SOC 315—Sociology of City Life

Have you ever noticed the striking differences between rich and poor city neighborhoods? Have you ever looked for a job in a city and found only advertisements for waiting tables? This course explores everyday city life in the U.S. and the social structural conditions that shape it. Topics may include: deindustrialization, economic decline, and segregation; gentrification and the service economy; and, globalization and/or political activism. Students learn about the day-to-day realities of living, working, and having fun in a city, all within the broader social context of inequality, history, and the economy.