SOCY 5000a, Sociological Theory  Emily Erikson

The course seeks to give students the conceptual tools for a constructive engagement with sociological theory and theorizing. We trace the genealogies of dominant theoretical approaches and explore the ways in which theorists contend with these approaches when confronting the central questions of both modernity and the discipline.
M 3:30pm-5:20pm

SOCY 5100a, Professional Seminar  Jonathan Wyrtzen

This required seminar aims at introducing incoming sociology graduate students to the department and the profession. Yale Sociology faculty members are invited to discuss their research. There are minimum requirements, such as writing a book review. No grades are given; students should take for Audit. Held biweekly.
F 9:15am-10:45am

SOCY 5610a, Introduction to Methods in Quantitative Sociology  Emma Zang

Introduction to methods in quantitative sociological research. Covers data description; graphical approaches; elementary probability theory; bivariate and multivariate linear regression; regression diagnostics. Includes hands-on data analysis using Stata.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

SOCY 5670a, AI in Social Science Methods  Daniel Karell

Social scientists have begun integrating AI technology into the designs and methods of their research projects. How are they doing so? What are the current standards and best practices? This course uses a seminar format to review, discuss, and critique how AI technologies are currently being incorporated into social science research activities. Students read recently published articles and widely discussed unpublished papers, and, through class discussion, identify the promises and pitfalls of using AI to conduct social science research. Students also learn how to justify and explain the use of AI in their own research projects. During the course, students conduct an original research project that investigates a social science topic while making use of AI in the project’s design and/or methods. Prerequisite: completion of the required research methods courses in students’ home program.
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

SOCY 5750b / PLSC 5050b, Qualitative Field Research  Egor Lazarev

In this seminar we discuss and practice qualitative field research methods. The course covers the basic techniques for collecting, interpreting, and analyzing ethnographic data, with an emphasis on the core ethnographic techniques of participant observation and in-depth interviewing. All participants carry out a local research project. Open to undergraduates with permission of the instructor.
HTBA

SOCY 5800a, Comparative and Historical Methods  Julia Adams

This graduate seminar offers a general overview of the methodological issues and approaches that characterize comparative-historical social science research. It is also practically oriented to help students frame researchable problems, deploy comparisons to address them, work with different types of sources, and manage them as empirical materials for analysis. The course is designed for graduate students in history and the social sciences but is also open, with instructor permission, to advanced undergraduates with a strong interest in research in social science history.
W 9:25am-11:15am

SOCY 5850a / PLSC 5220a, Archival Methods and Historical Approaches in the Social Sciences  Jonny Steinberg

The aim of the course is to equip students to navigate different sorts of archives, to interpret archival material, and to survey debates in the social sciences about using historical material and theory to build arguments.
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

SOCY 5900a, Mixed Methods Research  Yuan Hsiao

Over the past decade, there has been an explosion of interest in mixed methods research, which integrates qualitative and quantitative approaches to provide a more comprehensive understanding of social phenomena. Scholars across disciplines recognize that combining these methods allows for deeper insights, richer data interpretation, and a more robust framework for addressing complex research questions. This course provides a systematic introduction to mixed methods research, covering its epistemological foundations, research design, integration strategies, and analytical techniques. Students examine the strengths and limitations of qualitative and quantitative research and explore how these approaches can be effectively combined to enhance research findings. Through the course, they gain both conceptual and practical skills for designing and evaluating mixed methods research. The course explores various mixed methods topics such as integrating epistemological concerns, different types of mixed methods designs, sampling data for mixed methods, or balancing priorities of qualitative and quantitative methods. Ultimately, students apply these concepts by designing a mixed methods research proposal that aligns with their academic interests. Open to graduate students at all levels and from any disciplinary background. This course does not require prior experience with qualitative or quantitative research, though such experience may be beneficial.
Th 9:25am-11:15am

SOCY 6100a / PLSC 7340a, Comparative Research Workshop  Rene Almeling and Alka Menon

This weekly workshop is dedicated to group discussion of work-in-progress by visiting scholars, Yale graduate students, and in-house faculty from Sociology and affiliated disciplines. Papers are distributed a week ahead of time and also posted on the website of the Center for Comparative Research (http://ccr.yale.edu). Students who are enrolled for credit are expected to present a paper-in-progress.
T 12pm-1:20pm

SOCY 6200a, Workshop in Cultural Sociology  Philip Smith

This workshop is designed to be a continuous part of the graduate curriculum. Meeting weekly throughout both the fall and spring terms, it constitutes an ongoing, informal seminar to explore areas of mutual interest among students and faculty, both visiting and permanent. The core concern of the workshop is social meaning and its forms and processes of institutionalization. Meaning is approached as both structure and performance, drawing not only on the burgeoning area of cultural sociology but on the humanities, philosophy, and other social sciences. Discussions range widely among methodological, theoretical, empirical, and normative issues. Sessions alternate between presentations by students of their own work and by visitors. Contents of the workshop vary from term to term, and from year to year. Enrollment is open to auditors who fully participate and for credit to students who submit written work.
F 11am-1pm

SOCY 6300a / AFAM 7973a, Workshop in Urban Ethnography  Elijah Anderson

The ethnographic interpretation of urban life and culture. Conceptual and methodological issues are discussed. Ongoing projects of participants are presented in a workshop format, thus providing participants with critical feedback as well as the opportunity to learn from and contribute to ethnographic work in progress. Selected ethnographic works are read and assessed.
M 11:30am-1:20pm

SOCY 6400a, Stratification and Inequality Workshop  Daniel Karell and Rourke O'Brien

In this workshop we present and discuss ongoing empirical research work, primarily but not exclusively quantitative analyses. In addition, we address theoretical and methodological issues in the areas of the life course (education, training, labor markets, aging, as well as family demography), social inequality (class structures, stratification, and social mobility), and related topics.
Th 12pm-1:20pm

SOCY 6500a, Research Topics on Human Nature and Social Networks  Nicholas Christakis

This seminar focuses on ongoing research projects in human nature, behavior genetics, social interactions, and social networks.
Th 12:30pm-2pm

SOCY 6900a, Workshop in Advanced Sociological Writing and Research  Philip Smith

This class concerns the process of advanced writing and research that converts draft material into work ready for publication, preferably in refereed journals, or submission as a substantial grant proposal. It investigates problem definition, the craft of writing, the structure of argument and data presentation, and the nature of persuasion more generally. The aim is to teach a professional orientation that allows work that is promising to become truly polished and compelling within the full range of sociological genres. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor; participants must enter the class with suitable draft material for group analysis and discussion.
Th 9:25am-11:15am

SOCY 7170a / ANTH 6841a / ENV 836a / HIST 8160a / PLSC 7790, Agrarian Societies: Culture, Society, History, and Development  Louisa Lombard and Marcela Echeverri Munoz

An interdisciplinary examination of agrarian societies, contemporary and historical, Western and non-Western. Major analytical perspectives from anthropology, economics, history, political science, and environmental studies are used to develop a meaning-centered and historically grounded account of the transformations of rural society. Team-taught.
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

SOCY 7201a, From Knowledge to Inaction  Rene Almeling

We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and yet there remain millions of Americans who do not have a home, enough food to eat, or access to health care. Academic researchers produce enormous amounts of data and knowledge about social problems like poverty, and yet the poverty rate has remained almost unchanged for fifty years. Likewise, there are reams of historical and social scientific studies about major social problems such as racism, gun violence, abortion access, and climate change. In this seminar, we examine the social processes through which all of this knowledge is ignored by policymakers and others with power to make change. How does increasing knowledge keep resulting in inaction?
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

SOCY 7250a, Analysis of Social Structure  Scott Boorman

Emphasizing analytically integrated viewpoints, the course develops a variety of major contemporary approaches to the study of social structure and social organization. Building in part on research viewpoints articulated by Kenneth J. Arrow in The Limits of Organization (1974), by János Kornai in an address at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences published in 1984, and by Harrison C. White in Identity and Control (2nd ed., 2008), four major species of social organization are identified as focal: (1) social networks, (2) competitive markets, (3) hierarchies/bureaucracy, and (4) collective choice/legislation. This lecture course uses mathematical and computational models—and comparisons of their scientific styles and contributions—as analytical vehicles in coordinated development of the four species.
M 10am-11:50am

SOCY 8100a, Independent Study  Jonathan Wyrtzen

By arrangement with faculty. When students register for the course online, the dropdown menu should be completed.
HTBA