ASOC 27A14 - Inquiries in Sociology

This course introduces students to the logics of sociological inquiry. While all sociological studies rely on empirical research (the systematic collection and analysis of data), sociologists use and combine very different types of inquiry. They conduct surveys, draw on administrative databases, interview people, conduct field observations, set up experiments, dig into historical archives, and more. In this course, we will learn about various modes of inquiry in sociology – their logics, possibilities, and limitations – by exploring different approaches to the study of social inequalities.

By the end of the course, students can expect to:

• Have a good understanding of the various approaches to sociological inquiry;
• Be able to read, understand, and critically analyze sociological research;
• Understand, and be able to explain, the strengths and limitations of various methodologies;
• Be able to come up with solid research designs to answer sociological questions;
• Be able to conduct some data collection and analysis.

To reach the course objectives, students will be asked to work on three types of assignments:

• Weekly reading reports: Every week, before lecture on Tuesday, students will upload a brief summary of the assigned reading, which should include a) the research question, b) the data and methods used to answer it, c) the main findings and arguments. This assignment is meant to help students read actively and keep organized notes of their readings. Students can skip one reading report during the semester.
• Discussion section assignments: Students are required to attend discussion sections, where they will work in groups on their own research projects. The specific assignments will be determined by the instructors. They are meant to teach students the practical steps of sociological research: elaborating a research question, designing a methodology to investigate it, collecting, analyzing and interpreting data, building an argument, and presenting findings.
• Mid-term and final exam: The mid-term and final will be written exams, where students will be given a choice between two essay questions. Both options will ask you to propose a research design to examine a given research question.

COURSE SCHEDULE

• September 2: The logic of sociological inquiry

READ (optional): Charles Mills, 1959. The Sociological Imagination, Chapter 1, “The promise”

• September 9: Surveying populations

READ: Mirna Safi, 2010. “Immigrants’ Life Satisfaction in Europe: Between Assimilation and Discrimination”, European Sociological Review, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 159- 176.

SUBMIT: Reading report #1

• September 16: Using administrative data

READ: Patrick Sharkey, Gerard Torrats-Espinosa, Delaram Takyar, 2017. “Community and the Crime Decline: The Causal Effect of Local Nonprofits on Violent Crime”, American Sociological Review, Vol 82(6), pp. 1214–1240.

SUBMIT: Reading report #2

• September 23: Listening to people

READ: Tony Silva, 2017. “Bud-Sex: Constructing Normative Masculinity among Rural Straight Men That Have Sex With Men”, Gender and Society, Vol. 31, No. 1., pp. 51-73.

SUBMIT: Reading report #3

• September 30: Observing and participating in communities

READ: Victor Rios, 2011. Punished, New York University Press, chapters 1 and 3.

SUBMIT: Reading report #4

• October 7: Analyzing written sources

READ: Abigail Saguy and Kjerstin Gruys, 2010. “Morality and Health: News Media Constructions of Overweight and Eating Disorders”, Social Problems, Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 231-250.

SUBMIT: Reading report #5

• October 14: Exploring the past

READ: Robert Braun, 2022. “Bloodlines: National Border Crossings and Antisemitism in Weimar Germany,” American Sociological Review, Vol. 87(2), pp. 202-236.

SUBMIT: Reading report #6

• October 21: Mid-term course review

READ: (none)

SUBMIT: (none)

• November 4: Experimenting

READ: Christopher Marquis, András Tilcsik, and Ying Zhang, 2024, “Attractiveness and Attainment: Status, Beauty, and Jobs in China and the United States”, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 129(6), pp. 1720-1762.

SUBMIT: Reading report #7

• November 18: Following networks

READ: Andrew Papachristos et al, 2015. “The Company You Keep? The Spillover Effects Of Gang Membership On Individual Gunshot Victimization In A Co-Offending Network”, Criminology Volume 53 Number 4 624–649.

SUBMIT: Reading report #8

• November 25: Mixing methods

READ: Chris Herring, 2019. “Complaint-Oriented Policing: Regulating Homelessness in Public Space”, American Sociological Review, Vol. 84(5), pp. 769–800.

SUBMIT: Reading report #9

• December 2: Aggregating the findings of multiple studies

READ: Lincoln Quillian, Anthony Heath, Devah Pager, Arnfinn H. Midtbøen, Fenella Fleischmann, Ole Hexel, 2017. “Do Some Countries Discriminate More than Others? Evidence from 97 Field Experiments of Racial Discrimination in Hiring,” Sociological Science Vol. 6(18).

SUBMIT: Reading report #10

All the assignments will be graded out of 20, according to the rubrics posted on Moodle.

The final grade for the course is calculated on the basis of: the final exam counts for one-third, the continuous evaluation counts for two-thirds.

The continuous evaluation includes the following:

• Discussion section assignments 37%
• Mid-term exam 15%
• Reading reports 15%