46 courses with the subject SOCI, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
SOCI 001Foundations: Self, Culture, and Society1
This course offers a foundational introduction to the discipline of sociology. Throughout the course, we will examine key theories and concepts sociologists use, reading authors like W.E.B. DuBois, Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Bourdieu. We will also explore some of the key issues sociology tackles, including race and racism, gender and sexism, class and inequality, and the role of states and other power structures in shaping these and other facets of our social world. Required for SOAN majors and minors. Social sciences. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Veras. Spring 2028 Johnson. Fall 2028 Staff.
SOCI 005CFYS: Blackness in the Crosshairs: Living (and dying) in an Anti-Black World1
(Cross-listed as BLST 010 ) Blackness: identity, concept, or ideology? This first-year seminar provides students with an in-depth exploration of Blackness as all three. We will analyze how Blackness has been, and is, depicted in media, art, philosophy, and literature, and how these representations have shaped our understanding of the Black experience. In the Black Studies tradition, we take an interdisciplinary approach drawing from primary sources, academic texts, and social media to investigate how blackness is defined, contested, and transformed. The bulk of the course focuses on the now-contemporary topics spanning from “diaspora wars”, to digital Black face, to food deserts, Black Twitter, Black Lives Matter, and importantly, Black Joy. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST
SOCI 006CFirst-Year Seminar:The Working Class and the Politics of Whiteness (W)1
Who are the “white working class” in the United States? How do they live, what do they believe, and why? Or, is there even such a thing as “the” white working class? How did this racialized category come to evoke images of both “everyday Americans” in some circles, and (at least in some others) the Trump supporters who staged an attempted coup in January 2021? This course is dedicated to both sets of questions. First, we will look at the actual lives, beliefs, and political behavior of people who could be categorized as white and poor or working class. Then we will take up the question of the ways this category is deployed in our political discourse, for what purposes, and by whom. In the course of reading and writing about these issues, we will develop our understanding of class, race, inequality and politics in the United States. Social science. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for PEAC
SOCI 006DFirst Year Seminar: Social Class and the College Experience1
This class examines how our social class position matters in college (in the US). We will look at how family resources shape what colleges people get into (if they go to college at all), how people from different class positions (first-gen and low-income students, students from wealthy families, and those in between) experience different kinds of colleges and universities, and how education and class origin affect the jobs we get, the money we make, and the way we see things after we graduate. In doing so, we will also read about the intersection of social class with racial, gender, and other forms of inequality, and work together to understand how social class works at Swarthmore. Social sciences. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Laurison.
SOCI 007BBecoming American: Race and Nation in the US1
Today, most sociologists and anthropologists acknowledge that race is a social construct and not a biologically measurable and discrete category. Although race does not exist in any consistent physiological way, it remains a central aspect of personal and cultural identity, often standing in for the concept of culture or ethnicity and usually connoted by physically identifiable (or marked) difference. Race is also one of the most significant predictors of quality of life for groups and individuals in the United States. With this in mind, we will examine the concepts of race and its history in the United States. Paying particular attention to the legacy of white supremacy in the United States, we will explore the multiple ways that race and ethnicity function in this country. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST, ESCH
The family is often considered the most fundamental social institution. It is within the family that early socialization and care-giving usually take place, shaping our ideas about the world. Yet we often find it difficult to see how a social institution as private as the family is shaped by historical and social forces. This course will give students the opportunity to learn about the diverse forms the family has taken over time and the social forces that have shaped them. This knowledge will be useful in examining ongoing debates about social policy and the place of the family in social life. By taking a sociological approach to learning about the family and by gaining knowledge about national family trends and patterns in the U.S., this course will give students the theoretical and empirical tools to understand how family life is linked to social structure; to economic, cultural, and historical events and transitions; and to status characteristics like race, class, and gender. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for GSST Spring 2027. Suya.
This course is designed to provide an in-depth view of quantitative and qualitative research methods in the social sciences. Topics covered include (1) hypothesis formulation and theory construction (2) the measurement of sociological variables (3) data collection techniques - experimental, survey, and observational. At the end of the course, students should appreciate both the strengths and the limitations of sociological research techniques and will have a solid foundation for beginning to conduct research on their own. Methods course. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST. Spring 2027. Laurison.
Cross-listed with ( BLST 020 , GLBL 020 ) “I don’t see color.” The common adage is an allusion to a society in which phenotype bares minimal weight on one’s life chances. Scholars have long noted that the opposite is true-what we look like matters and greatly impacts our lives. Only coined in the 1980s, colorism, the preferential treatment of those with lighter skin and “desirable” features, has plagued communities of color for centuries. In this course, we will trace the origins of colorism considering global contexts for communities of color in general, and the African diaspora in particular. We will use emerging theories of colorism to examine the role of racism, colonialism, media, and capitalism in engendering and maintaining colorist ideals in contemporary society. We will engage academic and ‘non-academic’ texts to expose the variations of systemic colorism on a global scale often impacted by other demographic markers including: gender, region, class, ethnicity, and culture. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST, GLBL-paired, LALS Spring 2027. Veras.
Is it the “one-drop rule,” phenotype, or something else? Indeed, as a social construct, racial categories are created, codified, and contended based on their unique sociopolitical histories. This course will introduce you to the sociological study of race and ethnicity throughout the Americas-North, Central, and South. We will learn how white supremacy, The Transatlantic Slave Trade, and imperialism have shaped the sociohistoric construction of race over time and space and its implications for racial inequality in respective societies. Central to this course, is understanding comparative perspectives with how anti-Blackness and anti-indigeneity is constructed in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. The course invites us to consider how the legacies of European domination persist, and to think critically about how to move forward. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST, LALS
We frequently encounter statements or claims based on statistics, such as: women earn less than men, the American population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, or married people are healthier than unmarried people. On what information are these statements based? What kinds of evidence support or refute such claims? How can we assess their accuracy? This course will show students how to answer these sorts of questions by interpreting and critically evaluating statistics commonly used in the analysis of social science data. Hands-on data analysis and interpretation are an important component of the course. Methods Course Social sciences. 1 credit.
(Cross-listed as PEAC 025B ) This course will address the sociology of peace process and intractable identity conflicts in deeply divided societies. Northern Ireland will serve as the primary case study, and the course outline will include the history of the conflict, the peace process, and grassroots conflict transformation initiatives. Special attention will be given to the cultural underpinnings of division, such as sectarianism and collective identity, and their expression through symbols, language, and collective actions, such as parades and commemorations. Social sciences. 1 credit.
Globalization, it is widely recognized, is profoundly remaking social structure and transforming the lives of people in every corner of the planet. Our personal biographies are linked to increasingly dense networks of global interrelations, as the integration of societies, economies, and cultures fundamentally transforms human life. The concept of globalization is contested, meaning that there are different and competing understandings of what the term means and how to assess the process. Regardless of how we conceive globalization, the concept occupies an increasingly prominent place in the social sciences and humanities and for a very good reason: it is impossible to understand the world in the early 21st century without understanding globalization and its consequences. The objective of this course is to explore what has come to be known as globalization studies, and in particular, to survey the distinct themes sub-areas that make up the sociology of globalization. These include: theories of globalization; the global economy; political globalization; globalization and culture; transnational social movements; globalization and the environment, transnational migration; global conflicts and global inequality. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-core
SOCI 026BClass Matters: Politics, Privilege and Poverty in the US1
This class examines the ways our social origins (or class backgrounds) impact our lives and our politics in the US, the ways in which class positions are passed down (or not) across generations, and the relationship between class position and political views. We will discuss what we mean by “class”; what politics means across class positions; economic inequality and poverty; intersections of class with racial, gender, and other forms of inequality; the role of education in shaping both class position and political positions; and the role of the state in shaping inequalities and mobility chances. Social sciences. 1 credit. Fall 2026. Laurison.
What is gender and how do we make sense of it? This course will offer students an overview of the various ways social scientists describe how societies think about and are built on gender and gender differences. This course has two aims. First, the course will introduce students to some of the main frameworks used to define and explain gender in sociology and social science research. Second, it will focus more specifically on how these frameworks and gender-based issues manifest in the world around us. This is an overview course meant to give students a broad introduction into different areas of theory and research in gender studies from a sociological view-point. It focuses primarily on gender in the West with a specific emphasis on the United States although we will touch on theories and research beyond the U.S. context. Social sciences. 1 credit.
(Cross-listed as BLST 028 ) 2020 has been a tumultuous year. Economic, social, environmental and political events around the world have put global racial hierarchy in stark relief. In the United States, the Coronavirus pandemic is revealing and exacerbating existing racial inequalities. The continued state sponsored killing of Black people has sparked the latest iterations of the Black Liberation Movement within and across multiple boundaries. In this interdisciplinary course, we will investigate and uncover the seeds of these movements in previous eras, the conditions of white supremacy that continue to call forth resistance, and the manifestations of that constant resistance globally, nationally, and local to our city of Philadelphia. In partnership with the Pulitzer Center, students will work with preeminent journalists, local organizers and community members to create a podcast that will serve as a digital archive to tell multifaceted stories of Black Liberation 2020. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST, GLBL-core
SOCI 030CThe Black Atlantic: Diasporic Perspectives and Resistance1
(Cross-listed as BLST 030C ) Triumph, failure, defeat, and resistance vis a vis slavery, colonization, and emancipation, are central in shaping the vastness of Black experiences. In this course we bridge individual and historical processes. Our engagement with Black authors’ historical fiction and empirical works invites us to consider the day-to-day negotiations of Black: struggles, joys, sorrows, and freedoms as both intimately personal and ideological endeavors. Our focus spans slavery in the US and Caribbean and colonization of sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting important connections and distinctions unique to locales and their relationality to white supremacy. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST
SOCI 034BGender, Race, and Family: Experiences of Asian Americans1
(Cross-listed as ASAM 034B ) This course explores Asian American experiences related to gender, race, and family. In the first unit, we will explore the history of Asian Americans, identifying key concepts and discussions that shape Asian American Studies. In the second unit, we will discuss a wide range of contemporary topics regarding Asian Americans, such as racial and ethnic identities, interracial and interethnic dating and marriage, parenting styles and education, anti-Asian racism, the “model minority” myth, and the “bamboo ceiling.” The course materials draw from various disciplines, including social sciences and humanities, as well as contemporary journalism, documentaries, videos, podcasts, and novels. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for ASAM
This course examines issues regarding gender, family, and work in contemporary East Asian societies from a sociological perspective. The major goals of this course include: understanding how family life and work interconnect and interfere with each other and the implications that this has for women and men; and gaining empirical knowledge about gender, work, and family in East Asia. By taking a sociological approach to learning about the family and work and by gaining knowledge about empirical trends and patterns in East Asia today, this course will give students the theoretical and empirical tools to understand how family life is linked to social structure; to economic, cultural, and historical events and transitions in non-western contexts. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for ASIA, GSST Spring 2027. Suya.
SOCI 035BAnti-Capitalism, Revolution and Resistance in the “Third World”1
This class will introduce students to the long history of struggle in the so-called third world. We will read and analyze the various movements that have sought to resist and challenge the imposition of the oppressive systems of capitalism, colonialism and racialization. The aim of the class is to question the naturalization of these systems of oppression and to appreciate the many ways in which people have sought to resist and challenge their imposition. The class is framed from the perspective of the oppressed and presents as history from below. We will cover such themes as the resistance against the privatization of the commons; slave revolts; the Third World Movement; Socialism in Latin America and the Cuban Revolution. Social sciences. 1 credit.
Study of the global proliferation of the strategic use of nonviolent tactics and methods and investigate the power in social relations upon which collective nonviolent action capitalizes. We will also address sociological literature on the emergence, maintenance, and impact of social movements. For examples of the kinds of case studies covered in this seminar, visit https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for PEAC
The issue of transnational migration has been much debated by politicians, the media and laypeople alike. This is especially the case in the last few years. Images of migrants making their way to the nearest border, families being separated through deportation and children being detained in cages fill our screens. But, do we understand what causes people to migrate in the first place? To understand this, we need to analyze the root causes of transnational migration as well as the politics involved in it. This will require engagement with issues of power, the legal system and the production of migrant illegality, race, the nation-state, etc. Rather than only a survey of theories related to the topic, this class is designed to provide you with a holistic approach to the study of migration from a critical sociological perspective. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for ESCH, LALS, GLBL-core
“Race is a social construction” is an often-repeated mantra among scholars and activists alike. However, less explored is: how and to what end race was constructed and by whom? SOCI 035E takes as its central task to provide answers to these questions by paying particular attention to the role of the law in the creation and maintenance of race and racism and of racialized citizenship . Relatedly, this class also explores the role that race has played in shaping the differential reception and inclusion of various migrant groups over time. We will study, for instance, how certain European migrant groups were eventually allowed to “become white” while others, such as Latinos, became closely associated with illegality. The goal of this class is to shed light into the functioning of race and the law within capitalism. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for LALS Fall 2026. Rangel.
This class will provide students with an in-depth examination of capitalism and its logics and the impact that it has on their everyday lives. The first part of the class will provide an overview of the main ways in which sociologist approach the study of capitalism, focusing particularly on Max Weber and Karl Marx’s views of the origins of the capitalist system. After this, we will explore the inner logics of the capitalist system, learning not only how it works, but also tracing some of its main contradictions and why it regularly leads to economic and social crisis. The last part of the course will focus on the impact of capitalism on various aspects of our daily life, presently and in the future. Social sciences. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Rangel.
SOCI 046BSocial Science Survey Design, Analysis, and Visualization (M)1
Data visualization provides one of the most powerful ways to understand and communicate patterns in the social world. They say a picture tells a thousand words; when done well, images can help us understand and remember complex patterns at a glance. In this class you will learns about the properties of effective data visualization and apply them to survey data. Surveys can tell us about who supports the president, how levels of religiosity vary across the world or across time, the income rewards of a college education, and more. You will use survey data to examine (some of) *your* questions about the social world and design visuals to effectively communicate your answers. Methods Course.
Basic familiarity with one or more of the following: survey data (datasets, variables), Stata, R, or probability/inference. If you have taken SOCI 016B, Econ 031, and/or Stat 11, you are prepared enough to take this class. Social sciences. One laboratory per week. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Sociology and Anthropology Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/sociology-anthropology Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SOCI 046CResearch in Queer & Trans Communities (M)1
This course will cover 1) existing social science research on LGBTQ+ people, communities, and issues, and 2) the process of conducting research in and with queer and trans communities. We will discuss research questions and design, the challenges of collecting data among this population, the politics and ethics of researching queer and trans people and communities. Students will learn about a variety of research methods, and design and conduct their own research projects. Methods course. Social sciences. 1 credit. Fall 2027 Laurison.
SOCI 048GBetween the “Is” and the “Ought” Black Social and Political Thought1
(Cross-listed as BLST 040G ) Our study of global Black social and political thought will include not only the pivotal scholarly texts, but also the social and political practice and cultural production of abolitionists, maroons, Pan-Africanists, club women, poets, and the vast array of “race” people across the spectrum of crusades. We will explore the range of intellectual and cultural production and protest ideology/action of Black people through the politics and social observation of the pre-emancipation period, post-emancipation liberation struggles, post-colonial and post-civil rights periods, Black feminist and Black queer theory, and more contemporary freedom fighters. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST
(Cross-listed with BLST 048I ) Using Philadelphia neighborhoods as our site of study, this course will analyze the relationship between race/ethnicity and spatial inequality, emphasizing the institutions, processes, and mechanisms that shape the lives of urban dwellers. We will survey major theoretical approaches and empirical investigations of racial and ethnic stratification in cities, their concomitant policy considerations, and the impact at the local level in Philadelphia. Requires permission of the Instructor. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST, ESCH, PEAC
SOCI 048KPolitical Sociology: The Mafia and the State1
This course will introduce students to the comparative study of organizations designated as criminal across the globe. In it, we will explore the social, political and economic conditions in which what we designate organized crime develops. Analyses will be focused on the organization of networks, rules and codes, activities both in legitimate business and underground economies, and their relationship to politics. This comparative approach will enable students to identify those factors facilitating the emergence, migration and persistence of “organized crime” across nation states and global polities - emphasizing the mechanisms, processes and institutions that structure and are structured by these organizations. We will survey the major theoretical approaches and empirical investigations of Mafias and similarly designated structures in Italy, Russia, China, Japan, Central Asia, Central and South America, Nigeria, the United States, and locally in Philadelphia. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-core
This course takes a sociologically based yet interdisciplinary approach to the study of the politics of crime and the criminal justice system in U.S. cities. We investigate the origins of the politics of law and order from the mid-twentieth century to today, against a broader backdrop of macrostructural changes in the social, economic, and political landscape including but not limited to urban de-industrialization and suburbanization. Using Philadelphia neighborhoods as our site of study, this course will analyze the relationship between urbanity, criminality and spatial inequality, emphasizing the institutions, processes, and mechanisms that shape the lives of urban dwellers. We will survey major theoretical approaches and empirical investigations of politics, crime and stratification in cities, their concomitant policy considerations, and the impact at the local level in Philadelphia. Readings and in-class discussions will be supplemented by experiences in the field and guest speakers drawn from organizations involved in the crime/criminal justice system. Requires permission of the Instructor. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST, ESCH
This course is centered on reading Bourdieu’s Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste and understanding the state of democracy and politics in the contemporary US*. Distinction* lays out and applies a set of principles for understanding social inequality, with a particular focus on how people’s cultural tastes or practices are often used to justify their dominated social position. We will read the entire book and some of Bourdieu’s other work on social class and politics, in conversation with works in contemporary sociology and political science. We will think together about how different racial and class groups in the US engage (or not) with politics and democracy, with particular attention to the forces that have facilitated the rise of authoritarianism and White Christian nationalism in the US. Requires Professor Laurison’s permission Social sciences. 1 credit.
This course will cover, as the title suggests, the role of people and political organizations of the 2028 Election. We will work together to understand how people understand politics, and how political campaigns, PACs, and non-profit organizations work to persuade and mobilize potential voters. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for ESCH Spring 2028 Laurison.
SOCI 056DRace, Class and Political Power: The Sociology of Elections1
In this course, we will use the unfolding 2024 elections as a case study for understanding some of the most pressing issues in American democracy: the rise of Trumpism, the stark inequality in political participation, the sense many people have that electoral politics doesn’t represent them, and the ways in which the rules & structure of our electoral system skew representation towards those with more resources. We will work together to better understand how people understand politics, and how political campaigns, PACs, and non-profit organizations work to persuade and mobilize potential voters. Social sciences. 1 credit.
(Cross listed as BLST 058B ) In this course, we will examine the contours of Black women’s (womyn’s/womxn’s) ways of naming, being and knowing, their resistance to gender and race hierarchies, violence, domination, and oppression, and their insistent love, joy, art, and creative practices. We will center black queer feminisms, explore the intersections of race, gender and sexuality with class, region, religious and spiritual practices, generation, space and place; explore black feminist thought and its relationship to womanism and other feminisms; explore the multitude of positionalities of black women (womyn/womxn); examine mediated representations of black women; the commodification of black women’s aesthetics, bodies and sexualities, and the resistance to the same; and highlight black women (womyn/womxn) and femme centered spaces and collectives. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST, GSST
SOCI 058CManufacturing Scarcity: The Housing Crisis in American Cities and the People’s Fight for A Home1
In this course, we will investigate the social, political, and economic conditions that led to the current housing crisis in American cities. We will cover the history of private property and its role in the developing and maintaining multiple social hierarchies, including and especially those of race, class, gender and gender expression, sexuality, ability, immigration status, nation of origin, carceral status and others. We will also analyze the ways in which these social categories, and the ways they intersect, determine access to housing and all the other social goods tied to it. Finally, we will look at how policies at the state, federal, and local level and importantly, resistance and resistance movements have shaped how people live in cities now. Social sciences. 1 credit Eligible for ESCH
SOCI 068BClass Warfare: Politics, Culture and Economic Inequality1
In this course we will study class inequality in modern American society-not only how the rich, the poor, and the middle strata live, but also whether and how they come to think of themselves as part of a class or status group, develop a consciousness and politics around that status, and navigate within and between groups. We will consider the perennial questions of justice and fairness that citizens face. On the one hand, Americans strongly endorse an egalitarian rhetoric based on meritocracy. On the other, inequalities of class, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nation of origin, ability et al are significant dimensions of our society. Readings will emphasize the dynamics of class inequality at its intersections and the diverse ways it is experienced and resisted. This course builds from the notion that inequality is not given, but is a result of the way social processes function, policies are developed and implemented, and society is structured. Social Sciences. 1 credit.
SOCI 071BResearch Seminar: Global Nonviolent Action Database(M)(W)1
(Cross-listed as PEAC 071B ) This research seminar involves working with The Global Nonviolent Action Database built at Swarthmore College. This website is accessed by activists and scholars worldwide. The database contains crucial information on campaigns for human rights, democracy, environmental sustainability, economic justice, national/ethnic identity, and peace. Students will investigate a series of research cases and write them up in two ways: within a template of fields (the database proper) and also as a narrative describing the unfolding struggle. Strategic implications will be drawn from theory and from what the group is learning from the documented cases of wins and losses experienced by people’s struggles. Methods Course. Social sciences. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for PEAC, GLBL-core
(Cross-listed as BLST 088 ) 56% of the US Black population lives in the South (close to 17% in the Northeast and Midwest and close to 10% in the West). In this course, we will explore why a majority of Black Americans live in the U.S. South and how this shapes Black life today. We will examine the social, political, and economic forces that produced this regional concentration, paying close attention to migration, labor, and urban development. We will engage the neglected histories of Black Southern life worlds, focusing on how Black communities create meaning, build rich cultures, and generate powerful intellectual traditions. We will also analyze how federal, state and local policies-along with resistance and social movements-have structured everyday life for Black residents in Southern cities. By the end of the course, students will be able to connect historical processes to contemporary Black Southern experiences and debates about the politics of memory, racial justice, liberation, belonging, and place. Application process, Professor’s approval required. Social sciences. 1 credit. Spring 2027. Johnson.
Two options exist for students wishing to get credit for independent work. All students wishing to do independent work must have the advance consent of the department and of an instructor who agrees to supervise the proposed project. Option 1 - consists of individual or group directed reading and study in fields of special interest to the students not dealt with in the regular course offerings. Option 2 - credit may be received for practical work in which direct experience lends itself to intellectual analysis and is likely to contribute to a student’s progress in regular course work. Students must demonstrate to the instructor and the department a basis for the work in previous academic study. Students will normally be required to examine pertinent literature and produce a written report to receive credit. 0.5 or 1 credit.
This seminar is centered on reading Bourdieu’s Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste and understanding the state of democracy and politics in the contemporary US*. Distinction* lays out and applies a set of principles for understanding social inequality, with a particular focus on how people’s cultural tastes or practices are often used to justify their dominated social position. We will read the entire book and some of Bourdieu’s other work on social class and politics, in conversation with works in contemporary sociology and political science. We will think together about how different racial and class groups in the US engage (or not) with politics and democracy, with particular attention to the forces that have facilitated the rise of authoritarianism and White Christian nationalism in the US. Counts as only 1 credit toward any major housed in the Sociology and Anthropology department. Social sciences. 2 credits. Fall 2027 Laurison.
(Cross listed as BLST 121 ) This course examines statelessness, citizenship, and unfreedom as interconnected conditions produced by modern states rather than exceptional failures. Through historical and contemporary cases across the Americas, the Caribbean, and the global South, students analyze how law, documentation, labor regimes, and borders create populations that are formally free yet substantively constrained. Race and labor operate throughout as structuring forces shaping belonging, dispossession, and differential access to rights. Readings draw from sociology, history, legal studies, and Black Studies, pairing theory with empirical cases. Students will interrogate how freedom is unevenly distributed and how unfreedom persists after slavery, emancipation, and decolonization in modern societies. Counts as only 1 credit toward any major housed in the Sociology and Anthropology department. Social sciences. 2 credits. Eligible for BLST Spring 2027. Veras.
SOCI 125Race, Class, and The Political Economy of Racial Capitalism2
The concept and phrasing of Racial Capitalism has gained a lot of attention among scholars and activists recently. This is partly due to the proliferation of race-centered social justice movements, such as Black Lives Matter, but also to realization that capitalism is inherently intertwined with racism. This course aims to illuminate the interconnections between race and class through the works of scholars who made such a connection the centerpiece of their analysis, such as W.E.B DuBois’s Black Reconstruction, C.L.R. James’ Black Jacobins, Franz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth and Bernard Magubane’s The Political Economy of Race and Class in South Africa, among others. We will also study the promise and the perils of the concept of Racial Capitalism, which originated in South Africa at the height of apartheid, but which now is most closely associated with the work of American political scientist Cedric Robinson, as deployed in his increasingly Popular Black Marxism.” Counts as only 1 credit toward any major housed in the Sociology and Anthropology department.
Must have taken a previous course with Professor Rangel. Social sciences. 2 credits. Catalog chapter: Sociology and Anthropology Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/sociology-anthropology Access the class schedule to search for sections.
SOCI 135Social Movements and Nonviolent Power2
(Cross-listed as PEAC 135 ) In this two-credit Honors seminar, we will study the global proliferation of the strategic use of nonviolent tactics and methods and investigate the power in social relations upon which collective nonviolent action capitalizes. We will also address sociological literature on the emergence, maintenance, and impact of social movements. For examples of the kinds of case studies covered in this seminar, visit https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu Counts as only 1 credit toward any major housed in the Sociology and Anthropology department. Social sciences. 2 credit. Eligible for PEAC, GLBL-core Fall 2026. Smithey.
(Cross-listed as BLST 138 ) This course will generate an understanding of the sociology of W. E. B. Du Bois and the role of insurgent theory. In it, we will uncover Du Bois’ role as a founder of American sociology and analyze the social and political factors that relegated Du Bois to the margins of the sociological enterprise for over a century. Further, we will explore the significance of W.E.B. Du Bois’ contributions to projects of collective racial advancement and the intellectual climate of twentieth-century America; identify critical junctures in the scholar’s life related to his evolving and some would argue increasingly radical worldview; highlight the importance of Du Bois’ sociological, philosophical, artistic, and educational contributions to the transformation of 20th century American society; and ruminate on what lessons the life and work of Du Bois offer us in this contemporary moment. Counts as only 1 credit toward any major housed in the Sociology and Anthropology department. Social sciences. 2 credits. Eligible for BLST
This double graded seminar is divided conceptually into three main components organized historically and chronologically. The first part of the class will deal with the emergence of the capitalist system and the social implications of this development. In the second part of the class, we will engage in an analysis of the logics governing the capitalist system, as illustrated in the work of various radical and revolutionary scholars working within the Marxist tradition. The last part of the course will be dedicated to studying the impacts of the capitalist system on societal and individual wellbeing through the concept of alienation . Counts as only 1 credit toward any major housed in the Sociology and Anthropology department. Social sciences. 2 credit. Eligible for GLBL-core Spring 2027. Rangel.
SOCI 148Topics in Political Sociology: Power, Governance and the State2
Using the US case, this course will examine the influence of social forces on formal politics as well as politics in non-formal settings, emphasizing the institutions, processes, and mechanisms that shape the lives of citizens. We will survey major theoretical approaches and empirical investigations of key issues and debates in political sociology, their concomitant policy implications, and the impact on the populace-including definitions of power, elites and decision making, social cleavages in participation, and the role of economic interests in governance. Counts as only 1 credit toward any major housed in the Sociology and Anthropology department. Social Sciences. 2 credits. Eligible for ESCH Fall 2027 Johnson.
