender (SOC-UA 21)

What forms does gender inequality take, and how can it best be explained? How and why are the relations between women and men changing? What are the most important social, political, and economic consequences of this ?gender revolution?? The course provides answers to these questions by examining a range of theories about gender in light of empirical findings about women?s and men?s behavior.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 6 Weeks

Sections (Summer 2022)


SOC-UA 21-000 (2406)
05/23/2022 – 07/06/2022 Mon,Tue,Thu
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Leigh, Jenny


SOC-UA 21-000 (4294)
07/07/2022 – 08/17/2022 Mon,Tue,Thu
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Kaplan, Golda


SOC-UA 21-000 (4373)
07/07/2022 – 08/17/2022 Mon,Tue,Thu
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Kaplan, Golda

Social Networks (SOC-UA 131)

Social life in its different forms, from the delicate equilibrium of a triadic relation to the chaotic dynamic of a crowd, emerges from the interdependent behavior of multiple actors. By studying social networks – i.e., the web of relationships in which individuals and groups are embedded –, we will understand important collective dynamics, such as interpersonal influence, social diffusion, the origin of social norms, group cohesion and intergroup conflict, political participation, and market exchange. This course will offer an overview of basic social networks concepts, combining the theoretical tradition of structural and relational sociology with the analytical tools of graph theory.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


SOC-UA 131-000 (9277)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 131-000 (9278)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 131-000 (9279)
at Washington Square
Instructed by

Immigration (SOC-UA 9452)

To provide an understanding of the main immigration trends in Britain, France and Germany since 1850 To provide an understanding of the problems attending the social and political integration of immigrants in contemporary Western Europe To compare the experience and understanding of immigration in Europe with the experience and understanding of immigration in the United States To examine the ways in which the memory of immigration is represented in literature and contemporary culture.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2024)


SOC-UA 9452-000 (4016)
01/22/2024 – 05/02/2024 Mon,Wed
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Morning)
at NYU London (Global)
Instructed by Busch, Nicky


SOC-UA 9452-000 (4017)
01/22/2024 – 05/02/2024 Mon,Wed
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at NYU London (Global)
Instructed by Busch, Nicky

Immigration (SOC-UA 452)

This course provides an introduction to contemporary immigration to the United States, against the backdrop of immigration since the start of the Republic and rooted in socio-behavioral science. The first half of the course is devoted to understanding U.S. law and policy governing immigration, and the second to understanding the characteristics and behavior of foreign-born – especially immigrants – in the United States.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


SOC-UA 452-000 (8813)
at Washington Square
Instructed by

Criminology (SOC-UA 503)

Examines the making of criminal laws and their enforcement by police, courts, prisons, probation and parole, and other agencies. Criminal behavior systems, theories of crime and delinquency causation, victimization, corporate and governmental crime, and crime in the mass media. Policy questions.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


SOC-UA 503-000 (9851)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 503-000 (9852)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 503-000 (9853)
at Washington Square
Instructed by

Race and Ethnicity (SOC-UA 135)

What is ’race’ exactly? Defining the concept presents a real challenge. This class explores what race and ethnicity mean, beginning with historical ideas about human difference. Comparing American beliefs and practices to those found in other societies, we will pay special attention to the particular notions and hierarchies of race that emerge in different times and places. The course also investigates the roles that institutions like the media, the arts, the state, and the sciences play in shaping our understandings of race and ethnicity. We will conclude by considering the predictions that scholars have made about the future of racial stratification in the United States.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


SOC-UA 135-000 (9848)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 135-000 (9849)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 135-000 (9850)
at Washington Square
Instructed by

Statistics for Social Research (SOC-UA 302)

Gives students in the social sciences (sociology, anthropology, political science, and metropolitan studies) an introduction to the logic and methods of descriptive and inferential statistics with social science applications. Deals with univariate and bivariate statistics and introduces multivariate methods. Problems of causal inference. Computer computation.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


SOC-UA 302-000 (8328)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 302-000 (8329)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 302-000 (8330)
at Washington Square
Instructed by

Sociological Theory (SOC-UA 111)

Prerequisite: one previous course in sociology, junior standing, or permission of the instructor. Brenner, Corradi, Ertman, Goodwin, Lukes. Offered every semester. 4 points. Examines the nature of sociological theory and the value of and problems in theorizing. Provides a detailed analysis of the writings of major social theorists since the 19th century in both Europe and America: Tocqueville, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, Freud, Mead, Parsons, Merton, Goffman, Habermas, Giddens, Alexander, and Bourdieu.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


SOC-UA 111-000 (8327)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 111-000 (8978)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 111-000 (8979)
at Washington Square
Instructed by

Intro to Sociology (SOC-UA 1)

Offered every semester. 4 points. Survey of the field of sociology: its basic concepts, theories, and research orientation. Threshold course that provides the student with insights into the social factors in human life. Topics include social interaction, socialization, culture, social structure, stratification, political power, deviance, social institutions, and social change.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


SOC-UA 1-000 (20398)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon,Wed
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Morning, Ann


SOC-UA 1-000 (20399)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Fri
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Martin-Caughey, Ananda


SOC-UA 1-000 (20400)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Fri
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Um, Sejin


SOC-UA 1-000 (20401)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Fri
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Nelson, Christina


SOC-UA 1-000 (20420)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Fri
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Sieffert, Claire


SOC-UA 1-000 (20403)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Wed
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Evening)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Martin-Caughey, Ananda


SOC-UA 1-000 (20404)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Fri
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Sieffert, Claire


SOC-UA 1-000 (20405)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Fri
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Cera, Michelle


SOC-UA 1-000 (20406)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Wed
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Evening)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Um, Sejin


SOC-UA 1-000 (20407)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Fri
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Nelson, Christina


SOC-UA 1-000 (20408)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Fri
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Cera, Michelle

The Social Challenges of Climate Change (SOC-UA 454)

This seminar examines how sociology can help us understand the challenge of climate change. We will briefly overview the climate science and learn about the rise of “weird weather,” but the core themes of the course concern questions about communication and cognition, cultural values and material consumption, politics and persuasion, mitigation and adaptation, economics and social justice, power and social movements, and the possibility of creating new, more sustainable ways of living on earth. We will dedicate several sessions dedicated to Superstorm Sandy and its aftermath, with a focus on the question of how to rebuild a more resilient city and region in anticipation of more extreme weather events.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2021)


SOC-UA 454-000 (21743)
09/02/2021 – 12/14/2021 Mon,Wed
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Klinenberg, Eric


SOC-UA 454-000 (21744)
09/02/2021 – 12/14/2021 Fri
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Haile, Sewheat


SOC-UA 454-000 (21745)
09/02/2021 – 12/14/2021 Fri
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Haile, Sewheat

Law and Society (SOC-UA 413)

Sociological perspectives on law and legal institutions: the meaning and complexity of legal issues; the relation between law and social change; the effects of law; uses of law to overcome social disadvantage. Topics: ?limits of law,? legal disputes and the courts, regulation, comparative legal systems, legal education, organization of legal work, and lawyers? careers.

Sociology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


SOC-UA 413-000 (9101)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 413-000 (9102)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


SOC-UA 413-000 (9103)
at Washington Square
Instructed by