Sociology MA and PhD students must take SOCY901 and SOCY902 (Sociological Theory and Methodology).
MA students are required to complete six courses. Students are registered in Pattern II (A) (Essay). At the end of the Fall Term, students may remain in the Essay pathway, or apply to pursue Pattern I or Pattern II (B). Entry to these is dependent on academic progress, a successful proposal, and supervision.
PhD students will complete four courses, a course in professional and pedagogical skills, a 2-part qualifying examination (written and oral), and a thesis in traditional or manuscript format to be defended before a committee of examiners.
With the approval of the Graduate Coordinator, students can choose to take elective courses from other departments who offer courses jointly with Sociology or arrange to take graduate level courses outside of the Department. Academic Calendar, Courses of Instruction.
All courses are generally completed during the first year of study: two or three in the fall term + two or three in the winter term.
2024-2025 Courses
SOCY901 Sociological Theory (3.0 Units). Required Course.
This course enables students to critically engage with some of the core positions and debates within contemporary sociological theory. It aims to provide an advanced forum for the examination and discussion of several varieties of theorizing in Sociology, the philosophical issues and problems intrinsic to the social sciences, the continued salience of classical traditions and the plurality of responses to them. Students will be encouraged to situate their own work within these positions, and most importantly be open to exploring the very different ways in which theory conceptualizes the social world and the possibilities of inquiry.
SOCY902 Sociological Methodology (3.0 Units). Required Course.
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).
SOCY917 Quantitative Methodology (3.0 Units).
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.
SOCY934 Rage Against the Machine: Technologies of Domination in Datafied Societies (Special Topics) (3.0 Units).
This course examines issues related to technology and economic and political order in datafied societies. It is organized around how technology is involved in maintaining salient features of the current political moment related to colonialism, racial capitalism, and state violence. The course is organized in two parts: The first part surveys scholarship which investigates colonial and racial capitalist continuities in digital economies; and the second part is dedicated to how technologies aid and maintain projects of large-scale state-sponsored oppression and violence. Some of the topics we will discuss revolve around: the coloniality of extractive digital economies, racial capitalism and digital labor, techno-liberal ideology, techno-nationalism, surveillance and border technologies, and carceral technology. We will conclude the course by discussing forms of resistance and refusal, from the original machine stormers to contemporary abolitionist approaches.
SOCY916 Qualitative Methodology (3.0 Units).
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.
SOCY935 Criminalization, Social Control and Punishment (Special Topics) (3.0 Units).
This course explores theories of criminalization, social control, punishment through an examination of contemporary practices. Students will gain a theoretical foundation in the sociology of punishment and explore more recent innovations and developments in criminalization and punishment. This course moves beyond a narrow focus on prisons to consider the broader meaning, role and place of punishment in society. We will explore the empirical realities and the lived experiences of social control and punishment in the community, in the criminal court process and in custody, reflecting on and analyzing the racialized and gendered nature of experiences, perspectives and consequences.
SOCY936 Intersectionality, Inequality, Power (Special Topics) (3.0 Units).
This course will offer an in-depth exploration of the complex ways in which power and inequality are produced and perpetuated. Drawing on foundational theories, such as colonialism, intersectionality, and network theory—students will explore how race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, and other facets of identity converge and interact with historically rooted structures and institutions. Student will read works by Franz Fanon, Bruno Latour, Patricia Hill Collins, Judith Butler, Saba Mahmood, and Michel Foucault. Students will engage with these texts to understand the diverse frameworks scholars use to analyze power dynamics and inequality, and consider how and when to apply them to their own work. Throughout the semester, we will use these theories to examine inequality in domains like beauty, education, labor markets, healthcare, and criminal justice. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to explore specific themes or delve into other strands of inequality research based on their interests.
Under the supervision of an individual faculty member, students may conduct intensive reading in a research area not offered in core or elective courses. Readings are to be arranged in consultation with the faculty supervisor and accompanied by meetings during the term to discuss the readings and submission of written assignments.
SOCY 881,891,892,893,894,895,896,897
Once you have approval, you will need to print and complete with the course instructor an Application for Individual Directed Study. Once completed, you will need to sign the form yourself and arrange for it to be signed by the course. Return the completed, signed form to the Sociology Main Office in D431 or socygrad@queensu.ca